Abstract: A spinal disk implant comprises a solid body having four faces arranged to define a right-rectangular solid body and two faces that define the ends of the solid body. The faces that define the right-rectangular body include two opposed side faces and two opposed transverse faces. The transverse faces have a central region with three-dimensional features thereon and an anterior platform region lying along an anterior margin of the transverse faces. The faces defining the ends of the solid body include a convexly curved anterior face and a posterior face. The solid body is made of a biocompatible synthetic material. A kit that may be used by a surgeon includes an implant and an implant delivery tool dimensioned to releasably hold the implant.

Abstract: A spinal disk implant is implanted between vertebrae of the human spine following discectomy. The implant comprises a solid body having four sides and a pair of spaced-apart, opposed bases. The four sides include spaced-apart, opposed anterior and posterior faces, and a pair of spaced-apart, opposed transverse faces. Each transverse face has an anterior platform adjacent to the anterior face. The anterior platform is spaced apart from the opposed anterior platform by a maximum anterior platform spacing. A posterior ledge is oriented at an insertion angle relative to an opposed posterior ledge of the opposed transverse face. At least one of the posterior ledges has a pattern of serrations. There is a ridge on at least one of the transverse faces, positioned between the anterior platform and the posterior ledge and extending in the direction perpendicular to the bases. The top of the ridge is spaced apart from the opposed transverse face by an amount greater than the anterior platform spacing.

Abstract: Lumber is classified in terms of knots. The method used employs high frequency radio energy and a detector responsive to phase to detect the energy passing through the lumber. The knots exhibit a different dielectric constant, the real part of which is different from normal wood, and the difference in phase of the radiation detected effects the measurement. Preferably, the frequency radiation is near 10 GHz.

Abstract: A two part removable fastening attachment temporarily hanging an article, such as a telephone receiver, garden tool, hammer or the like, on a vertical surface against which the article can hang. The attachment is of the two part ball and socket type, with a socket which surrounds the ball on all but one open side which permits sliding of the ball into the socket, the ball then contacts the portion of the socket surrounding it. The ball is attached to the vertical surface and the socket is attached to the article with the open side down and is free to move down over the ball until its upper surrounding portion engages the ball. The attachment is molded of plastic for light articles, but metal may be used for heavier articles. The ball and socket elements are each provided with an integral base having a generally flat surface to conform to the article and the support.

Abstract: Comminuted iron ore, which may be pre-reduced partly or wholly if desired, is flash smelted in a vertical shaft furnace with excess carbon, and off gases are produced from which a large amount of hydrogen is recovered. The major portion of hydrogen is a product gas which can be used for reactions, such as the production of ammonia, hydrogenation of coal, and the like, or it may be used as a cooling agent for electric generators and the like.

Abstract: A combustion process in which a water-in-oil emulsion of liquid fuel, such as liquid hydrocarbons, containing from 10 to 50% water and preferably 10 to 30% water is burned. The emulsion is produced, with little or no added emulsifying agent, by sonic agitation, including a sonic generator and an acoustic transformer having a larger cross-section coupled to or in contact with the sonic generator than at its other end, at which emulsification takes place, whereby the sonic energy density is increased. With the increased sonic density an emulsion is produced which when burned produces a quality of burn such that the combustion is faster, more complete, and cleaner, with an increase in efficiency even up to 30% of water. The increase in efficiency often equals that obtained by the burning of the same weight of pure fuel in the conventional manner.

Abstract: A refrigeration system in which refrigerant liquid is cooled by self-evaporation and is used for refrigerating in the liquid form, in which the self-evaporation is in stages, each having a vapor compressor, the expansion taking place in enthalpy converting liquid turbines instead of permitting partial vaporization through valves into vapor separators. The enthalpy converting liquid turbines are much more efficient than the adiabatic liquid expansion which is customarily used in refrigeration systems in which a cold liquid cooled by the expansion is evaporated to absorb heat and thus to provide cooling. There is much less irreversibility and hence increase in entropy is reduced, especially when removal of super heat from the compressed vapors in each stage is effected by quenching with a small portion of the refrigerant liquid. A good portion of this heat is recovered as mechanical energy in the enthalpy converting turbines.

Abstract: A fly shuttle loom shuttle box is provided with a solid elastomer binder attached at both ends in place of a conventional pivoted, rigid-backed binder. In one modification there is attached to the end of the binder a pivoted extension which permits use of dagger fingers in the normal position on a loom. The greater force exerted by the binder results in improved shuttle deceleration when it enters the shuttle box. This also eliminates picker stick over throw when accelerating the shuttle, which permits, when in proper adjustment, in some cases elimination of picker stick loom side bumper and check strap without, of course, eliminating their useful functions. As there is a considerable amount of heat developed by the flexing of the solid elastomer, it is desirable to provide for ventilation in the form of a few relatively large holes in the elastomer near its center and adjacent to the leather face of the binder.

Abstract: Knives including a cutting blade and one or more wider non-cutting runners projecting slightly beyond the cutting edge of the blade and preferably at both ends of the knife blade. The runners prevent scratching of a substrate on which the material, normally a comestible, is being cut. On each runner there is provided on either side a beveled ramp inclined toward the adjacent cutting surface which acts very much as a plowshare to push up the material being cut against the cutting blade. This prevents a thin strip of material which would otherwise not reach the cutting blade and is particularly important with comestibles such as meat, which are sufficiently tough to permit forming such a thin strip. Where knives are manufactured, the ramps or plowshares can be incorporated in the knife blade when it is manufactured. However, there is included the provision of attachable runners for knives which have already been made.

Abstract: Waste heat in the form of the sensible heat of flue gases, sensible and latent heat of geothermal sources, etc., is converted to usable energy. When the energy source consists solely of sensible heat of a gas or a liquid which is not the working fluid, the liquid working fluid is heated by the energy source and then expanded in a hot liquid turbine wherein partial vaporization occurs with decrease in pressure. The working fluid is thereby accelerated as thermal energy is converted to kinetic energy and internal energy of the vapor. The hot liquid turbine can be a hot liquid impulse turbine wherein the expansion occurs in the inlet nozzles and the mixed phase working fluid then impinges on the moving buckets of the impulse turbine transferring the kinetic energy to shaft work.