Abstract: A mooring device for mooring a boat at a selected nominal distance from a mooring point, with the boat being movable resiliently toward and away from the mooring point while biased into the selected nominal distance. First and second members are engaged with one another for movement relative to one another in longitudinal directions along the mooring device, and are resiliently biased, by a resilient biasing arrangement, into a nominal length which establishes the nominal distance. A band couples the first and second members for selected relative movement and enables ready adjustment of the length of the mooring device to any desired length within a range of length. A locking arrangement secures the band against movement to retain the first and second members at the selected length.

Abstract: An improvement is provided for controlling the temperature of recycled asphalt product being processed in an indirectly heated recycled asphalt product heater, and the temperature of component parts of the heater itself, as the recycled asphalt product progresses through the heater and is heated by heat transferred from gases at an elevated temperature passed through the heater. Temperature sensors are placed at strategic locations within the heater and provide temperature information to a central processor arranged to receive information pertaining to temperature from the temperature sensors and to process the information and generate control signals. A controller arrangement controls the temperature of the heated gases entering a heat exchange arrangement within the heater in response to the control signals such that the temperature of the recycled asphalt product and the temperature of component parts of the heater are maintained within a desired predetermined range of temperature.

Abstract: A full-body support cushion supports a person essentially prone in either a face-up orientation or a face-down orientation, with the person's head, neck, upper torso, lower torso and legs maintained in comfortable longitudinal alignment. Upper body and lower body segments of fast-drying reticulated synthetic polymeric foam material include head and leg recesses for accommodating the person's head and legs when the person is relaxed in either orientation. An air passage provides an airway to the head recess. A pillow segment of similar foam material is coupled with the upper body segment for selective movement to close the head recess and prop up the person's head when desired for reading or other observations while in the face-up orientation.

Abstract: An escape implement assists a firefighter in exiting a burning building through a window by securing an elongate bar extending longitudinally and juxtaposed with a corner of the window. The bar is secured in place with sharp-ended members projecting from the bar in the same lateral directions for piercing the wall to anchor the bar to the wall so as to span the corner, with an intermediate portion of the bar placed relative to the corner for enabling the attachment of an escape line to the intermediate portion of the bar. The escape line is attached to a looped member coupled with the bar for swiveling about the longitudinal direction so as to avoid the transmission of torque from the escape line to the bar which otherwise could tend to dislodge the sharp-ended members from the wall.

Abstract: A tibial prosthesis has tibial articular surfaces including a medial articular surface in a medial compartment and a lateral articular surface in a lateral compartment. The medial articular surface follows a first arcuate track having a first radius of curvature and a first posterior segment extending along a posterior aspect of the medial compartment to a first superior-interior location. The lateral articular surface follows a second arcuate track having a second radius of curvature and a second posterior segment extending along a posterior aspect of the lateral compartment to a second superior-inferior location. The second posterior segment has a slope extending in an inferior direction along the posterior aspect of the lateral compartment such that the second superior-inferior location is spaced a predetermined distance in an inferior direction from the first superior-inferior location.

Abstract: A femoral head offset and neck length required in a femoral component to be engaged with an acetabular component are determined for establishing appropriate hip mechanics in a prosthetic hip joint. Alternate selected sleeves of different lengths are interposed between a trial femoral head component and a trial femoral stem component movable relative to one another to admit each selected sleeve, interoperatively, for serial trialing to determine an appropriate trial distance, the appropriate trial distance corresponding to the required femoral head offset and neck length in the prosthetic hip joint.

Abstract: A golf tee for supporting a golf ball has a generally conical, essentially hollow body in which a conoidal wall extends in an axial direction along a prescribed axial length between a ball support at an upper end of the body and a basal tip at a lower end of the body. The wall includes overlapping conoid layers of synthetic polymeric material, preferably located along a common spiral, with adjacent layers in sliding engagement with one-another, all of the layers having upper and lower edges at corresponding upper and lower ends of the body. Each layer is unsecured to an adjacent layer between corresponding upper and lower edges of the layers such that upon being struck by a blow transverse to the axial direction relative movement between adjacent layers will enable a resilient transverse deflection of the wall while essentially maintaining the prescribed axial length between the ball support and the basal tip.

Abstract: A media basket mill utilizes a media bed having very small media to attain a mixture of finely divided solids in a liquid vehicle. A bearing construct which journals the rotor of the basket mill within the basket of the mill includes a bearing which is protected against excessive wear by including a recess in the rotor. The recess is juxtaposed with the bearing and communicates with the media bed such that upon rotation of the rotor to pass feedstock through the media bed for a mixing operation, media and feedstock in the vicinity of the bearing will be directed from the recess into the bed of media and feedstock outside the rotor, thereby diverting media and feedstock away from the bearing and deterring excessive wear which might otherwise result from media and feedstock interacting with the bearing during rotation of the rotor for the mixing operation.

Abstract: A marine fender for protecting a marine structure and watercraft against damage from collision forces. The marine fender includes an elongate body of resilient material having a basal wall dimensioned and configured for mounting the marine fender on the marine structure, and an outer wall for being engaged by a collision force, the basal wall and the outer wall defining an inner space. A web within the inner space is integral with the basal wall and with the outer wall, and has a generally M-shaped lateral cross-sectional configuration enabling cushioning by the outer wall and establishing an integral reinforcing and energy absorbing construction within the inner space for protecting against damage to the marine structure from collision forces exerted against the outer wall, as well as against damage to the watercraft.

Abstract: A chair construction includes a back member having back legs, a front member having front legs, and side members, all constructed of a synthetic polymeric material molded about a reinforcing metal core, the metal cores being constructed for securement together to establish an integral reinforcing metal core structure enveloped within unitary sheaths of synthetic polymeric material corresponding to each of the back member, the front member and the side members, subsequent to constructing each of the back member, the front member and the side members, so as to erect a chair having the durability, aesthetic appearance and feel provided by the synthetic polymeric material, and the strength and rigidity provided by the integral reinforcing metal core structure.

Abstract: A hand held instrument for carrying out some function on a work piece. The instrument is a handpiece that is held by the user and includes a working element at the distal end of the handpiece for working on the work piece. There is a source of power that activates the working element by providing power thereto in various forms. There is also a pressure sensor that senses the pressure between the working element and the handpiece. In one embodiment that pressure sensor senses a predetermined pressure in order to couple the power source to the working element for activating the working element. In another embodiment, the pressure sensor senses a reduction in pressure between the working element and the handpiece to illuminate an indicator light.

Abstract: An educational box toy and method for teaching one or more of the alphabet, numbers, colors, spacial problem solving and hand-eye coordination, utilizes a series of four blanks dimensioned and configured for selective erection by folding into a corresponding series of four box-like members, each box-like member having six faces, and each blank comprising nine panels so that the total number of panels provide a sufficient number of surfaces upon which to display alpha-numeric characters arranged for viewing in alphabetical order and in numerical order during folding of the blanks to erect the box-like members and during unfolding to return to the blanks in desired learning sequences. The series of blanks are shown dimensioned and configured such that each consecutive box-like member of the series is smaller than and receivable within a larger next consecutive box-like member of the series for enabling the box-like members to be assembled into a nested arrangement of box-like members.

Abstract: Duck-bill type check valves each include an inlet, an outlet spaced longitudinally from the inlet, and a bill adjacent the outlet and having at least one fold extending longitudinally along the bill for enabling unfolding of the at least one fold to open the outlet and permit the flow of fluid from the inlet for discharge through an opening at the outlet in response to minimum fluid forces upon the bill, and to provide the opening with an increased maximum available perimeter.

Abstract: Reduction of a bone fragment of a bone fracture at a bone fracture site is accomplished through a minimally invasive access passage utilizing instruments having a working head actuated from a location remote from the bone fracture site, between an insertion configuration dimensioned and configured to present a minimal cross-sectional area for ready passage through the minimally invasive access passage and a working configuration dimensioned and configured to establish an essentially rigid working face of substantially greater cross-sectional area than the minimal cross-sectional area. The working head is actuated into the working configuration and manipulated from the remote location while in the working configuration to engage the working face with the bone fragment and manipulate the bone fragment into an anatomically appropriate reduced position at the bone fracture site.

Abstract: An improvement in an apparatus for displaying and dispensing merchandise in the form of packages arranged serially along a path of travel leading to a dispensing location at a point-of-purchase, the improvement utilizing a single spring member to establish a forward-directed biasing force urging the packages forward against a gate at the dispensing location, and to establish a rearward-directed biasing force on a pivotal connection for biasing the gate into the path of travel canted rearwardly at a steep acute angle to retain a forward-most package at the dispensing location. The gate can be pivoted selectively into a rearwardly canted position at a shallow acute angle to the path of travel for enabling restocking of serially arranged merchandise packages from the front of the apparatus by inserting packages through the dispensing location in a rearward direction.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are described for interoperatively determining, during a trailing procedure conducted in connection with total hip arthroplasty, a combination of neck length and femoral head offset required in a femoral component for establishing appropriate hip mechanics in a prosthetic hip joint to be implanted at an implant site. A trial femoral head is coupled for selective movement relative to a femoral stem component to move the trial femoral head longitudinally and laterally relative to a predetermined direction among selected combinations of trial distance and trial offset to evaluate hip mechanics and determine interoperatively an appropriate combination of trial distance and trial offset corresponding to the combination of neck length and femoral head offset required in the prosthetic hip joint.

Abstract: A coupling device is interposed between an electronic or electro-acoustic component and a supporting structure for draining, transmitting and dissipating vibratory energy generated within the component, while isolating the component from vibratory energy emanating from the support structure, utilizing a ball rolling along a bearing surface in directions away from and toward an equilibrium position, with the ball biased toward the equilibrium position by magnetic attraction forces.