Abstract: A reversible fragrance emitting unit adapted to rest on a table or other flat surface in either an upright position in which the rate of fragrance emission is low, or in an upside down position in which the emission rate is high, the unit having the same attractive outward appearance in either state. The unit consists of a fenestrated open-ended shell having a decorative form whose inlet and outlet ends are attached to inlet and outlet boxes of like dimensions, both having bottom walls. The inlet box has an open top, whereas the outlet box is closed by a top wall to define an internal chamber which extends through the shell between the bottom wall of the inlet box and the top wall of the outlet box.

Abstract: A disposable protective gown useable in a medical environment, the gown being fabricated of a single blank of non-woven synthetic fabric sheeting having a generally rectangular form. Cut into the short ends of the blanks in opposing relation are elongated triangular notches whose lower edges extend along an intermediate longitudinal axis which divides the blank into upper and lower sections. The free ends of the lower section are folded in on vertical fold lines to define a pair of rear flaps. The upper section is provided with a central neck opening having a slit therein to admit the head of the wearer, the upper section being folded down along a horizontal fold line extending through the diameter of this opening to define a rear fold. The margin of the rear fold is ultrasonically seamed to the upper edges of the notches to create outstretched sleeves and to the upper edges of the rear flaps to form the rear panel of a gown which can be slipped over the head of the wearer.

Abstract: A detachable holder for immobilizing a flexible tubing at a site adjacent its point of connection to a medical device inserted in a patient to feed a therapeutic fluid into a vein or artery or to withdraw fluid from the patient. The holder is formed by a flexible plastic strip having upstanding end wings provided with snap-in key hole slots in axial alignment. These slots are adapted to receive a short section of the tubing which then bridges the wings and is held thereby. Attached to the underside of the strip is one component of a hook and loop fabric fastener whose other component is bonded to the outer face of an adhesive tape. By adhering the tape to the skin of the patient at a position adjacent the inserted medical device and then fastening the holder thereto, one is able to immobilize the tubing to prevent a tug thereon from displacing the inserted medical device.

Abstract: A disposable surgical clip-on light pipe illumination assembly constituted by a manually-operated clamp adapted to clip onto an abdominal or other tissue wall surrouding a surgical site. The clamp is provided with a holder to retain a short, flexible light pipe at a position at which the front section of the pipe which terminates in an optical outlet projects into the surgical site. The rear end of the pipe terminates in an optical inlet coupled to a light source whereby light transmitted through the pipe is discharged from its optical outlet into the site. The front section of the pipe is sheathed in a bendable sleeve having dead soft characteristics, thereby making it possible for the surgeon, by bending the sleeve, to orient the light outlet to direct the light emanating therefrom toward a desired region of the surgical site.

Abstract: A display rack and color selector assembly adapted to present to a homeowner a group of sample boards carrying actual roof shingles in a variety of colors and to afford a visual picture of a typical home whose architectural style is similar to that of the homeowner, the roof of the pictured home being selectively covered by a shingled surface in any one of the sample colors. The color selector includes a front panel on whose face is a radial array of pictures of typical homes in different architectural style, the roof in each picture being notched out to define a window whose geometry matches that of the roof. Mounted behind the panel is a rotatable color wheel which is divided into segments each having a shingled surface whose color corresponds to that of a respective sample in the group.

Abstract: A collapsible hand carrier for bottles of standard size. When fully erected, the carrier has a box-like form and an internal array of cells to accommodate the bottles. The structure of the carrier is formed of flexible panel material and is defined by a pair of side panels provided with complementary handle extensions, a pair of end panels hingedly joined to the end edges of the side panels, and a bottom panel hingedly joined to the bottom edges of the side panels and disconnected from the end panels. The end and bottom panels each include a center fold to create a gusset whereby the carrier may readily be collapsed into the flat state for storage or shipment, or expanded into the erected state for use as a carrier. Cut into each corner of the carrier formed at the junctions of the side and end panels is a pair of parallel slots.

Abstract: A test probe assembly for checking an integrated circuit chip before terminal leads are applied to the contacts thereof which are deployed on the chip in a common plane. The assembly includes a planar insulation card provided with a port and having a printed circuit thereon whose traces are connected to a plurality of test terminals connectable to external testing equipment. Surrounding the port and bonded to the card is a mounting ring of dielectric material having a flat face on which is supported a radial array of fine wires lying in a horizontal plane. These are maintained in their assigned positions by a layer of dielectric material adherent to the face, the wires being embedded in the layer. The wires cantilever across the port and converge toward the central region thereof below which is disposed the chip to be tested, the tapered leading end of each wire being double bent to define a needle having a shank section and a tip section terminating in a tip which engages a respective contact on the chip.

Abstract: A compact unit adapted to remove particulate contaminants from the atmosphere of a room and at the same time to render the atmosphere more pleasing. The unit is provided with a casing that includes a cylindrical flow tube through which the air to be purified is drawn by means of a suction fan at the outlet end of the tube. Attachable to the inlet end of the tube is a series of inter-coupled filter rings which are progressively graded to remove more or less coarse particles. The last filter ring in the series is constituted by a porous disc impregnated with a volatile aromatic liquid which is volatilized by the forced air stream to impart a fragrance thereto. Intermediate the inlet and outlet of the tube is an electrostatic precipitator constituted by a negatively-charged ionizer electrode and a positively-charged tubular collector which act to extract residual fine particles from the air stream, whereby the air returned to the atmosphere from the outlet is substantially free of contaminants and is fragrant.

Abstract: An electro-inertial precipitator unit for removing particulate contaminants from a gaseous stream passing through a collector tube having a discharge electrode coaxially disposed therein to establish an electrostatic field between the electrode and a downwardly-flowing water film on the inner surface of the tube. The gaseous stream is introduced tangentially into an upper inlet section of the tube to impart a swirling motion thereto, the water being supplied to an annular inlet slot just below the gas inlet section. Because of the centrifugal force generated by the cyclonic motion, the particles in the gaseous stream are urged to migrate toward the water film, this migration being further promoted by the electrostatic force acting on the particles which are charged with ions in the field. Air is blown over the surface of the upper lip of the water inlet slot to prevent wetting of this surface and the deposition of dust therein.

Abstract: A toy vehicle having a rear hitching element engageable by a dynamic coupler at one end of a sled-type trailer which may be more or less loaded by a player. The coupler is attached to a spring-biased piston slidable within a box projecting from the trailer whereby the extent to which the piston is withdrawn from the box when the trailer is hauled by the work vehicle depends on the magnitude of the load placed on the trailer. Operatively coupled to the piston is a load-indicating meter whose reading not only tells the player how great a load has been placed on the trailer, but also indicates the ability of the vehicle to haul this load, for the meter pointer will not move beyond the point at which the vehicle is stalled.

Abstract: A single-action ultra-thin cigarette lighter in a card-like format having a taper terminating in a blade-shaped bottom edge making it possible to wedge the lighter between the corresponding faces of the inner and outer wrappers of a standard crushable cigarette pack to serve as a stiffener therefor without significant deformation of the pack. The lighter includes a narrow reservoir for liquefied gas having front and rear walls whose width approaches that of the wrapper faces and whose length is somewhat shorter, the walls being inclined to form the taper. Mounted on top of the reservoir to seal the liquefied gas therein is a similarly narrow lighter assembly that includes a spark generator, a valve having an inlet extending into the reservoir below, and a movable hollow stem which is normally held in a closed position.

Abstract: A localized thermotherapy technique in which heated air is so projected onto a limited surface area on the body of a patient overlying a problem region as to bring about the rapid transfer of heat energy toward this region to raise the temperature thereof without, however, causing undue discomfort or injury to the patient. In apparatus for practicing this technique, air heated to a temperature well above normal body temperature is projected as a high velocity wind toward the limited surface area in a pulsatory thermal-wave pattern, thereby subjecting the area to high-temperature, high-velocity air pulses separated by lower air temperature, relatively static intervals. As a consequence, rapid heat transfer takes place through the body tissue during these intervals, this inward transfer acting to reduce the temperature at the surface to a degree preventing an undue rise thereof.

Abstract: A cartridge-type aroma percolator for wafting fragrance into the atmosphere at a relatively high rate. The percolator includes a cylindrical container having a vented cap and a base provided with a raised hub housing an electric heater. Telescopically inserted into the container is a replaceable cartridge having a can whose base has a reentrant socket that complements and receives the hub. Placed adjacent the upper end of the can is a liquid-permeable toroidal insert incorporating a pad of porous material, the insert defining therebelow a chamber having a pool therein of an aqueous solution of a volatile liquid fragrance. A tube coaxial with the can extends through the hollow core of the barrier, the tube inlet being immersed in the pool adjacent the socket, the tube outlet being above the barrier.

Abstract: A technique for stabilizing an insulating liner formed of thermoplastic material which is injection molded onto the inner surface of a metal spool having a cylindrical body provided with end flanges, an annular gap being created between the liner and the spool body due to differential shrinkage between the liner and the body as the molded liner cools and solidifies. In order to fill this gap to prevent a change in the inner diameter of the liner when the liner is subjected to the pressure of a fluid flowing therethrough, the spool body is provided with ports which extend between the exterior and interior surfaces thereof. These ports are sealed during the injection-molding process by removable plugs. After injection-molding, the plugs are removed and a thermosetting resin is introduced into one of the ports until the gap is filled as evidenced by the fact that the resin begins to rise in the other ports, the resin then being cured to solidify the filler.

Abstract: A hygienic dispenser for hard candies and medicaments in wafer form, each package of which is constituted by a stack of such wafers protectively sealed in an inner foil wrapper to create a roll that is surrounded by a removable outer sleeve. The dispenser includes a tubular container for receiving the roll through its open end and to seat it on an axially-advanceable platform which urges the roll upwardly. Covering the open end of the container and pivoted thereto is a cap whose thickness corresponds to that of a wafer. The cap is laterally swingable to a cocked position in which the open end is uncovered to release the roll which is then advanced by the platform to engage a visor projecting from the top of the cap, thereby exposing the uppermost wrapped wafer. When the cap is swung back to again cover the open end, it acts to sever the wrapper and discharge the uppermost wafer, the next wafer in the roll then engaging the cap in readiness for the next operation.

Abstract: A make up kit for storing an assortment of different cosmetics and applicators therefor in a highly compact case having a hinged cover. Nested in the case is a rectangular tray divided by a ridge into a front compartment for accommodating the applicators and a rear compartment for receiving a row of replaceable holders each carrying a supply of a different cosmetic such as pressed powder or mascara. The holders are dimensioned to snap into the rear compartment and to fit snugly between the ridge and the rear wall of the tray. Formed on the rear end of each holder is a tongue which projects from the base and is socketed within a complementary slot in the rear wall of the tray. The top of the holder includes a projecting front ledge which overlies the ridge to define a thumb piece to facilitate removal of the holder from its compartment. Below the ledge on the front end of the holder is a detent which engages the side of the ridge to retain the holder in place.

Abstract: A motorized toy car which upon frontal impact with an obstruction simulates a crash and its consequences. The wheeled car has a chassis, a body thereon defined by a front hood section having a simulated bumper prow, an intermediate cockpit section accommodating a hinged side door, and a rear trunk section having a trunk lid hinged thereon. The intermediate and rear sections are rigid and attached to the chassis, whereas the front section is resilient and free of the chassis. Slidable along the chassis is a sled whose front end is attached to the prow, a coil spring urging the sled to a retracted position in which the front section is deformed to assume a crushed appearance. The side door and the trunk lid are operatively coupled to the sled so that swinging them from their fully open to their closed positions advances the sled against the spring to an extended position which is held by a spring-biased detent and in which the car has a normal appearance.

Abstract: A free chlorine analyzer including a probe immersible in chlorinated water having oxygen dissolved therein, the analyzer being adapted to continuously and accurately measure the concentration of free chlorine in the water without regard to its oxygen content. The probe includes a noble metal measuring electrode, an oxidizable metal counter electrode and an electrolyte which in combination with the electrodes defines an electrochemical cell whose output current depends on the amount of the chlorine passing into the cell through a diffusion membrane permeable to this gas. The cell is connected through one or more serially-connected diodes operating in the forward direction to an output resistor across which is produced a voltage that depends on chlorine concentration. The voltage drop across the diodes impresses a potential on the cell which causes it to operate in a current limiting range and renders it insensitive to the oxygen content of the chlorinated water.

Abstract: An ultrasonic, echo-ranging instrument for measuring the level of liquid in an open channel or tank. The instrument includes a transducer disposed at a fixed position directly above the liquid surface, the nature of the gaseous environment therebetween determining the velocity of ultrasonic energy propagated therethrough. The transducer is excited to emit periodic pulses which are intercepted by the liquid surface and by a reference point a fixed distance from the transducer to produce both reference and liquid echo pulses that are returned to the transducer and detected thereby. The respective transit times of the reference echo and the liquid echo pulses are determined, and the ratio between these transit times is computed to provide an output representing the level of liquid independent of changes in the gaseous environment. To ensure accurate readings, the reference echo and liquid echo pulses from the transducer are fed to a single automatic gain control circuit whose operation is time shared.