Abstract: A holder for stringed instrument picks is provided in which picks may be temporarily stored by inserting them between adjacent pairs of parallel vanes, which are resiliently displaced to retain the pick. In one embodiment, the vanes may be formed by the coils of a helical spring, and the holder may be attached to the face of a musical instrument or to another convenient flat or curved surface. For more secure or longer term storage, a pick may be inserted in compression between the spring and an underlying pad. A rod may be passed through the spring coils to prevent distortion and movement of the spring.

Abstract: A probe apparatus for use with analyzing devices, primarily oscilloscopes, which uses pole-zero cancellation to provide a probe with low capacitance and wide bandwidth. Pole-zero cancellation enables the probe to have constant gain at all frequencies. In one embodiment, the coaxial cable between the probe tip and the replication amplifier is terminated in its characteristic impedance to provide constant gain at all frequencies regardless of cable length. Use of pole-zero cancellation and thick film technology enables building a probe with a small, durable tip.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for determining and executing the minimum number of sample acquisition-sweeps necessary to meet the risetime specifications of a digital oscilloscope which uses random repetitive sampling. The method of the present invention selects from two criteria to determine the required number of acquisition sweeps. At narrow time ranges a risetime criterion is used. At wider time ranges a percentage-filled criterion is used. The choice between criteria depends upon the user-selected time range setting. The time range setting directly affects the time-width of each one of a fixed number of time-buckets. A time-bucket is a discrete unit of time which varies directly with the time-width of the user-selected time range. The number of time-buckets is fixed. Time-buckets can be manifested either on the oscilloscope display screen or in the oscilloscope's memory.

Abstract: Provided is a circuit for signalling the real-time end of a local area network packet as the packet is being pulled off a transmission medium and stored in memory. Storage of the packet is performed by a local area network coprocessor. The circuit monitors for the simultaneous occurrence of three conditions: the coprocessor is in a write-to-memory cycle; it is writing to the address of a status word pertaining to a packet; and the most significant bit of the status word is being set. If all three conditions are true, the circuit asserts the real-time end-of-packet signal.

Abstract: Provided is a circuit for preventing local area network packets shorter than a predetermined bit length from being received by a local area network coprocessor. Serial data which would otherwise be received by the coprocessor is delayed by a data-shift register of predetermined bit length. Simultaneously, a carrier-sense-signal, which alerts the coprocessor that serial data is ready to be received, is modified by a carrier-sense-signal regeneration circuit. If the carrier-sense-signal is detected true by the regeneration circuit for a number of clock cycles equal to the number of bits in the data-shift register, then the carrier-sense-signal is delivered to the coprocessor and the data in the data-shift register is received by the coprocessor. Once the carrier-sense signal goes false, the regeneration circuit continues to deliver the carrier-sense-signal until the data-shift register empties.

Abstract: A regulated power supply that provides two desired direct current voltages at respective outputs thereof, the supply maintaining the difference between voltages appearing at the outputs the same as the difference between the desired values, series regulators respectively coupled to each output that are in a saturation mode when a voltage that is a fraction of the voltage between the outputs lies within a given range, where one of the series regulators is placed in a linear mode when the voltage is at or beyond one edge of the range, and the other series regulators is placed in a linear mode when the voltage is at or beyond the other end of the range.

Abstract: A foot actuated toilet seat lifter is disclosed in which a base member of substantially triangular cross-section is placed on the floor with the apex down. Foot pressure on one surface of the base pivots the base about the apex, causing a shaft to press upward on a bracket attached to the toilet seat, thus lifting the seat. A variety of base shapes are disclosed, together with a bellows for damping seat lowering, and optional means for securing the base to the floor or carpet. All parts are removable to aid in cleaning, and may be installed or removed without tools. The base member may optionally have a continuously curving lower surface, or may be formed of angled material to achieve the same effect as a triangular member. The resulting devices have the advantage of employing very few parts when compared to some prior art lifters.

Abstract: A passive paper stacker neatly stacks the pages of a sheet of Z-fold paper using only the energy in the falling paper. The first page of the paper is automatically positioned to permit orderly stacking, and diving folds are arrested and redirected toward their proper place on the paper stack.

Abstract: A variable resolution counter is provided in which the resolution of the count decreases as the counted value increases. A set of scale control bits from the most significant bits of the counter are used to control selection of one of several prescaled signals from a prescaler. Resetting of the count value may be made conditional on the value of the count, and a flag may be provided to effectively redistribute the capacity of the counter between high and low resolution modes. A gray code of particular interest is also disclosed.

Abstract: An electrostatic discharge protected integrated circuit module is disclosed in which an integrated circuit is attached to a flexible circuit board inside a receptacle. Spring action forces the traces of the flexible circuit board against a conducting surface in the receptacle, shorting the traces so that the potential at all contact leads of the integrated circuit will rise uniformly in the event of an electrostatic discharge. A plug connector may be inserted through an opening in the receptacle to interrupt the shorting and to connect the integrated circuit to an electronic device. Protection is restored automatically when the plug connector is withdrawn.

Abstract: A corona discharge device for electrophotographic printing is provided in which erasing and primary charging functions are performed by a single device. A screened charging arrangement is used for ion steering, while simultaneous illumination by light produces charge carriers in the photoconducting layer of the drum. In one embodiment, a photochemically etched stainless steel screen is used.

Abstract: An X-Y recorder for high speed plotting on a plain web, i.e., a web without registration holes or other special means to maintain alignment of the web during plotting. Two embodiments of these plotters are disclosed with one degree of motion being achieved by moving the web and the second degree of motion being obtained by moving a pen assembly substantially perpendicularly to the movement of the web. To enhance the repeatability of the plotting on the web as it is moved back and forth, a random rough surfaced drive wheel assembly is included with that wheel surface making indentations along one surface of the driven edge of the web as it is first passed through the drive wheel assembly. Then as the web is reversed, these indentations substantially remesh with the random rough surface of the drive wheels.

Abstract: An apparatus utilizing the basic oscillation characteristics of the Colpitts or Pierce and Hartley oscillator configurations. In this embodiment the basic shunt reactive shunt arms are replaced with a selected pair of tank circuits or one of the shunt arms with a series-parallel tank circuit.These tank circuits are tuned such that the sign of their effective reactances are the same between the range of resonant frequencies of the individual tank circuits or of the series and parallel resonant frequencies of the series-parallel tank. When this occurs and their sign differs from the sign of the effective reactance of the series reactive element, there is a 180.degree. signal phase shift in the feedback loop, and therefore oscillation.

Abstract: A border molding strip is placed about the perimeter of an existing window pane. A second pane is then placed upon this border material. A retaining border is then placed to retain the window pane firmly against the border material, thus creating an airtight seal between the existing window pane, the border material and the second window pane. Appropriate adhesive and sealing compounds are applied to insure an airtight seal. Thereafter, the space between the existing window pane and the supplemental pane is purged with dry gas and may be evacuated through an opening exposed under a portion of the retaining means. After the window pane is purged and evacuated, a plug is inserted and the opening in the molding material is closed.

Abstract: A stripe semiconductor laser is provided in which the active stripe region is tapered in width. Tapering permits high power operation and a low current density threshold for lasing, while preventing oscillation in unwanted lateral modes.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser is provided in which multiple stripe regions are optically coupled in leaky mode operation.

Abstract: A linear power supply is preregulated to compensate for variations in load and power line voltage. The inductance on the primary side of the power supply step down transformer is varied by a current controlled inductor to efficiently maintain the desired power supply output voltage. A variable current is supplied to the inductor by a d.c. power source under control of an integrator which monitors output voltage fluctuations. In one embodiment of the invention, a voltage selector is included for use with power supplies which provide more than one output voltage. This selector automatically selects the most heavily loaded output voltage for control of the inductor.

Abstract: A holder is provided which contains at least two different flossing materials. The one material is typically unwaxed dental floss. The other material varies in thickness and is selected so as to provide, when doubled over, the appropriate thickness to be presented between the interdental spaces to accomplish the proper cleansing of the interdental area. Various multi-stranded materials are provided for selection to be placed in the holder. Multi-stranded cotton embroidery thread may be used. The one material which is fairly thin and is unwaxed or waxed dental floss or even waxed tape is used so that it can be worked between the contacts of the teeth. The multi-stranded material will be used for the primary cleaning. The placement of the cleaning material between the interdental area is accomplished as follows: A loop of the thin material is interlocked with a loop of the thicker material.

Abstract: A proportional oven having two heaters mounted to a thermally conductive base stabilizes the temperature of a temperature sensitive crystal mounted on the thermally conductive base by adjusting the ratio of powers applied to the two heaters.

Abstract: Two planar bodies of reflective material are coupled together, one before the other, and in line with the line of vision from an intended observation point. The base reflective body is designed to be attached to an object, vehicle, or the like. The second reflective body is movably coupled to the base reflective body. Movement of the base reflective body induces relative movement of the two reflective bodies. A counter weight is attached to the second reflective body to increase this relative movement. Enhanced visibility is provided not only by the relative movement of the two reflective bodies, but also by dynamic prismatic action, i.e. the reflection by the base reflector of light transmitted through the top reflective body.