Abstract: The operational lifetime of a standard ink ribbon cassette or other ribbon transport device is significantly extended by the addition, to a standard cassette, of a inexpensive reservoir and a feeder means. The configuration claimed uses the ribbon driver means, provided in all standard cassettes, as a demand valve, blocking ink flow to the ribbon except when ink is being removed from the ribbon by printing. The demand valve transports ink to the ribbon from a wick type feeder, which is supplied by a absorptive, saturated, reservoir. The reservoir shape, size, and absorptive material, and the feeder, are matched to the requirements of each printer, to control ink flow to the demand valve at a rate closely matching the rapid rate of ink removal from the ribbon by the printing operation.

Abstract: A compact solid state turbine heat engine can be devised by pairing the Nitinol elements. Each element is characterized by being in thermal contact with at least one hot water and one cold water bath and mechanically coupled to at least one driven pulley and driver pulley. A second Nitinol element is similarly configured with a driver pulley, driven pulley, hot and cold water bath. The driver pulley associated with the first nitinol element is mechanically coupled to the driven pulley of the second Nitinol element. Similarly, the driver pulley of the second Nitinol element is mechanically coupled to the driven pulley of the first Nitinol element. The paired Nitinol elements form a compound solid state turbine engine wherein each Nitinol element lies in a single plane and wherein the engine may be combined with a plurality of such pairs for increased power output.

Abstract: A heat engine employs an endless belt including a number of discrete elements which will interact with a force field, and are interconnected by a shape memory material, such as Nitinol. Two portions of the belt are maintained at different temperatures and the belt is constrained to move the elements in a continuous path into a field attracting the elements at the hot portion and out of the field at the cold portion. The cold portion is stretched and the hot portion contracts to maintain a condition of higher element density on the portion entering the field and thus a net force drives the belt about a pulley mounted on a power takeoff shaft.