Free Essays on Barco

Since the 1980’s, Barco has focused its efforts upon creating top of the line products exclusively for complementary niche markets in which it can remain among the top three manufacturers. Among its competitors Barco has always maintained a strong research and development program, which has helped it attain a number of international awards, such as the international Emmy Award for its studio monitors in 1988, and have given it a reputation as a technological leader in its field. Barco’s customers are divided primarily between three categories: entertainment (video projectiors), training and presentation (data & graphic projectors), and customized markets (specialized systems). The product segments are divided into three categories: 1) Video projectors capable of displaying television and V.C.R. inputs 2) Data projectors that are capable of displaying computer inputs as well as traditional video inputs and 3) Graphics projectors - which are their premium products capable of displaying graphic laden computer programs such as C.A.D. and C.A.M programs as well as both video and data inputs. The criteria used to evaluate customer satisfaction are picture clarity, scan rate (For data and graphics use), ease of operation and ease of installation. Barco rates very high in picture clarity and scan rate but has received mixed reviews for ease of operation and ease of installation. II. Company/Value Chain Relationships: Barco maintains 45 distributors (four are Barco owned in Belgium, France, United Kingdom and United States), worldwide. Their four owned distributors represent 61% of Barco’s total unit sales. Barco also has a relationship with 400 dealers worldwide. There are two types of dealers, â€Å"box† dealers and system dealers. â€Å"Box† dealers represent roughly 20% of Barco’s dealers, and are those individuals who sell projectors on the basis of cost alone, offering no service. Service dealers repr... Free Essays on Barco Free Essays on Barco Since the 1980’s, Barco has focused its efforts upon creating top of the line products exclusively for complementary niche markets in which it can remain among the top three manufacturers. Among its competitors Barco has always maintained a strong research and development program, which has helped it attain a number of international awards, such as the international Emmy Award for its studio monitors in 1988, and have given it a reputation as a technological leader in its field. Barco’s customers are divided primarily between three categories: entertainment (video projectiors), training and presentation (data & graphic projectors), and customized markets (specialized systems). The product segments are divided into three categories: 1) Video projectors capable of displaying television and V.C.R. inputs 2) Data projectors that are capable of displaying computer inputs as well as traditional video inputs and 3) Graphics projectors - which are their premium products capable of displaying graphic laden computer programs such as C.A.D. and C.A.M programs as well as both video and data inputs. The criteria used to evaluate customer satisfaction are picture clarity, scan rate (For data and graphics use), ease of operation and ease of installation. Barco rates very high in picture clarity and scan rate but has received mixed reviews for ease of operation and ease of installation. II. Company/Value Chain Relationships: Barco maintains 45 distributors (four are Barco owned in Belgium, France, United Kingdom and United States), worldwide. Their four owned distributors represent 61% of Barco’s total unit sales. Barco also has a relationship with 400 dealers worldwide. There are two types of dealers, â€Å"box† dealers and system dealers. â€Å"Box† dealers represent roughly 20% of Barco’s dealers, and are those individuals who sell projectors on the basis of cost alone, offering no service. Service dealers repr...

Virgie Ammons Patents a Fireplace Damper Actuating Tool

Virgie Ammons Patents a Fireplace Damper Actuating Tool Virgie Ammons was an inventor and woman of color who invented a device for dampening fireplaces. She received a patent for a fireplace damper actuating tool on September 30, 1975. Little is known about the life of Virgie Ammons. One source says she was born on Dec. 29, 1908 in Gaithersburg, Maryland and died on July 12, 2000. She lived in West Virginia for most of her life.  Ammons filed her patent on August 6, 1974, at which time she was living in Eglon, West Virginia. There is no information to be found about her education, training or profession. One unverified source says she was a self-employed caretaker and a practicing Muslim who attended services in Temple Hills. Fireplace Damper Actuating Tool - Patent US 3,908,633 A fireplace damper actuating tool is a tool that is used to open and close the damper on a fireplace. It keeps the damper from opening or fluttering in the wind.   If you have a fireplace or stove, you may be familiar with the sound of a fluttering damper. A damper is an adjustable plate that fits in the flue of a stove or the chimney of a fireplace. It helps control the draft into the stove or fireplace. Dampers could be a plate that slides across the air opening, or it could be fixed in place in the pipe or flue and turned so the angle allows more or less air flow. In the days when cooking was done on a stove that was powered by burning wood or coal, adjusting the flue was a way of controlling the temperature. Virgie Ammons may be have been familiar with these stoves, given her date of birth. She may also have lived in an area where electric or gas stoves were not common until later in her life. We have no details as to what her inspiration was for the fireplace damper actuating tool. With a fireplace, opening the damper allows more air to be drawn into the fireplace from the room and convey the heat up the chimney. More air flow can often result in more flames, but also in losing more heat rather than warming the room. Keeping the Damper Closed The patent abstract  says Ammons damper actuating tool addressed the problem of fireplace dampers that flutter and make noise when gusty winds affected the chimney Some dampers do not remain fully shut because they have to be light enough in weight so the operating lever can open them easily. This makes small differences in air pressure between the room and the upper chimney draw them open. She was concerned that even a slightly open damper could cause a significant loss of heat in winter, and could even result in loss of coolness in summer. Both would be a waste of energy. Her actuating tool allowed the damper to be closed and held closed. She noted that when not in use, the tool could be stored next to the fireplace. No information was found as to whether her tool was manufactured and marketed.