Abstract: The present invention relates generally to dispensing system configured for dispensing a food product. The invention also relates to a peristaltic pump that has a pumping member configured to move along a path through a pumping position and a loading position. The pump also includes a motor in drivable association with the pumping member to move the pumping member along the path and a backing member having a surface configured to cooperate with the pumping member to pinch a conduit therebetween when the pumping member engages the conduit to establish peristaltic association in the pumping position to peristaltically pump a fluid therethrough. When the pumping member is in the loading position, the pumping member is disposed to allow the conduit to be received in and removed from a pumping space. The present invention also relates to a method for dispensing a food product using a peristaltic pump.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to dispensing system configured for dispensing food product. The device includes a fluid container in fluid communication with a conduit having a compressible portion which is associable with a pumping mechanism for pumping a fluid therethrough. The compression portion contains an upstream uni-directional valve and a downstream uni-directional valve, so that when the compression portion is resiliently compressed, fluid is forced through the downstream valve, and upon decompression, fluid is drawn through the upstream valve. The present invention also relates to a method for dispensing a food product.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a non-invasive test tool for testing and monitoring the interactions between an embedded microprocessor and its programs, various input analog and discrete electrical signals, and an LCD output display screen. The test tool uses a physical probe, preferably coupled in a non-invasive manner to the pins of the LCD display screen, and specialized hardware to capture the LCD output of the software-under-test as an event interaction between the microprocessor and various inputs. The captured LCD output is converted to a standard pixel format and stored for testing. The standard pixel format comprises a color and/or intensity value for each pixel position of interest, stored into a data structure. One embodiment uses a conversion which includes adding the time-modulated pixel data of a plurality of frames to generate a single composite frame having a color and/or intensity value for each pixel position of interest.

Abstract: A video discriminator for automatically providing a format select indicator generates from the number of vertical sync pulses in a vertical interval of an input video signal and from the current state of the format select indicator an error signal if the number of vertical sync pulses is incompatible with the format select indicator. The error signal and a vertical sync detect pulse together with a horizontal line count determine the format of the input video signal and cause the format select indicator to change to reflect the format of the input video signal.

Abstract: A digital timing generator using a state machine detects the presence of a predetermined pulse pattern at the input to generate a valid pulse output, and from the periodic repetition of the valid pulse output indicates the presence or absence of an input signal having the predetermined pulse pattern. The edges of the pulses at the input are detected and the pulse widths are determined by a time duration counter as being within the limits corresponding to the predetermined pulse pattern. A valid pulse counter is incremented for each pulse having the proper pulse width, and when the count of the counter reaches a predetermined value a valid pulse output is indicated. The valid pulse output may be delayed before being input to a signal presence detector. Each valid pulse output restarts a time interval counter and increments a valid input counter so long as the time interval timer does not reach a maximum time interval.