Abstract: A shepherd hook is provided with a decorative outer cladding, preferably copper tube. The end of the outer decorative tubing is flattened and upturned to hold a decorative hanging basket or other decoration from an upturned lip.

Abstract: A demountable bracket for use in erection of a structure, wherein the structure is assembled employing load supporting timbers, the timbers being of generally uniform cross-sectional shape. The bracket comprises a horizontal elongated non-load bearing connecting member having opposed first and second ends. A first short-length inner channel member is integrally secured to the connecting member first end. A second short-length inner channel member is integrally secured to the connecting member second end, the channel axii of the first and second channel members being in a first common plane with the elongated connecting member. A third short-length outer channel member is secured to the first channel member on a side thereof opposite the connecting member.

Abstract: A demountable firewood storage rack formed of two length-defining timbers, four upright height-defining timbers and two metal brackets. Each of the brackets has a horizontal elongated connecting member having a first and second end, the first end having a first short-length inner tubular channel member and, welded to it on a side thereof opposite the connecting member, an outer short-length tubular member. The inner tubular members of each bracket are aligned in a common horizontal plane and the outer tubular members in a common vertical plane. The storage rack is assembled by inserting each end of each of the length-defining timbers into a horizontally oriented tubular member of a bracket so that the length-defining members and the brackets form a rectangle with four upwardly extending tubular members. The four upright timbers are removably inserted in the tubular members to form a rack on which firewood can be stored.

Abstract: An acceleration device for enhancing the speed of synchronous writes in a computer system includes a novel control subsystem, in one embodiment a device driver, and stable storage having an access time on the same order of magnitude as the access time of the main memory in the computer system. In one embodiment, the novel device driver is interposed in the operating system of the computer between the proprietary kernel and one or more peripheral storage unit device drivers. The novel device driver intercepts I/O commands, for example, synchronous write commands, from the operating system that are intended for one of the peripheral storage unit device drivers and subsequently copies the data specified in the write command from main memory of the computer to the stable storage of the acceleration device. The stable storage is operated as a cache and upon one of a set of predetermined conditions being satisfied, selected data stored in the stable storage are transferred, i.e.

Abstract: An acceleration device for enhancing the speed of synchronous writes in a computer system includes a novel control means, in one embodiment a device driver, and stable storage having an access time on the same order of magnitude as the access time of the main memory in the computer system. In one embodiment, the novel device driver is interposed in the operating system of the computer between the proprietary kernel and one or more peripheral storage unit device drivers. The novel device driver intercepts I/O commands, for example, synchronous write commands, from the operating system that are intended for one of the peripheral storage unit device drivers and subsequently copies the data specified in the write command from main memory of the computer to the stable storage of the acceleration device. The stable storage is operated as a cache and upon one of a set of predetermined conditions being satisfied, selected data stored in the stable storage are transferred, i.e.