Abstract: An interface circuit for inclusion in the control signal path of a variable matrix decoder wherein the attack and decay time constants imposed on said control signals may be varied by means of an auxiliary circuit which responds to the total signal level applied to the decoder and to sudden changes thereof, thereby improving the dynamic performance of the variable matrix decoder.

Abstract: Display of alphanumeric characters symbols, graphs and other information in a dot-matrix form on a CRT is enhanced by modulating the CRT beam sinusoidally at twice the dot matrix clock rate to produce two full cycles of sinusoidal modulation for each dot space. The amplitude of the modulation is selected to be one-fourth the raster scan spacing of the CRT, whereby two sinusoidal cycles of modulation in each dot space more fully fills the space allocated to a dot display in the vertical direction as the electrons beam scans the dot space in the horizontal direction.

Abstract: A spring shoe is provided, of the type which includes a top plate that holds a person's foot and a bottom plate coupled to the top plate through springs to allow for vigorous jumping, wherein the top plate is stabilized against unwanted motion in a simple and rugged mechanism. An elongated cross bar is provided which has a front end hinged to the front of the top plate and a rear end hinged to the rear of the bottom plate. The cross bar permits vertical motion and pitch of the top plate with respect to the bottom plate, while avoiding other unwanted motions of the top plate such as longitudinal and lateral shifting and tilting in roll.

Abstract: A diode pulser is described which comprises a diode and an inductor connected in series, the impedance of the diode being controllable to suddenly increase the impedance to produce a high voltage pulse across the diode. The diode includes concentric electrodes forming a gap between them across which electrons move. To increase the impedance, a magnetic field is suddenly applied parallel to the electrode surfaces, to bend the electron paths so as to require a much higher voltage to move the electrons across the gap, the inductor creating such voltage to maintain the current flow for a brief time. The diode pulser is useful as a rapid-acting switch, and as a source of high energy electrons that are useful to generate X-rays, microwaves, and for other purposes.

Abstract: An improvement is provided for toilet flush valves on tanks which contain insufficient water to flush properly, which leads to waste of water by double flushing. The improvement enables in-field modification of the flush valve to substantially completely empty the tank. A closing delay device (42, FIG. 1) which includes a cup (64), is attached directly to the top of the tank ball (32) for easy installation, and is tall enough so that when the tank ball is pivoted to the fully opened position the cup is pivoted to a side of the pivot axis (28) opposite the tank ball to delay closing of the flush valve. The tank ball is formed of soft rubber and has an upwardly extending tubular extension (74) with an annular groove therein, which closely receives an annular flange at the bottom of the delay cup device.

Abstract: A socket assembly is provided at the end of a heavy electrical cable which includes sockets designed to be pushed into connection with pins on an aircraft, to pass current between them, which provides low resistance to avoid heating while also providing a high withdrawal force to prevent the weight of the cable end from pulling it out of connection with the aircraft pins. The sockets include pin-receiving holes, with grooves in the hole walls for holding multi-beam contactors. Each contactor includes a pair of spaced circular bands and a plurality of beams extending between the bands and bowed radially inwardly to resiliently contact the pin. A socket includes two of such contactors, whose beams engage the plug at two locations spaced along the hole to more uniformly guide the pin along the hole and provide low contact resistance and a high resistance to withdrawal. The contactors are initially plastically deformed when the pin is first inserted, to assure that a high withdrawal force is achieved.

Abstract: Certain man-made structures located in a complex background, such as railroad ties, telephone poles, and fences are detected by a flying craft, using a low powered structure resonant radar system. The radar system transmits a radar signal which includes wavelengths of the same order of magnitude as twice the spacing of the elements of the man-made structure or grating multiples thereof, and transmits them in a plurality of different directions and frequencies. Reflections of the transmitted radar are received and structural resonance backscatter is detected wherein the backscatter amplitude at the resonant frequency is much higher than that at adjacent frequencies or that of the clutter background, indicating the presence of the search-for type of structure. The bright structural resonance backscatter can then be exploted by the structure resonant radar for guidance, homing, etc.

Abstract: A nonrigid wallet structure formed by a flexible dielectric sheet carrying planar conductive material thereon and configured to define card accommodating compartments. The planar conductive material extends into the compartments and forms a card monitoring and alarm system.

Abstract: A method is described for converting a strip of film designed for showing at 60 fps (frames per second) to a film that can be shown at 24 fps. Instead of forming the 24 fps film so it alternately contains every second and every third frame of the 60 fps film, each frame of the 24 fps film includes two distinct overlapping successive images of the 60 fps film.

Abstract: A cylindrical intramuscular implantable electrode is provided with a strip of fabric secured around it. The fabric is woven from a polyester fiber having loops of the fiber protruding. The end of the main cylindrical body is provided with a blunt conductive nose, and the opposite end is provided with a smaller diameter rear section with an annular groove to receive tips of fingers extending from a release tube. The fingers are formed to spring outwardly and move the fingertips out of the annular groove in order to release the electrode from the release tube when a sheath over the electrode is drawn back sufficiently. The sheath compresses the fingers of the release tube and the fabric loops until it is drawn back. Muscle tissue grows into the loops to secure the electrode in place after the sheath is drawn back. The entire assembly of electrode, release tube and sheath can be inserted into the patient's muscle to the desired position through a hypodermic needle.

Abstract: Apparatus for multiplexing switch state signals comprises a plurality of switches and parallel weighted resistors connected in series between circuit ground and a node at a utilization device. The resistors are weighted as a function of a power of the same base, such as the power of the base 2, for coding the multiplexed switch state signals. A constant current source connected between the node and circuit ground drives current over a single cable conductor through the resistor. Each switch may be independently closed to change the switch state voltage signals multiplexed to the node. An analog-to-digital converter connected between the node and circuit ground demultiplexes the switch state signals received at the node and provides a switch state signal at each analog-to-digital output corresponding to the state of the switches at the moment.

Abstract: A chart recorder is described, which is especially useful in recording the temperature of a cargo being shipped, which can be constructed at low cost and which provides a tamper-resistant and accurate record. The recorder includes a strip of pressure-markable paper having an inner portion wound into a roll and an outer portion forming a leader. The leader extends past a marking station, a transport that pulls the leader, a storage space within a housing that encloses the rest of the mechanism, and through an opening in the housing with the outer end of the strip attached to the outside of the housing. During recording, the chart is pushed by the transport station into multiple folds lying in the storage space of the housing. The strip can be removed by pulling on its outer end to pull it out of the housing. Pulling of the outer end releases the strip from the marking and transport stations.

Abstract: A volume is scanned with a raster scan about a center of rotation using a transmitter/receiver at a selected range while gating a range window on the receiver with a selected range differential. The received signals are then demodulated to obtain signals representative of a property within the volume being scanned such as the density of a tumor. The range is varied until the entire volume has been scanned at all ranges to be displayed. An imaging display is synchronously scanned together with the raster scan to display variations of the property on the display. A second transmitter/receiver with associated equipment may be offset from the first and variations displayed from each of the transmitter/receivers on its separate display. The displays may then be combined stereoscopically to provide a three-dimensional image representative of variations of the property.

Abstract: A base loaded antenna is provided, which securely holds the inductive loading coil of the antenna while minimizing capacitive coupling of adjacent coil turns. A coil support has fins with grooves that hold the coil, so most of the space between adjacent coil turns contains only air. A cover surrounds the coil, and the coil support is loaded in tension while the cover is loaded in corresponding compression. A base on which the coil support and cover are mounted, is held to a vehicle sheet metal body by a star plate that lies on the underside of the sheet metal. The star plate has bent-up peripheral portions that "dig" into the sheet metal to make an electrical ground connection therewith, and a flat middle for making electrical and mechanical connections to outer coaxial conductors.

Abstract: A bulb and switch assembly for a flashlight including a bulb having first and second leads, a fixed switch body having first and second holes in one end, a first terminal in the first hole contacting the first lead, a conductor in the second hole contacting the second lead, and means for storing a spare bulb on the switch body.

Abstract: A system for recording railroad track curvature utilizes linear motion transducers between the tracks of a railroad vehicle and the sides of the vehicle, or between adjacent vehicles, to continually measure the degree of curvature together with speed, stopped time and distance. A conventional event recorder is used for actual recording of the curvature information as a trace, which may be recorded on a conventional channel not then in use, such as the dynamic brake set up signal. A switching circuit substitutes that signal for the curvature signal immediately upon the dynamic brakes being applied. Thus substituting load (amps) for the curvature signal in the trace being recorded.

Abstract: An hermetic leadless package for a planar p-n, Schottky or other diode has a planar base and cover made of electrically conductive metal in order to serve as the contacts of the diode necessary to connect it to a circuit. A spacing frame constructed from dielectric material, such as alumina, separates the base and cover and provides a cavity for receiving a diode connected electrically to the cover by welding the short end of a J-shaped contact to the cover, and soldering the long end of the contact to one side of the diode chip. The other side of the diode chip is soldered to the base. The package is stacked for soldering by placing a sheet of preformed solder over the base, placing the spacing frame over the solder sheet, and placing a ring of preformed solder over the spacing frame. Once the diode chip is affixed to the cover, the cover is placed over the stack with the diode chip in the cavity created by the spacing frame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for testing three wire handheld soldering irons by touching the iron's tip to a single point sensor to measure (1) tip temperature (2), tip voltage to ground and (3) tip resistance to ground.