Abstract: A support system for a bather's lift for aiding invalids to enter and exit a bathtub is constructed so that the lift assembly may readily be removed and stored away when it is not in use. The system includes a vertical column for supporting the lift. This column has a lower end, which engages a mating projection on a floor plate. The floor plate, in turn, is not bolted to the floor, but includes a pair of downwardly extending lugs which fit into corresponding recesses in the floor. At the upper end, the vertical column has an extension, which passes through a mating hole in a support bar extending parallel to the bathtub and attached to the end walls at each end of the bathtub. This support bar may be used as a shower curtain rod; but when the extension on the end of the vertical column for stabilizing and supporting the seat support passes into it, the entire assembly is rigidly held in place for use of the seat.

Abstract: A masonry wall system is constructed of concrete blocks, with interconnected insulation inserts. To provide for increased structural reinforcement, a steel butterfly-shaped plate is locked on an elongated rod passing through periodic courses of stacked blocks. The plate is locked perpendicular onto the rod, to rest on the top of the uppermost block in the course to which the stress or locking is applied. A recess is formed in the top of the block to accommodate the plate, which is bowed upwardly. A nut or threaded insert is used to press the plate downwardly; and when the plate lies flat, the desired amount of pressure or stress is applied to the blocks. Additional courses may be applied on top of the one to which the plate supplies the stress, with additional locking rods and plates being threaded onto the ends of previous rods to accomplish this purpose in additional courses of blocks forming the wall system.

Abstract: A lighting system employs luminaires having reflectors with a fluorescent lamp support frame at the base end of the inside of the reflector. The support frame includes a plurality of extensions for holding the bases of compact fluorescent lamps arranged in a general star configuration around the center line of the reflector. The extensions are at an angle to cause the compact fluorescent lamps to follow the outwardly-flared inside surface of the reflector. A system of luminaires then provides a substantially uniform volume of light in a facility due to the patterns of overlapping light contributed by the individual luminaires.

Abstract: A liquid crystal deodorant is produced by dissolving a powdered crystalline double sulfate of aluminum (alum) in a saturated solution of water, or a combination of water and alcohol, preferably denatured ethanol. The deodorant then is applied in any suitable fashion to provide odor control, particularly for underarm and foot odor control purposes.

Abstract: A mirror assembly for use with a focusing or concentrating solar collector or the like has rows and columns of individual rectangular mirrors mounted by means of flexible cords passing through eyelets on the edges of each of the mirrors, with the cords secured to an open rectangular frame. The cords are selectively tensioned; and when the cords are under tension, all of the mirrors are maintained in a substantially flat orientation in a plane parallel to the plane of the frame. The frame is secured to the top of a support structure which has mirror mounts located beneath each of the mirrors in the mirror assembly. Magnets are provided of on the side of the mirrors which face the underlying support structure; and when the tension in the cords is released, the mirrors drop into place on top of each of the mirror mounts of the support structure, and are held in place by means of the magnets. The angular orientation of the mirrors then is controlled by the operation of the solar collector mechanism.

Abstract: A package for dispensing solid products, such as solid crystal deodorant, includes a first hollow main body portion having a uniform cross section throughout its length. Both ends of the package are open; and a slide member is located within the main body portion. The bottom end of the main body portion of the package has an inwardly turned flange to prevent the movement of the slide member outwardly from the main body portion through the bottom end. The solid crystal deodorant is mounted on the slide member, and is configured to freely move from the bottom end of the main body portion outwardly through the upper end. Drain holes are placed through the slide member to permit fluid, such as water, to pass downwardly from the sides of the crystal deodorant and out through the holes when the package is stored in an upright position. A chamber in the slide member is filled with a sponge-like material for receiving fluid which passes from the crystal deodorant through the holes in the slide member.

Abstract: A telephone line powered system operates in conjunction with a user telephone, and is fully biased off whenever the user telephone is in an "on-hook" condition. When the user telephone is placed in an "off-hook" condition, a hookswitch is operated to cause the system to be supplied with a relatively low level of stand-by power from the telephone line. A micro controller is energized by this stand-by power, and initializes the system. Higher power consuming devices, such as a card reader, a DTMF dialer and the like, remain biased off by the micro controller during the stand-by mode of operation. If information is to be transmitted from the card reader or from an auxiliary program, which is accessed by direct access keys, a switch is closed which causes the micro controller to disable the telephone and to power up the higher power consuming devices.

Abstract: A vibrating screen apparatus for effecting screening of materials includes a frame with first and second vibrating screen deck units mounted one above the other in it. To provide maximum flexibility of operation, the vibrating deck units are pivoted at the material feed end on the frame. Hydraulic cylinders are attached between the free ends of the first and second vibrating screen deck units and the frame for independently varying the angle or slope of each of the deck units, relative to the frame, for adjusting the dwell time of material passing over the deck units. A flexible corrugated rubber curtain extends between the upper deck unit and the lower deck unit to ensure that material which passes through the upper deck unit is guided onto the surface of the lower deck unit. In addition, each of the vibrating screen deck units has an independent vibrator mechanism on it; so that the vibration rate and magnitude may be independently adjusted for each of the deck units in the system.

Abstract: An anti-vortex, flush-mounted floor drain for swimming pools consists of a main housing, which is in the form of a hollow cylinder of a first predetermined diameter A drain opening is located in the top of the hollow cylinder; and the edges of the top of the cylinder are mounted flush with the floor of the swimming pool. A downwardly sloped lip extends from the top edge of the main housing and terminates in a circular opening in the top of the main housing. A solid circular cover is centrally mounted in this opening in the main housing, and is movable toward and away from the opening in the main housing to vary the size of the water inlet from the pool between the edge of the circular cover and the edge of the opening in the main housing. A drain pipe is connected to the main housing for withdrawing water from the housing. The large circular cover at the center of the drain prevents a vortex from occuring as a result of the suction of water passing outwardly through the drain pipe in the drain housing.

Abstract: A body exercise device includes a waist belt, which is releasably fastened on the waist of the user. A plurality of snap rings are pivotally attached to the belt at spaced intervals throughout its length to provide different attachment locations for elongated elastic members. The elastic members have snap hooks connected at opposite ends, with one end of each elastic member connected to a selected one of the snap rings on the belt. Foot pieces are provided for each foot of the user; and each of the foot pieces has a snap ring on it for attachment to a snap hook on the opposite end of an elastic member. Hand pieces also are provided for each hand, and include a hand-encircling portion and a wrist protector portion with a swivel snap ring on them, to which a snap hook on the opposite end of a corresponding elastic member is attached.

Abstract: A multiple-movement, single clamp, implement-positioning device is constructed to permit sliding movement of the base portion of a main body member on a guide rail. An upper portion of the main body member is rotatably mounted on the base portion and includes a hollow chamber with a compressible sphere pivotally mounted in it. The compressible sphere has a bore through it; and an elongated cylindrical shaft is slidably and rotatably mounted in the bore in the compressible sphere. A single control member, in the form of a threaded rod, extends through the top of the upper portion of the main body member to engage the sphere to compress it into engagement with an extension on the base portion. This compresses the bore around the shaft, locks the pivotal rotation of the sphere, locks the upper portion of the main body member to the base portion and the base portion to the rail on which it is positioned.

Abstract: A PET bottle forming machine used to mold clear plastic bottles of the type now widely used for mayonaise jars, cosmetic jars, perfume jars and the like, is modified to reduce the potential damage to such jars or containers at the time they are released from the machine. The machine includes an ejector pad, which enters into the open end of the container to center the container at the time a lip spreader operates to part the lip forming portion to release the container. The ejector pad is mounted on the end of a hollow rod, which extends through the pad. When the ejector pad is inserted into the open end of the container at the time of release, a vacuum is applied through the hollow rod to cause the container to be secured to the ejector pad. The hollow rod, with the ejector pad and container releaseably secured to it, then is lowered to place the bottom of the container on a support surface, at which time the vacuum is removed to release the container from the ejector pad.

Abstract: A compact muffler for an internal combustion engine provides significant sound attenuation and back pressure reduction. The muffler is fabricated in the form of an elongated rectangular box with the exhaust pipe connected to an inlet in the center of one end, and the tail pipe of the vehicle connected to an outlet through the opposite end. Several wedge-shaped or V-shaped exhaust pulse splitting plates are located within the casing to split and recombine the stream of exhaust pulses passing through the casing. The splitting devices are located in the casing in positions which cause the different split streams of the exhaust pulses to be intercepted at different distances to cause the pulses passing through different parts of the casing to be out of phase with one another. The out-of-phase streams of the split exhaust pulses are recombined to flow out of the outlet.

Abstract: A package for dispensing solid products, such as solid crystal deodorant, includes a first hollow main body portion having a uniform cross section throughout its length. Both ends of the package are open; and a slide member is located within the main body portion. The bottom end of the main body portion of the package has an inwardly turned flange to prevent the movement of the slide member outwardly from the main body portion through the bottom end. The solid crystal deodorant is mounted on the slide member, and is configured to freely move from the bottom end of the main body portion outwardly through the upper end. Drain holes are placed through the slide member to permit fluid, such as water, to pass downwardly from the sides of the crystal deodorant and out through the holes when the package is stored in an upright position. A chamber in the slide member is filled with a sponge-like material for receiving fluid which passes from the crystal deodorant through the holes in the slide member.

Abstract: A golf club head cover for use with golf clubs having graphite shafts has a generally cylindrically shaped head cover for the head of a golf club. This head cover has an upper end and a lower end. The upper end is closed, and the lower end is open. An elongated shaft protector is secured to the inside of the head cover at a point intermediate the upper and lower ends, to extend outwardly through the open lower end and downwardly along the shaft of a golf club inserted into the cover. This shaft protector portion is an elongated tapered element, which has mating closures along the opposite edges. When the shaft protector is open, the golf club head easily is inserted into the head cover portion and the shaft is placed between the open edges in the shaft protector. After the shaft is in place, the shaft protector is closed over the shaft to hold the head cover and shaft protector on the golf club as a unit.

Abstract: A dental floss tool has a short flat handle in a first plane, with a floss winding post extending from the upper surface thereof. Extending downwardly from the lower surface are a pair of spaced legs attached to the handle at one end and spaced apart from one another at the opposite end thereof. Guide grooves are placed on the legs for guiding dental floss from the winding post to the end of the first or outermost leg, back to the second leg, and then upwardly through a hole in the handle located between the winding post and the second leg, back to the winding post. The floss, which extends from the lower end of the second leg through the hole, then may be engaged by the thumb of the user to adjust the tension of the floss extending between the ends of the two legs.

Abstract: A combination backpack and tent system utilizes the backpack frame as the support for one end of a tent. This frame has a pair of tent leg holding members attached to the upper end of the frame on each side. The tent is secured to the lower end of the backpack frame; so that it can be rolled up and stored on the frame, covered by a short flap constituting an extension of the floor. This flap is rolled over the tent and secured to the frame. When the tent is erected, the short flap is pulled to the opposite side of the backpack frame and the tent is unrolled. The tent extends up over a pack on the backpack at one end, and telescoping legs or flexible tent pole extensions are attached to the leg holding members on each side of the backpack. The tent is extended; and when it is erected, the pack portion of the backpack faces the interior of the tent. A pair of flaps extend from the sides of the tent over the opposite side of the backpack, and are secured together to form a substantially weather-tight system.

Abstract: A combination keyboard and keyboard/mouse controller system is capable of use with different types of personal computers, using either a keyboard input alone or a keyboard/mouse combination. The controller is configured with a hardware transceiver in it, and includes interconnections between an accumulator and a microsequencer portion and a transceiver for effecting the transfer of data to and from the computer and the keyboard or keyboard/mouse combination. The configuration of the controller circuitry is such that logic gates and multiplex transmission gates are employed between various ones of the input terminals to which signals are applied, and output terminals to which signals are provided. These gates interconnect at least some of these terminals in different combinations in different modes of operation of the controller system, depending upon whether a computer uses a keyboard alone as a data input device or is operated with a combination of a keyboard and mouse.