Abstract: A system for providing automated assistance to an agent includes a database that stores an automated assistance session in association with a client terminal. The automated assistance session comprises communications between the client terminal and an agent terminal during a communication session. The automated assistance session is restored in response to a connection being reestablished with the client terminal after the client terminal disconnects during the communication session. A client communication is received from the client terminal, and a plurality of statements is determined based on the client communication and the communications of the automated assistance session stored in the database. The statements are configured to be manually selected by an agent or automatically selected by an automated agent. The automated agent is engaged for automatically selecting one of the statements in response to a predetermined condition.

Abstract: A binder including a binder body including a front cover and a rear cover directly or indirectly pivotally coupled together, and a panel located on an outer surface of the binder body to thereby form a pocket between the panel and the binder body. The panel has a free edge located adjacent to a mouth of the pocket. The mouth faces an outer edge of the binder body, and the free edge of the panel is located a variable distance from the outer edge of the binder body along the length of the free edge such that the pocket has a variable width.

Abstract: A sliver processing machine includes a plurality of roll pairs between which a running sliver passes. Each roll pair is composed of a driving roll and a pressure roll. A separate pressing device is connected with each pressure roll for urging each pressure roll against its driving roll. Each pressing device has a shiftable element displaced by the pressure roll upon radial displacement of the pressure roll in response to winding of sliver on either the pressure roll or the associated driving roll. A common actuating element is connected to each shiftable element of each pressing device for displacing the common actuating element upon displacement of any one of the shiftable elements. A switching device is connected to the common actuating element. The switching device has an idle state and a signal-generating state.

Abstract: A device for opening flocculent fibrous materials, including a housing and a supply connection pipe having an end extending into a lower portion of the housing for introducing into the housing a negative pressure transport air current conveying fiber flocks. A hollow cylinder is provided that has one end connected to the end of the supply connection pipe, an open end opposite to the one end, and a diameter larger than a diameter of the end of the supply connection pipe. The hollow cylinder forms an annular chamber within the housing. The device further includes a discharge connection pipe connectable to the housing for discharging the fibrous material. The housing, supply connection pipe, hollow cylinder and discharge connection pipe collectively define a pneumatic conveying path for the fibrous material. Additionally provided is a drivable opening disc disposed within the housing and positioned at a distance from and parallel to the open end of the hollow cylinder to extend across the open end.

Abstract: A method and apparatus measures the tension of an advancing yarn which is subject to interruptions of the yarn path, resulting for example from the severance of the yarn. During such interruptions, the zero setting of the tension sensor does not always return to zero, thereby providing an erroneous output reading during subsequent yarn advancing cycles. In accordance with the present invention, a circuit is provided which identifies such errors and sounds an alarm when the error exceeds a predetermined limit. Also, the erroneous output signal is input as the zero point signal for the subsequent yarn advancing cycle, and during such subsequent cycle, the tension is determined on the basis of the newly set zero point.

Abstract: An optical fiber drawing apparatus which includes a heating furnace which fuses a forward end of an optical fiber preform for drawing an optical fiber, and a screening portion which applies tension to the optical fiber through in-line, for guarantee of its strength. The screening portion further includes a suction device disposed along a passage of the optical fiber running through it for sucking in the optical fiber.

Abstract: The fiber depither consists of an upper array of feeder blades and a lower array of fan blades. These blades remove more particulate while resulting in less fiber damage.

Abstract: A fiber conditioner comprises an outer casing or enclosure and a perforated screen positioned within the casing. The screen is formed by a plurality of attached invertible and sexless sections. A plurality of hammer assemblies are rotatably positioned within the screen for impelling material fed into the conditioner against the screen in order to separate it into pitch and fiber. A multi-piece shaft rotates the hammer assemblies, which are connected to a rotor shaft assembly forming the central portion of the shaft. An upper stub shaft assembly and a lower stub shaft assembly can be connected to opposite ends of the rotor shaft assembly by clamping. By releasing the clamps, each shaft assembly can be removed from the conditioner in a generally horizontal manner through an opening created by the removal of at least one screen section.

Abstract: A mobile flax decorticator wherein the flax is collected in the field by passing the decorticator through the field and picking up the flax from swaths and the like, the flax straw is then decorticated by passing first through a shredder and then a decorticator, the decorticated flax is directed into a pneumatic cyclone wherein the bast fibres are separated from the dross with the bast fibres exiting through the apex outlet of the cyclone and entering into a suitable packaging equipment such as a baler.

Abstract: The pith removal from bagasse fiber is significantly enhanced by the flow of fiber directly from one depithing zone to a second depithing zone without any intermediate settling or pilings of the fiber. The fiber is maintained in a separated condition during the flow from one depithing zone to another depithing zone. The result is a bagasse fiber having a greater quantity of the pith removed with less fiber damage. It is also advantageous to provide a number of conveyors to transport fibrous material to a dual zone depithers and for the removal of depithed fiber and pitch from these depithers. This reduces fiber handling before, during and after depithing.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for depithing fibrous vegetable material, such as sugarcane bagasse, comprises a rotary hammer assembly suspended from a rigid framework that is supported removably on an upright enclosure which itself is supported in functioning position by a framework on its base. The hammer assembly comprises a plurality of individual stacks of hammers and their holders, each of which constitutes a unit separate from the other stacks and has means individual thereto for adjusting the radial positions of the hammers in the stack relative to a screening wall through which pith is separated from fibers by rotation of the hammer assembly. The screening wall is composed of several perforated arcuate screening sections any of which may be reached through a door in the enclosure, and may be unfastened and displaced to give access to the hammer assembly or for replacement of a screening section.

Abstract: A method for driving a Tandem carding machine provided with a fiber tufts supply means, a first and second carding machine, a first web transfer means disposed between the first and second carding machine, a second web transfer means for transferring a continuous web to a coiler motion mechanism, in which the lickerin roller, carding cylinder and a flat mechanism of the second carding machine are driven by a second driving motor while the other rotating elements are separately driven by a first driving motor. To control the sequential motion of the above-mentioned two series of driving mechanisms, said first and second driving motors are electrically connected.