Abstract: The present invention relates to an HVAC pre-conditioning system for vehicles, and, especially, automotive vehicles in the automotive and/or truck sector, which utilizes an HVAC unit, distribution system, and a device, such as ducts, useful for pre-conditioning via heating, cooling or drying material, equipment or apparel. By providing for a preconditioning system comprising at least one rear HVAC system and at least one duct or branch off of the a rear HVAC distribution system, conditioned or conditioning air can be used to pre-condition a number of sports, utility, and other materials such as clothing or other apparel, such as ski-boots, snow boots, walking shoes, working shoes and/or boots, gloves, hats, clothes and leg and body garments (children's snow-suits and scarves) are also envisioned. Other types of equipment, such as water skiing equipment with suitable catch trays, etc., could be dried out or made more comfortable using the present invention.

Abstract: The present invention relates to HVAC units with condensate drainage systems, for use in motorized vehicles. The present invention provides for at least two or dual condensate drain paths with no extra parts required pre-distribution of the treated air from the HVAC unit, the drainage means or channel situated to allow condensate to ‘fall back’ or, to run upstream back from the evaporator in the opposite direction to the air in the main airflow or stream which continues to run downstream from the drainage area to be conditioned by the heat exchanger.

Abstract: In preferred aspects of the present invention, at least one rib is provided can be molded to an internal dividing wall in the interior of a water separator in an automotive HVAC unit. In more preferred aspects, a plurality of ribs is provided that are molded to or with the wall, and, the plurality of ribs form a pattern, in a way that allows them to ‘direct’ or to ‘channel’ water from an air flow.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of directing ventilating air and airflow control in a ventilating, heating or air conditioning system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a structure and method to provide air flow mixture via with reduced heat pickup utilizing a separate piece air deflector located within the lower housing of the HVAC unit, and ribs to direct airflow. The HVAC unit provides an inserted deflector means which provides for smaller packaging volume, allows air deflection and airflow towards the distribution area of the unit, and, provides a drainage means for undesired water, before it reaches the distribution area, yielding an HVAC unit, with the same functionality as larger HVAC units.

Abstract: A muffler system for a compressor includes an expansion chamber muffler for reducing pressure pulses at the compressor's fundamental pulsation frequency and a side-branch muffler for filtering high-frequency pressure pulses. The expansion muffler is positioned along the compressor discharge stream at a location that maximizes pulsation reduction at the compressor's fundamental pulsation frequency. The side-branch muffler is tuned to the frequency at which the pulsation reduction for the expansion muffler is at a minimum.

Abstract: An apparatus for mixing material in a container includes a platform mounted for simultaneous movement on at least two axes and for supporting a container containing material to be mixed. A motor can be operatively associated with the platform to move the platform on the two axes. A container holding assembly having a vertical extent can be carried by the platform, and is moveable between a closed position in which the holding assembly is positioned proximate the container to retain the container on the platform during mixing operations, and an open position in which the holding assembly is positioned away from the container so that the container can be removed from the platform without lifting the container over the vertical extent of the holding assembly. The platform can be contained within a housing having a low profile opening such that the container can be removed without elevating the container.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of directing ventilating air and airflow control in a ventilating, heating or air conditioning system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a structure and method to provide air flow mixture via an air mixer structure or ‘baffle’ located within a blend door. The simplified HVAC unit provides a baffle/blend door assembly comprising an air mixer structure wherein the attachment means of baffle and barrel door is such that it provides for ease of assembly. The baffle/barrel door assembly provides for smaller packaging volume with the same functionality as larger HVAC units.

Abstract: A virtual reality generator having an input module that receives as input financial information is disclosed. The virtual reality generator outputs to a display device a virtual reality world generated from the financial information. The financial information can be pre-processed by a financial analytic system prior to input to the virtual reality generator. The financial information can be received from a data file. The virtual reality generator can dynamically display and continuously update the virtual reality world. Further, movement through the virtual reality world can be simulated.

Abstract: A logical device that is coupled to a computer can be controlled using string commands. The logical device requires flags and a data structure to operate properly. A string command with tokens for operating a specific logical device is provided. A linked list of the tokens is created. A command table for the specified logical device is found. The command table contains possible commands for the logical device, which commands are able to provide the required flags and data structure for the logical device. Each command in the command table contains key words or tokens or multiword tokens. The command table tokens are parsed, one at a time, against the command string tokens. If no match between the command table token and a command string token occurs, then the next command table token is parsed against the command string tokens.

Abstract: A method is provided to determine the ability of a test compound to alter PAK activation of Raf-1 comprising: (a) contacting a polypeptide comprising the catalytic domain of a PAK with the test compound in the presence of Raf-1; and (b) measuring the extent of activation of Raf-1.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for performing blitter operations is performed in two parts. First, a description of the to-be-performed data transfer is analyzed and a computer instruction sequence is generated therefrom. The instruction sequence may include the appropriate instructions to implement scaling, clipping, and color conversion of a source image, as implicated by the blitter description. Second, the computer instruction sequence is executed an appropriate number of times, again depending upon the blitter description. One of the described embodiments transforms a blitter description that describes a target image in terms of visible rectangles into a description that describes the target image as having at least one line-type, in which the line-type comprises at least one pixel run, characterized by visible and non-visible states. The line-type description is then utilized by a code-generating logic to generate the appropriate instructions.

Abstract: A digitized image compression system employs several different compression techniques to compress the luminance and chrominance information and encodes the selected technique “on the fly” by inserting selected escape and header codes into the encoded data stream. More particularly, during compression, each image is divided into non-overlapping contiguous regions, referred to hereinafter as blocks and image data is compressed on a block-by-block basis. Each encoded block begins with a one-byte header that indicates, in conjunction with a previous escape code, the compression technique which was used to encode the block. Therefore, interpretation of the encoded data is a hierarchical process: the escape codes indicate a stream interpretation mode which, in turn, determine the meaning of header values which follow and the header values, in turn, determine the meaning of the encoded data in each block.

Abstract: A virtual reality generator having an input module that receives as input financial information is disclosed. The virtual reality generator outputs to a display device a virtual reality world generated from the financial information. The financial information can be pre-processed by a financial analytic system prior to input to the virtual reality generator. The financial information can be received from a data file. The virtual reality generator can dynamically display and continuously update the virtual reality world. Further, movement through the virtual reality world can be simulated.

Abstract: A joystick controller has a body 12 including an end wall 18 in which is secured a resilient arm 10. The resilient arm 10 has secured to its top a tube 90 and a handle 94. The tube 90 surrounds to arm and mounts an annular magnet 38 at the level of a pivot point 96 about which the arm 10 flexes. The outputs of Hall effect probes 26 are affected by the position of the magnet 38 to give an indication of the position of the arm 10. The angular position of a rotary handle 80 is sensed using a magnet 110 which is connected for movement with the handle 80 relative to further Hall effect probes 116 (FIG. 9).

Abstract: A virtual reality generator having an input module that receives as input financial information is disclosed. The virtual reality generator outputs to a display device a virtual reality world generated from the financial information. The financial information can be preprocessed by a financial analytic system prior to input to the virtual reality generator. The financial information can be received from a data file. The virtual reality generator can dynamically display and continuously update the virtual reality world. Further, movement through the virtual reality world can be simulated.

Abstract: A machine and method for filling a container through an opening therein. The machine includes a machine frame defining a container conveying zone through which a container loaded into the machine moves during a filling operation. A container sterilizing assembly is mounted on the machine frame and defines a sterilizing station in the conveying zone, the sterilizing assembly being operable to aseptically sterilize the container, at least in a region incorporating the opening, when positioned at the sterilizing station. A container filling assembly is also mounted on the machine frame and defines a container filling station in the conveying zone, the filling assembly being operable to receive the sterilized container and fill the container through the opening therein with a product while maintaining at least the opening region of the container in an aseptic condition.

Abstract: An apparatus for filling a flexible container has a filling head and a pair of closure removing heads so that while the one container is being filled a filled container is closed and another prepared for filling.

Abstract: An apparatus for feeding an elongate continuous web of bags, which are provided with a feed member through which the bags may be filled, to a filling machine is disclosed. The apparatus has a conveyor, guide means mounted above the conveyor arranged to guide the movement of each of the feed members, sensing means for sensing the presence of the feed member and gripping means responsive to the sensing means for holding each feed member.