Abstract: A pair of retroreflective strips each having an outside retroreflective surface and an inside nonretroreflective surface are stitched together with thread at one end. A strip of hooks is stitched to one inside surface and a strip of loops is stitched to the other inside surface around the edges of the respective strips to form a hook and loop fastener for detachably securing the strips around an item to enhance the visibility of the item.

Abstract: In an ear muff intended for protection against excessive noise exposure, the passive means according to this invention automatically and continuously varies the amount of reduction provided for the sound arriving at the ear of the wearer; it retains substantially unaltered the performance of the ear muff for high sound levels, but effects a prescribed lesser value of sound reduction at low sound levels and maintains coherent phase relations between the sound waves arriving at the two ears as needed for reception of directional information.

Abstract: There are sequencers and format registers which create variable length digital data signal fields and associated field attributes, both with the fields and operations performed on the fields in a random access memory with a central processing unit having comprehensive processing capability, including arithmetic, field and record looping, compare, move and jump, look-up and disk read/write functions, I/O keyboard, display, print types of processing. The sequencers and associated format registers allow and manage comprehensive association of attributes with variable length digital data signal fields.

Abstract: An offset marking system includes a marking wheel depending from an indexing motor adjacent to a window in a tube that carries components to be marked. A print wheel is rotatably mounted in a bearing. The indexing motor and bearing are slidably mounted on supports between a spring and a motor-operated cam. A rotating ink roller conveys ink from an ink reservoir to the print wheel. As an alternative to the motor-operated cams, a solenoid-operated level pivoted about an axis in the plane of the print wheel and marking wheel selectively moves the print wheel and marking wheel apart and together by acting on the bearing and indexing motor.

Abstract: A wood stove has primary and secondary air regulator doors at the bottom and top, respectively, of the stove door each rotating about the axis of a tightening knob in the center of the door opposite a baffle plate that defines with the door inside an air channel open at the top and bottom.

Abstract: Undesired reflections in a photosensor array encapsulated in a glass-covered housing are reduced by including between the cover and photosensor array a solid or fluid adapted to substantially match the index of refraction of the cover.

Abstract: A vertical rotatable shaft is fitted with sets of radial arms extending from it to which are connected the leading edges of vanes rotatable about that member as axis. The vanes have sheets of flexbile material so that they may act like sails under pressure of the wind. A cam track, machined in a horizontal surface of a planar member just adjacent and outside the path of the vanes, guides the trailing edges of the vanes so that as the shaft rotates, the vanes are oriented about their axes to reach, run and tack before the wind. The member having the surface defining the cam track is attached to a tail assembly that orients the cam track to the wind direction. The inner assembly, which is pinned to the shaft makes a power rotor. The outer assembly which is free to rotate independently of the shaft is a cam cage.

Abstract: A drill jig includes a frame adapted for mounting on a work surface, and a guide for guiding a drill bit to various positions on the work surface and along mutually orthogonal axes for boring a hole having its major axis aligned at any desired angle relative to the work surface.

Abstract: A snap-action switch includes a housing having a pair of terminal studs at the rear connected to stationary contact blades inside the housing located in a common plane. A pair of rotatable contact blades are supported upon a contact shaft that is rotatable in the housing and attached to a contact shaft driving insulator. A pair of coil springs around the switching shaft urge the rotatable blades together. The driving insulator is formed with notches for engagement with tabs extending from a saddle that is rotatable about a key shaft and adjacent to a cam plate driven by the key shaft. A pair of latching springs cantilevered from respective stop pins in the housing engage respective tangs on the saddle when the saddle is in a corresponding one of the two stable switch positions. An action spring around the keying shaft between the contact shaft driving insulator and the saddle plate has its ends extending through arcuate grooves in the saddle and cam plate.

Abstract: Eight input ports are sampled once every eight clock pulse intervals, and the samples are multiplexed to an eight-bit collecting register that stores data bit signals from selected input ports in cells corresponding to the location of designated output ports selected in accordance with selection signals stored in a 64-bit RAM having eight-bit words that may be changed to designate the connections among input ports and output ports for data transfer. The data signals in the eight-bit collecting register are transferred to an output holding register in cells corresponding to respective output ports that are released in response to the sample signal.

Abstract: An optical encoder housing is rotatably mounted upon a hub secured to the shaft of a motor typically by a set screw. The hub also carries the encoder disc. A circular leaf spring is fastened by studs to the motor housing and the encoder housing. Alternatively a spring couples the hub to the motor shaft while the encoder housing is secured to the motor housing.

Abstract: A cable television system includes a minicomputer that responds to signals from viewers desiring to see particular television program material to provide a schedule video signal that is broadcast over a program schedule channel carrying a video signal representative of television programs to be broadcast, the time of broadcast and the channel where broadcast. The computer also provides selecting control signals that causes a particular television signal source, such as on a video tape cassette, disc or film, to provide a video signal that is coupled by a video switch controlled by switching control signals from the computer for modulating a television transmitter associated with a channel selected for broadcasting the selected television program material. A television signal combiner combines the signals from the different television transmitters for broadcast over a cable to the remote receiving locations.

Abstract: The subject invention is directed to a cable comprising at least one center conductor, a dielectric surrounding said conductor and a plurality of metallic sheaths with at least two of said metallic sheaths separated, having a high series impedance and high propagation function for the path between said separated metallic sheaths. Said metallic sheaths are disposed in coaxial relationship to said at least one center conductor along the length of said cable. The cable design improves the shielding, suppression of EMI and RFI interference and minimizes the number and/or cost of the metallic sheaths required to obtain desired shielding.

Abstract: A retroreflective strip on the outside of a garment encircling a body limb is formed with a pocket formed by another strip of retroreflective material outside the first strip with opposed Velcro fasteners selectively closing the pocket opening.

Abstract: A copy camera has a lens board positioned by a lens lead screw and a copyboard positioned by a copyboard lead screw. A ratio-selecting knob rotates the shaft of a lens counter that is connected by a flexible coupling to spur gears that rotate the lens feed screw so that the count in the lens counter corresponds to the ratio of image size to object size. Spur gears intercouple the lens counter shaft to the tape advance drum that carries a tape with numbers denoting a copyboard counter setting for establishing an object distance between copyboard and lens for maintaining an object at that distance in sharp focus for attaining the ratio indicated in the lens counter. A copyboard setting knob rotates the copyboard counter shaft that is connected by a flexible coupling to the copyboard lead screw to enable an operator to set the copyboard counter to the value displayed on the tape drum.

Abstract: A new, performer played, real time, multitonal, multitimbral musical instrument consists of speed and force sensitive keys in which time domain multiplexing is used to find and associate one and only one tone generator, not otherwise busy, with any key that is depressed. The sound generator disclosed can provide very realistic simulations of the flute, oboe, trumpet, French horn, trombone through the provision of various types of modulations in amplitude and frequency of the various partials, as is characteristic of each instrument simulated, and filtered noise. Glissandi are provided from one note to another and are controlled from the pair of keys involved by the relative pressure with which they are depressed. For the nonpercussive tonalities, the speed with which a key is depressed, which is determined by differentiating the force, may be used to cause the attack transient to behave in a manner very characteristic of the instrument being simulated.

Abstract: Soft carbon-K X-rays (38) expose a PMMA photoresist (31) on an oxide layer (32) of a silicon substrate (33) through a parent mask (30) separated a distance S from the resist by a spacer (34) with the parent mask slits (12, 17) defining a spatial period p to establish an intensity pattern of period p/n at the photomask with S=p.sup.2 /n.lambda., where .lambda. is the wavelength of the incident radiation and .lambda.<p.

Abstract: A temperature controlling system (10) is normally controlled by a thermostat that is superseded by a remotely controlled thermostat (21) in response to a remote control signal transmitted over telephone lines that retains control for eight hours established by an eight-hour clock (14). A response oscillator with warning thermostat (13) provides an answering signal indicating that the superseding thermostat is exercising control over the temperature controlling system of pitch which is varied to indicate control and distinctly lower when the warning thermostat indicates the temperature is less than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A loudspeaker system includes a 10-inch high compliance woofer in a 1.5 cubic foot substantially fluid-tight enclosure. A pair of smaller speakers functioning as upper frequency radiators are supported on the top of the enclosure closely adjacent to the front edge with the axes of these small loudspeakers subtending an angle of substantially 90.degree. so that the angle of each axis to the rear surface of the enclosure is substantially 45.degree.. These small loudspeakers face the rear of the system, and fiberglass behind these speakers attenuates back radiation from them while being transparent to low frequency radiation produced by the woofer so that such radiation does not deflect the small speakers. The woofer and small speakers are fed in parallel, the small speakers receiving their energy through a network that allows increased transmission with increasing frequency. Both woofer and small speakers radiate energy over a common middle frequency range.