Abstract: An adjustable pre-load screw and nut assembly is described including a screw with external helical threads and a nut having two separate portions each with internal threads complementary to those on the screw. An adjustment nut and adjacent O-ring can be turned an amount sufficient to interengage the nut portions to urge them apart and thus establish contact with opposing surfaces of the screw threads to effect pre-loaded contact therewith to eliminate backlash when the screw is turned in either direction.

Abstract: A method is described herein which provides for mixing of fluent materials enclosed in a flexible bag. The bags are conveyed in sequence along a conveying member which is vibrated to effect bag motion and turning thereof during the advance. Advance is blocked by one or more low baffles but turning of each blocked bag continues, but when a succeeding bag engages the blocked bag, it turns in the opposite direction so as to ride over the blocking baffle and continue in its advance. Apparatus for automatically carrying out the method steps is also described.

Abstract: A traffic control marker and marker base is described taking the form of a dome-shaped resilient body member whose ends lie in a flat plane and whose sides are outwardly flared. The marker can be formed by cutting a used pneumatic tire into arcuate segments, each of which can be forcefully inverted to automatically provide such body member. In many circumstances, the bodies alone, colored with eye-catching fluorescent or reflective coatings, can be effectively used for traffic control markers. And in other circumstances they can serve as a resilient light-weight base whereon various visual indicators such as a flag, sign, reflector, or light can be removably mounted in various ways to rise therefrom.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a bag sealer and/or cutter including a hollow resilient core member over which the end of a paper or plastic bag can be folded, whereupon a resilient cover member can be applied thereover to effect sealing closure of the open end of a bag. The cover member also mounts an interior cutting blade to facilitate the initial opening of the bag.

Abstract: A high quality fiber optic viewing device is provided which includes a fiber optic bundle having two ends, each end being cut in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the optical fibers and highly polished. At the input end of the device a lens system presents a wide angle view to the bundle. The output end is able to be viewed directly or by a television camera. The device is particularly suited for use in moving vehicles, security systems and inspection of dangerous or hard to reach objects.

Abstract: Disclosed is a self-contained batting practice apparatus including a cage or enclosure preferably formed by resilient flexible material supported within an exterior frame so that a batted ball only engages a flexible surface. A ball throwing unit is arranged to throw a ball from one end of the cage to a batter positioned at the opposite end. A batted ball engages the flexible cage walls and drops to the bottom, which is sloped so that the ball rolls to an opening and drops therethrough to a conveyor system which recycles the ball to the throwing unit through a ball control unit which delivers the balls in timed sequence for repeated throws to the batter.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for realigning vehicle body and frame members including a movable platform on which a vehicle may rest and a movably supported carrier member connected to such platform and carrying force-exerting means for applying force to vehicle elements at various selected angles.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a caddy for the various detachable operating elements of a food processor. One section receives the blades or paddles and accomodates their mounting stems or shanks. Another section includes a plurality of narrow compartments for receiving slicing or grating discs while a further section includes vertically aligned openings for receiving elongated elements.

Abstract: The invention is an apparatus having an improved arrangement of sensing and illumination elements for high speed, non-contact, three-dimensional mensuration of a surface. The surface is illuminated by a single plane of light producing a contour line. The line is viewed from two or more vantage points, alleviating shadowing from many types of large surface irregularities. The geometry of the apparatus is tolerant of moving surfaces, allows higher data rates and has great depth of field for the sensor.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for automatic mensuration of three-dimensional surfaces. The surface is sensed via non-contact optical triangulation means and the optically produced image measured by electronic means. The electronic measurements are encoded as binary data and passed to a digital computer for storage, analysis and other functions. The invention is significant because of the speed and relative simplicity of the method and a provision for alleviating shadowing from large surface irregularities. The apparatus has no moving parts, excepting a mechanism to provide for movement of the apparatus relative to the surface so as to progressively view the entire surface. This invention projects two or more planes of light which intersect the surface at known angles, producing illuminated lines. Said lines are viewed by a video type camera placed at a known angle away from the planes so that displacements in the line may be sensed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a page-turning apparatus which includes a platform which can rest on a piano music rack or the like and upon which a book, sheet music or the like can be supported. Regardless of its size, adjustable clamps are arranged to hold the book centered on the platform, and central page hold-down means are releasably urged against the opened pages. A movable member at one side of the platform can be actuated to frictionally engage and push a single page and during such page turning, correlated means are actuated to release the page hold-down means.

Abstract: An equipment lockdown apparatus for locking pieces of equipment such as computer modules, typewriters or the like is disclosed. The apparatus includes a sub-base suitably secured to a desk or other supporting structure and which supports the remainder of the unit for rotation. A base shelf is included together with a pedestal which rotatably supports thereon one or more additional shelves for rotation. Shields are positioned adjacent each shelf to preclude access to fastening elements for the pieces of equipment on each shelf and a key-controlled locking mechanism holds the entire unit in assembled relation thus precluding access to the fastening means whereby the pieces of equipment are securely locked.

Abstract: The invention involves a programmable alarm system including a local communicator having one or more sensors responsive to problem situations such as illegal intrusion, fire, panic or the like, which can be installed in a residence, office or other premises to sense a problem situation, and after conversion to a digital format transmit the information through a telephone line to a central receiver for temporary and permanent display of the location of the residence or other premise and the particular problem encountered. The communicator operation and sensor characteristics can be programmed for each location by temporary attachment of a programmer unit, thus to provide flexibility. In addition, in the event that the integrity of the system is interrupted (e.g., line severance), a separate redundant system is rendered operative to indicate the problem situation.

Abstract: A sling shot formed by two laterally-spaced guide members secured on a base member to project generally in the direction of propulsion and encompass a resilient member extending through the guide members and across the forward extremities thereof so as to engage a shot, arrow, or other projectile to enable efficient propulsion thereof.

Abstract: Herein is disclosed a method of and apparatus for measuring optical frequency variations wherein linearly-polarized incident light generated by a tunable laser or the like is delivered to a passive resonant cavity incorporating a linear polarizer such as a Brewster plate so that the reflected light acquires a frequency-dependent elliptical polarization which can be detected by a simple polarization analyzer providing a signal correlated with the frequency variation of the laser. Such signal can be utilized as a feedback error signal to stabilize the laser frequency, or to adjust the cavity resonance. If the cavity is tunable, tuning thereof will in turn provide a precision method for tuning of the laser itself.

Abstract: The invention involves a free electron laser having reduced sensitivity to variations in the energy of the input electrons. This effect is achieved by first laterally dispersing the electrons in accordance with their energies and thereafter injecting the dispersed electrons with angular and/or lateral variations to alternate polarity deflecting means.

Abstract: Discloed herein is a new method of producing ethanol from the Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) by removing the sugar juices from the stalk before the sugar moves down into the tubers and directly fermenting the sugar to produce ethanol, thereby eliminating the necessity of converting the resulting starches found in the tubes to fermentable sugars before fermenting the sugar to produce ethanol.

Abstract: The invention provides a water-driven brush in the form of a hand-held unit having a water inlet that can be connected to a sink faucet to provide a power source for a rotary brush that can be used for scrubbing plates or pots in the sink. A portion of the water is deflected onto the brush to facilitate the operation and the major water discharge through a main outlet can be used for rinsing the plates or pots.

Abstract: The invention involves an attachment for bluff forward surface vehicles including a curved inner fairing adjacent one or more rectangular corners of the vehicle together with a spaced air foil member providing high lift characteristics and a convergent path between the members, both to reduce the air resistance and air flow separation from the top and sides of the vehicle, thus to reduce air drag and increase efficiency of operation. If the vehicle corners are more rounded, the inner fairing can be dispensed with and the air foil member merely attached to the vehicle corner in appropriate spaced relation.

Abstract: The invention involves a digital synthetic-focus, acoustic imaging system which is operative in real time and includes one or more electro-acoustic transducers arranged to receive broadband pulses from a pulse generator for excitation of acoustic pulses which are directed into the region under observation. Signals reflected from an object or discontinuity in the region are received by the same transducers, and after inverse filtering and nonlinear amplification are converted to digital signals. These digital signals are stored in separate high speed random access memory units for storage, but are subsequently time-equalized through use of a programmed focus memory unit prior to delivery to a digital adder and thence through a digital-to-analog converter for ultimate intensity modulation on a raster scanned display unit which provides the real time image.