Abstract: An improved housing assembly for aircraft batteries is disclosed in which an insulated bezel is fastened to a cast aluminum housing using the battery electrical terminals. The bezel serves both to isolate the terminals from the housing and to provide a locating frame for a terminal enclosure. Recessed threaded inserts are used to fasten the terminal enclosure.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for making miniature doll heads. An oversized head is formed of a shrinkable plastisol including a plasticizer, and facial features are applied to the head using a shrinkable paint. Hair is rooted to the scalp of the oversized head. The head is reduced in size by extracting the plasticizer from the plastisol. During the extraction, the head and its facial features shrink simultaneously to form the miniature head.

Abstract: An electronic football game having controls for two operators, the controls being divided in play calling controls and play actions controls. The game has a display upon which appear indications representing offensive and defensive players and the ball. Control circuitry operates in response to the controls to move certain players under operator control and other players under automatic control. Various of the players under automatic control may be preprogrammed to run selectable specified patterns or to attack specified targets.

Abstract: An electro-mechanical display system is disclosed having four viewing stations. The system includes a rotating mirror and alphanumeric character generators, and is capable of simultaneously displaying different information to each of the viewing stations. The information displayed at each station is not observable at the other stations. Only one single-digit character-generator is required to display a line of information to two viewing stations.

Abstract: A boiler is disclosed having a horizontal heat exchanger in the form of hollow tubes positioned across the top of a combustion chamber. Vertical heat exchangers are also provided at either ends of the tubes. The vertical heat exchangers are in the form of hollow water reservoirs which extend vertically between the tubes and the burner to form two walls of the combustion chamber.

Abstract: An electronic temperature control circuit is disclosed for use with swimming pool and spa heaters. The circuit employs a thermistor for sensing water temperature, and provides temperature control with a narrow differential. Safety circuits are also employed to prevent injury to the user or to the heater in the event of a component failure. The temperature control circuit is provided with means for presetting two desired temperature settings and for selecting one of the preset temperature settings for control. Remote control circuits are also disclosed for use with the temperature control circuit which permit temperature selection, temperature setting and a visual indication of heater status from a location remote from the heater.

Abstract: A lead-acid battery having a unique arrangement for making electrical connection to the battery. The arrangement includes L-shaped lugs molded into the upper surface of the casing. The lugs have cylindrical apertures extending horizontally therethrough for mating with the connector posts of the battery plates. Threaded pin terminals insert through a receptacle which is slidably mounted with a slot in a side wall of the battery. The pin terminals are threaded into nuts which are cast within the L-shaped lugs.

Abstract: A portable electronic target game is disclosed, including a playing field display, scoring displays and two sets of input keys to permit two players to simultaneously control the operation of the game. Each player may launch a projectile toward a moving ball in an effort to intercept it, causing the ball to move forward the opposing player. The ball is removed from play if it is captured by a player or if it lands in a pocket location on the playing field. The scoring includes bonus points and penalties for the various events. The motion of the ball is controlled in a pseudorandom manner in accordance with a predetermined probability matrix.

Abstract: An electronic percussion synthesizer is disclosed which includes a plurality of pressure transducers, each representing a different percussive musical instrument. Each transducer is responsive to an external striking force for generating analog pulses, each pulse representing one beat of the respective musical instrument. The transducers are mounted to a synthesizer housing in a manner which mechanically isolates the transducers from each other. Sound signal generating circuits are provided which are responsive to the analog pulses for generating sound signals comprising the beat of the respective musical instrument. The amplitude of the signal representing each beat is proportional to the magnitude of the force used to generate the respective analog pulse. The synthesizer also includes storage and playback circuitry for digitally storing a series of pulses, each pulse representing a percussive beat; for playing back the stored pulses; and for storing additional pulses in an interleaving manner.

Abstract: A multiple function doll is disclosed which includes a controlled wetting function. Wetting is effected automatically whenever the doll is placed on a toy toilet. The wetting function is controlled by a pinch valve which prevents the flow of water from a reservoir to a wetting orifice. Placing the doll on a toy toilet automatically opens the pinch valve. The doll also includes a hand clapping function which is driven by a spring motor. The spring motor is in turn controlled by a switch mechanism which permits a child to start and stop the hand clapping.

Abstract: A modular radio control unit for use with multiple toy vehicles is disclosed. The control unit is in the shape of a vehicle passenger compartment and is designed to plug into a cavity formed in each vehicle. The control unit contains a control circuit including a radio receiver and a motor drive circuit to control two motors mounted in the vehicle and connected to control the motion of the vehicle. The control unit also contains batteries to provide power to the control circuit and to the motors. A set of contacts is provided in the control unit and in each vehicle so that when the control unit is plugged into a vehicle cavity, the output signals from the drive circuits are provided to the motors to effect remote control of the vehicle in response to commands from a transmitter.

Abstract: A toy vehicle accelerator is disclosed which includes a housing, an opening in the housing of a width to fit a particular toy vehicle, and an impeller mounted to slide in the opening as well as to rotate freely in a horizontal plane. The impeller includes surfaces which contact a properly sized vehicle and permit the impeller to accelerate that vehicle. An improperly sized object merely causes the impeller to rotate, precluding the acceleration of such objects.

Abstract: A circuit for controlling one or more light emitting diodes is disclosed. The circuit is designed to supply current to the diodes from an input voltage source in response to a control signal. The circuit provides a predetermined level of current to the diodes which is substantially independent of the magnitude of the input voltage. The circuit also includes a switching function which operates to switch off the diode current when the control signal exceeds a first level of control voltage. When the control signal is reduced below a second level of control voltage, the diode current is switched to the predetermined level of current.

Abstract: A circuit for producing musical tones is disclosed which includes a keyboard for selecting the musical tones, and a tone generator responsive to the keyboard for generating a square wave signal having the frequency of the musical note to be generated. A charging circuit is provided for charging a capacitor to a predetermined level of voltage when the square wave signal is terminated, and for exponentially discharging the capacitor when the square wave signal is initiated. A modulation circuit amplitude modulates the square wave signal in proportion to the capacitor voltage to produce an exponentially decaying signal which simulates the waveform produced by a struck piano string. A speaker is also included to convert the exponentially decaying signal into audible musical tones having the sound of piano notes. The circuit of the invention requires only a small number of components, making it suitable for use in miniature musical toys.

Abstract: A toy vehicular track formed of a thin strip of flexible material having a pair of lines parallel to its length formed to enhance bending. The strip is connected at one end to a drum the rotation of which causes the strip to be rolled on the drum for storage. The strip fits through a shaper so that when it is pulled from the drum and through the shaper it is bent along the aforementioned lines so that a track with curbs for a toy vehicle is formed.

Abstract: An electronic baseball game in which the display represents the prespective of a batter standing in the batter's box. In a preferred embodiment, a pitcher throws randomly selected pitches to the batter which move through a number of positions to end in or out of a strike zone and an operator may swing at the end pitch by depressing a hit key. The timing of the operator's depression determines the results of each swing.

Abstract: A frame type electrical socket for connecting leadless integrated circuit packages to a printed circuit board is disclosed. The socket includes a rectangular frame member and four contact assemblies. Each contact assembly is designed to detachably mate with each side of the frame. The contact assemblies include molded-in-place contacts which are shaped to provide pressure contacts after they are molded in place. Prior to molding, the contacts are in the form of flat ribbons, allowing them to be constructed in the form of a lead frame. The socket possesses all of the features of molded-in-place contacts as well as having the advantage of being able to replace damaged contacts without discarding the frame.

Abstract: A swimming pool heater temperature control system is disclosed. The control system is designed to optimize the use of a conventional heater as a supplemental heat source for a solar heated swimming pool. The temperature control system operates by automatically adjusting the temperature settings of the heater to conform to the temperature vs. time profile of an optimum solar collector heating system. An embodiment is disclosed which employs two thermostats in conjunction with a time clock actuated switch to control the heater temperature profile as a function of time. Other embodiments are also described which employ a plurality of thermostats in conjunction with time clock actuated switches to provide a heater temperature profile which more closely matches that of an optimum solar collector heating system.

Abstract: A wick support is disclosed which is employed to support a wick used in wick-watering plants. The wick support insures proper insertion of the wick into the plant soil and also insures proper positioning of the wick in a water reservoir.

Abstract: An optical/mechanical solar tracking system having a lens for focusing the sun's rays for use by an element which changes shape in response to heat. The change of shape of the element is used to operate a mechanical brake which allows the tracking system to move impelled by the force of gravity to a position in which the sun's rays are directed for effective use.