Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method for integrating player tracking and cash access in a casino or other gaming environment. One aspect of the invention allows for fund access and management wherein gaming machines, such as slot machines or on-line virtual gaming machines, receive playable credits directly from a patron's banking or credit card account. Another aspect of the present invention relates to integrating player tracking and cash access transactions by allowing the players to provide a player tracking card for each financial transaction conducted in a gaming environment. In return, the casino issues gaming or bonus points to the players for allowing their transactions to be tracked. Yet another aspect of the present invention consolidates the players' financial account information into a single casino database.

Abstract: An animal trap includes: a bait, a support, and an elastic band, wherein in a set state the support supports the elastic band in an expanded state, and wherein removal, consumption or destruction of the bait by an animal: causes the elastic band to contract around the animal to kill the animal; or causes the elastic band to drive a kill mechanism to kill the animal. Animal traps may be formed substantially or entirely of biodegradable materials. Animal traps may be adapted for aerial distribution. A trap dispenser may dispense traps as they are triggered.

Abstract: Headgear for a respiratory interface comprising multiple separate sections of material joined to form the headgear and different levels of resilient extensibility or stretchability in at least four different parts or straps of the headgear.

Abstract: A virtual presence system includes a display having a structural matrix configured to arrange a plurality of spaced pixel elements. A plurality of spaced pixel elements collectively form an active visual area wherein an image is displayable. At least one image capture device is disposed within the active visual area for capturing an image.

Abstract: A lacrosse head pocket and a related method of manufacture are provided to facilitate consistent, repeatable and/or custom manufacture of lacrosse equipment. The pocket can be constructed from multiple different sections joined with one another, or can be knitted, weaved or otherwise assembled on an automated assembly machine from strands, and/or can be formed as a unitary textile material having regions/sections with different physical and/or mechanical properties. The pocket can be integrally molded within portions of a lacrosse head to eliminate manually constructed connections between the pocket and lacrosse head. The lacrosse head can be integrally molded with a lacrosse handle to provide a one-piece unitary lacrosse stick. Related methods of manufacturing also are provided.

Abstract: A lacrosse head pocket and a related method of manufacture are provided to facilitate consistent, repeatable and/or custom manufacture of lacrosse equipment. The pocket can be constructed from multiple different sections joined with one another, or can be knitted, weaved or otherwise assembled on an automated assembly machine from strands, and/or can be formed as a unitary textile material having regions/sections with different physical and/or mechanical properties. The pocket can be integrally molded within portions of a lacrosse head to eliminate manually constructed connections between the pocket and lacrosse head. The lacrosse head can be integrally molded with a lacrosse handle to provide a one-piece unitary lacrosse stick. Related methods of manufacturing also are provided.

Abstract: A method, system, and/or computer program product handles a query generated by a user of one of multiple local network devices that are coupled to a network. Multiple system queries request states of the local network devices. Query statements, responsive to the system queries and being sent to a wide area network search engine, are intercepted. A natural language query, which is a logical query that is answered by one of the multiple query statements, is generated from one of the multiple query statements. An unstructured query, from a user, about a state of a particular device is received. The unstructured query from the user is compared with the natural language query in order to determine if a match between the query from the user with the natural language query exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: A lacrosse head pocket and a related method of manufacture are provided. The pocket can be a molded pocket including individual molded strings, combined strings, shooting strings and support rails extending around a perimeter of the pocket. Certain pocket elements can include transition parts to smoothly transition components having different cross sections. The pocket can include a pre-formed ball channel and hole units having broadsides for connection to a head or other component. The pocket can be attached to a pocket frame, and optionally constructed from a mesh or other synthetic material that is tensioned with the pocket frame. A mold and related molding method are also provided.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrochemical probe system and an electrical excitation method, configured in a handheld sorting system, and used to identify the composition of metals and alloys.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electrochemical probe system and an electrical excitation method, configured in a bulk sorting system, and used to identify the composition of metals and alloys.

Abstract: A method and memory for stressing a plurality of non-volatile memory cells is provided. The method includes entering a memory cell stressing mode and providing one or more erase stress pulses to the plurality of non-volatile memory cells; determining that a threshold voltage of at least a subset of the plurality of non-volatile memory cells has a first relationship that is either greater than or less than a first predetermined voltage; providing one or more program stress pulses to the plurality of memory cells; and determining that the threshold voltage of at least a subset of the plurality of memory cells has a second relationship to a second predetermined voltage that is different than the first relationship.

Abstract: Event processing is prioritized based on system workload. A time constraint attribute is defined in an event rule. The event rule uses one or more events. An event processing system is monitored to determine when the system is under a predefined level of stress. If the system is determined to be under the predefined level of stress, the time constraint attribute in the event rule is used to establish when the processing of a received event used in an event rule must be carried out.

Abstract: In an approach for selecting a version of a webpage to present to a user, a processor receives a request to access a webpage from a device, wherein the webpage includes a plurality of versions of the webpage. A processor receives information about the device. A processor determines a version of the webpage to present, based on the information about the device and a predefined goal associated with the webpage. A processor causes the version of the webpage to be presented.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for storing, reading, and writing data using particle-based acoustic wave driven shift registers. The shift registers may physically shift particles along rows and/or columns of wells through the interactions of two parallel surfaces. A transducer may generate an acoustic wave to displace one or more of the two parallel surfaces. The particles may be transferred to and/or otherwise constrained by a buffer surface during at least a portion of the acoustic wave, such that the particles may be shifted during one or more cycles of the acoustic wave. In various embodiments, the amplitude of the acoustic wave may correspond to the spacing distance between each of the wells. The wells may be physical and/or potential wells.

Abstract: Systems, methods, computer-readable storage mediums including computer-readable instructions and/or circuitry for control of transmission to a target device with communicating with one or more sensors in an ad-hoc sensor network may implement operations including, but not limited to: receiving one or more wireless signals associated with a sensing capability status of at least one sensor; wirelessly transmitting one or more sensor operation activation signals to one or more sensors according to the sensing capability status of the at least one sensor; and at least one of powering one or more sensing operations of the at least one sensor and charging one or more power storage devices of the at least one sensor via the one or more sensor operation activation signals.

Abstract: A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include monitoring gaming-related events at a wagering game machine of the wagering game system to detect a promotion trigger event. The operations can also include determining information associated with the promotion trigger event, and providing the information associated with the promotion trigger event to a promotional content server of the wagering game system to cause the promotional content server to select promotional content based, at least in part, on the information associated with the promotion trigger event. The operations can further include receiving the promotional content from promotional content server in response to said providing the information associated with the promotion trigger event to the promotional content server, and presenting the promotional content at the wagering game machine.

Abstract: This application relates to methods and materials for providing a benefit to a seed or seedling of an agricultural plant (e.g., an agricultural grass plant), or the agricultural plant derived from the seed or seedling. For example, this application provides purified bacterial populations that include novel seed-origin bacterial endophytes, and synthetic combinations of seeds and/or seedlings (e.g., cereal seeds and/or seedlings) with heterologous seed-derived bacterial endophytes.

Abstract: A cleat for footwear. The cleat includes a base layer that attaches to the outsole of the footwear, a cushioning layer and a traction element layer. The traction element layer is attached to the base layer solely by the cushioning layer. Each of the cleat layers provides friction with the ground when the cleat engages the ground. The durometer of the base layer and the durometer of the traction element layer are greater than the durometer of the cushioning layer. When a user steps on a surface wearing a shoe outfitted with these cleats, the resilience of the cushioning layer at once both lessens the impact of the traction elements on the ground surface and lessens the reaction force on the user's foot transmitted through the shoe's outsole. The user's comfort is thereby enhanced.

Abstract: The method includes identifying, by one or more computer processors, a first location and a second location of input on a touch-sensitive surface. The method further includes calculating, by one or more computer processors, a distance between the first location and the second location. The method further includes identifying, by one or more computer processors, a first elapsed time between creation of the identified first location of input and the identified second location of input. The method further includes calculating, by one or more computer processors, a first size of an eraser based upon the identified first elapsed time. The method further includes generating, by one or more computer processors, an eraser path based upon the identified first location and the identified second location of input on a touch-sensitive surface, and the calculated first size of an eraser.

Abstract: Various multiple methods of data transport, and combinations thereof, may be used to initialize or update conditional access information on various devices. In an integrated device having both a broadcast receiver, such as an SDARS receiver, and a two-way communications transceiver, such as an LTE, 3G, 4G or 5G modem, or the like, conditional access information for the broadcast receiver may be sent to the transceiver, and then passed to the broadcast receiver, or vice versa. Additionally, for example, the broadcast receiver may be sent, over the broadcast communications channel, a “wake-up” message for the two-way transceiver, which message may then be passed to the two-way transceiver, so as to make it ready to receive conditional access information over the two-way communications channel, or vice versa.