Abstract: A post operative compression bandage for the human head is described having primary utility for use after facelift or rhytidectomy plastic surgery. The bandage includes a generally flat and unitary member that is formed of relatively thin, single ply, four-way stretch, and washable cloth-like material, preferably of about 90 percent nylon and about 10 percent lycra spandex. The unitary bandage member is formed by stitching two identically shaped cloth members at mating convex arc portions thereof, to thereby form a chin cup. Each of the two cloth members includes a neck strap, a top of the head strap, and a back of the head strap. These six straps terminate in mating hook/loop fasteners of the Velcro type. The length, width and placement of the straps are selected to achieve a desired compression of the covered head area, while at the same time minimizing the tendency of a tensioned bandage to form wrinkles, creases and the like.

Abstract: A latch mechanism includes a cylindrically shaped rotating cam having a small radius portion and a large radius portion that are spaced from each other along a circumference of cylinder. A ball is seated against the cam. The ball is forced outward when it is seated in the small radius portion of the cam, and is allowed to move inward when it is seated in the large radius portion of the cam. A first hollow latch pin is provided, having an indentation at one point on the outer surface thereof into which the ball can seat. A second smaller size latch pin, also having an indentation in one point on the outer surface thereof into which the ball can seat, is insertable within the first hollow latch pin, to thereby allow multiple objects to be secured by the latch mechanism. A housing supports and facilitates movement of the cam, the ball and the two latch pins.

Abstract: A user authorization tag for the wearer thereof is rendered tamper resistant by forming the tag as an integral unit having a flat panel portion and a flexible loop portion extending from the panel portion. The loop is dimensioned for threading through a clothing opening, for example through a zipper pull, a button hole, or the like. Once the loop is threaded through the clothing opening, the panel is passed through the loop, to thereby secure the loop to the clothint opening. A relatively large ticket, carrying user authorization information such as bar code data, is then nonremovably secured to the panel. The size of the ticket is such that the panel with its attached ticket cannot pass back through the loop if an attempt is later made to remove the tag from the clothing.

Abstract: A single blade ice skate is disclosed wherein the ice engaging blade, the toe boot plate and the heel boot plate are formed as a unitary assembly from a flat sheet of metal stock material, with the two boot plates being attached to the blade by way of twisted metal extension portions. In the initial flat state, the blade portion, the two extension portions and the two boot plates occupy a common physical plane. The two extension portions that connect the boot plates to the blade are then twisted 90.degree. in this common plane, and in a manner to place the two boot plates in planes that are normal to the plane of the blade and normal to the common plane of the initial metal stock material. The two boot plates are then bent into a U-shape, so as to provide a U-shaped vertical spring member for each of the boot plates, the spring member acting between the two boot plates and the blade (i.e.

Abstract: An electrophotographic copying apparatus includes a multi-function document feeder for feeding original document sheets to a platen viewing station for copying. The document feeder selectively provides (1) semiautomatic document feeding (SADF), (2) automatic document feeding (ADF), (3) recirculating automatic document feeding (RADF), and (4) manual placement of a document on the platen. A multi-function output copy module is provided for holding copies produced by the copying apparatus. The output module proivdes (1) a collator section comprising a vertical stack of collator bins, the unobstructed top bin of which also comprises (2) an exit tray, and (3) a large capacity exit bin that is located under the bottom one of the collator bins.

Abstract: Large, flat objects such as manhole covers, and storm drain grates, are lifted and maneuvered. A tool includes a gripper assembly which receives the object at or near an edge and establishes control by an arrangement of at least one concentrated contact area or pressure point on one surface of the object and a pair of such concentrated contact areas or pressure points on the other surface. A long lever handle allows pivoting to raise the object; rollers on the tool accommodate maneuvering afterwards. Avoidance of runaway rolling and maintenance of positive movement control is possible by a stub or pin which is attachable if desired to engage the ground, street or the like, after the object is lifted.

Abstract: A three wheel vehicle is described having two forward wheels that are driven and steerable. The two forward wheels and the single rear wheel are supported on a single-unit platform member that is molded from an engineering plastic. The vehicle rear wheel is mounted on a trailing arm that is pivoted at generally the middle underside of the platform member. This trailing arm is movable to facilitate three-point vehicle storage, as the vehicle rests on its two front wheels and on its then closely adjacent rear wheel, with the trailing arm in a vertical position. The platform member includes a plurality of pipe-like attachment clip/handles strategically located both within the bounds of the platform and about the periphery of the platform. The vehicle is intended for use by a seated or a standing individual. A plurality of accessories are selectively attachable to the platform member by use of the platform clip/handles.

Abstract: A liquid crystal spatial light modulator is disclosed having a pair of spaced transparent plates on which two electrically conductive films are coated in confronting relation. A continuous or discontinuous photosensitive film is coated on one of the conductive films. A bistable ferroelectric liquid crystal is confined between the other conductive film and the photosensitive film. An activating voltage source is applied to the conductive films. Modulator pixels are defined by a plurality of small electrically conductive elements that are carried by the photosensitive film. These conductive elements may be either transparent to a reading wavefront, or they may be reflective to a reading wavefront. An apertured film is also mounted on the photosensitive film substantially coplanar with the conductive elements.

Abstract: A microcode branch, to one of a number of possible control words (sixteen control words are described), is based upon (1) the remaining operand length that is to be processed by a left to right instruction, and (2) by the byte alignment of the portion of the operand that currently resides in main storage interface registers. As a left to right instruction is being executed, the operand's new length and its new alignment, as they both will exist after a control word is executed, are determined. The new length and the new alignment are used to determine the addess of the next control word. A 16-way branch instruction has branch legs that are determined by the number of operand bytes that are left to be processed, and by the alignment of two operands in two storage registers that interface with main storage. This method and arrangement for microcode branching maximizes the amount of data that can be processed per processor cycle by the hardware upon execution of a left to right instruction.

Abstract: A ladder safety apparatus for use with a straight ladder having vertical side rails, and having horizontally aligned openings in the side rails, is disclosed. An example is a hollow-rung metal or aluminum ladder. The safety apparatus includes a flexible metal cable of a length somewhat greater than the rail-to-rail dimension of the ladder, the cable extending through the openings in the side rails. An elongated metal bolt or tube is non-removably attached to each end of the metal cable, to thereby form a linear extension of the metal cable. First and second building attachment means are provided, each such means having a metallic cable-attachment portion with an opening therein whereby the building attachment means is slidably and loosely mounted on the bolt or tube. An adjustment nut or collet is mounted on the bolt or tube, and in a position to adjustably trap the cable-attachment portion on an end of the metal cable. The metal cable includes a protective plastic covering.

Abstract: A TV still frame image, perhaps with an accompanying audio segment, information retrieval system is disclosed. The system allows end users to search for, order, and retrieve still frame video images, which images are then displayed on a conventional television set. Related audio sound can be heard over the same television set, over a telephone, or over another audio device. A data base of images and sound is stored on storage devices that are controlled by a general purpose computer system. This data base is located at the "head end" of the system. In one mode of operation, an end user requests and receives a particular video image(s), and perhaps a sound segment(s), from a plurality of such images that are continuously being sent to all end users. In a second mode of operation an end user requests a data base image that is not presently being sent to all end users.

Abstract: A stopper seals the opening left in the lid of a metal can upon operation of an integral metal tab that is attached to the top surface of the lid. The stopper comprises a resilient plug having a thickness greater than the thickness of the lid.

Abstract: A xerographic reproduction device is disclosed, the device having a recirculating automatic document feeder that includes a sheet invertor, and a print path that includes a print station, a sheet invertor and a document set accumulator. The set accumulator includes a horizontal tray where at the individual sheets of a document set are stacked, one by one in proper page sequence. A stitcher is mounted in a fixed position at one leading-edge corner of the tray, so as to be coincident with a leading corner of the set. The individual sheets of portrait sets exit the print path and enter the accumulator tray, to reside in the tray with the set's first page on top of the set, facing upward, and with the stitcher located so as to bind the set's upper left hand corner.

Abstract: An industrial pallet is constructed and arranged to support a vertical stack of scaffold end frames on the pallet's rectangular, horizontal support platform. Upwardly extending channel-iron members are rigidly secured adjacent the back edge and the two side edges of the platform. These channel-iron members define an open-front cavity for receiving the end frames as they are manually inserted onto the platform from the front edge thereof. Horizontal hand-rail/brace members extend between the side disposed channel-iron members, to form both hand rails and a platform for supporting tube-shaped scaffold cross members that are used with the scaffold end frames when constructing a scaffold. Two vertically extending, removable, locking rods fit into sockets carried by the platform. When these locking rods are manually inserted into the platform sockets, the rods penetrate interior spaces of the stacked scaffold end frames.

Abstract: A replaceable, closed, container, cartridge or supply-item cassette holds a roll of stitcher wire from which U-shaped wire staples are to be formed by operation of a stitcher. The wire's end is led from the cassette to the stitcher by way of a flexible tube that terminates in a coupler/handle member. The coupler/handle member includes a releasable wire clamp that is operable to hold the wire's end. The coupler/handle member is constructed and arranged to protect the operator's hands from contact with the wire's sharp, needle-like end. When the coupler/handle member is locked or coupled to the stitcher, the stitcher's wire feed rollers automatically move to a nip-closed position, to entrap the end of the wire, and the wire is automatically released from the wire clamp. The stitcher's wire feed rollers are driven by a stepping motor. The cassette includes a brake that is operable to control the orderly feeding or wire by the stepping motor.

Abstract: The saturation voltage of a photoconductor used in a discharged area development (DAD) reproduction device is used to control and maintain the voltage vectors that are associated with (1) the photoconductor's fully charged background area, (2) the development electrode voltage at the reproduction device's developer station, (3) the photoconductor voltage in areas that are occupied by image characters having a small surface area, and (4) the photoconductor voltage in a test patch area that is associated with a toner concentration control network having a toner patch sensor. These electrstatic parameters are periodically adjusted, to compensate for changes in the operating characteristics of the photoconductor and the imaging station.

Abstract: A family of circuit boards are molded, each board having its own unique pattern of recessed circuit paths and component insertion through-holes. A different mold is provided for each different member of the family. The two cavity blocks of each mold cavity contain only the holes that are necessary to define the through-hole pattern for that member of the family. A plurality of core pins or wires are provided at the molding site. Only the core pins that are required by the mold in use at the molding site are rendered operative.

Abstract: Large, flat objects such as manhole covers, storm drain grates and the like, are lifted and maneuvered. A tool includes a gripper assembly which receives the object at or near an edge and establishes control by an arrangement of at least one concentrated contact area or pressure point on one surface of the object and a pair of such concentrated contact areas or pressure points on the other surface. A long lever handle allows pivoting to raise the object; rollers on the tool accommodate maneuvering afterwards. Avoidance of runaway rolling and maintenance of positive movement control is possible by a stub or pin which is attachable is desired to engage the ground, street or the like, after the object is lifted.