650results about How to "Maintenance free" patented technology

An apparatus facilitating the delivery of electrical stimulation to physiologically excitable retinal nerve cells includes: (a), a receiver/decoder/stimulator comprising a semiconductor integrated circuit and other components hermetically sealed within a capsule, implanted and fixed within the eye of the patient such that it may receive power, and decode information from (b), an externally worn image processor/encoder/transmitter comprising an image detector, an image processor capable of translating the image into an array of discreet pixels of varying intensity, encoding the pixel information into a series of discreet data bursts representing the chosen current amplitude, pulse duration, stimulating electrode or electrodes, and reference electrode or electrodes, and transmitting this data to the receiver/decoder/stimulator through a tuned, inductive communication link such that the system may deliver controlled, charge balanced, diphasic, constant current stimulus pulses to (c), discreet metallic electrodes on a flexible, multiple site electrode array implanted on, near or under the surface of the retina. The apparatus provides for flexibility in the external image processing system such that future advancements in processing techniques shall not require revision surgery or modification to the implanted receiver/decoder/stimulator. Safeguards to protect the patient from the delivery of inappropriate stimulus are incorporated into the apparatus, and a method of external collection of diagnostic data from the implanted receiver/decoder/stimulator is described.

The movable device includes a detector for detecting that an object is located in the vicinity of or at the movable device, as well as a transmitter module for transmitting two signals having different signals speeds. These two signals are received by a receiver, the receiver having a detector to ascertain whether the second signal arrives within a predetermined time period as of reception of the first signal, so as to provide, when this has been detected, a detector signal indicating that the movable device has been contacted by the object. Exemplary movable devices are game devices such as footballs. Exemplary objects are arms, legs, football shoes, rackets, bats, etc.

A merchandise display rack is provided for displaying a row of merchandise on a store shelf and feeding the row of merchandise forward on a store shelf as merchandise at the front of the row of merchandise is removed by a customer. The merchandise display rack includes a pusher frame, a pusher plate assembly and a pusher plate biasing assembly supported on opposing sidewalls of the display rack and connected to the pusher plate assembly.

An automatic doorbell driver that utilizes the power, wiring, and primary load of a conventional doorbell system. The automatic doorbell driver comprising coupling means for coupling the automatic doorbell driver to the conventional doorbell system; power supply means for supplying power to the automatic doorbell driver; sensing means for sensing an object in a proximity zone; and switching means responsive to the sensing means for coupling power to, and thereby controlling the energization and de-energization of, the primary load of the conventional doorbell system; whereby the automatic doorbell driver can easily convert the conventional doorbell system into an automatic doorbell system.

A system and method for cooling electrical machines (e.g., generators), sub-systems (e.g., power electronics), and components (e.g., bearings) in an electrical generation system such as a compressed air storage (CAS) energy system or a thermal and compressed air storage (TACAS) energy system is provided. Cooling is derived from the thermal expansion of a compressed gas, which may be the same gas used to drive a turbine-generator of CAS or TACAS energy system.

A system and method for authenticating and authorizing computer users with a single, standard, directory-based set of applications. The invention combines dynamic directory services (DDS) with a directory access protocol such as the light weight directory access protocol (LDAP) to provide authentication and application-authorization for secured networks, applications, and programs. Dynamic information such as session information or user ID numbers is stored in a directory each time a user logs into the systems and is maintained in the directory until the user logs out. While the information exists in the directory, it can be queried by other programs, applications, or networks that use a directory service to authenticate or authorize the user for the program, application, or network.

The monitoring equipment includes microprocessor, video sensor in use for monitoring site of tunnel, and communication module for communication outside. Microproceesor includes following modules: reading module for image dada in use for reading information of video image transferred from video sensor; file storage module in use for storing data collected by video sensor to storage device; real time playing module on site connected to external display device is in use for playing monitored image on site in real time. Output of the video sensor is connected to microprocessor through communication. Using all directional computer vision sensor monitors tunnel site, processes and analyzes images. Using detected variation character for fire flame in early phase, the invention finds early fire in tunnel as well as obtains traffic data including vehicle flowrate, and occupancy ratio, speed, and traffic accident etc.

A suspension device for a lowerable luggage stowage compartment has at least one spring element for assisting the movement of the compartment into a closed position against the force of gravity, and at least one damping element for damping the movement of the compartment into an opened position. A weight detector detects the weight of the compartment, and at least one additional spring element can be actuated based on the detected weight of the compartment. A retention device is provided for fixing the additional spring element. The suspension device provides a compartment that is easy to handle and easy to close even when fully loaded.

Processes and software are provided for eliminating sources of maintenance losses in machine intensive environments such as manufacturing, processing and assembly plants.

The processes and software include creating financial and work order metrics to trend maintenance variables, a process for creating work orders, a process for using alarms for integrating measurement technologies and spare parts, a process for managing repair and replacing activities and projects by improving documenting and communicating processes while involving users such as executives and senior managers.

A method embodiment herein has a central storage device periodically receiving images of documents. These documents have written or printed thereon financial information and can relate to a single tax entity. These images are supplied from at least one remote device over a network. The images are processed (at the central storage device) to classify the images according to tax classifications and to extract the financial information from the images. With this information, the financial information can also be classified into tax classifications. This method also accumulates, over a tax period (e.g., tax year), the images and the financial information in the tax classifications as the images are periodically received by the central storage device to create an accumulation of financial information and a corresponding accumulation of images. From this accumulation of financial information for the tax year, the method prepares tax reports and outputs the tax reports.

A vibrator apparatus for inducing longitudinal vibrations in a well tubing or casing member for various operations, or for removing stuck tubing or casing. The apparatus includes a vibrator section with spaced apart rotatable shafts carrying eccentric weights and interconnected by timing gears. The shafts are driven by respective pressure fluid motors. The vibrator section is mounted on an isolator section including spaced apart pressure fluid cylinder assemblies for isolating vibrations generated by the apparatus from wellhead structure supporting the apparatus. A fluid flow circuit includes a pump, a manifold, flow control devices for generating fluid flow through the cylinder assemblies and accumulators for damping fluid pressure and flow fluctuations in the circuit.

A steering wheel for a motor vehicle is provided having a hub element, a steering wheel rim, at least one steering wheel spoke for attaching the steering wheel rim to the hub element and at least one activation device which is arranged on the hub element, the steering wheel rim or the steering wheel spoke for controlling and/or regulating an assembly of a motor vehicle. The activation device is preferably embodied as an optical reflection sensor device with a functional face. Such a sensor device operates without mechanically moving parts and during the service life of the steering wheel it is independent of general scratching and soiling of its functional faces. In addition, the functionality of the measurement of distances and/or speeds of the objects located above the functional faces of the sensor device permits further functions to be integrated without requiring further separate devices in order to do so.

The wick-type garden rain water collector consists of five parts including rain water collecting funnel to collecting surface water, filtering net to filter out impurity, movable inlet tongue to avoid evaporation loss of water, water collecting bottle to store water rain and wick type watering pipe to irrigate trees through permeation. The wick-type garden rain water collector may be used widely to irrigate trees durably and fight drought effectively.

A method and apparatus for automatic certification, identification and tracking of remote objects in relative motion to a reading system, utilizing a novel tag affixed to an object and novel apparatus and techniques for automatically reading the tag information, its relative velocity, angle and position. The tag reader comprises an imaging system that undertakes real time image processing of the acquired images. Matching of the optical parameters of the imaging optics at the reader and the focusing optics at the tag ensure optical reliability and readability at large ranges. Novel types of tag designs are presented.

Disclosed is an automatic-cooking-and-processing vending system for frozen-food, comprising the low-temperature chamber, the object-moving system, the product shelves, the low-temperature chamber equipment, the food container; the said low-temperature chamber equipment is inside the low-temperature chamber, or connected to the casing of the low-temperature chamber; the low-temperature chamber equipment contains hot-air source and the humid-air source; the product shelves is inside the low-temperature chamber with disposable food containers placed on; the object-moving system is inside the low-temperature chamber. This system has the air-circulating system, which can force the outer hot-and-humid air to come inside in one-way from a cold chamber, so as to isolate the hot-and-humid air. Further disclosed is a food-automatic-cook-and-processing system, which may be used in the automatic-cooking-and-processing vending system, comprising a series of auto piercing food-processing devices for disposable food containers and different foods, and with the working patterns of these devices.