Abstract: Apparatus for winding a fishing line or the like onto or off from a variety of fishing reels, including a pair of reel holders positioned on opposite sides of the reel with one of the holders being rotatably driven as by a motor. One of the reel holders includes a support face that bears against an end of the reel, an axial hole in the holder, a centering shaft with a tapered face slideably mounted in the hole, and a spring that urges the tapered face of the shaft towards the reel to enter a central hole in the reel and thereby center the reel on the axis of rotation of the reel holder. One of the reel holders is in the shape of a spool with a tapered line-receiving axle and with a removable spool end at the narrowest end of the axle, so that line wound onto the tapered axle can be easily removed. Reels with bases are held on a frame with a cam-operated clamping bracket.

Abstract: A system is provided for generating a plurality of light images in different colors from a single laser light source, and moving these varying light images in predetermined paths in response to signals synchronized with music.

Abstract: A unipolar living tissue stimulator of the implantable type with an outer plate electrode which in one embodiment consists of a flat metal plate slotted by slots to form a plurality of electrically conductive strips. Each strip is electrically in contact with any other strip through only a single path. The strips are dimensioned so that any substantially square or circular surface area on any strip is significantly smaller than the total conductive surface area of the plate. Consequently, the heating of the slotted plate due to an external alternating magnetic field is reduced significantly.

Abstract: A small wavelength antenna comprises a paraboloidal reflector with a rim about its periphery and a single feed dipole, backed by a circular cup-shaped cavity. The reflector, dipole and cavity are symmetrically aligned about the antenna axis. The reflector diameter is on the order of 3 to 4.lambda. and the cavity diameter is less than 1.lambda. and more than 1/2.lambda., where .lambda. is any wavelength with the band of operation of the antenna. The cavity depth is on the order of 0.25 of a selected wavelength within the band, at which maximum pattern symmetry is desired, and the dipole is substantially flush with the open end of the cavity. The rim height is on the order of one-half of a selected wavelength within the band of operation of the antenna at which gain is to be optimized.

Abstract: A radar target enhancement system is provided whereby a received target signal is regenerated and retransmitted with the same frequency and pulse width as the received target sigal.

Abstract: This invention accelerates the leakage current from certain nodes of memory cells in static semiconductor memory to an extent whereby defective memory cells, which would not be detected without a considerable waiting period elapsing, are readily quickly detected.

Abstract: The application describes an electrical connector of the type which has a row of contact elements with mating ends and with upstanding slotted rearward ends that receive and pierce insulated wires, the edges of the slots being concave to form a pair of corners for pressing into the core of the wire to make good electrical contact therewith.

Abstract: In a system of the type wherein a floppy magnetic disc enclosed in an envelope stores data on both sides, unless great care is taken in inserting the floppy disc into the using apparatus, which reads from or writes thereon, one can accidentally or erroneously erase or write over data. This invention provides a floppy disc with a hole which can align with one or the other of a pair of two holes through an envelope in which said disc rotates. An opaque moveable means can be positioned to block one or the other of these pair of holes. A photocell will produce enabling signals by sensing light passing through only one of the pair of holes when the floppy disc is positioned one way in the using apparatus and through the other of the pair of holes when the floppy disc is positioned another way in the using apparatus. Accordingly, only when the floppy disc is correctly positioned in the using apparatus can the transducer head be enabled to write or read.

Abstract: An automatic pet feed dispenser is provided in the form of a feed drum rotated about a vertical spindle by a motor. The drum is divided into bins by vertical radial panels between a hub and the drum. Each bin is closed at the bottom by a hinged sector panel held in a horizontal position by a support panel having a sector shaped opening over a chute. The hinged sector panels drop as they move into place over the chute which directs dry feed into a tray. At the same time preheated water is added to the feed tray from a metering chamber. A cam actuated switch turns on a thermostat controlled heater and a cam operated valve drains the water into the tray. A float valve refills the metering chamber from a reservoir.

Abstract: Raw sewage may be presently treated by mixing screened raw sewage with activated carbon. The mixture is then allowed to stand in a first tank for a period required to settle the suspended matter to the bottom of the tank as a sludge. Thereafter, the remaining liquid is again mixed with activated carbon and the mixture is transferred to a secondary settling tank, where it is permitted to stand for a period required for the remaining floating material to settle as sludge and for adsorption of sewage carbon as well as other impurities to take place. The sludge from the bottom of both tanks is removed and pyrolyzed to form activated carbon and ash, which is mixed with the incoming raw sewage and also mixed with the liquid being transferred from the primary to the secondary settling tank. It has been found that the output obtained by the pyrolysis process contains an excess amount of ash.

Abstract: A load cell which includes a moveable load-receiving member coupled to a support member by three parallel bands, and having strain gauges connected to the middle band, so that the strain gauges are largely unaffected by off-center application of loads. In one load cell, the ends of all bands are connected in a cantilever connection to the support and load-receiving members, except for one end of the middle band which is pivotally connected to one of the members, this resulting in even less sensitivity to off-center loading.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining whether or not a freight car in a classification yard can be adequately retarded, prior to it being moved to make up a freight train, by measuring whether the wheels of the freight car are too slippery for the car to be properly retarded to a safe speed while being moved toward the freight train.

Abstract: In a film reader, a system is provided for deriving a dynamic reference signal proportional to the intensity of light in a flying spot scanner without obstructing any radiation from the scanner to a film being read comprising light guides each disposed with one end in an annular bracket which surrounds the flux path to the film and the other end of all light guides bundled together at the face of an auxiliary photometer. The one end of each guide is held in the annular bracket with its viewing axis pointing back toward the scanner. The viewing axes of the guides are evenly spaced and arranged to pass through a circle centered on the emitting surface of the flying spot scanner. The circle is preferably of greater diameter than the scanner.

Abstract: Apparatus for use in combination with an inductive loop for detecting metal objects, e.g. vehicles, in the immediate vicinity of said loop. The loop may, for example, be a coil of wire buried in a roadway in a plane parallel to the roadway surface. Oscillator circuitry is operatively connected to the loop with the frequency of oscillation being determined by the loop inductance, which in turn is dependent on whether or not the vehicle is over the loop. The loop frequency is monitored by digital circuitry including a loop counter which counts loop oscillator cycles and a duration counter which measures the time duration of a fixed number of loop oscillator cycles. The measured time duration is compared with an adaptable reference duration to ascertain whether the loop oscillator frequency has increased or decreased. The presence of a vehicle over the loop decreases loop inductance, increases loop frequency, and thus reduces the measured time duration of a fixed number of loop cycles.

Abstract: A compact apparatus for analyzing a signature or other handwritten markings, including a horizontal platen which can support paper on which a signature is written, a pair of inner beams extending horizontally from opposite sides of the platen to an intermediate structure, and a pair of outer beams extending horizontally, and in directions perpendicular to the inner beams, between the intermediate structure and a supporting frame. Strain gauges are attached to the sides of the inner and outer beams to sense forces applied to the platen by the tip of a writing instrument in the horizontal "X" and "Y" directions, and additional strain gauges are attached to opposite faces of the outer beams to sense forces in the vertical, or "Z," direction.

Abstract: An electronic music synthesizer including a keyboard control system for enabling multiple independent voice channels (voices) to be controlled by the keyboard in a musically pleasing manner. The control system responds to a keyboard of M keys to control N voices where N<M; e.g. M=64 and N=10. The voice channels are preferably identical to one another, each being comprised of voltage controlled elements such as an oscillator (VCO), amplifier (VCA) and filter (VCF). Typically, the control system selects an available voice channel and in response to a key depression, supplies a DC control voltage thereto whose level is nominally linearly related to the note corresponding to the depressed key. In addition to the control voltage, the control system supplies a gate signal to the selected voice channel indicating the time duration of the key depression.

Abstract: A gun for spraying resin and catalyst and for holding an air-powered chopper that chops and deploys fiberglass, wherein the gun has an air-powered spray release valve, and has an air control valve operated by a single trigger to separately control the flow of air to the spray release valve and to the chopper. A nozzle plate at the front end of the spray gun has a convex rearward surface with two holes for receiving nozzle inserts, the holes being formed perpendicular to the convex surface so the sprays from the two nozzles cross a short distance in front of the gun.

Abstract: A copying machine which includes a thin flexible sheet with a layer of chromium dioxide, a lamp for shining light at the sheet and a document to be copied to form a magnetic image on the chromium dioxide layer, a drum having a layer of nickel cobalt, a transfer head for pressing the sheet against the drum while applying an anhysteretic magnetic field to them to transfer the magnetic image to the nickel cobalt, an applicator for applying toner to the drum, and a mechanism for pressing sheets of paper against the drum to transfer the toner to the paper. The nickel cobalt layer has a lower coercivity but higher remanence than the chromium dioxide, so that the magnetic field on the drum can be of greater strength than the original magnetic field on the chromium dioxide layer. Also, the nickel cobalt layer on the drum is a smooth continuous metallic layer which can perform better printing than the nonmetallic chromium dioxide particles which are held in a resinous binder on the flexible sheet.

Abstract: A hammer bank assembly useful in high speed, moving type, impact printers of the kind generally employed in data processing systems. The assembly is comprised of a mounting structure supporting a plurality of aligned hammer modules and a plurality of aligned magnet modules. The mounting structure includes a rigid cylindrical tube and a plurality of fastening members disposed therealong. Each hammer module includes multiple hammers resiliently mounted on a common foot member. Each hammer is comprised of an impact tip carried on a rigid coil structure. Each hammer module foot member has a recess of substantially semicircular cross section dimensioned to conform to the periphery of the rigid tube. A plurality of identical hammer modules are mounted on the rigid tube with each foot member being secured to a different fastening member and with the tube engaging each foot member in the recess thereof.

Abstract: An improved inductive loop structure useful for detecting metal objects such as vehicles on a roadway. The two terminal loop is formed by a conductive wire configured to define two substantially rectangular paths lying side by side in a common plane such that respective sides of the two paths lie adjacent one another. Alternating current is supplied to the terminals of the wire to produce a commonly oriented magnetic field around the adjacent sides of the rectangular paths and an oppositely oriented magnetic field of lesser magnitude around each of the outer sides of said rectangular paths. As a consequence, the field components interact to enhance field strength within the area bounded by said outer sides and reduce field strength outside of that area.