Abstract: An electrostatic lens is disposed between a charge electrode and deflection plates to electrostatically focus each of the droplets on a recording surface at a position in alignment with the nozzle supplying the stream. The lens preferably comprises three electrodes with each of the outer electrodes having the same potential, which is substantially equal to the kinetic energy per unit charge of each of the charged droplets and of opposite polarity to the charge on the droplets, and the third electrode preferably being grounded. Each of the electrodes has a circular aperture through which the charged droplets pass with the electrodes being spaced from each other in the direction of the stream a distance preferably no greater than the diameter of the aperture. If desired, the electrode, which is furthest from the nozzle, can be omitted although this will produce some deceleration of the droplets.

Abstract: A pressurized ink jet stream is broken up into droplets spaced substantially uniform distances by application of a predetermined frequency to the stream. When the velocity of the stream is to be determined, a frequency perturbation is placed in the predetermined frequency to produce a gap in the stream of droplets at a selected distance from the perturbation application point. The presence of the gap is optically sensed at the selected distance by determining when the time period between adjacent droplets at the selected distance exceeds a predetermined period of time. The velocity of the stream is determined in accordance with the time that it takes from the perturbation of the gap until the gap is sensed at the selected distance because of the time period between adjacent droplets exceeding the predetermined period of time.

Abstract: A low inertia rotary drum supports sheets of paper of different sizes for transport and processing. The drum has a plurality of leading edge ports formed in its surface along the length of the drum. A vacuum is selectively applied to one or more of the ports in accordance with the dimension of the paper in the direction of the length of the drum. The drum has a plurality of sets of trailing edge ports formed in its surface with each of the sets being disposed a predetermined arcuate distance from the set of leading edge ports in accordance with the other dimension of the paper. Each set of trailing edge ports has the ports arranged longitudinally along the drum and parallel to the set of leading edge ports. Only one set of trailing edge ports extends for the same length as the set of the leading edge ports. One of the sets of the trailing edge ports has a vacuum applied thereto with the same number of ports of the trailing edge set having the vacuum applied thereto as the number of the leading edge ports.

Abstract: A log splitter includes vertical support means, which is preferably pivotally mounted on the ends of a three point tractor hitch, having a pivotally mounted support adjacent its bottom for supporting the bottom of a log to be split. The pivotally mounted support is attached to a tractor drawbar in one embodiment. A splitting wedge is mounted on the upper end of the vertical support means and retained against upward movement by spring biased pawls engaging ratchet tracks on the vertical support means. When the vertical support means is lifted by the tractor hitch, the pivotally mounted support raises the bottom of the log relative to the vertical support means so that the log is driven into the wedge and split. When upward movement of the vertical support means by the tractor hitch has been completed, the vertical support means is returned to its start position. During this downward movement, the wedge remains wedged in the log and the pawls enable downward movement of the wedge with the log.

Abstract: A transport apparatus has a loading ramp pivotally connected to a lower frame, which is supported for transport along the ground. The ramp also is pivotally connected to an upper frame, which is disposed above the lower frame and connected thereto by linkage means.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are disclosed for indicating and regulating the pressure of a selected body fluid such as an intracranial fluid. An elongated indicator tube is carried at least in part in a vented chamber which can be mounted so that the indicator tube is in a substantially vertical position. A flexible conduit conveys the selected body fluid from a catheter in the patient to the lower end of the indicator tube. By positioning the indicator tube so that the lower end is level with the in-dwelling end of the catheter, the extent of travel of the body fluid along the tube is a direct indication of the pressure of the body fluid. To provide an upper limit on the pressure the body fluid may attain, at least one opening is provided at a selected position in the wall of the indicator tube inside the chamber. This opening provides an upper pressure limit by permitting fluid to escape from the indicator tube into the chamber when the pressure is sufficient to cause the fluid to reach the opening.

Abstract: A multi-nozzle ink jet array has all of the nozzles arranged in a single plane with each of the nozzles having a longitudinal passage extending therethrough of the same diameter. The lengths of the longitudinal passages of the nozzles at each end of the array are shorter than those in the center of the array to cause an increased initial velocity of the ink jet streams flowing therefrom so as to compensate for aerodynamic drag on the end streams.

Abstract: A charge coupled device (CCD) serial memory has data read from or written into it at a sub-multiple rate of the data rate. The sub-multiple rate is determined by the number of interleaved blocks into which the CCD serial memory is divided.

Abstract: The application of the voltage on a charge electrode to selectively charge droplets of a pressurized conductive ink stream is synchronized with the break off of the droplets from the stream so that the break off occurs in the third quarter of the time period during which the charge voltage is placed on the charge electrode. To determine in which quarter that break off is occurring, the charge voltage is placed on the charge electrode at the same time for two adjacent quarters of a cycle during each of the two adjacent cycles in which a disturbance is placed on the stream by drive means such as a transducer, for example, to produce two droplets. During the next application of the charge voltage on the charge electrode, the charge voltage is applied for the last of the prior two adjacent quarters and the next adjacent quarter during two adjacent droplet producing cycles.

Abstract: The start of each cycle of a pump, which supplies a pressurized ink stream through a nozzle for application to a recording surface on a rotary drum, is synchronized with each revolution of the drum. If more than one cycle of the pump occurs during each revolution of the drum, the number of the cycles in each drum revolution must be an integer with each cycle starting an equal angle of the revolution of the drum from the start of the prior cycle.

Abstract: The output signal from each light sensor of a solid state array is compensated for variations due to dark scan noise levels, which are due to fixed pattern noise and sensor leakage, produced by the individual light sensors and variations in the light conditions to which the light sensors are subjected. Each of the output signals also can have its threshold level reduced through removing a portion of the signal caused by an output produced by the light sensor when it is scanning a black document. The compensation signals for the noise level variations and the light condition variations are obtained for each of the light sensors separately. The changing in the threshold level due to the black level can be the same for each of a group of the light sensors.

Abstract: The dark scan noise level produced from each of a solid state array of light sensors is obtained by preventing light from being received by each of the light sensors for a predetermined period of time. This signal is converted into a digital signal and stored in a shift register. When each of the light sensors of the array is subjected to light, the output signal produced thereby is reduced by the stored noise signal for the same light sensor. These output signals from the light sensors can be converted to digital signals and have the noise correction signals from the shift register subtracted therefrom by a digital subtractor, which is a complementary adder, or the digital noise correction signals from the shift register can be converted to analog signals and subtracted from the output signals of the light sensors of the array in an analog subtractor. The noise correction signals from the shift register are recirculated to the shift register during supply to the subtractor.

Abstract: Drywall boards are lifted from the bed of a truck to an extensible conveyor, which is supported by the bed of the truck, for transport from the truck to a building under construction. The drywall boards are disposed in two stacks on the truck bed with the conveyor being disposed along the longitudinal central axis of the truck bed so that a board from each stack is automatically disposed on the conveyor in sequence.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has a rotating drum supporting a medium to receive ink drops from ink jet nozzles arranged in first and second sets of multiple linear arrays about the circumference of the drum. Both the first set of arrays, which are equally angularly spaced from each other in the arc in which they are mounted, and the second set of arrays, which are equally angularly spaced from each other about the entire circumference of the drum, are moved axially simultaneously along the drum. By altering at least two of the velocity of the rotating drum, the transport velocity of the moving arrays, and the drop rate, facsimile resolutions can be printed by the second set of arrays. The printer also is capable of printing at a higher resolution than any of the facsimile resolutions through use of the first set of arrays. In either the higher resolution or any facsimile resolution, there is interlacing of the tracks produced by the drops from the selected nozzles.

Abstract: A silicon body has an array of nozzles therein and a separate magnet for each nozzle integral with the body. The magnet is disposed adjacent the nozzle with which it cooperates so that it can apply a deflection, prior to break-up of the stream exiting from the nozzle into droplets, to selected portions of the stream. The droplets, which are formed from the selected portions having the magnetic deflection applied thereto from the magnet cooperating with the nozzle, deflect to a gutter and are not applied to a recording surface, which moves orthogonal to the nozzles. If desired, the winding of the magnet can have a second excitation frequency supplied thereto to break up the stream into droplets. The break-up of the stream into droplets also can be accomplished by vibrations produced by a piezoelectric transducer, for example.

Abstract: A support rail has openings extending therethrough throughout its length to receive tobacco sticks with tobacco stalks thereon with adjacent openings having the tobacco sticks supported from opposite sides to balance the support rail. The support rail is mounted on a carrier or sled to enable the support rail with the tobacco sticks to be pulled into a tobacco barn by a tractor, for example. The support rail is mounted in vertically spaced relation to a base of the carrier so that the tobacco carried by the support rail will not engage the ground or the base. The support rail has a hook at the end of each of two ropes extending from its upper side to enable cables connected to a winch, which is mounted in the barn, to be connected thereto to lift the support rail from the carrier when the winch is activated.

Abstract: The location of a beam of charged particles within a deflection field is determined by its orthogonal deflection voltages. With the location of the beam in the field, correction currents are supplied to a focus coil and to each of a pair of stigmator coils to correct for change of focal length and astigmatism due to the beam being deflected away from the center of its deflection field.

Abstract: An aircraft which operates between the surface and the air as a rotating wing aircraft (helicopter-autogiro). When airborne a rotor pylon latch is released and the pilot flies the rotor system aft about its pivot to the fuselage to form the tail of a high speed jet propelled airplane. Altering the pitch angle of the blades controls the aircraft, called a convertiblade, for helicopter-autogiro and airplane configurations and for moving the rotor between its configurations. The rotor is revved up with rocket fuel piped to burner jet nozzles located at the blade tips. A jump-take-off may be used to efficiently get the convertiblade airborne at a good climbing speed. Prior to landing, the rotor blades are released from their operation as roll control surfaces for the airplane configuration; then, they are permitted to rev-up and act as a brake to reduce the speed of the airplane.

Abstract: A pin is integral with a diaphragm and extends from one side of the diaphragm. The other side of the diaphragm is subjected to a pressure or vacuum to create a pressure differential across the diaphragm to move the pin into or out of engagement with an article within a controlled environment. The diaphragm isolates a fluid, which produces the pressure differential across the diaphragm, from the controlled environment. In one embodiment, the pin is formed at the center of the diaphragm and moves only in a straight line. In another embodiment, the pin is formed eccentric to the center of the diaphragm so as to have a combination movement of angular and straight. The pin can be employed to stop an article such as a semiconductor wafer, for example, or to raise or to lower the wafer without the actuating fluid contaminating the controlled environment in which the semiconductor wafer is disposed.

Abstract: A scratch strain gauge has an annular target removably supported on a first plate, which is fixed to a first area of a structure that is to have its strains recorded. The target, which has a groove in its periphery, is driven by flat springs, supported on a second plate, which is fixed to a second area of the structure and longitudinally spaced from the first area. The plates have an interlocking relationship for temperature compensation. A dust seal cover is disposed over the space between the plates and the target. A door is pivotally mounted on the cover and closes an opening formed between the cover and the first plate and through which the target can be inserted and removed. One of the supports for supporting the target is mounted on the door and engages the bottom of the groove. A resiliently mounted support on the first plate also engages the bottom of the groove as does a third support fixed to the first plate. The opening of the door enables the target to be easily removed.