Abstract: An adhesive dispensing arrangement (10) comprises an adhesive patch (12), a sachet (14), a sachet sealing strip (16), a pair of parallel gauze flaps (18A and 18B), and a peelable backing strip (20). The sachet houses a medicament such as an antiseptic or anti-microbial ointment (30), and the exposable surface (32) of the sachet is formed with a series of regularly spaced apertures (34) through which the ointment (30) may be dispensed. The peeling backing strip (20) and sachet sealing strip (16) are simultaneously peeled away, thereby exposing the apertures (34), with a central portion of the sealing strip being pulled through the gap between the gauze flaps (18A and 18B). The adhesive patch (12) is then applied around the affected area, with the ointment (30) and the sachet being dispensed via the apertures onto the gauze flaps and into treating contact with the wound.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell having a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte is dosed with an additive which acts on the negative electrode to reduce electrolysis and, hence, water consumption of the cell during the course of operation of the cell, in particular when the cell is in a state of overcharge. The additive is arranged to reduce the flow of current between the electrodes when a potential ordinarily sufficient to cause electrolysis of the electrolyte is applied across the electrodes. The additive typically coats the negative electrode to form a barrier in conjunction with gas bubbles evolving from the negative electrode in order to reduce the flow of current to the electrode and/or a reduction in the flow of ions to the negative electrode and/or gas bubbles flowing from the negative electrode.

Abstract: A battery watering system includes a filler unit mounted by means of an attachment mechanism to the flanged apertures of a three cell six volt lead acid battery. The filler unit is connected by a supply and drain line to a feed unit in the form of a reservoir tank and pumping assembly including a centrifugal pump, a DC pump motor connected to the pump by a pump coupling, and an auxiliary battery. The pump and the battery form part of a control circuit which includes a current sensing relay having a corresponding set of relay contacts. Water is pumped from the tank into a trough of the filler unit via the supply line. An array of three output ports each include a narrowed inlet, a downpipe extending inwardly into each cell of the battery, and a pair of breather tubes. On completion of the replenishment operation, excess water flows back through the supply and drain line into the tank. The invention extends to the attachment for coupling the filler unit to the battery.

Abstract: A battery watering system includes a filler unit mounted by means of an attachment mechanism to the flanged apertures of a three cell six volt lead acid battery. The filler unit is connected by a supply and drain line to a feed unit in the form of a reservoir tank and pumping assembly including a centrifugal pump, a DC pump motor connected to the pump by a pump coupling, and an auxiliary battery. The pump and the battery form part of a control circuit which includes a current sensing relay having a corresponding set of relay contacts. Water is pumped from the tank into a trough of the filler unit via the supply line. An array of three output ports each include a narrowed inlet, a downpipe extending inwardly into each cell of the battery, and a pair of breather tubes. On completion of the replenishment operation, excess water flows back through the supply and drain line into the tank. The invention extends to the attachment for coupling the filler unit to the battery.

Abstract: A battery watering system includes a filler unit mounted by means of an attachment mechanism to the flanged apertures of a three cell six volt lead acid battery. The filler unit is connected by a supply and drain line to a feed unit in the form of the reservoir tank and pumping assembly including a centrifugal pump, a DC pump motor connected to the pump by a pump coupling, and an auxiliary battery. The pump and the battery form part of a control circuit which includes a current sensing relay having a corresponding set of relay contacts. Water is pumped from the tank into a trough of the filler unit via the supply line. An array of three output ports each include a narrowed inlet, a downpipe extending inwardly into each cell of the battery, and a pair of breather tubes. On completion of the replenishment operation, excess water flows back through the supply and drain line into the tank. The invention extends to the attachment for coupling the filler unit to the battery.

Abstract: A battery watering unit is mounted atop a battery cell, and includes an open-topped vessel having a bottom wall. A side wall arrangement having an opening at the bottom forms a first divider to partition the vessel into a vented portion and an air entrapping portion. A further side wall arrangement having an opening at the top forms a second divider weir and imposes a significant restriction on the flow of electrolyte from the chamber into a pressure-communicating duct within a downpipe via a restricted orifice. The battery cell is topped up via the vessel with electrolyte following a flowpath over the second divider weir and into the downpipe. As the level of electrolyte rises, the lowermost opening in the downpipe is blocked. A further increase in the level of electrolyte forms, via the air-entrapping portion of the vessel, a pressurized air column in the downpipe which is sufficient to prevent further inflow of electrolyte over the second divider weir.

Abstract: A filler unit for automatically topping up a battery cell (14) includes a float vessel (16) for containing the liquid to be dispensed and a float valve assembly (34) for establishing a predetermined substantially constant head of liquid in the vessel (16). A baffle plate (40A) in the vessel (16) is spaced sufficiently close to a wall of the vessel (16) to define a capillary passage between the wall and the baffle plate (40A), with at least that surface of the baffle plate (40A) which defines the capillary passage being hydrophilic. In use, the replenishment water is able to flow from the vessel (16) to the cell (14) under gravity along a flowpath until such time as the water level in the cell (14) has risen to a desired level. This creates a pressure equilibrium in the flowpath which causes the flow from the vessel (16) to the cell (14) to cease automatically.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell having a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte is dosed with an additive which acts on the negative electrode to reduce electrolysis and, hence, water consumption of the cell during the course of operation of the cell, in particular when the cell is in a state of overcharge. The additive is arranged to reduce the flow of current between the electrodes when a potential ordinarily sufficient to cause electrolysis of the electrolyte is applied across the electrodes. The additive typically coats the negative electrode to form a barrier in conjunction with gas bubbles evolving from the negative electrode in order to reduce the flow of current to the electrode and/or a reduction in the flow of ions to the negative electrode and/or gas bubbles flowing from the negative electrode.

Abstract: A fluid projectile launcher (10) comprises a barrel having an open end and a closed end defining a breech portion (50). The breech portion (50) is arranged to hold a dosage of fluid (56) in the form of an ionizing medium for rendering the fluid electrically conductive and an active substance which induces a physiological reaction in living organisms. The projectile launcher (10) includes a launching initiation circuit in the form of a capacitor (22) and an inductance (36), and a pair of electrodes (38A, 38B) forming part of the breech portion (50). Trigger means (40) are provided for allowing the energy storage means (22) to discharge into the dosage of fluid (56) in the breech portion (50) via the electrodes (52, 38A, 38B) so as to cause the dosage of fluid (56) to be projected from the open end of the barrel as a fluid projectile.

Abstract: A power convertor has a partial series resonant convertor circuit for supplying power at a substantially constant level to a load of variable impedance, and a control circuit for controlling the operation of the convertor circuit. The control circuit includes sensing lines for sensing a variation in load impedance below a threshold value, and regulating means responsive to the sensing lines for reducing the power supplied to the load by lowering an input control signed to a voltage-controlled oscillator. The control circuit is arranged to operate the convertor circuit in a first normal load mode in which the impedance of the load is above the threshold value and a second reduced load mode in which the impedance of the load is below the threshold value so as to limit a rise in current through the load. The invention extends to a method of controlling a power convertor.