Abstract: Time display elements for displaying different units of time in a clock or other timepiece are arranged in a unitary solid geometrical structure having a predetermined symmetry. That symmetry of the unitary solid geometrical structure is periodically broken up by ongoing contortion of the unitary solid geometrical structure itself, and is periodically restored by movement of the time display elements relative to each other in a display of time providing a definitive space-time statement continually.

Abstract: Electronic circuit breakers safeguard a load connected to a power supply against damage from overload conditions. These circuit breakers interrupt flow of overload currents to the load by instantaneously reducing flow of such current from the power supply to the load to a harmless residual current when that electric current flow exceeds a predetermined value. These breakers also avoid downtime after cessation of such a condition by electronically monitoring that residual current to determine when it is safe to restore electric operating current flow to the load. Flow of electric operating current from the power supply to the electronic equipment is restored in response to the latter determination. Preferably, the monitored residual current is used for automatically switching the electronic circuit breaker and the flow of electric operating current electronically back on, when the electronic monitoring has determined that the overload condition has ceased to exist.

Abstract: In order to render honeycomb tables with apertured table leaves clean-room compatible, sealing sheets are provided with projections corresponding in number and location to apertures in the table leaves and projecting into cells of honeycomb cores for a distance being several times smaller than the depth of such cores. These sealing sheets and their projections seal the honeycomb cells against the table leaf apertures inside the table leaves. Debris and lubricant residues accumulate inside these projections during provision of the table leaf apertures and are removed through these apertures preparatory to use of each honeycomb table in a clean room. The apertures are structured for receiving fasteners for attaching objects to the honeycomb tables. A load-bearing sealing structure may be molded from a sealing sheet or may otherwise be provided with cavities situated like the above mentioned projections.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for interacting carriers with a structure of matter employ an electrode for emitting said carriers at a distance from a surface of that structure, and cause such carriers to travel along ballistic trajectories inside that structure by providing along the mentioned distance a gap for performance of a process selected from the group of carrier tunneling and field emission and injecting carriers emitted by the mentioned electrode and that process ballistically into the structure through the gap and the mentioned surface. The carriers are collected or analyzed after their travel along ballistic trajectories in the structure of matter. Pertinent information on the inside of the structure is obtained by conducting inside that structure what conventionally would have been considered external ballistics, while performing the carrier-propelling internal ballistics conversely outside that structure.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for mode coupling a light beam into an optical cavity having a cavity axis, effect reflection of light of that beam with a mirror along a geometric ray originating laterally of the cavity axis. The mirror is rigidly interconnected with the cavity and is adjusted until the geometric ray coincides with the light beam. That geometric ray is retained in space while moving the optical cavity so that the cavity axis moves translatorily relative to the retained geometric ray, until the cavity axis coincides with the retained geometric ray and thereby with the light beam. Where an optical cavity is located in an oven, first temperature variations of a wall of that oven and second temperature variations of the cavity are sensed, and energization of the oven is controlled more rapidly in response to these first temperature variations, than in response to those second temperature variations.

Abstract: Water heating methods and apparatus feed a combustible mixture of gas and air to an axial inlet of a cylindrical radiant surface burner and conduct water to be heated through a heat exchanger encompassing that cylindrical radiant surface burner as a cylindrical structure having first passages for combustion gases therethrough substantially radially of the cylindrical radiant surface burner and the heat exchanger.

Abstract: In an engraving head for apparatus for engraving printing cylinders, a drivable engraving tool and a sensing organ contacting any printing cylinder being engraved by the drivable engraving tool are mounted on a common fixture. A damping element is located between the sensing organ and the engraving tool for at least substantially barring transmission of oscillations from the sensing organ to the engraving stylus, while preserving a firm and accurate guidance of the drivable engraving tool by the sensing organ contacting the printing cylinder. Damped sleeve structures and collets for mounting a sensing stylus include such damping elements.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for improving contrast and resolution of a predetermined response of an object to illumination, render a two-dimensional array of light spots translatorily movable in a plane of the array, and scan the object by translatorily moving the two-dimensional array of light spots over the object. Sequential signals of light from the object scanned with that translatorily moving two-dimensional array of light spots may be viewed, or sequential reponses of the object to that translatorily moving two-dimensional array of light spots may be recorded or stored for subsequent reproduction and observation.

Abstract: A sunshield is made of a shading material having a predetermined value per unit area. The sunshield is divided into a sunshield proper or main body and a predetermined portion adjacent that main body corresponding in location to a certain component of the motor vehicle inside and in the vicinity of the window, in terms of a positioning of the sunshield in that window. The sunshield is scored between the main body and that predetermined portion, and a redeemable value being greater in terms of unit area than the value per unit area first mentioned herein is imparted to that predetermined portion. A combination of printed matter and structure may be employed for that purpose.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for stacking predetermined sheets of various intermixed sizes in a stacking location by advancement of stacking devices into that location, selectively guide further sheets past the stacking location. That guiding of further sheets past the stacking location is mechanically slaved to the advancement of the stacking devices into the stacking location. Where the stacking devices are withdrawn from the stacking location preparatory to each stacking of a predetermined sheet, the guiding of that predetermined sheet into the stacking location is mechanically slaved to such withdrawal of the stacking devices. Where the sheets are stacked against a movable wall, an unobstructed space for receiving each sheet guided to the stacking location is permanently preserved between the movable wall and the withdrawn stacking devices.

Abstract: An article of manufacture, such as an electrically actuable light gate structure, includes a substrate which may comprise an electrooptically active solid-state light gate material. Spaced parallel electrodes are subdivided on that substrate into first and second electrode arrays alternating along an elongate region of the substrate. Individual terminals for the electrodes in each first electrode array are distributed along a line on one side of the elongate region, and individual terminals for the electrodes in each second electrode array are distributed along a line on the opposite side of the elongate region of the substrate. Any individual terminal of any one of the electrodes is spaced from the individual terminal of any other electrode by a center-to-center distance greater than the center-to-center spacing between that one electrode and the latter other electrode.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for transporting a heat-generating load through an environment affected by vibrations and pressure variations, employ a capillary structure for advancing that working fluid, when in a liquid state, from a condenser section at a heat-conducting supporting structure spaced from the load to an evaporator section at a heat-conducting load support at the load, for converting the advanced fluid to a vapor state with heat drawn from the load in the evaporator section.

Abstract: Objects of various sizes are centered and releasably held with a holder member having an annulus and radially mobile object supports or flexible fingers projecting inwardly from that annulus for centering and releasably holding any of the objects inside that annulus. These radially mobile object supports or flexible fingers are of one piece with the annulus. Adjustable actuator members, which may project from an annular structure concentric with, and rotatable to, the annulus, engage the radially mobile object supports or flexible fingers for selectively moving the same radially relative to the annulus for an accommodation of any of the objects. Detents may be provided between the annular structure and the annulus for releasably retaining the annular structure in any of several annular positions relative to the annulus.

Abstract: An aim assistance light beam for a firearm having functional parts necessary for the operation of that firearm as a firearm is provided by adaption of a battery housing to a contour of that firearm below a barrel and ahead of a trigger guard thereof as seen in a direction of the light beam, for reception of an electric battery remotely from a stock of the firearm. A common fastener is provided for that battery housing as well as for one of the necesary functional parts of the firearm, and both that battery housing and that one necessary functional part are attached with that common fastener to the firearm. A light source is mounted on that battery housing for providing an aim assistance light beam upon energization from the battery through an electric on-off switch provided independently of any trigger and hammer assembly of the firearm.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for determining preferences of persons viewing broadcast television programs on television display sets located in rooms of private homes humanly imperceptibly sense proximity of persons to television sets within viewing distance in rooms for which permission to effect such sensing has been obtained. Each such room may be electrically scanned for proximity of one or more persons to a television set. The imperceptibly sensed proximity or the proximity of persons detected by scanning is automatically correlated to television programs broadcast for display by television display sets in the above mentioned rooms and elsewhere, and there is electronically determined from that correlated sensing what broadcast television programs were viewed in which rooms and, optionally, by how many persons.

Abstract: Electrooptical light gating methods and apparatus divide pluralities of light gates into distinct groups, each extending along a light gate structure. The light gates are staggered in at least one of these groups relative to light gates in at least another of the groups. At least two of the groups may be arranged on the same light gate structure, and light gates in one of these two groups are then staggered relative to light gates in the other of the two groups on the same light gate structure. On the other hand, at least two of the groups may be arranged on at least two different light gate structures, and light gates on one of the two light gate structures are then staggered relative to light gates on the other of such two light gate structures.

Abstract: Differential transducers for corrosive or electrically conductive fluids have a first tube for guiding such fluids toward one side of a semiconductor diaphragm containing embedded strain gages, and a second tube for guiding such fluids toward an opposite side of that semiconductor diaphragm. These tubes are made of an electrically insulating material temporarily convertible to an electrical conductor for electrostatic bonding. The semiconductor diaphragm is provided in a semiconductor wafer extending beyond the perimeter of at least the first tube. The strain gages are provided with embedded electrical leads extending beyond the above mentioned perimeter for attachment of electrical contact wires outside the first tube, while providing these leads inlaid in the semiconductor wafer at least in a region to be covered by the first tube.

Abstract: Synaptic antennas or other radio frequency interactive systems variable in response to photon energy stimuli, are provided from a three-dimensional matrix of electrically conductive segments with photoresponsive devices selectively separating numerous adjacent segments from each other and alternatively interconnecting segments with each other in response to photon energy stimuli. Photon energy stimuli supplied to a first array of photoresponsive devices provide a first combination of interconnected segments constituting a first radio frequency interactive configuration in the matrix. Conversely, photon energy stimuli supplied to a second array of the photoresponsive devices provide a second combination of interconnected segments constituting a second radio frequency interactive configuration in the matrix.

Abstract: Sheet feeding systems provide a sheet receiving nip at a peripheral region of a rotary sheet transport and arrange sheets in a stack having a stack and formed by a bottom sheet and spaced from the nip by a distance shorter than the minimum length of any of the sheets. The stack is temporarily lifted from a stack rest, and the bottom sheet is removed therefrom. Sheet jams are prevented by advancing any bottom sheet to the rotary sheet transport in a plane intersecting that rotary sheet transport at a distance from the nip. Each bottom sheet is further advanced from that intersecting plane to the nip, and such advanced bottom sheet is engaged with the nip for transport away from the stack with the rotary sheet transport. The stack end is returned to the stack rest after said removal of a bottom sheet, and the temporary stack end lifting, sheet advancing, sheet engaging and stack end returning steps are repeated individually for further bottom sheets advanced from the stack end.

Abstract: Objects are received between first and second cutting elements of a cutter, which is suspended via the first cutting element from a rod-like object to be cut. The first cutting element, which preferably is formed as a cutter suspension including a cutting blade, is moved into the rod-like object toward the second element, until that object has been cut. The cutter preferably is mounted on an elongate handle, and rotary motion of such handle is translated into movement of the cutting elements toward each other. A quick release mechanism permits quick release action of the second element and an elongate member permits holding of the first cutting element onto the object, while the second element is pushed with the elongate handle toward the object.