Abstract: A pen flower comprises an artificial flower head attached to the cap end of a writing instrument and flower stem-like appearing material, such as floral wrap, wrapped around the writing instrument to re-design a writing instrument, such as a standard ball point pen, into the appearance of a flower. The pen flower further comprises a flower pot containing smooth spherical elements such as marbles or beads. A plurality of flower pens are placed in the spherical elements in the flower pot with the flowers on at least some of the instruments being located outside the pot whereby the writing instruments are held in the flower pot in a manner which produces an appearance of a potted flower while also allowing each writing instrument to be easily removed from the pot for use and replaced into the pot to re-establish the potted flower effect.

Abstract: A mop and mop shield or cover is described in which the mop shield is slideably mounted on the handle of a mop, and capable of being lowered over the head of the mop to protect it from damage. The protective shield can also be marked, so as to enable a person to identify the purpose for which the mop has been used.

Abstract: A dart game simulates an automobile race, such as NASCAR or INDYCAR. The players throw darts at a target board and follow instructions in areas of the target board according to where the dart landed. Each of the players has a game piece that is located on a scoreboard that is shaped to simulate a race track and is divided into a plurality of steps. The target board is also divided into a pit area. Each game piece is moved in accordance with the instructions found on the target board. A player can move in the track area only if his game piece is permitted on the track. A game piece is removed from the track if the player strikes an area on the target board that contains instructions which require the game piece to be moved into the pit. The player can only exit the pit if he has struck an area that has instructions that permit him to move out of the pits. The game continues until one player has completed a preset number of laps and crosses a start/finish line first.

Abstract: A strap unit secures a patient to a table during surgery. The strap unit includes a pad which is interposed between the patient and a strap and the strap has grommets through which screws from clamps fit to securely hold the strap in place. The clamps can be placed anywhere on the operating table so the strap unit can be easily and expeditiously positioned in the most advantageous location. The unit further includes shims which are interposed between the strap and the table adjacent to the clamps to ensure proper and secure positioning of the unit with respect to the patient and operating room personnel. An over-center buckle closes the strap over the patient while allowing easy and secure placement of the strap on the patient.

Abstract: A payment processing method and system is described which involves serially processing remittance documents, e.g. financial instruments, remittances, and associated documents obtained from diverse sources, electronically scanning the financial instruments and other remittance documents, thereby converting the information contained thereon into a digital format. The digital information is passed through a series of software programs and associated hardware that read the scanned financial instruments, remittances, and other documents, and compares the information obtained with preexisting information about the payor, detects errors, and the like automatically, with minimal human intervention. It also allows the information to be corrected and passed to a check encoding machine or process which imparts desired information on said checks before they are sent to a bank for deposit.