Author: claimsbot

1. A vehicle, comprising:
a communications bus having a delay;
an electric motor communicatively coupled to the communications bus, the electric motor configured to transmit an operational frequency of the electric motor to the communications bus;
a radio communicatively coupled to the communications bus; and
an audio amplifier communicatively coupled to the communications bus and further configured to be coupled to the radio via the communications bus, the audio amplifier comprising a filter configured to selectively filter radio signals of the radio based upon the operational frequency of the electric motor and a maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay.
2. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:
a controller communicatively coupled to the radio and the audio amplifier, the controller configured to:
compare a signal strength of the radio signals to a predetermined threshold; and
enable the filter to filter the radio signals when the signal strength of the radio signals is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold.
3. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a memory communicatively coupled to the controller, the memory configured to store the predetermined threshold.
4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay is based at least in part on a weight of the vehicle.
5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay is based at least in part on a tire size of the vehicle.
6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay is based at least in part on a size of the electric motor.
7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the communications bus is a serial data bus.
8. A method for suppressing interference in a radio of a vehicle, the vehicle including an electric motor and a communications bus having a delay, the method comprising:
receiving an operational frequency of the electric motor;
determining a maximum angular velocity change for the vehicle over the delay; and
filtering, by a filter, radio signals of the radio based upon the operational frequency of the electric motor and the maximum angular velocity change for the vehicle over the delay.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
comparing a signal strength of a radio signals to a threshold; and
enabling the filter to filter the radio signals when the signal strength is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises determining the maximum angular velocity change for the vehicle over the delay based at least in part on a weight of the vehicle.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises determining the maximum angular velocity change for the vehicle over the delay based at least in part on a size of the electric motor.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining further comprises determining the maximum angular velocity change for the vehicle over the delay based at least in part on a size of a tire of the vehicle.
13. A system for suppressing interference in a radio of a vehicle, comprising:
a communications bus having a delay;
a noise source communicatively coupled to the communications bus, the electric motor configured to transmit an operational frequency of the electric motor to the communications bus; and
a filter communicatively coupled to the communications bus and further configured to be coupled to the radio via the communications bus, the filter configured to selectively filter radio signals of the radio based upon the operational frequency of the electric motor and a maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay.
14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:
a controller communicatively coupled to the radio and the filter via the communications bus, the controller configured to:
compare a signal strength of the radio signals to a predetermined threshold; and
enable the filter to filter the radio signals when the signal strength of the radio signals is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold.
15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a memory communicatively coupled to the controller, the memory configured to store the predetermined threshold.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein the maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay is based at least in part on a weight of the vehicle.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay is based at least in part on a tire size of the vehicle.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay is based at least in part on a size of the electric motor.
19. The system of claim 13, wherein the communications bus is a serial data bus.
20. The system of claim 13, wherein the filter implements a notch filter around a harmonic of the operational frequency based upon the maximum change in angular velocity of the vehicle over the delay.

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

What is claimed is:

1. A carton feeder for receiving and dispensing carton blanks comprising:
a carton magazine for receiving and supporting a stack of carton blanks on the lower edges of the respective blanks with upper edges shifted laterally so the blanks incline at an angle with respect to the vertical;
a reversing station wherein the angle of inclination of the blanks in the stack is reversed to another angle of inclination on the opposite side of the vertical; and
a blank pickoff station for removing a blank from a discharge end of said stack after said angle of blank inclination is reversed.
2. A feeder as in claim 1 wherein the top edges of the blanks in the magazine are inclined forwardly toward said reversing station and wherein the top edges of blanks in the pickoff station are inclined rearwardly toward said reversing station.
3. A feeder as in claim 1 wherein said stack has a first top end defined by the last outer-most carton blank in the stack and a second top end defined by the first outer-most carton in the pickoff station.
4. A feeder as in claim 3 wherein said stack is supplemented by the loading of carton blanks at the first top end and is diminished by feeding of carton blanks from the second top end of the stack at the pickoff station.
5. A feeder as in claim 1 further including three blank conveyors including:
a first blank conveyor for conveying blanks in said magazine at one inclination in a first direction; and
a second conveyor for carrying and moving bottom edges of blanks within said stack at a faster velocity than the top edges of the blanks, thereby separating said blank bottom edges, and inclining the blanks so the blank top edges are disposed rearwardly with respect to the bottom edges; and
a third conveyor for transporting bottom edges of said blanks, the third conveyor receiving blanks whose bottom edges have been separated by said second conveyor and urging said bottom edges together while said top edges remain rearwardly of the bottom edges.
6. A feeder as in claim 5 further including a first prime mover operatively connected to drive a first one of said conveyors;
a first blank sensor oriented to sense top edge blanks at a position in said first direction proximate the engagement of sensed blanks at their bottom edges by said second conveyor, said first sensor operatively connected to signal a first prime mover to drive said first conveyor when no blanks are sensed by said first sensor and to stop said first prime mover and said first conveyor when blanks are sensed by said first sensor.
7. A feeder as in claim 6, including:
a second prime mover operatively connected to a second one of said conveyors;
a second sensor disposed to sense top portions of blanks at a position downstream from said second conveyor, said second sensor operatively connected to said second prime mover to signal said second prime mover to drive said second conveyor when said second sensor does not sense blanks and to stop said second prime mover and said second conveyor when it does sense blanks.
8. A feeder as in claim 7 including:
a third prime mover operatively connected to a third one of said conveyors;
a third sensor oriented to sense bottom portions of blanks at a position proximate a discharge end of said third conveyor, said third sensor operatively coupled to signal said third prime mover to drive said third conveyor when no blanks are sensed by said third sensor and to stop said third prime mover and said third conveyor when blanks are sensed by said third sensor.
9. A feeder as in claim 1 further including a carton gripping member oriented for engaging a bottom portion of a blank in said carton pickoff station and for pulling said blank away from said stack.
10. A stack of carton blanks in a feeder and comprising:
a stack of blanks having a supplemental end at one end of said stack, and a discharge end at another end of said stack,
wherein blanks of both ends are inclined in respective opposite directions toward each other.
11. A stack of blanks as in claim 10 wherein blanks in said stack intermediate said ends have bottom edges spaced apart while top edges of those blanks are oriented more closely together than said bottom edges.
12. A carton feeder comprising:
a magazine section for receiving a stack of carton blanks inclined in one direction at a first angle with respect to the vertical, and a discharge section for discharging from said stack carton blanks inclined at a second angle on the other side of the vertical, wherein the inclination of blanks in said stack is reversed between the loading of blanks into the magazine section and the discharge of blanks from the discharge section.
13. A feeder as in claim 12 including means for reversing said first angle of blank inclination within said stack to said second angle of blank inclination.
14. A feeder as in claim 13 wherein while said blanks in said stack remain in contact with each other respectively, while reversing means reverse their respective angles of inclination.
15. A carton blank magazine and feeder comprising:
means for receiving a stack of blanks with top edges inclined in a forward direction;
means for reversing the inclination of the blanks within the stack so the top edges are inclined rearwardly; and
means for feeding individual blanks, one after the other from an end of the stack having a blank rearwardly inclined.
16. A method of feeding items including the steps of:
depositing a stack of items in a magazine;
conveying said item stack in a first direction;
thereafter conveying bottom edges of said items in said stack faster than respective top edges so the top edges trail the bottom edges with respect to said first direction; and
thereafter removing items one at a time from said stack beginning with the downstream-most item with respect to said first direction.
17. A method as in claim 16 including the steps of maintaining top edges of adjacent items in said stack together during the two conveying steps and until an item is removed from said stack.
18. A method as in claim 17 including the step of picking off an item from said stack by pulling said item toward said first direction from a bottom portion of said items proximate its bottom edge.
19. A method of handling blanks, including
moving a stack of blanks in a downstream direction to a position where leading blanks are fed seriatim one-by-one from said stack, said method further including the steps of:
depositing blanks in a magazine such that said blanks from a stack with blank top edges inclined forwardly into a downstream direction;
conveying said stack downstream;
shifting said blanks in said stack such that bottom portions of the blanks are separated and thereby reorienting said blanks such that said top edges now incline rearwardly toward an upstream direction;
moving bottom portions of blanks in said stack together, said blanks remaining in a rearwardly inclined disposition, and
picking off blanks from said stack seriatim by removing one downstream-most blank at a time from said stack.
20. A process for feeding items including the steps of:
depositing items in a stack such that the items are inclined at an incline angle in a forward direction;
moving items in said forward direction;
reversing the incline angle of at least one item so it inclines rearwardly;
collecting rearwardly inclined items; and
feeding items from a downstream end of collected rearwardly inclined items.

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a device proximate to a display screen;
an optical module coupled to the device; and
an optical link coupled to the optical module, wherein the optical module to convert optical signals received by the optical module over the optical link into electrical signals for the device.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device includes one of a display support, a radio, a camera, a reader, an external port, a storage unit, a security unit, and a video game support unit.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical link includes an optical bus, wherein the optical module is coupled to the optical bus.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical link includes an optical ring, wherein the optical module is coupled to the optical ring.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hub, the optical module to receive optical signals via the hub.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical link is coupled directly to the optical module, the optical link part of a point-to-point optical link configuration.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the optical link includes plastic optical fiber, wherein data transmitted on the plastic optical fiber has a data rate of at least 4 Gigabits per second.
8. A mobile computer system, comprising:
a display including a first optical module and a first device, the first optical module coupled to the first device; and
a body including a second optical module, the second optical module coupled to the first optical module by a first optical link.
9. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein the mobile computer system includes one of a notebook computer, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, and a media player.
10. The mobile computer system of claim 8, further comprising:
a third optical module located in the display coupled to the first optical link, the third optical module coupled to a second device, wherein the first optical module and the third optical module are in a bus configuration.
11. The mobile computer system of claim 10 wherein optical signals for the first optical module and the third optical module are multiplexed on the first optical link.
12. The mobile computer system of claim 8, further comprising:
a third optical module located in the display coupled to the first optical link, the third optical module coupled to a second device, wherein the first optical module and the third optical module are in a ring configuration.
13. The mobile computer system of claim 8, further comprising:
a third optical module located in the display coupled to a fourth optical module located in the body by a second optical link, the third optical module coupled to a second device, wherein the first optical link and the second optical link are each in a point-to-point configuration.
14. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein the first optical module is part of a first hub residing in the display, wherein the second optical module is part of a second hub residing in the body.
15. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein a first hub residing in the display directs optical signals between the first optical link and the first optical module, wherein the second optical module is part of a second hub residing in the body.
16. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein the first optical link includes plastic optical fiber.
17. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein the device includes one of a display support, a radio, a camera, a reader, an external port, a storage unit, a security unit, and a video game support unit.
18. The mobile computer system of claim 17 wherein an analog portion of the radio resides in the display and a digital portion of the radio resides in the body.
19. The mobile computer system of claim 8 wherein data transmitted on the first optical link has a data rate of at least 4 Gigabits per second.
20. A system, comprising:
a computer system, the computer system including:
a video controller; and
a first optical module coupled to the video controller;

a display coupled to the computer system by an optical link, the display including:
a display support unit; and
a second optical module coupled to the display support unit,

wherein the second optical module is coupled to the first optical module via the optical link.
21. The system of claim 20 wherein the first optical module is coupled to the second optical module using one of a bus configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a hub configuration, a ring configuration, or any combination thereof.
22. The system of claim 20 wherein the computer system includes a home entertainment computer system, wherein the home entertainment computer system to receive video signals from one or more video sources.
23. The system of claim 20 wherein the system resides in an automobile, the automobile including a storage unit coupled to the computer system, the storage unit to store video content to be provided to the display.
24. The system of claim 20 wherein the system resides in an aircraft, the aircraft including a storage unit coupled to the computer system, the storage unit to store video content to be provided to the display.
25. The system of claim 20 wherein two or more devices of the computer system are connected by at least one optical link.
26. The system of claim 20 wherein the optical link includes plastic optical fiber.
27. The system of claim 20 wherein the computer system includes a server, wherein the server is coupled another server by a backplane including at least one optical link.

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 system for enabling wireless communication with a wired sensor, the system comprising:
a power source for supplying continuous power to an electrical load device, the operation of the electrical load device controlled by a controller; and
a sensor interface communicatively coupled to a wired sensor, wherein the sensor interface:
receives information indicating an environmental condition detected by the wired sensor, and
wirelessly transmits the information received from the wired sensor to the controller, wherein the controller controls operation of the electrical load device based on the information wirelessly transmitted from the sensor interface.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing preferences set by an administrator, the preferences concerning operational parameters of the sensor.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor interface is further configured to determine a type of environmental condition detected by the wired sensor.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor interface is further configured to analyze the received information based on the determined type.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor interface is further configured to set a threshold associated with the detected environmental condition and wherein the information is wirelessly transmitted to the controller when the threshold is met.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the sensor interface is further configured to receive updates wirelessly sent from an administrator and wherein the threshold is updated based on the received updates.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the threshold is further based on specified parameters concerning conditions other than the detected environmental condition.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical load device is a lighting fixture and controlling the electrical load device includes providing stepped lighting levels by individually activating one or more lights of a plurality of lights in the lighting fixture.
9. A method for enabling wireless communication with a wired sensor, the method comprising:
monitoring a wired sensor for generation of a signal indicating detection of an environmental condition,
receiving the signal from the wired sensor at a sensor interface, the signal including information regarding the environmental condition detected by the wired sensor; and
wirelessly transmitting the information regarding the detected environmental condition from the sensor interface to a wireless controller, wherein the wireless controller controls operation of an electrical load device based on the information wirelessly transmitted from the sensor interface.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing preferences in a memory associated with the sensor interface, the preferences concerning operational parameters of the sensor.
11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining a type of environmental condition detected by the wired sensor.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising analyzing the received information based on the determined type.
13. The method of claim 9, further comprising setting a threshold associated with the detected environmental condition, wherein the information is wirelessly transmitted to the controller when the threshold is met.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving updates wirelessly sent from an administrator and updating the threshold based on the received updates.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the threshold is further based on specified parameters concerning conditions other than the detected environmental condition.
16. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrical load device is a lighting fixture, wherein the signal wirelessly transmitted to the controller indicates a detected lighting level, and wherein responsive control of the electrical load device includes providing stepped lighting levels by individually activating or deactivating one or more lights of a plurality of lights in the lighting fixture.
17. An apparatus for enabling wireless communication with a wired sensor, the apparatus comprising:
a communication interface for:
receiving a signal from a wired sensor determined to be present in the network, the signal including information regarding an environmental condition detected by the wired sensor;
wirelessly transmitting the information regarding an environmental condition to a controller for controlling an electrical load device based on the information; and

a memory to store information detected by the wired sensor.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a processor for executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor:
determines a type of environmental condition detected by the wired sensor; and
analyzes the received information based on the determined type, wherein analysis includes setting a threshold associated with the determined type of the detected environmental condition, wherein the information is wirelessly transmitted to the controller when the threshold is met.
19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the communication interface receives updates wirelessly sent from an administrator and wherein the threshold is updated based on the received updates.
20. A computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for enabling wireless communication with a wired sensor, the method comprising:
receiving a signal from the wired sensor, the signal indicating detection of an environmental condition by the wired sensor;
determining a type of the environmental conditions detected by the wired sensor;
determining that a threshold associated with the type of the detected environmental condition has been met; and
wirelessly transmitting the information regarding the detected environmental condition from the sensor interface to a wireless controller, wherein the wireless controller controls operation of an electrical load device based on the information wirelessly transmitted from the sensor interface.