Abstract: A patient self-assist transfer aid provides an open box frame having a base for fitting beneath a mattress of a bed, a riser section extending upwardly from the base for extending around an edge of the mattress and a positioning section for extending out over the mattress from the riser section. The open box frame may be positioned around the mattress end at the foot of the bed to leave the major sides of the bed open for ease of access. A linkage is fitted to the positioning section of the open box frame and may be extended therefrom to position a handle within easy grasp of a person laying in the bed. A spring system biases the linkage to a retracted position in the open box frame. A handle is pivotally attached to the linkage and for grasping by a patient recumbent in the bed or lowering him or herself into bed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a target illuminating and sighting apparatus for a bow. A frame for attachment to the bow supports two vertically spaced pivoting mounts, each of mounts supports a laser oriented to illuminate a target when the bow is aimed. Cams abut the pivotal mounts and allow for setting an angle of vertical convergence between the light beams so that the lasers intersect at ranges of between about 10 and 50 yards. An inclination cam, working synchronously with the convergence cam controls the inclination of the beams relative to the initial path of an arrow to be shot from the bow. The inclination cam may be calibrated to adjust for the particular bow and arrow combination.

Abstract: A storage system for fishing poles is discloses. The storage system includes a platform adapted to rest on a boat deck. An upper surface of the platform includes receptacles to receive the butt ends of fishing poles placed in the storage system. A frame extends upwardly from the platform and supports a rectangular member above and vertically oriented with respect to the platform. Notches are formed along and into one edge of the rectangular member, corresponding one to one with receptacles on the upper surface of the platform, with which they are aligned. An arm is pivotally attached with respect to the frame to close and open along the major edge of the rectangular member including the plurality of notches. A lock is provided for securing the arm against the major edge.

Abstract: The invention is a plant cover used to protect a plant from intense sunlight. The plant cover has a rigid frame with a shade and is typically used for hanging planters. The plant cover can be further adjusted to select the type of light exposure.

Abstract: A method of repairing a damaged joint uses a prosthetic shield and/or spacers to protect regenerating cell growth on the articulating surface of the joint. The shield and spacers protect the articulating surfaces of the joint from compression and frictional stresses while guarding the bone from further damage. The shield and spacers also can deliver transplanted cells and cell enhancing growth factors to the site. The shield can be left in place or removed after the joint heals.

Abstract: The invention provides implementation of the pedagogic method of the Orton-Gillingham Approach by providing orthographic handwriting recognition, that is recognizing and pedagogically evaluating handwriting. This is done by noting, remediating or rejecting letters constructed by students which are pedagogically nonnormative in appearance, sequence of construction or both, even if the end appearance is clearly recognizable, including the possibility that the letter is perfect in end appearance.

Abstract: A prosthetic shield and its method of use are used to repair damaged joints and regenerate cartilage. The shield protects the articulating surfaces of the joint from compression and frictional stresses to protect the bone from further damage and allow cartilage to grow. The shield can be left in place or removed after the joint heals.

Abstract: A collapsible hand truck providing self stowage for components of the hand truck upon disassembly, comprising a hinged double shell foldable between a closed position defining a tube like enclosure and an open position providing a frame for the hand truck.

Abstract: A drum handling tool is provided by a lever having a plurality of gripping cradles. Each gripping cradle has a plurality of gripping elements disposed relative to one another to allow positioning of the gripping elements in impinging contact with both major surfaces of a cylindrical rim section to provide at least two, spaced areas of contact between the gripping cradle and each major surface of the section. The spacing of the gripping elements of each gripping cradle is different from the spacing for the gripping elements of the remaining gripping cradles allowing each gripping cradle to be used with cylindrical rim sections different widths and circumferences.

Abstract: The patent discloses apparatus for removing and containing spills occurring upon filling of a delivery tank truck. The spill catching basin and more particularly the drains mounted to the tops of tanks are modified to deliver liquid spilled into the basin to a single outlet along the side of the truck. A receptacle, such as a buried tank is provided to receive the runoff from the truck. Provided for connection to the outlet is a fitting which may be releasably clamped to the outside of the outlet. The fitting is coupled to the buried tank by a flexible hose and a slip coupling between the hose and the fitting.

Abstract: The invention relates to a carrier for sports equipment having a long shaft. The carrier has a base with shaftholders at opposite ends and a handle. The shaftholders hold the shaft in place to allow the sports player to carry the shafted equipment for long distances and alter the carrier's position while reducing stress on the wrist.

Abstract: A cue tip is provided from a polyurethane elastomer having a hardness between Shore A 60 to Shore D 50. The cue tip has a hemispherically shaped striking surface having a diameter of between 7.0 and 15 millimeters and exhibiting a high coefficient of friction with billiard balls in an unchalked condition.

Abstract: The tire shredder includes a frame, a conveyor assembly depending from the frame defining a feed path for the tires and debris from an input end to a discharge end, a carriage supported with respect to the conveyor assembly to have a reciprocating linear travel across the linear feed path at the discharge end, and a plurality of rotary cutting elements mounted on the carriage with axes of rotation parallel to the travel of the carriage. By providing a plurality of rotary cutting elements tires coming in a wide variety of sizes can be handled.

Abstract: A cursor positioning system for a data processing system having a user interface shell defining positions for user entry of commands and data, a hot spot associated with a position in the user interface shell and a hot spot positioning device is disclosed. The cursor positioning provides for initially imaging a cursor in association with the hot spot and after computer prompted entry into a graphical operation mode by the user, detaching the displayed cursor from the hot spot. The hot spot position thereafter resets to a base position after every movement of the hot spot positioning device. The displayed cursor is moved to a series of successive locations in response to user manipulation of the hot spot positioning device, starting from the then current locations of the cursor with each move.

Abstract: A disk drive provides a defect list for each recording surface itemizing selected areas of recording surface by location, size and graded by an expected abnormal error rate. The defect list is utilized upon formatting of a recording surface to rate sectors as available or unavailable depending upon a map of data types to be written to the sectors and alignment of the map to the defects.

Abstract: A system and method of compressing original video data expressed in a plurality of digitally coded frames which enable decompression and playback of resulting compressed video data at one of a plurality of frame rates while maintaining temporal fidelity of the frames displayed. Compression includes selecting a plurality of rate streams for the compressed video data, including a highest rate stream including all of the frames of the original video data and a lowest rate stream including a subset of regularly spaced frames of the original video data. Then the initial frame in the original video data is spatially compressed and the resulting compressed data placed in the compressed video data. The initial frame is also saved as a base frame for all rate streams for subsequent temporal compression of the original video data.

Abstract: A frame-differencing based method for coding and decoding color video data suitable for real-time, software-only based decompression and playback in low-end personal computers wherein the computational demands required of a computer microprocessor to implement the method are readily met by microprocessors such as an Intel 80386SX microprocessor running at 16 Mhz. Frame-to-frame differences are detected in a manner analogous to human perception of luminance data, rather than by the differences in the actual numerical video data. This permits greater compression of data without added computational complexity to the decompression process. Image analysis techniques are employed to ameliorate the appearance of the video. A lossless coding method that unifies two separate compressed data entities is used to obtain a greater amount of compression and simultaneously to reduce the computational complexity of the decompression process.

Abstract: A graphical user interface for a data processing system includes a method of generating a popup menu of actions allowed on an object represented in the graphical user interface. The method includes the steps of interrogating extended attributes for an object and each elder object to the object. Interrogation is for default actions and suppression markers. With each interrogation step the method adds actions linked to the object or to an elder object by another application and removes actions identified by suppression markers by another application from an interim list. After interrogation of the layers for modifications from other applications, the method provides for determining if any user defined actions and suppression markers are present for the object. If yes, the user defined actions are added to the interim list and actions matched by the suppression markers are removed from the interim list. A popup menu is then generated from the interim list.

Abstract: A method of quantitatively measuring fidelity of a reproduced image reconstructed from a compressed data representation of an original image is disclosed. The method comprises, responsive to user selection, for establishing a global assessment mode or a local assessment mode. In the global assessment mode changes in luminance of the reproduced image from the original image and changes in color in first and second color difference values of the reproduced image from the original image are used score fidelity. Changes in luminance are measured using a dynamic range, nonlinear transform equation. In the local assessment mode, and responsive to user selection, the reproduced image and the original image are segmented and corresponding pairs of segments from the reproduced image and the original image are identified. Scoring of fidelity of the reproduced image to the original image is done by comparing corresponding pairs of segments in color, luminance, shape, displacement and texture.