Abstract: A plastic coin bag for transporting a load of loose coins includes a slot opening in the front panel, a closure member for sealing the closure member to close and seal the slot opening, a back panel forming a coin storage chamber with the front panel, and a patch panel located between the upper portions of the front and back panels to increase the manual carrying capacity and the strength of the bag handle or hand-grip opening region. A transverse secure line below the hand-grip opening seals the three panels together and forms the top of the storage chamber. In one embodiment, the patch panel can extend into the storage chamber to below the slot opening in the front panel to adhere to the closure adhesive if the slot is improperly spread open during press closing. This feature prevents coins from sticking to the adhesive or the false tripping if the closure comprises tamper evident tape and the back panel adheres to the closure adhesive.

Abstract: A rotor drive motor includes permanently magnetized blades with the opposite poles spaced apart along a radial direction. Two or more stators have a U-shaped core and coil winding, the legs extending radially inwardly and against a housing shroud. Each of the stators are energized in alternately reversed polarities to cause the blades to be rotated continuously. The housing may include a conduit sealed thereto isolating the stators and power circuit components from hazardous materials.

Abstract: A fuel tanker truck for and a method of transporting liquid fuel, in a tanker truck having a fuel storage compartment and a delivery pipe having a compartment end controllably communicating with the interior of the tanker storage compartment and a distal end having an adaptor. The method includes substantially filling the delivery pipe with liquid fuel, transporting the fuel in the delivery pipe, and during or after the transporting step, trapping and sealing the liquid fuel within the delivery pipe in response to the storage compartment end of the delivery pipe separating from controllable communication with the interior of the storage compartment.

Abstract: A computer system for analyzing and automatically modifying existing process system models that includes (i) an Initial Data stage that prompts the user to enter qualitative and quantitative objectives in designing or re-designing a Process System, (ii) a Component Model stage that displays an image of the sequence of components produced or added during the process and that allows the user to edit or complete the Component Model display that includes components, which are produced during the process, operations that produce them, and functions, each consisting of an element or tool that causes an action and an element or tool that receives the action, (iii) a Process (Functional) Analysis stage that includes functional and interaction relationships of the functions and operations designating each function as harmful or useful, and ranking each useful function according to the value of its contribution to the respective operation, and performing a value link analysis of each function including the level of the

Abstract: A DC driven fan with blades made of magnetized material and permanently magnetized in the radial direction and cooperating with a plurality of electromagnetic stator coils mounted external to the outer fan edges. Adjacent blades have alternate N-S, S-N radial magnetic orientations. In one embodiment, the blades are mounted in a non-ferrous hub and in an alternate embodiment they are mounted in a ferrous hub so that adjacent blades function like a U or V-shaped magnet. Blades can be made of magnetized ferrous, ferromagnetic, or magnetized plastic depending upon the application and blade strength specifications.

Abstract: A plastic front opening security envelope having a slot opening in the front panel and a tamper evident tape closure that seals along the slot opening after contents are placed through the slot into the envelope interior. The envelope includes an inner false or intermediate panel section secured to one or both panels above the slot which false panel extends below the slot. In the event the envelope is closed such that the slot is spread open when sealed, the tamper tape adhesive seals through the slot to the false panel instead of the rear panel. This arrangement prevents false tripping of the tamper tape by shifting contents or other outward forces exerted on the back panel relative to the front panel or tamper tape.

Abstract: A pruner assembly having hollow shaft with a longitudinal axis, a lower end, and open upper end, and a handgrip portion slidable along the longitudinal axis between a first and a second position. A shearing mechanism attaches to said open upper end of the hollow shaft, which mechanism includes a body having a hook adapted to receive and hold a limb, a cutting blade pivots on the body and against the hook to cut the limb. An arm member pivots to the body and couples to the blade so that pivotal movement of the arm member pivotally moves the cutting blade. A pulley is mounted to the arm member distal end and a cable guide pulley is coupled to the hollow shaft adjacent the open upper end for guiding a cable into and out of the open upper end without the cable contacting the walls thereof. A cable is provided for moving the cutting blade with respect to the hook.

Abstract: A computer based software system and method for semantically processing a user entered natural language request to identify and store linguistic subject-action-object (SAO) structures, using such structures as key words/phrases to search local and web-based databases for downloading candidate natural language documents, semantically processing candidate document texts into candidate document SAO structures, and selecting and storing only relevant documents whose SAO structures include a match with a stored request SAO structure. Further features include analyzing relationships among relevant document SAO structures and creating new SAO structures based on such relationships that may yield new knowledge concepts and ideas for display to the user and generating and displaying natural language summaries based on the relevant document SAO structures.

Abstract: An electric motor according to the principles of the present invention includes a stator or stationary part of the motor and an armature. The armature includes a shaft having a rotation axis and a commutator subassembly fixed symmetrically to the shaft that includes an insulating body surrounding the shaft and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, carbon-based material segments surrounding the shaft. The carbon segments are held to the body and each segment has a brush contacting surface. An equal plurality of metallic commutator members have at least a part located and molded within the corresponding carbon segment for providing good mechanical and electrical connection between the carbon segment and metallic commutator member and to isolate the metallic part within the carbon segment from harmful external environments such as described above.

Abstract: A vent valve assembly with roll over shut-off capability includes a housing, a vent valve that opens to allow vapor to escape from the tank in response to tank vapor pressure greater than a predetermined positive pressure and that opens to allow air or vapor entrance to the tank in response to tank vapor pressure below a predetermined negative pressure. A roll over valve is provided to open and close the fluid flow path between the vent valve and the tank interior, and a rocker arm assembly is rotatably mounted to the housing for positioning the roll over valve in the open position when the tanker is upright and for moving the roll over valve to the closed position when the tanker rolls more than a predetermined angle relative to the upright position. Stored liquid rising above the shut-off valve applies a further force closing the shut-off valve in relation to the head pressure.

Abstract: A motor drives a hub having axially extending blind tapered recesses to receive tapered shoes on a plurality of blades, and threads which fasten a ring that presses the shoes axially into the recesses have a hand-direction that tend to tighten in response to the rotation of the shaft. The recess is partially defined by a forward downward sloping upper wall. The shoe includes a forward downward upper surface. The recess sloping wall functions as a positive stop for seating the shoe by engaging the sloping shoe surface and as a centrifugal force absorbing wall during rotation of the blades.

Abstract: A method, machine and termination for connecting two or more insulated wire ends comprises placing them in a metal tube held between fusing electrodes. The electrodes are shaped to deform the tube and wires therein with the application of fusing pressure. During fusing, pressure builds first to press the assembly together, then heat and current are applied as the tube and internal wires are compressed. Fusing current first flows from a longitudinal region of the tube equally in both direction through the tube metal to soften the tube and distribute the fusing heat broadly. As the wire insulation is burned off or flows away, current also passes through the bare wire ends to aid the fusing process. For tinned copper tubes, some of the inside tin layer flows to wet copper surfaces and dissolve copper impurities. Some tin flows to seal small spaces between the fused wires. Some of the tin on the outside surface and inside surface of the tube may vaporize.

Abstract: A fuel storage tank with reduced vapor generation capability having a drop tube with a pressure activated valve in the wall of the drop tube to permit communication between the inside upper region of the tank and the inside of the drop tube. The valve is normally closed to prevent vapors in the tank from being sucked into and entering the drop tube. A buildup of vapor pressure in the upper drop tube region causes the valve to open and the air/vapor to flow from the upper drop tube region into the upper storage tank region. No special pipes, lines, floats or other apparatus are needed for this vapor reduction arrangement and method and any air or vapor originally entering the riser or initially in the drop tube that flows into the tank upper region is handled in the conventional manner as all other vapor originally in that region, i.e. it is recycled and recovered in the top of the tanker delivery truck.

Abstract: A software system includes an engineering analysis system (EAS) for analyzing an engineering object system and for recommending elimination of object system components. The EAS includes a functional model unit responsive to user entry for generating images of a functional model of the object system including its components, elements and products and representations of the interactions between the generated components, elements, and products. The functional model can be represented as a number of component/element boxes and harmful and useful interaction lines therebetween, or the functional model components, elements and products can be represented in matrix form with interactions identified in the intersections of the matrix. The EAS includes an advanced link analysis unit for prompting user entry, storing and displaying of (i) a parameter of at least one of said interactions, (ii) the actual and desired quantitative or qualitative values of said parameter, (iii) a time and space dependency of the parameter.

Abstract: A portable pruner for cutting limbs comprising a hollow handle assembly having a longitudinal axis, a lower end and an open upper end. The slidable grip portion is slidable along the longitudinal axis between a first and a second position. The cable runs through the hollow handle assembly to the outer engagement with the shearing mechanism. A shearing mechanism is attached to the upper open end of the hollow handle and includes a body having a hook adapted to receive and hold a limb. A cutting blade is pivotally attached to the body and selectively pivots against the hook to cut the selected limb. The pruner includes means for pivoting the cutting blade with respect to the hook wherein the pivoting means is responsive to movement of the sliding portion between the first and second positions. In one embodiment, the overall pruner length is adjustable with two clamped telescoping handle assembly segments and a mechanism for adjusting the operative cable length to accommodate the length variation of the pruner.

Abstract: A transaction card reader for manually inserted cards includes a vertically moveable gate located just inward of the card insertion opening. The gate is moved from its closed or blocking position in response to the leading card edge engaging and applying symmetrical lifting forces to the gate. Guide members guide the vertical gate movement if the card is oriented at the correct angle in the insertion plane to produce symmetrical lifting forces. These guide members impede the gate from moving from its closed position if one card leading edge portion engages the gate before the other. In one exemplary embodiment, the gate includes a pair of spaced cam surfaces facing the user. If the leading card edge engages one cam surface before the other, the gate will skew and bind in a gateway. If both cam surfaces are engaged substantially simultaneously, the gate rises vertically in the gateway. A gate spring symmetrically biases the gate member toward the closed position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of fusing a pin to a wire to reliably form a good quality fusion joint includes placing the pin and insulated or uninsulated wire in a notch of a lower fusing electrode so that the pin is spaced a predetermined distance above the wire. The upper fusing electrode applies fusing current and heat symmetrically to the pin and notch side walls and the portion of the lower electrode beneath and in contact with the wire. Heat is transferred to soften the pin and burn or vaporize the insulation off the wire before the pin and wire touch. Since all parts are held symmetrically, parts can not skew or burn off unevenly. Electrode pressure builds to drive the soften, heated pin and wire together and to apply fusing current through the contacting pin and wire to form a good fusion joint. Another aspect of the invention includes forming the lower fusing electrode with a plurality of fusing notches to afford quick operator set-up and sequential, automatic fusing of the series of wire/pin assemblies.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for separation from a stack of sheets a block of a predetermined number of sheets, the method including moving the stack in a forward direction, directing an air stream across one corner of the forward portion of the stack to spread the corners apart, sensing and counting the number of spread sheet corners that pass a predetermined location, and separating the group of sheets from the remainder of the stack when the sensed and counted sheets reach a predetermined number. Further directing a thin plane of air toward the corner and center of the sheets at said location to cause a greater space between the sheets in the group and the next sheet in the stack. Also, vacuum nozzles are provided to remove unwanted air from above and below the stack and group. With the group so formed, separation includes imparting lateral force on the group edges.

Abstract: A toothbrush combination including a whistle, horn, or other wind operated device releasably connected to or molded as part of the handle. The mouthpiece of the sound device can be aligned longitudinally with the toothbrush handle with the mouth engaging part facing opposite from the brush location or alternately the mouthpiece can be formed at a 90.degree. angle to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush handle and located intermediate the brush and the opposite end of the handle. Preferably the distal end of the handle is shaped to fit a standard toothbrush holder for storage in an upright position. When so stored, liquid is free to drain from the sound chamber for the latter to be air dried to reduce bacterial growth. The sound device is preferably sculptured to form a figure, logo, character, or object which sculpture also functions as a mouth guard or safety device against inward impact forces when blowing.