Abstract: The clip consists of two separate branches, the facing surfaces of which have profiles which allow the pressure effecting occlusion of the oviduct or vas deferens to be generated only in two separate pressure zones while a cavity is formed as nutrition zone between the two pressure zones to relieve the oviduct or vas deferens of pressure and enable its tissue to be nourished. The branches are connected with one another at both ends by detent closure means.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for desulfurizing flue gas n fuel oil firing systems comprising a residual heat exchanger forming an acid condensate. A neutralizing agent is added to the acid condensate and the neutralized condensate recirculated to the residual heat exchanger for the purpose of dissolving sulfur dioxide. The apparatus for carrying out this method in a fuel oil firing system comprising a residual heat exchanger and a collecting tank for the condensate is provided with a pump and a tank filled with neutralizing agent which are both disposed in a condensate recirculation conduit leading from the collecting tank to the residual heat exchanger.

Abstract: Storage media such as digital optical disks, PROMS, and paper tape consist of a number of bit positions which initially contain a "zero" and which can later be irreversibly overwritten with a "one". An apparatus and method provide for rewriting in such "non-erasable memories" for expanding their capacity by allowing the non-erasable memory to be rewritten one or more time.

Abstract: A device for supporting a building line reference consists of an elongate plate member for adjustable attachment to a wall face having upper and lower parallel channels, and a vertically oriented square section hollow member, in which said reference is received, secured to a plate slidably engaged in said channels having means for locking the plate against slidable movement. Said hollow member including two horizontal pivot bars located on the inside of two adjacent walls and threaded holes formed in said other two adjacent walls and positioned above and below said pivot bars whereby the reference member may be urged against said bars and brought into vertical orientation by the adjustment of threaded bolts received in said threaded holes.

Abstract: A shower spray device comprises a head (1) including a chamber and fluid paths to supply water thereto, an outer wall (2) of the chamber being formed from a plurality of concentric spray rings (3,4,5), serrations (9,10,10a) formed in the wall of one ring defining in co-operation with the wall of an adjacent ring, apertures (9a, 11,11a) through which water is emitted; one of the spray rings (4) being movable with respect to a fixed adjacent ring (3) against a spring (8,14) contained in the head, the walls of the movable (4) and adjacent fixed ring (3) being angled relative to each other whereby movement of the movable ring in response to changes in inlet water pressure results in a change in size of the apertures (11,11a) defined therebetween to provide that the water pressure emitted through the apertures (11,11a,9a) remains substantially constant.

Abstract: A flexible package that conforms closely to and fully encloses one or more objects with square or rectangular sides is formed of a flexible, light weight, and preferably heat sealable material such as a thermoplastic. In the preferred embodiments, the packaging is manufactured from tubular or parallel sheets of flexible thermoplastic material laid flat to form two layers, which are than folded into a U-shape with the band at the bottom and the side seams heat sealed to form an open topped, double walled package. The package specifications are determined from the dimensions and quantity of the objects to be packaged. Prior to sealing the sides of the package, the bottom portion of the material is tucked up between the sides to a distance equal to one-half the depth of the finished container so that when the objects are placed in the container, the bottom corners spread to form right angles.

Abstract: A low cost, mechanical method and apparatus for controlling the size of an internal orifice in a deformable tubing, particularly tubing of a viscoelastic material such as PVC used to administer intravenous fluids. A portion of the tubing is clamped to place a portion of the internal walls of the tubing into contact with one another at a plane of contact. The non-contacting portions of the tubing define at least one flow orifice. The contacting portions are then further compressed so that the wall thickness of the contacting tubes is reduced from its initial, unclamped thickness. The degree of this compression is such as to cause the adjacent tubing wall portions to curve away from the plane of contact, preferably with four point symmetry. This condition is also characterized by the stresses within the tube wall tending to expand or contract the orifice being generally in equilibrium within a brief period of time, typically less than five minutes, during which period the orifice usually expands slightly.

Abstract: A contactor assembly for testing electronic devices that are packaged with a dual-in-line pin array has an insulating base that mounts two rows of contacts, each adapted to flex into electrical connection with a pin of the device, and a pair of flexible ground planes each spaced closely from an associated one row of said contacts. A flexible, insulating spacer maintains the ground planes and their associated row of contacts with a substantially fixed spacing there between during the flexural movement of said contacts. In the preferred form, the upper edge of the ground planes adjacent the pins includes an arrangement for securing a chip electornic device, a capacitor or a resistor. The other end of the chip mounts a contact tip that makes electrical connection with an associated pin when the associated contact also connects with the pin. The signal path provided by the holder, chip and tip is extremely short, preferably less than 0.150 inch.

Abstract: A shelving structure comprising shelving connected without tools or bolts by slipping upright, hollow support pieces through holes in the shelving. T-shaped brackets are inserted through generally horizontally aligned openings in the uprights and secured by lowering a downwardly extending projection of the bracket into the hollow uprights, preferably with a close-fitting relationship. In the preferred form, the upper portion of the brackets are received into grooves on the underside of the shelves. A variety of embodiments may be constructed utilizing the same support pieces, brackets, and shelving.

Abstract: A switching system operable in response to the travel of a vehicular lever or pedal such as a clutch for opening and closing operating circuits of the vehicle. The system includes actuators for moving switch contacts to change the conditions of the circuits in which they are incorporated and extension arms connected to said actuators through ratchet-and-pawl mechanisms. The extension arms are contacted and moved by an arm of the vehicular lever or pedal against spring bias which returns the actuators to the positions they were in before contact by the pedal arm. The ratchet-and-pawl mechanisms automatically compensate for increases in travel and may be reset for decreases in travel of the lever or pedal.

Abstract: A photoresist-type chemical etching process is used to define a computer-generated flat pattern of conductors as if a complex conical spiral had been cut apart along a straight line through the apex and laid flat. The substrate in the shape of a circular sector is bent into a cone and the radial edges are joined in a seam. The split turns of the spiral are electrically interconnected across the seam.

Abstract: The laser gyro includes a laser and a ring resonator. Apparatus is provided for coupling counter-propagating beams of light from the laser into the resonator. The frequency of the laser is scanned across the resonance frequency of the resonator in steps superimposed on a dc level. The intensity of light in one of the counter-propagating beams is detected during each of the steps and the difference in intensity of the detected light is determined. The difference in the intensity of the detected light is used to alter the dc level of the steps so as to drive the difference to zero. The intensity of light in the other of the counter propagating beams is detected during each of the steps and the difference in intensity is also detected. This difference is indicative of the rotation rate of the gyro.

Abstract: A computerized transceiver repeatedly sweeps through a set of transmit/receive frequencies to interrogate collectively a plurality of groups of items in a stocking area. Items in each group are tagged with a printed circuit transponder tuned to frequencies uniquely assigned to each group. Data turned is stored and combined mathematically by the computer to arrive at the total number of items in each group. The system is particularly adapted for taking inventory of a large number of retail shelf goods using a mobile transceiver.

Abstract: A method for patterning a photoresist or insulating layer on a printed wiring board utilizes two photoreactive coatings comprising a photoprocessable ultraviolet (UV) sensitive layer overlaid with a thin, unexposed, undeveloped strip base silver film. A white light x-y plotter, preferably employing an octagonal aperture, is driven directly from a CAD system to expose the film on the board in the desired pattern without affecting the underlying UV sensitive layer. The film is then developed on the board and employed as an in situ mask for the underlying UV layer during exposure of the board to a UV flood lamp. After UV exposure the film is peeled off to allow conventional processing of the selectively polymerized layer. This technique produces high resolution, inspectable onboard masks in full registration using reliable low energy plotters.

Abstract: In order to adjust the fiber orientation of a valve spring retainer made of arbon fiber reinforced synthetic material to the stresses appearing in practical operation, it is suggested that several stacked carbon fiber tissue layers be bedded into the valve spring retainer, that a conical opening run vertical to the tissue layers through these, that the weft and warp threads of the tissue layers are displaced from the cross section of the opening to the outside and each project over a part of the perimeter of the opening and that in the edge area of the opening the displaced weft and warp threads have a greater thickness than in the areas farther away from the opening. Furthermore, a process for the production of such a valve spring retainer is discussed.

Abstract: A recreational snow sled comprises an elongated molded plastic shell having a longitudinal central rib forming a U-shaped bottom channel of gradually increasing depth toward the rear of the sled. The sled is designed to carry a person seated in a kneeling position straddling the hump formed by the central channel. The rider is restrained at the knees by a strap running across the forward gunwales of the shell. When the sled is sliding downhill, the central channel tends to form a ridge of packed snow enhancing axial stability and maneuverability. The angle of attack may be controlled by leaning backwards so that the front of the sled is tilted up by the knee strap.

Abstract: A welding flux binder and welding flux comprising the reaction product of a hydrolyzed and polymerized organometallic compound selected from the group consisting of metal alkoxides including tetraalkylorthosilicate, tetraalkylorthotitanate, tetraalkylorthozirconate and trialkylaluminate, metal esters, and metal oxalates. The organometallic compound is hydrolyzed and then polymerized to form a gel glass phase. Alkali and alkaline earth salts are added to stabilize and reduce the viscosity of the gel. The resulting welding flux binder and flux are non-hygroscopic and have a high fired strength.

Abstract: Passive ring resonator laser gyro. The gyro eliminates the need for separate frequency control devices for the two counter propagating beams. A semiconductor laser diode, the source, is switched between two frequencies and its output is coupled into a branching waveguide. The light in the waveguide is coupled into a resonant ring waveguide and then sampled by detectors. The laser current is switched at a fixed rate between two values. The values are selected such as to cause the laser output to switch between the resonant frequencies of the two directions of propagation in the ring. These values are determined by a resonance tracking servo. The disclosed laser gyro eliminates the need for active frequency controlled devices in the waveguide structure resulting in less noise, better signal, and reduced cost.

Abstract: A system and process for growing extremely high quality single crystal materials, particularly silicon and other semiconductor materials, containing a generally uniform distribution of dopants, impurities, and oxygen, both axially and radially, wherein the concentration of impurities and oxygen and the number of defects are minimized. A significant feature is the use of a shallow tray-like crucible consisting of a replenishment zone and at least one crystal growth zone independently heated by one or more heating elements through the bottom of the crucible. In the preferred embodiment, an oval shaped crucible is used which consists of one replenishment zone and one growth zone. In one embodiment, a spiral shaped heater is centered underneath the feed rod and growing crystal and a "picture frame" shaped heater is located underneath the outer edges of the replenishment and growth zones to provide a more controlled thermal gradient.

Abstract: Passive ring resonator laser gyro in which the clockwise and counterclockwise beams do not coexist in the resonator. The laser gyro employs thin film technology. In particular, the preferred laser is a gallium aluminum arsenide laser. Light from the laser is phase-modulated by means of a thin film electro-optic modulator comprising a channel waveguide disposed on an electrically active material and flanked by electrodes for modulating the phase of light from the laser. An electro-optic switch is provided for switching light from the laser to inject alternatingly clockwise and counterclockwise beams into the resonator. The resulting gyro is extremely compact and simply implemented into an integrated, thin film package. Because the clockwise and counterclockwise beams do not coexist in the resonator, various beam interaction effects such as beats, backscatter and feedback into the laser are eliminated.