Abstract: A guide for aligning pickets during the building of a picket fence. The guide having a picket stand to attach to a first end of an alignment beam. The guide having a beam stand to attach to a second end of the alignment beam. A method is also disclosed to construct the picket fence.

Abstract: A standard ceiling recessed lighting fixture can be modified to a low-slung AC or DC light fixture with a screw-in extension rod. The extension rod with bulb can be used to light a restaurant table or a pool table or a workbench and the like. A series of extension rods can be screwed together for a desired length.

Abstract: A non-battery operated rotating light and/or noise making toy apparatus is disclosed. The system includes a handle to which is connected an electro-mechanical LED power generation chamber. One or more LEDs are electronically connected to the power generation chamber. The power generation chamber contains a series of gears that drive a magnet through a rotational frequency dependent on the gear ratio. The magnet, in turn, induces a current into an induction coil with each rotation of the magnet as it rotates in a circular fashion via its positive and negative poles. The induced current consists of a positive and negative current. Current is fed into one or more LEDs or any type module such as a noisemaker, creating a standing pattern lighting effect and/or noisemaker. The frequency of the lighting of one LED is a function of the gear ratio with respect to the primary gear rotation to magnet rotation.

Abstract: A filled plastic bag may contain insulation. The bags are stacked in a loader. A pair of reciprocating arms rotate a bottom-most bag causing that bag to fall through an opening of a base. A conveyor receives the bag and moves it through a transverse knife and a longitudinal knife. Once the bottom of the bag is slit into quadrants, a pair of gripper wheels peel the bag off. The bag's contents fall into a hopper of a blower.

Abstract: A shoulder harness is made of straps forming a figure eight having a criss-cross strap configuration, in one embodiment, across a user's back. Two loops are formed which hang under the user's arms. The loops may be threaded into slots on the top of a wide tension buckle, which is centered in front of the user. A webbed lift strap about five-inches wide is threaded into the base of the tension buckle. A second user threads the opposite end of the lift strap into the base of the second user's tension buckle. The lift strap is placed under a load and carried by the two users over rough surfaces that dolly wheels could not handle. Another embodiment includes a central ring to join three or more users' straps together. Another embodiment is a shoulder harness made of vertically hanging straps.

Abstract: In trains a dragging air hose can snag an object on the tracks and break. A broken air hose can lead to an emergency stop or an accident caused by faulty brakes. The present invention mounts a video camera opposite a lit screen, thereby contrasting the air hose profile against a white screen in all weather and lighting conditions. Machine vision algorithms locate the air hose in a captured image from a moving train, and compute its lowest point. An alarm condition is sent to a remote location. An optional car gap detector is laser based. It helps align the car gap with the data capture for the camera. Another subsystem can include a car coupler height detection algorithm.

Abstract: A toy car, boat, tank, truck, airplane and the like is made with two inter-connecting parts. The parts fit over a standard skate boot (roller-skate, in-line skate, etc.). Thus a toy is shown having an interconnecting front and rear module, which slips over a standard skate boot. Battery powered lights are shown.

Abstract: A lightning termination preventer (LTP) system to prevent the termination of a lightning stroke within a protected area is disclosed. The LTP system may comprise one or more ionizer arrays located above a protected area. The ionizer arrays are electrically connected to a grounding system and may comprise an essentially flat surface with a plurality of vertical ionizer protrusions. The ionizer protrusions may comprise a blunt distal end. The ionizer arrays may comprise a variety of shapes and may also comprise a short skirt. The radius of protection of a single ionizer array may be estimated. Additionally, the area protected by a plurality of ionizer arrays may be estimated.