Abstract: Disclosed is an electrical power system adapted to receiving power from a source of alternating current, typically a small alternator and supplying a direct potentially to a load. This power system contains protective circuits which control or shut off a portion or all of the electrical power system in response to abnormally high or low voltage conditions. The high voltage protection circuit short circuits the alternator in response to abnormally high load voltage. A second high voltage sensing circuit, locks out the main regulation and rectification circuit for a selected period of time after the over voltage sensing point is exceeded. The low voltage protection circuit abruptly reduce output to zero once the output voltage decreases to a minimum level. This voltage then remains at zero until the circuit is reset by an external signal.

Abstract: A method and system for treating water containing hydrogen sulfide. The system includes the demineralizing the water to remove mineral impurities. The demineralized water is then treated with chlorine to convert the hydrogen sulfide in the demineralized water to hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid while dropping the water's pH level. The water is then neutralized either by using a marble contact bed and/or by the addition of sodium hydroxide. By demineralizing the water prior to adding chlorine, the pH level of the water is lowered when chlorine is added and elemental sulfur is prevented from forming.

Abstract: A recreational boat construction utilizes a hull formed of a thin gauge metal, such as aluminum, with the hull having an upper extremity to which are fastened unitary superstructure members molded from a plastic resin. The superstructure panels are rigidly fastened to the upper extremity of the hull and to the deck.

Abstract: A bird feeder for preventing rodents from grabbing bird seed in the bird feeder. The feeder includes a silo having a first end and a second end with an opening to permit seed to flow onto a supporting tray below the silo. A conically shaped cover is attached adjacent the silo. The cover extends outward in a substantially straight line from a narrow portion which is connected to the top of the silo to a wide portion. The straight line terminates the cover in the wide portion. The diameter of the perimeter of the wide portion, has a ratio selected with respect to the diameter of the perimeter of the feeder tray, to prevent rodents from accessing the feeder.

Abstract: An advertising display for use above the roof of a vehicle comprises a rigid aerodynamic member, which tapers rearwardly to a trailing edge with an upstanding brace extending into the aerodynamic member and with a window mount fixed to the brace and having a lateral hook portion dimensioned to pass across the top of one of the vehicle's windows. At least one surface of the aerodynamic member defines an area to which an advertising medium can be affixed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for filtering liquids. More particularly it is concerned with providing a clog-resistant filter of the kind in which a open end and with walls of metal, plastic or other suitable material bearing numerous perforations, is placed within a housing in such a manner that the liquid entering the housing must flow from the inside of the filter element out through the perforations in the latter, before it can leave the housing, with the result that solid material strained from the liquid flowing through the filter is retained within the filter element.

Abstract: A surface acoustic wave (SAW) waveguide-coupled resonator filter is overcoupled to produce an essentially constant conductance and susceptance over at least the bandwidth of a desired notch filter. The SAW resonator filter is embedded in a bridged-T allpass circuit to provide the pair of equal capacitances of the circuit, and the resonator ground is connected to one terminal of the parallel inductor of the circuit having the other terminal connected to a system ground.

Abstract: A spring seat assembly including a magnet generating a magnetic field in a fuel injection element such as a needle valve in fuel injection apparatus in an internal combustion engine equipped with a needle lift sensor. A magnet is attached to a cap of a nonmagnetic material, preferably stainless steel. The cap has a rim extending in between the injector spring and the spring seat and centering itself on the spring seat with a further cylindrical extension. The cap centers itself in the spring and centers with its cylindrical extension the spring seat as well. Since the cap is held with its rim securely between spring seat and spring due to the spring force and the acceleration forces on the spring seat, cap and magnet cannot separate from the spring seat. A suitable epoxy is used to secure the magnet and the cap and may also be used to hold the entire assembly together while not installed in the injector. Alternatively, the cap and the magnet may be brazed together.

Abstract: An end panel for an easy open end includes a pull tab fixed to the removable inside portion and a score line having two different defined depths, including a first severing depth passing under the nose of the pull tab and substantially all of the remaining areas except for an area rearward of the pull tab, where the score line extends to a second, shallower temporary retention depth in order to retain the rearward area with the outside portion as the inside portion moves outwardly away from the container during either inadvertent or intentional opening.

Abstract: During the course of a total knee replacement, at least one and preferably a number of different low friction members having rotated artificial surfaces of different rotated angles are provided in order to determine the appropriate angle and displacement of the aritificial prominence and plateaus on the low friction members, so that the appropriate low friction member may thereafter be permanently installed during the total knee replacement in order to recreate the optimal position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for repairing a tear in a knee meniscus of a patient utilizes a delivery device having a distal end dimensioned to extend into the interior of the patient's knee. A fastener is fitted within the distal end and is manipulated to extend toward the tear in the meniscus, and extended across the tear to close and bind the tear without passing out of the knee.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for guiding and centering a catheter to a treatment site within a passageway in the human body includes a flexible tube having a distal end dimension to pass freely along the passageway, and a proximal end adapted to extend outside the body. The flexible tube is provided with a peripherally expandable zone at the distal end of the tube and a longitudinal lumen through the flexible tube dimension for passing a catheter therethrough. The distal end of the flexible tube is guided to a desired location within the passageway. The peripheral zone at the distal end of the tube is then expanded so that the expandable zone pushes against the inner wall of the passageway to center the distal end of the tube within the passageway. With the tube positioned within the passageway, a catheter is passed through the longitudinal lumen of the flexible tube.

Abstract: An easy open end employs an enlarged "moustache" score, in which the apex of the outward curves of the score lie outside of the plane of the sides of the pull tab to effectuate a rolling of the metal ribbon between the rivet and the peripheral weakened area, so as to avoid lateral forces which tend to tear the metal along the ribbon.

Abstract: A preassembled unit for a sewage nitrification field has minimum outward dimensions of loose, lightweight plastic aggregate material enveloped and bound by a plastic sleeve around a horizontal conduit. In one embodiment, the unit takes a bag form with an aggregate-filled netting sleeve concentrically surrounding and fastened to the ends of corrugated plastic vent pipe. In another form, the sleeve is a plastic extrusion of rectangular cross-section and the conduit can be formed integrally with the sleeve. Cross-webbing is added for strength. In ground installation, conduitless units make up for insufficiency of aggregate dimension. Mating male and female end caps are used to interconnect the conduit of adjacent units end-to-end. Apparatus for manufacturing the concentric netting sleeve/vent pipe version has a hopper that discharges aggregate into the top of a mandrel and an annular disc or helical auger blade that pushes the aggregate forward into the sleeve.

Abstract: A system and method for matching all loaded baggage with passengers during aircraft boarding provides each passenger with a boarding pass and baggage tags, each having the same unique machine readable code imprinted thereon. A scanner and memory device at the boarding point scans and reads a passenger's pass and stores the code. A portable scanner and memory at the baggage loading point scans and reads each luggage tag and stores each code. The stored codes are delivered to the passenger loading gate prior to departure of the aircraft. A computer compares stored passenger codes with stored baggage codes. Lack of a stored loading pass code with a matching stored code of loaded baggage is indicated to permit inspection of such baggage prior to aircraft departure.

Abstract: A fuzzy data comparator receives a fuzzy data digital data bit stream and compares each frame thereof with multiple sets of differing known data stored in a plurality of pattern memories, using a selected comparison metric. The results of the comparisons are accumulated as error values. A first neural postprocessing network ranks error values less than a preselected threshold. A second neural network receives the first neural network solutions and provides an expansion bus for interconnecting to additional comparators.