Abstract: A time clock is provided which includes a minute wheel that is advanced every minute and an hour wheel that must be advanced every hour, wherein a deflecting pawl device is utilized, in place of gears, to connect the wheels. Both wheels have ratchet teeth, and a pawl that oscilltes once each minute to advance the minute wheel. The minute wheel, which rotates once every hour, has a cam that moves beside the pawl to deflect it sidewardly so that the pawl engages a tooth on the hour wheel. Thus, at the next oscillation of the pawl, both wheels are advanced. The minute wheel bears the numbers 0 through 59, while the hour wheel bears the numbers 1 through 12 repeated five times, so that both wheels have 60 numbers.

Abstract: An implantable hermetically sealed living tissue stimulator which includes a coil in which current is induced by an external alternating magnetic field is disclosed. All the stimulator circuit components except for one or more electrode leads are hermetically sealed within a hermetic container formed of a biocompatible metal of a thickness T, and having an electrical resistivity .rho., where T/.rho. .ltoreq. 0.03, T being in mils and .rho. in microhm-cm. The metal thickness T is not more than 5 mils and preferably not more than 3 mils, and the electrical resistivity .rho. is not less than 75 microhm-cm and preferably not less than 100 microhm-cm, in order to reduce the portion of power induced in the stimulator by the magnetic field which is dissipated as heat in the hermetic metal container and to increase the portion of the induced power which penetrates the container and induces the current in the coil.

Abstract: An improved apparatus capable of converting the position of a pen-type sensor relative to the surface of a writing table into an electrical signal representative of such position and which may be utilized for control, data input or transmission purposes. The writing table includes two sets of independent, spaced-apart conducting wires which form a grid throughout the writing area. The conducting wires are individually and discretely pulsed sequentially to generate a time varying electrostatic field adjacent to the writing table that can be sensed by the sensor. The signal sensed by the sensor and the signals used to drive the time-varying electrostatic field are electronically processed and converted into electrical signals representing the position of the sensor relative to the writing table.

Abstract: An individual, who is to be subsequently identified, first signs his signature, hereinafter called a template signature, with a special pen, attached to circuits, which produce digital sample signals from which a set of parameters of his signature are derived. This set of template signature parameters is stored in a memory along with sets of parameters derived from template signatures of other individuals. Subsequently, when an individual signs his name with a special pen, the circuits will produce a set of parameters, corresponding to those produced for a template signature. Parameters are selected which can provide strong distinction between signatures. The selected parameters are then used to derive from memory only those sets of template parameters which include the selected parameters which have values falling within a predetermined acceptable range of values.

Abstract: Identification of a specimen signature is provided by comparing the specimen with a previously recorded template signature. The comparison is performed by recording, for both specimen and template signatures, signals representing forces in three directions while generating these signatures. For handwritten signatures these forces are called pressure, for the force perpendicular to the plane of the paper, X for the left-right force in the plane of the paper, and Y for the near-far force in the plane of the paper.The recorded specimen signals are divided into equal parts, for example halves, and successive comparisons are made of the equal parts, first without any displacement, then with relative displacements, then by expanding the length of parts relative to one another, then by reducing the length of parts relative to one another, to find the highest correlation values for all of these comparisons. These are combined and compared with a reference.

Abstract: A method and means for stimulating oil and gas wells to increase production comprises filling a well above the pay zone level with a fracturing fluid, then suspending a cylinder of high explosive centrally within the wellbore adjacent to the pay zone. Thereafter a propellant is suspended within tens of feet above the high explosive and the well above the propellant is enclosed. The application of high explosive is chosen to cause multiple radiating fractures but will not crush the rock in the well. Also, the rise time of the shock wave created by the explosive should be less than the time required for sound to traverse one-half of the periphery of the well opening in the rock at the pay zone. The propellant is detonated first, followed by the detonation of the high explosive. The purpose of using the propellant is to maintain pressure caused by the high explosive over a longer period, thereby extending the fractures caused by the high explosive.

Abstract: A gas sensor is provided here comprising a semi-conductor support coated with a material which reacts with a specific gas as a result of which it exchanges electrons with the support. By measuring the resulting change in conductivity of the support, one can detect the presence of the particular gas as well as its concentration.

Abstract: A motorvehicle safety cut-out switch spring biased in a closed position to cut out the vehicle motor is contained in a housing which includes retaining means for receiving a spherical body through a flaired and resilient opening, and includes means for opening the switch in response to the presence of the spherical body in the retaining means. A lanyard connected to the spherical body is attached to a motorvehicle rider to yank the spherical body out and cut off the vehicle motor if the rider falls off the vehicle.

Abstract: A food product mixer with a pair of door openings in its front panel includes a door mechanism with a pair of slideable doors. Each door is slideable on a pair of sliding rods toward and away from the opening with which it is associated. Means are provided to cause both doors to slide simultaneously on their sliding rods to a closed position in which each door closes its associated opening. The sliding rods on which each door slides are rotatable to separately lock the door when it is in its closed position, as well as to separately unlock it. An unlocked door slides back along its rods, away from the opening, due to food pressure applied theron by food in the mixer, thereby enabling the food to be discharged through the opening. Either door may be unlocked with the other door remaining in the locked position. The rotation of the rods to lock and unlock a door may be achieved manually or by actuated means.

Abstract: A train tunnel is ventilated by closing an exit end of the tunnel as a train approaches the entrance end, so that during passage through the tunnel the train acts as a loose piston moving through a long closed cylinder, to cause a rapid airflow rearwardly around the train.

Abstract: A cover assembly for covering the open bed of a pickup truck, which can be easily installed and which can be compactly and safely stored on the truck when not in use. The assembly includes a pair of flexible sheet cover sections with inner edges that can be zipped together and outer edges held to elongated levers which are hinged on mounts at the sides of the truck, so that when the levers are pivoted down the flexible cover sections are pulled taut. The outer edge of each cover section is wrapped about a long mount rod, and the rod and cover portion wrapped thereabout are held in a recess of the lever to substantially eliminate localized stress concentrations in the tightened cover section. The mount devices for mounting each lever on a truck side includes a block of rubber which fits closely through a stake hole in the truck, a bolt extending through the rubber block, and a nut which can be tightened to squeeze the block so that it expands sidewardly to become trapped in place.

Abstract: A connector for installation in a C-shaped track to support a lamp onto the track and make electrical connection between the lamp and conductors within the track, including a connector housing with a narrow head which fits through a slot in the track, so that when the connector is turned the head locks into the track and a pair of contact elements are then pressed against the conductors of the track. A knob on the base of the connector housing, is automatically depressed, to retract the contact elements, prior to the connector turning to its locked-in position. When the connector becomes fully turned, the knob springs up into the slot of the track and thereby causes the contact elements to move out and against the conductors of the track.

Abstract: A control system for a cutting machine is disclosed in which the relative motion between a cutting tool, supported by a cutting motor, and the material to be cut is controlled by a feed motor. The cutting motor load level is continuously monitored and used to derive a load level signal which is related to the cutting motor load level and a desired cutting load level. The feed motor's forward speed is controlled to increase at a selected fixed rate until the cutting motor load level is substantially equal to the desired cutting load level. Whenever the cutting motor load level increases above the desired cutting load level, representing an overload condition, the speed of the feed motor in the forward direction is reduced at the rate of increase of the overload condition.

Abstract: An osmotic sensing head for measuring the osmotic pressure of protein molecules in blood, which is of the type that includes a reference chamber for holding saline solution, a sample chamber for holding blood, an osmotic membrane between the chambers, and a pressure sensor coupled to the reference chamber to measure the pressure therein. The sample chamber has a small volume and is provided with an inlet and outlet so that a storage saline solution can be removed and a blood sample introduced by merely flowing the blood sample in through the inlet while allowing the storage solution to pass out through the outlet. The inlet is directed at the membrane at an angle to help wash away material lying on the membrane. The osmotic membrane is held in slight tension by an elastomeric O-ring which presses the membrane against a conical surface.

Abstract: A myocardial lead for applying electrical pulses to a myocardium includes a relatively large electrode body of a metal, exhibiting high stress fatigue and corrosion resistance properties, a short stud of a metal containing platinum is partially inserted into the electrode body, with the stud portion extending out of the body defining the electrode pin. The stud is electron beam welded to the body. The myocardial lead also includes a distal wire, which consists of a plurality of flexible wire coils of the same metal as the electrode body and are covered by a flexible rubber sleeve. At one end, the wire coils pass through a cavity in the electrode body, with the coils' portion extending therefrom being wrapped around the electrode body and welded thereto. The distal wire extends to a source of electrical pulses. A platinum winding is wrapped around the electrode pin and is attached at one end to the electrode body.

Abstract: The spindle motor for a flexible recording disk is connected to a disk with an annular track of optical markings which are scanned to derive therefrom a train of reset pulses for a counter counting higher frequency clock pulses. Reaching of a particular count state is ascertained for each reset cycle to obtain a train of pulses of constant duration with pauses inbetween, varying with motor speed. A steady signal linearly varying with motor speed is derived from that train, compared with a reference and used to controlthe motor.

Abstract: A thermal nib is provided, which is heated by being directly inserted into an electrical circuit, and which enables writing on thermal paper.

Abstract: A system is provided for coupling an indeterminate number of peripheral devices to a central processing unit (CPU) through a single receptacle. A cable connected to an interface unit (IU) of a first device plugs into the CPU receptacle. Cables of subsequent IUs are plugged into receptacles connected to earlier plugged IUs, thus connecting the cables of all devices in series and the device IU's themselves in parallel. One type of IU is for a magnetic tape cassette and includes a timeout circuit to determine when certain types of programming errors have occurred. A binary digit is set in a status register for that and other types of errors. The status register is read under program control of the CPU, thus providing for the flexibility of haulting operation or bypassing the program section having an error for unattended operation of the CPU.

Abstract: A method and means is provided, which permits the transfer of fluids between separate detached containers, in a manner which preserves the sterility of the fluids during and after their transfer.

Abstract: A tree planter which prevents the roots of a tree from cracking a nearby sidewalk, including a planting container which is buried in the ground with a young tree therein, the container having sidewalls of slick and impenetrable material such as plastic, and with the sidewalls sloping outwardly, so that the open bottom of the container is larger than the top, to help deflect roots downwardly so that when they begin growing outwardly they grow at a level far below the sidewalk.