Abstract: A variable height vertebral body replacement implant used in corpectomy surgery to provide support in place of a removed or damaged vertebrae, and contain and compact bone graft material.

Abstract: The present invention is a shrinkable tube with pre-attached fletching with or without cresting. When heat is applied to the tube, it only takes seconds to shrink the tube to the arrow. The tube will shrink to a tight and secure fit on any size-hunting arrow. The fletching can be made with plastic vanes or feathers of any length, size or color. The shrinkable tube can be of any thickness or color or of any length, with or without cresting designs. This shrinkable fletching will allow hunters to fletch their own arrows in most situations. The situations where the shrink fletching can be used are unlimited as long as access to a proper heat source is available.

Abstract: This unique process is a feed forward control of hydroprocessing by on-line sulfur speciation. An on-line gas analyzer such as (GC) with a sulfur specific detector (AED) would be installed to analyze the feed to a hydrotreating unit. The analyzer would be calibrated to quantify the individual sulfur compounds or classes of sulfur compounds present in the feed. The output from the analyzer would be linked to the unit's distributed control system to automatically change temperatures and feed rates to change hydrotreating severity. This invention could bring economical benefits by increasing the life of the hydrotreating catalyst, reducing operating cost, and decreasing the potential amount of offspec product. In one embodiment, the hydrotreating is a hydrodesulphurization process.

Abstract: A gutter guard for preventing the entrance of debris into the trough of a gutter includes an outwardly convex portion extending lengthwise over the trough of the gutter. A plurality of hoods extend upwardly from the outwardly convex portion and over lie a first set of apertures. The upwardly extending hoods direct water flowing over the convex portion through the first set of apertures. A second set of apertures outwardly from the first set of apertures has downwardly extending hoods underlying, such downwardly extending hoods deflecting water on the inner surface of the outwardly convex portion.

Abstract: A tool clamping device having a tool holder (2) holding a tool (7, 8) for insertion into a socket of a tool support (1), such as a turret disc is designed such that a receiving body (16) of the tool holder and the tool support (1) have bearing surfaces (16, 3) to be arranged to one another and devices (14, 15) for fastening the tool holder on the tool support. The receiving body or the tool support has at least one stopping means (28), which projects axially over its bearing surface and is disposed on one side of the receiving body or tool support. The tool support or the receiving body has at least one contact surface for the stopping means. There is provided elastic means (36, 44) by means of which the stopping means can be laterally held in place on the contact surface under prestress.

Abstract: The present invention differs fundamentally from prior art because it provides for machining a substantial number of relatively thin annular tooling plates (10), fitting them together side-by-side in two opposed mold sides, and engraving the tread pattern into the interior face of the assembled plates in two or more complementary mold parts to form a unique tire mold (12). In one form of the disclosed construction two halves are built up and internally engraved to form a two-piece clamshell mold. This building up of annular plates (10) applies also to the construction of segmented molds, wherein there are multiple complementary mold sections which are joined to provide a complete circumferential mold. Thus, the invention applies to both two-piece clamshell molds and segmented molds. The invention encompasses an all engraved mold and all venting (22) in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: This core plugging station relates generally to preparing rolls of previously wound material for an unwinding machine. The core plugging station improves the automation of moving rolls of sheet form material and the like to be loaded in preparation for unwinding. When a previously loaded roll has been unwound a spent core station disposes of the remaining core. The process sequentially moves rolls of material having cores from a core plugging station to an unwinding station and sequentially moves spent rolls of material from the unwinding station back to a spent core station.

Abstract: An article is coated with a coating having a black color. In a preferred embodiment, the coating comprises a nickel or polymer basecoat layer, and a first color layer comprised of oxygen-rich refractory metal oxycarbides, a second color layer comprising oxygen-rich refractory metal oxycarbides and a top layer of refractory metal oxides.

Abstract: This trunk rotation device uses dynamic movement of one's body such as, shoulder, hip, knee, back, thigh, and abdominal musculature. The device provides a method for exercising the spinal column and the muscles of the torso, including those in the abdominal lumbar and thoracic regions involving rotational torque. In a preferred embodiment, the device is a golf exercise and flexibility apparatus. The golf exercise apparatus provides resistance to a golfer during a golf swing to strengthen and condition the muscles of the axial skeleton of the golfer in a functional posture.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recovering and recycling hydrogen from a reforming process raises the pressure of at least one hydrogen-rich gas stream from at least one catalyst lock hopper and delivers at least a portion of the pressurized hydrogen-rich gas stream to at least one predetermined downstream location. At least another portion of the pressurized hydrogen-rich gas is used to maintain the desired pressure within the hydrogen recovery and recycling process and apparatus.

Abstract: An exhaust system protection device is described that can be installed on the exhaust pipe of a vehicle. The device is designed to protect valuable components of the exhaust system from unauthorized removal. The device has a first locking collar that is configured to be removably positioned around the exhaust pipe of the vehicle. The first locking collar is positioned adjacent to the first end of the component that is to be protected. A second locking collar is removably positioned around the exhaust pipe adjacent the second end of the component that is to be protected. A plurality of elongated members extends from the first locking collar to the second locking collar. The plurality of elongated members is positioned around the component in a manner whereby the component cannot be removed from the exhaust system between the plurality of elongated members.

Abstract: A dual position step assembly that can be mounted into a standard square towing receiver that is previously installed on a pickup truck or similar vehicle is described. The step assembly is mounted to the rear of the vehicle. The step can be pivoted to two positions, either vertical or horizontal. When placed in the vertical position the step assembly automatically seats into a downward self locking position. The weight of the step assembly provides the force necessary to set the step assembly into the self locking position.