Abstract: A knife has a folding blade, a blade lock in the form of a leaf spring, and a safety for preventing unlocking of the lock. One form of safety has a carrier in the form of an elongate arm mounted on the knife handle. A stud is positioned on an inside surface of one end of the arm. A contact surface is formed on an outside surface of the arm opposite from the stud. The other end of the arm is pivotably attached to the handle of the knife. The arm may be swung from a release position, unobstructive of the lock, to a safety position in which the presence of the stud prevents unlocking the lock. The carrier may be spring biased toward the release position, and may have limited travel away from the handle to the release position. The carrier may also be a slide or a rotating disk.

Abstract: A cannula and associated endoscope are secured to an operating table by a mechanical linkage assembly having linear and angular connections. These connections are adjustable for supporting an endoscope extending through an incision. Two angular connections are friction joints that allow manual repositioning of the scope by pivoting about respective orthogonal axes that intersect at a point along the scope that is coincident with the location of the incision.

Abstract: An asymmetric reentrant power coupler suitable for microwave and millimeter bands that includes k input terminals, a plurality of m output terminals, where m is greater than k, and a network coupling the k input terminals to the m output terminals, the network defining n signal paths, where n is greater that m. An input coupler divides an input signal into at least two signal paths. An output coupler recombines a fraction less than one of the divided input signal for propagation to an output terminal. A portion of the non-recombined input signal is propagated to another output terminal. The reentrant coupler may be implemented using Wilkinson, ring, branched line or other coupler types. Couplers that are generally planar as well as coupler that are non-planar are presented.

Abstract: An active device, such as a field effect transistor ("FET") or MMIC, converts microwave signals between a microstrip transmission line ("microstrip") and a coplanar wave guide ("CPW"). In microstrip-to-CPW conversion using a simple FET, a gate connection is made to the microstrip signal conductor. A drain connection is made to the center conductor on the CPW. Two FET source terminals are connected respectively to each CPW ground strip. The ground strips are electrically coupled to the microstrip ground plane with a minimum length connection so the inductance common to the FET input and output is minimized. The FET can be reconnected so as to reverse the input and output, providing for conversion of signals from CPW to microstrip. Conversion from microstrip to an intermediate CPW and back to microstrip provides for mounting an intermediate circuit, such as an amplifier or other MMIC, directly on the CPW.

Abstract: A stiffener device is usable with a uterine manipulator having a catheter tube and outer sheath. The catheter tube is formed in an arc and has an insertable end adapted to be inserted into the uterus. The sheath terminates in a flange that seats against the cervix. The catheter tube is stiffened by a stainless steel wire that is slightly less than the length of the tube, and terminates in a handle that provides for manual grasping to facilitate manipulation of the wire, and thereby the tube, while the insertable end of the tube is in the uterus. The handle may be a small loop formed as a continuation of the wire stiffener, or may be an elongate cylinder fixedly attached to the end of the wire stiffener. A latching assembly may be used to secure the handle adjacent to the outer tube opening.

Abstract: A two-dimensional page representation to be printed has a combination of text, graphic and image representation types. A data memory stores data representative of the page representation. A program memory stores program instructions including a plurality of different algorithms for compressing data associated with corresponding different representation types and their combinations.

Abstract: A two-dimensional page representation to be printed has a combination of text, graphic and image representation types. A data memory stores data representative of the page representation. A program memory stores program instructions including a plurality of different algorithms for compressing data associated with corresponding different representation types and their combinations.

Abstract: An air distribution system of a car wash air blower system is provided for directing air to a vehicle travelling along a predefined path using an air producer mounted on each side of the path for producing flowing air. Nozzle assemblies are attached to the distribution system at the ends of the predefined routes for directing air toward a vehicle travelling along the vehicle path. A pivoting hinge hinges a nozzle relative to a distribution duct. A first hinge section is pivotally secured to the second hinge section in a manner allowing rotation of the second hinge section about a defined axis of air travel. The two hinge sections are secured by a frame mounted in the air flow path to the hinge sections. A nozzle directs a stream of air toward the surface of a vehicle positioned adjacent to the nozzle. One nozzle embodiment includes a curved air distribution cell formed of a flexible webbing and having a generally triangular shape. An alternative embodiment is a nozzle having a cylindrical shape.

Abstract: A radio-frequency power amplifier includes a multiple-FET chip that is flip mounted on a connection region of a substrate. An input impedance-matching network is also mounted on the substrate. The network includes a coplanar waveguide having an elongate waveguide signal conductor for each gate terminal on the FET chip with a distal end spaced from the connection region and a proximal end in the connection region. The distal ends are connected to a single base input conductor. The proximal ends are flip mounted to respective ones of gate terminals of the FET chip. A capacitor couples each of the input signal conductor distal ends to an adjacent ground conductor. The signal conductors and capacitors provide a selected impedance at a selected frequency. The capacitors may be on a separate chip flip mounted to the waveguide signal and ground conductors, and may be formed as coplanar waveguides with open-ended signal conductors.

Abstract: Certain effects of pipe organ wind regulators and conductors, as well as certain effects of acoustic coupling of pipes within pipe organs are emulated in an electronic musical instrument. Digital signal processing is used to model the behavior of a pipe organ wind regulating and distributing system as a damped oscillator to which an input disturbance signal is applied. The disturbance signal is derived from the combined on or off state of notes associated with voice generators responsive to the model output. The output is further processed and used to control the absolute pitch of the voice generators. Response controllers regulate the response of the generators individually. By varying the response characteristic of each voice, the relative pitches of the voices diverge as more notes are played, achieving a psychoacoustic effect similar to the detuning produced by wind pressure variations and acoustic coupling among speaking pipes of a pipe organ.

Abstract: A two-dimensional page representation to be printed has a combination of text, graphic and image representation types. A data memory stores data representative of the page representation. A program memory stores program instructions including a plurality of different algorithms for compressing data associated with corresponding different representation types and their combinations.

Abstract: A two-dimensional page representation to be printed has a combination of text, graphic and image representation types. A data memory stores data representative of the page representation. A program memory stores program instructions including a plurality of different algorithms for compressing data associated with corresponding different representation types and their combinations.

Abstract: A Dual-Sided Push-Pull Amplifier for providing a high-gain yet low-cost amplifier capable of operating at frequencies extending above 1 GHz is disclosed. The present invention may be used in any application in which low cost amplification may be desired, including transmitters, antenna arrays, radars, light wave modulators, mixers, local oscillators, driver amplifiers and microwave ovens. One of the preferred embodiments of the invention (10d/10e) utilizes two pairs of field effect transistors (FETs) (22U and 22L & 24U and 24L) mounted in registration on both faces (12a & 12b) of a dual-sided dielectric substrate (12). The sources (22US and 22LS & 24US and 24US) on both faces of the FETs (22 & 24) are electrically coupled and are located at a minimum distance from their mates on the opposite faces of the substrate (12) to reduce inter-FET source lead inductance. The FETs (22 & 24) are coupled to a set of conductors (16a, 16b, 16c & 16d) which are formed on the substrate (12).

Abstract: A sharpener frame is supported relative to a floor and has a front side. A first portion of a band saw is supported at the front side of the frame. A second portion of the band saw is also supported relative to the frame, parallel with the first portion of the band saw, and also at the front side of the frame in one of two locations. Each location is on a different side of the first supported portion of the band saw. A clamp for the band saw tooth being sharpened includes a pair of plates having upper edges generally conforming to the profile of a saw tooth for clamping a substantial portion of the tooth in a fixed position relative to the frame during sharpening. The plates are released after sharpening for positioning a different tooth between the plates. A coolant supply system moves a liquid coolant through channels in the plates that have outlets adjacent to the tooth edge for cooling the tooth during sharpening.

Abstract: A pump pumps a drive fluid through a drill string and drill head during drilling. A movable element is mounted in the drill head for effecting a lateral movement on the drill head when moved in response to the pressure of the drive fluid in the drill head. This is in the form of pistons that are extended outwardly sideways from the drill head against the side of the borehole or an asymmetrical drill bit that applies a lateral force when a longitudinal force is applied to it. Steering is achieved by applying the lateral force when the drill head is in a selected rotational position. An indication is provided at the out-of-ground end of the drill string of the orientation of the drill head during rotation. A manually or automatically operated apparatus applies an impulse of force to the drive fluid at the out-of-ground end of the drill string when the drill head is at the selected orientation. This produces an impulse of increased pressure to the element in the drill head while the drill string is rotating.

Abstract: Included are a work beam, legs and saddle assemblies made primarily of commercially available plastic pipe, such as PVC and ABS pipe. The work beam is elongate, hollow, tubular, and rigid. The ends of the beam are closed by caps, at least one of which is removable for providing access to the interior of the beam. Pair of legs are pivotingly coupled together at an intermediate point of each leg. Caps removably mountable on ends of the legs support an arcuate, resilient saddle element. Two brace rods are associated with each leg assembly. The legs, saddle assemblies and rods are all sized to fit collectively inside the beam.

Abstract: A sensor array pad for sensing the pressure distribution under a saddle on the back of a horse includes a membrane made of first and second, identical substantially non-stretchable, flexible membrane portions. The membrane portions have adjacent facing edges that are joined at two spaced-apart tabs. A plurality of sensors are distributed substantially uniformly on the membrane, with each sensor occupying a predetermined surface area. Conductors are mounted on the membrane to extend between the sensors and a position along the perimeter of the associated membrane portion to provide for external connection with monitoring equipment. The membrane portions further each have a pair of slits extending from a mid-region spaced from the respective facing edge outwardly in diverging directions along lines passing outside the predetermined areas of the membrane occupied by the sensors.