1050results about How to "Easy to return" patented technology

A gaming device is described where various events pay players in multiple classes of credits. One class of special credits has no cash value and may only be rewagered in an attempt to win traditional cash-equivalent credits. The player decides when to play a bonus game where the special credits are bet.

A system for managing luggage handling includes: (a) a central information management appliance; (b) a plurality of portable impulse radio communication devices; and (c) at least one impulse radio transceiving instrument. The at least one impulse radio transceiving instrument, the plurality of communication devices and the central information management appliance are in communication. Selected portable impulse radio communication devices of the plurality of portable impulse radio communication devices are coded communication devices. Respective coded communication devices are attached with respective luggage items and communicate indication of at least one item relating to the respective luggage item.

The ultrasonic probe of the present invention includes an ultrasonic element unit for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an oscillation mechanism for causing oscillation to the ultrasonic element unit and a detector for detecting the oscillation of the ultrasonic element unit. The detector detects the oscillation angle and the oscillation origin of the ultrasonic element unit, and when the oscillation range of the ultrasonic element unit is divided at its oscillation origin into two regions of a positive region and a negative region, the detector detects in which area the ultrasonic element unit is located. In use of the ultrasonic probe, a control of origin return for returning the ultrasonic element unit to its oscillation origin is performed on the basis of the result of the detection by the detector.

An expandable reamer apparatus and methods for reaming a borehole, wherein a laterally movable blade carried by a tubular body may be selectively positioned at an inward position and an expanded position. The laterally movable blade, held inwardly by blade-biasing elements, may be forced outwardly by drilling fluid selectively allowed to communicate therewith by way of an actuation sleeve disposed within the tubular body. Alternatively, a separation element may transmit force or pressure from the drilling fluid to the movable blade. Further, a chamber in communication with the movable blade may be pressurized by way of a downhole turbine or pump. A ridged seal wiper, compensator, movable bearing pad, fixed bearing pad preceding the movable blade, or an adjustable spacer element to alter expanded blade position may be included within the expandable reamer. In addition, a drilling fluid pressure response indicating an operational characteristic of the expandable reamer may be generated.

A self-sealing male connector having a body, a resilient boot mounted over the body, and a male thread hub. The body is formed with an elongate post that extends to the distal end. The body includes a fluid flow lumen extending from its proximal end to its distal end. At its proximal end, the body may be formed as a female Luer connector, or may be directly connected to tubing, or other arrangements. The internal fluid flow lumen extends through the post to its distal end. The body includes a first groove in which is mounted the boot. In a second groove is mounted the thread cuff. The thread cuff is used to engage a female connector and through thread action, draw in into engagement with the post. As the female connector is further engaged with eh sealed male connector, the post protrudes through the boot and into fluid communication with the female fluid flow passage thus establishing a flow path through both connectors. The boot forms a seal with the female connector when engaged and returns to seal the male connector post and fluid flow passage within disconnected from the female connector.

A process and system suitable for producing syngas from biomass materials. The process and system entail the compaction of a loose biomass material to remove air therefrom and form a compacted biomass material. The compacted biomass material is then introduced into a reactor and heated in the substantial absence of air so as not to combust the compacted biomass material. Instead, the compacted biomass material is heated to a temperature at which organic molecules within the compacted biomass material break down to form ash and gases comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas. Thereafter, the carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas are released from the reactor, and the ash is removed from the reactor.

A cooling apparatus is provided for facilitating cooling of electronics drawers of an electronics rack. The apparatus includes a bi-fold door assembly configured for mounting to the electronics rack. The door assembly includes a first door and a second door, each configured for separate, hinged mounting to the electronics rack. The apparatus further includes a coolant distribution apparatus, wherein a coolant supply manifold thereof is mounted to the first door and a coolant return manifold thereof is mounted to the second door. Separate swivel connections are coupled in fluid communication with the coolant supply and return manifolds for facilitating supply and return of coolant to and from the manifolds, and for facilitating pivotal movement of the doors relative to the electronics rack. A plurality of coolant distribution ports are provided within the supply and return manifolds, and disposed to facilitate supply and return of coolant to the electronics drawers.

A largely or totally automated lost item notification and recovery system that avoids language barriers by providing a short description of the item entered by the subscriber and stored in a database in any lost item notification message communicated to the subscriber concerning the item. The lost item notification message may also include an indication of the language used by the reporting party when placing the lost item report, and may also include an indication of the geographic location where the lost item report originated. The system may also activate pre-defined countermeasures associated with the lost item once the item has been reported lost and implement a reward system providing compensation to the reporting party or others upon successful return of the lost item.

Devices that employ external compression stocking-type garments in the treatment of edema, chronic wounds, deep venous thrombosis prevention or claudication all share a number of significant limitations. These include the frequent need for custom fitting to assure an appropriate fit, vigilant maintenance to assure a continued “good fit,” limited compliance with proper use by patients and difficulty of application. There is a large body of evidence demonstrating that patients often decline to wear the compressive stockings as prescribed or in the form that would be most beneficial because they find these devices to be difficult to put on and take off. Building on the limitations of existing therapies, and distilled lessons learned from the field of prosthetics and wound healing, the present invention employs vacuum-assisted negative pressure to provide compression and help pump fluid from the tissues of affected limbs. The device is embodied in the form of a flexible stocking-like garment that will utilize a pumping mechanism to generate negative pressure around the limb and thus create vacuum compression that will mobilize fluid in a limb and increase venous return to the heart. Through the use of a circumferential wrap, the present invention provides a major advance in both the distribution of vacuum and the securing of the device over the limb.

A collapsible insulated container has a base wall and a peripheral wall with an open end defining an enclosure. The peripheral wall has at least two layers and is divided into elongate pockets between the layers, with foldable crease lines between adjacent pockets. Each pocket contains a flexible-walled, insulating gel pack which substantially fills the pocket. The crease lines may be defined by stitching securing the outer and inner layers of the container together. The gel packs may be surrounded by matting, foam or mesh material which is sewn into the lines of stitching, or may have integral peripheral rims sewn into the lines of stitching. The container is foldable between an erect, open condition and a storage condition in which it is folded along the crease lines into a substantially flattened package.

An electronic book system provides interfaces particularly suited to students' use of textbooks. A finger press on a touch screen produces a contextual menu with user choices that relate to where the finger was pressed or what the user was recently doing with the book. A student provisionally navigates through a book by a specific gesture which, when it stops, returns the user to the previous position in the book. Annotations are displayed and hidden using specific gestures and through selective movement of the reader as sensed by its accelerometer.

A method of placing a discrete value on an intellectual property asset through a series of associations and calculations that determine the proportional contribution of an intellectual property asset to the competitive advantage of a related product in a real market. The methodology of the present invention first associates the intellectual property asset with a related tangible asset that embodies the intellectual property asset. After a set of parameters that define the tangible asset are identified, the tangible asset is quantitatively compared to competing tangible assets in the marketplace to determine its overall competitive advantage relative to those competing assets. The contribution of the intellectual property asset to the average competitive advantage of the tangible asset in which it is embodied is calculated by first comparing the intellectual property asset to substitute intellectual property assets that are embodied in competing tangible assets and associated with the same parameter. Next, the intellectual property asset is compared to complementary intellectual property assets that are included in the same tangible asset and associated with the same parameter group. Based upon the proportional competitive advantage contribution of the intellectual property asset to the average competitive advantage of the tangible asset, a percentage of the tangible asset's present value is assigned to the intellectual property asset. The present invention can also be used for planning development of pre-market products, calculating the value of a license to a licensor and licensee, and selecting among alternative research and development investments.

The invention provides a backpack (10) and cooperating waist bag (100) carrying system. In one embodiment the backpack has a lower or lumbar region below the bag portion of the backpack that releasably contains the receiver of the waist bag when the belt of the waist bag is secured around the bearer's waist and the backpack is worn on the bearer's back. The receiver of the waist bag can be moved without having to take off the backpack so that the receiver of the waist bag is disposed to the bearer's front and the bearer can gain access to the contents the receiver. The bearer can then move the receiver back to the lower region of the backpack and the combination of the backpack and the waist bag then will appear to be a normal backpack with a waist belt. While moving the receiver, the waist bag remains operatively connected to the backpack.

A method of controlling operation of a train (T) for passage of the train through a tunnel. The train has a plurality of locomotives (L1-Ln) pulling the train. The position of the lead locomotive relative to the tunnel entrance is determined, as is the amount of time before the train enters the tunnel. Each locomotive is separately configured for passage through the tunnel as a function of performance characteristics of the locomotive and the locomotive's current operating status, as the train approaches the tunnel. Once the train enters the tunnel, the performance characteristics of each locomotive are continually monitored. The performance requirements for one or more of the locomotives are then dynamically changed as a function of conditions within the tunnel and the current performance characteristics of each locomotive. This is done to maintain a sufficient combined performance capability from the locomotives to move the train through the tunnel. Upon exiting the tunnel, the locomotives' full operating capabilities are quickly restored by enhancing their thermal recoveries.

The present invention provides a collaboration system that reduces communication traffic, is platform- and OS-independent, and has high versatility. There are provided a collaboration server connected with a plurality of terminal apparatuses through a network for obtaining, retaining, and distributing a Web page as a work screen used in collaborative work among the terminal apparatuses, and a chat server for managing chat sessions. The collaboration server participates as a chat client in a chat session managed by the chat server and distributes an operation instruction concerning the work screen as a chat message to each terminal apparatus. The work screen is reloaded into each terminal apparatus according to the operation instruction to allow the collaborative work to progress.

Apparatuses and methods are presented for adjusting coolant flow resistance through one or more liquid-cooled electronics racks. Flow restrictors are employed in association with multiple heat exchange tube sections of a heat exchange assembly, or in association with a plurality of coolant supply lines or coolant return lines feeding multiple heat exchange assemblies. Flow restrictors associated with respective heat exchange tube sections (or respective heat exchange assemblies) are disposed at the coolant channel inlet or coolant channel outlet of the tube sections (or of the heat exchange assemblies). These flow restrictors tailor coolant flow resistance through the heat exchange tube sections or through the heat exchange assemblies to enhance overall heat transfer within the tube sections or across heat exchange assemblies by tailoring coolant flow. In one embodiment, the flow restrictors tailor a coolant flow distribution differential across multiple heat exchange tube sections or across multiple heat exchange assemblies.

Systems and methods for identifying, interacting with, and purchasing items of interest in video content. A plurality of video image frames are provided to a user, and a selection of one of the image frames is received and displayed. One or more selectable visual indicators are displayed on the selected image frame, with at least one of the visual indicators being associated with a product or service shown in the image frame. The user can select one of the visual indicators to be directed to information about the product or service, including where the product or service can be purchased.

A valve connector for medical infusion lines including an external tubular body with an inlet end and an outlet end, an internal hollow spike and an intermediate sealing member including a head with pre-slit and an elastic hollow element formed with fluid-tight members in contact with the hollow spike and with an elastic thrust means, which tends to maintain the elastic head in a closed condition. The elastic thrust means comprises a base part joined to the elastic hollow element of the sealing member through a generally transverse annular wall, which, during axial displacement of the elastic head from the closed condition to the open condition, bends within an annular chamber defined between the base part and a portion with conical surface of the hollow spike.

The idea of the present invention is to browse information on a display device of a hand-held device naturally and logically. Characteristic of the invention is that information is browsed on the display device essentially in a mirror-like way. In other words, the portion of the virtual data object displayed on the display device is moved in the same direction as the hand-held device is tilted. In other words, the movements of the portion of the virtual data object displayed on the display device depends on the orientation of the hand-held device. An important feature of the invention is also that a certain orientation of the hand-held device always displays the same portion of the virtual data object on the display device. The browsing method described above is extremely logical, and the movements and responses to the movements are natural.

Disclosed herein are a bicycle rental system and method. The bicycle rental system includes a public bicycle, a bicycle holder, a bicycle management server which transmits rental approval information and return confirmation information to the outside, and a user terminal which is provided to be capable of performing wireless communicate with the public bicycle, is linked to the bicycle management server via a network, is provided with identification information of the public bicycle, creates rental approval request information during rental of the public bicycle to transmit the rental approval request information to the bicycle management server, creates return request information during return of the public bicycle to transmit the return request information to the bicycle management server, and receives the rental approval information and the return confirmation information transmitted from the bicycle management server in response to the rental approval request information and the return request information.