Abstract: Multiple water purifier modules are stacked in a rack having manifolds for each of the various water filtration functions: feed, concentrate, and filtrate. Each module connects to the rack by a quick connect for each of the filtration tubes. The quick connects are of the self-sealing type. A handle on the end of the module away from the rack has a lever for causing the quick connects to release the module from the rack while the system remains in operation. The, module can then be totally removed from the rack for testing, service, or replacement while the overall system remains in operation. Each module contains complete filtration media. The water is passed into the feed tubes under pressure where it passes into an elongated cavity filled with elongated hollow fibers. Filtrate, such as purer water, passes through the walls of the hollow fibers to an outlet, while concentrate, which is fluid with a high percent of impurities, flows from the cavity into concentrate tubes to another outlet for disposal.

Abstract: A connector (10) for systems of high power density includes a first (female) plug-in unit (11), a second (male) plug-in unit (12), and gear wheels (65) with spiral tracks (67) that engage cams (28) that move the units together.

Abstract: A water filtration system (60, FIG. 2) wherein pressured feed water (water with impurities to be filtered out) passes downstream from an upstream end of a passage (66) through a filter arrangement (74) in the passage, to a filtrate storage region (82), during filtrate production. Pressured water, such as at 50 psi (3 bars) from a tap water source (110), provides the pressured feed water during filtrate production, and also pressurizes the filtrate during backflushing. A filtrate pressurizing apparatus (90) includes a movable member or piston (92) that lies in a chamber (94), and that has a feed side (134) that is pressurized by tap water during a backflush and that has a filtrate side (132) that presses against filtrate, the feed side having a larger diameter (D2) than the filtrate side (D1) to produce an increased pressure during backflushing.

Abstract: A high voltage connector, such as one that carries current at a voltage of at least one kilovolts, is constructed to minimize partial discharge (a small amount of current flow) out of locations where a cable conductor has been crimped to the rear of a contact, which resulted in sharp points or edges. A shroud is mounted around the connector, which includes a cylindrical shroud sleeve lying around the crimped region of the contact, with the rear end of the shroud sleeve having rounded edges or abutting a rear shroud element, and with the front end of the shroud preferably being of hemispheric shape.

Abstract: An image is created of blood circulation deep (e.g. a plurality of millimeters) below the surface of living tissue to aid in evaluating a patient. A first beam (26) of circularly polarized light is directed forwardly (F) against an outer surface (14) of the tissue. Light that has penetrated to only a shallow depth before moving rearwardly and out of the tissue remains polarized and is blocked by a filter (38). Light that has penetrated to greater depths (12), is scattered more and becomes depolarized, and a portion of it passes through the depolarizing filter (38) and is focused on a photodetector (48) to create an image. Light spots (54) on the image that move, represent spaces between blood platelets (52) that are moving through a capillary, and indicates the velocity of blood through the capillary.

Abstract: An electrical connector (10) which facilitates its proper holding for insertion and latching to a charging station receiver (14). The connector has a body (40) with a front portion (42) that extends along a horizontal axis (60), a rear portion (44) that extends at a rearward-downward inclined axis (62) of approximately 45°, and a middle portion (46) with a bottom (22) that is concavely curved to receive the small fingers of a hand. The front portion of the body has grooves (76) on opposite sides of a top ridge (72), so the person's thumb fits around the ridge and into a groove. A palm pad (30) lies immediately rearward of the top ridge and is automatically depressed by the person's palm to operate a latch (32).

Abstract: A toilet that applies pressured air between an upper trap (30) that connects to the toilet bowl and a lower trap (32) that connects to a drain (16), includes a pressured air source (42) that holds a large volume of pressured air equal to at least 30% of the volume of the trapway passage (34) that connects the traps. The pressured air source includes a container (70) with its top coupled though a conduit (90) to the trapway passage, and with air in the container top compressed by water rising in the container after each flushing. The container top lies at least as high as the full water level (52) in the toilet tank when the toilet tank is full.

Abstract: A large vehicle with air bags and a leveling system that controls air flow into and out of an air spring (also known as an “air bag”) to maintain the air spring height close to the optimum level. The system is altered at minimum cost to further minimize the repeated flow of air into and out of the air spring, to thereby save fuel. A mechanical-to-electrical converter (50) is mounted on the air spring height sensor to generate an electrical signal indicating vehicle ride height, and the electrical output is connected to a computer (62) on the vehicle. The computer is programmed to control the flow of pressured air through a blocking valve (60) to a leveling valve (22) that flows air into and out of the air spring, according to the outputs of a plurality of sensors on the vehicle.

Abstract: A tweezer that is especially useful for testing and repair of electronic circuits includes a pair of resilient blades (14, 16) with rear ends (22) fixed at a mount (24) to a pair of dielectric plastic mounting blocks (110, 112) that are clamped together by a clamping tube (140) that can be slid on and off. Front portions of the blades are connected to a spacing adjuster (80) that includes a thumb wheel (86) that can be turned to adjust the separation of the front ends (20) of the blades. The tweezer can be used as a regular tweezer, and the blades can be used as independent electrical probes.

Abstract: The driver of a vehicle (10) is protected from glare caused by the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle at night, or by the Sun lying low in the sky. The vehicle windshield (20) is divided into pixels (42) whose transparency can be reduced. The transparency of a limited area of the windshield is controlled by reducing the transparency of windshield pixels that lie along the light path (32) of bright light that passes through an area (34) of the windshield to the driver's eyes. In one system, a small sensor (44) includes a sensor plate (50) with an array of sensor pixels (54), and a lens (56) that forms an image of a forward portion of the environment on the sensor pixel array. An electronic circuit (70) couples sensor pixels to corresponding windshield pixels, and reduces the transparency of windshield pixels when corresponding sensor pixels are brightly illuminated.

Abstract: A toilet has a source (42) that applies a vacuum to a trapway (14) at the beginning of a flushing to immediately flush the toilet bowl (12). As a result, water from the water tunnel 26 and the toilet bowl top channel 28 flow into the bowl after the flushing to create a large water spot (98) in the toilet bowl. A low water flush (e.g. 1½ liters to flush urine) can be obtained by not letting water flow out of a secondary volume (63) that lies outside a divider (140) in an isolator (40).

Abstract: During an Extended Well Test or Early Floating Production at an offshore hydrocarbon production site, where oil and gas hydrocarbons are produced by a production vessel, applicant stores the natural gas as pressured gas in a storage tank and occasionally transfers the pressured gas to a shuttle vessel which carries the gas to a site where it is used, as by pumping it into a natural gas pipeline. The transfer of natural gas to the shuttle can be accomplished by pumping it through a conduit extending between the vessels to a second tank on the shuttle, or can be accomplished by moving a gas-filled tank on the production vessel to the shuttle.

Abstract: Systems are described for obtaining energy, especially electrical energy, from sea waves. An elongated elastic tube device (12) floats at the sea surface (20) (or at a shallow depth under it) and extends at least partially parallel to the direction of wave propagation (D). The tube bends as a wave passes by and such tube bending stretches and relaxes SSM (synthetic stretchable material) (44, 60, 62) which generates electricity in electrodes (46, 48) when its amount of stretching changes. Electricity from power takeoffs in the tube are electronically added.

Abstract: A device for connecting a soccer net to the horizontal crossbar of a soccer goal eight feet above the ground without using a ladder includes a resilient clip having an inner surface which is shaped and dimensioned to receive the horizontal crossbar and a line long enough to be thrown over the crossbar and hang down low enough to be reached and pulled down. The clip is attached to the edge cord of the net. The line is then thrown over the crossbar and pulled down raising the clip and net to the crossbar until the mouth of the clip is facing downward on the top of the crossbar. The line and net are then pulled down simultaneously forcing the mouth of the resilient clip to open, receive, and clamp on the horizontal cross bar. Conversely, when the net is to be removed, the line is thrown over the crossbar in the opposite direction and the line is pulled down until the clip is rotated until the mouth of the clip is facing upward on the crossbar.

Abstract: A surface-reinforced article includes a core assembly (12) comprising a foam core (20) with a surface region (22) that includes fine fibers, and an outer reinforcing covering (14) which includes thicker fibers in a resin (30). The fine fibers includes coupling fibers (100) with outer ends (106) embedded in the resin. After the core assembly is molded, the spacers are removed, the core assembly is wrapped in the outer fibrous material, and the wrapped core assembly (120) is placed in the second mold cavity that is formed by the original mold but without the spacers.

Abstract: An earplug has a single very long main flange with a maximum diameter that is at least 80% of the length of the main flange, and at least 55% of the entire length of the earplug except for the stem. This allows the outside of the long flange to extend at a very small angle to the axial direction, and apply a constant force against the walls of the ear canal, for good and comfortable sealing to the ear canal.

Abstract: A control (60) that mounts in a space (52) between main vehicle parts (66, 68) that are supported one on the other by air bags (16). The control includes first and second vertical tubes (82, 106) that telescope in one another. The tubes enclose at least parts of valves (98, 111) and passages (84, 104, 101, 103) that connect the valves to inlet, exhaust and air bag ports (74, 76, 80).

Abstract: An article (10) such as a grid fin that controls the direction of flight of a vehicle, has precisely formed passages (14) with porous locating walls (52A, 52B) and a layer of fibrous material (86) such as graphite cloth lying against one or both opposite sides of the locating wall, and with the locating wall and fibrous material impregnated with resin (84). Locating blocks (30) of foam are molded and the fibrous material (42) is wrapped around each block. The wrapped blocks (44) are each inserted into a passage (54) of a locating grid (50), so the fibrous material is compressed. The locating grid lies in a grid-holding mold (60). With the fiber-wrapped blocks inserted, the grid-holding mold is closed and resin is injected into the mold and allowed to harden. The foam blocks are removed by eroding them, as by sand blasting them, to leave a final article.

Abstract: Systems are disclosed for generating electricity from sea waves, that include a float (12) that lies at the sea surface (14) and moves up and down with the waves. A motion resist element (30) moves horizontally with the float but resists vertical movement. Electricity-generating apparatus (52, 54) is coupled to the float and resist element for generating electricity as the float moves vertically relative to the resist element.