Abstract: A specialty surgical instrument for engaging, spreading and removing tissue surrounding an exposed cystic duct and artery in an endo cholecystectomy dissection procedure is provided by this invention. An ergonomically superior scissors action handle extends perpendicular to a cylindrical body for receiving the thumb and two fingers of a surgeon for better control in manipulating a coaxial rod inside the body to operate double action forceps jaws of special design for the dissection of the cystic duct and artery from liver bed tissue, with the feel of the surgeon as if the balance of the instrument and its jaws are an extension of the surgeon's fingers. The jaws have a shape and roughened exterior finish for frictionally engaging tissue in the vicinity of the cystic duct and adjacent artery and spreading it during the dissection procedure. The interior of the jaws are serrated and mated in mutual contact surfaces in closed position to frictionally grasp tissue and bladder for removal.

Abstract: A method to improve the service life of gas injection devices is disclosed.A porous mushroom with controlled permeability is formed, previously to the element installation, in the tip of said element by a thermal spray process.By controlling gas flow rate and pressure during the mushroom formation, the gas permeability in said mushroom is controlled.The sprayed materials are high melting point ceramics, metal compounds or synthetic slags.

Abstract: This invention relates to an apparatus to test the resistance to vibration of brake beams for railway car truck assemblies having a union frame, a side frame at each end of the union frame, each having front and rear ends, and a pair of beam carriers, each having front and side end as well as a receptacle in each of its ends to receive a side guide of a pair of brake beams. A pair of vibratory devices, each mounted on the front end of the respective beam carriers, are coupled through a transmission to a driver providing a rotatory movement for testing. The union frame, side frames and beam carriers which support a pair of brake beams to be tested, reproducing a railway car truck assembly.

Abstract: A bicycle handlebar extension has an inverted U-shaped member secured at its lower ends to outer portions of a racing style handlebar and has a stabilizer strut secured between an upper crossbar of the U-shaped member and a gooseneck which mounts the handlebar on the bicycle. The stabilizer strut extends at an acute angle to a plane defined by the U-shaped member to eliminate cantilever forces on the junctions between the U-shaped member and the outer handlebar portions.

Abstract: Apparatus for storing and dispensing loaves of sliced bread in plastic wrappers in sanitary condition is simple, easy to operate and keeps the bread from drying out in storage. The bread is stored in a substantially closed tubular container with an opening for removing bread slices. A hinged lid closes to seal the opening to prevent entry of air into the bread wrapper in the storage condition, and opens to permit removal of the bread slice by slice in the dispensing condition. The open end of the wrapper is positioned outside the container on the outside of the tubing and is grasped and moved for forcing the loaf of bread slice by slice toward the opening for dispensing.

Abstract: Eyeglasses are stored and protected when not in use, such as overnight, by providing a protective liner fitting the interior walls and outer rim of a generally cylindrical open mouthed receptacle of appropriate diameter and length to hold the eyeglasses in a safe and accessible position. The receptacle comprises in a preferred embodiment a coffee mug and the liner, a quilted and/or foam backed fabric material.

Abstract: The method of producing an oscillating circuit on a label capable of being deactivated consists essentially of moving two surfaces of a capacitor together by a heated rod. Due to the heated rod dielectric material melts and the two capacitor surfaces become short circuited. Upon application of an appropriate current/voltage source, this short circuit is removed by burning or melting away to form a crater-like hole in a thinner surface of the capacitor. This produces a state of the label which allows, in a later deactivation step, a positive short circuiting. When the capacitor surfaces are moved together, the electrical connection between the two surfaces connects the crater forming source. Thereafter, a short circuit between the surfaces appears only when the label is passed through a deactivating station.

Abstract: Shrimp and other food products carried on a plastic modular conveyor belt are efficiently cooked at atmospheric pressure in the presence of saturated steam protected by a confining receptacle from dilution by insulating air. The steam condenses by transfer of cooking energy, the condensate dropping downwardly in the receptacle by gravity. By passing products through the constant 212 degree F. saturated steam zone residing at the upper portion of the cooking receptacle, the belt speed and distance through a modular cooking compartment control the cooking time for uniform production. The steam is replenished through a proportional flow valve to replace only that amount of steam expended in cooking. Thus, temperature is sensed at a cooler position under the saturated steam cooking zone where temperature is typically 190-200 degrees to detect variations of the amount of steam condensed in exchange of heat in cooking the product, and to proportionately control the flow of replacement saturated steam.

Abstract: A data processing keyboard system is provided wherein data and command signals from the keyboard are entered by two or more successive keystrokes. At least two operation modes serve to change the entry command assignments to the keys, thereby affording a large number of selections from a few keys. This makes available from the comprehensive capability of present day computers large numbers of keyboard accessible commands. Also surprisingly then this invention can replace a normal QWERTY typewriter keyboard with most of its functions by a set of only three, four, seven or nine keys. Thereby alphabetic characters, decimal digits and a store of computer command entries may be processed with each entry requiring two or more strokes of the computer keyboard keys. Functional commands such as spacing return or shift can be intermixed with the choice of data characters. Means for shifting from a computation mode to an alpha mode of computer operation may be provided.

Abstract: A rail vehicle wheel comprises a wheel center (1), a flanged tire (2), a rubber ring (3) between the wheel center and the tire, and a pressure ring (4). The rubber ring consists of an annular, axial body (3') and at each side thereof a flange (3"), which forms an angle of for example 60.degree. with the wheel axis.

Abstract: A more efficient wind power generation system is afforded by extending tower heights to several hundred meters to operate wind catching rotors and generators aligned with the wind direction at various levels along the tower. With multiple vertically cascaded wind generators and higher velocity winds at higher elevations greater power is produced as a system characterized by a small footprint. This is particularly enhanced by a single mast construction, which is supported by a dynamic guy wire tensioning system to accommodate varying lateral forces primarily caused by the change in direction of wind loads on the tower. The mast is built from modular sections connected together at articulated joints, between which the various rotors are stationed.

Abstract: A method of computerized color matching for articles where articles are photographed, using a still video camera, against a set of reference colors. The photographs are stored on a diskette (34) which is read on a recorder (54). The computer (55) compares the set of reference colors against an absolute set of colors and generates a compensation factor which is applied to the photographed colors to produce a corrected photograph. Areas of the corrected photograph may be selected for computer enhancement and a computer generated map may be produced to enable the color of other articles to be matched to the photographed articles.

Abstract: Muscular development of an athlete is achieved for increasing the starting acceleration and stroke speed when an athlete initiates a movement stroke such as a punch from a boxer's arm, throwing a baseball pitch or kicking a football, etc. by the means and method of this invention. Thus, the initial movement of the athlete is restrained with an external force of predetermined magnitude which is released in response to the athlete's movement overcoming the restraining force. Thus, those muscles are developed which are used in initiating motion so that they deliver greater initial acceleration to attain higher stroking speed which is converted to an impact blow of greater force. An exercise machine for such muscular training provides the initial but releasable restraining force by means of two separable magnetically attracted members having the predetermined initial force adjustably varied by introducing a variable air gap distance between the magnetically attracted members.

Abstract: This invention provides an improved surgical instrument, namely sponger-dissector forceps particularly adapted for laparoscopic intra-abdominal surgery such as gall bladder removal. Thus, sponges are retained locked in place without manual force upon the distal end of a substantially cylindrical hand held assembly by means of an internally mounted ratchet mechanism. In one embodiment sponges are retained by a 7 shaped distal end on a reciprocating 2 mm diameter rod disposed in a 10 mm diameter cylindrical housing member. The ratchet locks the reciprocating rod in place against movement in the distal direction, and thus holds sponges clamped in place at the distal end. The ratchet lock is releasable by a catch release button. The rod is manually reciprocated to engage and clamp a sponge by a finger operated slide member. The sponge is thus firmly held in position for blunt manipulation including direct hemostasis pressure on small blood vessels or for sponging to keep the surgical region dry.

Abstract: This invention provides a link chain animal leash that can be temporarily locked snugly about a hitching post to secure an animal in place. This is achieved by a quick open snap-lock fitting secured to the leash near its handle in a posture that permits the snap-lock mechanism to engage a chain link with the chain disposed about hitching posts of various sizes and configurations. Thus, a dog or other animal being walked on the leash can be quickly and safely secured temporarily to a hitching post when desired or necessary.

Abstract: A light weight treejack suitable for use in the woods at a tree felling site to harvest firewood, pulpwood, and the like, with a chain saw is easy to carry and set up by a single person. A bowed first legpiece is coupled at the top to a straight second legpiece comprising a hollow U-shaped pipe with an internally journalled threaded member rotatable with an upper manually operated handle to move a mating threaded rider up and down the pipe. The trees are supported by a chain about the trunk adjustable in height by the jack at a desired position along the trunk with attached branches on its treetop side aiding the jack to support the tree trunk at a comfortable level for using a chain saw without the danger of turning.

Abstract: By means of this invention electrical resonant circuits, specifically resonance labels having a capacitor and a coil on a dielectric are produced for reliable deactivation by means of an electrical discharge between the capacitor surfaces. Heretofore aluminum threads produced from the material of the capacitor surfaces is not supported in place so that it can break with handling and vibration and cause reactivated of the resonant circuit leading to a false alarm in the safety system. According to this method a plurality of conductive bodies of a size in the micron range, e.g. copper dust is introduced in the dielectric so that a spark from discharge of a capacitor will cause an electrically conducting connection between the capacitor surfaces, which is embedded in a thread like shape in the dielectric. By using copper dust, an alloy is formed with the aluminum which evaporates during the spark discharge such that the thread produced has a substantially larger ductility than pure aluminum.

Abstract: The expansion hose specifically for power steering plants of automobile vehicles includes an outer pressure hose with a high lateral volume expansion connected to an inlet side end piece and an outlet side end piece and an inner flexible hollow body as well extending coaxially thereto and which is connected at the inlet side to a nipple plug of the inlet side end piece and extending freely up into the outlet side end piece and into its outlet channel whereby its outer diameter is less than the surrounding outlet channel. A reverse flow of the pressure medium into the space between the outer pressure hose and the inner flexible hollow body takes place through an annular gap formed thereby and the pressure medium flows into this space through radial portholes formed in axial distances distributed in the inner flexible hollow body. In comparison with known expansion hoses simplification is achieved by a doing away with a throttle located in the center of and within the expansion hose.

Abstract: A hose fitting includes a clamping ring acting from the outside which upon an axial displacement moves clamping jaws mounted at a base body into an active or inactive position, whereby a plurality of control surfaces located at the base body in a circumferentially distributed manner and extending obliquely or inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the body rest against correspondingly shaped counter surfaces of the clamping ring in such a manner that upon a rotating of the ring it moves axially and operates the clamping jaws.