Abstract: Drainage water having floating and non-floating particulate is collected and processed to separate out in the floating from the non-floating particulate, thereby cleaning the flow of water through the system during sudden storms or during steady rainfall conditions.

Abstract: A method for performing surgical procedures using a multi-functional access port for deploying a wide array of instruments and manipulation devices, including a surgeon's hand or fingers. The method includes optional video-assisted techniques and one or more components to aid in those techniques. The multi-functional access port includes a sealing ring providing easy access to the body cavity and to prevent contamination of one or more incisions of the body wall. The sealing ring may also be used to effect a seal when and if desired expansion of the body cavity is to be maintained. The sealing ring acts to isolate the exterior surface and optionally the interior surface of the body wall. Another component designed to aid in the surgical techniques of the present invention is a modified surgical glove that extends up to at least the surgeon's wrist.

Abstract: An adaptive weight device for supplementing the weight to be moved using standard exercise weight equipment. The adaptive weight device includes a weight component fabricated into a shape essentially conforming to the shape of the standard equipment to which it is removably attached. The device is removably attached to the standard weight equipment by a plurality of small magnets equally spaced on the side of the weight component that interfaces with the weight equipment. The magnets are positioned within retention seats of the weight component wherein so that they are either flush with the surface of the weight component or so that they extend slightly beyond that surface. The adaptive weight device of the present invention may be used with bar-mounted as well as stand-alone weight equipment. In either case the attachment design of the adaptive weight device ensures a balanced load when the device is added to the equipment.

Abstract: A protective garment designed to shield a wearer from insects. The garment includes a protective hood that may be attached to a body-covering piece of the garment, or that may be used separately. The body-covering section and the hood are fabricated substantially entirely of a see-through mesh material that is breathable but that prevents very small insects from entering. The hood includes a crown and a lower section that covers the face and sides and back of the head. The crown is fabricated with a plurality of crossing reinforcing strips designed to cause the lower section of the hood to stand off from the wearer's face.

Abstract: Seismic exploration for hydrocarbons may use an eccentric-mass (or "swinging-weight") vibrator as the seismic source. According to the invention, a vibrator undergoes alternate periods of acceleration and deceleration, during one of which the vibration may be annulled. For example, the rotating mass may be formed in a plurality of parts; then the several parts are disposed in a manner that rapidly and automatically balances their vibratory forces during the period when the vibration is to be annulled, and that adds their vibratory forces during the other period. The invention further provides for modulation of the frequency-time relation during deceleration, for synchronization of several vibrators, and for modulation of the effective output force by controllable variation of the mass, eccentric radius or relative phase of the several parts of the rotating mass; in such modulation, only resultant forces are applied to the vibrator bearings.

Abstract: An eye-drop dispenser guide designed for aiding the insertion of an eye-drop into the eye. The guide is designed to stabilize a dispenser so that an individual can safely and accurately insert drops into any area of the eye. The guide includes three essentially perpendicular regions, one designed to grasp the eye-drop dispenser, one designed to rest on the bridge of the user's nose, and one intermediate portion designed to set the eye-drop dispenser off from the user's eye. The portion that rests on the user's nose is preferably curved so as to accommodate the user's finger and to permit easy pivoting of the guide.

Abstract: A stimulative feeding device for use by animals. The device is designed as a function of the specific animal for which it is intended, with the underlying characteristic that the animal is required to use its natural foraging capabilities to recover food from the device. The device includes a basic structure having a plurality of cavities for retaining a supply of food for the animal. The basic structure is opaque so that the animal cannot see through it to observe some or all of the food. A portion or all of the cavities are hidden so that the animal is required to manipulate any hiding component in order to expose the food. The means for hiding the food can be as varied as the skill level of the animal for which it is intended. The device is not designed to teach the animal, but is instead designed to occupy that animal's time through activities that it would ordinarily carry out while in its natural environment.

Abstract: A holder for tool transport and method for transporting tools is provided. The holder includes a compartmentalized top section with an optional handle. A securable cover may be included to protect tool during transport. The base of the holder includes both a contiguous edge that provides suitable support during placement on a flat surface and a curved cavity that provides suitable support during placement on a component of mobile machinery to be serviced. The component can be a wheel and the cavity can be configured to allow for placement on substantially all wheel types and size.

Abstract: A firearm-securing device providing tamper resistance features which device includes a keyway that operates a threaded rod which, in turn, controls spring-loaded cams that obstruct a tubular area including a chamber, a barrel, and a muzzle of a firearm. The cams have either fixed or articulated contact pads. Operating the keyway in clockwise rotation causes the cams to wedge against the inner chamber and barrel surfaces, locking the device in place. Counterclockwise keyway rotation unseats the cams, allowing the device to be remove from the chamber and barrel and thus allow operation of the firearm. The device includes several components designed to minimize tampering of the device itself as well as tampering of the firearm.

Abstract: A sea chest cover for providing access to the sea chest of a ship. The sea chest cover is fabricated essentially entirely of one or more viscoelastic materials, preferably either polyethylene or polyurethane. Fabrication of the sea chest cover from a viscoelastic material reduces or eliminates corrosion and erosion problems. It also minimizes marine organism and ice build-up. The result is a reduction in the expense associated with maintaining such covers. The fabrication of the sea chest cover essentially entirely of viscoelastic materials minimizes the weight of such components, thereby making handling and maintenance easier. The sea chest cover is either pre-formed to a shape conforming with the shape of the ship's hull in the area where the sea chest is located, or it is sufficiently flexible to be placed into such conformance. The sea chest cover of the present invention may be formed as a unitary piece or as a plurality of removably connectable parts.

Abstract: A position-dependent switch to sense deployment of an underwater pinger to enable operation upon deployment. During underwater deployment the pinger orients itself differently from an orientation chosen for the stowed (not deployed) condition. The position-dependent, or orientation-dependent, switch senses the pinger orientation and enables pinger operation automatically upon deployment. When the pinger is stowed the position-dependent switch disables the operation of the pinger.

Abstract: An animal-containment device that enables quick and easy containment, such as bathing, of a household pet. The device includes a basin that may be easily manufactured in a unitary piece. The basin includes at least one adjustable strap attached between the sides of the basin. The strap is secured in elongated slots along the sides of the basin over the back of the pet being bathed. A central hump is formed on the basin floor that conforms substantially to the underbelly of the pet. The hump prevents the pet from sitting down during the bathing process. An adjustable collar restraint strap is attached to an additional slot. The collar restraint strap is attachable to a standard pet collar. The pet is immobilized by way of the hump and adjustable straps. A drain with a removable plug is included at the bottom of the basin that is attachable to a standard garden hose for removal of bath water. Assorted bathing accessories are also included for attachment around the lip of the basin.

Abstract: A cold-steam atomizer designed to use ultrasonics to produce mist to be mixed with a combustible fluid. The device is designed to transfer that mist/combustible fluid mixture into a combustion system in order to enhance internal and external combustion. The mist generator utilizes an immersed vibrating element to atomize a liquid such as water to create the mist. The atomizer is housed in a chamber having a baffle that is designed to prevent large droplets of the liquid from entering the combustion chamber. The system alternatively includes a tank for storing the liquid prior to atomization.

Abstract: A shoulder-strap retainer attachable to a shoulder strap for preventing a shoulder strap from slipping off the user's shoulder. The shoulder strap retainer includes a main retainer body, a first retainer end, and a second retainer end. The first retainer end is axially connected to one end of the main retainer body and includes a first tongue end operatively associated with a first securing means. The second retainer end is axially connected to a second end of the main retainer body and includes a second tongue end operatively associated with a second securing means. The first retainer end is attached to one leg of the shoulder strap and the second retainer end is attached to a second leg of the shoulder strap. The shoulder-strap retainer is used such that the shoulder strap is placed on top of the shoulder while the shoulder-strap retainer is positioned underneath the arm and adjusted to securely fit the shoulder strap to the shoulder.

Abstract: A sled-like container designed to be dragged over a variety of terrain. The sled-like container includes a cylindrically-shaped sled body, a tapered front portion forming one end of the sled body, and an access port for inserting or removing materiel in a storage space defined by the interior of the sled body. When in use, the sled body is completely closed so as to protect equipment, etc., in the storage space. The tapered front end of the sled body may be openable for additional access. The sled body may be smooth or it may include a ribbed configuration. An optional releasable pulling attachment may be used to connect the sled to the person pulling the sled.

Abstract: Device for protecting against circuit-damaging voltage spikes at input nodes and output nodes of electrical circuits and between high- and low-potential power rails. The voltage spikes are of the type identified generally as electrostatic discharges. The device includes a plurality of semiconductor elements, which are preferably bipolar transistors, coupled to the power rails and an input node or an output node of the circuit such that all types of electrostatic discharges can be diverted using the single device of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the transistors have a common collector, their bases are open, and they are configured so that the emitter of one transistor is coupled to the high-potential power rail, the emitter of a second transistor is coupled to the low-potential power rail, and the emitter of a third transistor is coupled to the node to be protected.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging device including a bearingless levitating rotor for rotating a reflective mirror. The device may be used to image from within a hollow object and is particularly suited for use in intravascular imaging. The levitation of the rotor is achieved by forming the rotor as a permanent magnet structure having three distinct magnet regions, two having opposing dipole moments axial to the rotor orientation and one having a dipole moment transverse to the rotor orientation, the transverse magnetic region lying between the first and third magnetic regions. The rotor is radially centered within a housing using passive magnetic suspension elements, including permanent magnet stators at opposite ends of the housing. The rotor is axially positioned within the housing with an active servo feedback controller. Position-drive and sense coils are used to move and detect the positioning of the rotor. Rotation drive coils operate on the transverse magnetic region to cause the rotor to spin.

Abstract: An acoustic resonance chamber in an underwater pinger is designed to enhance the acoustic emission from the pinger. An electro-acoustic transducer of the pinger is positioned away from a reflective surface of the pinger housing by a distance chosen in proportion to the wavelength of the fundamental frequency of the acoustic emission. This creates a resonant condition at the transducer, maximizing the acoustic output. This design also causes a maximum transfer of the acoustic wave through the pinger housing and into the surrounding water.

Abstract: A wheelchair lift system enabling wheelchair accessibility between stair levels for persons incapable of traversing stairs under their own power. The key of the invention is a free-rolling, wheeled platform suspended between two arcuate tracks which are lifted and lowered by synchronized, reversible, worm-gear drive mechanisms. The platform and tracks are mounted on a frame in which also resides peripheral equipment needed to raise and lower the system. A seven-foot-high portal frame supports the drive mechanism which comprises pivoting, worm-gear type drive motors, turning long worm-gears extending vertically downward from the top of the frame to the floor and engaging pivoting worm-gear heads that are attached to the arcuate tracks, while allowing normal access to the stairs.

Abstract: A dynamic controller for quantitative rapid-pulse flow control over a wide dynamic range (1000-to-1) forms a fluid path from a pressurized source to a sink. The fluid path travels, typically in a disposable cassette, from the pressure source via a fast (one millisecond) on-off source control valve into a volume-displacement interface area, thence to a fast on-off load control valve and on to the sink. The load control valve may be replaced by a passive flow restrictor where less dynamic range is required. From the reusable controller side, fast actuators are energized to open the normally-closed valves. A volume sensor mates with the volume-displacement interface area. This sensor uses an incompressible transfer fluid, typically different than and isolated from the deliverable fluid by membranes, to transmit volume displacement change into a transducer area for conversion from volume to a measurable electrical signal, typically a frequency.