Abstract: A personal hygiene fixture is provided as a retrofit unit designed to mount directly onto a toilet tank inlet, being interposed in the fresh water supply line where it attaches to the tank. The appliance has a diversion valve which diverts water from the supply line to a tube leading to an irrigation nozzle mounted to the underside of the toilet seat. The knob controlling the irrigation is part of the valve, and is thus rigidly mounted to the tank fill valve so that it is easy to install and operate. A second diversion valve with a flexible line leading to a douche wand can also be incorporated in the valve unit to provide a dual-function hygiene appliance.

Abstract: A ball preferably configured to resemble a sports ball such as a golf ball has a lightweight shell with a relatively heavy mass anchored eccentrically to the inside of the shell to establish a serious non-spherically-symmetric weight distribution. The ball preferably comes with a sloped platform-defining stand, with both the stand and the ball having frictional surfaces so that the ball will rest on the surface without sliding and will not roll down due to the stability established by the eccentric weight. The ball thus stably seated on a sloped plane has an intriguing, unnatural appearance that captures the attention of onlookers.

Abstract: A hypodermic injection system utilizes disposable medicament ampules having self-contained needles operated by a re-useable actuator to extend the needle from complete enclosure within the ampule out and into the flesh and inject the medicament as it moves, the needle automatically retracting into the disposable ampule after exhausting its contents, completely eliminating any need to handle the exposed needle before or after use. The post-injection needle retraction operation is powered by the reuseable actuator, avoiding the expense of prior devices which incorporate the retraction mechanism in the disposable ampule. The invention is useful to health professionals and also of particular utility to diabetics and others who must regularly self-inject.

Abstract: A radio frequency anechoic chamber utilizes an expanded central volume defined by two flared pyramidal horns with their outer rims joined together, with the flared sections tapering into rectangular cross-sectioned end volumes on opposite ends of the overall chamber. One end houses the transmitting or receiving antenna and the other end houses the items under test. The transitions between the flared and rectangular sections are configured to minimize diffraction effects and reflections which occur when an electromagnetic wave encounters an edge or surface discontinuity. By reducing reflections and diffraction a near-uniform wave arrives at the item under test, and the more uniform the illumination, the more accurate the results of the test.

Abstract: A pitching glove is provided primarily for baseball and softball, in which the ball is thrown as in few other games. The glove has a body and only two fingers, the index and the middle finger, with a web spanning between them. The web serves both to train the fingers to remain in the proper pitching position, and may be used in play in unofficial games in which it serves to smoothly roll the ball out so that it is not deflected off-course by the index finger, and the flattened, flexible outermost portion of the web will track the ball and impart a substantial spin just as it leaves the hand.

Abstract: An injector system utilizes a disposal ampule or, in one instance, a disposal syringe, in all cases being characterized by "tracked" injection wherein the medicament within the ampule or syringe is dispensed as a linear function of needle penetration, and the complete injection operation is executed such that the needle is never exposed. The needle is withdrawn within the medicament chamber after use where it cannot injure anyone except in one instance, in which the needle is capped after the plunger spindle is snapped to prevent reuse of the syringe. The objectives of the improvements are comfort to the patient, ease of use by the administrator and safety for all involved.

Abstract: A lighting system is designed to replace incandescent lighting by alternatively adapting existing recessed incandescent fixtures to accept more efficient lamps such as fluorescents, or using specially designed surface mount housings. In either case the invention addresses the problem of overheating of the on-board power stabilizing circuitry which almost universally occurs when an enclosed fixture designed for incandescent lamps is fitted with fluorescent replacements. Rather than installing the power stabilizer in the enclosure with the hot lamp in direct parallel to conventional incandescent mounting, the power stabilizing circuitry is physically removed from the lamp housing and isolated from it by a curtain of circulating cooler air. The preferred embodiments house these electronics in a rim or halo around the light, with the rim so produced also acting as a decorative trim element and providing limited control of the light beam in some instances.

Abstract: A carrier for a large truck wheel hub and drum combination defines a pair of spaced sleeves which engage two of the ten wheel-mounting lugs extending from the hub, enabling it to be carried with ease by two men. The metal sleeves are fixed to a pair of hinged legs which together define a collapsible V-shaped spanner bar, spanning across the front face of the wheel hub. A pair of collapsible gripping bars extend forwardly from the legs alongside the hub, providing handgrips, permitting the hub to be evenly balanced on the carrier between two men, who can very easily maneuver the wheel hub back onto, or off of, a truck axle mount, a job which currently is one to dread. In a variation that enables one man to do the job unassisted, the V-shaped spanner bar is replaced with a straight length that spans only two lugs and is connected to a gooseneck, engageable by a cherry picker. With the weight relieved by the cherry picker, the man can maneuver the hub without a helper.

Abstract: A breakaway board for practicing chops and kicks in karate and other martial arts improves upon the prior an by increasing control over the board by the board holder. The paired mortise- and-tenon interlock between the two breakaway halves is modified by including a detent in one or more of the pairs between mortise and tenon such that the two halves definitively snap into place when they are reassembled so that the person holding the board can be assured that the two halves are fully together. Additional protection for the board holder is provided by an improved palm pad to prevent bruising after repeated strikes, and to accommodate board holding handles, the front faces of the two halves are grooved at the top and bottom edges to provide a positive seat for the resilient cord characteristic of these board holders.

Abstract: A mounting base assembly is adapted to mount a specific commercially available fluorescent lamp. The unit is characterized by the design of the ballast housing to fit inside the space defined by the fluorescent lamp internally of the surrounding, somewhat annular fluorescent tube so that the light fixture can be made as compact as possible. The base assembly is also constructed to minimize the possibility of mounting under- or over-wattage fluorescent lamps.

Abstract: A variety of methods and devices providing for the angular and lateral adjustment of some types window shades is disclosed. As window openings often reveal a variety of geometric irregularities, several window covering systems, particularly roller type window shades, exhibit poor geometric fit within window openings. The present invention provides for variety of angular and lateral adjustments of shades in order to correct various defects of fit of those shades within window openings by controlling external and internal gaps relevant to the rolling process of the shade.One method disclosed, referred to as Procedure A, involves the reversal of the roller actuating mechanism from one side of the roller to the opposite end in a Hunter Douglas Silhouette shade. This reversal alters system of forces and moments acting on the shade assembly and brings desirable modifications in both lateral and angular position of the shade.

Abstract: A simple hinge is defined from a single-part component which is used in pairs as hinge halves which mutually engage to define a tough, long-lasting hinge. The hinge pin, and hinge sleeve which engages the pin, are in effect separated into component lengths defined on alternate sides of the hinge line on the respective hinged halves so that each hinge half defines a portion of the entire pin and a portion of the sleeve. These sleeve/pin lengths engage the pin/sleeve lengths of the identical, but reversed, mating half. In one important form, the hinge sleeves are helically cut to interstitially engage ribs defined on the pin segments so that the sleeve halves axially migrate as they rotate about the hinge axis, forming a self-closing hinge.

Abstract: A portable fluid exchanger for flushing the used transmission fluid from a vehicle engine as it replaces it with new fluid is mounted on a wheeled undercarriage and contains a tank of new transmission fluid, hoses, and a 12-volt electrical system which connects to the battery of the vehicle being serviced to power a fluid delivery pump, an output and return flow control system, and means for visually checking the condition of the fluid being pumped from the transmission. The normal continuous-flow circulation system of the vehicle is interrupted by interposing the exchanger in a cooling line of the transmission system, and the vehicle's own pump is used to expel fluid from the transmission while the exchanger introduces new fluid, as the vehicle engine idles. The fluid level in the transmission is gauged by monitoring inflow and outflow to and from the transmission to insure that it remains reasonably full during the flushing process.

Abstract: An accessory for use with pets, particularly dogs, has a leash of conventional construction to which is mounted to a preferably removable disposable bag dispenser which houses a roll of disposable bags dispensed through a slit in the side of the housing as needed for use in cleaning the pet's waste. In the preferred embodiment a scoop is built integrally with the end of the dispenser housing.

Abstract: A box for containing valuables and particularly paper valuables and such which are susceptible to heat damage. It is made in the shape of a food item and kept in the refrigerator. The sidewalls, as well as optionally the bottom or top of the box, are preferably insulated with heat sink material with the preferred embodiment incorporating a water jacket filled with standing water to absorb heat and buy time in a fire as it vaporizes.