Abstract: A new fire pit grill comprises a vertical support that may be driven into the ground or otherwise supported in a vertical position. On the vertical support is an adjustable stop which may be set at any desired height. Resting on the stop is a sleeve and bracket which in turn support a grill surface. Opposite the bracket, the sleeve supports a handle whereby the bracket and grill surface can be rotated over and away from a fire below the grill.

Abstract: AC servo motor drives which allow several AC drives to be connected in parallel and allow for the connection and reconnection of AC servo motors to be accomplished primarily through a central processing unit (CPU). Thus, multiple AC servo motor drives may be ganged under the supervision of the CPU to provide a servo motor with multiple times the current available from a single drive and optionally redundancy in the drives. To provide necessary coordination, the required motor current magnitude and phase (current vector) are broadcast by an axis controller to the drives. This command current vector is broadcast over a high speed serial data bus which allows many simultaneous listeners (the AC servo motor drives). To protect against damage to each drive, each of the three current output terminals is preceded by an output filter. The output filters preceding the terminals permit phase by phase parallel connection of several drives in the service of one servo motor.

Abstract: Protective wrestler headgear having straps fully adjustable by the user with the headgear in place on the head. To allow adjustment of each strap, the adjustment is spaced from the ear cover an amount sufficient to permit some small spacing from the head thereby providing sufficient room for the strap to be moved through the adjustment element that is attached to the ear cover. In the embodiment described below, the adjustment element comprises a “D-ring” attached to, but spaced from, the ear cover. The strap extending from the other ear cover passes through the D-ring with enough clearance from the head and nearest ear cover to permit movement of the strap relative to the D-ring with the headgear in place on the wrestler's head.

Abstract: A modified snap hitch for connecting the cross tie ropes or trailer tie ropes to the halter on a horse comprises a quick release mechanism connecting the ring to the hook of a snap hitch. The quick release mechanism can take a variety of forms, such as a shear pin or other easily replaceable part. However, in the preferred embodiment, a plurality of ball detent mechanisms are used, and the ring and hook can be reconnected as soon as the horse is calmed.

Abstract: A new yard sweepings collection device comprises a triangular frame having one side frame member extending well beyond the triangular frame to form a convenient handle. A garbage or yard and garden plastic bag opening is wrapped around the triangular frame and secured by a plurality of nail or spike ends extending outwardly from the frame. Plastic bags having openings larger than the triangular opening are accommodated by gathering the excess plastic at the top of the frame and impaling the excess on the nail ends at the top of the frame. The plurality of nail ends on each side member of the frame accommodates plastic bags with openings somewhat smaller than the frame opening. Adjacent the nails and attached to the frame are guards to reduce the likelihood of inadvertently brushing against the nails. In addition, a runner may be attached to the bottom frame member to support and protect the plastic bag against abrasion and tearing from objects on the ground.

Abstract: A new device incorporated in an arrow causes the arrow to spin as it leaves the bow. The arrow spin device comprises a screw shaft which is cylindrical at the leading and trailing ends thereof and inserted in the posterior end of the arrow shaft. A rotary spin is imparted to the arrow shaft about its longitudinal axis at initial bow string release by engagement of the screw shaft with a guide integral with the arrow shaft. As the screw shaft becomes fully inserted into the arrow shaft in response to the bow string's force, the arrow shaft becomes free to rotate about anterior and posterior cylindrical surfaces on the screw shaft. Upon release from the bow string, the arrow shaft is rotating and the arrow will travel faster and with less deviation by virtue of the ballistic spin imparted. This spin allows the arrow to avoid the need for external fletching.

Abstract: A new hold-down or retention device comprises a pair of vertical standards bolted or otherwise attached to the cargo bed of a pick-up truck. Preferably, the standards are located near to the cab end of the cargo bed but spaced therefrom. A cross-member is adjustably attached to the standards and extends therebetween. By placing one end of a long object such as a ladder or scaffold plank under the cross-member and adjusting the cross-member down to retain the object to the bed, the object is easily tightly retained to the truck cargo bed even when the object is three or more times the length of the cargo bed.

Abstract: A laser protractor comprising two laser pointers fixed in a body to point exactly 90° apart in the same plane and a third laser pointer mounted on a movable arm rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the intersection of the first two laser pointers (as extended). The laser protractor includes leveling bubbles and degree scales on the body permitting the protractor to be accurately positioned with both fixed lasers in a horizontal plane, in a vertical plane or in any other plane as required. The laser protractor, because of its simple rugged construction, can be made inexpensively with simple off-the-shelf pointers, each battery powered with inexpensive batteries.

Abstract: A harness racing quick hitch comprises a pair of swivel joints in the hitch. The pair of swivel joints permit the harness saddle to rotate about a vertical axis relative to the sulky arm. This rotation provides a degree of freedom not otherwise present in the connection of the sulky arm to the harness saddle. Thus, the swivel joints in the quick hitch separate further the flexing movement of the horse flanks from the rigidity of the sulky arms. Modifications to the swivel joints provide further freedom of movement to the horse and therefore comprise alternative embodiments of the new swivel joint quick hitch.

Abstract: Drapery retainers generally comprising very large beads each pierced by a cylindrical hole through which a curtain or drape is drawn. The beads may be joined together to form multiple stacked beads or the beads may be equipped with attachment devices to fasten the beads to walls behind the drapes. The beads may be of any suitable base material such as wood, metal or plastic with the base material decoratively finished. Alternatively, the base material may be covered with decorative cloth or other wrap that can be replaced as desired. Also disclosed are devices for joining the beads together and for attaching cloth or wrap.

Abstract: A device for detecting and enumerating microorganisms in a sample substance employs an external container and an internal container inserted into the headspace of the external container. The sample is mixed with liquid growth media in the internal container. Gases generated from the metabolic activity of the microorganisms during incubation expand to the headspace of the sealed external container and interact with an indicator located at a transparent section of the external container. Changes of the indicator are read by an external real time photometer that generates time patterns for analysis. These patterns indicate the presence or absence of microorganisms and assess the level of contamination in the original sample.

Abstract: A new night light comprises a night light as a permanent part of a face plate assembly that fits on a standard electrical box for a double socket or light switch. The face plate has assembled to it a small light bulb socket for a low wattage bulb, an on-off switch and a standard three prong socket in the preferred embodiments. The wiring for the components is all pre-assembled thereby permitting the new night light to be installed by connecting the ground and hot leads to the respective three wires extending into the standard electrical box. A suitable shade to diminish glare and direct light extends from the face plate, as does the on-off switch.

Abstract: In an injection blow-molding process the preform is purposely formed as a smooth walled tube closed at one end and without any thread or other cap attachment configuration about the mouth of the preform. The preform is moved to the bottle mold which completely forms the cap attachment configuration with the bottle in the blow-molding step. A processing dome is also formed from the preform in the blow-molding step to provide means to transfer the bottle to the trimmer which removes the dome. By using the smooth walled preform (without threads or any other cap fastening features), the bottle mold may utilize only a portion of the vertical height of the preform for the bottle. Bottle molds for a variety of bottle volumes and heights may employ the same preform and preform injection mold. The smooth walled preform also permits bottle molds with a variety of mouth diameters to be employed with the same preform injection mold.