Abstract: A system for retaining a slender elongated object adjacent an upper surface of an eyeglass temple member worn by an eyeglass wearer includes an elongated attachment member for mounting on the eyeglass temple member and an object gripper integral with and upstanding from the attachment member and substantially coextensive with the attachment member for releasably engaging the elongated object and capturing it adjacent the head of the eyeglass wearer. The attachment member is engageably received on the eyeglass temple member and the object gripper is a planar member having a concavely curved surface facing the head of the eyeglass wearer. The attachment member is integral with the object gripper and, in one instance, fully encircles the eyeglass temple member and, is of elastic material enabling slidable reception onto the eyeglass temple member yet providing its firm retention on the eyeglass temple member when a desired position thereon is achieved.

Abstract: A bearing preload cage assembly for rotatably supporting an axially loaded shaft includes a bearing housing including stationary axially opposed supporting members, first and second axially spaced bearings, each including inner and outer races and rolling elements, first and second cylindrical cage segments coaxial with the shaft, each including a sleeve and circumferentially spaced axially protruding castellations, the outer races engageably received on an internal surface of their associated sleeve, the castellations of each cage segment proximate to and engageable with the outer race of the adjacent bearing, the supporting members proximate to and engageable with an adjacent cage segment, a resilient member biasing at least one of the outer races into full engagement with its rolling elements and, in turn, its rolling elements into full engagement with their inner race whereby the rolling elements of both bearings are maintained in full engagement with their inner and outer races continuously during shaft

Abstract: An apparatus and method for creating and recording both an electronic and printed ballot for each voter during voting. The system can employ a variety of vote selection techniques which can lead to the generation of an electronic tally of the vote in addition to the printing of a paper ballot. The printed ballot includes only the names of the candidates for whom the voter has voted in a form that is easily readable by both humans and machine. This unambiguous printed ballot makes it easy for voters to verify the accuracy of their intended vote and can subsequently be used to casting the voters official vote or saved to provide an audit trail for subsequent confirmation of the electronic tally. These and other features accelerate the initial tabulation of results while providing multiple safeguards against fraud through the printing of a paper record for verifying voter intent.

Abstract: A tactile display system includes a housing containing a tactile pin movable axially transverse of a reference surface and an actuator mechanism engageable therewith for selective movement between raised and lowered positions. An elongated electromagnet distant from the reference surface is aligned with the tactile pin and has spaced poles of opposite, selectively reversible, polarity. A generally spherical rotatable positioning member being a permanent magnet having a peripheral surface which is partially a spherical surface and partially a truncated surface has an axis of rotation coaxial with the tactile pin and the electromagnet and is responsive to operation of the electromagnet, being movable between a first position at which the spherical surface faces the tactile pin, causing positioning of the tactile pin at the raised position and a second position at which the truncated surface faces the tactile pin causing positioning of the tactile pin at the lowered position.

Abstract: A frame system for object display includes a main frame with a frame face defining an opening for viewing a display object, a peripheral wall projecting away from the frame face and having first and second opposed segments, the segments formed with first and second female locking features, respectively, a receiving surface for the display object and an easel back selectively mountable on the main frame including a support assembly including a planar support panel and opposed male locking features on the peripheral edge interferingly engageable, respectively, with the female locking features on the opposed segments when the easel back is mounted onto the main frame. The support assembly includes a central panel for biasing the display object into engagement with the receiving surface and a web member extending transverse of the planes of the central panel and the support panel and joining the central panel and the support panel.

Abstract: A stabilizing caddy for a pressurized gas container includes a base and a housing upstanding from the base. The housing has a cavity defined by a continuous side wall with an upper rim distant from the base and a longitudinal axis extending transverse of the base. The continuous side wall of the housing cavity is uniformly snugly supportively receptive of an outer surface of the pressurized gas container when the pressurized gas container is slidably received therein such that a longitudinal axis of the gas container is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cavity. The dimension of the housing at the upper rim transverse of the longitudinal axis is substantially less than that of the base. In one embodiment, the housing is substantially conical in shape. In other embodiments, the housing may alternatively be of solid material or of thin wall construction.

Abstract: An underwater tunnel system for vehicular traffic flow, including rail, automobile and truck traffic connecting the shores of opposed land masses separated by a body of water draws heavily from submarine manufacturing and modular construction technology. It is environmentally benign and will not adversely dominate the skyline of the surrounding region. The system of the invention requires minimal, if any, dredging to insure its substantially level installation. A compensating ducting and valve system is utilized for initial tunnel submergence during construction and to provide dynamic stability subsequently during operation. Part of the ducting system utilized during submergence operations is also subsequently used for ventilation airflow throughout the tunnel system during operation. During operation, fresh air is introduced from both shores into the tunnel system and exhaust air may be selectively discharged at both shores or from the tunnel system at a location distant from both shores.

Abstract: A game in which each player randomly draws playing tiles, either blank or letter displaying, from a receptacle and constructs words with them, positioning them on her personal viewing area, with play transferring from player to player. At the end of her turn, each player enters her score and replenishes her playing tiles. Players can remove (“steal”) other players' playing tiles to construct at least one new word by adding at least one additional playing tile at her own personal viewing area. Play continues until the end of the game determined when all of the playing tiles have been removed and when none of the players can any longer construct a word with the playing tiles at the personal viewing areas. A basic score is achieved by placing a value of one on each tile used in a new word plus each tile reused to reveal additional words within that new word.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an Active Control Surface Modal (ACSM) device that generates unsteady aerodynamic damping to alleviate aeroelastic structural instability, vibration and dynamic loads. An active control surface modal deformation is created by means of a pair of antagonistically activated actuators. Since the masses of upper and lower surface skins are lighter, the modal deformations can be activated at high frequencies that can encompass wide band spectrum of buffet, gust and flutter problem areas. An independent dosed loop active control system is used to activate the ACSM modes. Measured acceleration sensors are used as the feedback signals to compute the coefficients of the control law that is designed to suppress the dynamic environments such as buffet, gust and flutter. Then a computerized control system algorithm outputs a series of voltage signals that pass through power amplifiers to activate the actuators.

Abstract: Wind turbine apparatus includes an upright mast with support bearings underlying and rotatably supporting a hub assembly having inner and outer coaxial shafts telescopically related but radially spaced to permit independent rotation about a generally horizontal axis. An armature winding is provided on the outer shaft and a plurality of dielectrically separated magnets are mounted on the inner shaft at a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations. A first set of rotor blades is mounted on the inner shaft at a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations, the rotor blades extending radially away from the axis of rotation and positioned on the inner shaft for rotating the inner shaft in a first direction about the axis of rotation when subjected to wind-induced air flow. A second set of rotor blades is similarly mounted on the outer shaft axially spaced from the first set of rotor blades for rotating the outer shaft about the axis of rotation in an opposite direction.

Abstract: Apparatus and process are disclosed by which to disable a computer's access to all or a part of the computer's memory system or associated peripherals, so as to protect the computer from accidental or malicious damage of data files or programs that may result from the activity of computer users or computer viruses. This result is achieved by providing the authorized user with a token whereby the user can configure the security gateway to completely or partially disable the peripheral device without disrupting the operation of the computer or other peripherals. The principal hardware component of one embodiment of the invention is the security gateway which in a typical configuration simply adds new security functions to the programmable controllers that are typically used for an I/O controller or hard drive controller, although this is not always necessary.

Abstract: An ergonomic support system for receiving supporting the forearm and/or wrist of a person engaged in an activity on a supporting surface comprises a support member of plastic foam material extending longitudinally and laterally and having a bottom surface for resting on the supporting surface, a top surface adapted for receiving the forearm and/or wrist of the person, a transverse dimension as measured between the top surface and the bottom surface, and a peripheral surface extending between the top surface and the bottom surface. The support member exhibits a substantially uniform value of indentation force deflection, as measured by ASTM D3574 Test B1, which is in the approximate ranges of 488 lbf to 34 lbf @10.degree. C., 27 lbf to 4 lbf @21.degree. C. and 9 lbf to 3 lbf @38.degree. C. The support member has a total thickness in the approximate range of one to two inches.

Abstract: A portable protective enclosure for small vehicles comprises a plurality of individual planar panel members including a base panel, a roof panel, a front panel, a rear panel, a left side panel, and a right side panel and mutually engaging attachment devices for releasably joining the individual panel members into an integrated assembled structure. The base panel and the roof panel lie in parallel spaced apart planes, likewise the front panel and the rear panel, and the left side panel and the right side panel, and all serve for selectively enveloping a small vehicle therein. Both the roof panel and the base panel include a continuous attachment groove spaced from their peripheral edges in what is to become their interior surfaces.

Abstract: A self contained air purification system includes an upright enclosed housing defining a germicidal chamber. A primary filter having a normally upstanding longitudinal axis has outer and inner peripheral surfaces, an interior plenum, and is supported on a base member. The housing has air inlets proximate the filter and air exhaust louvers in an upper member. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation lamps are disposed in the germicidal chamber, and a resiliently mounted fan overlies the primary filter for drawing unclean air from the environment into and through the air inlets, through the primary filter, through the plenum and then into the germicidal chamber in a vortex-shaped whirling mass air stream flowing in a protracted course around and past the irradiation lamps for maximized exposure to the lamps, a purified air stream being discharged, after a final filtration, through the air exhaust louvers, then is returned to the environment.

Abstract: An air deflection system for a snow plow assembly mounted on a vehicle comprises an air stream guide member mounted on and overlying the upper surface of a snow plow blade. The guide member has a downwardly facing air inlet at a fore end positioned forward of the snow plow blade to intercept and capture without interruption an air stream which, by reason of forward movement of the vehicle, is directed toward the leading concave surface of the snow plow blade, then upwardly along that surface, and through a rearwardly facing air outlet at the aft end positioned aft of the snowplow blade. An air stream containment passage intermediate the air inlet and the air outlet is effective to receive the air stream from the air inlet and redirect it toward the air outlet from whence it is exhausted away from the snow plow blade and toward the radiator of the motor vehicle.

Abstract: An underwater tunnel system for vehicular traffic flow, including rail, automobile and truck traffic connecting the shores of opposed land masses separated by a body of water draws heavily from submarine, manufacturing and modular construction technology. It is environmentally benign and will not adversely dominate the skyline of the surrounding region. The system of the invention requires minimal, if any, dredging to insure its substantially level installation. A compensating ducting and valve system is utilized for initial tunnel submergence during construction and to provide dynamic stability subsequently during operation. Part of the ducting system utilized during submergence operations is also subsequently used for ventilation airflow throughout the tunnel system during operation. During operation, fresh air is introduced from both shores into the tunnel system and exhaust air may be selectively discharged at both shores or from the tunnel system at a location distant from both shores.

Abstract: A portable airflow director, preferably of stainless steel, for ventilating a cook top adjacent to a cooking unit comprises an elongated housing including a base for removable engageable reception with an exhaust intake in the cook top, the base defining an opening in communication with the exhaust intake when the housing is placed on the cook top. A louvered side wall, disposed at an angle of approximately 45.degree. relative to a plane of the base, directs the flow of air from the cooking unit into, then through, the housing and through the exhaust intake of the cook top. The airflow director includes a pair of end walls which lie in parallel spaced apart planes and, in one embodiment, a solid side wall is positioned opposite and angularly disposed with respect to the louvered side wall, the end walls and the solid side wall being impervious to the flow of air. In another embodiment, the airflow director includes opposed louvered side walls extending between the end walls.

Abstract: An ergonomic support pad for supporting the forearm and wrist of a person operating a computer's in-out device may comprise bottom, middle, and top layers of open celled polyurethane foam material of substantially uniform thickness, preferably of the type which softens on contact with a warm surface thereby providing uniform pressure distribution and firm, yet fluid, support. The bottom layer has a bottom surface for resting on a supporting surface and the top layer has a top surface for engageably receiving the forearm and wrist of the person. Each layer exhibits different indentation force deflections, the bottom layer being firmest and the top layer being most supple. The support pad is approximately one to two inches thick, preferably four sided, and may be round or oval or of other shapes as viewed in plan. When multi-sided, it may have biased corner surfaces joining adjoining pairs of longitudinal and lateral edge surfaces.

Abstract: A stationery appliance for use with a loose leaf ring binder that has at least two closure rings capable of holding punched sheets in an organized manner. The appliance comprises a grouping device selectively encircling a plurality of the sheets to define an integral group thereof and maintain the integral group segregated from all of the other sheets held by the closure rings of the ring binder. The grouping device is selectively releasable to permit inspection of individual sheets of the integral group or removal of individual sheets from the ring binder. In one embodiment, the grouping device includes an elongated strip of flexible sheet material extending between first and second ends, the strip including a bight portion intermediate the first and second ends to define an upper elongated flap generally contiguous with an uppermost sheet of the integral group of sheets and a lower elongated flap generally contiguous with a lowermost sheet of the integral group of sheets.