All The Claims

1. A valve device for pressurizing or venting the piston chamber of a control cylinder, comprising at least one solenoid-actuated multi-way pressurizing valve, said at least one pressurizing valve having a first port in communication with a supply pressure and a second port in communication with a piston chamber of a control cylinder, at least one solenoid-actuated multi-way venting valve, said at least one venting valve having a first port in communication with a vent and a second port in communication with said control cylinder piston chamber, both said at least one pressurizing valve and said at least one venting valve being in closed position when deenergized, at least one non-return valve, said at least one non-return valve having a pneumatic inlet in communication with said control cylinder piston chamber, said at least one non-return valve constructed and arranged to (i) assume an unactuated position when said pneumatic inlet is depressurized, and an actuated position when said pneumatic inlet is pressurized, and (ii) permit a defined pressure leak in said unactuated position.
2. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein said pressure leak is established by an opening defined in said at least one non-return valve in communication with a vent of said at least one non-return valve, said opening having a nominal width which corresponds to a preselected portion of the nominal width of said at least one pressurizing valve.
3. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one non-return valve includes a sealing member loaded by the force of a resilient member and mounted in a cylindrical guide, said sealing member being pressed via the force of said resilient member against a first sealing seat at said pneumatic inlet of said at least one non-return valve when said at least one non-return valve is in said unactuated position, said sealing member being pressed sealingly against a second sealing seat at a vent of said at least one non-return valve via pressure force present at said pneumatic inlet of said at least one non-return valve when said at least one non-return valve is in said actuated position, and said first sealing seat being constructed and arranged to establish said defined leak.
4. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one non-return valve is disposed in said control cylinder.
5. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one non-return valve is disposed in a housing of said control cylinder.
6. The valve device according to claim 5, wherein said at least one non-return valve is disposed in an end wall of said housing.
7. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one pressurizing valve includes at least 22 ways.
8. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one venting valve includes at least 22 ways.
9. The valve device according to claim 1, wherein said control cylinder is constructed and arranged to control the clutch of a motor vehicle.
10. A valve device for pressurizing or venting the piston chamber of a control cylinder, comprising at least one solenoid-actuated multi-way pressurizing valve, said at least one pressurizing valve having a first port in communication with a supply pressure and a second port in communication with a piston chamber of a control cylinder, at least one solenoid-actuated multi-way venting valve, said at least one venting valve having a first port in communication with a vent and a second port in communication with said control cylinder piston chamber, both said at least one pressurizing valve and said at least one venting valve being in closed position when deenergized, and at least one non-return valve, said at least one non-return valve having a pneumatic inlet in communication with said control cylinder piston chamber, said at least one non-return valve being disposed in a piston of said control cylinder.
11. A valve device for pressurizing or venting the piston chamber of a control cylinder, comprising at least one solenoid-actuated multi-way pressurizing valve, said at least one pressurizing valve having a first port in communication with a supply pressure and a second port in communication with a piston chamber of a control cylinder, at least one solenoid-actuated multi-way venting valve, said at least one venting valve having a first port in communication with a vent and a second port in communication with said control cylinder piston chamber, both said at least one pressurizing valve and said at least one venting valve being in closed position when deenergized, and at least one non-return valve, said at least one non-return valve having a pneumatic inlet in communication with said control cylinder piston chamber, said at least one non-return valve being disposed in at least one of said at least one pressurizing valve and said at least one venting valve.
12. A non-return valve comprising a housing having an inlet in communication with a control cylinder and an outlet, a first sealing seat proximate said inlet, a second sealing seat proximate said outlet, a resilient sealing member disposed in said housing, said sealing member sealingly engaging said first sealing seat when said inlet is below a preselected backpressure, said sealing member sealingly engaging said second sealing seat when said inlet is one of equal to and greater than said preselected backpressure, and a groove having a preselected cross-sectional width formed in said housing, said groove defining an opening to said outlet when said inlet is depressurized to permit passage of a defined amount of air through said opening and said outlet, said defined amount of air having an associative relationship to said preselected cross-sectional width of said groove.
13. The non-return valve according to claim 12, wherein said resilient sealing member is a spring-loaded ball.
14. The non-return valve according to claim 12, wherein said resilient sealing member is a spring-loaded rotationally symmetric member having a frustoconical elastomeric end for engaging said second sealing seat.
15. A non-return valve comprising a housing having an inlet in communication with a control cylinder and an outlet, a first sealing seat proximate said inlet, a second sealing seat proximate said outlet, and a resilient sealing member disposed in said housing, said sealing member sealingly engaging said first sealing seat when said inlet is below a preselected backpressure, said sealing member sealingly engaging said second sealing seat when said inlet is one of equal to and greater than said preselected backpressure, said first sealing seat including at least one notched portion defining an air passage to said outlet when said inlet is depressurized to permit venting of a defined amount of air through said outlet.
16. The non-return valve according to claim 15, wherein said resilient sealing member is a spring-loaded ball.
17. The non-return valve according to claim 15, wherein said resilient sealing member is a spring-loaded rotationally symmetric member having a frustoconical elastomeric end for engaging said second sealing seat.

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 image processing apparatus for a vehicle, comprising a video camera for shooting an object, a memory for storing an image signal supplied from said video camera, and a CPU for performing prescribed processing on said image signal read out of said memory, wherein
said image processing apparatus includes selective writing means for providing, in accordance with a select command from said CPU, an upper image signal representing a portion corresponding to a designated area in an upper half of an imaging surface defined by said image signal supplied from said video camera and a lower image signal representing a portion corresponding to a designated area in a lower half of said imaging surface, and for writing only said upper and lower image signals as selected image signals into said memory; and
said CPU recognizes a brightness of sky from said selected upper image signal and thereby judges either day time or night time, and recognizes presence of a vehicle ahead from said selected lower image signal;
wherein a number of pixels of said designated area in said upper half of said imaging surface is smaller than a number of pixels of said designated area in said lower half of said imaging surface.
2. An image processing apparatus for a vehicle, comprising a video camera for shooting an object, a memory for storing an image signal supplied from said video camera, and a CPU for performing prescribed processing on said image signal read out of said memory, wherein
said image processing apparatus includes selective writing means for providing, in accordance with a select command from said CPU, an upper image signal representing a portion corresponding to a designated area in an upper half of an imaging surface defined by said image signal supplied from said video camera and a lower image signal representing a portion corresponding to a designated area in a lower half of said imaging surface, and for writing only said upper and lower image signals as selected image signals into said memory;
said CPU recognizes a brightness of sky from said selected upper image signal and thereby judges either day time or night time, and recognizes presence of a vehicle ahead from said selected lower image signal; and
filtering appropriate to the day time or the night time is applied to said selected image signals,
wherein a number of pixels of said designated area in said upper half of said imaging surface is smaller than a number of pixels of said designated area in said lower half of said imaging surface, and
wherein said CPU recognizes the brightness of sky from said selected upper image signal representing a portion corresponding to said designated area in said upper half of said imaging surface and thereby judges either day time or night time.

1. A method comprising:
routing, by a merchant center and in response to a first transaction request, merchant data and consumer identification data to the merchant center;
determining, by the merchant center, consumer payment data based on the consumer identification data, and wherein the merchant system does not obtain access to consumer payment data associated with the first transaction request; and
generating, by the merchant center and based on the consumer payment data, a second transaction request comprising the merchant data and the consumer payment data.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant center includes an APL.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant data includes at least one of merchant identification data, merchant product data and merchant service data.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant system includes a virtual point of sale (vPOS).
5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining comprises querying, by the merchant center, a database for the consumer payment data based on the consumer identification data.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the database is configured to store the consumer identification information and the merchant data received from the merchant system.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant center is further configured for registering at least one of the consumer payment data, consumer identification data and the merchant data.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the merchant center, the second transaction request to the transaction server.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant data received from the merchant system and stored in the database is inaccessible to a consumer system.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the merchant center and to the merchant system, information related to the second transaction request.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering, by the merchant center, the merchant data with the merchant center.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein a virtual point of sale device of the merchant system and an API of the merchant center are linked.
13. A merchant center comprising:
a merchant center processor,
a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor,
the tangible, non-transitory memory, having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to be capable of performing operations comprising:
routing, by the processor and in response to a first transaction request, merchant data and consumer identification data to the merchant center;
determining, by the processor, consumer payment data based on the consumer identification data, and wherein the merchant system does not obtain access to consumer payment data associated with the first transaction request; and
generating, by the processor and based on the consumer payment data, a second transaction request comprising the merchant data and the consumer payment data.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the merchant center includes an API.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein the merchant data includes at least one of merchant identification data, merchant product data and merchant service data.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein the merchant system includes a virtual point of sale (vPOS).
17. The system of claim 13, wherein determining comprises querying, by the merchant center, a database for the consumer payment data based on the consumer identification data.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the database is configured to store the consumer identification information and the merchant data received from the merchant system.
19. The system of claim 13, wherein the merchant center is further configured for registering at least one of the consumer payment data, consumer identification data and the merchant data.
20. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a merchant center, cause the merchant center to be capable of performing operations comprising:
routing, by the merchant center and in response to a first transaction request, merchant data and consumer identification data to the merchant center;
determining, by the merchant center, consumer payment data based on the consumer identification data, and wherein the merchant system does not obtain access to consumer payment data associated with the first transaction request; and
generating, by the merchant center and based on the consumer payment data, a second transaction request comprising the merchant data and the consumer payment data.
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 rotary engine comprising
a housing having a first and second intersecting cavity disposed therein, the first and second cavities including cylindrical wall surfaces;
a rotor rotatably mounted in the first cavity, the housing and the rotor defining an annular chamber disposed therebetween, the rotor including a piston extending from the rotor into the annular chamber;
a first valve rotatably mounted in the second cavity, the first valve having a circumference and recess sized to accommodate the piston during a rotation of the rotor; and
at least one passage comprising an open portion formed in the cylindrical wall surface of the second cavity and an enclosed portion enclosed by the housing along a length of the enclosed portion, the open portion including a leading end and a trailing end with respect to a direction of rotation of the first valve and which open portion extends for at least about 20 degrees around a circumference of the cylindrical wall surface of the second cavity, and wherein the enclosed portion connects the open portion to the annular chamber downstream of the second cavity relative to a direction of rotation of the rotor.
2. The rotary engine according to claim 1 wherein the open portion extends for at least about 90 degrees around the circumference of the second cavity.
3. The rotary engine according to claim 1 wherein the open portion extends for at least about 180 degrees around the circumference of the second cavity.
4. The rotary engine according to claim 1 wherein a distance between the trailing end of the open portion and the intersection of the first and second cavities located on a downstream side of the second cavity with respect to the direction of rotation of the first valve is greater than a width of the recess at the circumference of the first valve.
5. The rotary engine according to claim 4 wherein a distance between the leading end of the open portion and the intersection of the first and second cavities located on an upstream side of the second cavity with respect to the direction of rotation of the first valve is greater than a width of the recess at the circumference of the first valve.
6. The rotary engine according to claim 1 further comprising
a third cavity disposed in the housing and intersecting the first cavity;
a second valve rotatably mounted in the third cavity;
at least one intake port disposed within the annular chamber;
at least one exhaust port disposed within the annular chamber; and
wherein a flow of gases through the intake port and the exhaust port is varied by the second valve.
7. The rotary engine according to claim 1 further comprising at least one fuel injection port opening into the second cavity wherein a fuel may be injected through the fuel injection port into the recess in the first valve.
8. The rotary engine according to claim 7 further comprising at least one ignition port opening into the second cavity and adjacent to an end face of the first valve.