Abstract: A secure lockbox includes an interior key lock that controls access to the mechanism for setting and changing the combination for the lock controlling access to the interior storage compartment of the lockbox. A second key lock controls the attachment bail of the lockbox, preventing unauthorized removal of the lockbox. The two key locks may be identically keyed. In a variant of the invention, a second combination lock controls the attachment bail instead of a key lock. Resilient coverings are provided for the attachment bail and the sides of the lockbox body to prevent damage to buildings and fixtures. A chain is provided to secure the door of the lockbox to the body. A slide latch having non-slip features is controlled by the door's combination lock and engages an edge of the door opening to secure the door opening. The slide latch may have a protrusion for ease of use.

Abstract: A bar of soap with retention device includes a bar of soap with an aperture bored through it extending from the top surface to the bottom surface or from a first side edge to a second side edge. An elastic member attaches the bar of soap to a handling means through the aperture. The handling means includes an opening for attachment to the elastic member. The handling means is typically form as a ring but may have a series of finger indents within the opening or formed as a rod or handle. The elastic member is attached to the handling means by passing it through the opening in the handling means, passing both ends through the aperture and around each side of the bar and over the handling means to rest about the center of the elastic member. The retention device may be added to an existing bar of soap.

Abstract: A flexible pressure vessel is constructed from at least one pair of upper and mating lower dome shaped cell portions. Upper and lower passageway portions extend outwardly from each cell portion to surrounding sheet material. The portions are joined to form a passageway for connection to a valve or another cell. Upper and lower reinforcing rings surround the cell portions. Blankets of fiber reinforced material are attached over the cell portions and stitched in place through the surrounding resilient material. Cell shaped sponges impregnated with absorbent materials are encased in impermeable plastic tubing and inserted into the cells. High-strength filaments are wound around the tubing to provide additional pressure handling capability. Heat-reflecting plastic film or metal foil is inserted between blankets and the cell portions. Reinforcing rings are attached over and fastened through the blankets around the cells. An apparatus and method are described for constructing the flexible pressure vessel.

Abstract: A cellular reservoir flexible pressure vessel is formed as a series of closely packed tubes fitted into a pair of opposing end caps. The end caps have individual receptacles sized and shaped to receive the tube ends that are secured with adhesive or radio frequency welding. At least one end cap has a passageway for connection of the vessel. The vessel may be formed in a variety of useful shapes and the tubes may have various internal and external cross-sections. The end caps may be filled with sintactic foam with canals leading to the passageway. Microtubes through the syntactic foam may connect the tubes to the passageway. The vessel is further strengthened by overwrapping with high-strength braiding material, hoop winding or by overlayment with high-strength fabric. The vessel is further strengthened by coating with plastic resin. Apparatus and methods for forming the cellular reservoir flexible vessels are described.

Abstract: The invention prevents “packet flooding”, where an attacker uses up all available bandwidth to a victim with useless data. It can also be used to prevent some other related denial of service attacks. The defense is distributed among cooperating sites and routers. The sites identify data they don't want. The routers help sites to determine which routers forward that data. The sites then ask these routers to reduce the rate at which such data is forwarded. Variations of the defense protect against packet flooding attacks on routers and attacks in which an attacker tries to use up some service offered by a site.

Abstract: A blower for forcing hot air out of a computer is disclosed. The blower includes a hollow body having an air inlet and an air outlet, with a turbofan arranged in the hollow body to cause hot air to flow from the air inlet to the air outlet. Additionally, a mounting piece is provided for installing the hollow body in place in the computer.

Abstract: Plastic shopping bags having attached promotional ad strips are described. In bags have gusseted side edges the ad strips are attached within or above the gussets either by heat sealing the strip to the bottom seal and adhering the other end of the strip at the upper end of the bag or adhering the strip to the bag at both ends. In non-gusseted bags, the strips are either heat sealed to the bottom seal and adhered to the upper end of the bag or the strips are adhered at both ends to the front or rear surfaces of the bag. In gusseted T-shirt type handle bags, the intermediate portion of the ad strip is adhered to either the inside or the outside of the gusset. The strips include promotional advertising on at least one surface and include perforations allowing the advertising to be removed from the remainder of the strip.

Abstract: A conveyor belt with advertising is fabricated by coating at least one flexible belting member with a vinyl size coating. A white base coat is applied over the vinyl size coating. A variety of printing processes may be used to print registered color separation images on the belting member. These processes include silkscreen, flexographic and offset printing. The belting members may be made in lengths shorter than the entire length of the conveyor belt with removable attachment means, permitting individual advertising images to be replaced without replacing the entire conveyor belt. Methods for fabricating the belting members including ink formulations, handling and drying steps are also described.

Abstract: The present invention provides an athletic shoe offering an easily adjustable support for the wearer's ankle, a means for the wearer to quickly put on and remove the shoe, protection to the wearer's toes and forefoot from impacts to the upper surface of the shoe, and a unique and attractive appearance. The shoe may be constructed from four basic components: a resilient sole, an ankle surrounding section, an instep enclosing section, and a toe section. The ankle surrounding section begins at the after end of the sole portion and extends forward to a point between the forward end and the after end defining an opening through which a wearer's foot is passed. The toe section extends from the forward end of the sole portion backward and runs from the inner edge to the outer edge of the sole portion. The wearer's toes are inserted into the cavity defined by the toe section. The instep enclosing section extends from the toe section to the ankle surrounding section.

Abstract: A rear support pet leash includes a loop portion and a lifting portion, both portions being formed of flexible material. The loop portion has first and second ends and a medial section. Each of the first and second ends is attached adjacent the medial section to form first and second leg loops for fastening about the upper rear legs of a pet. The lifting portion is attached at an attaching end to the medial portion of the loop portion and has an adjustable handle at a lifting end. The lifting portion is adjustable to accommodate pets and pet owners of varying height. Leg loop pads are removably attachable to the first and second leg loops to provide additional comfort for the pet. Sliding adjustment means are provided for varying the size of the leg loops to accommodate different size pets. The adjusting means may be rings buckles or fabric loops.

Abstract: A toy storage cover for a portable play yard is described. The toy storage cover includes four outer panels shaped to surround the outer walls of the play yard attached at their top edges to four inner panels shaped to line the play yard. A floor panel joins the inner panels and is secured to the floor of the play yard by a mattress pad shaped to fit within the inner panels above the floor of the play yard. A series of pockets are attached to the outer panels of the cover. The pockets have smaller pockets within them or on their outer surfaces. Tie-down straps, fitted foot pockets or attachments through the play yard walls are used to secure the cover to the play yard. The toy storage cover may be adapted to play yards of various designs, cribs or other open topped containers.

Abstract: A lane alignment driving aid includes first and second lane alignment markers. The markers have linear interior edges and are symmetrically spaced about a centerline. The markers are attached to a vehicle windshield and aligned to bracket the first and second edges of a displayed lane marker adhered to a road surface. When the alignment markers are attached to a vehicle windshield so that a driver seated in a vehicle can observe the displayed lane marker adhered to the road surface between the symmetrically spaced edges of the first and second lane alignment markers while driving, the driver will be more easily able to guide the vehicle in parallel proximity to a roadway lane edge. The means for attaching the markers to the vehicle windshield includes a sheet of flexible, transparent material. The material has an inner surface, an outer surface and has the first and second lane alignment markers affixed to either the inner or outer surface.

Abstract: A jet engine igniter lead elbow assembly includes a hollow saddle adapter with a semi-circular cutout at one end, a master cylinder, an extension tube, a ferrule and a nut extension tube. The master cylinder is hollow, having a perpendicular circular orifice adjacent a closed end. The semi-circular cutout is shaped to fit over the circular orifice. The lower end of the master cylinder attaches to the top end of the extension tube. The bottom end of the extension attaches to the first end of the ferrule. The saddle adapter is attached to the master cylinder at the semi-circular cutout, the extension tube is then attached to the lower end of the master cylinder. The nut extension tube is slipped over the extension tube and the ferrule is then attached. The preferred method of attachment is silver soldering as it permits removal and replacement of the component parts without damage.

Abstract: An insect and rodent bait dispenser providing flexible means for dispensing a variety of different types of bait is described. The dispenser includes a weatherproof, childproof, enclosure having a pair of shallow reservoirs. Each reservoir includes a vertical element having a central orifice. The orifice is used to support a vertical rod upon which solid bait blocks are stacked. The vertical rod will also support a series of bait trays that may contain liquid or granular bait. The bait trays may be interspersed with the solid bait blocks. The bait trays include planar surfaces and spacing members designed to provide a space between stacked bait trays. The reservoir also accommodates a bottle for dispensing liquid bait into the reservoir. The bottle employs a special cap designed to keep the reservoir filled as liquid bait is removed. The dispenser includes features for mounting the dispenser to a vertical surface.

Abstract: A conveyor belt with advertising is fabricated by coating at least one flexible belting member with a vinyl size coating. A white base coat is applied over the vinyl size coating. A variety of printing processes may be used to print registered color separation images on the belting member. These processes include silkscreen, flexographic and offset printing. The belting members may be made in lengths shorter than the entire length of the conveyor belt with removable attachment means, permitting individual advertising images to be replaced without replacing the entire conveyor belt. Methods for fabricating the belting members including ink formulations, handling and drying steps are also described.

Abstract: A flexible pressure vessel is constructed from at least one pair of upper and mating lower dome shaped cell portions. The dome portions are molded from sheets of resilient material and joined together by radio frequency welding or high-strength adhesives. Upper and lower passageway portions extend outwardly from each cell portion to the surrounding sheet material. When the cell portions are joined the passageway portions are joined to form a passageway for connection to a valve or another cell. Upper and lower rings surround the upper and lower cell portions to provide reinforcement for the cells. First and second blankets of heavy-duty fiber reinforced material are attached over the upper and lower cell portions and stitched in place with heavy-duty stitching extending through the resilient material surrounding the cell portions. Cell shaped sponges impregnated with absorbent materials are encased in liquid and gas impermeable plastic tubing and inserted into the cells prior to joining of the cell portions.

Abstract: The invention is a common event monitoring, fusion and reasoning framework that integrates horizontally into many different application domain areas. The system includes a monitor for detecting occurrences of predetermined events from a monitored system, providing data in response to the occurrence and processing the data as a data relation in a database. Predetermined events are recorded in a database using an event pattern language that defines and compiles events in terms of first order logic over a universe of events. The language provides common patterns that allow event patterns (i.e., event rules and relations) to be specified by the client dynamically. These specified event patterns are then compiled into the database. The compiled code automatically triggers responses when specific event patterns are stored in the database. After compilation, additional event patterns may be recognized dynamically by formulating queries into the database using a standard query language such as SQL.