Abstract: A trigger actuated liquid sprayer, including a pump body, a discharge nozzle mounted on a forward end of the body for manual rotation about a central axis thereof between discharge open and closed positions, and a trigger lever movably mounted to the body for operating a pumping mechanism upon actuation thereof. A trigger cover may be mounted on the sprayer and overlie a front face of the trigger lever in a first position for immobilizing trigger lever actuation. The trigger cover may be rotatable to a second position from the first position for exposing the front face for facilitating a grasp of the trigger lever for manual actuation thereof for operating the pumping mechanism. The trigger cover may be latched with the trigger lever in the first position to prevent rotation of the trigger cover from the first position to thereby render the sprayer child-resistant.

Abstract: Methods for extracting packetized data from a SONET/SDH signal include processing the signal to produce a deskewed data stream; demapping the data stream to produce a stream of packets; and temporarily storing the packets in a packet buffer, wherein the demapping is performed at a first rate when the fullness of the buffer is below a fullness threshold and the demapping is performed at a second rate when the fullness of the buffer is at or above the fullness threshold. Apparatus for performing the methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A thin walled body such as a container is gripped at a holding station and tooling is engaged to deform the wall of the body at a predetermined zone. The predetermined wall zone is co-aligned with the tooling by means of co-ordinated movement of the tooling (typically by means of rotation about a tooling axis) prior to engagement with the wall zone.

Abstract: A hat includes an elasticized band that extends around the periphery of the hat's crown to retain the hat on the head of a wearer. The elasticity of the band in a longitudinal direction is not uniform across its width. Instead the elasticity is greater in one region proximate one edge of the band than it is in a second region proximate the opposite edge of the band. The band is comfortable for the wearer because it grips the wearer's head less tightly in the second region than in the first region. At the same time, the entire width of the band contributes to retaining the hat on wearer's head. The band can also be used to retain other garments on a wearer.

Abstract: A floating pond skimmer is coupled by a fluid conduit to a remote filter/aerating apparatus. The skimmer sucks a mixture of solids and water, grinds/chops the solids, and pumps the reduced solids and water through the conduit to the filter/aerating apparatus which separates the solids from the mixture and aerates the water from the mixture. The floating skimmer preferably includes a vortex chamber, an on-board pump with a grinding impeller, an adjustable ballast, and an anchor. The filter/aerating apparatus includes an inclined screen and a drain tray beneath the inclined screen coupled to a water discharge conduit. Optionally, an aeration pump is coupled to the discharge conduit. Also optionally, a removable solid waste hopper is located at the lower end of the inclined screen. Otherwise the solid waste simply falls into a compost pile at the bottom of the inclined screen.

Abstract: A UV-transmissable window assembly for a DMD device includes a UV-transmissable glass window provided in a frame. The window and frame are bonded together to preferably effect a hermetic seal therebetween. Optical coatings specific to the intended wavelength of light transmission are applied to the inner and outer surfaces of the glass window to reduce reflection and increase light transmission therethrough. The window assembly, and DMD provided with the same, is adapted for excellent transmission of ultraviolet light, even at the deep ultraviolet portion of the spectrum. The DMD window assembly has application in the medical arts, both surgery and device manufacture, in the production of integrated circuits (IC), and in other optical lithography applications, among other fields.

Abstract: The methods of the invention include providing a state machine on chip with a SONET/SDH mapper and providing means whereby a plurality of members of a VCG can share the same state machine. The apparatus of the invention preferably includes a “smart” time wheel for granting access to the single state machine and memory for storing state information for each of the VCG members. A TCM (transmit configuration management) block is provided which interrelates the state change of one member with all of the other members of the VCG by reference to a plurality of status registers, one for each member of the VCG. The TCM block includes a single module which is shared by all VCG members. The “smart” time wheel is connected not only to the shared state machine but also to the single TCM module and the status and configuration registers.

Abstract: An apparatus (and corresponding methodology) for discovering beacon signals in a spread spectrum radio communication system is selectively operable in one of two modes. The first mode employs a local reference timing signal, while the second mode employs a GPS-derived reference timing signal. Preferably, the first mode identifies a baseline beacon signal that satisfies a constraint based upon time delays for detected beacon signals which are indicative of the relative distance of the transmitting base stations, thus providing selection of a baseline beacon signal that originates from a relatively close base station. The index of the baseline beacon signal is recovered and then used together with relative timing derived from the local reference timing signal to assign indices to other detected beacon signals.

Abstract: A punctum plug system includes a punctum plug and an insertion tool therefor. In various embodiments of the invention, the plug includes an axial bore shaped in accord with a stepped cylinder, a cylinder having a tapered end, or a combination thereof. In each embodiment, a relatively proximal portion of the tip of the insertion tool extends within a relatively larger diameter proximal portion of the plug bore but does not frictionally engage such portion, and a relatively distal portion of the insertion tool tip frictionally engages the distal portion of the plug bore. The frictional engagement between the tool tip and the plug is preferably optimized such that once the plug is inserted into a punctum for which the plug is appropriately sized, the insertion tool may be removed simply by withdrawal of the tool, without wiggling the tool or stabilizing the plug with a second instrument.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes the steps of forming (or providing) a series of layers formed on a substrate, the layers including a first plurality of layers including an n-type ohmic contact layer, a p-type modulation doped quantum well structure, an n-type modulation doped quantum well structure, and a fourth plurality of layers including a p-type ohmic contact layer. Etch stop layers are used during etching operations when forming contacts to the n-type ohmic contact layer and contacts to the n-type modulation doped quantum well. Preferably, each such etch stop layer is made sufficiently thin to permit current tunneling therethrough during operation of optoelectronic/electronic devices realized from this structure (including heterojunction thyristor devices, n-channel HFET devices, p-channel HFET devices, p-type quantum-well-base bipolar transistor devices, and n-type quantum-well-base bipolar transistor devices).

Abstract: A thyristor and family of high speed transistors and optoelectronic devices are obtained on a monolithic substrate (149) with an epitaxial layer structure comprised of two modulation doped transistor structures inverted with respect to each other. The transistor structures are obtained by adding planar doping to the Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor (PHEMT) structure. For one transistor, two sheets of planar doping of the same polarity separated by a lightly doped layer are added which are opposite to the modulation doping of the PHEMT. The combination is separated from the PHEMT modulation doping by undoped material. The charge sheets are thin and highly doped. The top charge sheet (168) achieves low gate contact resistance and the bottom charge sheet (153) defines the capacitance of the field-effect transistor (FET) with respect to the modulation doping layer of the PHEMT For the other transistor, only one additional sheet is added.

Abstract: A thin walled body such as a container (1) is gripped at a holding station and tooling (10) is engaged to deform the wall of the body at a predetermined zone. The predetermined wall zone is co-aligned with the tooling (10) by means of coordinated movement of the tooling (10) (typically by means of rotation about a tooling axis) prior to engagement with the wall zone.

Abstract: A thin walled body such as a container is gripped at a holding station and tooling is engaged to deform the wall of the body at a predetermined zone. The predetermined wall zone is co-aligned with the tooling by means of co-ordinated movement of the tooling (typically by means of rotation about a tooling axis) prior to engagement with the wall zone.

Abstract: A device for holding a blood vessel (and corresponding method of operation) includes a mandrel having a proximal end opposite a distal end. A tube houses a portion of the mandrel. A tip assembly, which is operably coupled to the distal end of the mandrel, comprises a sheath having a tapered portion and a cylindrical portion. The sheath is adapted to be inserted into a lumen of a blood vessel such that an end of the blood vessel is supported by the tapered portion. The elastic nature of the blood vessel holds the end of the blood vessel in place with respect to the tip assembly. The tapered portion includes an exterior surface with a plurality of needle-guide-grooves that extend along such exterior surface. A needle is driven through the blood vessel while being guided by a needle-guide groove such that the needle is driven through the blood vessel near the end of the blood vessel.

Abstract: A fracture fixation system is provided for a fracture of a head portion of a long bone which has subchondral bone defining a convex articular surface. The system includes a plate element positionable on the long bone substantially opposite the head portion of the long bone and on a first side of the fracture, and a post coupled to the plate and into the head portion of the bone and across the fracture. A cross peg is coupled to the post to provide support of the subchondral bone.