Abstract: A personal vehicle loading and unloading apparatus includes a support structure mounted to a platform such as a truck bed which supports the personal vehicle, and a moveable ramp mounted telescopically within the support structure. The ramp is manually moveable between a retracted position where substantially the entire ramp is within the truck bed and an extended position where substantially the entire ramp extends from the truck bed. The ramp and the support structure each have an upper surface over which the bottom surface of the personal vehicle, or a conveyor for the vehicle, rides as the personal vehicle is moved to and from the truck bed. These upper surfaces each comprise an anti-friction material having a kinetic friction coefficient no greater than 0.5. A winch mechanism mounted to the support structure pulls the personal vehicle into the truck bed during loading and lowers slowly the personal vehicle from the truck bed during unloading.

Abstract: A corner connector for siding retainers having a unitary structure includes a base plate which is adapted to be attached to a wall that is to be covered with strips of siding. The base plate has a generally orthogonal-shaped edge portion formed by first and second members. Each member has a connecting end and a receiving end over which a siding retainer is adapted to slide and each sized to be received snugly within a channel in a siding retainer slid over an individual member. There is a corner section to which the connecting ends of the first and second members are joined so that the first and second members are at an angle of substantially 90.degree.. The corner section has raised segments where each of the connecting ends join the corner section. The raised segments serve as stops which abut an end of a retainer slid over an individual member.

Abstract: A support rail for a boxspring includes a cross bar having opposed ends, and a bracket attached to each end. Each bracket has a gripper arm and is mounted to move laterally across the end to which it is attached between an extended position and a retracted position. An end section of each of end of the cross bar and a connection section of each of the brackets is made of a malleable material, from which a lock mechanism is formed to releasably interlocked together the cross bar and brackets when the brackets are in the retracted position. The lock mechanism includes a locking element and a receptacle, with the receptacle formed in either the bracket or the cross bar and the locking element formed in either bracket or the cross bar depending on the position of the receptacle.

Abstract: An anti-theft device disables the engine of an automotive vehicle during an attempted robbery by breaking the rotor of the engine's distributor. The distributor has a plurality of electrodes and the rotor is moved through a circular path during operation of the engine to make electrical contact with the electrodes to generate sparks in the engine's combustion chamber. A stopper element mounted to be moved between a first position where the stopper element is in the path of the rotor and a second position where the stopper element is displaced from the path of the rotor. A solenoid selectively moves the stopper element between the first and second positions by manual actuating a hidden switch. The rotor is made of a material which fractures upon engaging the stopper element, so that, with the stopper element in the rotor's path, the rotor is fractured to prevent contact with the electrodes and the generation of sparks.

Abstract: A method and apparatus automatically fabricates a three dimensional object from individual layers of fabrication material having a predetermined configuration. Successive layers are stacked in a predetermined sequence and affixed together to form the object. The fabrication material is carried on a substrate to a stacker. At the stacker the layers are stacked together, with each layer being successively affixed to the stack of previously affixed layers, and with the substrate removed from each layer after it is affixed.

Abstract: Disclosed is an assembly 10 of a writing implement 12 and a pick 13. The pick 13 is attached by a hinge 32 to a spring clip 18 for holding the writing implement 12 to a user's pocket. The hinge 32 enables the pick 13 to move between a first position where the pick is disposed in a slot in the spring clip and a second position where the pick extends outward from the slot. The pick 13 comprises a generally conically shaped body made of a polymeric material that is unlikely to injure the gums of a user and terminates in a point.

Abstract: A personal mirror constructed of a planar member having a reflective surface on a front face of a rectangular main body, a first flange extending rearward from a top edge of the main body at an acute included angle, and a suction-type attachment mechanism provided on the first flange and facing rearward to enable mounting of the mirror to a nonporous surface. A second flange may extend forward from a bottom edge of the main body and include at least one hole for receiving the handle of an accessory such as a razor, the hole being formed smaller than a head of the razor to allow the razor to hang from the flange. The planar member may be thermoplastic with the main body and first and second flanges integrally formed with first and second bends, respectively, therebetween. The bend between the second flange and the planar member is an obtuse angle and matched to the acute angle of the first bend so that the second flange extends generally horizontally when the mirror is wall-mounted.

Abstract: A device 10 is used during washing of a brassiere 24 to protect the brassiere and maintain the shape of the cups 24a and 24b of the brassiere. It includes an inner spherical framework 12 contained within a larger outer spherical framework 14. Each framework is formed by a pair of hemispherical sections that upon being coupled together form the individual frameworks. With the inner framework 12 open, the brassiere 24 is fitted over the hemispherical sections, with one section being placed inside each cup of the brassiere. The sections of the inner framework 12 with the brassiere thereon are then closed and placed inside an open outer framework 14. The outer framework 14 is then closed to enclose the inner framework 12, and the assembly of frameworks is placed into a washing machine. The inner and outer frameworks are open structures that allow water to flow thereto during washing.

Abstract: An adjustable socket includes a drive member, a plurality of jaw members supported by the drive member and selectively movable between fixed lateral positions, each fixed lateral position corresponding to a selected socket size, and a drive coupling operatively coupled to the drive member and manually movable to different positions corresponding to the selected socket size openings. The drive coupling has a substantially flat cam surface with spirally configured guide elements thereon that engage cam followers on the jaw members to move the jaw members laterally. There are a plurality indexing slots in the drive member and an indexing and locking element that selectively engages and locks into an indexing slot upon a socket size openings being selected. The number of indexing slots correspond to the number of selectable socket size openings available. There are visible indicia associated with each selectable position to indicate the selected socket size openings.

Abstract: A golf bag has removably attached to its exterior a device adapted to hold a putter. The device comprises an elongated tubular member having a closed bottom and an open top. The tubular member has a restricted diameter so that it can only hold a single putter, and a hook element attached to the tubular member near the open top. The hook element grasps said edge of the golf bag to attach the tubular member to the golf bag, with the tubular member extending lengthwise along the exterior of the golf bag.

Abstract: A file includes a support member having an abrasive surface with interstices holding a sanitizing agent which is released with use of the file. Microcapsules containing the sanitizing agent are preferred. The microcapsules are frangible and break upon use of the file to release the sanitizing agent. The file surface may comprise granular abrasive particulates having a size ranging from 40 to 1200 grit which provide the interstices between at least some of the particulates. An aqueous coating having dispersed therein an adhesive and the microcapsules is applied to the granular particulates. The coating is dried to deposit in the interstices the microcapsules. The adhesive binds the microcapsules to the granular particulates.

Abstract: A hair cutting method includes positioning a strand of hair between normally open blade ends of a scissors. The scissors have a pair of elongated members, each member having a blade end, an intermediate gripping section, and a spring end. Each blade end has a cutting edge. The elongated members are connected to each other by a pivot element disposed near a junction where the blade ends and intermediate gripping sections join. The spring ends each have tips which are connected together to bias the elongated members, so that the blade ends move about the pivot element into an open position. The blade ends come together in a cutting fashion with their cutting edges engaging to trim the edge of the nail upon the user grasping both intermediate gripping sections between the user's thumb and a finger of the user and pressing the intermediate gripping sections towards each other. Each blade end as measured from a tip of the blade to the point of connection with the pivot element has a length exceeding two inches.

Abstract: Disclosed are tools and methods for assisting in the manual insertion of a needle into a medical device implanted under the skin of a patient and for assisting in the manual removal of the needle from this implanted medical device. The same tool may be used for both accessing and deaccessing the needle, or a special tool may be used for just assisting in the insertion of the needle into the implanted medical device. This special tool includes a holder section with a pair of fork elements spaced apart a distance which is slightly greater than the width of the implanted medical device. The tool for assisting in the manual removal of the needle from the implanted medical device includes an elongated body having a handle section and an enlarged guard section with an elongated slot extending from an edge of the guard section into the guard section, terminating at an internal portion of the guard section.

Abstract: A medical device for treating a patient suffering from glaucoma is adapted to be attached to the globe of the eye of a patient. It includes a distribution plate having a one-way flow valve attached to the anterior end of the plate. The valve is adapted to be placed in communication with fluid to be drained from the intraocular chamber of the eye. There are opposed tab elements that extend outward from each side of the plate at its posterior end. The plate has a predetermined size and shape so that, when attached to the globe of the eye between adjacent rectus muscles with the anterior end from 8 to 10 millimeters from the limbus of the eye, the width of the plate is sufficiently restrictive so that one side is close but not touching one rectus muscle and the other side is close but not touching the other rectus muscle. The length of the plate is sufficiently restrictive so that the posterior end is at least 2 millimeters from the optic nerve of the eye.

Abstract: A golf towel is attached and detached to a golf bag with a male connector on the bag. The golf towel has a towel body with a snap therein near a corner of the towel. The snap has a cap and a female connector which is adapted to be coupled to the male connector on the golf bag. There is a reinforcing member formed into a loop which facilitates removal of the towel from the golf bag. The towel body and the ends of the reinforcing member are disposed between the cap and female connector, which are fitted together to hold the towel body and these ends securely between the cap and female connector.

Abstract: A device for plugging a pipe includes a resilient, hollow body member that expands with the application of internally applied pressure to block the pipe. The body member has at one end a conical shaped wall with an apex that points inward. At ambient pressure, the diameter of the body member is less than the diameter of the pipe into which it is inserted. The diameter of the body member increases as the internal pressure increases, and the length of the conical shaped wall decreases.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for manufacturing an sugar ester product of a sugar and a fatty acid. First, a fatty acid and methyl or ethyl alcohol is reacted in the presence of sulfuric acid catalyst to produce a fatty acid ester and water. The sulfuric acid catalyst is neutralized with a metal carbonate to make a metal sulfate, with the fatty acid ester being separated from the metal sulfate, the alcohol and the water. The recovered fatty acid ester is reacted in the presence of a metal carbonate catalyst with sugar dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide to produce the sugar ester product and alcohol. The dimethyl sulfoxide is separated from the reaction mixture by vacuum distillation, and then water is added to emulsify the sugar ester product and unreacted fatty acid ester. The unreacted sugar and the metal carbonate is dissolved in the water.

Abstract: A lanyard connects a pair of head covers for golf clubs together by a connector section of predetermined thickness with a hole therein for receiving the lanyard. The lanyard includes an elongated line element having opposed ends with a pair of protruding members near each of these opposed ends. Each pair of protruding members has an outer most and and inner most member which are spaced apart a distance about equal to the predetermined thickness of the connector section. One end of the line element has a tab section that extends from an adjacent outer most protruding member nearby the one end of the line element which facilitates pulling the adjacent outer most protruding member through one hole in one cover. The other end of the line element has another tab section that extends from an adjacent outer most protruding member nearby this other end of the line element which facilitates pulling the adjacent outer most protruding member through this other hole in the other cover.

Abstract: Disclosed is a medical device comprising an external, flexible shell forming a fluid chamber reservoir and housing a valve, having a folded membrane which forms a chamber with a slit-like opening. The inlet tube in communication with the chamber extends outwardly through an opening in the shell. The inlet tube has a free end with holes and rigid fins. The free end of the inlet tube in communication with abdomen. There is an outlet tube in communication with the reservoir. The outlet tube has a free end with holes. The free end of the outlet tube is in communication with the jugular vein of a patient. Also disclosed is a method of using this device to treat ascites.