Abstract: Apparatus for stacking fan-folded paper including an oscillating chute through which paper received by the stacker from a printer passes toward a pedestal on which the paper is to be stacked. The stacker receives line strobe signals from the printer indicative of the rate at which paper is fed by the printer to the stacker. The line strobe signals control the rate of oscillation of the chute between two extreme positions. The distance between the two positions defines the oscillation stroke which is determined by means of a manually-operable selector to be a function of the form length of the paper to be stacked. The paper is stacked on a pedestal which is incrementally movable between top and bottom positions. A stack sensor is provided which senses the top of the stack and causes the pedestal to move toward the bottom position so as to maintain the distance between the chute and the top of the stack relatively constant.

Abstract: An exposure controller for x-ray equipment is provided, which comprises a portable and accurate sensor which can be placed adjacent to and directly beneath the area of interest of an x-ray plate, and which measures the amount of exposure received by that area, and turns off the x-ray equipment when the exposure for the particular area of interest on the x-ray plate reaches the value which provides an optimal x-ray plate.

Abstract: A general anesthesia rebreathing system comprised of a disposable portion adapted to be easily coupled to and decoupled from a permanent portion. The disposable portion includes conventional breathing tubing for coupling a source of fresh gas, as from an anesthesia machine, to a patient and in addition an overflow tube for coupling the patient end of the system to an overflow (pop-off) valve, preferably mounted on the machine and constituting part of the permanent portion. The overflow tube entrance is located close to the patient end of the system and in communication with the tubing which conveys expired gas to a reservoir, such as a conventional breathing bag, mounted at the machine end. The arrangement assures that the patient's initially expired dead space gas is conveyed by the tubing to the reservoir with subsequently expired alveolar gas being exhausted through the overflow tube and pop-off valve. By preferentially exhausting alveolar gas in this manner, the need for using CO.sub.

Abstract: A signal responsive burst period timer and counter is provided for laser Doppler velocimetry, and the like, by bandpass filtering a signal burst and testing the filtered signal for exceeding a first level (V.sub.O -V.sub.L) and a second level (V.sub.O +V.sub.L), and subsequently crossing a reference level (V.sub.O) from the second level, and in that order, to qualify each cycle of the signal burst for timing and counting. A timing system checks the reference crossing of every qualified cycle, in accordance with the level crossing logic criteria described above, to determine that it occurs within a prescribed time interval as measured from the previous qualified reference crossing. When the sequence ends, either because a predetermined number of qualified cycles have been received or because the signal fails to meet one of the amplitude or time criteria described above, the burst period counter stops, the data is read out and the counter resets itself to process the next burst.

Abstract: A method for stimulating oil and gas wells to increase production including filling the lower portion of the well above the pay zone level having exposed rock with a fracturing fluid, and sealing the well above the lower portion. A shock wave is then applied to the fracturing fluid, which, when applied thereby to the rock at the pay zone creates a stress wave in the rock having a rise time faster than the time required for sound to traverse one half the periphery of the rock at the pay zone, and having an amplitude which will fracture but not crush the rock.

Abstract: An RF connector for coaxial cables to be interconnected through a conductive wall. A cylindrical housing open at one end is closed at the other by a base having a centered aperture to receive just the inner conductor and insulation of one cable, and having a concentric extension of the base of an internal diameter just sufficient to receive the outer conductor of the cable. The stripped end of a second cable is inserted through a slot in the side of the housing with the outer conductor resting on an annular shoulder and the inner conductor looped and soldered around the inner conductor of the first cable. A slotted sleeve inserted into the housing holds the outer conductor of the second cable clamped against the shoulder. A threaded cap screws into the housing over the sleeve to hold the sleeve in a clamping position.

Abstract: A read and write drive system is disclosed for a 21/2D coincident current magnetic core memory of the type in which for each word bit, bit lines threaded through the magnetic cores are arranged in a matrix of M groups, each of N bit lines. The drive system includes for the bit line matrix of each word bit a separate set of M write drive switches, and for n matrices of n different word bits, wherein n .gtoreq. 2, M read sink switches, N read drive switches and N write sink switches. These switches are used to apply 1/2 drive current through selected bit lines, during the read operation, to read out the n word bits of a selected word and to apply 1/2 drive current to independently store either a binary 1 or a binary 0 in each of the n word bits. The total number of switches, required for n word bits, is M(n+1) + 2N switches.

Abstract: A weatherproof cover for an opening in a cargo container comprising a flexible curtain secured across the top of the opening by a header, rails secured to the sides and bottom of the opening with flanges extending away from the opening, and a cable in a tunnel sewed into the periphery of the curtain which overhangs the rail flanges. One end of the cable is secured to the header on one side, and the other end is secured to a sheave in a ratchet assembly on the other side of the header. The ratchet assembly is used to pull the cable tight against the rails under their flanges. A fitting on the curtain comprised of a hub and a sheave is provided at each lower corner for the cable. The hubs of the curtain fittings are placed over posts on gussets at the lower corners of the container opening. Diagonal cables in tunnels sewn in back of the curtain reinforce the curtain and the container itself.

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: A deflector which mounts on the hood of a vehicle to deflect bugs and dust away from the windshield during normal driving, and which is automatically stored flat against the hood when the vehicle is stopped or moving slowly. The deflector includes a pair of sheet-like members pivotally mounted on the front of the hood, so that they are lifted up by air moving over the hood during forward vehicle movement, or by a driver-operated vacuum cylinder.

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: 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: A person, who is to have his identity verified, first writes his signature or any other appropriate group of characters or symbols several times with a special pen which produces signals representative of the writing forces in the plane of the paper and the writing pressure. From these a number of different parameters are derived. These parameters may be, for example, average value, energy, timing, number of zero crossings, etc. Average values and standard deviations are obtained for each of these parameters and these are stored as components of a template vector. In order to detect whether or not a later handwriting sample is authentic, a measure of the difference between the template vector and the later handwriting sample vector is calculated. The distinction between true signatures and forgeries is then made on the basis of this difference. If it is less than an appropriately selected value the signature is judged authentic while if it is above such value it is judged a forgery.

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: 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: 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 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: In a rotating magnetic memory, a phase-locked loop tracks pulses derived from sector marks on means mechanically connected to rotate with the memory. The output frequency of the phase-locked loop, which is significantly higher by a factor of N than the frequency of the sector mark pulses, is cyclically counted down to divide each revolution of the memory into M equally time spaced sectors. Third and fourth order filtering in the phase-locked loop assures a high degree of precision and consistency in the sectoring.