35results about How to "Conserving charge" patented technology

Disclosed is a coin-free retail business management system and method. The method comprises reading a customer identification into a business management system, retrieving a first value previously saved under the customer identification; comparing the first value to a second value from a present transaction amount, the second value being a non-billable fraction from the present transaction amount, that is less than the face value of a lowest-valued monetary bill; generating a third value that is an addition of the first and second values; and subtracting the addition less a non-billable fraction of the addition from the present transaction amount.

A flashing warning light apparatus (10) for warning motorists in oncoming traffic that an object such as a car is stopped near the highway ahead. The apparatus (10) includes a housing (24) with an array of lights (12) on the front and possibly also the rear faces. Sensors (14) front and back sense oncoming traffic. A switch (36) allows the user to cause the arrays of lights (12) to flash continuously or only when oncoming traffic is sensed. The device may be powered by the car battery through a cigarette lighter adapter (34), dry cell batteries (28) or a solar cell (44).

An apparatus can receive and transfer data and energy between adjacent apparatus in a chain. Each apparatus comprises an input antenna for receiving an input signal which is tuned and impedance matched for a receiver and demodulator in a control circuit. The demodulated signal is provided as input to a transmitter module to create an output signal. The input signal is then impedance transformed to generate a sufficient voltage to energize a power supply which charges a battery. The input signal and the output signal can be a radio signal, a magnetic induction signal, or a combined radio and magnetic induction signal. A controller in the control circuit monitors the condition of the battery and power supply and controls a switch operable to selectively power parts of the apparatus dependently upon their monitored condition.

The invention relates to a method and system for connecting subscribers participating in several telecommunication networks under one telephone number. The invention is characterized in that the subscriber data are stored in at least one telecommunication network and made available to the other telecommunication networks on request. To this end the invention provides for at least one of the telecommunication networks to have a data bank shared by all participating telecommunication networks.

A navigator receives, through communication with a server, only such map information or locality information as is considered to be necessary, and stores it by overriding with it already used map information and locality information. Thus, the navigator, despite having a small storage capacity, is free from interruption of display. Receiving minimum needed information helps save the communication charge.

A network termination (NT) which is universally applicable and permits fair billing. The network termination (NT) according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a switching facility (DET, 1, 2, 3) whereby the interface (a/b, U) on the network side is switchable from an analog one (a/b) to a digital one (U). A subscriber who needs a digital interface, for example because he wants to have two B channels of the ISDN at his free disposal, can release a digital interface (U) or have it released. A subscriber who wants only an analog access can release an analog access or have it released. To accomplish this, the network termination (NT) contains a switch (3) and a detector (DET). The switching between analog access and digital access on the network side can be effected without replacement of the network termination (NT).

A self-contained electro-mechanical device incorporating a hand crank wound main spring mechanism coupled with gears to a rotating magnet inside an iron core with wound copper wire for the purpose of generating electricity. An external AC adaptor can use the generator as a motor to wind the main spring without the need to use the hand crank. An internal electronic circuit is connected to the motor/generator and mechanically coupled using a unique solenoid and clutch mechanism to prevent the main spring from turning until an external load is detected. When packaged in the form of two standard C or D size batteries this invention can be installed into devices currently using electro-chemical batteries. An internal LED light enables the device to be used as a self-contained flashlight. A mini USB connector is incorporated for charging cell phones and powering numerous devices compatible with USB power.

The method of facet-based searching of databases uses a facet ranking scheme for the searching and information retrieval from large scale, semantic databases, such as semantic biological databases. The method of facet-based searching of databases includes a ranking scheme for facet values to order them by their significance to a search query. The method of facet-based searching of databases also includes a subsequent scheme to present the user with a narrowed set of facet values when a large number of choices are available. In biological databases, for example, users are typically interested in finding average or extreme values. Thus, the user is able to narrow the set of facet values to values that are average, most common, least common and/or most/least significant in a search result. Additionally, the facets themselves can be ordered according to their usefulness in narrowing down the search.

An apparatus for presentation reading of optical information with removable reader includes an optical information reader and a cradle or stand having a seat for seating the reader facing a predetermined optical information reading zone. The reader has an illuminator and the stand has an illuminator. A processor is configured to control a capture of an image of at least one portion of the reading zone, to analyze the image and, based on the analysis, to drive the switching on of either of the illuminator of the reader and/or the illuminator of the stand. The stand includes an optical component at the illuminator of the reader and/or at an aimer of the reader when seated in the seat, to define an aiming pattern and/or to modify the features of the illuminating beam of the reader.

A high voltage generating circuit is disclosed. In the high voltage generating circuit a boost node is precharged and boosted by a plurality of pump circuits and then discharged to an output terminal. Where a voltage apparent at the boost node is smaller than a power supply voltage, the voltage apparent at the boost node is elevated to the power supply voltage. Where the voltage apparent at the boost node is larger than the power supply voltage, a current path is prevented from forming between the boost node and the power supply voltage so as to maintain the voltage apparent at the boost node.

Disclosed are a user terminal device for providing a call control and a control method therefor. A user terminal device according to the present invention comprises: a display; a first communication unit for communication with a first external device; a second communication unit for communication with a second external device; and a processor for: transmitting a call request received from the first external device to the second external device through the second communication unit; transmitting a response to the call request, which has been received from the second external device, to the first external device through the first communication unit; controlling the display to display a call user interface (UI), on the basis of the response to the call request; and when call data is received from the first external device, converting the call data into Internet protocol (IP) data and transmitting the converted IP data to the second external device through the second communication unit. Accordingly, the user terminal device can retransmit a cellular network-based call received thereby to an external device connected to the Internet with the same VoIP account as that of the user terminal device, and make a phone call, so as to reduce a call charge.

The method of detecting plastics material, in particular for a postal sorting installation through which articles pass, is intended to distinguish automatically between articles having an outside surface made of plastics material and articles having an outside surface made of paper. The method consists in moving each article past an electrostatic generator, and then past a member for evaluating electrostatic charge so as to compare the charge on the article with a reference value in order to detect whether the article is a plastics article or a paper article. The method increases the reliability of detection.

In the Prior Art, a higher-ranking mechanism controls the standby circuiting of assemblies in 1:N redundancy, resulting in a system dynamics loss. The invention solves this problem in that the devices responsible for the standby circuiting events in the higher-ranking mechanism are relocated into a standby circuit assembly of the 1:N redundancy provided for standby circuiting purposes. The standby circuit events are thus controlled and monitored by the standby circuit assembly itself, relieving the higher-ranking mechanism of these tasks.