Abstract: A dolly system for use in moving large, loaded, display cases and similar structures that includes several dollies and apparatus for lifting the cases onto the dollies. Each dolly includes a housing having typically four casters on one side with walls around each caster and spaced tapered walls along a surface for supporting a downwardly extending rail along the underside of the case. A surface for engaging and supporting a kick plate is included, with a ridge for retaining the kick plate in position. An extendable bar is positioned through holes in the rails so that the case may be lifted with a fork lift and the dollies placed in position. The dollies may also be fastened to a large sheet of plywood or to a wood gondola for supporting other types of cases. With this system, during store renovation fully loaded display cases may be moved as needed and can be used by customers while mounted on the casters.

Abstract: A high efficiency, light weight solar concentrator array particularly suitable for use with space vehicles. Parallel rows of mirror assemblies are mounted on a base plate having high thermal conductivity. Each mirror assembly comprises back-to-back mirror strips having reflecting front faces. Photovoltaic cells are placed ion the base plate between rows of mirror assemblies. The reflecting faces reflect incident light to the photovoltaic cells to produce electric power. Preferably, the reflecting faces have a cylindrical parabolic configuration with a line of focus approximately along the interface between the photovoltaic cell and the edge of the opposite mirror strip adjacent to the cell. The mirror strips may typically be roll formed from metal strips, cast from fiber reinforced plastic material and coated with a reflecting layers, etc.

Abstract: A cost effective continuously adaptive digital video system and method for compressing color video data for moving images. The method describes capturing an analog video frame and digitizing the image into a preferred source input format for compression using a combination of unique lossy and lossless digital compression techniques including subband coding, wavelet transforms, motion detection, run length coding and variable length coding. The system includes encoder and decoder (CODEC) sections for compression and decompression of visual images to provide high compression with good to excellent video quality. The compressed video data provides a base video layer and additional layers of video data that are multiplexed with compressed digital audio to provide a data stream that can be packetized for distribution over inter or intranets, including wireless networks over local or wide areas.

Abstract: A speaker has electrical insulation between the voltage found on the voice coil and the exposed support frame. The insulation can be in the form of a toroid, a washer or a plurality of spacers with opening therebetween spaced so as to maintain electrical separation between the frame and magnet/pole piece.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for disinfecting material such as a fluid stream, (e.g., water) or various objects (e.g., packaging, fruits, vegetables) using a high temperature expanding plasma emission source (EPES lamp) to generate intense pulses of ultraviolet light primarily in the 200-400 nm range. The EPES lamp is preferably mounted axially in a pipe through which the fluid to be disinfected is flowed or perpendicular to the direction of a fluid flow or an object conveyor. Each pulse is terminated before the resulting plasma within the EPES lamp reaches the inside surface of the EPES lamp wall so that the EPES lamp operates in an expanding plasma emission source mode rather than in a wall stabilized mode. The EPES lamp is operated at a plasma temperature of at least about 15,000.degree. K. and an energy density (Q) of at least about 300.

Abstract: A fluid flow control valve which is mechanically programmable to enable the control of flow rate and/or timing of the supply of fluid therethrough. The valve comprises a housing having an inlet and outlet portion. An axially extending passageway within the housing is in fluid communication with the inlet portion. A fluid flow control and timing mechanism is disposed within the axially extending passageway and configured to travel a defined path(s) along the axis thereof when pressurized fluid is supplied to the passageway. The fluid flow control and timing mechanism is configured to cooperate with the outlet portion to control the timing and flow rate of fluid therethrough. To enable the flow control mechanism to traverse the defined path(s) of travel, a biasing mechanism is associated with the fluid flow control and timing mechanism to respond to the application of pressurized fluid into the axially extending passageway.

Abstract: An air powered drive system for a vehicle such as an automobile or a propeller driven aircraft. In a land vehicle air pumps are connected to drive, or be driven by, each wheel. At least two air storage tanks are connected to the air pumps. A fuel is burned in one tank to provide hot, high pressure air that can be directed to selected air pumps to drive associated wheels. Meanwhile, other air pumps connected to a cool, lower pressure tank are driven by an associated wheels to act as an air compressor to compress cool ambient air in the tank. When air pressure in the heated tank drops, combustion is shut off there and begun in the other tank and the driving and filling tanks and pumps are reversed. Similarly, two such tanks are connected through air pumps to an aircraft propeller shaft. Alternately, on tank is heated to produce hot, high pressure air to drive one air pump while the other air pump is driven by the shaft to compress air in the cooler tank.

Abstract: A workpiece indexing and clamping system for machining the workpiece. Spherical or narrow cylindrical heads of index pins extend from holes in a base plate into workpiece holes to align and index the workpiece. The pin portions in the base plate holes can be expanded to lock them to the base plate. Each pin has relief flats parallel to the pin axis. Clamps engage workpiece edges with thread-like angled grooves on a cam surface to force workpiece edges against the base plate during machining of the workpiece. A central clamp has a pin extending from the base plate into a workpiece hole. Angled grooves in a cam surface are brought into contact with the hole sides to force the workpiece toward the base plate and hold the central area in place during machining.

Abstract: An all digital physical parameter sensing network. Sensors under control of a central computer measure factors such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, filter efficiency and the like at numerous locations in a system such as a water treatment plant. Each sensor is precalibrated with voltage offset information, sensitivity variations, corrections for nonlinear behavior, etc. stored in memory at the sensor. All sensors generate corrected voltage signals conforming with the measured physical parameter, so that any sensor can be replaced without requiring recalibration. Basically, the system comprises a central computer, a communications interface between the computer and a single bus, plural sensor nodes along the bus each including a sensor for sensing a physical condition and processing the sensed information to correct for sensor individual characteristics and for transmitting the corrected sensed information to the central computer.

Abstract: A water purification system which filters particulates from the water and treats organic contaminats with ozone. The incoming contaminated water flow is divided, with half passing through each of two filter and ozone contact systems. Initially, each stream is passed though a sand separation device to remove large high density particulate mater, then through a multi-stage filter arrangement incorporating disposable filter cartridges. Ozone is injected into each stream leaving the filter system. The flow passes through elongated plug-flow tubing to assure optimum water/ozone contact, then enters a multi-compartment secondary contactor having a series of perforated baffle plates through which the water flows to assure complete ozone/water contact. Finally, each stream passes through a final filter stage, then the streams are combined and pass to storage or a purified water outlet.

Abstract: Attachment of a bridge and temple hinge to the lens of rimless eye glasses. The attachment is accomplished by providing a tapered aperture is each lens adjacent to the outer surface of the lens and conforming the distal ends of the bridge and temple hinge to conform to the taper of the aperture. This combination provides a friction lock between the aperture and the bridge and temple hinge. The taper can be in the range of 1 to 20 degrees either convergent from the front to the back of the lens or divergent from the front to the back of the lens. Ideally a taper of 4.5 degrees is preferable. The taper can take the form of a cylinder, rectangular or triangular. The distal ends of the bridge and temple hinge can be inserted either from the front of the lens toward the back or from the back toward the front. The distal ends of the temple hinge can be inserted directly into the aperture or can be bent formed to provide a bias between the outer surface of the lens adjacent the aperture for non-rotational support.

Abstract: A hoist assembly having a swiveling head with a pivoting shackle. A lift swivel is captured by a housing and is rotatable relative to the housing. A shackle assembly including a hoist ring is fastened to the lift swivel. A lift bolt is threaded into the housing opposite the shackle assembly. The lift bolt includes an axially extending shaft for threading into a corresponding hole in a structure to be lifted. The end of the shaft in the hole is expandable to lock the shaft in the structure hole. A retainer such as a snap ring, or a jam ring and setscrews may be provided to securely lock the lift bolt to the housing. The lift bolt is threaded into the housing by a tool extending through the lift swivel or from the opposite end.

Abstract: A dental patient hand held vibrating device having a interdental mouthpiece portion for insertion into the mouth for gripping between the teeth of the dental patient encountering discomfort resulting from the adjustment of their orthodontic appliances. The hand held device comprises a housing containing a battery and a switch for selectively operating a motor with an off center weight attached to the motor rotating shaft for creating a high frequency vibration that vibrates the entire device. The vibration is transferred from the body of the device to the interdental mouthpiece held between the teeth of the patient. The vibrating interdental mouthpiece reestablishes an adequate blood supply to the teeth and surrounding periodontal structures so as to substantially eliminate the discomfort encountered by a patient that has had their orthodontic appliance adjusted.