Abstract: A universal phase-controlled reversible power converter having one transformer with multiple windings (i) couples a fixed d.c. voltage to an associated transformer winding through a fixed port having switches controlled for switching by fixed-phase signals, and (ii) couples any number of voltages having any waveform(s) whatsoever each to an associated transformer winding each through an associated variable port that has a filter with an inductor and controllable switches. Variable-phase switching control signals control the variable ports to produce any desired three-state demodulated waveform. A three-state demodulated waveform is filtered to present (i) a corresponding counter emf of any desired waveform to an input source or power, or (ii) any desired output waveform to a sink of power. Controllably producing the counter emf as a picture-of-the-line-input-voltage makes the load factor of the power converter, and all its loads, unity.

Abstract: A jigsaw-type saw blade, typically 6".times.3/8".times.1/8" stainless steel having teeth angled to saw only in a thrusting direction, is fixed to a handle, typically plastic, that engages the thumb. Two jaws of a sliding vise member each slide independently along the saw blade. A first one of the vise's jaws is biased in separation from the handle by a spring that extends coaxially about the saw blade between the jaw and handle. The remaining, second, jaw presents an external surface contoured to receive two fingers disposed in symmetrical positions on either side of the saw blade. In use for clamping and sawing, a workpiece is inserted between the vise's jaws and into a first position proximate to the saw blade while the sliding vise member is in a position extended from the handle. The handle and the second jaw are grasped and squeezed between the thumb and a two fingers, thereby simultaneously clamping and sawing the workpiece.

Abstract: A system and method to reduce outflow of liquid such as oil due to the rupture of a ship's tank by means of creating, and continuing to maintain, a partial vacuum in the effected tank or tanks. A partial vacuum below atmospheric pressure is created in the ship's tank. The vacuum is continuously maintained in a precise balance responsive to the forces acting on the contents of the tank, which forces change when the tank is ruptured. If the rupture is below the water line and on the side hull, then surface tension dynamics induce a stratified flow, forcing water into the tank through the lower part of the rupture while forcing the oil upward and out of the tank, oppositely to the flow of water, until the water level reaches the top part of the rupture. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention even the stratified flow is stopped because a non-structural barrier is placed over the rupture.

Abstract: A remover-receptacle device bends a scalpel blade having a central longitudinal aperture presenting detents from its mounted position on the tang of a scalpel blade handle so as to remove the blade from the handle. In the removal the distal, balde-end region of the scalpel blade is held completely planar from a position proximal of the detents while only the scalpel blade's proximal, shank-end region is bent. The scalpel handle's tang may thusly be slid from the scalpel blade's aperture with essentially zero removal force. The act of removing the scalpel blade locks the scalpel blade remover-receptacle shut with exactly one scalpel blade, visible through a viewing aperture, present therein. Both the one-time-use scalpel blade remover-receptacle and the single removed scalpel blade encapsulated therein may be safety transported and disposed.

Abstract: A controller electrically interfaced to a video game computer or the like for the purpose of controlling a progression of the video game or the like is selectively actuated by discrete motions and forces the locations, magnitudes, and orientations of which are variably predetermined by the user. Pressure, or proximity, sensor units, normally four in number, are independently placeable upon any surface, and normally upon a floor, in any desired pattern and over any desired area. An optional multi-channel hand-held remote control transmitter is affixed with a variable weight. The signals produced by the arbitrarily located pressure or proximity sensors, and by the optional hand-held transmitter, are received by a video game control unit and used to produce electrical signals suitable to be received by a conventional video game computer or the like for the purpose of controlling the progression of the video game.

Abstract: A rectangular planar plastic member unfolds by a piano hinge along one of its edge sides from a trapezoidal planar plastic member in order to form a coplanar flat top surface suitable for ironing. The bottom side of the rectangular planar member presents two elongate bores. The bores are preferably spaced parallel to each other and to the flat top surface, and are also aligned transversely to that edge side of the rectangular planar member which is opposite the piano hinge. The bores have open ends that are directionally disposed toward the piano hinge. Two generally "U"-shaped elongate tubular brace members both slide and rotate within the bores. The brace members rotate from storage positions folded against the bottom side of the rectangular planar member to deployed positions where the plane of each "U" is perpendicular to the planar member.

Abstract: A first computer workstation running windowed display system and applications programs produces a first video signal of a composite, windowed, display plus a first data signal indicating the dedications, positions, and sizes of all windows. A second computer asynchronously digitally communicates a second display signal to a communications controller and then to a display controller. The display controller also receives the first data signal plus the sync pulse of the first video signal. It produces, from the second display signal, a second video display signal that (i) is synchronized with the first video signal and (ii) contains display information positioned and scaled to be within a window dedicated to the second computer. It produces a switch control signal indicating the portions of each raster scan of the synchronized video signals that are inside and outside the dedicated window. The switch control signal gates in a video switch either the first or the second video signal to a video monitor.

Abstract: A first light is moved and illuminated by an x-y plotter mechanism on a rear projection screen under computer control so as to be continuously fixated by an eye of a test subject. The computer also causes one or ones of fixed-position second lights, typically sixteen in number positioned in a regular array, to momentarily illuminate at various times corresponding to various positions of the moving first light. The test subject indicates detection or non-detection of the momentary illuminations to the computer by voicing the numbers "1", "2", "3", etc. From successive illuminations and test subject responses the computer is able to survey the entire visual field of each subject's eye in all directions. The surveyed visual field is plotted on graph paper with the same x-y plotter mechanism that is otherwise and at other times used for moving the first light source.

Abstract: The flow rate of fluid components, typically water and syrup, is sensed by a flowmeter that is substantially insensitive to variations in fluid pressure and/or viscosity. A feedback circuit which may be either analog or digital permits the regulation of fluid flows to be in a precisely prescribed relative proportion. This proportion may be changed by varying the amplification gain of the feedback circuit in the analog configurations, or by programming a new ratio quantity in the digital configuration of the control circuit. The digital control circuit integrates the total fluid flow, and maintains historical records of the total fluid volume and portions dispensed. The dispensed volume of any particular portion may be predetermined by manually demarking the time interval over which such volume is flowed.

Abstract: A universal phase-controlled reversible power converter having one transformer with multiple windings couples a d.c. voltage to an associated transformer winding through a fixed port having controllable switches; and further simultaneously couples any number of a.c., d.c., combination a.c. and d.c. or stochastic voltages, each to an associated transformer winding and each through an associated variable port having a filter with an inductor and controllable switches. All couplings, transpiring in any number of relatively independent ports, are to an equal duty cycle substantially constant amplitude square wave within the transformer's windings. Any number of relatively independent open-loop transfer functions, or closed feedback control loops, may be simultaneously active (i) to control switching in variable ports so as to continuously couple power regardless of its waveform or distortion, or regardless of variations in waveform or distortion even so far as changes between a.c. and d.c.

Abstract: The differential-pressure-sensing and variable-area-occluding functions of a variable-area flowmeter, or rotameter, are performed by separate, but mechanically connected, means. A housing defines a channel for flowing fluid from an upstream to a downstream location. A differential pressure sensor moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flowing fluid in response to the differential fluid pressure between the upstream and downstream locations. Because its movement is perpendicular to the flowing fluid, the pressure sensor is substantially insensitive to fluid friction and changes in fluid viscosity. A flow obstructor connects to the sensor and moves therewith to variably obstruct the channel and the flow of fluid from the upstream to the downstream location. Fluid frictional forces on the movement of the flow obstructor vary with changes in fluid viscosity.

Abstract: An apparatus permits a user to simulate crawling motions and provides enhanced movements of the person's truncal spinal muscles and joints. The apparatus comprises a flat base for supporting a person in position where there is minimal axial gravity loading of the spine, and hand and knee rests respectively fixed and pivoting relative to the flat base to permit relative motion between axial portions of the spine trunk, especially the upper (thoracic) and lower (pelvic) portions of the person's trunk, while the person remains in the gravity unloaded position. The base mounts a fixed rest and a pivoting or swiveling rest, the swiveling rest comprising a pair of pivoted supports which can move in circular lateral paths independent of each other.

Abstract: Integrations of the historical numbers of times that a light beam scanned in an oscillatory course by a self-resonant galvanometer scanner does traverse so far in a first direction so as to impinge upon a Beginning-of-Trace (BOT) sensor, and does traverse so far in the opposite direction so as to impinge upon an End-of-Trace (EOT) sensor, are each used to separately control the voltage level developed in a first, BOT, electrical tank circuit and in a second, EOT, electrical tank circuit. Voltage from each tank circuit is amplified and applied to drive the self-resonant scanner, at a polarity to induce continued oscillation, during one-half of each oscillatory cycle. Amplitude and centering control thereby obtained of the sinusoidal oscillation of the self-resonant scanner is repeatable to better than one part in ten thousand between cycles.

Abstract: A maintenance exerciser makes requests of certain inoperative and malfunctioning storage memory bank portions of a large scale storage memory unit concurrently that normal system requestors do request of remaining, correctly functional, storage memory bank portions of such storage memory unit. All requests are collectively prioritized in a priority network which, save for the circuit of the present invention, will not advance to successive prioritizations until each currently prioritized request is positively acknowledged by the requested storage memory bank.

Abstract: In an improvement to the Selective Non-Anodizing Process (SNAP) an anodizable layer, nominally 100 nm of aluminum, is deposited on top of a 300 nm niobium--6 nm silicon--30 nm niobium tri-layer upon a substrate of oxidized silicon. The structure is then masked with photoresist and etched with an (aluminum) etchant, nominally phosphoric plus acetic plus nitric acid, which is selective to etch aluminum but not niobium. The structure, now containing a hard layer of aluminum plus an uppermost layer of photoresist over the regions where Josephson junctions will be formed, is then anodized by voltage ramping from 0 to 50 volts each 10 seconds in a saturate solution of ammonium penta borate in an equal solution of ethylene glycol and water. Both the uppermost niobium of the tri-layer and the aluminum are anodized save where protected by the photoresist.

Abstract: Each of two sensor loop patterns on a cylindrical substrate produces one of, specifically B.sub.zz and B.sub.yz, of the five independent magnetic tensor gradiometer outputs as pure terms, meaning respectively dependent only upon g.sub.zz and g.sub.yz, with no admixture of other gradient terms, specifically without admixture of g.sub.xx. Such magnetic tensor gradiometer outputs are received at a current sensor device, nominally a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). Each of the two sensor loop patterns is of ten segments, and is a continuous closed-loop superconducting path save only for the single break point at which the current sensor device is coupled.

Abstract: Additional logical structures are respectively interactive with either an edge-triggered dual D-type flip-flop or an edge-triggered J-K flip-flop in order that each such flip-flop may be fully scan-set testable in all the elements thereof. Two scan-set test enabling signals, as well as two scan-set clock signal, are used to conduct three tests, as well as enabling normal edge-triggered operation. The three tests enable scan-set testability of the totality of the edge-triggered flip-flop. Two of the tests characteristically cause the logical interconnection of tested logical elements as inverter strings, which inverter strings are merged into the scan-set test loops. In addition to supporting functional logical verification, the inverter strings support the evaluation of propagation time upon such strings in order to determine the operational speed and/or impedance environment of the tested flip-flops. Marginal, as well as failed, flip-flops (flip-flop environments) are identifiable.

Abstract: A circuit of 24 transistors and 16 resistors forming an interconnected constant current source, two differential current switches, and level shifter receives scan/set test data, clock, and enablement signals for, when connected to each of the set Q and clear Q output signals of a differential feedback latch, enabling scan/set testability of such latch. Both the latch and the connected circuit, forming in aggregate a scan/set testable latch, are implementable in Emitter Coupled Logic or current Mode Logic from standard cells of gate array technology using two levels of series gating and two current sources, which standard cells are otherwise useful for the generation of other logic macros. The differential feedback latch, experiencing but a small added capacitance from the connected circuit, continues to operate fast during normal operation, but is slow in operation for scan/set test wherein the connected circuit needs overcome differential feedback loops within the latch which are still active.