Author: claimsbot

1. A pop-up irrigation sprinkler comprising:
(a) a generally upright housing having
a lower end and an upper end,
a threaded inlet port formed within the lower end of said housing for coupling with a pressurized water source;

(b) a pop-up riser in said housing for movement between an extended position and a retracted position, having
a threaded upper end for coupling a spray nozzle,
a lower end, and
a side wall connecting said upper end and said lower end;

(c) seal valve disposed adjacent to a lower end of said riser having
a valve body having a lower end and an upper end,
a valve plug having a lower surface and an upper surface at the lower end of the valve body for sealing said inlet port while said riser is in the retracted position,
at least one channel within the valve plug, and
an upper port in the upper end of said valve body in fluid communication with said at least one channel; and

(d) a pressure reducing valve within said riser having
a flow tube mounted for limited movement within said riser and having an upper port and a lower port disposed adjacent the upper end of said valve body;

said lower port of said flow tube capable of being closed by moving against the upper surface of said valve plug by backpressure of water when said riser is in the extended, operative position.
2. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said valve plug has a groove adjacent to the lower surface for receiving and retaining seal means for sealing said inlet port from inflow and outflow of water from said housing while said riser is in the retracted position.
3. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said riser has a vent port located in the side wall of said riser between said upper and lower ends to provide an atmospheric reference vent for said pressure reducing valve.
4. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein said flow tube of said pressure reducing valve has an upper shoulder and a lower shoulder adjacent the upper port and a second groove formed between said upper and lower shoulders for receiving a sealing means to provide an upper seal between said flow tube and said riser.
5. The sprinkler of claim 1, wherein a retainer adjacent to the lower port of said flow tube of said pressure reducing valve is positioned between the upper end of said valve body of said seal valve and the shoulder formed within the lower end of said riser, said retainer forming a channel for receiving sealing means to provide a lower seal between said flow tube of said pressure reducing valve and said riser.
6. The sprinkler of claim 5, wherein a control spring engaged between an upper surface of said retainer and the lower shoulder of said flow tube for controlling water pressure at the upper port of said flow tube.
7. The sprinkler of claim 3, wherein upper end of said housing has threads, a cover engaging said threads, a wiper seal is disposed in an opening of said cover to restrict passage of deleterious particulate material between the side wall of said riser and said cover and to seal said riser when it is in the extended position, and at least one slot extending longitudinally from said vent port to said to said upper end of said riser to create a gap between said wiper seal and said vent port for optimal venting.
8. The sprinkler of claim 7, wherein the lower end of said riser has a flange projecting radially outwardly from said riser, said wiper seal has an upper surface and a lower surface, an upper seal positioned between the upper surface and the side wall of said riser and a lower seal positioned between the lower surface and said flange.
9. The sprinkler of claim 8, wherein said vent port is positioned below said lower seal surface of said wiper seal while said riser is in said extended, operative position.
10. The sprinkler of claim 9, wherein said vent port has a generally circular or polygonal shape optimally sized to prevent debris intrusion in said riser.
11. The sprinkler of claim 10, wherein a compression spring is biased between said flange and the underside of said cover for retaining said riser in the retracted position when said valve plug of said seal valve is closed against said inlet port of said housing and for preventing flow of water in and out of said housing until the supply water pressure reaches a predetermined threshold.
12. A pop-up irrigation sprinkler comprising:
(a) a generally upright housing having
a lower end and an upper end,
a threaded inlet port formed within the lower end of said housing for coupling with a pressurized water source;

(b) a pop-up riser in said housing for movement between an extended position and a retracted position, having
a threaded upper end for coupling a spray nozzle,
a lower end, and
a side wall connecting said upper end and said lower end;

(c) seal valve disposed adjacent to a lower end of said riser having
a valve body having a lower end and an upper end,
a valve plug having
a lower surface,
an upper surface at the lower end of the valve body for sealing said inlet port while said riser is in the retracted position,
a groove adjacent to the lower surface for receiving, and
retaining seal means for sealing said inlet port from inflow and outflow of water from said housing while said riser is in the retracted position,
at least one channel within the valve plug, and
an upper port in the upper end of said valve body in fluid communication with said at least one channel; and
(d) a pressure reducing valve within said riser having
a flow tube mounted for limited movement within said riser and having an upper port and a lower port disposed adjacent the upper end of said valve body; said lower port of said flow tube capable of being closed by moving against the upper surface of said valve plug by backpressure of water when said riser is in the extended, operative position.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An intelligence gathering device comprising:
a microphone for detecting sounds;
a communication component for transmitting signals or data representative of the sounds to a computer via a wireless communication network;
a display for displaying information related to operation of the device;
a computing device operatively coupled with the microphone, the communication component, and the display; and
a computer program stored on computer-readable medium accessible by the computing device, the computer program including a code segment configured to place the device in a stealth mode in which the display may be turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the entire device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds to the computer using data channels.
2. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, the computer program further including a code segment to wirelessly receive a gain control instruction from the computer and to adjust a gain setting of the microphone in accordance therewith.
3. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the data channels used to transmit the signals or data representative of the sounds are Transmission Control ProtocolInternet Protocol (TCPIP) data channels.
4. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 3, the computer program including a code segment to wirelessly receive an alert from the computer and to operate the vibration element in response thereto.
5. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, further including resident memory for storing the signals or data representative of the detected sounds.
6. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, the computing device and the computer program being operable to place the device in the stealth mode only after a user of the device enters valid user information and an operator of the computer enters and transmits to the device valid acknowledgment information.
7. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, the computing device and the computer program being further operable to discontinue the stealth mode only after a user of the device enters valid user information and an operator of the computer enters and transmits to the device valid acknowledgment information.
8. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, further including a location-determining component for determining a geographic location of the device.
9. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 8, the computer program including a code segment to transmit data representative of the geographic location of the device to the computer while the device is in the stealth mode.
10. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 8, the computing device and the computer program being further operable to receive and store geographic coordinates corresponding to a geofence and to wirelessly transmit an alert to the computer whenever the device enters or exits an area encompassed by the geofence.
11. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 10, the computing device and the computer program being further operable to place the device in the stealth mode whenever the device enters or exits the area encompassed by the geofence.
12. A computer program stored on computer-readable medium of a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device having a microphone, a communication component, a display, and a computing device, the computer program comprising a code segment or segments to place the mobile communication device in a stealth mode in which the display is turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the entire mobile communication device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds to a computer using data channels.
13. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a code segment to wirelessly receive a gain control instruction from the computer and a code segment to adjust a gain setting of the microphone in accordance with the gain control instruction.
14. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, wherein the data channels used to transmit the signals or data representative of the sounds are Transmission Control ProtocolInternet Protocol (TCPIP) data channels.
15. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, wherein the code segment for placing the mobile communication device in the stealth mode requires entry of valid user information in the mobile communication device and entry of valid acknowledgment information in the computer.
16. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a code segment to discontinue the stealth mode only after a user of the mobile communication device enters valid user information and an operator of the computer enters and transmits to the mobile communication device valid acknowledgment information.
17. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a code segment to transmit data representative of a geographic location of the mobile communication device to the computer while the mobile communication device is in the stealth mode.
18. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further including a code segment to access geographic coordinates corresponding to a geofence and to wirelessly transmit an alert to the computer whenever the mobile communication device enters or exits an area encompassed by the geofence.
19. The computer program as set forth in claim 18, further comprising a code segment to place the mobile communication device in the stealth mode whenever the device enters or exits the area encompassed by the geofence.
20. A system for gathering intelligence data, the system comprising:
a mobile communication device comprising
a microphone for detecting sounds;
a communication component for wirelessly transmitting signals or data representative of the sounds via a wireless communication network;
a display for displaying information related to operation of the mobile communication device;
a computing device operatively coupled with the microphone, the communication component, and the display; and
a computer program stored on computer-readable medium accessible by the computing device, the computer program operable to place the mobile communication device in a stealth mode in which the display is turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the mobile communication device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds using data channels; and

a computer for wirelessly receiving the signals or data representative of the sounds from the mobile communication device.
21. The system as set forth in claim 20, the computer being operable to wirelessly transmit a gain control instruction to the mobile communication device and the mobile communication device being operable to adjust a gain setting of the microphone in response to the gain control instruction.
22. The system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the data channels used to transmit the signals or data representative of the sounds are Transmission Control ProtocolInternet Protocol (TCPIP) data channels.
23. The system as set forth in claim 22, the computer being further operable to wirelessly transmit an alert to the mobile communication device and the mobile communication device being operable to operate the vibration element in response thereto.
24. The system as set forth in claim 20, the mobile communication device further including a location-determining component for determining a geographic location of the device.
25. The system as set forth in claim 24, the mobile communication device being operable to transmit data representative of the geographic location of the device to the computer while the device is in the stealth mode.

1. A method for minimization of drive tests (MDT), comprising:
in a process of activating a MDT task, checking, by an access network element, a user consent type of a selected terminal, wherein the user consent type indicating whether the selected terminal agrees to execute the MDT task;
if the user consent type indicating the selected terminal agrees to execute the MDT task, sending, by the access network element, an MDT task activation command to the selected terminal.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:
if the user consent type indicating the selected terminal does not agree to execute the MDT task, skipping, by the access network element, to send the MDT task activation command to the selected terminal.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the checking, by an access network element, a user consent type of a selected terminal, the method further comprises:
obtaining, by the access network element, the user consent type of the selected terminal.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the obtaining, by the access network element, the user consent type of the selected terminal comprises:
receiving, by the access network element, the user consent type of the terminal from a core network element, wherein the user consent type of the selected terminal is obtained by the core network element when the selected terminal accesses a network.
5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the obtaining, by the access network element, the user consent type of the selected terminal comprises:
receiving, by the access network element, the user consent type of the selected terminal from a handover request sent from a source access network element.
6. The method according to claim 4, wherein receiving, by the access network element, the user consent type of the selected terminal from the core network element, comprises:
receiving, by the access network element, the user consent type of the selected terminal from the core network element, wherein the user consent type of the selected terminal is sent to the access network element by the core network element after the core network element determines that the selected terminal is not in a roaming status.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:
missing to receive, by the access network element, the user consent type of the selected terminal from the core network element, wherein the user consent type of the selected terminal is not sent by the core network element to the access network element after the core network element determines that the selected terminal is in a roaming status.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access network element is an evolved NodeB (eNB) or a radio network controller (RNC).
9. An access network element, comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory processor-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the processor invokes the processor-executable instructions to:
in a process of activating a minimization of drive tests (MDT) task, check, a user consent type of a selected terminal, wherein the user consent type indicating whether the selected terminal agrees to execute the MDT task; and
send an MDT task activation command to the selected terminal through a transceiver if the user consent type indicating the selected terminal agrees to execute the MDT task.
10. The access network element according to claim 9, wherein the processor invokes the processor-executable instructions to:
skip to send the MDT activation command to the selected terminal through the transceiver, if the user consent type indicating the selected terminal does not agree to execute the MDT task.
11. The access network element according to claim 9, wherein the processor invokes the processor-executable instructions to:
obtain the user consent type of the selected terminal through a network interface before checking the user consent type of the selected terminal.
12. The access network element according to claim 11, wherein the processor invokes the processor-executable instructions to:
receive the user consent type of the selected terminal from a core network element through the network interface, wherein the user consent type of the selected terminal is obtained by the core network element when the selected terminal accesses a network.
13. The access network element according to claim 11, wherein the processor invokes the processor-executable instructions to:
receive the user consent type of the selected terminal through the network interface from a handover request sent from a source access network element.
14. The access network element according to claim 12, wherein the processor invokes the processor-executable instructions to:
receive the user consent type of the selected terminal from the core network element through the network interface, wherein the user consent type of the selected terminal is sent to the access network element by the core network element after the core network element determined the selected terminal is not in a roaming status.
15. The access network element according to claim 14, wherein the processor invokes the processor-executable instructions to:
miss to receive the user consent type of the selected terminal from the core network element through the network interface, wherein the user consent type of the selected terminal is not sent by the core network element to the access network element after the core network element determined the selected terminal is in a roaming state.
16. The access network element according to claim 9, wherein the access network element is an evolved NodeB (eNB) or a radio network controller (RNC).
17. A method for minimization of drive tests (MDT), comprising:
in a process of activating an MDT task, determining, by a core network element, whether a selected terminal is in a roaming status; and
if the selected terminal is not in a roaming status, sending, by the core network element, a user consent type of the selected terminal to an access network element, wherein the user consent type indicating whether the selected terminal agrees to execute the MDT task, so that after the access network element checking the selected terminal agrees to execute the MDT task, the access network element sending an MDT task activation command to the selected terminal.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:
if the selected terminal is in the roaming state, determining, by the MME, to not send the user consent type of the selected terminal to the access network element.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the determining, by a core network element, whether a selected terminal is in a roaming state, comprises:
determining, by the core network element, whether the selected terminal is in the roaming state basing on whether a public land mobile network (PLMN) of the core network element is the same as a home PLMN of the selected terminal.
20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the core network element is a mobility management entity (MME) or a serving general packet radio service support node (SGSN), and wherein the access network element is an evolved NodeB (eNB) or a radio network controller (RNC) respectively.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions comprising:
receiving a clock input and generating a plurality of scrambled sequences, coupling said generated plurality of scrambled sequences by a plurality of N clock distribution lines to a destination circuit;
connecting an exclusive OR gate to the N clock distribution lines for unscrambling the plurality of scrambled sequences at the destination circuit to provide a clock output.
2. A method for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions as recited in claim 1 wherein the steps of generating a plurality of scrambled sequences includes the steps of generating a plurality of scrambled sequences including multiple bit clock representations.
3. A method for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions as recited in claim 1 wherein the steps of generating a plurality of scrambled sequences includes the steps of generating a plurality of scrambled sequences including a substantially uniform distribution of 1s and 0s on each of said plurality of N clock distribution lines.
4. A method for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions as recited in claim 1 wherein the steps of generating a plurality of scrambled sequences includes the steps of generating a plurality of generally pseudorandom sequences.
5. A method for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions as recited in claim 1 wherein the steps of coupling said generated plurality of scrambled sequences by a plurality of N clock distribution lines to a destination circuit includes the steps of coupling said generated plurality of scrambled sequences by three clock distribution lines to a destination circuit.
6. A method for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of receiving a clock input includes the steps of receiving a single phase clock.
7. A method for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions as recited in claim 6 wherein the steps of generating a plurality of scrambled sequences includes the steps of selecting one of a plurality of valid states of a 1 table and a 0 table.
8. A method for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions as recited in claim 6 wherein the steps of generating a plurality of scrambled sequences includes the steps of using said received single phase clock for selecting said 1 table or said 0 table.
9. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture with random state selection for implementing clock signals with lower electromagnetic emissions comprising:
a clock distribution circuit for receiving a clock input and for generating a plurality of scrambled sequences,
a plurality of N clock distribution lines for respectively coupling said generated plurality of scrambled sequences to a destination circuit; and
an exclusive OR connected to said N clock distribution lines for unscrambling said plurality of scrambled sequences at the destination circuit to provide a clock output.
10. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 9 wherein said clock distribution circuit includes a pseudorandom sequence generator for generating said plurality of scrambled sequences including a plurality of generally pseudorandom sequences.
11. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 9 wherein said clock distribution circuit generates said plurality of scrambled sequences including multiple bit clock representations.
12. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 9 wherein said clock distribution circuit generates said plurality of scrambled sequences including three bit clock representations.
13. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 9 wherein said clock distribution circuit generates said plurality of scrambled sequences including a substantially uniform distribution of 1s and 0s on each of said plurality of N clock distribution lines.
14. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 9 wherein said plurality of N clock distribution lines includes three clock distribution lines.
15. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 9 wherein said clock distribution circuit includes a two output line, independent m(2) sequence generator coupled to a 0 table and a 1 table; each of said 0 table and said 1 table including a plurality of valid states.
16. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 15 wherein said plurality of valid states include multiple bit clock representations.
17. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 15 wherein said clock input is applied to said two output line, independent m(2) sequence generator.
18. A multiple line scrambled clock architecture as recited in claim 15 wherein said clock input is used for selecting said 1 table or said 0 table.