Abstract: There is disclosed a modular trailer hitch and tow bar having multiple coupling points at which the trailer may be separated from its towing vehicle. The first is a pivoting coupling on a vehicle mount unit near the horizontal axis of the towing vehicle rear wheels. The second coupling is rearwardly displaced from the first and is a sleeve and bar coupling which is normally used to separate the tow bar into a trailer connector unit and a vehicle mount unit. The third coupling is rearwardly displaced from the second and is arranged to conform to the juncture of the bifurcated arms of a conventional travel trailer tongue. The third coupling operates in conjunction with clamps engaging the tongue to form a rigid and rugged joinder of tow bar to trailer tongue arms. A vehicle mounted tow bar holder holds the truck mount unit portion stationary when the tow bar is disconnected at the second coupling.

Abstract: There is disclosed a building structure partially covered with siding panels, the outer surface of which are transparent to solar energy, the panels being slightly spaced from an insulating wall of the building to allow a fluid flow, preferably air, therebetween with effective heat exchange from a solar radiation absorbing surface with the fluid being selectively utilizable for space heating purposes or other purposes. The air can be moved by fans or convection or both. A preferred embodiment employs small horizontal lenticular lenses in the transparent material on the surface of the siding together with a mask, which may be three dimensional, on the back of the siding with the result that when the siding is viewed from the horizontal it displays a decorative color while it is highly reflective for solar rays at high angles of elevation and is transparent for solar rays at low angles of elevation, as during winter months.

Abstract: A fuel meter and theft prevention apparatus is provided which not only prevents siphoning of fuel from a fuel tank, but also senses and records the amount of fuel added to the tank. A company or business can use the recorded fuel added amount to insure that they are charged only for fuel which is placed in the tank. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the fuel meter and theft prevention device includes a tamper proof cap adapted for connection to a conventional diesel fuel tank, a digital turbine flow meter including non-resettable recording means for recording total liquid flow through the meter, an apparatus for preventing high velocity gas flow through the meter while allowing generally unimpeded liquid flow therethrough, and a nozzle adapted to receive fuel. The tamper proof cap includes a vent for releasing air from the fuel tank and a check valve for only allowing fuel to flow into the fuel tank.

Abstract: A filtering system with electrolytic action and method is disclosed which is adapted for filtering the water in swimming pools, spas, saunas, hot tubs, whirlpools and the like. The filtering system includes a pump for drawing water from a body of water and circulating this water through an electrolytic filter including a layer of electrolytic filter media of dissimilar metal particles or granules and returning this filtered water to the body of water. The filtering system not only removes sand and sediment but also prevents algae and fungus growth, kills bacteria, and eliminates the need for adding chlorine, bromine, and algacide to the water. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the filtering system includes a bypass valve installed downstream of the pump to divert only a selected quantity of water through the electrolytic filter.

Abstract: A self-contained oil spill cleanup craft and method which operates well in both rough and calm seas, is rapidly deployed, which provides high flow rate continuous separation and processing of recovered oil and water mixtures, and outputs water which is substantially free of oil and oil which is substantially free of water and other contaminants and, as such, refinery ready without further processing. The craft of the present invention can be used, for example, to clean up light and medium weight crude oil, lubricating oil, or diesel fuel that is floating on the surfaces of either fresh or salt water.

Abstract: A well strainer is provided which includes a plurality of stacked, annular, filter segments with each segment including a plurality of elongate, arcuate, threaded rod receiving slots, ramped bearing surfaces near each slot, and position indicators in the vicinity of the ramped bearing surfaces and slots. The gap between adjacent annular filter segments is selected by rotating one segment relative to another to a desired position whereat indicator points are received within respective indicator sockets. Guide members adjacent the ramped bearing surfaces help to keep adjacent filter segments in true superimposed relation.

Abstract: There is disclosed a catheter device with easily deployed retainer useful in securing medical appliances such as catheters, sensors, tubing, or the like, to a human or other patient. The device includes a catheter, or the like, with a self-adhesive tape which is attached and extends perpendicularly thereto. The self-adhesive tape may be a strip of conventional surgical or first aid adhesive tape and has each of its ends rolled towards the catheter in a scroll-like fashion; the tape preferably is pre-attached to the catheter by adhesive, heat sealing, or the like, and may have a medicine saturated pad on the bottom side to help prevent infection at the wound area. The adaptation of the device with any intravenous catheter does not change standard use in any way in relation to preparation of the site, or actual insertion of the catheter. After the vein has been accessed, the tape is simply unrolled by the thumb and index finger with moderate pressure to secure the catheter to the patient's skin.

Abstract: There are disclosed processes for separating waxes of different melting points from a room temperature amorphous or liquid hydrocarbon mixture in an energy conservative manner by selectively causing precipitation of crystallized waxes. The processes involve the use of a selected co-solvent totally miscible with light and intermediate hydrocarbons from a group consisting of acetone, ketene, propanone, 2-propanone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, N-propanol, acetic acid, formic acid, and propionic acid or combinations thereof as a precipitating agent. Hydrocarbon mixtures, especially those with elevated pour points are first diluted by solvents such as toluene and/or methylethyl ketone which must be free of any significant quantity of the aforesaid co-solvents. The diluted hydrocarbon mixture at above 50 degrees F.

Abstract: There is disclosed a pinch sealer drive mechanism for a form fill and seal machine, or the like, wherein a bi-directional rotary actuator is employed to rotate a crank with two oppositely disposed levers, each of which is linked to a slide. Thus, there are two substantially identical symmetrically disposed linkages consisting of a lever, a link and a slide, whereby the slide is caused to have a relatively low velocity at the extremes of its motion, thereby producing a smooth vibration free operating mechanism to which the heat seal bars or other pinch sealing apparatus may be attached. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus has a duplicate of the above described crank, lever, and link mechanism for the distant end of the slide, and the second mechanism is driven from and synchronized with the first by an endless belt drive to one of two sprockets fixed on a rotatable shaft and then from the second sprocket on such shaft to a sprocket connected to rotate the crank of the second mechanism.

Abstract: There is disclosed a liquid confinement structure to control the depth of water contained by earthen levees in a rice field or the like and to allow excess water to flow through a gate therein to prevent overflow and washout of the levees. The structure includes a horizontally elongated panel of rigid sheet aluminum for placement in a gap in an earthen water containment levee. The panel has a central cutaway portion closed by a rigid gate about eight inches high by about four feet wide articulated by a flexible strip joining the bottom of the gate to the horizontal edge of the cutaway portion. When the gate is tilted downward to permit water flow to lower the level of the water, the water is prevented from flowing around the ends of the gate by flaps forming seals between the edges of the gate and the edges of the opening in the panel.

Abstract: There is disclosed saw mill apparatus for cutting root end defects from lumber pieces and cutting such pieces to desired sizes including a generally conventional scanner for recording detailed contour data for each piece as it is moved by a plurality of chain belt conveyors transverse to its longitudinal dimension; the scanner is followed by a root end trim saw unit extending over the root end edge of such conveyors including a motor driven rotating circular saw blade articulated to move down into or up out of the path of lumber pieces and also slidably mounted to be moved over a range of about 24 inches in one half inch increments thereby to cut away a defective portion of a lumber piece identified by the scanner and a conventional mill computer; following the end trimming saw unit is an even ending apparatus with generally conventional ending rolls to transport lumber pieces lengthwise as necessary to butt the root end against a guide fence.

Abstract: Hybrid digital-analog computer parallel processing apparatus wherein a template circuit, or multiplicity thereof, is connected to receive parallel digital inputs, each template circuit having controlled current sources with control gates connected respectively to parallel digital inputs. Current sub-sources for each pixel normally have programmable current output and "0" or "1" responses. Each template circuit has a current summing device for algebraically adding the current outputs of current sources, while a greatest value is detected at a comparator which may have a ramp signal applied to another input thereby identifying which template produced a maximum indication from the same parallel inputs. A self-calibrating feedback controlled current generator supplies all current sources on a chip making it possible to generate a known comparator input independent of IC resistivity or other parameters.