Abstract: Methods for forming a soft lip for a wheel rim are disclosed herein. The wheel rim may be a cold-formed, spun-formed, or rolled-formed cylindrical blank, wherein the blank includes an upturned outer edge. As the blank is spun, a blunting roller lowered to contact the upturned outer edge to blunt the outer edge into a work-strengthened annular bead, and finish off the external surface of the annular bead to form a soft lip.

Abstract: An emergency lighting system comprising a housing further comprising a flat cover, wherein the flat cover automatically opens during an emergency condition; a light source located inside the housing further comprising a rechargeable battery and a wide angle LED light bulb, wherein the light source remains off under a normal condition and the light source automatically turns on in response to an emergency condition, and wherein the light source is removable.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for unattended watering of plants over an extended period of time utilizing a watering system that regulates a partial vacuum to control the discharge of water to the roots of the plants. A water reservoir is provided having an encapsulated interior cavity and an exterior exposed to ambient air, and having upper and lower ends. The reservoir is located above the root level of a plant to be watered. At least one drain opening is defined in the lower end of the reservoir. The upper end of the reservoir is closed and is provided with an adjustable valve, preferably a pinch valve, and an air conduit, preferably a flexible tube, that passes through the valve and extends between the interior and the exterior of the reservoir. The valve thereby interacts with the conduit to partially obstruct air flow through it, so as to maintain a partial vacuum in the upper end of the reservoir as water drains from the lower end of the reservoir.

Abstract: A reinforcing ring loading and confining apparatus is provide for a hole punching and sheet material reinforcing device and includes a reinforcer loader receptacle that accommodates a plurality of annular reinforcing rings. The reinforcer loader has a body portion with a floor and a cylindrical reinforcer guide, open at the top and bottom, projecting up from the floor. A removable bottom panel is mounted to the body portion beneath the floor in alignment with the cylindrical guide. The reinforcer loader is inserted into the reinforcer loader receptacle support so that the loaded stack of reinforcing rings are positioned upon the removable bottom panel directly beneath the punching ram. The punching ram is forced downwardly through the stack of reinforcing rings and has an enlarged punching tip that passes through the central apertures in the reinforcing rings. When retracted, the punching tip lifts the stack of reinforcing rings back upwardly, thereby transferring them onto the punching ram shank.

Abstract: An articulating camera transport apparatus and corresponding methods involving an articulating camera truck for accommodating a camera element and for engaging a set of camera dolly tracks, the tracks having a curvature, the truck including a carrier and an undercarriage, the undercarriage having a plurality of articulating wheels and a structure for gimbaling the plurality of articulating wheels for accommodating the curvature and for facilitating a smooth passage of the truck along the tracks. The gimbaling structure has a gimbaling mechanism which includes a rocker arm.

Abstract: An articulating camera transport apparatus and corresponding methods involving an articulating camera truck for accommodating a camera element and for engaging a set of camera dolly tracks, the tracks having a curvature, the truck including a carrier and an undercarriage, the undercarriage having a plurality of articulating wheels and a structure for gimbaling the plurality of articulating wheels for accommodating the curvature and for facilitating a smooth passage of the truck along the tracks.

Abstract: A hole puncher and reinforcer for punching holes in sheets of material and for concurrently applying reinforcement to the sheets of material about the holes punched employs a removable cartridge containing a punch rod upon which a supply of reinforcement rings is mounted. The cartridge fits into a tubular socket located on the stanchion of the puncher and reinforcer frame. The reinforcing rings are mounted on the lower end of a cylindrical punch rod and a pressure plate attached to the punch rod forcefully presses each reinforcing ring in turn against a sheet of material as the cutting edge of the punch rod concurrently punches a hole in the sheet of material. When the supply of reinforcing rings is depleted, the entire cartridge is removed by rotating the punch lever arm away from alignment with the punch rod. A hook on the underside of the punch lever arm engages a lug on the cartridge, and lifts the cartridge out of the socket stanchion to facilitate removal and replacement of the cartridge.

Abstract: A method for increasing the efficiency of generating lasers by pumping two separate wavelengths into an erbium-based medium to populate the 4I11/2 state and depopulate the 4I13/2 state. A first excitation wavelength region is located between approximately 955 nm to approximately 1100 nm. The second excitation wavelength region is located between approximately 1600 nm to approximately 1850 nm. This multi-wavelength pumping scheme may be operated in continuous wave or quasi-continuous wave mode.