33results about How to "Less-expensive to build" patented technology

Circuitry and processes carried out thereby are disclosed for implementing simple single tuner set top box decoders which do not require a separate tuner for an out of band management and control channel. Removable smart card conditional access circuitry and replaceable modules having decoding circuitry for different compression schemes and encoding circuitry for different format television circuits is disclosed. An embodiment with a single tuner and a full DOCSIS compatible modem which can interface to personal computers, etc. is also disclosed to make the set top box a simple, inexpensive home gateway is also disclosed.

Circuitry and processed carried out thereby are disclosed for transmitting video-on-demand and interactive service data and other service data on an MPEG multiplex and sending management and control data including conditional access EMM key data in-band in said MPEG multiplex in MPEG packets having the DOCSIS PID. Processes to send conditional access data by sending ECM messages containing control words encrypted with session keys in said MPEG multiplex and sending EMM messages containing session keys encrypted with private set top box users keys are disclosed. The EMM messages are sent in-band in MPEG packets having the DOCSIS PID to only the set top boxes that request them and which have ordered an encrypted service. A head end with routing / switching capability to route MPEG transport streams encapsulated in IP packets is also disclosed.

A high efficiency gasification process for converting carbonaceous solids to methane and apparatus for its practice are described. The process includes reacting steam and carbonaceous solids comprising ash in the presence of alkali metal catalyst in a gasification reactor to produce combustible gases and char particles comprising ash and alkali metal catalyst constituents, treating a stream of such char particles in an alkali metal catalyst recovery system to recover the catalyst constituents as alkali metal compounds, and recycling such recovered compounds. Within the alkali metal catalyst recovery system the process includes quenching the stream of char particles with water whereby such particles are cooled and fractured, dissolving soluble alkali metal catalyst constituents from the fractured solids to form a first alkali metal catalyst solution and washed solids, optionally reacting the washed solids in alkaline solution to form a second alkali metal catalyst solution, upgrading said first and optional second alkali solution to recover the alkali metal catalyst constituents as said alkali metal compounds.

A high efficiency gasification process for converting carbonaceous solids to methane and apparatus for its practice are described. The process includes reacting steam and carbonaceous solids comprising ash in the presence of alkali metal catalyst in a gasification reactor to produce combustible gases and char particles comprising ash and alkali metal catalyst constituents, treating a stream of such char particles in an alkali metal catalyst recovery system to recover the catalyst constituents as alkali metal compounds, and recycling such recovered compounds. Within the alkali metal catalyst recovery system the process includes quenching the stream of char particles with water whereby such particles are cooled and fractured, dissolving soluble alkali metal catalyst constituents from the fractured solids to form a first alkali metal catalyst solution and washed solids, optionally reacting the washed solids in alkaline solution to form a second alkali metal catalyst solution, upgrading said first and optional second alkali solution to recover the alkali metal catalyst constituents as said alkali metal compounds.

An omni-directional camera array that is very small and unobtrusive and allows for higher pixel resolution for the face of meeting participants sitting or standing around a conference room table, as would be typical in a video conferencing situation. The camera system of the invention uses N cameras and an N sided mirror to capture images of the surrounding scene. The cameras are arranged to have a small distance between their virtual centers of projection. The images from the N cameras are stitched together to create a 360-degree panorama using a calibration surface. To stitch the images together in real-time, a static image stitcher is used, which stitches images together perfectly for objects on a calibration surface. The calibration surface is typically defined by the boundary of the table the camera is sitting on.

A freezer arrangement includes a room having a storage area and a blast cell, with the volume of the storage area being greater than the volume of the blast cell. Frozen food product is positioned in the storage area. A refrigeration unit draws air from the storage area and through the blast cell to rapidly freeze the unfrozen food product. Air from the blast cell is chilled and blown back into the storage area. A method for rapidly freezing unfrozen food product includes providing a room with a large storage area and a smaller blast cell. Unfrozen food product is loaded into the blast cell and a refrigeration unit is operated to draw air from the large storage area, through the blast cell, chill the air, and exhaust the chilled air into the storage area, until the food product in the blast cell is cooled to a predetermined temperature.

An information handling system mezzanine circuit board disposed in a parallel configuration over a motherboard is selectively coupled and de-coupled at the motherboard with a retraction and latching device that translates retraction force applied at an accessible actuation portion to push upward from below the mezzanine circuit board. A retraction portion of the retraction and latching device provides an upward force at the bottom surface of the mezzanine circuit board to separate the mezzanine circuit board connector from the motherboard connector so that an end user can lift the mezzanine circuit board away from the motherboard.

A klystron has a hollow beam electron gun that has a circular planar electron emitting surface. A hollow electron beam is directed from the electron gun through a plurality of drift tubes, resonant chambers and magnetic fields to a collector. The hollow electron beam does not experience significant radial movement and can operate at a lower beam voltage which reduces the required length of the RF interaction circuit and lowers the risks of RF arcing.

An adjustable and foldable V-shaped hay rake is an agricultural tool used for raking hay on fields, in which, for each arm of the hay rake, all the mechanisms for moving the arm are centered on a single adjustable master support plate.

A nested fiber optic gyro system includes at least a first fiber optic coil having a predetermined shape and size and at least a second fiber optic coil having the same shape and size as the first coil and nested within and transversely to the first coil.

A guidance system for a robot includes a main monitoring station and an unmanned movable base station, which is in communication with the main monitoring station. A robot is provided which is adapted to operate within a predetermined radius of the base station. Either an umbilical cord connection or a wireless communication link can be provided for dynamically determining the distance and orbital positioning of the robot relative to the base station.

Synthetic fiber composites (preferably containing nylon fibers obtained from recycled carpets) are made in laminated forms that can substitute for wooden boards, and even for structural beams (including studs, rafters, joists, etc.) in a framed house or other building. These laminates can be made from needle-punched fiber mats, which provide more extensive fiber intertwining than air-laid, bat-formed, or other fiber mats. In a preferred method of manufacture, sheets or wide strips are glued together, under pressure and using a non-foaming adhesive, to form oversized laminates having any desired thickness and desired length. The laminated sheets or strips are then sawed (such as by gang-ripping) into desired widths, to form edges that will not need additional trimming to remove excess adhesive. If suitable adhesives are used to form the adhesive layers, lamination can provide increased stiffness, compared to single-layer sheets having the same thickness. This increased stiffness can provide these laminated items with greater ability to withstand bending moments, torsional forces, and heavy longitudinal compression. These materials can also enable improved building designs and constructions that use less material, such as by increasing the spacings between adjacent studs, joists, and rafters.

A probe card assembly has a probe contactor substrate having a plurality of probe contactor tips thereon and a probe card wiring board with an interposer disposed between the two. Support posts contacting the probe contactor substrate are vertically adjustable until secured by a locking mechanism which is coupled to the probe card wiring board. When the posts are secured in a fixed position, the position is one in which the plane of the plurality of probe contactor substrates is substantially parallel to a predetermined reference plane.

The present invention is related to a method and apparatus of radiation processing of a product package in a device having a radiation source, a collimator having a variable aperture, and a turntable, said radiation processing resulting in a point in the product package where the dose is minimal (Dmin point) and a point in said product package where the dose is maximal (Dmax point) comprising the steps of:determining a first value of the collimator aperture, by increasing said aperture from a small value, where the Dmax point is located near the centre of the product package, up to a value where the Dmax point moves near to the centre of a small side of said package's rectangular horizontal cross-section;determining a second value of the collimator aperture, by further increasing the collimator aperture up to a point where the Dmin point moves from a point near the corner of the product package to the centre of said package;processing said package with radiation, the collimator aperture being kept at a constant value comprised between said first and said second value, the turntable being rotated at a variable speed.

An information handling system mezzanine circuit board disposed in a parallel configuration over a motherboard is selectively coupled and de-coupled at the motherboard with a retraction and latching device that translates retraction force applied at an accessible actuation portion to push upward from below the mezzanine circuit board. A retraction portion of the retraction and latching device provides an upward force at the bottom surface of the mezzanine circuit board to separate the mezzanine circuit board connector from the motherboard connector so that an end user can lift the mezzanine circuit board away from the motherboard.

The present invention provides a flow-through photobioreactor containing at least one thermoplastic multi-wall sheet having an upper layer and a lower layer having arranged there between at least two sidewalls, at least one inner wall and two or more end caps. Also provided is a process for the production of a biofuel with the inventive photobioreactor. The photobioreactor and process of the present invention have the following advantages: genetically engineered microbes that give higher yields cannot escape into the environment, water in the system does not evaporate, no weeding (presence of unwanted algae), UV light from the sun is filtered out by the reactor walls, temperature control is possible, CO2 from power plants, breweries, etc. can be artificially fed to increase yield. The inventive photobioreactor is also less expensive to build than pipe reactors and may have low energy costs to operate, because little or no energy is needed for agitation and pumping in a preferred gravity assisted embodiment.

The adjustable and foldable V-shaped hay rake which is the object of this invention is an agricultural tool used for raking hay on fields, in which, for each arm of the hay rake, all the mechanisms for moving the arm are centered on a single master support plate, that can simultaneously, both be very effectively used and easily adjusted, as well as providing the advantages of great simplicity of construction, great strength and a very economical cost of production.

A high voltage AC transmission cable system for transmitting power between two points, each connected to one or more power networks, and a method to operate the system. At least one transformer is arranged at each end of the AC transmission cable, wherein at least one of the transformers is arranged to operate the transformer at a voltage whereby losses due to reactive power transport and dielectric losses are minimized. The AC cable is run at a variable voltage regulated such that the voltage is a function of the load for the transmission cable. This operating voltage is not necessarily the same as the nominal voltages in the connection points. A control and communication system and a graphical user interface for carrying out the method are also provided.

A boat trailer comprising two side beams positioned adjacent to each other, wherein each of the side beams has a forward tongue forming portion converging toward the other side beam. The side beams can be connected to a towing vehicle and the side beams may also have a trailing boat-supporting portion. The trailer also includes at least one cross bar member extending between the boat-supporting portion of one of the side beams and the boat-supporting portion of the other side beam. The various members of the trailer may be punched with holes in a standard pattern.

A nozzle and system for manufacturing composite sandwich panels, including an input port configured to receive a fluidic production material for forming a composite sandwich panel; a branching element coupled to the input port, wherein the production material that enters the branching element is output from a first end and a second end of the branching element; and an elongate tubular member coupled to the first end and the second end of the branching element for receiving the production material, wherein the elongate tubular member has a first end; a second end and a plurality of openings formed in the elongate tubular member such that the received production material is output through the plurality of openings. In another embodiment, the nozzle includes a second plurality of openings formed in the elongate tubular member.

The invention relates to a rack-mountable server using one or more single board computers. A stackable mounting bracket for the single board computers allows multiple single board computers to be added to the server.

The invention provides methods, apparatus and systems for securely processing an originator request of a customer. This originator request can be sent to at least one first entity. An example of a method for processing the originator request comprises the steps of a) sending from the customer the originator request to each first entity; b) connecting each first entity to a computation entity; c) each first entity, adding, on receipt of the originator request, information concerning the originator request thereby forming a first-modified request; d) sending at least part of the first-modified request to at least the computation entity; e) the computation entity having received at least part of the first-modified request deriving a computation-entity result from the at least part of the first-modified request; f) sending at least part of the computation-entity result to each first entity; g) each first entity having received at least part of the computation-entity result deriving therefrom a first-entity result and forwarding it at least in part; and h) the customer having received at least part of the first-entity result, deriving therefrom a customer result.

A klystron has a hollow beam electron gun that has a circular planar electron emitting surface. A hollow electron beam is directed from the electron gun through a plurality of drift tubes, resonant chambers and magnetic fields to a collector. The hollow electron beam does not experience significant radial movement and can operate at a lower beam voltage which reduces the required length of the RF interaction circuit and lowers the risks of RF arcing.

A boat trailer comprising two side beams positioned adjacent to each other, wherein each of the side beams has a forward tongue forming portion converging toward the other side beam. The side beams can be connected to a towing vehicle and the side beams may also have a trailing boat-supporting portion. The trailer also includes at least one cross bar member extending between the boat-supporting portion of one of the side beams and the boat-supporting portion of the other side beam. The various members of the trailer may be punched with holes in a standard pattern.

An underwater structure inspection vehicle that uses a rotating brush to clean the structure for camera inspection. Unlike underwater vehicles currently being used that are positioned by thrusters, this vehicle will be positioned in three different planes by three different means. The first is by mechanically raising and lowering it. The second is by a propulsion system pushing it into the structure. The third is by lateral guidance bars being engaged by the rotating forces of the propulsion system. In areas of high water velocity, an optional back-side platform may be used to assist the propulsion system by locking the vehicle onto the structure.

A support column and method for making a support column, the support column having a plurality of panels arranged side by side. The panels each have a core of insulative material and outer laminate layers laminated to the core. The panels are adhered to one another.

Installation for manufacturing cross-linkable polyethylene compounds which comprises a melting machine (101), a melt pump (102) and a filtration unit (103). The installation allows to produce cross-linkable polyethylene compounds that may be further used for manufacturing insulating parts of medium, high and extra-high voltage power cables. A method for manufacturing cross-linkable polyethylene compounds is further provided.

An outdoor electronic screen protection device includes a nonhermetically sealed housing. A mounting system attaches the nonhermetically sealed housing to a wall of a structure. An access port is provided in the nonhermetically sealed housing. A non-transparent front cover is attached to the housing. A locking mechanism is attached to the nonhermetically sealed housing. The protection device does not include any active environmental control systems. When the user wishes to view the electronic screen the front cover is opened. As a result, the user does not have to look through an additional window to view the electronic screen, which causes glare. Since the housing is not hermetically sealed, it is considerably less expensive to build than previous devices.