Abstract: A catch for a door latch or the like for use with a strike for latching a door. The catch is formed of a single piece, typically a molding or a stamping, with a base for mounting at a door or door frame, a lever fixed to the base, and a tang carried on the lever. The tang has a normal position and a latching position with the lever functioning as a spring to urge the tang to the normal position, and with the tang being deflectable to the latching position for passing over a ramp of a strike.

Abstract: A microdevice in the form of a microactuator or micropump. A microdevice for providing reciprocating motion at a high repetition rate, including a cell having an output wall with at least a portion movable, such as a diaphragm or inlet and outlet valves. A charge of gas in the cell and a source for cyclicly and directly heating the gas to increase the gas pressure in the cell and move the diaphragm or control the valves, the source for heating including a pulsed source for generating transient gas pressure increases in the cell at cycle times of not more than about 50 microseconds, with the cell including an arrangement for cooling the gas for reducing the gas pressure in the cell. In one embodiment, the source for heating includes a source of photons and an arrangement for directing the photons into the cell to the gas or to the cell inner surface.

Abstract: A boat for use with a personal watercraft type vehicle, with the vehicle having a hull with bow, side walls and stern, and with the inflatable boat having a U-shaped tube or pontoon for flotation, with a closed forward end and an open rear end, a connection system for engaging the vehicle for insertion of the vehicle into the pontoon and removal of the vehicle from the pontoon, and a transom for closing the open rear end of the pontoon. Preferably the vehicle slides into and out of the pontoon.

Abstract: A flexible hose assembly for a mercury line for a manometer, and including a length of convoluted hose having an end, an inner sleeve positioned over the hose and having an end welded to the hose end, a hose fitting having an end and a welding section spaced from the end with the fitting end welded to the inner sleeve, a braid positioned over the hose and inner sleeve, and an outer sleeve positioned over the braid and having an end welded to the braid end and to the fitting at the welding section. A method of producing such a hose assembly.

Abstract: A method of manufacture of a net form product, including directing a stream of liquid from a nozzle onto a collector of the shape of the desired product, applying a disturbance to the stream, preferably an amplitude modulated disturbance, to produce a droplet stream, and with the nozzle and collector in a chamber, controlling the chamber environment. An apparatus for manufacturing a net form product having a source of molten material under pressure, a support for positioning a product collector in a chamber with the collector defining a desired product, a droplet stream generator positioned within the chamber and including a nozzle, a conduit for conducting molten material from the material source to the generator nozzle, a mechanism, typically a modulator, for disturbing the droplet stream, and a drive mechanism for relative movement of the nozzle and support.

Abstract: A dual dispenser for dispensing a first type of article from first and second stacks of the first articles and a second type of article from a stack of the second articles. The dispenser includes a housing having first and second magazines for holding the stacks of the first articles and a third magazine for holding the stack of the second articles, with a single article discharge slot in the housing and with means within the housing for movement of articles from each of the stacks to the discharge slot. The dispenser also includes means for moving the first type of articles from the bottom of the first stack and then from the bottom of the second stack, and from moving articles of the second type from the bottom of the third magazine. The dispensing may be controlled by coin mechanisms for each type of article or may be free, no-coin operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for tightening and securing banding material about an article within predetermined tension limits, including a housing for receiving and guiding the banding material, a drive for incrementally advancing the banding material about the article, a first gripper for securing the banding material as it is being incrementally advanced, a slip clutch for precisely determining when the predetermined tension of the banding material about the article is reached, a second gripper for locking and maintaining the banding material about the article, a drive motor, and a ratchet mechanism driven from the drive motor through the slip clutch for reciprocating the first gripper.