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Commitments and Contingencies
 3 Months Ended
Jul. 28, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation:  We are involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business.  In the opinion of management, based upon consultation with legal counsel, the ultimate disposition of these matters, taken as a whole, will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Guarantees:  In connection with the sale of equipment to various customers, we have entered into contractual arrangements whereby we agreed to repurchase equipment at the end of the lease term at a fixed price. Our total obligations under these fixed price arrangements were $1,285 as of July 28, 2012 and April 28, 2012.  We have recognized a guarantee liability in accrued expenses for the amount of $185 in accordance with the provisions of ASC 460, Guarantees, in connection with these arrangements.

Warranties:  We offer a standard parts coverage warranty for periods varying from one to five years for all of our products.  We also offer additional types of warranties that include on-site labor, routine maintenance and event support.  In addition, the terms of warranties on some installations can vary from one to ten years.  The specific terms and conditions of these warranties vary primarily depending on the type of the product sold.  We estimate the costs that may be incurred under the warranty obligations and record a liability in the amount of such estimated costs at the time the revenue is recognized.  Factors that affect our estimate of the cost of our warranty obligations include historical experience and expectations of future conditions.  We periodically assess the adequacy of our recorded warranty reserves and, to the extent that we experience any changes in warranty claim activity or costs associated with servicing those claims, our warranty obligation is adjusted accordingly.

Changes in our warranty liability for the three months ended July 28, 2012 consisted of the following:
 
 
 
Amount
Beginning accrued warranty costs
 
 
$
22,215

Warranties issued during the period
 
 
2,771

Settlements made during the period
 
 
(3,219
)
     Changes in accrued warranty costs for pre-existing
            warranties during the period, including expirations
 
 
840

Ending accrued warranty costs
 
 
$
22,607


 
Performance guarantees:  We have entered into standby letter of credit agreements, bank guarantees and surety bonds with financial institutions relating to the guarantee of future performance on contracts, primarily construction type contracts.  As of July 28, 2012, we had outstanding letters of credit agreements, bank guarantees and surety bonds in the amount of $4,193 and $25,916, respectively.  Performance guarantees are issued to certain customers to guarantee the operation and installation of the equipment and our ability to complete a contract.  These performance guarantees have various terms, which are generally less than one year.

Leases:  We lease vehicles and office space for various sales and service locations throughout the world, including manufacturing space in the United States and China and various equipment. Some of these leases, including the lease for manufacturing facilities in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, include provisions for extensions or purchase.  The lease for the facilities in Sioux Falls, South Dakota can be extended for an additional three years past its current term, which ends December 31, 2016, and it contains an option to purchase the property subject to the lease from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016 for $8,400, which approximates fair value.  If the lease is extended, the purchase option increases to $8,600 for the year ending December 31, 2017 and $8,800 for the year ending December 31, 2018.  Rental expense for operating leases was $718 and $856 for the three months ended July 28, 2012 and July 30, 2011, respectively.  

Future minimum payments under noncancelable operating leases, excluding executory costs such as management and maintenance fees, with initial or remaining terms of one year or more consisted of the following at July 28, 2012:
Fiscal years ending
 
Amount
2013
 
$
2,300

2014
 
2,334

2015
 
1,787

2016
 
1,605

2017
 
803

Thereafter
 
75

 
 
$
8,904



Purchase commitments:  From time to time, we commit to purchase inventory, advertising, and various other products and services over periods that extend beyond a year.  As of July 28, 2012, we were obligated under the following conditional and unconditional purchase commitments, which included $1,000 in conditional purchase commitments.
Fiscal years ending
 
Amount
2013
 
$
1,733

2014
 
1,202

2015
 
399

2016
 
300

2017
 
250

Thereafter
 
200

 
 
$
4,084



Allowance for doubtful accounts: During the first quarter of fiscal 2013, we became aware of circumstances that could cause an increase in our allowance for doubtful accounts in an amount between $0 and $2,500.  These circumstances arise out of a contract for which payment by our customer is dependent on funding from a local government entity that is not under any legal obligation to pay our customer.