Abstract: The present invention provides a portable scoring device which includes a retractable and extendable post section equipped with a ground penetrating tip and a foot brace for driving and anchoring the post section into the ground, a main frame for retractably housing the post section and supporting the post section in an extended and ground penetrating position, a score display panel affixed to the frame, and a latching mechanism for latching the post section to the frame in the extended and retracted position.

Abstract: The invention provides an adjustable protective scalpal covering device which enables a hair stylist to effectively treat selective hair strands with a discoloring reagent. The device includes a protective body portion sized so as to only partially cover the scalp and equipped with a plurality of orifices for withdrawing hair therethrough and a pair of straps extending outwardly from the body portion with means for variably adjusting and securing the device onto the patron's head. The size, construction, configuration and interrelationship between the component parts significantly enhance the efficacy, operational use and versatility of the device in hair discoloring treatments. The device may be inexpensively manufactured.

Abstract: The present invention provides a tote bag equipped with a flexible, durable and lightweight cooling chamber. The cooling chamber is comprised of a cooling compartment secured to an uninsulated portion of a tote bag, a cooling chamber housed within the compartment, a flexible external housing member which externally circumscribes the chamber and forms a protective covering, a flexible insulative liner internally disposed within the housing member and enveloping the cooling chamber and a cooler compartment accessing port for access to the cooling chamber. The cooling compartment may also be equipped with means for removing the insulative liner from the housing member and also for detachably removing the housing member from the uninsulated portions of the tote bag.

Abstract: The present invention provides a stowable, multiple grade ramping device particularly adapted for use in pick-up trucks. The ramping device includes a carrier assembly, an entryway extension unit and a ramp end section for loading and unloading cargo thereupon. The carrier assembly is advantageously equipped with an enclosed trackway having a beveled ramping guide for elevating track following guides mounted onto an entryway extension unit and an open trackway for engaging track following guides mounted onto the ramp end section. The cargo assembly beveled track guides impart an intermediate ramping grade to the entryway unit. The entryway unit is fitted with a pair of enclosed track guides. The ramp end section is equipped with track following guides slideably engaging onto the enclosed entryway track guides which permits the entryway unit and ramp end section to telescopically retract for effective stowage thereof.

Abstract: Coated and shaped popped popcorn products may be prepared from a coating and a binding composition possessing a thermoplastic melt temperature substantially lower than preparatory melt and thermoset properties of conventional popped popcorn coating and binder compositions. Popped corn kernels coated and bound together with the coating compositions possess exceptional physical and chemical attributes under divergent environmental conditions. The edible coating compositions are formulated at a high sweeteners solids level along with a hydrophillic film former (e.g. gelatin, egg albumin, etc.) and a high fat component content level. The coating and binder systems possess remelt properties, and the products may be cooked in a microwave oven.

Abstract: The present invention provides a weight bearing device adapted to support weighted objects upon vertically extending pole-shaped objects such as wooden poles and trees. The device comprises an anchoring strap and a forked unit fitted with a leveraged support frame, a forked end member having terminal penetrating tips and radially extending downwardly and outwardly from the support frame. The strap is mounted at a pivotal site along the support frame. In operational use, the penetrating tips are aligned onto the pole-shaped object with the strap being looped about the pole and adjustably anchored onto the mount under sufficient strap tension to allow the major longitudinal axis of the forked unit frame to extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom. The adjusted strap tension should, however, be sufficient to permit the strap when further tightened by the leveraged action of the forked unit to form a pivotal anchoring site about the strap mount.

Abstract: The present invention provides an animal shelter suitably adapted for the sheltering of animals under adverse temperatures. The shelter includes an external enclosure, an internal structure within which the animal is housed, an air passageway circumscribing the internal structure which is disposed between the internal structure and the external structure, and a thermal source for heating or cooling the air within the passageway. The thermal source may be thermostatically regulated to provide a controlled habitat environment.

Abstract: The invention relates to a novel game board, game apparatus and game designed for play by two opposing players. The game is played upon a generally flat surfaced game board which contains a plurality of hexagram playing spaces symmetrically positioned in two outer rows and a plurality of assymmetrical hexagonal playing spaces positioned between the two outer rows. The hexagrams are provided upon the game board in the form of hexagons, the sides of which each have an abutting triangular space. The hexagonal spaces are designed to receive an equal number of major playing pieces for each player while the triangular spaces are designed for receiving minor playing pieces. The major pieces may move into any adjacent hexagonal spacing, provided the pathway remains unguarded by one or more minor playing pieces. The minor playing pieces are permitted only to move forward into adjacent triangular spacings.

Abstract: The present invention provides a rubber footwear vulcanizate to which there may be separately affixed an outsole. The vulcanizate may be suitably manufactured from an assembly of an uncured rubber upper, insole, welt and a vulcanized midsole base article. The inner and outer surfaces of the midsole base article may be suitably roughened and the surface interfacing the uncured assemblage precoated with an uncured rubber. The assembled uncured rubber footwear components may be vulcanized into a vulcanizate footwear product of a unitary construction. The outer surface midsole surface permits a wide variety of compositionally differing outer soles to be separately secured thereto.

Abstract: The invention relates to a novel game board, game apparatus and game designed for play by two opposing players. The game is played upon a generally flat surfaced game board which contains a plurality of hexagram playing spaces symmetrically positioned in two outer rows and a plurality of assymmetrical hexagonal playing spaces positioned between the two outer rows. The hexagrams are provided upon the game board in the form of hexagons, the sides of which each have an abutting triangular space. The hexagonal spaces are designed to receive an equal number of major playing pieces for each player while the triangular spaces are designed for receiving minor playing pieces.The major pieces may move into any adjacent hexagonal spacing, provided the pathway remains unguarded by one or more minor playing pieces. The minor playing pieces are permitted only to move forward into adjacent triangular spacings.

Abstract: There is provided a hinge adapter kit adapted to be secured to the sidewalls of an enclosure or cover and an open bedded vehicle. The secured assemblies (4) provide selective access to either bed side while permitting ease of installation or removal of the enclosure therefrom. Each enclosure assembly (2) is provided with at least one complemental shaft retaining member. Each bed sidewall assembly (2) is equipped with a slidably, mounted shaft assembly composed of at least two shaft sub-units in longitudinal alignment and spaced apart so as to vertically clear or not clear the complemental shaft retaining members when the shaft assembly is respectively adjusted to an unlatching and latching position. A shaft connector rigidly secures the shaft sub-units. Latching secures the enclosure to the bed while also providing a hinging system formed by the mounted shaft housed within the complemental retaining member upon which the enclosure axially pivots.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for relief of pain in mammals based on the use of a pressure-application device which is applied to any of a number of points selected and located according to the principles and practices of traditional acupressure and/or acupuncture therapy practice, which produces a highly-localized self-induced massage of the acupressured point which results in relief of pain in an area of the body not necessarily at the point acupressured, which relief lasts for an extended period of time past the time at which the device is removed according to the method of the invention.

Abstract: Diacetone fructose solutions may be effectively hydrolyzed to fructose by acid exchange resins. Hydrolysis of diacetone fructose with acid exchange resins substantially reduces the formation of objectionable flavoring, coloring and other hydrolyzate by-products. The immobilized acid catalysis provides a fructose product substantially free from ash residues and significantly reduces the carbon, cation and anion exchange requirements for the manufacture of enriched, food-grade fructose syrups. Perfluorinated acid exchange resins have been found to be particularly effective for hydrolyzing aqueous diacetone fructose solutions into fructose.

Abstract: Aqueous fructose and aldehydes, ketones and/or acetals may be effectively catalyzed into alkylidene fructose derivatives with immobilized acid catalysts. The reaction provides a means for enriching the fructose content of conventional high fructose corn syrups. Perfluorinated acid resins are especially effective catalysts for converting aqueous fructose and acetone solutions into diacetone fructose. Catalysis with the perfluorinated acid resins may be conducted at significantly lower conversion temperatures with superior reactant and reaction product exchange rates. Enrichment of high fructose corn syrups may be generally accomplished by catalyzing the fructose and acetone into a diacetone fructose solution with the perfluorinated acid resin, allowing the dextrose to precipitate from the diacetone solution, hydrolyzing the diacetone fructose to fructose and recovery of the enriched fructose product therefrom.

Abstract: Acidophilic and acidoduric streptomycetes strains have been found to produce carbohydrases. These Streptomyces effectively elaborate glucose isomerase under acid conditions typically unfavorable for growth of conventional glucose isomerase producing Streptomyces. Sterilization of the culture and production media may be avoided by selectively propagating newly discovered Streptomyces acidodurans under acidic conditions which will effectively eliminate contaminating micro-organisms. The Streptomyces acidodurans herein also have the ability to undergo cultivation and elaborate glucose isomerase over a relatively broad pH range. Constitutive streptomycetes strains have also been isolated. Glucose isomerases derived from these Streptomyces strains are particularly effective for isomerizing glucose syrups to fructose-containing syrups.

Abstract: Vegetable proteins may be converted into isolates which are useful for preparing imitation cheese products. These unique isolates are characterized in general as: having an NSI of at least 90, having not been subjected to enzymatic or chemical hydrolysis, forming an insoluble gel when reconstituted in water at a 15% by weight protein isolate concentration and heated to 85.degree. C. for 30 minutes, and yielding a melt value of at least 15 cm.sup.2. The isolates are prepared under conditions which precondition the protein molecules so that they may be converted, upon heat treatment, into protein aggregates which simulate the hydrocolloidal attributes of caseinate. The heat treatment causes restructuring of the proteinaceous molecules into large molecular weight aggregates.

Abstract: It has been discovered that phosphatides contain certain carbohydrates which adversely affect their functional properties. By hydrolyzing such carbohydrates with an effective amount of carbohydrase, the physical and functional properties of such phosphatides are significantly improved. In the manufacture of lecithin, wet gums enzymatically treated with carbohydrases dehydrate more rapidly into a low moisture lecithin product. The enzymatic treatment also fluidizes phosphatide compositions and stabilizes the compositions against solidification.

Abstract: Acidophilic and acidoduric streptomycetes strains have been found to produce carbohydrases. These Streptomyces effectively elaborate glucose isomerase under acid conditions typically unfavorable for growth of conventional glucose isomerase producing Streptomyces. Sterilization of the culture and production media may be avoided by selectively propagating newly discovered Streptomyces acidodurans under acidic conditions which will effectively eliminate contaminating microorganisms. The Streptomyces acidodurans herein also have the ability to undergo cultivation and elaborate glucose isomerase over a relatively broad pH range. Constitutive streptomycetes strains have also been isolated. Glucose isomerases derived from these Streptomyces strains are particularly effective for isomerizing glucose syrups to fructose-containing syrups.

Abstract: It has been discovered that the combination of certain polyvalent metal ions with certain proteinaceous foaming agents will significantly enhance the efficacy of proteinaceous foaming compositions. The present invention affords the means for achieving significantly improved protein foam from vegetable protein hydrolyzates which normally fail to possess the foaming efficacy of conventional proteinaceous foam agents such as egg albumen and caseinates. The improved foamed products may be obtained by employing a combination of polyvalent ions such as calcium and zinc with enzymatically hydrolyzed soy protein whipping agents which are characterized as being soluble throughout the pH 4 to 7 range. The proteinaceous foaming composition may be utilized for a variety of industrial and food applications. The present foaming compositions are particularly useful in providing coated paper products.