Abstract: A bedpan system including an underlayment for supporting a supine human patient above a substantially horizontal supporting surface, wherein the underlayment has: a substantially horizontal top surface upon which the patient rests, a substantially parallel, spaced apart bottom surface for lying upon the supporting surface, and a bedpan cavity having an open top in registry with buttocks of the patient; the bedpan system comprising: an underlayment that is an inflatable mattress constructed substantially of flexible plastic sheet material comprising: a top sheet providing the top surface, a bottom sheet providing the bottom surface, side wall sheets attached between the top sheet and the bottom sheet providing substantially vertical side walls around the perimeter of the underlayment when it is inflated, and cavity sidewall sheets attached between the top sheet and the bottom sheet providing substantially vertical sidewalls in the cavity; a cavity base that is joined to the cavity sidewalls as a closed bottom

Abstract: A pipe fitting socket for use with an axial driving device accepts a variety of angled fittings (e.g. tees, full elbows, slant elbows) snugly within a fitting cavity for torquing onto a fixed threaded end of pipe. Torquing of the fitting is accomplished by inserting a drive stud of the driving device into a drive aperture defining a rotational axis and torquing the driving device, thereby rotating the socket about the rotational axis, or through manually torquing a cylindrical portion of the socket. The socket offers superior efficiency and safety over conventional pipe wrenches by maximizing the effective range of movement available for a wrench used for angled fitting installation and/or removal, while virtually eliminating a wrench's loss of grip on the fitting.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for testing tires to measure the rolling resistance generated while a tire rolls under a radial load, the method including the steps of mounting two tires on spindles having substantially parallel axes; wherein the two tires are substantially equivalent and have substantially equal inflation pressures; loading a first one of the tires against a second one of the tires, tread-to-tread, at a predetermined tire-to-tire test load, then measuring a distance between axes of the two tire spindles; rotating one of the tires such that it rotates the other tire; measuring the total torque required to rotate the two tires at a predetermined rotation rate; and calculating the average rolling resistance of the two tires by dividing the value of total torque by the distance between the axes of the two tire spindles. Alternatively measure force at each spindle, equating each force to that tire's rolling resistance.

Abstract: The tent chair includes a folding frame supporting a folding cover, with the frame attached to a folding or portable chair. The chair has a single rearward frame bow which is radially flexible but rigid orthogonal to the lateral bow pivot axis of the chair. A series of similar bows is pivotally attached at or toward the front of the chair. The axially orthogonal rigid rearward bow supports the cover and prevents the forward bows from collapsing the cover forwardly as it is pulled taut. One use of the device is as a hunting blind, with a quick release optionally allowing the cover to be rapidly opened. Other configurations provide for use as a photography blind, a privacy shelter for camping or beach use, ice fishing, as a wheelchair or beach lounge chair cover, etc., and may have sufficient room for more than one person.

Abstract: A game apparatus and method wherein one or more players move along a path according to predetermined rules of movement. The path is a sequence of adjacent boxes outlined in the path; and graphics are associated with each box, wherein the graphics designate one or more body parts of the player moving along the path that must touch a playing surface of the associated box. Preferably the graphics also specify one or both of the location and the orientation of the designated body part's touch. The boxes are movable tiles having a plurality of two or even three dimensional shapes and sizes which can be releasably attached to each other. Thus game players can create a myriad of unique game paths with a wide range of challenge level for maintaining interest, encouraging creativity and exercise.

Abstract: A method and device has been developed to enable emergency responders to maintain and communicate their orientation relative to a fire building or other emergency incident area as they work in and around it. The device is a specialized compass enhancement providing a standalone unit that each responder can carry. The device has a multipart structure including: (1) an underlying base is a simple compass that the responder orients to north. (2) A bezel rotatable around the simple compass is preferably square in shape and represents the building or incident area and is labeled with NIMS standardized ABCD designations. (3) An optional rotatable pointer can be independently positioned to indicate a direction to be remembered such as the direction in which the responder entered the incident area. All of the parts can be synchronized among users at any time by radioing simple verbal descriptions of the rotational setting(s).

Abstract: A combined cooler/seat having an anti-tip support that extends rearward the ground contact of the cooler/seat beyond the simple footprint of the cooler/seat itself, thereby providing extra support for resisting backward tilting of the cooler/seat; wherein the anti-tip support adjustably extends rearward from the bottom rear portion of the cooler/seat.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for illuminating plumbing fixtures such as spouts and controls and vessels that are fixed in place relative to a mounting surface. A light transmitting material is used for the fixture, and one or more hidden light sources are mounted inward of the mounting surface. The hidden light source may be attached or detached from the fixture and is arranged so that light from the hidden light source is received by an inward portion of the fixture, is transmitted through the fixture to its outward exposed surface, and then is emitted outward of the mounting surface. Thus the inventive fixture is illuminated from within.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for a combined bottle and towel holder that can be removably attached to a variety of support structures such as are extant in an exercise or fitness room; and slip-resistant releasably self-adhering straps for the removable attachment. A bottle holding portion is an open topped receptacle, and a towel holding portion is an upward opening hook on the receptacle sidewall, optionally movably located relative to the location of the receptacle attachment to the support structure. The holder is removably attachable to a frame member in a way that substantially vertically orients the longitudinal axis of the receptacle, wherein the frame member is a bar of no particular cross-sectional shape, and is preferably upstanding but is oriented such that the bar's long axis is vertical, horizontal or at an angle between horizontal and vertical. The holder is also removably attachable to a vertical surface such as a wall.

Abstract: Method and system for determining immanence of catastrophic failure for a selected tire among a plurality of tires that are concurrently in operation, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a tire from the plurality of tires; monitoring vibration amplitude versus time signals for the selected tire; using signal averaging to minimize signal noise in the selected tire's vibration signals; at selected intervals, fast Fourier transforming the averaged vibration signals to create a harmonic spectrum for the selected tire; cleaning the selected tire's harmonic spectrum by applying coherence function and averaging calculations to it for minimizing contributions to the selected tire's harmonic spectrum from all other vibration sources including the remaining one(s) of the plurality of tires; comparing the most recent cleaned spectrum with stored values of previous cleaned spectra of the selected tire to track changes in higher order harmonic magnitudes; and determining whether catastrophic failure of the selec

Abstract: Manufacturing equipment and manufacturing process steps that improve upon prior art processes for the manufacturing of filament tube and arc tube light sources, their components and subassemblies, and lamps employing said light sources. A double ended, tipless filament tube or arc tube light source incorporates a drawn-down tubular body, and one piece foliated leads with spurs for process handling and for spudding into a filament with stretched-out legs. Bugled ends on the body provide a novel cutoff means, facilitate a flush-fill finishing process, and enhance mounting and support of the light sources in lamps. The foliated leads are made from a continuous length of wire in a process including foil hammering and two-bath AC electrochemical etching. Cost-reduced light source and lamp production enables affordable household consumer lamps, even when containing two series-connected halogen filament tubes.

Abstract: A fluid-powered mechanical actuator having a proximal end and a distal end and having a plurality of hollow tubular elements hingedly connected in end-to-end linked relationship to form a variable angle therebetween, each such link having one degree of freedom; provision to bias the elements in a direction to minimize the angle between them; a flexible elongated chamber enclosing a space within it, the chamber situated within the linked elements and within the link therebetween, substantially contained thereby, the chamber having a flexible but non-expansible wall; and apparatus to provide to the space within said chamber a pressurized working fluid; whereby the pressure of the working fluid causes said chamber to straighten within said elements, especially at said links, thereby moving the relative position of the elements in a manner to act against the biasing means, thereby to cause an increase of the angle between them by providing an increase in working fluid pressure.

Abstract: A method, a front gauge and a sheet bending brake with a front gauge providing a scale for gauging a workpiece of sheet material, and optionally also for supporting the workpiece and/or squaring or angling the workpiece relative to a bending anvil of the brake. Mounting, either front mounting on a bending member or under-mounting below the brake, connects the scale to the brake, preferably removably and repositionably, such that the scale extends in front of the brake and under the workpiece, thereby enabling simple and efficient one-operator use without interfering with brake operation. The mounting also provides means for removably and repositionably attaching accessories such as a workpiece support and a workpiece rack.

Abstract: A turn-based strategic board game played on a gridded board with different strength piece types, wherein a player's higher strength piece is able to move or freeze an opposing player's lower strength piece. A player wins by moving one of his lowest strength pieces to the row farthest away from the winning player. The game board has one or more predetermined trap spaces wherein if a piece is on a trap space, then under certain conditions the piece will be removed from the game. Movement turns proceed in sequence among players. During a player's turn, the player may make optionally multiple moves, optionally divided among a plurality of the player's pieces. Initial setup involves each player placing his pieces in self-determined spaces of the player's first two board rows. In a preferred embodiment, two players can play on an appropriately marked chess board using standard chess pieces.

Abstract: An Electronically Interactive Target Game to be played indoors by children, wherein the target is a flexible sheet hung on a wall or attached to a portable stand; and has mural-like artwork on the sheet portraying characters playing an action sport. A projectile corresponding to the portrayed sport is thrown at the target. Selected area rigid surfaces, each with a sensor, are attached behind selected areas of the sheet and, when struck, activate audible and visual signals that relate to the success of the child hitting the selected areas to facilitate the fantasy of actually playing a game with the characters in the artwork. A vibration sensor may be attached to the target sheet to detect contact of the projectile with the rest of the target outside of the selected areas. Hook and loop material may be used on the ball and on a selected area (e.g., mitt).

Abstract: The place and find toy, generally a doll or stuffed animal, has a circuit with a programmable computer controlled voice synthesizer. The circuit of the toy, when activated by an on-switch, synthesizes a first series of phrases to encourage a human player to find it. When the toy is subsequently found and moved, a motion activated switch causes the synthesizer to stop the first series of phrases and start a second series of phrases. The second series of phrases thanks and/or praises the player who finds the toy. The circuit then turns off the toy until the cycle is restarted by activating the on-switch. Optionally, a programmed delay time causes a delay from when the on-switch is activated until the motion activated switch is enabled.