Abstract: A hollow, tube-shaped ball bat having a damping core made a tube of brass wrapped in a resilient sleeve made from polystyrene closed cell foam is disclosed. The damping core is forcibly inserted into the interior of the hollow bat by compressing the resilient sleeve. When assembled into the bat, the resilient sleeve is under great compression. Furthermore, the tubing wall forming the bat is relatively thin to transmit the impact of the ball to the resilient sleeve. The processes to obtain a damped core bat are also disclosed. A tube is provided which is swaged to form a barrel portion, a tapered portion, and a handle portion. The resilient sleeve is compressed and inserted into the open top of the tube. Alternatively, the damping core is inserted into the tube and the inner damper which has a tube structure is expanded radially to compress the resilient sleeve between it and the tube wall. The top of the tube is covered by a cap and the bottom of the tube is enclosed with a knob.

Abstract: A magnetically balanced spinning apparatus having an upright rotating shaft assembly that is balanced by circumscribing magnets is disclosed. The rotating shaft assembly is constructed from a single shaft with at least two magnets mounted thereon in a spaced apart relationship. The rotating shaft assembly is balanced on a pivot point at the bottom and spins on a weight bearing surface. A frame having side support magnets generally circumscribes the rotating shaft assembly wherein the support magnets and the rotating magnets of the rotating shaft assembly react to repel each other thereby balancing the rotating shaft assembly in a vertical orientation, and simultaneously levitating the rotating shaft assembly to minimize the effects of gravity thereon.

Abstract: A manually powered fastening tool that stores and instantly releases the energy of a spring such that it forces a staple or other fastener into an object by an impact blow, wherein the operating handle is hinged near the end of the tool body opposite the end from which the staples exit. A staple ejecting plunger is unstably linked to spring actuating levers such that with the removal of a light holding force, the plunger and actuating levers are de-linked. The tool housing comprises a cantilevered rear profile.

Abstract: An accelerometer is fabricated by forming a proofmass and at least one associated hinge in a silicon substrate by ion implantation and the formation of an oxide support layer below the proofmass, subsequently integrally bonding two complementary proofmass and substrate structures together, and then removing the oxide support layer to leave the proofmass supported by the hinge within the body of silicon material. The proofmass may be electrically connected to a lead extending through an etched recess in one of the substrates; and the proofmass may be electrically isolated or separated from the substrates by an oxide layer and by a change in conductivity type of the semiconductor material where the hinge is structurally mounted to the substrates.

Abstract: A digital force balanced instrument such as an accelerometer that incorporates a directly digital electrostatic forcer with servo loop plates charged by a digital feedback loop is disclosed. The accelerometer has a proofmass electrode suspended in a cantilever configuration between electrodes on either side thereof, which proofmass is displaced upon acceleration. Each side electrode includes a plurality of electrostatic plates sized in binarily weighted multiples of area. An induced signal in the proofmass electrode is quantized via A/D converter in the feedback loop, which activates the appropriate number of plates to force the proofmass to an initial position.

Abstract: An accelerometer is fabricated by forming a proofmass and at least one associated hinge in a silicon substrate through a variety of a etching and bonding processes is disclosed. The processes entail ion implantation and formation of an oxide support layer below the proofmass, integrally bonding two complementary proofmass and substrate structures together, and then removing the oxide support layer to leave the proofmass supported by the hinge within the body of silicon material. The proofmass may be electrically connected to a lead extending through an etched recess in one of the substrates, and the proofmass may be electrically isolated or separated from the substrates by an oxide layer and by a change in conductivity type of the semiconductor material wherein the hinge is structurally mounted to the substrates. In a bond and etch back process, the wafer is processed, sawed in half, and then bonded together again wherein the complementary halves are joined to obtain the finished accelerometer.