Abstract: A portable cooking system has a heating chamber supported by retractable legs that rest on a lid. A fire pan also resting on the lid and partially within the heating chamber is adaptable to burn charcoal, wood, or compressed gas. The lid supports and isolates the fire pan from the ground. The fire pan may be adapted for grilling. An alternate lid may contain an electric heating element. Thermometers and a vent on the heating chamber allow regulation on temperature within the heating chamber. The system may be adapted to provide uniform, controlled heat for Dutch ovens contained within. The system may also function as a smoker.

Abstract: A lightweight, portable frame allows a caregiver to fix one or two of the caregiver's lower legs and knees in position with respect to one or two of a patient's lower legs and knees so that the fixed lower legs together support and balance the combined body weight of the caregiver and patient, allowing the caregiver to pivot the patient up or down from a seated position by using the fixed knees as a fulcrum. The frame has a lower section with a central concavity that engages one person's leg below the knee from one direction, and peripheral concavities on either side of the central concavity that engage another person's legs below the knee from the opposite direction. Legs in the peripheral concavities partially straddle the leg in the central concavity. The frame is strapped onto the patient with an upper portion of the frame braced against the patient's upper leg.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for teaching early receptive language, especially to infants, young children, the learning disabled, and hearing impaired, comprises a multi-media medium for displaying a set of visual images and their corresponding audio in the language of choice. The multi-media apparatus includes the requisite controls to stop, play, reverse, forward and pause the images being displayed. The method consists of displaying a series of visual images of an object containing comparable but not identical objects on a screen and providing an accompanying audio to describe the objects. This method of repetition and categorization is reinforced by concluding a set of series with a faster paced flow of some objects in the series. Further reinforcement of the concepts is accomplished by the use of textual material. With this method and apparatus parents and teachers can enhance the receptive language and categorization skills of infants, young children, the learning disabled and hearing impaired.

Abstract: A clock for teaching time-telling to children has a base with a circular recess containing twelve 30-degree removable wedges forming an annular disk. Each radial edge of each wedge has a semicircular opening that aligns with a complimentary semicircular opening on an adjacent wedge to form a hole that accepts a removable disk numbered from one to twelve. A long pointer and a short pointer pivot about a fastener in a center block, simulating clock hands. Scales denoting minutes, hours, roman numerals, and different color names are arrayed around the perimeter of the circular recess. Each wedge is colored to correspond to a different color name. A child may repeatedly assemble and disassemble the wedges and numbered disks to create a clock face and operate pointers to reinforce time-telling lessons.

Abstract: A swaddling blanket to alleviate colic has a back panel long enough to support a child from neck to feet, a leg pouch to loosely contain the child's legs, arm restraints to hold the child's arms against and parallel to the child's torso, a tapered short blanket arm to wrap over the child, and a tapered long blanket arm to wrap around the child more than once from the opposite direction to provide comforting pressure around the child's arms and torso.

Abstract: A tailgate step has at least one step held in a working position between tailgate level and ground level by one or more supports. Each support is attached at its upper end to a hinge. Each hinge is attached to or integral with an end of a support channel embedded in the upper surface of a lowered tailgate. Each support member channel is normal to and communicates with a step channel embedded at or near the bottom edge of the tailgate. The step and supports are sized and configured to pivot on the hinges and be stored within the corresponding channels, so that the upper surface of the tailgate is flat when the tailgate step is stored. The channels may be formed into or affixed to the tailgate by methods that prevent the entry of contaminants into the interior of the tailgate.

Abstract: A swaddling blanket to alleviate colic has a back panel long enough to support a child from neck to feet, a leg pouch to loosely contain the child's legs, arm restraints to hold the child's arms against and parallel to the child's torso, a tapered short blanket arm to wrap over the child, and a tapered long blanket arm to wrap around the child more than once from the opposite direction to provide comforting pressure around the child's arms and torso.

Abstract: An optical measurement system increases the number of translational and angular measurements made with a single laser beam by combining an optical interferometer with an optical autocollimator. Translational measurements are made with an optical interferometer and yaw and pitch measurements are made with an autocollimator. In a preferred embodiment, angular deviations in the reflected measuring beam are minimized with a reverse telescopic lens assembly, allowing a wider range of angular measurements without significant degradation of interferometer accuracy.

Abstract: A golf flagstick with telescoping sections displays patterns, colors, or other visual indicators on sections. A given visual indicator may be displayed by extending a section or hidden by retracting the section. By extending and retracting combinations of specific sections, linear sequences of visual indicators corresponding to different hole positions on a golf green may be displayed to distant golfers, assisting the golfers in aiming drives to optimize ball placement.

Abstract: A disc brake caliper for conversion of a motorcycle with a linked braking system to a trike integrates two or more separate sets of opposed braking cylinders and pads within a single housing. Braking cylinder sets are not connected to other braking cylinder sets within the housing. Each set of braking cylinders is connected to and actuated independently by a different master cylinder. At least two braking cylinder sets within a housing have different diameters, the diameters of each set being chosen to produce a desired amount of braking pressure in response to an expected amount of hydraulic pressure from a master cylinder actuating the set. Both the diameter of each braking cylinder set and ratio of diameters between different braking cylinder sets are chosen to produce the optimum rear wheel braking pressure allocation for a given braking control system and vehicle configuration with no changes to the master cylinders or the front wheel braking system.

Abstract: A tailgate has a least one step held in a working position between tailgate level and ground level by one or more supports. Each support is attached at its upper end to a hinge. Each hinge is attached to or integral with an end of a support channel embedded in the upper surface of a lowered tailgate. Each support member channel is normal to and communicates with a step channel embedded at or near the bottom edge of the tailgate. The step and supports are sized and configured to pivot on the hinges and be stored within the corresponding channels, so that the upper surface of the tailgate is flat when the tailgate step is stored. The channels may be formed into or affixed to the tailgate by methods that prevent the entry of contaminants into the interior of the tailgate.

Abstract: A swaddling blanket to alleviate colic has a back panel long enough to support a child from neck to feet, a leg pouch to loosely contain the child's legs, arm restraints to hold the child's arms against and parallel to the child's torso, a tapered short blanket arm to wrap over the child, and a tapered long blanket arm to wrap around the child more than once from the opposite direction to provide comforting pressure around the child's arms and torso.

Abstract: An arm support for a vehicle door is an elongated, stiff platform with a lip on one long edge and a support panel on the opposite long edge. The arm support is attached to the vehicle by inserting the lip between the window and the inside edge of the window channel. The platform spans the inner portion of the door. The support panel extends vertically downward from the platform and rests against the door interior. The upper surfaces of the arm support are cushioned. An adjustable stand-off block may be attached to the lower edge of the support panel between the support panel and the vehicle door to adjust the angle of the platform.