Abstract: A motor driven compressor is supplied with power from a battery and supplies compressed air at the outlet of an air hose. Compressed air via the hose is supplied to a lifting device, for example a bellows of an invalid seat assembly. In the apparatus the output of the compressor is passed through a non-return valve so that when the compressor is turned off supplied air cannot bleed back through the compressor. A pressure switch breaks the electrical circuit should pressure build up excessively at the output. Additionally, an air dump valve is provided to enable pressure in the output line to be vented to atmosphere. Operation of the compressor is controlled by a hand control.

Abstract: A method of memorializing a living being produces an inscribed image having a shaped surface. The method comprises cremating the expired remains of a living being to produce a resultant particulate ash product. A mixture of moldable materials is prepared and adapted for forming a molded object. At least a portion of the resultant particulate ash product is blended with the mixture of particulate moldable materials to produce a moldable product. The moldable product is then formed as an image having a shaped surface. The shaped image is processed to produce a rigid object consisting of permanently bonded particulate ash product and moldable materials. The shaped surface is then inscribed with indicia descriptive of the identity of the living being from which the resultant ash product has been obtained. In a specific embodiment, the living being is an animal such as a dog, a cat, a bird and the like.

Abstract: An automatic manipulator capable of performing various programs and adaptively controlled operations with respect to work including operations on work. Automatic tool changing means are provided wherein the manipulator changes tools with respect to its tool holding fixture, tool head or heads. In one form, a plurality of tools to be used are supported on a rack adjacent the manipulator and the manipulator is automatically operated to effect the uncoupling of one or more tools from its operating head and the coupling of one or more tools with respect to such operating head. In another form, the tools are supported by the manipulator itself and the manipulator is automatically controlled to effect the transfer of tools between its operating head and a storage location for the tools. In a third form, tool heads themselves are automatically changed and received either from storage on the manipulator or adjacent the manipulator.

Abstract: Drug units are targeted to blood clot matter and release blood clot dissolving material for dissolving the blood clot to allow its subsequent removal from the blood vessel in the body of a living being. In a specific embodiment, drug units are formed of antifibrin antibodies and a blood clot dissolving agent encapsulated in a microcontainer or capsule to which such antibody is attached for release at the site of a targeted blood clot in an artery or vein.

Abstract: A surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) assembly comprises a radiant energy source for directing a beam of radiant energy toward a target microbase. The target microbase includes a substrate, a roughened surface layer contiguously disposed on the substrate, and a sample-adsorption surface layer contiguously disposed on the first roughened layer. The sample-adsorption surface layer is effective to enhance a scattered Raman signal intensity for adsorbates adjacent the sample-adsorption surface layer by a factor of greater than 10.sup.6 times. The sample-adsorption surface includes a plurality of submicron needles having a length of at least 3500 angstroms and a width of at least 500 angstroms. A method for manufacturing the target microbase comprises the steps of contiguously depositing on a substrate the first roughened layer having a deposited thickness of at least 1700 angstroms.

Abstract: The carriage of the present invention includes front and rear legs pivotally mounted to a frame. The front legs include first roller members mounted to carry the frame along a first directional path and steering roller members are mounted to the rear legs for carrying the frame along a plurality of directional paths to effect steering of the carriage. In addition to the first roller means, the front legs include front steering roller members which are also mounted to carry the frame along a plurality of directional paths transverse to the first directional path to effect steering at the front of the carriage. The front legs may be locked in a plurality of pivotal positions in which the front end of the carriage will rest either only on the first roller members or the front steering roller members.

Abstract: A workpiece manipulator assembly for a forging press having a press ram comprises a workpiece rotating mechanism including a rotary drive system for rotating a workpiece in peripheral direction. The rotary drive system is operated by a drive motor running at a preselected constant speed to rotate the workpiece about an axis of rotation. An arresting assembly stops the rotary movement of the workpiece before and during a pressure contact phase for the press ram. The rotary drive system is adapted to rotate a driven worm which produces rotary movement to the workpiece rotating means and is mounted for axial displacement. The arresting assembly includes an axial drive unit for predeterminably controlling axial displacement of the driven worm to effect the arresting of said rotary movement.

Abstract: Wheelchair apparatus which is manually separable into four main units namely a lifting device, a seat unit, a wheeled chassis and a portable battery/compressor unit, of which the device and unit can be employed as static lifting apparatus, e.g. a bath-lift, when the unit and the chassis are detached; and the chassis has hand operated wheel-brakes and an automatic actuating mechanism to apply the brakes when the seat is raised.

Abstract: A personal identification system and a method for verifying a person presenting a record member such as a credit card or other member so as to eliminate fraud from the procedure. The record member or card contains invisible magnetic recordings of a full frame video picture signal and code defining signal recordings which, when reproduced by transducer sensing, may be employed to operate a motor or solenoid for access to a room or building. The video picture signal may contain image information derived from scanning the face of the person presenting the record member, his signature or other physical characteristic, which may be used to modulate an image generating device such as a cathode ray tube and present such image for verification. The reproduced code signal may also be employed for verification by matching same with another code generated by keyboard or from a memory. In another form, the recordings on the record member may be derived from a microphone into which the person to be identified speaks.

Abstract: The assembly for stacking articles comprises a conveyor for moving articles along a conveying path having a lifting work station, a storing work station and a stacking work station. The conveyor has an incoming end and a discharging end with a lifting mechanism for lifting an article from the conveyor at the lifting work station. A storage assembly is located along the path for storing the lifted article at a location above the path. A removing mechanism then removes the stored article and places it onto another article moving along the path at the stacking work station. The method includes lifting a package at the lifting work station and carrying it to the storage work station. Another package is then conveyed along the path beneath the first package disposed at the storage work station. The stored package is then removed from the storage work station onto the package passed therebeneath thereby stacking the stored package onto the lower package located at the stacking work station.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for magnetically transducing information with respect to select portions of selected of a multitude of parallel record tracks on an elongated magnetic record member such as a flexible magnetic belt which is supplied from a coiled formation thereof stored in an elongated magazine or cartridge. The magazine is removably secured in or against a housing containing transducing means and means for automatically engaging a free end of the magnetic belt and driving same from its housing along a select path to position a select portion of the length of the belt at a transducing location. A magnetic transducer is automatically aligned with a select track of the belt and is driven along such select track while it is energized to either record information along or reproduce previously recorded information from the select portion of the select track of the belt.

Abstract: A method for scanning and generating image information includes generating a radiation beam and scanning an image field containing variable image information. Optical variations are detected in the image field, with electro-optical detection means to produce electrical control signals. The electrical control or detection signals are compared with information obtained from recordings in a memory. When an operable match is effected between select of the electrical detection signals and the information recorded in the memory, a coded electrical control signal is generated.

Abstract: The walking beam assembly of the forging presses operates in several movement phases including a lifting movement, advance movement, lowering movement, opening movement, return movement, and closing movement. Step motors control driving members which perform individual moving processes in the individual movement phases. In turn, driving member processors drive the step motors by frequencies changing with time. When the velocity or frequency of the step motors are plotted on the ordinate of a graph and time along the abscissa of the graph, a trapezoidal graph form is produced along the time (t) line of the graph for each of the movement phases. Each trapezoidal form includes a rising flank and a falling flank with some of the flanks for adjacent driving member phase movement overlapping in time. The opening and return movement phases form a fixed cycle having a length predetermined and constant for all cycle lengths.

Abstract: Composite materials are in the form of particles, such as bits and short filaments, and combinations of such particles with matrix materials forming high strength, wear and corrosion resistant materials and may be shaped to define cutting tools, dies, mold components, electrodes, bearing components, finishing tools and the like. Structures include substrates and synthetic diamond particles encapsulated therein or bonded thereto have superior grinding, cutting and finishing characteristics. Particles are in the form of microbits, spheroids, single crystals, short narrow filaments and metal whiskers coated with synthetic diamond formed with a core of graphite, metal, metal compounds, metal alloys, ceramic, cermet, glass and composites thereof. Filaments and bits are coated with a lubricating film of wear resistant metal.

Abstract: Electrical apparatus comprising an appliance, a stand to support the appliance and an electrical connector device which can be selectively coupled mechanically to either the appliance or the stand, by coupling means incorporating a bistable mechanism so that the appliance can be used selectively in a corded manner or a cordless manner.

Abstract: A bullet primarily composed of a filler powder embedded in a wax-based matrix, the powder comprising metal particles; the bullet being designed to disrupt upon impact.

Abstract: A multi-ram forging assembly has a piston-cylinder unit for driving each ram carrying a forging tool wherein at least two diametrically opposed forging unit simultaneously act on a workpiece. Each piston-cylinder unit comprises a pressurized inlet chamber for containing a hydraulic pressure fluid at a predetermined pressure behind a piston movably disposed in the cylinder. The piston includes a front-end ram carrying a forging tool. A valve including a valve seat member is disposed on the piston at a rear side opposite to the front-end ram. A valve cone cooperates with the valve seat member to provide a closed position and an open position for the valve. An actuator is connected to move the valve cone between the closed and open positions. The piston includes a passage bore extending from the valve seat member to a pressure fluid discharge chamber connected to a hydraulic pressure fluid reservoir container providing a pressureless discharge of the pressure fluid medium.

Abstract: Lead with a low alpha particle emission is produced by selecting an orebody wherein lead mineral is present in a coarsely disseminated form and substantially free of impurities. The ore is selected from a host rock that is relatively low in alpha emitters, such as a carbonate rock. The ore is mined and is milled such that the lead mineral can be separated from the host rock and any other minerals. The ground ore may be screened into one or more fractions having a narrow range of particle sizes. Each fraction is formed into a fluid suspension, and each suspension is subjected to gravity separation to remove the host rock and any other minerals which substantially contain the alpha particle-emitting substances, and to recover the lead mineral as a concentrate with a low alpha count. The lead concentrate is subjected to a suitable smelting operation, without the introduction of alpha emitters for the recovery of a low alpha lead.