Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the presence of substances in human fluids, utilizing variable wavelength beam of light, which is analyzed by spectrographic methods after passage through the vitreous humor of the eye.

Abstract: A utility door assembly is provided for mounting on the side of a recreation vehicle, which includes a rain deflector over the door that minimizes the leakage of rain through the top of the door. The deflector includes an upper surface extending at a downward-outward incline of at least 60.degree. from the horizontal, and merging with a lower surface that extends in a concave curve that is progressively more horizontal at progressively outward locations, with the bottom of the deflector surface lying outward of the door and ending in a sharp corner. Raindrops which have impacted the vehicle and are flowing downwardly along the side are directed downwardly and outwardly so they tend to fly away from the outer edge of the deflector instead of flowing around it and leaking in through the top of the utility door.

Abstract: An offshore fluid transfer system is described for transferring fluid between an underwater pipe and a dynamically positioned vessel at the sea surface, which is relatively lightweight and economical. The system includes a riser having an upper end attached to the vessel and a lower end having a chain table held by chains extending in catenary curves to the sea floor and weighted by a weight hanging by the chain table. The riser supplied substantially the only mooring force most of the time, while thruster equipment on the vessel supplies sufficient additional force a small amount of the time to limit vessel drift in violent storms. The upper several meters of the riser is a rigid pipe, and an instrument that measures tilt of the pipe indicates the amount and direction of drift of the vessel.

Abstract: The tensorial nature of the nonlinear constant or the electro-optic coefficient of the phase conjugate material makes it impossible to perform true phase conjugation of fields with arbitrary polarization states, i.e., to recover the polarization state of the incident light of arbitrary polarization after the phase conjugation. It is demonstrated here that an optical wave propagating through a polarization and mode scrambling medium can regain its original polarization state after phase conjugation followed by reverse propagation through the polarization and mode scrambling medium. Such polarization recovery is achieved even while a magnetic field is applied to the medium, but with power loss proportional to the magnitude of the magnetic field.

Abstract: An assembly added to a conventional VHS cassette provides a wheel for counting the number of plays, or replays of segments of more than a predetermined length, and preventing further replay after the last authorized play by either releasing a spring biased arm to carry an erase head against the tape, or locking the cassette brakes in the engaged position once the cassette is removed form the tape deck.

Abstract: A slip-form of the kind for defining at least one surface of a wall-space into which concrete is to be poured. The slip-form includes a plurality of spaced apart upwardly extending members and to facilitate the locating of reinforcing rods at selected positions in the wall-space the slip-form includes roller assemblies releasably engaged with at least some of the support members to form within the wall space a height adjustable horizontal race and an inclined race feeding down to said horizontal race. The inclined race being adapted to transport reinforcing rods onto the horizontal race for onward transport to a location adjacent the selected position in the reinforcing structure.

Abstract: A circuit is described for use in a telephone switching system, for generating a large number of frame sync pulses that are progressively offset in time from one another, and that each control the operation of a pair of codecs (coder/decoder circuits). A high frequency clock signal is divided to generate a series of square waves that are 2's multiples of the lowest frequency square wave, such as 8 kHz, 16 kHz, 32 kHz, 64 kHz, and 128 kHz. These square waves are inputted to an integrated circuit of a type commonly used for addressing, to generate pulses on the several outputs at controlled different times, these pulses being delivered to the codecs. A plurality of such integrated circuits are used, with the inverse of the lower frequencies also being generated, and with different combination of the lower frequencies and their inverses delivered to different ones of the integrated circuits.

Abstract: A method for promoting quantum efficiency (QE) of a CCD imaging sensor for UV, far UV and low energy x-ray wavelengths by overthinning the back side beyond the interface between the substrate and the photosensitive semiconductor material, and flooding the back side with UV prior to using the sensor for imaging. This UV flooding promotes an accumulation layer of positive states in the oxide film over the thinned sensor to greatly increase QE for either frontside or backside illumination. A permanent or semipermanent image (analog information) may be stored in a frontside SiO.sub.2 layer over the photosensitive semiconductor material using implanted ions for a permanent storage and intense photon radiation for a semipermanent storage.

Abstract: An amusement ride is provided, of the type that moves and tilts passengers viewing a motion picture, which is more versatile than prior rides. A plurality of passenger-holding frames is provided, that are all moved in synchronism, each by a separate set of actuators, while the passengers view a stationary screen. The passenger-holding frame is pivoted up and down on a beam which is supported by only two largely vertical actuators, while two pairs of links or arms limit movement of the beam.

Abstract: An offshore system of the articulated tower type is provided, which utilizes chain devices extending in different directions from the upper portion of the tower to the seabed to help maintain the tower in a largely vertical orientation. In one system wherein the tower must be held close to the vertical orientation, as where the system is used for drilling underwater hydrocarbon wells, an inclinometer is utilized to measure small angles of tilting of the tower, to operate one or more winches that pull on the chain devices. The chain devices can be in the form of heavy chains extending in loose curves. In another system, the chain devices are lines of highly stretchable material such as nylon, and which may be nearly neutrally buoyant, and with the lines extending in almost straight lines between the tower and seabed.

Abstract: A surface-reinforced lightweight article is described, which includes a honeycomb structure whose sidewalls are reinforced by an expanded foam. The article can be manufactured by laying a fibrous third layer, such as several layers of dry tissue paper backed by a layer of dry fiberglass cloth, on the walls of a mold, laying a second layer of multi-cell honeycomb-like material against the third layer, and laying a finely porous first layer such as tissue paper over the second layer. Foamable plastic is poured in the mold over the three layers and the mold is closed. As the plastic foams and expands, it forces the three layers into a tight sandwich and permeates the layers to reinforce them. Specifically, expanded foam in the cells of multi-cell honeycomb-type material braces the honeycomb sidewalls against collapse, to greatly increase the strength and rigidness of the article.

Abstract: The position of an event, such as emergency braking, of a railroad vehicle enroute on a track mapped on a chart is accurately recorded by continually sensing the degree and direction of track curvature, and recording the track curvature and event data for later display. Speed is also recorded as a function of time to provide a scale as an aid to interpolation of a recorded event position between recorded curves. The event position thus recorded and identified by nearby curves in the track is accurate to within a small fraction of a mile.

Abstract: A frame is described, that is part of an injector which is used to load a sample at high pressure into a chromatographic column, wherein a tube coupling hole in the frame can not only couple to a standard 1/16th inch tube, but can also couple to a much smaller diameter tube which is useful for minimizing dispersion when small samples or small chromatographic columns are used. The tube coupling hole has a cylindrical inner end portion of a diameter substantially equal to the smaller tube diameter to closely receive it, a tapered middle portion, and a threaded outer portion. Ferrules for sealing tubes to the tapered hole portion, include a first ferrule having a hole that closely surrounds the smaller diameter tube, with the end of the tube lying in the cylindrical inner end portion. A second ferrule has a hole that closely surrounds the standard size larger tube, the tip of the larger tube lying against the tapered hole portion.

Abstract: A cleaning brush comprises a brush body rotatably mounted on and biased axially towards a brush holder by a compression spring, a post non-rotatable on the brush body and projecting axially towards the brush holder, a sleeve mounted on the posts for rotation relative thereto and non-rotatable relative to the brush holder, and an actuating lever for displacing the sleeve axially away from the brush holder. The post has a circumferentially extending slot engaged by a pair of opposed inwardly projecting pins of the sleeve to provide a camming arrangement such that operation of the lever to move the sleeve axially away from the brush holder causes rotation of the brush body. The brush body is rotatable through 180.degree. from one brushing position to another brushing position.

Abstract: An automatic head retract system for a disk drive is disclosed which operates in response to electric power turn off to retract the heads to a landing zone on the disk surface. The heads are retracted by operating a positioner motor under the control of logic internal to the disk drive unit without intervention by a host computer. The positioner motor comprises a multiphase DC brushless motor which, after power loss, is supplied with current from a capacitor charged during normal drive usage and by the back EMF of a spindle motor. A latch mechanically locks the heads in the landing zone.

Abstract: An integrated sensor and analog processor for visual images is produced from an array of photoreceptor signals that are the space-time derivative of the photoreceptor outputs. Each photoreceptor output V.sub.R is first processed by an integrator having a predetermined time constant using a differential transconductance amplifier driving an integrating capacitor, and feeding the output signals V.sub.H back to the negative input, thereby generating a time integrated signal for each pixel of the array. The output terminal of the integrating amplifier is connected to a node that is coupled to the outputs of similar integrators of neighboring pixels by resistive connections thereby forming a spatially smoothed version of the image. At each node a differential amplifier takes the difference between the node potential and local receptor potential, whereby an output representing a first temporal derivative and second spatial derivative is computed.

Abstract: A network for enabling a local area telephone system to simultaneously carry digital data and analog voice signals on the same tansmission medium. Such a system typically includes a PBX and twisted wire pairs connected to distributed telephone handsets. The network incorporates distributed station units for coupling both voice band signals from telephone handsets and RF signals from data devices to the wire pairs. The station units are physically interconnected in a star configuration with respect to a hub module preferably located in a telephone closet. The hub module includes a plurality of hub units, each uniquely connected by a wire pair to one of the station units. Each station unit and each hub unit incorporates passive filter means to separate voice band and RF band signals. A token passing procedure is used to assign network control to the multiple station units in logical sequence.

Abstract: A motion picture camera is described which minimizes waste of film during the start up of the camera, when the supply and takeup reels are rapidly accelerated until film is moving at the proper speed, at which time the camera begins to take pictures. A reel motor is energized to apply a high torque that rapidly accelerates the takeup reel at an acceleration limited by the amount of film on the takeup reel, while the camera motor which moves film through the film gate region is controlled to move film towards the takeup reel at a speed that maintains a moderate level of film tension between the film gate region and the takeup reel.