Abstract: An inexpensive, self-contained, hydroponic planter for various house plants automatically supplies to the plants the correct amount of water, nutrients and adequate root exposure to gases in the air. The planter includes a tank storing the mixture of water and nutrients, a drain for changing the solution and a sight glass for gauging the proper water level range. An air pump with an air line leading from above the water level to the bottom of the storage tank is attached to the intake of a riser tube. The riser tube goes from the bottom of the storage tank through a stand pipe in a pot above the storage tank to the top of the pot. Compressed air intermittently fed into the bottom of the riser tube rises inside the tube, expanding and increasing in velocity as ambient pressure decreases and creating an "air lift" that draws the water into the bottom of the tube and lifts it, along with the expanding air, to the top of the tube where it is discharged into the pot.

Abstract: A locking container for a hand weapon comprising a longitudinally extending container having an open end and an opposite closed end, a transverse plate mounted at the closed end of the container, a hand weapon mounted within the container and connected to the transverse plate by means of a bracket. The hand weapon is provided with a discharge end adapted to be utilized against an assailant, and the transverse plate is provided with an opening cooperating with the discharge end of the hand weapon whereby the discharge end can be directed against the assailant. The open end of the container is capable of receiving a hand of a user of the hand weapon such that the hand can be inserted into the container to grasp the hand weapon and so as to position a finger of the hand against a trigger of the hand weapon.

Abstract: A device for raising and lowering a paper roll used in a printing press. This device is comprised of an inverted U-shaped frame made up of a horizontal member supported by two vertical members. Two hydraulic cylinders are supported by the horizontal member so that each extends substantially parallel to a vertical member of the frame. A hydraulic power unit is attached to the top of the horizontal member to actuate the hydraulic cylinders. A hydraulic directional control valve controls the direction of flow of hydraulic fluid in order to effectuate the extension and retraction of the hydraulic cylinders and thereby raise and lower the paper roll.

Abstract: An enclosed, portable, lighted lap-desk is provided to facilitate reading or writing at night while the rays from the light are confined within the enclosure so as not to disturb others. The invention is particularly suited for use by a passenger in a motor vehicle traveling at night to provide light for reading or writing without interfering with the vision of the driver.

Abstract: A screen for removing undesirable particles from a liquid has a flat parallel array of shute filaments spaced apart less than a preselected minimal linear dimension of the undesirable particles transverse to a parallel array of groups of 3 to 10 warp filaments, the warp filaments of each group being oppositely woven about and between the shute filaments taken individually or in pairs to secure the shute filaments and maintain the spaces therebetween, the spaces between groups of warp filaments being greater than the preselected minimal linear dimension of the undesirable particles so that the screen is characterized by rectangular flow apertures therethrough, the diameter of the shute filaments being in the order of at least 1.1 times the diameter of the warp filaments so that the apertures have an aspect ratio ranging as great as 4 to 10 or more, even for filaments having diameter ranging as small as 0.0070 to 0.0010 inches or less.

Abstract: The template of this invention includes a flexible sheet with indicia thereon to identify the proper sites and instruction of the proper method of insertion of a cannulated needle to drain a distended human knee bursa, A cannulated needle is used for draining the bursa which includes a rigid needle and a flexible cannula through which the rigid needle is inserted to be attached to a hypodermic syringe. The cannula has a plurality of apertures on its leading end which facilitate drainage by reducing the chance of clogging or blocking of the opening of the cannula.

Abstract: Live loading is applied on each end of both the secondary and the primary packing of a packing gland. After installing the primary packing assembly and a lantern ring, the primary packing is compressed to proper specifications. While the primary gland is so compressed, it is locked into place using lantern ring lock bolts. The secondary packing assembly and a follower are then installed. The secondary gland is also compressed to proper specifications and the follower secured in place. The lantern ring lock bolts are then removed, both internally and externally live loading the packing gland. A single assembly of the present live loaded packing can also be installed in the gland from the process side, eliminating the need for purging and resulting in a most efficient purgeless gland.

Abstract: A bottle which may be in a straight-up position for storage and in an inverted position for dispensing of condiments, such as ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. The top has a cap which may be removed and replaced by a dispensing nozzle. The bottom has two parallel ridge members and has a hole in the flat area therebetween that is closable with a tethered plug. When the bottle is ready to be used for dispensing condiments, the cap is replaced with the dispensing nozzle and the bottle is turned upside down. At this time, the tethered plug is removed so as to release pressure in the bottle so its contents may escape through the dispensing nozzle. The bottle is of shape and weight so that when inverted and hung on a stand, it will hang properly perpendicular to the ground. The bottles are also shaped so that they will nestle against one another with very little clearance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a condom for use by a male user. The condom consists of a liquid impervious protective section for preventing exchange of body fluids between the user and a sexual partner during intercourse and a belt section for holding the condom on the user. The protection section is comprised of a tubular sheath portion which attaches to a bag portion into which the penis and the scrotum of the user are inserted, respectively, via an upwardly oriented opening in the bag portion. The opening is provided with an elasticized peripheral edge. A second protective layer is attached to the tubular sheath portion in order to help prevent the condom from breaking.The belt section consists of a waistband with two leg straps. A front area of the waistband secures, either permanently or removably, to an anterior area of the peripheral edge of the opening in the bag portion.

Abstract: A cat toy comprised of at least a partially transparent and generally spherical hollow external ball within which a second smaller opaque ball is suspended so as to form a uniform continuous gap between the two balls. The external ball is provided with an opening through which small balls having diameters only slightly smaller than the height of the gap may be inserted or removed from the gap. The opening is normally covered by a removable section. The external ball is also provided with at least one access opening having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the small balls but large enough to allow a cat to insert a single cat paw there through in order to bat at the small balls.

Abstract: A pipe wrap machine capable of dispensing one or more continuous strips of pipe wrapping material in a constant spiral path around a pipe includes mechanisms for simultaneously setting and calibrating the pitch of the spiral path of the machine. The shafts of three longitudinally aligned pairs of wheels are connected so that each pair of wheels can be simultaneously rotated to a selected angular alignment in relation to the pipe circumference. Each connecting rod is provided with an indicator and scale, so that each pair of wheels may be easily rotated to a precalibrated position to provide the desired amount of pitch. Each of the wheel shafts extends through a collar mounted on the machine frame. A set screw through each collar permits locking of its shaft at selected lengths of extension through the collar.

Abstract: A bearing system for automotive alternators comprising a draw cup needle bearing, a bearing journal or spacer to accommodate this needle bearing onto the alternator shaft, and a bearing sleeve to fix the bearing system into the alternator housing.

Abstract: A small spring steel stake is used to support a large tomato plant. The plant is held close to the stake so that the stake supports the plant with its weight pulling substantially straight down along the axis of the stake. Rings are optionally used to support only the branches and not the stem of the plant. Since the tomatoes grow close to the stem, a heavy load of tomatoes adds little weight to the rings. A shade, designed to be installed whenever the gardener decides the time is right, is detachably mounted to the top of the plant support and consists of spaced apart shade members so that rain water captured by the shade members may be directed to the roots of the plant.An optional deck planter adapted to secure the stake in its vertical position facilitates the use of the plant support for urban and even indoor gardening conditions.

Abstract: An audio sound system decodes from non-encoded two-channel stereo into at least four channel sound. The rear channel information is derived by taking a difference of left minus right and dividing that difference into a plurality of bands. In a simplistic implementation, at least one band is dynamically steered while the other band is unaltered so as to avoid any perceived pumping effects while providing transient information to left/right, as well as directional enhancement. In a preferred embodiment, multiple bands are dynamically steered left or right, so as to enhance directional information to the rear of the listener. In both schemes, the low pass filtered output of the sum of the left and right inputs is also combined with the directionally enhanced information, so as to provide a composite left rear and right rear output.

Abstract: A folding game board is provided which consists of a unitary thin plastic member divided into segments by at least one pair of parallel grooves having nadirs separated by a zenith. Each folding segment has one or more ridges on its face, preferably at least two of them in non-parallel planes perpendicular to the face, and a main body or segment of the board having corresponding ridges defining surfaces in non-parallel planes perpendicular to the face, non-parallel planes being aligned so that the mating ridge surfaces provide a frictional interface therebetween when the segments are folded at the nadirs into juxtaposition with the main body of the board. Preferably, one of the nadirs will be shallower than the other of the nadirs so as to increase the force exerted by the folding junction to maximize the frictional normal force.

Abstract: The present invention is a device for assisting a person in raking leaves into a vertically-oriented trash container. The device consists of a blunt-nosed ramp up which the leaves are raked using a conventional leaf rake. Once at the top of the ramp, the leaves fall by gravity through an opening provided in the device either into a trash bag previously secured to the opening by means of a lid portion or into a free-standing trash receptacle previously positioned under the opening. Rear legs provided on the device have pointed lower ends to anchor the device to the ground, and a food rest is provided at the front end of the device to hold the device against the ground while it is in use. An alternate embodiment of the device is capable of being folded for storage.

Abstract: A permanent magnet shaft bearing includes a shaft bearing bushing and a flange bearing bushing which are magnetized to saturation. The outer surface of the shaft bearing bushing is magnetized to have the same polarity as the inner surface of the flange bearing bushing so that both bearing surfaces repel one another. Such repulsion creates a space between the bearing surfaces so that no physical contact is present. Both the flange bearing bushing and the shaft bearing bushing are tapered to mate each other. The shaft load requirements determine the magnetic flux density, the mass of the bearing bushings, the composition of the bearing bushings, and the proper angle of the taper. An insulating sleeve protects the bearing bushings from heat transfer in order to help retain permanent magnetization. A magnetically impermeable shield protects the bearing bushings from attracting metal particles.

Abstract: An audio sound system decodes from non-encoded two-channel stereo into at least four channel sound. The rear channel information is derived by taking a difference of left minus right and dividing that difference into a plurality of bands. In a simplistic implementation, at least one band is dynamically steered while the other band is unaltered so as to avoid any perceived pumping effects while providing transient information to left/right, as well as directional enhancement. In a preferred embodiment, multiple bands are dynamically steered left or right, so as to enhance directional information to the rear of the listener. In both schemes, the low pass filtered output of the sum of the left and right inputs is also combined with the directionally enhanced information, so as to provide a composite left rear and right rear output.

Abstract: A lift for water vehicles comprising a pair of vertical pipes or tracks attached adjacent their upper ends to one side only of a dock structure which is positioned alongside a body of water, a tank assembly having a roller assembly thereon for engaging the sides of the pipes for rolling upwardly and downwardly thereon, the tank assembly having a tank mounted thereon and an upper opening for introducing air into the tank to displace water therefrom through a lower opening at the bottom of the tank so as to cause the tank to rise, the tank assembly having a pair of spaced padded blocks for supporting a water vehicle thereon, the roller assembly having roller thereon adapted to rise along the inboard sides of the pipes when the tank assembly moves vertically in response the introduction of air to and removal of air from the tank, whereby, when a water vehicle is supported on the padded blocks and the tank assembly is in its lowermost position, air can be introduced into the tank while water is forced outwardly f