Abstract: This invention is an improvement of an internal lighting system for rural mailboxes. The improvement provides a maintenance-free mailbox internal lighting system by providing a solar cell charging system and rechargeable batteries to the circuitry. The internal light is automatically actuated by the opening of the door. All the components of the internal lighting system are undetectable to the casual observer to provide a degree of protection from vandalism or theft.

Abstract: A reversible motor mount that can be attached to the gunnel on either side of a canoe is disclosed. The mount has a movable piece with a bracket to which said motor is clamped. The movable piece is locked in a first position when the motor mount is mounted on one side of the canoe and is locked in a second position when the motor mount is mounted on the other side of the canoe. No matter which side of the canoe said mount is attached to, and the movable piece is moved and locked in the appropriate position, and said motor is clamped to said bracket, the propulsion force from said motor when it is in operation will be downward and rearward.

Abstract: A breathing mask is disclosed which features a soft, flexible face contacting member and an outer shell member fastened thereto to form a mask. The face contacting member is formed in an arctuate shape that provides a cup in which the chin of the mask wearer rests to prevent the mask from slipping under the chin of the wearer, and a peripheral rim over the nose of the wearer that secures the bottom edge of eye glasses or protective eyewear between the rim and the face of the mask wearer. The outer shell member is either an air permeable material for filtering particulates and/or gases from breathed air, or may be a rigid air impervious material through which filter cartridges are mounted to filter breathed air.

Abstract: The disclosure defined by this invention utilizes electromagnetic energy reflected from the top and bottom surfaces of ice, the thickness of which is being measured, to determine a phase difference that indicates the thickness of the ice. Since there will be many wave lengths of the electromagnetic energy in the ice, two measurement frequencies are utilized. Integers of wavelengths of each frequency are added to the readings for each frequency to derive sets of numbers. The one number in the set of readings for each frequency that are the same in each set indicate the actual thickness of the ice.

Abstract: A waste collection container fitted with an inlet point and an outlet point is used for receiving contaminated carrier air from a medical suction procedure. Heavier solids and liquids are collected within the waste collection container by gravitational precipitation. The carrier air now containing only aerosol contaminants is then bubbled through a disinfecting bath to sterilize the carrier air before it is exhausted into the immediate indoor environment or the outdoor atmosphere. An activated charcoal filter is then used to remove odors from the sterilized carrier air. An input and exit port of the waste collection container are initially sealed and are punctured by manually operated actuator apparatus to permit carrier air to flow through the container and the disinfecting bath. When the waste collection container is full, before removal another actuator is manually operated to discharge the disinfecting bath into the precipitated fluids and solids in the container to thereby sterilize them.

Abstract: A face mask is disclosed that can be reusable or disposable, and which filters particulate matter and noxious and poisonous gasses from breathed air. The mask has a mask shell that is thermoformed of cross-linked, closed-cell foam sheet that is impermeable to air while having good shape retention and elasticity. The mask shell is perforated with multiple holes in its central area to permit inhaled air to pass through the otherwise impermeable shell. This mask shell is stiff enough to support filter linears made of, for example, an activated charcoal impregnated fibrous sheet that covers the holes and is retained to the inside and/or the outside of the mask shell by a retainer which is easily removed to replace filter liner(s). Alternatively, the filter liner(s) may be bonded to the inside and/or the outside of the mask shell to make a disposable mask. A one-way valve is mounted through the wall of the mask shell to exhasut exhaled air. Alternatively, a retainer is not used.

Abstract: What is described is a hollow fish hook with a flexible, retractable wire barb made from stainless steel wire. The same wire is long enough that it passes through and external to the hollow fish hook and is used to retract the end of the wire comprising the barb so that the hook may be easily removed from the mouth of a fish. A leader wire is connected to an eye of the fish hook. Spaced apart from the fish hook and attached to the leader and to the barb retraction portion of the wire are indicator pieces. When the barb retraction end of the wire is pulled the two indicator pieces come closer to each other and touch when the wire barb is fully retracted inside of the hollow fish hook. This provides a visual indication of when the barb is fully retracted. There is also a stop element that limits how far the wire barb can protrude from the fish hook.

Abstract: A reusable face mask is disclosed that filters particulate matter and noxious and poisonous gasses from breathed air. The face mask has a mask shell that is thermoformed of cross-linked, closed cell foam sheet that is impermeable to air while having good shape retention and elasticity. The mask shell is perforated with multiple holes in its central area to permit inhaled air to pass through the otherwise impermeable shell. The mask shell is stiff enough to support filter mounting apparatus that has an internal potion and an external portion that both cover the multiple holes. Filters made from filter sheet material and having a self-adhesive strip around their periphery are removably attached to the mounting apparatus to filter breathed air. Neither the mounting apparatus nor the filters ever touch the face of the wearer of the face mask. By using two filters, selective combinations of noxious and poisonous gasses, dusts and mists may be filtered from breathed air.

Abstract: What is described is a hollow fish hook with a flexible, retractable barb. A barb retraction wire passes through the hollow fish hook and is connected to the barb. A leader wire is also connected to an eye hole in the fish hook. Spaced apart from the fish hook and attached to the leader and to the barb retraction wire are indicator pieces. When the barb retraction wire is pulled the two indicator pieces come closer to each other and touch when the barb is fully retracted. This provides an indication of when the barb is fully retracted.

Abstract: Automatic telephone line sharing apparatus is disclosed that will only allow one telephone set or other communication device to be connected to a shared telephone line at a time. Circuits in the apparatus sense when a first one of a plurality of telephone sets or other communication devices is connected to a shared line and causes switches to be operated disconnecting the other telephone sets and devices from the line. When the first set or device disconnects from the shared line, this is sensed and the other sets or devices are automatically reconnected to the shared line. This automatic operation insures exclusive line use by blocking line access by other telephone sets or devices sharing the common telephone line.

Abstract: A method for sealing an assembled gelatine capsule of the type used to contain and dispense medication is disclosed. An assembled capsule the axis of which is oriented perpendicular to the axis of a thin elongated bar is moved along and in contact with a thin edge of the elongated bar. The surface of the assembled capsule, at a point where the cap and body of the capsule overlie each other, is initially in contact with the thin edge of one end of the bar and the capsule is moved along the length of said bar so that the axis of the capsule moves closer to the edge of the bar. The bar is heated so as to be at a first temperature at a first point between its ends that will melt the gelatine, and the remainder of the bar is at a temperature that will heat plasticize the gelatine. As the capsule is moved along the heated bar it is rotated either by friction between the bar and the capsule or by mechanical means.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a face mask formed from a porous sheet made of a plurality of fibers. The mask is formed into a generally cup shape shell that fits over the mouth and nose of the wearer and is held thereto by elastic straps attached to the mask that pass behind the head when the mask is worn. The mask filters breathed air passing through the mask. The border of the mask is more tightly compacted during forming. The mask of the present invention features rearwardly projecting portions located on either side of the nose bridge area of the mask parallel to and close to the border of the mask. The peak of the rearwardly projecting portions extend from the face mask in the direction of the face of the wearer of the mask to conform the portion of the mask close to its border to the contours of the face of the wearer between the bridge of the wearer's nose and the upper areas of their cheekbones.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed which functions with a scanning arrangement including a charge coupled device (CCD) scanner and an analog-to-digital converter to digitize documents for storage, display and transmission to a remote location. The apparatus is attached to the scanner and consists of a reticle with a site pattern thereon, a lens arrangement and a lamp which are used to position a document for scanning. Prior to scanning the document the lamp is briefly energized to project the pattern onto an easel on which the document is placed, and the portion of the document on which the pattern is projected is the portion that will subsequently be scanned by the scanner.

Abstract: A high density dot matrix printer is disclosed which can print characters with variable font and having print resolution close to that of a typewriter. Printing on both a forward and reverse pass of a line of characters with the dot print head coupled with offsetting the dot matrix print head for the reverse pass printing doubles the line density in printing characters to increase resolution. In addition, a compacted character code arrangement is utilized having a different printing code for the reverse pass printing than for the forward pass printing, and uses single binary words to represent many dot printing positions dependent on the location of the single binary word in the character code coupled with using single binary words to represent many possible dot positions in which no dots are to be printed.

Abstract: A Raster and Stroke Writing Deflection Amplifier Arrangement for a cathode ray tube (CRT) is disclosed which uses a conventional vertical oscillator and vertical deflection amplifier and a conventional horizontal oscillator and synchronous horizontal deflection amplifier, both driving deflection coils for providing vertical and low power horizontal scan operation for raster scan writing of data, and a flyback transformer and rectifier for providing the high D.C. voltage required by the CRT anode by rectification of high surge voltages created during horizontal retrace periods.

Abstract: A Digital Automatic Gain Control for a display system having a video display driven by a remote display generator including a display processor which generates binary words that are converted by multiplying digital-to-analog converters to analog deflection voltages that are applied to the video display. The deflection voltages applied to the display are sensed and a digital feedback signal is derived therefrom that is returned to the display generator. The digital feedback signal has a word size larger than the word size of the binary words generated by the display processor. The feedback signal is processed and applied to multiplying digital-to-analog converters and output amplifiers to modify the conversion from binary words to analog deflection voltages to thereby accomplish higher display resolution and accuracy than can be achieved by the display processor alone due to limited binary word size.

Abstract: A steerable artillery projectile utilizing electro-optical circuitry to home on a laser designated target where the rear end of the projectile is displaceably coupled to the front end thereof which contains the electro-optical circuitry and munitions is disclosed. The displaceably coupled rear end of the projectile has a plurality of compartments equispaced around its longitudinal axis and each compartment has a gas cartridge which can be activated by the electro-optical circuitry. In flight, a selected gas cartridge may be discharged by the electro-optical circuitry causing the longitudinal axis of the rear end of the projectile to momentarily move out of line with the longitudinal axis of the front end of the projectile resulting in a modification of the flight path of the projectile to home on the laser designated target.

Abstract: A Color Separator for a Map Display Video Generator utilizing a Fresnel lens to expand a multicolor light signal output from a point of light scanned map film to a stationary area that entirely fills an input end of a bundle of optical fibers the other end of which bundle is divided into three smaller bundles. The light output from each smaller bundle is first passed through a colored filter to thereby separate the light into the primary colors red, green and blue. The separated light is then converted to an electrical signal by photomultipliers and used to generate a color video signal applied to a color cathode ray tube display to display the map thereon.

Abstract: There is provided improvements in magnetic recording head arrangements, such as may employ multiplexing, which provide substantially higher speeds of recording and require fewer components. The recording head is comprised of a compact, four-layer laminate structure mountable on a supporting substrate, in which the entire array of recording elements forms a flexible, uniquely arranged first layer, the return paths of the recording elements comprise a flexible second layer which has the dual utility of substantially reducing the recording element circuit inductance, the third layer is a rigid printed circuit board structure providing a mount for the blocking diodes and the conductive paths of the associated multiplexing scheme, and the fourth layer is a ground plane located between the first and third layers and insulated therefrom for further reducing the inductance associated to the circuitry of the first layer and for substantially minimizing the circuit inductance of the third layer.