Abstract: An article or product dispensing system to selectively dispense products having a dispensing module including a carousel to store the plurality of products rotatable by a carousel positioning device between a dispensing station and a rejecting station to selectively position the carousel relative thereto. A product ejector selectively ejects product at the dispensing station and a product rejector selectively ejects product at the rejecting station. A product detector verifies the product at the dispensing station is the selected product. A control system including a product input to select the product to be dispensed is operatively coupled to the carousel positioning device, the product ejector and the product rejector, such that the carousel positioning device rotates the carousel to position the selected product at the dispensing station and the product ejector ejects the selected product when the product is detected.

Abstract: A variable output induction motor drive system for use with a polyphase variable output alternating current motor including a rotor and stator to drive an operating load such as an automotive vehicle, the variable output induction motor drive system comprises a sine wave current generator operatively coupled to a direct current power source to receive direct current therefrom and to generate a variable sine wave current and operatively coupled to the polyphase variable output alternating current motor to selectively feed the variable sine wave current thereto and a sine wave current control coupled between the sine wave power current generator and the polyphase variable output alternating current motor to monitor the operating parameters of the polyphase variable output alternating current motor and to control the amplitude and frequency of the variable sine wave current fed from the sine wave current generator to the polyphase variable output alternating current motor to control the output torque and speed t

Abstract: An apparatus for melt blowing thermoplastic fibers especially suited for recycled plastic where molten polymer is extruded through a die head into an array of removable nozzles, each nozzle having a shoulder back end in contact with the die head, and discharged into ambient air while surrounded by a high velocity, high volume discharge of hot air wherein the nozzles are inserted through an array of nozzle holes in the back end of a strand plate bolted to the die head, and pass through an air chamber defined by the interior of the strand plate, air is heated to high temperatures with a direct flame and channeled to the air chamber, the outside face of the back end of the strand plate includes recessed areas corresponding to each nozzle hole, for receiving the shoulder back end of each nozzle, each of the nozzles can be serviced and replaced simply by releasing the strand plate and withdrawing one or more nozzles therefrom, a desired spatial configuration of and proper alignment of the nozzles is maintained wit

Abstract: A stake/post driver for use with a handheld jackhammer comprising a hammer assembly including a hammer element configured to strike the upper portion of the stake or post coupled to the handheld jackhammer by a hammer spindle to mechanically drive a stake or post into the ground or other support surface and a hammer guide assembly including a hammer housing to receive the hammer element and a portion of the hammer spindle therein having an upper spindle guide formed on the upper portion thereof to receive a portion of the hammer spindle therethrough and a lower stake/post guide coupled to the lower portion thereof to receive a portion of the stake or post therethrough to cooperatively align the hammer element relative to the stake or post during operation of the stake/post driver such that the hammer element strikes the upper portion of the stake or post driving the stake or post into the ground or other support surface.

Abstract: A dual stage compressor for use with condensable fluids comprising a condensable fluid expansion stage in fluid and thermal communication with a condensable fluid compression stage wherein the condensable fluid expansion stage comprises a compressor head/heat exchange including a fluid expansion nozzle disposed in operative relationship relative to an condensable fluid expansion chamber formed therein and the condensable fluid compression stage comprises a reciprocating compression piston movable between a first and second position disposed within a compression cylinder having an intake port and an intake valve movable between a first and second position to selectively control fluid flow from the condensable fluid expansion chamber to the interior of the compression cylinder and an exhaust port and an exhaust valve movable between the first and second position to selectively control fluid flow from the compression cylinder such that when the reciprocating compression piston moves from the first to second posi

Abstract: A hat constructed of woven fabric capable of reflecting radiant energy from the exterior thereof and of releasing thermal energy from the interior thereof, the hat comprising a side band having a top panel and a double ply outer brim attached to the upper and lower peripheral portions thereof to shield the head, neck and face of the wearer from the elements and to allow heat to escape from the interior thereof.

Abstract: A lumber staging device having a lumber receiving station and a lumber discharge station for positioning a supply of lumber of different lengths within arms reach of an operator of an automated saw. The lumber staging device comprises a first multi-level lumber conveying assembly including a first set of substantially horizontal conveyors and a second multi-level lumber conveying assembly including a second set of substantially horizontal conveyors to form multi-level pairs of corresponding substantially horizontal conveyors. The multi-level pairs include a lower conveyor assembly, an intermediate conveyor assembly and an upper conveyor assembly to convey lumber supported respectively thereon. Each conveyor assembly is operatively coupled to a corresponding conveyor drive to selectively convey lumber supported therebetween from the lumber receiving station to the lumber discharge station.

Abstract: A propagation tray configured to receive a plurality of seedlings or root cuttings comprising a tray member having an outer peripheral skirt formed about the periphery thereof and a plurality of propagation cells each having an upper centrally disposed aperture formed in the upper portion thereof inwardly of the outer peripheral skirt to receive a growing media and seedlings or root cuttings therein, a lower centrally disposed drainage aperture formed in the lower portion thereof and a growing media support member formed across the lower centrally disposed drainage aperture to retain the growing media and seedling or root cutting therein.

Abstract: A flow detector to detect and monitor the flow of fluid through a conduit comprising a first flow detection element selectively moveable between a first position and a second position and a second flow detection element disposed to operatively engage the first flow detection element when in the second position coupled between a power source and a flow detection monitor such that when fluid flows through the conduit the first flow detection element moves from the first position to the second position to operatively engage the second flow detection element to activate the flow detection monitor and when fluid ceases to flow through the conduit the first flow detector element returns to the first position thereby disengaging the second flow detector element to deactivate the flow detection monitor.

Abstract: A flow detector to detect and monitor the flow of fluid through a conduit comprising a first flow detection element selectively moveable between a first position and a second position and a second flow detection element disposed to operatively engage the first flow detection element when in the second position coupled between a power source and a flow detection monitor such that when fluid flows through the conduit the first flow detection element moves from the first position to the second position to operatively engage the second flow detection element to activate the flow detection monitor and when fluid ceases to flow through the conduit the first flow detector element returns to the first position thereby disengaging the second flow detector element to deactivate the flow detection monitor.

Abstract: A separator vessel and a biological reactor vessel are connected in tandem to remove separable wastes from waste water and to deactivate toxins, respectively. In a first embodiment, waste water is gravity fed into the separator vessel where it flows downwardly through a bed of loose pellets that causes coalescing of organic matter. A cone-shaped deflector, having its wide end facing downwardly, deflects the downward flow radially outwardly toward the side walls of the separator vessel. Heavy waste accumulates in a cone-shaped waste concentration zone at the bottom of the separator vessel and is pumped away to a disposal point. Lighter water reverses its downward direction and is pulled upwardly into the cone-shaped deflector by a pump and sent to the biological reactor vessel where nitrification changes toxins to harmless nitrates.

Abstract: A system for displaying dynamic on-line operating conditions of an interconnected power transmission network including components to monitor the interconnected power transmission network by measuring and correlating voltage magnitude and phase existing at selected station busses of the interconnected power transmission network and to display isovoltage and isophase contour lines on a map representative of the interconnected power transmission network geographic area thereby showing existing operating conditions of the interconnected power transmission network wherein the location and nature of any disturbances occurring on the interconnected power transmission network is indicated on the map by a change in the positions of the isovoltage and isophase contour lines relative to the normal network operating isovoltage and isophase contour lines such that upon detection of an abnormal operating condition a system operator may initiate action within the interconnected power transmission network to correct for the

Abstract: A chair for use with a plurality of such chairs arranged in rows to provide an aisle between adjacent rows of chairs when the chairs are not in use comprising a frame assembly configured to operatively support a seat assembly including a seat movable between a raised or upright position when not in use and a lowered or deployed position when in use and a seat positioning assembly coupled to the seat to normally maintain the seat in the raised or upright position.

Abstract: A system to organize, store and dispense a plurality of tablets in a predetermined theraputic regime comprising a plurality of sets of separate packets corresponding to the days of the week or the dates of the month configured to store at least one tablet therein wherein each set of separate packets comprises a subset of the packets corresponding to the time of day or date the plurality tablets for the corresponding day or date are to be administered and a packet organizer to arrange the sets and subsets of packets sequentially by day or date and time of day or date for each corresponding day or date for selectively dispensing and consumption of the appropriate tablet or tablets at the proper time and day or date.

Abstract: A non-toxic aqueous pesticide and method for application on plants and animals comprising at least one surfactant and at least one high terpene containing natural oil to effectively control insects and parasites such as darkling beetles, lice, ticks, mites, flies, aphides, mosquitoes and chiggers.

Abstract: A system and apparatus for transporting a colloidal like mixture of mineral material and water from a mining site to a processing facility comprising at least one automated water gun discharging continuous high velocity stream of water into a mineral stockpile and slurry pit in a predetermined undulating pattern to facilitate the mixing and movement of the mineral material and water into a hydraulic pump inlet disposed behind a crushing grid within the slurry pit wherein the automated water gun is moveably mounted on a portable sled and in operative communication with a water supply conduit having a barrel selectively moveable through a predetermined range of vertical and horizontal motion by a vertical positioning device and a horizontal positioning device respectively.

Abstract: An electrosurgical instrument comprising a work implement having a medically acceptable working edge with a plurality of layers of different compositions including an inner primer layer with an electrically conductive polymer with a coating thickness of about 0.3 mil, an intermediate layer having a coating thickness of about 0.1 mil and an outer protective layer having a low coefficient of friction with a thickness of about 0.3 mil to reduce the adhesion of charred tissue during surgical procedures involving cauterization or cutting of tissue utilizing high frequency electrical energy as the source of power.

Abstract: Methods for handling exceptions caused by speculatively scheduled instructions or predicated instructions executed within a computer program are described. The method for speculatively scheduled instructions includes checking at a commit point of a speculatively scheduled instruction, a semaphore associated with the speculatively scheduled instruction and branching to an error handling routine if the semaphore is set. A set semaphore indicates that an exception occurred when the speculatively scheduled instruction was executed. For a predicated instruction the method includes checking a predicate of an eliminated branch and a semaphore associated with the speculative instruction at a commit point of the speculative instruction and branching to an error handling routine if the semaphore indicates that an exception occurred when said speculative instruction was executed, and the predicate is true, which indicates that said speculative instruction was properly executed.

Abstract: In a method and system for dynamically improving the performance of a server in a network, a tuning system monitors a workload of the server in real time, monitors a set of internal performance characteristics of the server in real time, and monitors a set of adjustable server parameters of the server in real time. The workload of the server may include the frequency and type of service requests received by the server from clients in the network. The internal server performance characteristics may include, for example, a data cache hit ratio of a data cache in the server. The set of server parameters may include, for example, the overall data cache size or the data cache geometry of the server. The tuning system periodically alters one or more of the set of adjustable server parameters as a function of the workload and internal performance characteristics of the server.

Abstract: A technique for logically connecting local area networks (LANs) that may be separated by wide area networks containing routers and other network components. A logical link is formed between two bridge-like devices called tunnelers, such that, once a tunnel has been established between two LANs, other devices on the LANs can communicate as if the tunnel were a bridge. The tunneling mechanism of the invention requires that each LAN or extended LAN have only one active tunneler at any particular time, referred to as the designated tunneler, and each of the tunnelers is configured to have knowledge of the identities of the other tunnelers. A tunnel is established after a successful exchange of messages between two tunnelers, and then traffic may be forwarded through the tunnel in a transparent manner. The tunneling mechanism permits messages to be forwarded between LANs separated by a wide area network containing routers.