Abstract: An energy-efficient and compact battery charger. The battery charger includes, among other things, a charging port, a power supply module, a battery charger control module or controller, a power control safety module, a battery charger switch, and an indicator. The controller, the power control safety module, and the battery charger switch work in conjunction with each other to control the operation of the battery charger. The controller is configured to execute a charging control process which detects the insertion of a battery pack into the charging port, controls the charging of the battery pack, and controls the illumination or display of the indicator. The power control safety module includes a power control safety circuit that is configured to prevent the charging current and/or the charging voltage from damaging the battery charger or battery pack during a malfunction.

Abstract: A packet-switched, fault-tolerant, vehicle communication internetwork (100, 400, 500) comprising port-based VLANs. Two or more VLANs are embodied where a source node (110, 410, 510,610) comprises two or more network interface circuits (130,140, 415,425, 515,525, 630,640), and where looping is precluded via specific VLAN tagging and switch ports (131-134, 200, 300, 420, 430, 435, 445, 455, 465, 535, 540, 545, 560, 575, 585, associated with at least one specific VLAN. A destination node (120, 440, 450, 460, 570, 580, 590, 620) may feedback packets to the source node via a general VLAN tag along pathways associated with the two or more specific outgoing VLAN tags.

Abstract: As set forth herein, methods and systems for automated image defect detection. An input image is subjected to skew detection and contaminant detection. Upon detection of skew of and/or contaminants in the image data, correction data, including indicia of the contaminants/skew, correction angles and directions are calculated and displayed on an electronic representation of the document. Automatic correction may then be performed to correct the detected defects, allow the defects to remain, or re-scan the original document to generate new image data without the detected defects.

Abstract: An imaging forming system and method are disclosed having a print engine, a signal detector and a communication module for communicating with portable devices and printing documents therefrom. A user intent to print from a portable device is ascertained based on a signal strength of each portable device. The signal strength detected determines when each portable device is within a proximate area of the system. If a portable device is within the proximate area for a predetermined period of time, the system operates to print the document.

Abstract: A measurement-while-drilling mud pulser and a method for controlling a measurement-while-drilling mud pulser. The mud pulser includes a brushless DC motor that hydraulically controls a main restrictor valve that the mud pulser uses to generate mud pulses. Back EMF signals generated in the stator windings of the brushless DC motor are monitored and are used as the basis for commutating the brushless DC motor. The phase transitions in the back EMF signals can be used in governing stator energizations of the brushless DC motor to thereby govern its rotation. Relying on back EMF signals for commutation allows commutation to be performed without Hall Effect or other kinds of sensors, which can thereby reduce cost of the mud pulser and further increase reliability of the mud pulser by decreasing the number of high pressure sealings needed due to wires from Hall effect sensors, which are prone to develop leaks.

Abstract: An actuator controller with a power supply that steps down a high voltage for use by remote auxiliary loads in an aircraft is provided. A high voltage power bus running through the aircraft may use high gage or smaller diameter wiring, resulting in weight savings in the power bus. A control network running through the aircraft may use fiber optic cabling, providing further weight reductions. An actuator controller may receive the high voltage from the power bus and provide a lower voltage to a remote device. The actuator controller may facilitate communication between the control network and the remote device. The integration of control and power supply may enhance endurance, reliability, and enable localized calibration of the remote device. Modular wing components may include interface controllers, high and low power busswork, and remote devices. The modular wing components may include power and control interconnections.

Abstract: An actuator controller with a power supply that steps down a high voltage for use by remote auxiliary loads in an aircraft is provided. A high voltage power bus running through the aircraft may use high gage or smaller diameter wiring, resulting in weight savings in the power bus. A control network running through the aircraft may use fiber optic cabling, providing further weight reductions. An actuator controller may receive the high voltage from the power bus and provide a lower voltage to a remote device. The actuator controller may facilitate communication between the control network and the remote device. The integration of control and power supply may enhance endurance, reliability, and enable localized calibration of the remote device. Modular wing components may include interface controllers, high and low power busswork, and remote devices. The modular wing components may include power and control interconnections.

Abstract: The present invention relates to long shelf life milk or milk-related products as well as to a method for producing such long shelf life products and a milk processing plant for the implementation of the method. The method of the invention is characterised by the combination of physical separation of microorganisms and a high temperature treatment for at most 200 msec, and the resulting product has been found to have advantageous properties.

Abstract: A blower housing may be used with a climate control furnace or with a water heater and provides cooling of the motor that rotates the blower fan and also provides dilution and cooling of exhaust gases drawn from the furnace or water heater. The housing has an interior dilution compartment that communicates with an elongate conduit. The dilution compartment receives dilution air through the conduit, thereby reducing blower operation noise at the blower housing.

Abstract: A processing space comprises an array of transistors empowered by forming connections through circuit pass transistors to power and data input/output means and connections therebetween through signal pass transistors. By structuring the needed circuits at the site(s) of the data the von Neumann bottleneck is eliminated, which increases the computing power of the apparatus substantially, thus to enable non-stop Information Processing on steady streams of data and code, with no repetitive instruction and data transfers required. That code will identify the physical locations of every transistor in the processing space, and will enable only the pass transistors therein needed to structure the circuits of any arithmetical/logical algorithm in a processing space of any size, speed, and level of computer power. By joining one processing space to another the apparatus also exhibits super-scalability.

Abstract: An energy-efficient and compact battery charger. The battery charger includes, among other things, a charging port, a power supply module, a battery charger control module or controller, a power control safety module, a battery charger switch, and an indicator. The controller, the power control safety module, and the battery charger switch work in conjunction with each other to control the operation of the battery charger. The controller is configured to execute a charging control process which detects the insertion of a battery pack into the charging port, controls the charging of the battery pack, and controls the illumination or display of the indicator. The power control safety module includes a power control safety circuit that is configured to prevent the charging current and/or the charging voltage from damaging the battery charger or battery pack during a malfunction.

Abstract: A receiving network node (210) configured to select from received packets differing by time of initial transmission from a sending network node (230), and accepting for transmission, based on initial transmission time, the selected packets to an application layer (740). An internetworked processor node configured to: (a) read a sequence number and an originator identifier of a received packet message (810); (b) compare a stored highest sequence number associated with the originator identifier with the received packet sequence number (820); (c) if the received packet sequence number is less than or equal to the stored highest sequence number associated with the originator identifier, then discard (840) the received packet; and (d) if the received packet sequence number is greater than the stored highest sequence number associated with the originator identifier, then deliver (860) the message of the received packet to an application based on an upper layer protocol.

Abstract: A packet-switched, fault-tolerant, vehicle communication internetwork (100, 400, 500) comprising port-based VLANs. Two or more VLANs are embodied where a source node (110, 410, 510,610) comprises two or more network interface circuits (130,140, 415,425, 515,525, 630,640), and where looping is precluded via specific VLAN tagging and switch ports (131-134, 200, 300, 420, 430, 435, 445, 455, 465, 535, 540, 545, 560, 575, 585, associated with at least one specific VLAN. A destination node (120, 440, 450, 460, 570, 580, 590, 620) may feedback packets to the source node via a general VLAN tag along pathways associated with the two or more specific outgoing VLAN tags.

Abstract: A processing space contains an array of operational transistors interconnected by circuit and signal pass transistors that when supplied with selected enable bits will structure a variety of circuits that will carry out any desired information processing. The Babbage/von Neumann Paradigm in which data are provided to circuitry that would operate on those data is reversed by structuring the desired circuits at the site(s) of the data, thereby to eliminate the von Neumann bottleneck and substantially increase the computing power of the device, with the apparatus conducting only non-stop Information Processing on a steady stream of data and code, with no repetitious Instruction and data transfers as in the normal computer being required. A code is defined that will identify the physical locations of every transistor in the processing space, which code will then enable only selected ones of the pass transistors therein so as to structure the circuits needed for any algorithm sought to be executed.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus, system, and method for cluster-wide peer recovery in the event of a computer failure. A failure of a first computer is detected and a recovery module is registered as the first computer. In one embodiment, the recovery module is a peer computer. The recovery module retrieves a privately held undo log data through the authorized assumption of the failure identity associated with the failed first computer, backs out in-flight transaction updates of the first computer, and frees up data resources locked by the first computer.

Abstract: Ligature systems retain an arch wire within a slot of an orthodontic bracket. According to some embodiment, the ligature system retains an arch wire within a slot of an orthodontic bracket by means of a retaining element which is capable of being unidirectionally mechanically locked within the slot of the orthodontic bracket to retain an arch wire therewithin. The retaining element may comprise a pair of opposed outwardly projecting retaining edges. In some embodiments, the retaining element comprises a planar or curved retaining plate. The ligature system may include a central block in which the retaining plate is embedded such that the retaining edges extend outwardly therefrom. The ligature system may also include spike protruding outwardly from such central block so as to engage with the arch wire positioned subjacently thereto.

Abstract: An actuator controller with a power supply that steps down a high voltage for use by remote auxiliary loads in an aircraft is provided. A high voltage power bus running through the aircraft may use high gage or smaller diameter wiring, resulting in weight savings in the power bus. A control network running through the aircraft may use fiber optic cabling, providing further weight reductions. An actuator controller may receive the high voltage from the power bus and provide a lower voltage to a remote device. The actuator controller may facilitate communication between the control network and the remote device. The integration of control and power supply may enhance endurance, reliability, and enable localized calibration of the remote device. Modular wing components may include interface controllers, high and low power busswork, and remote devices. The modular wing components may include power and control interconnections.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for preserving cluster level serialization during file server serialization reinitialization. The apparatus includes a permission request module, a cluster negotiation module, and a completion notification module. The permission request module communicates a permission request to a remote file server in anticipation of a reinitialization of a local file server. The cluster negotiation module implements a reinitialization protocol on the remote file server during the reinitialization of the local file server. The completion notification module notifies the remote file server when the reinitialization of the local file server is complete. The apparatus, system, and method beneficially facilitate continued serialization negotiation among the remote file servers during the reinitialization of the serialization data on the local file server and, thereby, preserve the integrity of shared data resources.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for suspending a data access request during serialization reinitialization of a file server. The apparatus includes a request recognition module, an availability module, and a suspension module. The request recognition module recognizes a request to be processed by a file server. The availability module determines if the file server is available. The suspension module suspends the data access request if the file server is not available due to serialization reinitialization. In one embodiment, the suspension module implements a hardware interrupt delay loop to suspend an interruptible data access request, such as an application request. In another embodiment, the suspension module queues a non-interruptible data access request and notifies the operating system, for example, that the non-interruptible request has been initiated.