Abstract: A prosthetic joint includes a first bearing element which is attached to a first bone and has a substantially flat bearing surface. A second element having a bearing surface is attached to a second bone. A bearing is disposed between the first and second elements. The bearing has a central axis and is defined by a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is substantially flat and is at least partially in contact with the first flat surface of the first element. At least a portion of the second surface is in contact with the surface of the second element. The area of the planform of the first surface of the bearing is smaller than, and dissimilar in shape from, the area of the planform defined by the second surface of the bearing.

Abstract: A tamper-indicating seal of the type having a bolt retained in a lock body, wherein the lock body is surrounded by a shroud of frangible, brittle material and provided with a grooved outer surface and flanged entrance way for receiving and surrounding the bolt end, whereby the shroud is easily fractured, thus providing visual indication of tampering. Visual detection of tampering may be enhanced by a coating applied to the outer surface of the shroud. A surface feature on the between its point of entry into the lock body and its point of entry into the flange is in interfering relationship with a surface feature within the flange, so that an attempted removal of the lock body from the shroud is indicated by cracking, chipping, or fracturing of the flange or the shroud.

Abstract: A modular storage system permits access to elevated shelves. A plurality of multishelved racks are movable together and apart on rollers or wheels in a room. Each rack includes a number of shelf stacks. Side-by-side stacks are interconnected so that the rack extends in a direction perpendicular to its direction of movement. Supported by wall of the room are plural catwalks which pass between adjacent shelves of each stack in each rack. The catwalks permit a person standing thereon to gain access to shelves above the catwalk. Selected racks may include facilities for supporting the catwalks without hindering rack movement.

Abstract: An improved cutout which accepts a fuse tube of standard length, which is less costly to manufacture and which exhibits improved performance, has an offset, rather than a straight, recoil bar. The offset positions the end of the recoil bar closer to the short leg of a J Spring, and positions a hole in the end of the recoil bar, through which freely passes a pin interconnecting the legs of the J, closer to a convexity in the short leg. Operation of the cutout causes a fuse tube, one end of which is in the concavity, to experience random longitudinal and transverse thrust forces. The offset limits the transverse motion the short J leg and the fuse tube can experience to (a) limit bending forces on the tube and breakage thereof, and (b) prevent the fuse tube from disengaging the concavity before the longitudinal thrust thereof subsides.

Abstract: A drive mechanism includes a nut on a rotatable lead screw. The nut has a partially threaded and partially unthreaded axial bore and a mounting assembly to couple it to a linearly movable carriage. The mounting assembly includes diametrically opposed carriage-engaging lugs positioned on the drive nut near the threaded bore end and a locking arm slidably keyed into a slot in the carriage which mounts the drive nut for universal radial floating on the carriage. The drive nut may become slightly skewed relative to the axis of the lead screw in order to minimize frictional forces due to tolerance variations, bow in the lead screw, or axial misalignment of the lead screw with carriage guide rods. Kinetic-energy-induced bounce forces of the carriage are damped by a coil spring which also maintains the lugs against the carriage.

Abstract: A wire-matrix printer including a vertical column of essentially horizontal, generally parallel print wires arranged for substantially linear reciprocation along spaced, parallel printing axes. The print wires are of progressively varying length so that the lowermost wire in the column is the shortest and each successive higher wire is a predetermined amount longer than the preceding wire. Thus, the outer or actuator ends of the wires define a horizontally spaced and vertically stepped array. An array of horizontally spaced and vertically stepped electromagnetic actuators is provided, as is means for flexibly coupling each print wire to an armature portion of the actuator.Each electromagnetic actuator includes a flat, generally T-shaped armature, preferably a spring reed, and a flat, generally C-shaped magnet core. The core and reed are mounted generally parallel to each other, with the crossarm of the T facing and overlapping pole face portions defined at the inner tips of the arms of the C.

Abstract: A specially constructed drive nut with both threaded and unthreaded axial bores, and a unique resilient mounting assembly therefor, are employed to couple a rotationally driven lead screw to a linearly driven carriage. The mounting assembly includes a specially constructed resilient O-ring which is coaxially positioned on the drive nut near the unthreaded end thereof and, in combination with a pair of adjustable O-ring clamping plates, resiliently mounts the drive nut in a cantilevered manner on an apertured carriage side wall through which the lead screw passes. As constructed and mounted, the drive nut is allowed to become slightly skewed relative to the axis of the lead screw, if required, in order to minimize frictional forces which can develop, for example, because of tolerance variations, bow in the lead screw, or axial misalignment of the latter with the carriage guide rods.

Abstract: A snap-action switch moves a spring-biased, movable contact against a stationary contact. The switch includes a toroidal permanent magnet mounted loosely on a nonmagnetic, self lubricating plunger. The magnet is normally magnetically attracted to and adjacent to both a keeper and an armature, the armature being fixed to the plunger. The plunger slides through the keeper which also mounts the switch to a keyboard. A finger-engageable button is moved toward the keyboard to store sufficient potential energy in a spring to move the plunger and suddenly break the magnetic attraction, thereby providing a tactile snap-action. Plunger movement moves the movable contact in spring-versus-spring fashion until the contacts engage. Facilities are provided to minimize contact bounce, to maintain the magnet in a preferred position during plunger movement, to ensure self-aligning of the magnet with the keeper and the armature, to minimize contact damage and to optimize the tactile "feel" of the switch.

Abstract: A method of effecting time-linear travel of a lead screw-driven, carriage-mounted print head during the print cycle encompassed within a predetermined period of each motor-initiated advancement thereof. This is accomplished by incorporating a predetermined maximum possible amount of built-in backlash between the threaded coupling member and the lead screw, and by utilizing a predetermined time delay before printing commences so as to compensate for the backlash. The latter is employed to minimize friction and wear due selectively to any tolerance variations in the lead screw-drive nut threads, bow in the lead screw, or misalignment thereof relative to the carriage guide rods. As a result, wear of the moving parts that produce the friction is minimized.

Abstract: A line feed mechanism for use with high speed, lead screw driven printers, such as of the dot matrix type, utilizes a solenoid with a dual pivotal armature to effect the coupling of a uniquely mounted and eccentrically displaceable platen gear to a lead screw connected gear. As such, single or multiple platen controlled line feeding is effected in a manner which is correlated with the linear advancement of the carriage-mounted and lead screw-driven print head. The pivotal armature, when actuated, is also employed to hold a detent lever out of engagement with a ratchet wheel associated with the platen during multiple line feeding. This advantageously obviates the "clatter" sound otherwise generated, with but one solenoid being required for both variable line feeding and ratchet wheel release.