Abstract: A dialysis machine includes a user interface for providing visual information and/or spoken information to a user. For example, in some implementations, the user interface may be configured to provide visual information related to an action, such as showing the action being partially or fully completed, and a speaker can provide spoken instructions to assist the user in machine set-up, calibration and/or operation. Such instructions can be particularly useful in a home dialysis setting. In some implementations, the speaker can provide spoken alarms that are related to alarm conditions. The spoken alarms may include patient and/or dialysis machine identifying information. The verbosity of the spoken instructions and/or the spoken alarms may be adjustable, and both may be accompanied by visual information displayed by the dialysis machine (e.g. visual alarms, images and/or video).

Abstract: An automatic spiral binding apparatus for edge binding a book of sheets with a spiral coil includes a book supporting table that is indexable between loading, coil insertion, coil crimping and book discharge stations. The apparatus can accommodate a wide range of book thicknesses, coil diameters and coil pitches. Positioning hooks in the loading station are selected to correspond to the coil diameter and are mounted at an incline to match the coil pitch in a manner which pre-orients the book edge to both the proper curvature and proper pitch to facilitate subsequent threading of the spiral coil into the holes in the edge of the book at the following insertion station.

Abstract: An automatic cutting and crimping apparatus for a spiral coil binding a book of sheets includes a pair of trim heads slidably attached to a slide bar mounted on a trim station that is part of a larger spiral binding apparatus. The trim heads include a pair of stationary crimping jaws which engage and hold the lead and trailing ends of the spiral coil while a rotating cutting jaw cuts the ends of the coil as they are held against a stationary cutting jaw. The rotating cutting jaw continues to rotate so that the ends of the coil are crimped inwardly and upwardly toward the book of sheets to provide offset ends which serve to inhibit unintentional withdrawal of the coil from the holes along the edge of the book. After the coil has been cut and crimped, the spiral bound book is indexed to a discharge station for discharge from the spiral binding machine.

Abstract: An electronic gift certificate dispenser device for printing and dispensing a gift certificate purchased by a credit card. A consumer approaches the device and inserts a credit card into a magnetic card reader. The consumer chooses a retailer from a menu of participating retailers and enters the gift certificate value. The machine automatically verifies the credit card, causes the account to be debited and prints the gift certificate. A plurality of gift certificate dispensing devices can be connected in a network under the control of a central processing unit. Information regarding gift certificate purchases is transferred from the devices to the central processing unit to be collated and billed to credit card accounts. The central processing unit also informs merchants of the purchase of gift certificates that will be redeemed at their stores.

Abstract: A telecommunications booth providing business travelers a variety of services including telephone, facsimile, and various information options which result in automatic telephone dialing to desired destinations. The various telephonic devices function through a restrictor to access a single public communications channel. The restrictor prevents calls to certain classes of numbers, like 900 numbers. Billing data on the computer may be accessed through a modem.

Abstract: An electronic gift certificate dispenser device for printing and dispensing a gift certificate purchased by a credit card. A consumer approaches the device and inserts a credit card into a magnetic card reader. The consumer chooses a retailer from a menu of participating retailers and enters the gift certificate value. The machine automatically verifies the credit card, causes the account to be debited and prints the gift certificate. A plurality of gift certificate dispensing devices can be connected in a network under the control of a central processing unit. Information regarding gift certificate purchases is transferred from the devices to the central processing unit to be collated and billed to credit card accounts. The central processing unit also informs merchants of the purchase of gift certificates that will be redeemed at their stores.

Abstract: A telecommunications booth providing business travelers a variety of services including telephone, facsimile, and various information options which result in automatic telephone dialing to desired destinations. The various telephonic devices function through a restrictor to access a single public communications channel. The restrictor prevents calls to certain classes of numbers, like 900 numbers. Billing data on the computer may be accessed through a modem.

Abstract: A real time straightness deviation measuring and compensation device for a machine tool that automatically and continuously compensates for bed way deviation from a truly straight line relative to a workpiece. A wire, parallel to the workpiece or axis of workpiece rotation and perpendicular to the direction of machine tool compensation is utilized as a straightness reference, with the wire being stretched in the direction of machine tool carriage travel and supported on either end by weights for gravity induced straightness. A position indication device, such as a laser micrometer, is attached to the machine tool carriage and positioned around the reference wire in order to read the position of the wire relative to the machine tool carriage during real time operation. An electronically controlled servo motor attached to a machine tool supported on the carriage automatically adjusts the machine tool to compensate for carriage deviation caused by bed way deviation relative to the straight reference wire.

Abstract: An electronic gift certificate dispenser device for printing and dispensing a gift certificate purchased by a credit card. A consumer approaches the device and inserts a credit card into a magnetic card reader. The consumer chooses a retailer from a menu of participating retailers and enters the gift certificate value. The machine automatically verifies the credit card, causes the account to be debited and prints the gift certificate. A plurality of gift certificate dispensing devices can be connected in a network under the control of a central processing unit. Information regarding gift certificate purchases is transferred from the devices to the central processing unit to be collated and billed to credit card accounts. The central processing unit also informs merchants of the purchase of gift certificates that will be redeemed at their stores.

Abstract: This invention relates to the suspension polymerization of vinyl halides and vinylidene halides in an aqueous medium to make polymers and copolymers which are designed for use in making plastisols. The process is conducted in an aqueous medium using a free-radical yielding catalyst, and in the presence of a hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate (polyvinyl alcohol) having a degree of hydrolysis in the range of about 65% to about 85% and a compound having a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) less than about 3.5. The important aspect of the present new process is the use of agitation ramping, that is, changing the degree of agitation during the course of the reaction, and adding the catalyst to the reaction medium after the same has reached the reaction temperature whereby these are produced polymer particles which are dense spherical glassy beads having an average diameter in the range of about 10 to about 100 microns.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing low energy dispersion vinyl copolymers which, in a plastisol, can be fused at lower temperatures or in a shorter period of time than presently available dispersion vinyl copolymers. It has been found that if, instead of adding all the comonomer batchwise prior to the start of the reaction, the comonomer, such as methyl acrylate, for example, is metered into the reactor continuously, or intermittently, during all or part of the polymerization reaction period, a dispersion vinyl copolymer is produced that has a lower plastisol viscosity for a given comonomer content. Plastisols made from the vinyl copolymers of the present invention have good flow properties and the fused films made therefrom have high gloss, high clarity and good mechanical strength, even when fused at low temperatures.