Abstract: Method and apparatus for allowing multiple enclosures (10) to be connected so that their respective motherboards (15) together define a single bus. System-wide arbitration is carried out asynchronously on an enclosure basis while arbitration within each enclosure occurs synchronously. A bus repeater (20, 25, 25') is provided at each of the upstream and downstream ends of each enclosure's motherboard. The upstream bus repeater (20) in a given enclosure is coupled by a flexible connector cable (30) to the downstream bus repeater (25, 25') in the enclosure immediately upstream. One of the bus repeaters (say the upstream one) has the status as master or arbiter while the other has the status of a slave. The connector cables have two sets of lines (32, 35), thereby allowing the bus repeaters to pass two basic types of signals: (a) bused signals (address, data) which are made available to the relevant unit boards; and (b) private signals which are passed only to the bus repeaters.

Abstract: A kit for converting a conventional necktie to a pre-knotted tie that is attached to the neck of a wearer by detachable hook and eye fasteners. The kit includes two flexible strips, each fitted with one mating section of a detachable fastener and each formed on its underside with an adhesive coating so that a necktie, properly knotted in place about the neck of a user may be cut along the neck strap section and each of the strips then fastened to the opposed cut ends of the neck strap. The kit also includes a disc coated on both sides with a self-adhering adhesive which may be fastened in place under a folded knot section of the tie to hold the knot section in shape.