Abstract: A fabric stain treatment device for treating a stain on a fabric with a fabric stain treatment composition during a fabric washing process, the fabric stain treatment device comprising: (a) a storage chamber for storing the fabric stain treatment composition, said storage chamber comprising two adjacent convex walls in a stacked arrangement with an upper wall and an lower wall; and a waist portion; (b) a filling and dispensing aperture defined by one or more upper edge portions of the storage chamber, said edge portion/s comprising a pour spout; and (c) a base the periphery of which is contiguous with the lower wall; said base and lower wall interconnecting at a base edge portion at least one annular scrubbing portion on a base edge portion.

Abstract: A multi-compartment water-soluble capsule thermoformed from two sheets of water-soluble film, the capsule comprising a least two compartments with a different part of a detergent composition in each compartment, the two sheets of film being sealed together to form seal areas around each compartment, all the seal areas lying substantially in a first plane; —the capsule having at least one larger volume outer compartment and at least one smaller volume inner compartment generally enclosed in the first plane by the outer compartment(s), the outer compartment(s) being separated from the inner compartment(s) by a continuous partition seal area which is substantially rectangular and lies in the first plane, —the outer compartment(s) having a generally rectangular outer perimeter with rounded corners and a substantially uniform cross-section taken along a plane perpendicular to the first plane and perpendicular to the inner seal separating the inner and outer compartments.

Abstract: A fabric stain treatment device for treating a stain on a fabric with a fabric stain treatment composition during a fabric washing process, the fabric stain treatment device comprising: (a) a storage chamber for storing the fabric stain treatment composition, said storage chamber comprising two adjacent convex walls in a stacked arrangement with an upper wall and an lower wall; and a waist portion; (b) a filling and dispensing aperture defined by one or more upper edge portions of the storage chamber, said edge portion/s comprising a pour spout; and (c) a base the periphery of which is contiguous with the lower wall; said base and lower wall interconnecting at a base edge portion at least one annular scrubbing portion on a base edge portion.

Abstract: A multi-compartment water-soluble capsule thermoformed from two sheets of water-soluble film, the capsule comprising a least two compartments with a different part of a detergent composition in each compartment, the two sheets of film being sealed together to form seal areas around each compartment, all the seal areas lying substantially in a first plane;—the capsule having at least one larger volume outer compartment and at least one smaller volume inner compartment generally enclosed in the first plane by the outer compartment(s), the outer compartment(s) being separated from the inner compartment(s) by a continuous partition seal area which is substantially rectangular and lies in the first plane,—the outer compartment(s) having a generally rectangular outer perimeter with rounded corners and a substantially uniform cross-section taken along a plane perpendicular to the first plane and perpendicular to the inner seal separating the inner and outer compartments.

Abstract: A Rice coding data compression module includes a memory interface operable to receive sensor data from memory, a data normalization module operable to normalize received sensor data, an encoder operable to apply a Rice compression algorithm to the normalized data to produce compressed sensor data, a data management module operable to apply packet formatting to the compressed sensor data to produce formatted compressed sensor data packets; and a memory interface operable to store the formatted compressed sensor data packets to memory.

Abstract: A method of sending data packets between a control processor and a plurality of peripheral components comprising retrieving information embedded in a command data packet formatted in a first protocol at a switch adapted to function as an alternate bus, forming a reformatted data packet at the switch, and transferring the reformatted data packet from the switch. The reformatted data packet is formatted according to a second protocol, and includes the retrieved information.

Abstract: A method of sending data packets between a control processor and a plurality of peripheral components comprising retrieving information embedded in a command data packet formatted in a first protocol at a router, forming a reformatted command data packet at the router, and transferring the reformatted command data packet from the router. The reformatted command data packet is formatted according to a second protocol and the reformatted command data packet includes the retrieved information.

Abstract: A method of adapting the System Management Bus protocol to increase the number of peripheral components accessible to a control processor, the method including embedding a component address having a length of up to seven bits in a System Management Bus Block Write and completing a system transaction with the System Management Bus Block Write and a second data packet so that data is sent between the control processor and the peripheral component having the component address.

Abstract: A Rice coding data compression module includes a memory interface operable to receive sensor data from memory, a data normalization module operable to normalize received sensor data, an encoder operable to apply a Rice compression algorithm to the normalized data to produce compressed sensor data, a data management module operable to apply packet formatting to the compressed sensor data to produce formatted compressed sensor data packets; and a memory interface operable to store the formatted compressed sensor data packets to memory.