Abstract: A multi-channel valve having a valve seat, a valve seal, and valve seal housing. The assembly of the apparatus creates a plurality of inlet, exit, and cross channels enclosed by elastomeric portions of a valve seal. The elastomeric portions of the valve seal create bounded distensible chambers. Pressure exerted by a fluid in excess of the cracking pressure of the seal tends to distend portions of the elastomeric seal and allow flow through and into the chambers. When inflow pressure falls, the elastic rebound of the elastomeric portions of the seal tends to expel fluid from the valve without backflow. Cross channel capacity allows mixing of the fluids. The plurality of, and differentials between, chambers allows one fluid to completely purge the valve of other fluids. The valve may be configured with additional backflow prevention capacities, such as channel variations, secondary elastomeric members, and variations in primary membrane properties.

Abstract: An asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge incorporating, among other elements, an integral member, a string mounting edge, a foot edge, a treble edge, and a bass edge. The asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge is adapted to rest on a belly plate of a violin, or other stringed instrument, and support a plurality of strings. The asymmetrical stringed instrument bridge may include a plurality of tuning recesses along the edges and apertures in the integral member so as enable one to acoustically tune the bridge while taking into account the unique attributes of each string to optimize the energy transfer and movement of the bridge. The plurality of recesses may also form a treble foot, treble leg, bass foot, and bass leg.

Abstract: A motorized directionally steerable trailer tongue jack having a height adjustment system, a steering system, a drive system, a mounting plate, and a control system. The height adjustment system includes a power transmission screw. The power transmission screw is secured to the drive system at one end and proceeds to pass through the height adjustment system, the mounting plate, and the steering system. The power transmission screw engages the height adjustment system through threaded receipt in a power sleeve nut, and engages the steering system via receipt in a steering sleeve that fixes the relative position of the screw and the sleeve. The power transmission screw and power sleeve nut may be self-locking. The control system may include a wireless user pendent. The control system permits a user to move and steer a trailer while adjusting the tongue height to cooperate with a vehicle hitch.

Abstract: A portable inertia welder is mounted in a housing so as to afford both axial and rotational movement of a shaft with flywheel weights. Rotational motion is provided by a motor affixed to the drive shaft while axial motion is provided by means of a hydraulic housing mounted around said shaft. A chuck mounted to the shaft holds a first workpiece for rotational and axial displacement. Holding devices such as vacuum cups secure the welder to a second workpiece. A flash cutting tool and an appurtenance with a flash trap, welding flats, and an internally threaded bore are described.

Abstract: A unitary pillow display appearing as different pillows of varying sizes, shapes, and textures. The single unitary pillow display appears formed of a number of individual and non-joined pillows, and mimics the contemporary decorating technique of stacking a plurality of different pillows on a furniture surface. Variations in the material of the pillow sham heighten the illusion by providing the possibility of radical differences in coverings of varying parts of the display. The sham may enclose the unitary display in a highly permanent manner, or it may have an opening, with optional closure means, to allow it to slip over the display. The display may have sleeping pillow recesses in the body of the display. The display may be provided with a wide variety of optional accessories, such as pockets and means for hanging storage of the display.

Abstract: A torch cutting tool has a clamp that is attached to a workpiece with the clamp having a rotating platform with an attached first latch member. A second latch member is attached to a track with a moveable carriage on which is mounted a positioning arm with a torch holder. After the clamp is attached to the workpiece, the second latch member is quickly latched to the first latch member to effect quick and simple setup. A cam follower, a second rotating platform, a second positioning arm, a covered track, a rotating base plate and metered fuel and oxygen supplies make the tool simple and easy to use.

Abstract: A vehicle signaling system allowing selective and independent illumination of a vehicle's headlight and taillight systems. The vehicle signaling system may be made part of new vehicle manufacture, or a retrofit installation. The selective and independent illumination allows an overtaking vehicle and an overtaken vehicle to safely signal each other by means of independently activating and deactivating the headlight and taillight systems. The vehicle signaling system is connected into the vehicle's power source and ground, and incorporates a means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight system and the taillight system, and may include a remote auxiliary means for activating the systems. An electrical circuit controlling means accepts a plurality of inputs and produces a plurality of outputs used to either interrupt, or supply, power to the headlight and taillight systems. The electrical circuit controlling means may include an integrated circuit.

Abstract: A basketball return apparatus designed to return a thrown basketball substantially in the direction of the player shooting the ball is mounted beneath a basketball goal assembly and includes a resilient rebound panel, a panel retainer assembly, and a panel support assembly. The resilient rebound panel, in multiple embodiments, is provided with flexible and adjustable tensile connections to the goal assembly that allows a limited degree of rotation when the resilient rebound panel is impacted by a thrown basketball. The rotational motion of the rebound panel and the resilience of the rebound panel, combined with the tension and untensioning of the flexible and adjustable tensile connections to the goal assembly, tends to return a thrown basketball substantially back towards the player shooting the ball. The basketball return apparatus is adjustable for a plurality of heights and angles of return, and is easily removable from the field of play.

Abstract: A decorative candleholder and display apparatus for displaying a plurality of display articles in a display region. The apparatus incorporates, among other elements, a display, a display article, a cap, and a base. The display includes an inner wall and an outer wall. Each wall includes a bottom edge and a top edge. The inner wall is located within the outer wall thereby defining a display region therebetween. Various sizes of display regions accommodate a wide range of display articles including relatively thin articles such as photos, drawings, or needlework, or relatively thick articles such as dried flowers, seashells, quilting, and other three-dimensional articles. Variations on the apparatus include an integral cap and candleholder, a height adjustment system to raise and lower a candle support, and a flame elevation maintenance device including a candle sleeve, a candle compression device, and a plurality of sleeve retainers.

Abstract: An adjustable animal collar provides a strap with a housing at one end and a second end connected to an engagement area. The engagement area is formed with a plurality of teeth received into the housing, where a rotating pawl engages the teeth. The pawl, pivotably rotating within the housing and partly covered in one embodiment with a cover plate, has a biasing means, which in one embodiment is a torsion spring, to bias the pawl in favor of engagement with at least one of the teeth. The biasing means can be overcome by manual pressure on a portion of the pawl, causing release of the collar. The collar may have at least one safety device preventing the pawl from being inadvertently disengaged, and a safety indicia area to visually indicate the locked or unlocked status of the collar. The collar is capable of attachment to a variety of accessories.

Abstract: A combination cushion, carry device, and garment apparatus for use as a protective weather resistant garment, blanket, pillow, seat cushion, and transport device. The apparatus has, among other elements, a planar member, a hood, a right sleeve, a left sleeve, a waistband retainer, a carrying system, and a pouch. The sleeves are attached to the apparatus with sleeve attachment devices that allow for a broad range of motion while minimizing the loss of coverage associated with traditional ponchos. The entire apparatus may be folded, rolled, or bunched, for storage and transport in the pouch. The carrying system is attached to the planar member and serves dual functions. The carrying system acts both as a convenient adjustable method of carrying the apparatus during transport and as a method of adjustably securing the apparatus to the body when worn as a garment.

Abstract: Deep penetration gas tungsten arc welds are achieved using weld penetration containing one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds consisting of a) a titanium oxide, b) nickel oxide, c) a metal silicide, and d) mixtures of these compounds a flux containing at least two titanium oxides, nickel oxide, and a manganese silicide is particularly useful for welding a side variety of maerial including nickel-based alloys and carbon and stainless steels. The flux can be applied as a paste, as part of a cored wire or rod coated on the exterior of a filler wire or rod. Alternatively, it can be mixed with a polymeric binder and applied to the weld zone as a hot melt, paint, tape, adhesive, rod, wire or a stick.

Abstract: A portable seat and storage apparatus combining the multifunctional capacities of a chair, backpack, and storage device. The device incorporates a frame assembly and back support frame assembly, which cooperate to form an adjustable seating capacity. The apparatus may be a substantially open frame or configured with at least one panel. The seat frame assembly is further configured to define a volume enclosing a storage assembly. The storage assembly may be configured as a single or multicompartmented assembly, and may include a plurality of handles, lids, and drawers. The apparatus may be configured with at least one cooperating storage assembly guide recess and storage guide to guide the storage assembly into proper storage position, as well as a plurality of storage retainers and storage stops to limit the travel of the storage assembly. A plurality of accessory devices may be attached with a plurality of clamp-type accessory holders.

Abstract: A fold-through puzzle designed to interact and engage the interest of a puzzle solver for amusement and as a vehicle to present advertising to the viewer. The puzzle utilizes at east one planar member and a plurality of fold lines and may be repeatedly folded to create the illusion that several pieces of paper are being endlessly passed through themselves. In one embodiment, a plurality of planar members are attached to one another such that the members may pivot about each other on fold lines. In an alternative embodiment, the fold-through puzzle is configured with a single planar member and a plurality of incisions through the planar member, such that the puzzle maybe folded along fold lines, creating pivot areas and corner area, that when folded, produce the illusion that a single piece of paper is being endlessly passed through itself.

Abstract: A friction stir welding tool for welding high-strength materials with one or more of the following features: 1) a curved transition geometry structure at the shoulder face and probe interface; 2) a tool material selected on the basis of an ultimate tensile strength determined at or above the temperature of the tool processing temperature; 3) a compressive stress at the point of crack fatigue introduced by mechanical or chemical means; and 4) a threaded probe with a) a major to minor thread diameter ratio that increases toward the distal end of the probe and/or b) with a curved thread root.

Abstract: Deep penetration gas tungsten arc welds are achieved using titanates such as Na2Ti3O7 or K2TiO3. A small amount of the titanate is applied to the weld zone in a carrier fluid paste or as part of a wire filler to afford deep penetration welds in carbon, chrome-molybdenum, and stainless steels as well as nickel-based alloys. To control arc wander, bead consistency, and slag and surface appearance of the weldments, various additional components may be optionally added to the titanate flux including transition metal oxides such as TiO, TiO2, Cr2O3, and Fe2O3, silicon dioxide, manganese silicides, fluorides and chlorides. However, the toxicity of the plumes from halide additives and the necessity of post-weld removal to prevent corrosion may preclude their use. In addition, it was found that a flux of titanium oxides, Fe2O3 and Cr2O3 affords deep weld penetration in carbon steels and nickel-based alloys but with some heat-to-heat variation.

Abstract: A new soldering technique and solder alloy for wetting and joining hard-to-wet materials including titanium alloys such as nitinol uses a solder alloy containing tin and an active wetting promoting element such as aluminum in the presence of ultrasound. As shown in the Figure, molten solder alloy (10) is applied to the hard-to-wet material (18) with the application of ultrasonic energy (14) which removes coatings (20) such as tenacious surface oxides to leave the base material (18) which is readily wetted by the solder alloy (20).

Abstract: To overcome 1) the high levels of porosity due to coating material vaporization and entrapment into the weld, 2) spewing of molten base metal from the weld leaving holes and pits in the weld, and 3) humping effects when oblong beam configurations are used at higher weld speeds to weld coated materials, the present invention features an energy source (10) with multiple separated energy beams (24, 26) (formed by using multiple separate beam sources or manipulation of a single beam (14) into separated multiple energy beams (44, 46) using wedge mirror (18) and parabolic focusing mirror (20)) that produces high quality (porosity free) lap welds in a weld stack (50) of layered materials (30, 32) coated with coating material (28, 28′, 34, 34′) with zero gap at interface (38) during the welding process.

Abstract: A method for production of simultaneous lap and butt joints directs electromagnetic radiation (12) through a radiation transmitting material (40) to an absorbing material (44a, 44b, and 44c) that absorbs radiation (12) with the generation of heat. The heat provides sufficient molten material in interfaces (50a, 50b, and 50c) to fuse and bond: 1) pipe ends (14, 24) to each other in a butt joint (22), 2) pipe end portion (16) to sleeve (40) in a lap joint (28a), and 3) pipe end portion (26) to sleeve (40) in a lap joint (28b). Use of a sufficiently clear material for sleeve (40) allows visual inspection of joints (22, 28a, and 28b). Butt joint (22) can be formed by conductive heating without absorbing material (44a) to provide a smooth interior bore useful for transporting high purity fluids without risk of absorbent contamination or debris and organism collection in gaps found in previous joining techniques.