183results about How to "Eliminates and reduces disadvantage" patented technology

Method and apparatus for installing a liner material into a host conduit such as, e.g., a sewer pipe, hydrocarbon pipeline, gas line, water line, industrial chemical pipe, or a saltwater line. The liner material may include a compression liner and / or a preliner that is attached to the inner wall of the host conduit to repair or reinforce the host conduit or separate the host conduit from materials transported within the new liner formed from the liner material. Curable resin, slurry, or cement can be placed between the liner material and the host conduit to affix the liner material into place. Before and during curing, a fluid such as air or water can be used to inflate the compression liner outwardly toward the host conduit. Spacers positioned between at least a portion of the liner material and the host conduit may be used to (i) calibrate the thickness of the liner material and curable material that is cured to form the new liner, and (ii) form communication channels adapted to house devices such as wire, cable, fiber optic cable, telephone lines, power lines, etc. The spacers and channels can be selectively inflatable to various sizes to allow calibration of the liner thickness and to form communication channels having a selected width or height. Additionally, the liner material may be formed into a one-piece, tubular lining member having an inflatable enclosure defined between an inner and an outer layer of the lining member. The enclosure can be selectively inflated to (i) calibrate the resulting thickness of the cured liner material, and (ii) form communication channels running along the length of the host conduit.

One embodiment of the system of this invention can include software programming stored in a computer readable memory. The software programming can comprise a public API layer further comprising an object model containing generic software objects representing underlying workflow processes and functionality and an adapter layer comprising one or more adapters operable to map the generic software objects of the public API layer with the vendor-specific APIs of underlying workflow engines. The generic object model maintained by the public API layer can, in one embodiment of the present invention, comprise generic software objects corresponding to the reference model developed by the Workflow Management Coalition. In this manner, the public API layer can present an interface based on industry standards.

A three contact barrel power connector assembly is provided. The power connector assembly includes both a connector plug and a connector jack. The connector plug includes an inner body and an outer body transmitting electrical current. The connector plug further includes a center body that transmits a data signal or a low power current. The connector jack includes a housing ground, a housing body, outer contacts that couple with the outer body, inner contacts that couple with the inner body, and a center contact that couples with the center body. The power connector assembly further includes insulators operable to prevent unwanted electrical contact between the connector plug and the connector jack. The connector plug is operable to couple with the connector jack independent of the orientation of the connector plug with respect to the connector jack, provide high levels of power, and effectively transmit data signals in addition to power.

A network based system to facilitate managing a consumer's financial development. This network based system includes at least one computer system operable to execute a consumer module, a communication module, a lead sourcing module, a creditor module, a financial processing module, and a counselor module. A number of databases such as a consumer database, creditor database, and lead database operably couple to the network based computer. Consumers, counselors and creditors may interact with one another through web-based user interfaces presented by modules executed on the network based computer.

Embodiments of the invention provide new fittings and fitting assemblies for tight, leak-proof filter and fluid connections in a pump useful in dispensing fluid onto wafers during a semiconductor manufacturing process. One embodiment of a fitting assembly comprises an o-ring-less low profile fitting and a low profile male threaded locking nut. A manifold of the pump is machined with a female threaded hole for receiving the fitting and the locking nut. The fitting has higher compressibility than the manifold. Initially, as one end of the fitting touches the bottom of the receiving hole, there is a small gap between the end of the fitting and the bottom of the receiving hole. As the fitting is pressed down, the end of the fitting that touches the bottom of the receiving hole begins to deform and fill the small gap, thus creating a tight seal between the fitting and the manifold.

Embodiments of the present invention provide software products and methods of managing content that substantially eliminate or reduce the disadvantages of previously developed content management systems and methods. More particularly, one embodiment of the present invention includes a set of computer instructions stored on a computer readable medium that are executable to associate a rule with a rule condition, determine if the rule is applicable based on the state of the rule condition, receive a user interaction based on a set of content (e.g., web site content) and, if the rule is determined to be applicable, apply the rule to the user interaction. In one embodiment of the present invention, the rule condition can be metadata that is accessible by the computer instructions. The metadata can change dynamically and, consequently, whether or not the rule applies can change dynamically.

A water transportation system and method are described, generally related to water amusement attractions and rides. Further, the disclosure generally relates to water-powered rides and to a system and method in which participants may be actively involved in a water attraction. This transportation system comprises at least two water stations and at least one water channel connecting at least two of the water stations for the purpose of conveying participants between at least two of the water stations. In addition, the water transportation system may include conveyor belt systems and water locks configured to convey participants from a first source of water to a second source of water which may or may not be at a different elevation.

A spinal plate system and method for fixation of the human spine is provided. In an embodiment, the system includes a bone plate, a bone screw and a ring. The bone screw preferably connects the bone plate to a bone, and the ring preferably fixes the bone screw into a borehole of the bone plate such that the bone screw extends from the bone plate at a selected angle. The ring is preferably capable of swiveling within the borehole to allow the bone screw to be angulated at a plurality of angles oblique to the plate. The bone screw may have a head having a tapered, threaded surface for engaging the ring. The ring preferably has threading on its inner surface for mating with the threading on the head. The inner surface of the ring may be tapered. Movement of the head through the ring preferably expands the ring against the bone plate to fix the bone screw at a selected angle relative to the bone plate.

A system and method are disclosed for utilizing compression in database caches to facilitate access to database information. In contrast with applying compression to the database that is stored on disk, the present invention achieves performance advantages by using compression within the main memory database cache used by a database management system to manage data transfers to and from a physical database file stored on a storage system or stored on a networked attached device or node. The disclosed system and method thereby provide a significant technical advantage by increasing the effective database cache size. And this effective increase in database cache size can greatly enhance the operations-per-second capability of a database management system by reducing unnecessary disk or network accesses thereby reducing data access times.

A water transportation system and method are described, generally related to water amusement attractions and rides. Further, the disclosure generally relates to water-powered rides and to a system and method in which participants may be actively involved in a water attraction. This transportation system comprises at least two water stations and at least one water channel connecting the at least two water stations for the purpose of conveying participants between the at least two water stations. In addition, the water transportation system may include conveyor belt systems and water locks configured to convey participants from a first source of water to a second source of water which may or may not be at a different elevation.

A water transportation system and method are described, generally related to water amusement attractions and rides. Further, the disclosure generally relates to water-powered rides and to a system and method in which participants may be actively involved in a water attraction. This transportation system may include a plurality of covers forming a covering system over at least a portion of the water transportation and / or amusement system. In some embodiments, at least one of the covers may be positionable. In addition, the water transportation system may include conveyor belt systems and water locks configured to convey participants from a first source of water to a second source of water which may or may not be at a different elevation.