Abstract: An apparatus comprises a shipping box containing an access area and a configurable electronic device. The configurable electronic device comprises an electrical connector accessible via the access area on the shipping box. The configurable electronic device also comprises a management module that receives electrical power via the electrical connector when a single external cable is mated to the electrical connector through the access area. The management module receives configuration information via the single external cable while the configurable electronic device is still in the shipping box and without having host logic in the configurable electronic device being powered up. In other embodiments, multiple configurable electronic devices can be reconfigured simultaneously and wirelessly by an external programming unit.

Abstract: Single digit Light Emitting Diode (LED) modules for replacing plastic numerals in a gas station pricing sign. Three or four LED modules represent one fuel price. The LED modules are mounted to a transparent face present on existing signs, and may be mounted on an exterior or interior surface of the face. In one embodiment, first LED modules mechanically cooperate with backing plates, thereby sandwiching the face, in another embodiment, second LED modules attach to posts glued to the face. When mounted externally, the LED modules fit into tracks provided for the plastic numerals which are being replaced. An RF, infrared, or hard wired control signal may be used to change prices, and a photocell may be used to control LED intensity in response to ambient light. Additional low power consumption LEDs are provided inside the sign to back illuminate information provided on the face.

Abstract: A method and device for identifying, testing or clearing a prefilled medicinal syringe in which the syringe is inserted into the test device which reads coding on the syringe and has a display as to whether the syringe is appropriate or not.

Abstract: Items, including lost items or items out of place, can be located by attaching flickering LED's to them and moving about with a detector that registers the presence of the desired item or items by decoding the flickers. The flickers can substitute for, or augment, ordinary printed bar codes, and can use the same encoding so that the temporal pattern of flickering corresponds to the spatial pattern of black and white stripes in the printed bar code. The flickering items can be registered from a distance and from among a large group of other flickering items.