Abstract: A liquid-level sensing instrument for determining the level of a liquid in a container or vessel such as a laboratory tube in a rack or a well in a well plate with the container having an acoustically transparent top opening to direct ultrasonic signals to the liquid surface and receive reflected signals where the transceiver sensor instrument is constructed with a piezoelectric focusing sensor that has a concave focusing surface for focusing ultrasonic signals through the opening to the liquid surface in a selected container particularly a container in a group of containers and receiving reflected signals for processing.

Abstract: A laboratory tube presentation unit for removal of a selected laboratory tube in a tube rack having multiple rows of laboratory tubes by raising the row of tubes in which the selected tube is located, the rack having tube wells and a rectangular bottom with a hole in each well, the unit including a selector assembly having a displaceable actuator assembly with a row of lift pins that are alignable under a select row of holes in the tube wells that correspond to a row of tubes having the selected tube in the tube rack seated on the top deck, the actuator assembly carriage having further an actuator with a manual transport shift and a lift mechanism that raises the row of lift pins under the select row of holes in the tube wells having the particular tube to be removed.

Abstract: A remote healthcare system that incorporates a cloud based platform with a service provider having servers that store data and administrative applications for delivering healthcare features to a care recipient by an authorized member of a caretaker group where the system includes a care recipient controller at the location of the care recipient being provided the healthcare features, the care recipient controller being under primary control of the care recipient and having an internal microcontroller programmed to function as a general purpose computer to permit communications with cloud platform systems and with the care recipient, wherein the controller has circuitry to connect wirelessly and by landline to authorized members of the caretaker group, such that one authorized member of the caretaker group can remotely take control of the recipient controller as authorized by the service provider, and remotely control services to the care recipient including initiating emergency calls to 911 through the contro

Abstract: Automated laboratory apparatus for determining the volume of liquid samples contained in the cavities of laboratory sample collectors, such as well trays or tube racks, the apparatus having an ultrasonic height measuring instrument and a processor for calculating the volume of liquid in a particular sample container from the measured height, the apparatus also having a robotic displacement mechanism that selectively positions an ultrasonic height measuring sensor above a select sample container in the well tray or tube rack for measuring the height of liquid in the container, comparing the measured height to the height of the bottom of an empty container and calculating the volume of liquid in that container.

Abstract: A compact disk duplication system with a compact disk drive with an extendible disk tray for copying data onto a batch of compact disks, the disk duplication system having a disk transport unit with an XYZ transport mechanism, the transport unit having a deck, a frame and a housing, the transport mechanism including a carriage displaceable from side to side relative to the deck, an elevator device carried by the carriage having an elevator cage displaceable up and down relative to the deck, and a tram device having a cross beam on the elevator cage with a tram having a disk pickup mechanism displaceable fore and aft relative to the deck with the displacements of the carriage, elevator cage and tram being controlled for automatic operation by controlled drive mechanisms.

Abstract: A disk copying and dispensing apparatus including a disk processing module installable in a host device such as a disk vending machine, the module having a frame containing a displaceable carriage mechanism with a disk pick-up head, at least one disk recorder with an extendible tray for receiving or discharging a disk, a disk label printer and at least one disk parking tray with one embodiment having an actuatable disk dispensing chute, the disk carriage being movable from one device to another under control of a controller, in accordance with a programmed sequence of a processor.

Abstract: An autoload disk copier system and disk printer transport system for recordable disks, the copier system having a copier unit with a housing containing a disk drive with an extendable disk tray, a disk carrier for supporting a stack of disks over the tray, a disk separator mechanism for selectively separating a disk from the stack displacing it to a tray, a disk retrieve mechanism for retrieving a disk from the tray and depositing it in a collector for good and bad disks, and, an electronic control means for controlling the sequence of operations of loading, disk read/write, unloading and depositing disks during the automatic process of recording data on recordable disks.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining the dispersion of carbon black in elastomeric slabs by cutting a slab to form a planar surface and moving a height measuring transducer stylus over the planar surface. The transducer stylus provides an output current at a voltage which varies in correspondence to the relative height of roughness peaks on the planar surface. Accordingly, the size of the peaks determines the size of carbon black agglomerates and the frequency of peaks for a predetermined range of height is determinative of percent dispersion of the carbon black.