Abstract: This invention provides an air bearing system for guiding along one of two opposed walls by a piston-mounted air bearing. A second piston-mounted air bearing is adjacent the other of the opposed walls, having a larger piston to exert a greater force and cause the first piston to bottom against a stop. The bearings receive air pressure along their inner surfaces for balancing the load on them and avoiding distortion.

Abstract: This invention provides a bowler's wrist support that includes a flexible body adapted to be wrapped around the hand and wrist with straps to hold it in position. A rigid reinforcement may be included to prevent bending of the wrist. The body includes a pocket within which fits a pad which is positioned at the palm of the hand when the device is worn. The pocket is larger than the pad, so that the pad may be moved around to the optimum position. The contour of the pad follows the shape of the hand so as to not interfere with movement of the hand or to cause discomfort.

Abstract: A syringe comprises a main tubular body, the body being open at one end and receiving a hypodermic needle at the other end, and a plunger, one end of the plunger extending into the body, through the open end thereof, the plunger having a longitudinal passageway therein permitting air flow therethrough. A fluid-tight seal is formed between the outside surface of the plunger and the inside surface of the syringe body. An air permeable filter membrane extends across the first end of the plunger, in the passageway, whereby the body can fill with blood, causing the air in the body to pass through the membrane to the open end of the body. Upon contact with the blood, the membrane swells and seals, automatically stopping the flow of blood. A one way valve extending across the passageway allows the syringe to be used to aspirate in the absence of natural blood pressure.

Abstract: The economy of manufacture of electric guitars and electric bass guitars is improved, with no loss of quality, by providing an anchor flange in integral relationship with a metal pickguard of the guitar or bass guitar. Extended through the anchor flange are adjustment screws which connect adjustably to bridge barrels over which the strings extend. The adjustment screws and bridge barrels are preassembled to the anchor flange, and all electric components are preassembled to the pickguard, prior to mounting of the pickguard on the body of the guitar or bass. Thus, the ultimate in economy is achieved, yet the anchor flange has very strong support from the pickguard and is located accurately thereby.

Abstract: A radially inner portion of a flat annular elastomeric washer is inserted and retained in a frustoconical annular groove formed in a cylindrical valve seat of an inline disc check valve. The groove is positioned and dimensioned so that it grips the washer and holds it in a radially stretched, axially skewed configuration wherein one of the washer's outer peripheral corner edges forms a leading sealing edge of the valve seat. At low back pressures in the valve, a line seal is formed between the leading washer edge and the valve's closure disc. High back pressures cause the disc to rearwardly deflect the protruding radially outer portion of the washer and engage the valve seat itself. Because the installed washer is both radially stretched and axially skewed, forward flow through the valve does not tend to dislodge the washer, and reverse flow around the washer portion within the groove is prevented.

Abstract: An electromechanical piano of the type incorporating asymmetrical tuning forks. To increase vastly the dwell of the forks in the high-pitched range of the piano, a fork-mounting construction is employed wherein only a single screw is associated with each fork. Elastomeric means are provided around each screw and also between opposed edge surfaces of adjacent forks, whereby to prevent rotation of each fork about the axis of its associated mounting screw.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, the sail portion of a sailboard has upper and lower sections, and the lower edge (foot) of the upper section is lapped relative to the upper edge (head) of the lower section. Apparatus is provided to cause the lower edge to be on the upwind side of the upper edge, regardless of the tack that the boat is on. Such apparatus comprises a rotating boom which rotates through the sail, in such manner as to shift from one side of the sail to the other and also cause the above-described lapped relationship to occur in either tack. The diclosure further relates to a combination of the sail system with the board, to the method of achieving the indicated lapped relationship and of rotating the boom, and to other important features.

Abstract: A microform viewer has a case section pivotally mounting a screen, to move from a collapsed position to a viewing position, and slidably receiving a two-part projection section that telescopes into the case section. As the projection section moves into and out of the case section it positively drives the screen between collapsed and display positions. The projection section is made of two mutually separable housings that fit together along the film path so that when the two housings are separated the two pressure plates forming part of the film path are readily accessible.

Abstract: A medical bed is described in which mattresses are mounted in frames which can be rotated about a longitudinal axis and tilted about a transverse axis. The mattresses may be removable and adapted to permit enclosing a patient completely to permit 360.degree. rotation.

Abstract: An acoustic insulation curtain is composed of a number of long, relatively high mass optically transparent acoustic barrier sheets, having longitudinally extending central portions covered with panels of acoustic absorber material. The adjacent barrier sheets overlap one another. In some embodiments they are mutually spaced and also overlap portions of absorber panels of adjacent sheets. Absorber panels may be vertically discontinuous in a staggered relation from one panel to another to provide a circuitous sound absorbing air flow path from one side of the curtain to the other.

Abstract: The output section of a musical instrument performance amplifier comprises a pair of high impedance power field effect transistors connected to an output transformer to provide a relatively low push-pull drain load that effectively presents a high impedance constant current source to a loudspeaker. The amplifier, having such high impedance constant current source output, amplifies and sustains instrument sound, provides large amounts of power to the speaker over a wide range of speaker impedances, and enables production of high power harmonics.

Abstract: A multiple image camera sequentially exposes upon a section of a roll film a number of images of an oscilloscope that displays images of a patient subjected to a scanning device. The oscilloscope, together with a folded optical system, is mounted to move bidirectionally transversely of the film which itself is transported bidirectionally so as to enable multiple exposures of the oscilloscope in different arrays on the film. After exposure of a selected number of images, the exposed film section is cut and a previously disengaged transport mechanism drives the cut film section into a detachable cassette.

Abstract: An electric piano has a complete player actuated piano voice of which harmonics are basically controlled by a tuning fork that is struck by the piano key. The piano is also provided with an electronically generated voice of which harmonics are electronically generated. To better enable the two voices to be played simultaneously by striking a single piano key, the amplitude envelope of the electromechanically generated piano voice is imposed upon the electronically generated voice which is gated and amplitude modulated so as to be heard in precise synchronization with a piano note produced by the instrument player. Linearity of modulation is extended to low piano voice amplitudes by use of modulating and gating diodes in oppositely poled feedback paths of an operational amplifier.

Abstract: A casing hammer for simultaneously driving casing and drilling a water well comprises a housing having an annular pneumatic chamber with an annular piston that drives an annular anvil which seals the lower end of the chamber. The chamber is formed by outer and inner sleeves of which the inner sleeve is fixed to an end cap solely at its rear end and is thus cantilevered from the end cap, being free of connection at its forward end. The forward end of the inner sleeve is stabilized by means of a relatively small clearance between the anvil and the sleeves at the front end of the chamber. The cantilevered connection of the inner sleeve at its rear end provides a smooth and unobstructed bore through which extends a rotating drill string that also extends through casing while the casing is being driven by the annular hammer.

Abstract: A three-dimensional composite structural panel composed of a number of parallel trusses mutually spaced by interposed insulative elements and interconnected by cross wires, is fabricated by positioning a cross wire transversely of the longitudinal runner wires of trusses after they are stacked in alternation with the insulative elements, and then welding the cross wire to the runner wires at each point of contact. Rows of electrodes, one for each side of the lattice, are mounted to simultaneously resistance weld a single cross wire at each side of the lattice to all of the trusses of a panel. All of the electrodes are pressed against the wires to be welded by means of individual fluid motors energized with a common fluid pressure and separately driving individual electrodes.

Abstract: An action is described for musical instruments of the piano type. Means are included for braking and restraining each hammer of the action to prevent bouncing, rebounding, or other undesired movement, when the key is depressed and the hammer is positioned at the escapement distance from the tone generating tine and also when the key is released and the hammer is at rest position. The braking and restraining means move arcuately in cooperation with the key to exert a wedging force against a portion of the head of the hammer to brake and restrain it in the desired positions.

Abstract: An arrangement for preparing natural tissue in the form of a heart valve, vessel or the like for implantation in which tanning fluid under pressure is applied to a portion of the tissue so as to cause said tissue to assume substantially its natural configuration, while additional tanning fluid is applied to the remainder of the tissue, said tanning fluid being so applied for a time sufficient to cause the tissue to become fixed, and, for vessels or the like, a guide may engage the tissue during fixation, whereby said tissue maintains substantially the configuration of the guide.