Abstract: Described is a quiet hand-held hair dryer with configuration and component combinations for making the hair dryer exceptionally quiet and efficient. The hair dryer includes a housing having a lower handle portion and an upper body portion separated by an air-directing wall. A large impeller moves air downward from a large top air inlet and passes it outward through a side air outlet in a hair drying stream. An electric motor is mounted in the handle housing adjacent its bottom and is connected in driving relation with the impeller by a long vertical shaft. The motor is mounted in a rubber casing permitting cooling air flow and minimizing vibration to the housing; and the upper end of the shaft is stabilized by a bearing mounted in a rubber housing for the same purpose. The configuration of the described hair dryer permits high air flow with relatively low motor speeds.

Abstract: This invention provides a truckbed security system which includes a substantially-horizontal platform designed to cover the entire top opening of the cargo bed of a pickup truck, lockably, thereby providing security and protection to the contents within. The horizontal platform is strong and rigid enough to carry a heavy payload and is attached by hinge to the rear of the cargo bed allowing the platform's front end to be raised to a convenient height for providing access to the interior of the cargo bed and the contents within. To raise the platform, there is a hydraulic cylinder operated by an integral hydraulic power unit, powered by the battery of the pickup truck, and operator-controlled with a locking key switch. The top of the platform may be used to carry the payload which would normally be carried within the cargo bed. The platform, when raised hydraulically to a substantial angle, can serve as a dump bed with limited capacity.

Abstract: This invention provides a premanufactured portable concrete house and efficient systems for making such a house and for providing portability to a housing site. Floor, roof, and wall components are made by casting concrete in molds with features such as electrical and water conduits being concrete-embedded during the casting. Also concrete-embedded in the various house components are steel plates used for welding to secure the components to each other during assembly of a portable house. Spaced core holes for holding lift rods are cast into the periphery of the floor/foundation component; and these are used as lift points in lifting the house onto a truck for transport to a housing site.

Abstract: An improved non-coherent pulsed and colored light stimulation device used for therapeutic effects in living creatures. Pulsed/colored light is applied to local areas, or acupuncture macro or micro systems, by means of a small diameter optic fiber (10) housed in a pen-like handpiece (18) which makes application comfortable and precise. The light source is an adjustable rate strobe (4) with a housing attached to the front (6) which allows color gel slides (12) to be interchanged. The light passes through the slides (12) and through a length of jacketed flexible optic fiber (10) where it becomes visible again at the radiant tip (20) of the handpiece (18).

Abstract: This invention provides a portable system for adjustably grasping and cradling a model train engine or other car (especially Garden Scale) without damaging it and presenting the desired portion of such engine or car for repair or maintenance. The device used includes: a rectangular longitudinal plywood base plate having in its upper surface a pair of transverse upside-down T-slots with sloppy-fit nut members captured in the T-slots; and a pair of longitudinal plywood vertical side plates, each fitted with vertical bolt members tightenable in the corresponding nut members. When the piece to be worked on is placed between the side plates, with appropriate cushioning, the sloppy fits permit the side plates to be pushed into snug position before tightening. The device also provides a cover with a handle for portability between uses.

Abstract: A security door-locking system is described for locking closed doors of tractor cabs on truck tractors, for example, of the type used to pull over-the-road common truck trailers, and vehicles, etc., with similar pre-existing door latching systems. A flat rigid bar has a hole near one end for fitting over the striker pin on the door jamb; and the other end of the bar may be attached to a lock outside the tractor cab after the door is closed. A retainer between the lock and the door/door-jamb provides a secure locking arrangement. And a system like a ratchet provides for attaching the lock to the bar in a tight position with the door.

Abstract: A keyholder is described having a soft nylon cord, looped to hold keys, with both ends of the nylon loop capturable in a cord capture device. The cord capture is of the type which permits passing of the cord through aligned holes in a casing and in a button in the casing, where the button compresses a spring to align the holes. When the button/spring is released, any cord segment in the cord capture is prevented from movement through the holes. One end of the nylon cord has a clip on it to prevent that end from passing through the cord capture; and advertising indicia may be put on a surface attached to the clip. A preferred method for making the keyholder is described, including protecting the cord ends from fraying.

Abstract: This invention provides a system for using a portable tool for assisting the making of holes in installed pipes, such as water pipes and the like, to prepare for interconnected piping. Such system preferably utilizes a hole saw guide bushing which is contained in a clamp-head at the end of the fixed jaw of a "Vise-Grip.TM."-like device. Such clamp-head accommodates various sizes of guide bushings and hole-saws for making various size holes in various size pipes. Other features assist accurate hole positioning, e.g., horizontal and vertical levels, center marks, and V-shaped holding surfaces on the clamp-heads.

Abstract: An animal litter scoop retaining system is described for creating a litter box area, protected from the digging and other motions of a cat or similar animal, for storing animal litter scoops "stabbed" into the litter. A preferred bar member extends diagonally across a corner of, and within, a typical rectangular litter box and is detachably attached to the litter box, thus separating a small corner litter area for "stabbing" the scoop into the litter and a large area for normal litter use. The bar member blocks off the small corner litter area at least at the height from the litter box bottom of about half the overall height of the litter box. And the bar member, for efficiency, is preferably raised off the bottom and not extending substantially above a height of about half the overall height of the litter box above the bottom.

Abstract: This invention concerns a water skier warning flag system of the type wherein the slackening of the tow rope causes a warning flag at the transom of the ski boat to be raised. A mechanical device mounted on the rear of the transom of a ski boat includes a lever having a normally vertical long lever arm for holding a longitudinally-mounted (normally vertical) standard of a warning flag; and this long lever arm also has a connection point to a ski tow line. The other (short) lever arm is urged by a compression spring to maintain the long lever arm vertical. When a skier is skiing, the tension on the tow line pulls the long lever arm down to horizontal against the pressure of the compression spring; and when the tow line goes slack, the spring pressure returns the long lever arm to vertical.

Abstract: An improved palette transport system is provided. More particularly, a palette transport system is provided whereby multiple artist's palettes may be efficiently stored or transported, and without fast drying of the paints on the palettes. A system of open-top boxes which may be stacked in an air-tight manner is disclosed, in which each box may carry a water source and a water-permeable paper sheet to support paint dabs.

Abstract: This invention provides a combination grab bar and door lock for grab bar systems of the type wherein a grab bar is mounted outside a recreational vehicle and adjacent an outward-opening door. It provides a grab bar system wherein the grab bar means may be optionally positioned adjacent to an outside portion of the door and locked into such position, thereby barring the opening of the door.

Abstract: This invention relates to solar power systems for self-contained fueling stations. More particularly, this invention concerns the attachment to and above such a fueling station of a post-mounted solar power system, including a solar array providing shade for a shielded box holding a battery and a power control system with a wireless-remote-controlled safety power cutoff system. Such post and solar power system may be folded down adjacent the fueling station, thus enabling easier transport of the fueling station. The safety power cutoff system includes a series of relay switches for disabling key-switch control of a fuel pump.

Abstract: This invention provides golf putter training tools for training a golfer's putting stroke. These golf putter training tools assist a golfer in making the putting stroke flat and in a straight "sweeping" line. A wheel, attached to the putter body, is provided adjacent each end of the putter and constructed to roll when the proper putting motion is used. The wheels (provided either as a putter part or as an add-on) extend slightly below the bottom surface of the putter and may include sharp portions along their circumference to impede other than straight rolling.

Abstract: An improved IR detector system is described which uses a plurality of IR detection modules coupled to a central computer to determine the location of an intrusion to the system. Each IR detection module has a plurality of optically isolated lens and detector pairs arranged in an arcuate array coupled to a local microprocessor chip which is unique to that module such that each lens and detector pair produces a response to a sensed intrusion along a particular radial of the array's arc to allow the local microprocessor to produce a coded signal to the central computer which corresponds to the direction of the sensed intrusion. Using a triangulation algorithm, the central computer combines the coded signals from whichever of the plurality of IR detection modules are active to compute the location of the intrusion.

Abstract: A quilting-aid device and method for use in making "two-color" squares for use in quilts, in which the quilter makes four of such squares from each larger square of two superimposed sheets of different material. The quilting-aid device, which saves the quilter from having to perform difficult calculations in the measuring and stitching and cutting of such squares, has two scales inscribed on a ruler-type base; a first scale on which to locate the desired size of two-color square and a second scale on which the corresponding position gives the size of the larger square with which to begin.

Abstract: This invention provides a vibration-free sleeper bed for over-the-road tractors. More particularly, this invention concerns a sleeper compartment device which provides a system whereby an off-duty driver may sleep in a vibration-free bed which remains at a preselected height, even during the over-the-road operation of the tractor. This is accomplished by providing a vertically-slidable support for the bed and using an air spring alongside a shock absorber to damp vibrations. Also, the bed itself is mounted on vibration-damping hard rubber mounts.

Abstract: This invention provides blowing-operated noisemakers to toy guns of the type which are sized to be graspable by one or two hands and which are pointable by the user. Toy gun devices are provided in which user-blown air may be routed from a mouthpiece to a gun-mounted noisemaker by way of a hollow pipe or hose. Variable noises may be made by the user by controlling the blown air, as by using a rotary whistle. The sounds emanating from the toy gun are emitted in the direction in which the toy gun is pointed.

Abstract: This invention provides an improved telescopic sight system for rifles, particularly by providing for AK47-type rifles an improved telescopic sight system utilizing a pistol-type telescopic sight and a mounting method which does not require disassembly of the rifle for mounting or for cleaning and which provides maximum stability and rigidity. The pistol-type telescopic sight is mounted above the normal front gunsight and its mounting there does not interfere with "fast" normal-size sighting of a target.