Abstract: A portable self-contained pneumatic lift chair is provided with a motor operated compressor and controls for pumping air into a bladder and exhausting air from the bladder to raise and lower patients seated on the chair. The seat is guided up and down by loops on the seat surrounding guideposts extending upward on a base under hand operated controls. Braces between the posts are used to make the chair sturdy and can be adjusted to control the distance the chair is raised and lowered and, with post height and bladder size, used to control maximum and minimum height of the seat.

Abstract: A quick-release, fluid impervious elastic coupling with hook and loop strips conforms to the shape of conduit ends to join, seal and secure together conduits that can have different diameters. The elastic sheet can be a single or multiple layers and can be reinforced with strengthening ribs or cords and/or provided with gripping ridges to assist securing and sealing the conduits against leakage.

Abstract: A high power, high frequency toroidal inductor is broken into four quadrant cores and uses bare rectangular conductors to form coils. One coil is wound centrally around each quadrant. The coils positioned centrally on the quadrants minimize the effect of damaging fringe flux and leakage flux. The coil inner winding ends are bent perpendicular to the coils to form tangential leads with one coil inner tangential lead joined to an adjacent outer coil radial lead by jumpers that span adjacent coils.

Abstract: A ginger plant containing curcumin, such as Ukon or turmeric, is enhanced for use as a food by fermenting it with a starch and red koji mold. Each 100 weight of Ukon has mixed with it 1.0 to 20.0 weight of starch and 0.1 to 10.0 weight of red koji mold. In addition, saccharides of 0.1 to 10.0 weight and minerals of 0.1 to 1.0 weight can be added to the mix. The fermentation process can be regulated by the addition of a mold of the Monascus genus. The water content is adjusted to 50 to 75 weight percent using water at 80° C. to 90° C. followed by sterilization at 110° C. to 130° C. for ½ to 1½ hours at atmospheric pressure. The one or more molds of the Monascus genus are added followed by fermentation at 25 to 40° C. for 5 to 1000 hours. The fermented mixture is force air dried using air at 40° C. to 50° C. for 5 to 9 hours.

Abstract: A fuel dispensing nozzle is provided with fuel activated levers that engage the vehicle fill pipe to prevent drive-off without paying. Fuel pump pressure acts on plungers to pivot fill pipe levers, against spring pressure, to lock the two together. Movement of the levers is initially prevented by a trigger that is spring biased forward on the nozzle spout. Since the fill pipe is not large enough to pass the trigger, insertion of the spout into the fill pipe moves the trigger against spring pressure to uncover the levers. The levers are locked to the fill pipe as long as pump pressure is present. Removal of fuel pressure allows the levers to be withdrawn by spring action. A breakaway joint is provided to stop fuel flow in the event of drive-off with the fuel nozzle in a fuel filled pipe.

Abstract: A motor with three gaps produces higher torque than existing one or two gap motors. The motor uses both one radial and two axial gaps to produce torque. A single stator is provided with an essentially “U” shaped rotor shell having permanent magnets with back iron. The stator has loops of coil windings separated by pole pieces. Current flowing in three segments of the coils interacts with the fields from the permanent magnets to produce more torque. The plane of the coils extends through the centerline of the stator. In a given plane through the motor axis, the same polarity of the magnets on the rotor face the stator.

Abstract: An arrangement for cooling an electric motor's stator winding coil is described. One area of a conductor insulation is removed to expose the copper conductor. The conductor is wound into a coil with bared, exposed conductor areas facing inward. The vertical edges of a slot or recess in an iron stator are lined with electrically insulating paper. A thermally conductive electrically insulating, ceramic substrate is bonded to the floor or base of the slot. The coil is inserted within the slot over the ceramic substrate with the exposed conductor facing and contacting the ceramic substrate. The coil is bonded to the ceramic substrate by thermally conductive and electrically insulative epoxy that fills the voids between the two. Heat flows from the conductor, through the bared copper surface, into the ceramic and the iron core stator with little resistance. A ceramic strip can be used alone or with copper traces bonded to the ceramic or conductor bared surface.

Abstract: A tongue stabilizer includes a tongue-engaging plate that is held on a laryngoscope blade by pressure sensitive adhesive, with a foam strip in-between to compensate for any irregularities between the tongue-engaging plate and the laryngoscope blade. The tongue-engaging plate is cup shape to cradle the tongue to prevent the tongue from interfering with the visibility and process of intubation. A protective strip can be used to cover the adhesive.

Abstract: An engine is cooled using high pressure water injected into the piston with the water converted to high pressure steam by the heat from combustion with heat transfer taking place in passages in the piston and in and between grooves in the piston and the cylinder sleeve. The high pressure steam is conducted between the piston and cylinder walls to lubricate, so there will be no need for piston rings, with a part of it passing into the crankcase, and a part of it going into the combustion chamber where it contributes to power production. The piston skirt has a spring-loaded washer access to a void in a lower passage for balancing pressures.

Abstract: An engine is cooled using high pressure water injected into the piston with the water converted to high pressure steam by the heat from combustion with heat transfer taking place in passages in the piston and in and between grooves in the piston and the cylinder sleeve. The high pressure steam is conducted between the piston and cylinder walls to lubricate, so there will be no need for piston rings, with a part of it passing into the crankcase, and a part of it going into the combustion chamber where it contributes to power production. The piston body has a spring-loaded valve in a passage to balance pressures and control steam flow into the upper piston and combustion chamber.

Abstract: Scrap is decreased by a service provider collecting information on would-be scrap materials and sizes by first fabricators and work product needs by second users world wide. The first and second parties are informed of the needs and availabilities by the service provider. The service provider can match availabilities with needs, negotiate terms and prices, take bids, as well as negotiate disputes, run credit checks, track products and shipping schedules, review quality control, etc.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for both sensible and latent energy, enthalpy, has walls or plates that extend between two air streams that also permit and assist recirculation and filtration. The walls between air streams consist of a substrate with a coating on the substrate. The coating, in combination with the substrate material original porosity, is used to control final porosity and hydrophilic/oleophilic characteristics. By control of the pore size and surface material characteristics, there can be almost a total recirculation, a recirculation of only gases (filtering out solid particles), a transfer of only moisture and heat, or a transfer of only heat. The pore size and characteristics of the coating along the path of the air streams can be varied so that different types of exchange can be obtained along the path of the air streams.

Abstract: A fluid applicator includes a coating implement, an elastic closure cap, and a stopper for use with a fluid container. The elastic closure cap includes an enlarged irregular sealing rib on a skirt that is force-fit into the stopper, creating a resilient force on a sealing lip that contacts a seat on the stopper. Inverting the container and pressing on the coating implement, presses the elastic closure cap, deforming it to move the sealing lip off of its seat on the stopper to allow fluid flow from the container, through the stopper and elastic closure cap, to the coating implement.

Abstract: Earthquake resistant blocks or discrete structures are manufactured using pieces of low quality construction materials such as slag, concrete waste, chipped stone, Sirasu, etc. The pieces are placed in a mold and arranged in the mold so that they are in intimate contact with the mold sides and with each other throughout the mold. Once positioned, mortar or other concrete binding material is poured in to retain the low quality construction materials in contact with each other. When the blocks or discrete structures are placed adjacent to each other, such as when constructing arches, they absorb or dissipate the shock and vibration energies by having the sides of the blocks, and in particular the low quality materials within the blocks, in firm frictional contact. The amount of concrete used is greatly reduced and local and normally scrap material can be used and recycled.

Abstract: A flashlight confection combination novelty provides various illusions and color variations to an observer by using multi-color filters, that can be moved relative to the confection, and by providing the confection and/or an insert within the confection with irregularities and contours that transfer light differently including shading, reflecting, refracting and diffusion, and by using additional lighting with projection of images.

Abstract: Spontaneous absorption of liquids by porous substrates and capillaries is measured by an optical electronic measuring system providing millisecond resolution of millimeter size droplets. A syringe forms a drop over a porous material or capillary. The absorption time is measured from the instant the lower extreme of the drop formed contacts the porous material or capillary until there is no curvature remaining above the porous material or capillary surface at the location of the drop first contact. The time measurement is also a measurement of the absorption velocity. The absorption velocity characterizes the absorption ability of tested substrates with respect to the testing liquid. The apparatus can be used in microfabrication applications for quantitative analysis of the wettability, permeability, and sorption capacity of structured substrates, including various porous/fibrous materials, chips for microfluidic devices, nano and microelectromechanical systems and chips for protein recognition.

Abstract: Closed loop cooling is provided by means of a mechanical air conditioner combined with an air-to-air heat exchanger. Three basic modes of operation maximize cooling while minimizing energy consumption, depending on ambient air temperature. In the first mode the air-to-air heat exchanger or economizer provides all required cooling to a closed circuit enclosure air stream, transferring heat to the cold ambient air stream. In the second mode the air-to-air heat exchanger precools the closed air circuit stream using moderate temperature ambient air, in the same manner as in the first mode, followed by further removal of heat by passing enclosure air through refrigeration condenser coils. The heat taken in at the evaporator is transferred to the ambient air stream as it passes through a condenser coil after passing through the heat exchanger.

Abstract: A dispenser holder discharges fluid from a dispenser using rigid pressure plates that have one of their ends pivotably secured together and that extend outwardly on opposing sides of the dispenser. Levers pivotably extend on opposing sides of the rigid pressure plates for pressing the plates against the sides of the collapsible dispenser.

Abstract: An optical component molding device and method is disclosed. The molding device includes a heating section, a heating/pressing section, and a cooling section. A carrying member sequentially conveys molding units between these treatment sections. Either the molding units or the carrying member is provided with coded information pertaining to the treatment each molding unit is to receive. A sensor scans the coded information and relays it to a master control unit that controls the operation of the various sections. The device automatically accommodates different height molds, as well as allows for different length pressing strokes, as well as different pressures, temperatures and rates of heating and cooling, and different durations of pressing to be individually controlled for each mold unit.

Abstract: A mixing hoe including an elongated handle and a hoe blade attached to the handle is adapted for mixing material in a walled container. The blade forms a bottom edge, opposing upper edge, and first and second opposing side edges. The upper edge has adjacent edge sections extending outwardly and downwardly, from a central recess or opening in the blade upper edge, to respective first and second side edges. The upper edges are bent backward for creating flow patterns. The first and second side edges extend downwardly and inwardly from the upper edge sections outer extremes to the bottom edge. The edges are sloped and the edge corners are rounded to closely resemble container corner and wall characteristics. The blade is manipulated by a user grasping the handle to position at least one of the five scraping edges (two top, two side and bottom) against the base and walls of the container to scrape away material adhering to the base and walls of the container during mixing.