Abstract: A portable hand held vacuum cleaner is disclosed as having a housing with a handle to lift and operate the vacuum cleaner, and a nozzle/debris container releasably locked to the housing. The housing contains a motor driven blower that draws air and debris (wet or dry) into the nozzle/debris container for depositing the debris therein, while allowing air to be exhausted through the blower and then through the housing to atmosphere. The blower is constructed with first and second jointly rotatable elements having a series of circumferentially spaced blower exhaust passageways and a transversely extending blower passageway adjacent the nozzle/debris container, for increased efficiency. A combined filter and seal is positioned in sealing engagement between the housing and the nozzle/debris container while affording filtering of debris from air between the nozzle/debris container and the blower in the housing.

Abstract: An electric motor is tested by sensing the phase of an alternating current waveform to be applied to the motor, and applying the waveform to the motor in response to the phase of the waveform reaching a preselected value to start the motor. The voltage and current are sampled at predetermined times measured from the application of the waveform to the motor until a predetermined number of voltage and current samples are obtained. Parameter samples are generated from the voltage and current samples, the parameter being a function of the applied voltage and current. The parameter samples are compared with a previously obtained set of reference parameter sample values, the reference sample values having error limits for each reference sample value. The motor is rejected if at least a predetermined number of the parameter samples fall outside the error limits for those particular samples.

Abstract: A facial and body massage apparatus for skin cleansing and exfoliation is disclosed as having an applicator with a handle and a skin cleansing/exfoliation element for contacting the face or body of a user. The skin cleansing/exfoliation element is constructed to rotate about an axis aligned with the handle while also orbiting in a path about the aforementioned rotational axis to re-position the skin cleansing/exfoliation element continuously about the rotational axis during rotation thereof. The method of the present invention includes applying a continuously-rotating skin cleansing/exfoliation element to the facial or body skin of a user, and simultaneously continuously-orbiting same in an orbiting path about the axis of rotation of the skin cleansing/exfoliation element, to provide maximum surface area contact while reducing heat and skin irritation as well as uneven wear of the skin cleansing/exfoliation element.

Abstract: Filter apparatus and method for separating contaminants from a liquid stream through at least a partially submerged liquid pervious rotatable drum under negative pressure and having a flexible filtering web fed therearound with that portion of the drum not contacted by the filtering web being covered by a cover means with the filtering web being guided to enter and exit the liquid stream to contact the pervious rotatable drum at preselected angles to make optimum contact with the rotatable drum.

Abstract: Fluid reservoir structure for supplying treating fluid to be circulated through a fluid system having a fluid pump and quick disconnect fittings associated therewith including a fluid receptacle with quick disconnect fittings adapted to engage with the quick disconnect fittings in the fluid system, the fittings on the fluid receptacle being actuable from a remote location to engage with the fittings in the fluid system during a fluid circulating mode.

Abstract: In combination with a bow having a riser with a generally flat sided cut-away part having an internally threaded passage extending through it, an arrow rest spacer has a shaft with a channel extending axially from the outer end of the shaft, the channel being open at the outer end of the shaft and along at least one axial side of the shaft. A wall of the channel is thicker at an inner part of the channel than it is at the outer end of the channel, to form a shallower channel area in the inner part. The shaft is proportioned to fit closely but slideably in the threaded passage. The shaft is made of a material that is rigid enough to support the arrow rest in use, but elastic enough to permit a threaded plug to form threads in it as it is screwed in, and to expand as the plug moves into the shallower part of the channel.

Abstract: Support structure for a tank wherein an outer peripheral skirt member and an inner peripheral skirt member disposed in the outer skirt member are joined together along their corresponding upper and lower edges to nestingly receive a conforming lower portion of a tank to be supported by the joined together skirt members.

Abstract: Waveforms are derived from each primary of a multi-phase electric distribution system, which derived waveforms include at least a carrier component. At least some of which derived waveforms include a signal component. The waveform of one of the primaries is adjusted in amplitude and phase so that the carrier components of the derived waveforms substantially cancel when the waveforms are summed together.

Abstract: A portable, automatic serving device for table tennis is provided which includes a robot server and ball capture net. The robot includes a serving head which is mounted for rotation with respect to the body along a plurality of axes. The head is provided with balls from a passageway in the robot operatively connected between the head and the base of the robot. A collapsible net is provided for capturing balls returned by a player. The robot is positioned within and cooperates with the net so that return balls are fed automatically to the head. The robot is operated by three motors, which may be controlled individually to serve sequentially a plurality of balls to a player for practice or for sport. The robot construction provides for a variety of ball delivery techniques, all of which are controlled simply during operation.

Abstract: An improved corner for a waterbed mattress includes a first layer of vinyl forming the corner with a seam disposed generally linearly along the corner. The seam is formed of two portions of the vinyl heat welded together along the seam. A second layer or patch of vinyl is welded to the first layer by a weld which encircles and is spaced from the seam in the first layer.

Abstract: A dynamoelectric machine includes a rotor assembly and a stator assembly mounted between endshields. The endshields have axial and radial apertures to assist in motor cooling. A motor shaft extends through one endshield. A mounting plate is provided for mounting the motor. The shaft extends vertically downward through the mounting plate, to which the transmission of a machine also is mounted. A drive pulley is attached to the motor shaft and a driven pulley is attached to the transmission shaft. The pulleys are maintained in planar alignment to permit transfer of power between the pulleys and to minimize belt wear. A second endshield has a bearing housing design which provides a flush endshield surface facing upwards towards the bottom of the machine. Motor height can be varied by increasing stator assembly stack height between the endshields to the extent permitted by the overall space available between the flush surface of the one endshield and the bottom of the machine.

Abstract: An electric motor includes a fan attached to the end of a rotor shaft extending through an opening in an end shield of the motor housing. The fan forces air about the housing to cool the motor components. A motor protector including a temperature sensor is connected to the stator windings and is sensitive to winding temperatures to shut off the motor when the temperatures exceed a predetermined level. A performed strip of material is positioned over the protector in a tent-like form to block flow of cooling air around the protector. Thus, the protector is kept sensitive to the winding temperature, the material block preventing the protector being influenced by the flow of cooling air within the motor.

Abstract: A dynamoelectric machine has a rotor affixed to a shaft which is journaled at each end by a bearing assembly. These elements preferably are assembled in a housing. A simplified system for controlling end movement or end play of the shaft during transport of the motor and motor start-up and coast-down eliminates the need for end play washers normally associated with motor construction. The system includes a stop (3) molded into an endshield of the motor so as to be integrally formed in one end wall of the housing, while a spacer (7), which can bear against the bearing at the other end of the shaft restrains end play in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A drive system for a double-sided floppy disc includes a head for each side of the disc, a stepper motor responsive to stepper motor control signals for moving the heads to predetermined tracks on the floppy disc, and a control circuit for generating the stepper motor control signals in response to commands from the computer. The tracks on the floppy disc are disposed with the first "n" tracks on one side of the floppy disc and the "N+1"st track and remaining tracks on the other side. The "n"th and "n+1"st tracks are disposed adjacent each other along a boundary of the disc but on opposite sides of the disc. The control circuit generates a first predetermined sequence of stepper motor control signals to move the first head in the direction from the preceding tracks toward the "n"th track and a second predetermined sequence of stepper motor control signals to move the second head in the direction from the "n+1"st track to succeeding tracks.

Abstract: Outbound signals carried over an electric power network are detected and crosstalk is rejected by sampling the waveform in three segments of each cycle. In the first segment valid signals are always absent. Valid signals appear at the same time in both the second and third segments. Sample waveform values from alternate half cycles are compared to detect differences indicative of outbound signal information. The energy in each of the three segments is compared with an energy threshold for that segment and a cycle under test is rejected when the energy in the first segment exceeds the threshold for that first segment. A cycle under test is also rejected if the energy in the third segment greatly exceeds the energy in the second segment. Signal detection thresholds for both signal strength and energy in the segments are set recursively using actual samples acquired at the outbound detection site. These thresholds are sensitive to dynamic network changes.

Abstract: An improved shaft mounted rotor assembly for an electric motor and method of manufacturing the same wherein a plurality of arcuate permanent magnets are positioned in angularly related adjacent positions to surround the outer periphery of a shaft mountable rotor core and a plastic molded sleeve encapsulates the exposed outer peripheral surfaces of the magnets to secure them in fast position on the core.

Abstract: A system for determining rotor position information from the back emf of a permanent magnet motor includes extracting the third harmonic from the back emf of the motor by summing the terminal voltages of the motor. The phase angle of the third harmonic of the back emf is a function of the position of the rotor, and a signal is produced when the phase angle of the third harmonic (measured with respect to the voltage on the neutral conductor of the motor) reaches a predetermined angle. Electronically controlled switches selectively apply power to the phase windings of the motor in response to the detection of predetermined phase angles of the third harmonic.

Abstract: A dynamoelectric machine comprises a housing (H), a rotatable shaft (S) installed in the housing and a bearing (B) in which the shaft is journaled. The bearing is installed in the housing adjacent each end wall (W) thereof. A bearing retainer (3) fits over the bearing and contacts an inner portion (7) of the end wall to hold the bearing in position. The retainer includes fingers (21) for self-aligning the retainer with the bearing and for maximum control and flow of lubricant along each end and outer surface of the bearing.

Abstract: A digital synthesizer includes an input transducer for accepting input signals from a musician representing at least the desired fundamental pitch and timbre. The synthesizer has timbre storing circuitry for storing data representing a plurality of selectable timbres, including relative pitch data for a plurality of sets of partials and a plurality of sets of amplitude data, the partials and the amplitudes being independently selectable. Waveform determining circuitry determines sequential values of the musical waveform in real time from the timbre data, from the timbre selected by the musician, and from the pitch selected by the musician. The waveform determining circuitry includes a first adder for additively determining the phase of each partial of the selected timbre and is responsive to the relative partial pitch data to determine that phase.

Abstract: A retrieval and sequencing system, preferably in the form of a tape cassette library is disclosed for automatically playing magnetic tape cassettes, such as video cassettes in regular television programming as well as spot broadcasting. The system includes a rotary cassette carousel for supporting, guiding and releasably receiving cassettes of the same or different size within cassette pockets. A multi-axis cassette transfer robot with a multi-axis cassette arm and associated gripper elements operates to automatically select and transfer cassettes from the rotary cassette carousel to a video cassette machine for playing or recording on cassettes, all of which are controlled and operated by a computer based programmable control system. One cassette is carried by one of the cassette gripper elements for loading into a video tape machine.