Abstract: A system for reducing evaporation of slow moving water in a water conveyance structure, such as an aqueduct or canal, which includes a series of floating membrane sheets, where each sheet has a leading edge attached to a cable anchored at each end to the water conveyance structure across the water and a trailing edge that underlies the leading edge of the adjacent sheet and that floats on the surface of the water, with the membrane sheets carrying a solar energy system for the production of electrical energy.

Abstract: An improved automated spa cover lifting device and thermally efficient, foldable spa cover, the lifting device having a motorized expandable and retractable strut attachable to a spa housing and to at least one of two pivotal side arms that connect or support a folded spa cover to the spa housing during displacement with the preferred spa cover having a bevel at the fold to improve the thermal efficiency of the cover.

Abstract: A nut cracking mechanism for shelling variable-sized nuts having a brittle shell and fragile nut meat, the nut cracker mechanism having a housing with a horizontally positioned rotatable drum contained in the housing, and an adjustable, substantially vertical compression plate mounted in the housing with a cracking surface displaced from a cylindrical slip resistant cracking surface of the drum to form a narrowing gap between the drum and the compression plate, the gap having an upper portion sized to accommodate nuts of varying sizes and a lower portion sized to compress nuts between the cylindrical surface of the drum and the compression plate until the nut cracks and releases its meat, the mechanism having associated components to feed nuts to the top of the mechanism and receive shells and meat from the bottom of the mechanism.

Abstract: A pipe coupler for coupling pipe of dissimilar composition having a substantially cylindrical housing with a stub end and a bell end, the housing having a primarily plastic composition with an embedded anchor ring at the bell end wherein the anchor ring includes a plurality of threaded radial holes and a set of gripping bolts with ends that physically engage an outer surface of a pipe inserted into the bell end of the housing and a plurality of threaded axial holes off-set from the radial holes with a compressor ring, sized to slip over the end of a pipe inserted into the bell end of the housing, the compressor ring compressing a seal when a series of axial bolts engaging the anchor ring are tightened.

Abstract: A repair sleeve carrier for transporting a repair liner into a conduit to the location of damage or leakage for repairing the conduit from the inside, the sleeve carrier having a segmented flex tubing and a bladder with ends attached to the flex tubing and an unattached middle portion forming a cavity between the middle portion of the bladder and the flex tubing with an air passage to the cavity, the sleeve carrier having an air supply connect or that connects to an air supply to provide pressurized air to the cavity through the passage to inflate the bladder.

Abstract: Automated laboratory apparatus for determining the volume of liquid samples contained in the cavities of laboratory sample collectors, such as well trays or tube racks, the apparatus having an ultrasonic height measuring instrument and a processor for calculating the volume of liquid in a particular sample container from the measured height, the apparatus also having a robotic displacement mechanism that selectively positions an ultrasonic height measuring sensor above a select sample container in the well tray or tube rack for measuring the height of liquid in the container, comparing the measured height to the height of the bottom of an empty container and calculating the volume of liquid in that container.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to monitor MQoS of wireless mobile devices is described. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method to monitor the health of 3G mobile devices and provide a status check of such health to network technicians, supervisors, and management. In one aspect, mobile devices on the network perform measurement of MQoS factors that are reported to a quality of service backend. The MQoS data is combined to show current and historical network status. In another aspect, alarms may be set to notify specific managers when manager programmable conditions occur, such as low system performance, or specific error conditions occur. Reports may be generated summarizing and illustrating performance in tabular and graphical form. Parameters used for testing and monitoring mobile devices may be input to specific mobile devices or groups of mobile devices in a system.

Abstract: A pair of stabilizer straps for a spa cover lift mechanism for foldable spa covers used to protect and retain heat in spas and similar apparatus, the stabilizer straps being spaced apart and having one end fastened to the back side of a generally square or rectangular cabinet and an opposite end to the spa cover, wherein a conventional lift mechanism has side arms with first ends pivotally connected to opposite sides of the spa cabinet displaced from the back side and second ends connected to a cross member located at a spa cover fold, the stabilizer straps aiding in evenly displacing a folded cover to the back side of the spa cabinet for use of the spa.

Abstract: A test tube pick system for picking and placing test tubes in a rack that includes a hand-held pick unit that communicates with a host device that assists in instructing the picking and placement of test tubes, the hand-held pick unit having a housing with a hand grip portion, a control portion with an actuator control and a display for displaying alphanumeric characters for pick and placement locations, a pick portion having four extending fingers with bent ends forming four parallel spaced end prongs, and an actuator mechanism that displaces and spreads at least two of the four end prongs when the actuator control is activated by a user.

Abstract: A closed-cycle gas turbine power generator system with a combined cycle system with a neutral gaseous primary motive medium and a secondary phase change medium with a lower pressure sub-system having a counter-rotating compressor module in combination with a counter-rotating gas turbine module, and with a higher pressure sub-system having a counter-rotating compressor module and a counter-rotating gas turbine module wherein the phase change medium in liquid form is injected into the compressor modules during compression of the primary motive medium with the phase change medium changing to a gas to form a compressed gaseous mixture that is heated by the heat source and supplied to the gas turbine module of the higher pressure sub-system for partial expansion and combining with a heated portion of the compressed gaseous mixture from the compressor module for final expansion in the lower pressure gas turbine modules.

Abstract: An electrical machine having a magnet assembly with a magnet carrier ring with an even number of permanent magnets mounted in the carrier ring around a circular locus, and a conductor assembly with one or more conductor circuits wound in a double helix wave winding around a flat conductor support ring with the conductor circuits having uniformly curved conductor segments of involute or arcuate configuration wherein the magnet assembly and conductor assembly are contained in a housing with the magnet assembly rotating relative to the conductor assembly.

Abstract: A wireless air-volume damper control system for regulating air balance in a ducted network, the damper control system having one damper or more damper units installable in the ducted network at locations where air flow in the terminal can be adjusted, the damper units each having a damper blade with a motor to pivot the blade, a power source for powering the motor and pivoting the blade, a receiver and electronic circuitry that operates the motor in response to signals received by the receiver with a portable remote controller having inputs controls and a transmitter that transmits signals to the receiver for operation of the damper unit and a flow volume measuring device for measuring the volume of air flowing in the terminal, the airflow being adjusted by signals from the transmitter of the remote controller in response to measurements from the flow volume measuring device.

Abstract: A modular floating dock system utilizing steel frame modules that are interconnected to form the dock system desired, the modules preferably having a concrete deck and pontoons or floats with the modules being interconnected with high strength bolts with a primary shock pad being interposed between adjacent modules.

Abstract: A paint container liner system including disposable liners and an open container for receiving at least one of the disposable liners, the liners being sized and configured to fit into the inside of the container and around the rim of the container, the liners being maintained in position in the container by a suction generated during installation in one embodiment and by a noncuring adhesive interposed between the liner and container in another embodiment, the liners also being stretched around the rim of the container and in another embodiment configured with a rounded bottom to retain the liner in place during use, the system also including a container cap with a slot for supporting a paint brush during periods of nonuse.

Abstract: A system for the duplication of binary data onto CD-R disks, the system including a copy unit, a host computer and computer software, the software being installed in the host computer to provide a user interface and to direct the transfer of data from the host computer to the copy unit including a set of multiple stacked recordable disk drives, a microprocessor electronically connected to the activating mechanism of a pivotal transport tower and to the set of multiple stacked recordable disk drives. A robotic disk pickup head on the pivotal transport tower is encompassed by a set of disk spindle members arranged in a symmetric semi-circular pattern around the central tower, the disk pickup head being connected to the pivotal transport tower with an elevator mechanism for lifting and transporting compact disks among the disk spindle members and any selected one of the stacked recordable disk drive members.

Abstract: A beverage holder with advertising display providing a slot at the top of the display for the placement of an advertisement card, the beverage holder being designed to be attached to a flush valve housing in a commercial sanitary fixture such as a urinal or toilet without modification to the flush valve, the beverage holder having a base with a threaded opening for a long threaded shaft to hold a clear plastic display mounted on top of said shaft as a changeable eye level advertisement and a plurality of depending legs with end teeth that engage the flush valve housing of the sanitary fixture.

Abstract: An inflatable pipe plug having an improved mold-formed gripping surface and a method of fabricating the pipe plug. The pipe plug has a cylindrical elastic body with ends that are connected to rigid end caps by a swaging ring, the outer surface of the expandable elastic body having a series of raised ribs and textured bands formed by expanding an uncured cylindrical rubber sleeve in a mold and curing the sleeve to form the plug body.

Abstract: An efficient turbine system that preferably utilizes nuclear thermal energy in a unique combined Carnot cycle and Rankine cycle in a closed cogenerative and regenerative cycle with a condensible working fluid heated by the nuclear thermal energy and delivered to each stage of a multiple-stage gas turbine for isothermal expansion with a portion of the spent working fluid condensed and injected onto stators before and between the turbine blade stages and onto the turbine blades for a regenerative cogeneration expansion that supplements and combines with the primary working fluid in the staged gas turbine and in a final adiabatic expansion in a staged recovery turbine with work extracted by electric generators.