Abstract: A compact free-standing reclining bed lounge, expanding a product line marketed under BedLounge®, is made with a removable fabric slip-cover enclosing foam and fiber padding covering a basic seat structure formed from air-core plastic sheet material utilizing “living” hinges and reinforced by fabric webbing. The lounge is portable, sturdy, light-weight and free-standing, requiring no external support such as a headboard or wall, and provides reclining capability over a wide range, easily adjustable by a user while seated. A cam-lever gripping mechanism, in a slidable assembly on a pair of rear support columns, normally holds the lounge fixed at the previously selected inclination. To readjust the inclination, the user, by pulling a control strap, temporarily releases the gripping and allows the inclination to be readjusted by shifting of the user's body position and weight.

Abstract: An inertial actuator for active vibration control utilizes a single cylindrical actuator module of the “voice coil” type. A moving armature assembly, including a soft iron shell with a tubular sleeve coaxially surrounding a core with two permanent magnets and corresponding pole plates, is suspended compliantly by a flexure assembly including a multiple-stack array of shaped flexure strips and a pair of end support flexure plates mounted to a base. Two magnetically charged annular air gaps at the pole plates in the moving armature traverse two corresponding annular coils wound in a tubular bobbin that extends as a heat-sinking mounting column attached to the base. This form of inertial actuator provides cost benefits along with improved performance and reliability due to the stability of the moving parts and uniformity of linear motion.

Abstract: Dual-modal-shaping capability is added as a new feature in bed lounges of the type having a fabric slip-cover enclosing foam padding on a main structure formed from plastic sheet material. User adjustment is provided for back tilt, head-rest tilt and height, arm-rest spacing, and back support location. Modal transition is provided by an internal mechanism that interlinks the two arm-rests via a weighted lock-pin that locks the arm-rests in place for normal use but that can be disengaged by merely inverting the bed lounge so the lock-pin drops out from the linkage gravitationally, thus allowing the arm-rests to be folded out to convert to an overall flat modal-shape that can be conveniently stored, e.g. under a bed or hanging in a closet.

Abstract: A closed forced air system cools the electronic circuitry in a control console of an x-ray inspection station directed to food products in containers. A U-shaped tubular duct located beneath the console enclosure has both upwardly-directed ends attached to the bottom panel of the enclosure with openings provided for airflow communication, thus creating a closed loop air passageway. A pair of electric fans are installed at the upper ends of the U-shaped duct in manner to circulate air flow through the loop. Air in the enclosure, warmed by the electronic control circuitry, is drawn by one fan down into one arm of the U. The duct acts as a heat dissipater, and cool air at the opposite arm of the U is drawn by the other fan back up into the enclosure. The bottom of the U-shaped duct is attached to a front region of a support platform at the floor level and thus the arms of the U serve as a front pair of supports.

Abstract: An improved male sports/athletic undergarment/cup protective system provides maximum comfort, avoiding stress on the protected body parts while holding the cup securely in its optimal location in the undergarment. A conventional rigid cup is totally covered with a conformal sheath of soft fabric material and fitted externally with a triangular pattern of three snap fastener members made and arranged to removably engage three complementary snap fastener members attached in a matching triangular pattern inside the front panel of a sports/athletic undergarment. The interior layer of the fabric sheath is retained conformal to the interior surface of the cup, and the cup is secured against any shift or creep relative to the sheath and an attached undergarment. by a plurality of sewn-through points at each of which the exterior layer is seized together with the interior layer by loops sewn through vent openings configured in the cup.

Abstract: A two-coil pickup having a magnetic flux shield configuration which shields an upper coil from magnetic flux variations caused by unwanted noise and concentrates this noise flux in a lower coil. The magnetic flux shield also concentrates magnetic flux generated by magnets and which envelopes strings of a stringed instrument in the vicinity of the upper coil. The upper coil and lower coil are coupled so that the noise signal generated in the lower coil is subtracted from the signal generated in the upper coil so as to cancel noise therefrom. The resulting output signal has substantially less noise than a one coil pickup. The shield also allows the lower coil to be smaller such that the overall size of the two coil pickup can be small enough to fit into the cavities formed for traditional one coil pickups.

Abstract: For tracing multi-conductor cable runs from multiple phone/data locations throughout a building or complex to a junction facility where the cables need to be systematically identified and connected to a terminal panel, rapid tracing and identification are accomplished by deploying a large number of special low-cost senders, e.g. a set of forty eight senders, connecting as many senders as required to energize every cable at each location via its standard modular jack. Each sender delivers a unique identification signal, e.g. a spoken number from 1 to 48, energizing a corresponding phone cable and/or data cable. With all of the cables thusly energized simultaneously and distinguishably, a technician working with a proximity probe in the junction facility can rapidly identify and tag and/or connect all the cables in an uninterrupted session, without requiring the usual assistant and intercom link, and with no time wasted probing unenergized cables.

Abstract: A line of recessed low-glare lighting fixtures provides a totally built-in architectural recessed appearance: a special cast mounting unit has a recessed duct portion formed integrally with a flat face flange portion defining a light-exit opening. The face flange portion becomes plastered in place in a wall or ceiling with the duct portion supporting the light source and associated components. In a main embodiment for ceiling deployment, the face flange portion is made square, the light-exit opening and the duct portion can be made circular or rectangular, typically square, In an offset hidden source embodiment, usually wall-mounted with a rectangular light-exit opening to “wash” either a ceiling or a floor region, the recessed duct portion is curved and shaped to serve as a reflector surface for desired illumination distribution. The light source can be incandescent, fluorescent or metal halide, in a selection of wattage ratings. The mounting unit can be cast in different sizes according to wattage ratings.

Abstract: A collapsible tabletop lighting apparatus consisting of a box-like structure for photographing 3D subjects in an evenly illuminated environment. The interior of the box-like structure is evenly illuminated by an integrated use of a detachable single fluorescent lighting unit, a single light diffuser panel, and a plurality of reflective interior surfaces. For storage or transporting of the apparatus, the single fluorescent lighting unit easily detaches from the said structure and is stored on the said structures floor while the lid and side panels of the said structure fold inward, on top of each other to form a closed, secured compact box.

Abstract: A shutter-shield system for radiation protection is applied to a an x-ray generator in a shielded station for inspecting products moving through the station on a conveyor. Deployed in a sliding attachment on a collimator housing of the x-ray generator, a shutter plate is made movable by an actuator and is configured with an aperture that, in the absence of power applied to the actuator, is made to align with a fixed aperture of the collimator so as to allow emission of the x-ray beam as required for normal inspection purposes. Whenever an anomaly in the product loading on the conveyer creates a gap that could otherwise cause an increase in environmental radiation levels, powering the actuator moves the shutter plate to an offset location that offsets the apertures to an effectively closed state to initiate a standby condition wherein x-ray radiation is substantially confined to the interior region of the collimator, without having to shut down the x-ray generator itself.

Abstract: A flapper is provided in the main conductive fluid supply inlet line, and a permanent magnet is affixed to the bottom of the flapper. Adjacent to the flapper, outside the pipe, a magnetically operated switch is placed. Conductive fluid sensors are placed in or on conductive fluid dependent appliances, to determine the presence or absence of flowing conductive fluids. The flapper's switch and the conductive fluid sensors are connected in circuit with a relay, which in turn controls an electrically actuated valve cutting off or permitting the entry of fluids from the source to the inlet pipe. If the switch is activated, and one or more of the fluid sensors is not, within a predetermined time period, then the electrically actuated valve will cut off the entry of fluids from the source to the inlet pipe. If the switch and sensors are activated concurrently, normal fluid flow will be permitted.

Abstract: A ground-based ball launcher for inflated-ball sports practice provides an impulse that propels the ball upwardly in a trajectory of pre-adjustable angle and velocity so as to obtain a desired maximum height and landing distance offset from the launcher. An optional adjustable time delay gives a player time to move into place and get set for each launching. Launching energy may be provided by a compressed coil spring which can be reloaded by the user with foot-pump action.

Abstract: A typically one-rider non-powered sports/recreational vehicle has a main body that can be easily converted between a wheeled coaster-wagon configuration and a snow-sled configuration with runners. Typically there are four wheels or four runners: two at front, steerable from a handlebar, and two fixed at rear. For braking in the coaster-wagon configuration, a pair of brake shoe pads, attached to the handlebar, press against the front tires to act as brake shoes when the handlebar is twisted radially via a pair of user handgrips. In the snow-sled configuration, a braking panel, attached centrally on the handlebar, moves downwardly to brake by engaging oncoming snow. In normal use as a coaster or sled, when not braking, this braking panel is nested in an unobtrusive location immediately beneath the front of the main body platform, retained there by spring action that also provides braking hold-off in the coaster-wagon configuration.

Abstract: In an AM system directed to commercial broadcasting, a pure unmodulated (CW) carrier signal and two sideband signals are generated and processed separately as three independent signals that are summed as output of a final linear mixer. The sideband signals are derived independently utilizing audio spectrum-sharing based on complementary comb filtering, quadrature phase-shifting at both audio and carrier sideband frequencies, and exclusive alternate toggling at a designated switching rate between the two sidebands so that at any instant in time only one of the two sidebands is present along with the continuous carrier. The overall performance provides the capability of advantageous modulation beyond the conventional 100% modulation limit.

Abstract: A compact portable fluorescent lighting unit provides concentrated even coverage illumination for many visual arts, theater, studio or location applications. Beam width is conveniently user-adjustable without tools, typically in three steps: 60, 70 and 90 degrees. A pair of identical lighting cells are stacked one above the other; each cell can utilize any one of a variety of fluorescent lamps providing powerful illumination. Each cell has an efficient reflector and provision for beam width selection by varying the spacing of the lamp from the rear of the reflector via easily adjustable socket/lamp support brackets. A welded aluminum mounting yoke, with arms swivel-attached to opposite ends of the housing, can be set to any desired orientation for beam-aiming and locked in place to the housing by a user knob. The yoke can be affixed directly to building structure or mounted via a pipe or stand adaptor, optionally swivelled to provide a second beam-aiming axis.

Abstract: A range resistor, for deployment with a low voltage AC measuring instrument as a voltage range multiplying attenuator, provides increased accuracy in the measurement of high AC voltages at frequencies up to 1 MHz, particularly when large attenuation ratios are needed. Passive guarding and neutralizing structure permits the use of higher value resistors for a given frequency response accuracy and an intrinsically lower input capacitance than is obtainable with conventional structure. Very low drift and voltage coefficients are achieved by a coordinated thermal design. Applications include high accuracy voltage measurement in the 10 to 1000 volt range with low input signal current when attenuation is resistively scaled to match the operating input level of the measuring device to be used, typically a thermocouple and/or digital or analog precision voltmeter.

Abstract: A U-shaped clip seizes a bib napkin to a general region of the user's clothing that includes the chest and the lap, e.g. a shirt, sweater, blouse or suit coat. Optionally, a pair of clips may be utilized: one on each opposite edge or at the top and bottom of the napkin. The clip is molded from plastic and is configured with a pair of jaw pads operable by two pushbuttons: a capture pushbutton that closes the jaw pads and latches them together with a choice of progressive steps of closure to allow for variations in contained cloth thickness, and a release pushbutton that releases the jaw pads for removal. Promotional printing such as a logo or other sponsor identification can be imprinted on exterior surfaces of the clip or one of the pushbuttons, particularly the release pushbutton which has three external facets that can be configured in a special shape and/or fitted with a promotional or decorative overlay part.

Abstract: An adjustable hex wrench structure, in its basic embodiment, requires only two parts: a main body configured with a socket cavity having special modified hex cross-sectional shape, and a clamping screw, traversing a wall of the main body, for securing a hex fastener in place in the socket cavity. In socket wrench embodiments the main body is made cylindrical in shape and configured with a square driver opening to engage the square end of a conventional socket driver shaft. In a dual socket wrench version, two different-sized socket cavities, one in each end region of the main body, provide an overall 2:1 size range: e.g. ¾? to ??; the square driver opening is configured in a central bulkhead in the main body so that, whichever socket cavity is deployed to drive a hex fastener, the square end of the driver shaft can be inserted through the other socket cavity, at the opposite end of the main body, to engage the square driver opening.

Abstract: A vibrating tamping bull-float is used for smoothing the top surface of freshly poured concrete, while pushing coarse aggregate down into the concrete while allowing cement cream to surface. Additionally it levels the concrete in the area surrounding the vibrating tamping bull-float. It includes a plurality of float body portions: a stable platform portion and at least one vibrating portion which tamps as you push and pull the vibrating tamping bull-float across the surface of the freshly poured concrete.

Abstract: A pick-handle is attached to the to the “rear” edge of a conventional pick via a metal shaft. The handle portion is made to be comfortably grasped in the palm of the player's hand while the pick is held in the normal manner between the thumb and forefinger. Stringed instrument playing technique is enhanced by improved control over the pick and increased volume capability due to the increased mass effectively transmitted to the pick from the hand, wrist and arm of the player. Additionally, the invention reduces the strain on the thumb and forefinger by allowing the other fingers to supplement the grip, and also reduces the risk of the pick slipping out of playing position or totally escaping from the thumb/finger grasp. Attachment of the pick to the shaft may be implemented by a spring clip that allows easy removal of the pick and replacement by practically any commonly available pick of the player's choice.