Abstract: A protected, transformerless power converter for converting an AC mains power source to a low voltage DC power source is presented. The AC input voltage is rectified to supply pulsating DC voltage to a pass element resistor. An electronic switch located between the pass element resistor and an output filter capacitor interrupts the current flowing into the output filter capacitor. The output filter capacitor averages the pulse current drawn from the AC input line to provide a constant DC output voltage to a load. The instantaneous AC input voltage, the average value of the AC input voltage, and the output voltage are used to calculate the optimal times of conduction of the electronic switch. Controlling the time of conduction in this manner maximizes the power efficiency of the converter and protects the supply from an output overload or short circuit condition over a wide range of AC input voltages.

Abstract: A pendulum line level is presented which makes reading the level easier and which allows a workman to utilize a level that is calibrated in degrees. The level is essentially rectangular and has two rotating dials in the body of the level. These dials rotate freely about a pivot point. Each disc has a pair of horizontal and vertical, perpendicular pointers which are used to determine when the level is in horizontal alignment with the ground. A calibrated scale located just outside the upper left quadrant of the left disc and just outside the lower right quadrant of the right disc allows the workman to read discreet angles of orientation. A second embodiment of the device has a gate with another pair of dials which swings perpendicular to the main body of the pendulum level. This second set of perpendicular dials allows the workman to determine when the main body of the level is in a vertical plane and to determine at which angle the main body of the level may be oriented.

Abstract: A short boat motor transmission is presented that is less than five inches wide. The main parts of the transmission includes a high clutch drum which contains a Belleville spring, an input ring gear and clutch plates secured at the top by a pressure containment ring and snap-ring. The input ring gear is connected directly to the motor. This ring gear is also connected to a pinion carrier and four pinion planetary gears. The output shaft of the transmission is attached to the pinion carrier. The planetary gears in the pinion carrier are connected to the inner teeth of the input ring gear and to a sun gear. The outer part of the pinion carrier may also be mechanically connected in locked position to the input ring gear by clutch plates. The sun gear is connected to a one-way locking mechanism which only allows the gear to turn in one direction. Since all of the centers of the various parts are in alignment and since the various parts are nested the transmission is very short.

Abstract: A combination table, desk and digital piano is presented. The combination device features a flat writing surface with desk drawers which is made accessible by a folding top and side located at the front of the device. Located at the back of the device is a digital piano portion which is made accessible by folding back the top and side of the back portion of the device. When the digital piano portion is in the open position, the flat surface for a digital keyboard is made accessible and a hinged piano music marquee may be raised. The back portion also has a cut-out in the side of the body for speakers. When both the front desk portion and the rear back portion are closed, the device can be utilized as a flat table top.

Abstract: A lightweight, highly portable, yet strong, fiberglass step unit is presented. The fiberglass step unit is tapered to allow removal of the unit from the mold during the two-step manufacturing process. All of the corners and edges of the fiberglass unit are rounded, thus providing strengthening radii at critical points of the construction of the unit. In addition to the strength of the fiberglass, strengthening braces are placed inside the unit and are sealed to the main portion of the unit with an additional application of fiberglass. These strengthening braces provide additional radii which synergistically add to the strength and reliability of the step. A heating coil may also be fabricated within the fiberglass step thickness itself thus providing a highly portable, lightweight, unitary step which may be electrified to prevent the accumulation of snow or ice on the step.

Abstract: An invalid bed guard sheet is presented for use with invalid beds having raisable guardrails. The guard sheet has a standard flat horizontal sheet which is placed over the mattress. Continuously attached to the sheet are left and right guard pads which may be folded over the guardrails. The inner and outer pads are then fastened to each other by means of buttons, VELCRO (TM) strips, or other fasteners. The guard sheet eliminates the gap between the mattress and the metal guard rails, thus making the bed safer for patients. The cushioning effect of the guard pads also makes the patient bed safer and more comfortable.

Abstract: A portable, fused essentially waterproof campfire is presented. The campfire has a trapezoidal cross-section with kindling, a firestick and a fuse located near the bottom center of the trapezoid. The fuse runs from the firestick to the outside of the campfire. Surrounding the firestick and kindling are increasingly larger sizes of wood, ranging from one inch in diameter to approximately 5 inches in diameter at the top. The campfire, once constructed, is entirely surrounded by a clear combustible material such as shrink wrap and a handle is attached. The shrink wrap not only keeps the campfire in its trapezoidal shape, it also keeps water from penetrating. The campfire is highly portable and easily started even under damp conditions. One simply lights the fuse, which ignites the firestick and kindling and the rest of the fire.

Abstract: An attachable dumping device is presented which allows for dumping rock, sand, or other materials from a pick-up truck. The device has three main parts, a bin which is attached to a bin frame which in turn is attached to a bottom frame. The bottom frame is bolted to the truck bed and pivots near the tailgate portion of the truck. The bin and bin frame are attached to the bottom frame by means of rollers. The device has a tailgate and latch for loading and unloading the material. In use, one simply opens the tailgate and causes the bin to move along the rollers until the bin is approximately one-half of the way out of the bed of the truck. The bed frame then rotates about its pivot point and the entire device is tilted to dump the material onto the ground. In repositioning the device, the bin is pushed forward until the entire device pivots back to a horizontal direction.

Abstract: A double dipole tuned antenna is presented having the capability to enhance the television reception, particularly on VHF frequencies. The antenna has an outer, longer diverging dipole antenna connected near its midsection to an inner, shorter, parallel diverging dipole. Also connected to the inner dipole is a large helical coil and a smaller helical coil. A capacitor is placed in parallel across opposite ends of the smaller helical coil in order to tune the device. The device is particularly useful for tuning VHF frequencies although it is also useful in tuning UHF frequencies.

Abstract: A pirate's trap board game is presented involving a serpentine pathway between the beginning "Empty Treasures" space and the ending "Open Pirate's Treasure" space. The serpentine pathway is divided into a number of spaces depicting treasure commonly found in a pirate's treasure hunt: a gold bar, an emerald, a sapphire, a treasure chest, a diamond and a pirate. A six-sided die is also utilized to move the player's token, with one face of the die depicting one of the above corresponding figures. When a player rolls a treasure chest he also selects a card from a treasure chest which allows him to advance his token according to the instructions on the card. When a player rolls a pirate, he must pick a card from the pirate's trap cave which instructs him to move his token backward. The game ends when one player rolls a treasure chest and is allowed to advance his token to the open pirate's treasure chest at the end of the serpentine pathway.

Abstract: A controlled weight-lowering device is presented which allows an individual to descend from a building at a predetermined rate of descent. The device can be permanently attached to the building or it can be portable. The device has an outer bracket which is securely attached to the inside of the building. Rotating about a shaft attached to the bracket is a cylindrical winding drum. The drum has a rope wound around it that is attached to a harness. The individual puts on the harness he desires to descend. Inside the winding drum is an inner gear pump and valve mechanism which is surrounded by an oil reservoir. Oil is allowed to go into the gear set chamber and circulates past the gears. The rate of flow of the oil out of the gear set chamber is regulated by a spring biased tapered piston. As the strength of the spring biasing is set on the piston, the rate of flow of oil within the gear set chamber is regulated.

Abstract: A system is presented for automatically releasing all handbrakes of a railroad freight car or passenger car system. Working from the main air brake pressure lines, a pressure switch is provided which trips once the air pressure for the separate air brake system of a freight train or passenger train is reached. This pressure switch in turn energizes another mechanism, either a piston or other internal types of mechanical connection, which then pushes up the brake lever release releasing the handbrake. Since each handbrake on each end of each car is connected to the main air brake system through pressure sensitive valves, all manual handbrakes are released on all cars once the air pressure of the train is brought up to a certain level.

Abstract: A removable steam table pan puller is presented for use in removing pans from a steam table. The pan puller has an inverted U-shaped handle. The bottom of each leg of the handle has a flange attached. These horizontal flanges are perpendicular to the vertical handle and are approximately the same width as the width of the upper lip of a steam table pan. The flanges are approximately 6 to 8 inches long so that they provide a stable base for carrying the pan once it is removed. The flanges also taper downwardly on each end to enable the user of the pan puller to easily slip the puller flanges underneath the lip of a pan on a steam table. The removable handles come in varying sizes depending upon the size of the pans on the steam table. The pan puller may be used to either pull pans from the steam table or to transport pans from the kitchen to the steam table.