Abstract: An enclosed container having an air conditioning unit for providing conditioned air to the mixing plenum of an air handling system for circulating conditioned air through a load of perishable goods stored within the container. An open-sided supply duct is connected to the plenum that runs along the center of the length of the container and a pair of spaced-apart, open-sided return ducts pass along the side walls of the container parallel to the supply duct. A load of perishable goods is stacked between the ducts and blower units are mounted within the return ducts for drawing supply air through the load and returning the air into the mixing plenum at an increased pressure. The return air in the plenum is combined with conditioned air from the refrigeration unit and is circulated back into the supply duct for reuse in the system.

Abstract: An electromechanical valve that includes a cylindrical housing having a first axially disposed chamber containing a valve body and a spool reciprocally mounted in the body for movement along the axis of the housing. A second chamber is located within the housing adjacent to the first chamber which contains a voice coil actuator having a coil holder that is coupled to the spool so that the spool moves linearly when a current is applied to the coil. Materials having a high thermal conductivity are placed in the voice coil actuator for rapidly transmitting heat energy generated in the coil to the housing so that the energy is dissipated into the surrounding ambient before it can damage the actuator.

Abstract: Apparatus for displaying and dispensing flat objects of different widths from a tray that includes an open top tray having a bottom wall, opposed side walls, a front wall and a back wall. A pair of elongated panels are slidably mounted in the bottom wall of the tray so that they can move along independent paths of travel from the back wall toward the front wall. Wound spring motors urge the panels toward the front wall of the tray so that flat articles of a first width stacked in the tray between one panel and the front wall will be supported in an upright position and the panel will automatically move forward when one of the articles is removed from the tray. The panel can be held in a coplanar side by side relationship by removable connectors whereby articles of greater width can be stacked in the tray.

Abstract: An imaging instrument includes a compact hand-held housing having an electronic imaging element supported within a housing, and a plurality of interchangeable instrument heads separably attachable to the housing. Each of the instrument heads includes an optical system disposed in alignment with the electronic imaging element along an instrument viewing axis. Preferably, the instrument includes a controller with sufficient programmable logic to capture and store a plurality of imaging images which can be transferred along with audio and/or annotation data relating to a captured image. Corresponding video, control and audio data can be then transferred using a receiving cradle to a computer which contains software which organizes the stored data for further processing. In a preferred example, the audio files can be transcribed through a network utilizing voice recognition software.

Abstract: A focusing mechanism for an optical instrument includes an eyepiece having at least one lens element retained within an eyepiece housing, a stationary carrier for retaining the eyepiece, and a rotatable thumb wheel. A pair of levers operatively connect the eyepiece housing with the rotatable thumb wheel, the thumb wheel including corresponding pairs of cam channels on either side for receiving one end of a corresponding lever, the remaining end of each lever engaging the eyepiece housing, wherein rotational movement of the thumb wheel produces axial movement of the eyepiece relative to said carrier.

Abstract: An arc fault detector for detecting an arc fault in electric power lines includes a two stage arc sensor. The first stage is a current transformer designed for high sensitivity to arc faults but which may saturate and lose detection capability during arc currents at 75A and higher. The second arc fault sensor, which does not saturate, stage senses the voltage across the impedance of the primary of the current transformer, or senses the voltage across the resistance of a section of the load carrying bus which forms the connection through the detector device, or of both, during an arc fault.