Abstract: Domestic vacuum cleaner with multiple cyclones arranged in cascade, in which a first tangential cyclone supplied with a flow of dust-laden air captures the coarser particles in a first container arranged below said first cyclone and discharges the air flow, partially purified, into a first internal duct coaxial with the first cyclone and housing an axial swirling device which concentrates the residual particles in a peripheral fraction of the flow, which is conveyed by a capturing ring into a second tangential cyclone, while the residual fraction of flow passes through the ring and is conveyed by a second duct, axially aligned with the first duct, to a suction unit.The captured fraction of flow conveyed into the second cyclone deposits the residual particles in a second container arranged below the second cyclone and thus purified is sucked into the second duct by the fraction of flow passing through the ring, which acts as an extractor nozzle.

Abstract: This invention describes a compressive method of transmitting digital information. Parallel communication branches are coded to transmit ensembles of bits coded so that they can be added together and forwarded over a single transmitted channel without interference. Decoding occurs at a receiving station. In accordance with the invention an iterative method of modulating multiple simultaneous signals is accomplished, so that multiple closely spaced signals can pass through a narrow bandpass filter, where the bandwidth of the communications highway connecting a transmit and receive station is determined by the communication bit rate of the simultaneous bit ensemble. The invention is also advantageously applicable to a compressive digital storage system.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for stereoscopic images using a viewing grid and not requiring a lenticular viewing screen. In one embodiment applied to roentgenography, the apparatus includes an X-ray source, a table or cradle disposed beneath the X-ray source for securing an image subject such as a patient, and a recording medium cassette disposed beneath the table or cradle. The cassette includes a film comprising a base, an emulsion on a first side of the base and a viewing grid on an opposite second side of the base, an image intensifying screen for exposing the emulsion films for recording an image, and a recording grid located between the phosphorous screen and the emulsion side of the film, and fixed in position relative to the image intensifying screen for masking a plurality of strips of predetermined width, of the emulsion film. During exposure, relative movement between the cradle and cassette is maintained so as to capture various views of the image subject on the emulsion film.

Abstract: A restraint edging system for a segmented paving surface, including a vertical strip component for surrounding the boundary of the segmented paved surface, and a support member component. The vertical strip component has one or more parallel protruding ribs running the length of the vertical strip component which mate to recesses in the support component. The support component also serves to connect vertical strip portions.

Abstract: A system for cleaning building ductwork utilizing the equipment generally used to clean carpets. The system utilizes the vacuum unit and liquid waste tank from a carpet cleaning system. A flexible hose runs between the waste tank and the building ductwork. A water injection system is connected to the hose and is used to spray a stream of water into the air flowing through the flexible ductwork which will entrap any particles contained therein. The "dirty" water flowing out of the hose will flow to the waste tank for collection and disposal.

Abstract: A hollow, tubular wooden musical instrument comprises a body portion of lightweight, tubular cross-section having a first and second opposite ends and at least one wooden laminate layer defining a fingerboard surface along a length of the body portion; a tuning device capable of tensioning a plurality of strings mounted lengthwise along the fingerboard surface, the body portion being capable of withstanding string tensions of up to 1200 psi perpendicular to the body portion, and defining structure for emanating sounds produced by vibrating the strings. The hollow musical instrument has a conic-section cross section, e.g., circular or elliptical, or a compound conic-section cross-section, e.g., lute shape, and may be of uniform diameter, conical, or tapered diameter formats. It may be played as an acoustic or electric instrument. The hollow, tubular instrument can additionally be of modular design having predefined sections to facilitate changes of sounds or fingerboard surfaces.

Abstract: An improved coding system for digital transmission compression applicable as a digital compression algorithm for increasing the bandwidth of telecommunications and broadcasting networks. The improved coding system operates in the transmission regime, not in baseband (source) so that a transmission channel having a capacity of 1 Mbit/s can deliver N Mbit/s, where N bits in parallel are combined to be delivered in the 1 Mbit/s channel.

Abstract: An aerosol propellant for sealing punctures in tires comprises a methylene chloride-in-water emulsion comprising water, methylene chloride, a curable acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymer latex and a surfactant, the emulsion having been blended with a fibrous plugging/matting agent, a carbon dioxide containing propellant or propellant blend in an amount sufficient to at least partially inflate a tire, and a corrosion inhibitor. The tire inflator/sealer provides an ozone friendly product.

Abstract: An illuminated bottle display rack comprises a structure having a hollow area defined by front, back, top, bottom, right and left walls. The dimensions of the hollow include a depth sufficient to accommodate all or part of the length of a bottle on display, and a light source mounted on the inside surface of the back wall. Fans are mounted through the top wall for exhausting warm air from, and/or for drawing cool in into, the hollow. UV filters are placed within said hollow between said light source and said plurality of bottles. Translucent casings are preferably mounted within said hollow and corresponding to a plurality of openings within the front wall of the display rack, each for receiving a bottle to be displayed.

Abstract: A method for constricting a wall of a building includes the steps of providing a footing form to outline a horizontal dimension for the wall; pouring wall form ring material between opposing sides of the footing form and allowing the poured wall forming material to set to provide a wall base; attaching a first wall form of predetermined height to a side of the footing form to define a vertical dimension of the wall to be built; attaching a wall component structure to an inside surface of the first wall form at a desired location for the wall component on the wall; attaching a second wall form to an opposite side of the footing form a predetermined distance apart from the first wall form according to a desired width of the wall; pouring wall forming material between the first and second wall forms to form the wall, the wall forming material being poured around the wall component structure; and, allowing the wall forming material to set between the wall forms and around the wall component structure.

Abstract: An apparatus for lifting and transporting large containers capable of lifting and transporting large containers being arranged proximate each other to define a space comprises a body portion capable of being manipulated for lifting; and a plurality of flexible strands, each strand for engaging a respective large container and extending from the body portion in a common direction and each strand having an end portion including an engaging device for engaging a receiving portion of a corresponding large container, wherein each of the large containers are arranged such that each receiving portion faces the space, and the lifting and transporting of the large containers is directed from above the space.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of detecting and sizing of a small crack in a root between two crests in stud bolt threads. The key idea is from the fact that the Rayleigh wave is detected between large regularly spaced pulses from the thread. The delay time is the same as the propagation delay time of the slow Rayleigh wave and is proportional to the size of the crack. To efficiently detect the slow Rayleigh wave, three methods based on digital signal processing are proposed; modified wave shaping, dynamic predictive deconvolution, and dynamic predictive deconvolution, and dynamic predictive deconvolution combined with wave shaping.

Abstract: An engine cleaner composition and method for removing carbonaceous deposits from engine fuel-system components such as mechanical and electronic fuel injectors, intake valve seats, valves, combustion cylinders, spark plugs, and oxygen sensors may be used on both gasoline and diesel engines. Preferred compositions comprise a synergistic solution of a heterocyclic ring compound in an azeotrope of acetonitrile and water, together with selected surfactants and aromatics. Preferred compositions of the invention may be placed in an aerosol pressurized unit utilizing a compressed gas, such as nitrogen or nitrous oxide, or compressed liquid gas, such as a hydrocarbon or fluorohydrocarbon. Preferred engine cleaning compositions of the invention are substantially non-ozone depleting, are low in global warming, and have a low order of human toxicity. Preferred compositions have a moderate pH and are essentially compatible with metals and elastomers conventionally used in engine fuel-system components.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for controlling a moving speed of each bucket and a moving speed ratio between each bucket, to be proportional to a degree of operation of each operation indicator and an operation ratio between each operation indicator, regardless of changes in various working conditions or load pressures.

Abstract: Transfemoral aortic valve replacement with the simultaneous insertion of an aortic arch graft, referred to as "TAVAG", is effected with a device comprising the following components: a U-shaped collapsible nitinol ring which is attached to a bioprosthetic valve, a thin walled predetermined graft with branches, a perforated self-expandable carrier capsule having a large slit therein, diamond shaped guide wires, and a ring to control opening and closing of the carrier capsule. The graft and valve are pulled up from the left femoral artery toward the aortic arch by pulling on the guide wires which are threaded through catheters inserted in each of the bilateral carotid and subclavian arteries toward the left femoral artery. Cerebral circulation is also maintained from the right femoral artery through a novel balloon catheter placed inside the carotid artery.

Abstract: An ultrasonic real-time inspection method which is user-friendly in an interactive environment to provide ease of operation, as well as a combination of consistency, thoroughness, and speed of operation in flaw detection not achievable by other methods. The method offers significantly increased pattern recognition capability, which provides greater automation potential and reduced missed detection and false alarm rates.

Abstract: A toy construction set suitable for modeling animal, bird, insect, dinosaur and humanoid figures. The individual components of the toy construction set are analogous to bones and moveable joints. The construction set includes various sizes of limbs, heads, joints and hubs which are useable to form life like arms, legs, wings, necks, spines and tails of creatures, the variety of which is limited only by the child's imagination.

Abstract: A ground effect vehicle wherein a flap coupled to a spoiler is provided on the wings in order to break lift when the craft starts to leave ground effect travel in order to avoid flight out of ground effect.