Abstract: A scriptwriting guidance device for use by individuals who are visually or otherwise impaired, the device acting to guide the writer's pen or other writing implement along a straight, horizontal path across a writing surface to form complete letters and other characters without interference from the device. The device includes a backboard having a shaft mounted for rotation adjacent one side edge thereof. Slidable along the shaft in incremental steps is a slide from whereby is cantilevered a guide element formed by a rectangular frame that overlies a paper sheet lying on the backboard. Disposed within the window of the frame is a rectangular template of smaller dimensions, the template having a narrow slot that defines a straight, horizontal path. The opposite ends of the template are coupled by springs to the corresponding ends of the frame whereby the template effectively floats within the window and is free to shift laterally.

Abstract: A variable-weight playball whose outer casing is formed of liquid-impervious, non-stretchable, flexible material, such as a resin-coated fabric, the casing being provided with a closable port. Confined within the casing is a compressible body having the same configuration which depends on whether the ball is of the spherical type or in some other shape. The body is formed of low-density, open-cell, flexible foam plastic material having sponge-like properties. To impart heft to the ball, water is introduced through the port into the body and absorbed thereby, the port then being closed to retain the water. To thereafter lighten the ball, the port is opened and the ball is squeezed to discharge water through the port until the ball has the desired reduced weight, after which the port is closed. The weight selected depends on the use to which the ball is put.

Abstract: A disposable paper pouch enclosing a small supply of cream or other flowable food product, the pouch being both biodegradable and recyclable. The pouch is made up of two superposed paper plies which are rendered liquid impervious by water-based acrylic layers coated on the inner and outer faces of the plies, the acrylic inner layer having a low melting temperature and the acrylic outer layer having a high melting temperature. The superposed plies are subjected to heat and pressure by standard sealing bars that have no effect on the outer layers but cause the inner layers which face each other to fuse together in a predetermined sealing pattern to define an inner pocket that is fillable with the cream and a spout leading from the pocket to an outlet adjacent one end of the pouch. The outlet is normally blocked, but when the pouch is to be put to use, it is torn along a line intersecting the outlet to open the outlet whereby the cream may then be expelled therefrom by squeezing the pouch.

Abstract: A low-density, open-cell flexible polyurethane foam body that is modified to impart resilience and enhanced shock-absorbency properties thereto. Modification is effected by implanting in the open cells of the body expandable microspheres having particle sizes in the micron range, each microsphere being formed by a gas proof polymeric shell encapsulating a drop of liquid isobutane. The microspheres are expanded by heat to more than fifty times their initial volume and are entrapped in the open cells of the body. The expanded microspheres are constituted by a soft polymeric shell enclosing a compressible gas, the expanded microspheres behaving as miniature springs dispersed throughout the body.

Abstract: A leash controllable harness adapted to inhibit a dog wearing the harness from straining against the leash held by an individual walking the dog, the harness inducing the dog to come to a halt or to walk at a pace acceptable to the leash holder. The harness is composed of a pair of loops that depend from a leash-coupling junction at which the loops are joined, the loops being angled at the junction with respect to each other so that they cross over at a crossover site below the junction. When the harness is installed on the dog, the coupling junction to which a leash is connected then overlies the dog's shoulder intermediate the right and left forelegs, and the crossover site lies under the dog's chest, one loop running from the site through the crotch between the chest and the left foreleg and back to the junction, the other loop running from this site through the crotch between the chest and the right foreleg back to the junction.

Abstract: A protector adapted to accommodate a transparency inserted therein in a moist state, the transparency drying out while in the protector and being thereafter maintained in clean, dust-free and dry condition so that it is useable with an overhead optical projector which casts the image carried by the transparency onto a viewing screen. The protector is constituted by an open-ended, rectangular sleeve formed of moisture-impermeable transparent synthetic plastic film material of high strength having front and rear panels between which the inserted transparency is sandwiched, and a sheet of hygroscopic transparent acetate film which is interposed between the moist transparency and the front panel. The sheet act to absorb moisture from the transparency and to dissipate it, thereby drying out the transparency.

Abstract: A carton of recyclable material adapted to receive a stack of discarded newspapers to create a transport pack which can, in toto, be recycled at a recycling facility. The carton is formed by a pair of side walls having upper and lower foldable long flaps, and a pair of end walls having upper and lower foldable short flaps. Formed at the corners of the long flaps are latching tongues that are insertable into corresponding slots at the ends of the short flaps. The end walls are accordion-foldable, whereby the carton may be collapsed into a flattened storage state. To put the carton into its loading state, the carton is expanded, the lower short flaps are folded in and the lower long flaps are folded thereover, the latching tongues being then inserted in the slots at the lower corners of the carton to form a bottom ledge on which the newspapers are piled.

Abstract: An album sleeve for storing and displaying at least one baseball card. The sleeve is created from a rectangular blank of transparent plastic film having three transverse fold lines whose parallel positions are such that when the blank is folded on the first line, it then defines a front panel overlying a rear panel. The second fold line is adjacent the end of the front panel to define a broad flap section which is folded over the back of the rear panel to complete the sleeve. The third fold line is adjacent the end of the rear panel to define a narrow flap section that is folded down to form an expandable internal pocket, the pocket being spaced from the second fold line to define a sleeve border that is hole punched so that the sleeve may be retained in a loose-leaf ring binder.

Abstract: A combined thermotherapy and electrotherapy technique in which directed toward the skin surface overlying a problem region in the body is a stream of air whose temperature alternates periodically from a high peak to a low value, the duty cycle being such as to allow internal heat transfer to take place in the intervals between successive high temperature peaks, whereby the temperature of the problem region is increased to an elevated level while the skin temperature remains at a tolerable level. Concurrently directed toward the skin surface and penetrating the body region is electromagnetic energy whose therapeutic effect on the problem region is enhanced by its elevated temperature.

Abstract: A cartridge in a book format for accommodating two decks of word-puzzle playing cards. The cartridge includes a top plate and a like base plate simulating the front and rear covers of a book whose inner surfaces, when the book is closed, are then in parallel relation. The top and base plate are interhinged by a slat that simulates the spine of the book. Formed on the inner surface of the base plate are two side-by-side compartments, the two decks of cards being received in these compartments. Formed on the inner surface of the top plate is a rectangular flange within which the two compartments nest when the book is closed, the flange then simulating the pages normally sandwiched between the covers of the book. Printed on the face of each card is a puzzle represented by two words, each having the same number of letters.

Abstract: A track and slide assembly for a sailboat having a mast and a boom, the track being attached to the mast and the slides which ride along the track being each coupled to the luff of a sail. Hence, when the sail is raised on the mast, the slides ride up the track, and when lowered, the slides then ride down the track. Formed in the track along its full length is a slot which extends below the outer face of the track and has a cruciform cross section defining a major channel and a minor channel that intersects the major channel at a point below the face of the track and is at right angles to the major channel.

Abstract: A system including a touch pressure-sensitive transducer and a computer responsive thereto for producing a sentic cycle and for recording touch expression in the course of which cycle different emotions are expressed and generated by applying appropriate finger pressure to the transducer actuator. Stored in the memory of the computer is a set of words representing the different emotions, the computer being programmed to sequentially select these words at timed intervals and to audibly reproduce the selected word. Each word is followed by a series of time-spaced audible start clicks, each commanding the subject when to express with finger pressure on the transducer actuator. The signals yielded by the transducer reflecting vector components of the applied finger pressure are processed in the computer whose display terminal then presents on its screen a sentogram, the shape of which characterizes the emotion sensed by the transducer.

Abstract: A talking, soft football for young children, which when caught by a player then emits an audible voice message or crowd roar sounds appropriate to the game of football. The football is formed by an elliptical casing of flexible plastic enclosing a core of compressible material. Nested in a cavity in the core is an electronic module, access to which is had by way of a longitudinal slit in the casing that is closable by a lacing so that the soft football looks like a regulation football. Housed in the module at one side thereof adjacent the inner surface of the casing are a miniature loudspeaker from which the voice messages and crowd roar sounds are emitted, and a piezoelectric sensor which generates a command signal only when the football is caught by a player and impacts on his hands. Also housed in the module are batteries and an integrated circuit chip powered thereby, the chip being normally quiescent and being activated by the command signal.

Abstract: A rack that may readily be installed in the trunk or cargo compartment of a vehicle, the rack including at least one raised horizontal bar from which one can suspend in a row several loaded plastic-film grocery bags so that the bags then rest on the floor of the trunk or cargo compartment in an upright position with their mouths closed. The plastic film bag has an open mouth and is provided with a pair of upwardly-extending handle loops integral with the opposing sides of the bag. The raised bar has a series of hooks anchored thereon at spaced positions, each hook being formed of a resilient spring wire having a U-shaped bend therein that defines a dilatable clamp. When the loaded grocery bag is carried in one hand by a shopper by its handle loops, the loops then bunch together to form a tail. This tail is pushed into the dilatable clamp of a hook on the bar.

Abstract: A dental X-ray aiming device adapted to place an X-ray film packet having sharp edges at a proper position in the oral cavity of a patient. The device includes a packet holder that serves to shield the sharp edges of the packet to avoid direct contact with tissue within the oral cavity and the resultant discomfort, pain or trauma. The holder is formed by a rectangular frame of resilient plastic material within which the packet is socketed, and a bite block joined to the front of the frame which, when clenched between the teeth of the patient, then places the held film packet behind a tooth region to be examined. The device also includes a distance-calibrated guide rod which is detachably coupled to the bite block, and a sighting ring adapted to receive the nose cone of an X-ray unit, the ring being slidable along the rod to a desired position thereon, whereby an X-ray beam is projected from the nose cone in accurate relationship to the film packet.

Abstract: A figurative toy missile in animal-like or humanoid soft form defined by a head and a torso having appendages extending therefrom. The missile structure is such that when the missile is thrown by a player, it will spin, or execute other excursions in flight, depending on how the appendages are grasped by the player. The torso is formed by an outer fabric casing enclosing a rubber balloon inflated with water, whereby the torso functions as a weighted ball. The head is formed by a shaped, stuffed fabric bag attached to the upper end of the torso casing. The legs and feet are formed by a pair of soft appendages attached to the lower end of the torso casing, and the arms and hands are formed by a pair of soft appendages attached to opposite sides of the torso casing.

Abstract: A self-tapping, screw-type masonry anchor which can readily be turned into a hole drilled in a masonry structure to secure an object thereto, the installed anchor being highly resistant to pull-out forces. The anchor, which is fabricated of hard metal, includes a head engageable by a torque-producing tool to rotate the anchor, and a shank extending therefrom provided with a root section surrounded by a helical male cutting thread whose series of convolutions have sharp crests and extend from the leading to the trailing end of the root section. The crests of the male thread diameters are greater than that of the hole and decrease progressively from the leading to the trailing end to create a reverse taper. When the anchor is screwed into the drilled hole to tap its wall, the large diameter crest at the leading end of the male thread cuts an internal female thread in the wall having convolutions of substantially uniform diameter which intermesh with the reverse-taper convolutions of the male thread.

Abstract: A mold assembly for use by children to produce in a microwave oven plastic play pieces. The assembly includes a mold, non-reactive to microwave energy and is provided with shaped cavities for receiving a flowable, plastic molding composition non-reactive to microwave energy and having a predetermined curing temperature. Underlying the cavities is a thermal heating element formed by microwave energy-absorbing ferrite particles dispersed in an inert matrix. The particles have a Curie point higher than the curing temperature of the molding composition so that the heating element heats the composition in the mold cavities to effect curing and hardening thereof, thereby forming the play pieces. The mold assembly is enclosed within a safety container non-reactive to microwave energy.

Abstract: A low-density, open-cell flexible polyurethane foam body that is modified to impart resilience and enhanced shock-absorbency properties thereto. Modification is effected by implanting in the open cells of the body expandable microspheres having particle sizes in the micron range, each microsphere being formed by a gas proof polymeric shell encapsulating a drop of liquid isobutane. The microspheres are expanded by heat to more than fifty times their initial volume and are entrapped in the open cells of the body. The expanded microspheres are constituted by a soft polymeric shell enclosing a compressible gas, the expanded microspheres behaving as miniature springs dispersed throughout the body.

Abstract: A tamper-proof fastener provided with a threaded shank and a low-profile drive head integral therewith. The drive head has a generally frusto-conical shape defining a circular flat top and a circular base of larger diameter, three short noses separated 120 degrees apart projecting from the sloped side of the drive head. The fastener is installed in a substrate or withdrawn therefrom by means of a tool having a driver head provided with a complementary frusto-conical socket to accommodate the drive head of the fastener, the wall of the socket having recesses therein to receive the noses of the head whereby a torque may be applied thereto.