Sales by geographic area (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2016	Oct. 31, 2015
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Sales revenue	$ 30,241	$ 30,908
United States
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Sales revenue	29,257	29,732
Canada
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Sales revenue	509	362
Israel
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Sales revenue	63	296
Mexico
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Sales revenue	234	395
All other
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Sales revenue	178	123
Foreign countries, total
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Sales revenue	$ 984	$ 1,176