Abstract: A portable wood burning fire pit apparatus is disclosed which includes a fire bowl base, a cylindrical wood receiving chamber defined by expanded metal walls above the fire bowl, a pair of separately controlled gas rings encircling the chamber adjacent its side wall at its bottom and middle, a propane gas tank releasably connected to the apparatus and gas rings via a flexible hose and manual quick release coupling. Wood pieces are stacked vertically into the chamber and thus inside the gas rings which, in use, project their flames horizontally toward the stacked wood pieces to advance their burning toward the hot coals state at which time the propane gas and hose may be disconnected and moved away. A removable cooking grill is atop the chamber for use in cooking off the hot coals fire which is achieved in less time than otherwise would be required in a conventional wood fire.

Abstract: A kit for creating a face on a head-like base such as a pumpkin to create a jack-o-lantern or the like. The kit includes a plurality of illuminating units, each of which has a battery and light bulb, and a plurality of largely translucent facial elements such as an eye, mouth, ear, etc. The facial elements are screwed into the illuminating unit to envelop and surround the light bulb so that light from the bulb's light is transmitted through the facial elements and emitted from the external surfaces of those elements. The assembly is configured so that the battery is housed in a spear-like pointed base which may be pushed into the head-like base and the light-emitting facial element thereby affixed to the outer surface of the head-like base. Other non-illuminated facial elements may supplement the illuminated ones. The translucent facial elements are interchangeable on the illuminating units so that the same unit can use different elements and the user can have different choices of elements.

Abstract: A wall plate assembly for coupling satellite TV disk antennae multi-conductor cable array to tuner/receiver cables is disclosed. The assembly has a cover plate (11) for the room side of a wall opening and screws for connecting the plate to the wall about the opening. A pair of dual F female coaxial coupling members (30, 32) are provided integrally connected to the plate to allow coaxial cables to connect to either side of the plate. A plurality of non-coaxial connectors (41C, 41O, 41U, 41P, 41L, 41E, 41R and 41S) are provided which provide screw wire connectors at the room side and push/crimp wire connectors at the wall opening side of the cover plate.

Abstract: A system and method of automatically deriving and using a black level control signal for use in long term target integrating camera systems is disclosed. The method employs the steps of, sequentially, first operating the camera in a long term target integration manner at a pre-selected exposure time and detecting and holding the inverse peak level of the television video signal derived from this scan taken from the central portion of the target, generating a corrective signal from the held inverse peak level and applying that corrective signal to the camera while operating the camera for long term target integration periods in essentially the same manner and exposure time to produce a corrected television scan signal, and using that corrected signal to reproduce an image.

Abstract: A manually-operated portable lift which may telescopically raise its mast or post so as to raise a lifting platform above the lift's initial height. The lift may be folded up to a compact and easily-moved configuration for ease of transport and storage. The lift includes a base with built-in outriggers which can be easily snapped out to fixed extended positions and returned to their storage positions. The outrigger is automatically latched in either such position but not between them. The base portion forward of the post can be manually unlatched and folded up parallel to the post. The platform and its arms have provision for manually mounting the arms of the platform in a low lifting position, a high lifting position, and a compact storage position wherein the arms are adjacent the platform. An extension mast is provided in either a storage position adjacent the main mast or as an extension of that mast.

Abstract: A kit and assembly for making an air volume damper for use in the ductwork of a heating and ventilating system. The kit includes a long rod with a single bend at one end to form an L-shaped member, a hinge bracket for being riveted to a damper plate and receiving and captivating the bent section of the rod, a plate for being riveted to the outside of a duct and receiving the rod end through it, and a spring lock or latch member for being pop riveted to the plate and including a spring metal V-shaped section which receives the rod through two holes, one on each leg of the V-shaped section, and secures the rod by spring pressure. Compressing the legs of the V-shaped section together loosens the grip on the rod and allows it to be moved longitudinally to adjust a damper blade.

Abstract: A safety system for large and long over-the-road vehicles, such as a tractor semitrailer rig, having wheels mounted remotely from the vehicle's cab. A conventional airborne sound receiving microphone is mounted within a mechanical vibration damping housing at the bottom of the vehicle body near and aimed at the remote wheels to receive sounds from that area of the vehicle. The mounting and housing are constructed to prevent or greatly lessen mechanical vibration and sounds from reaching the microphone through the vehicle body. A communication cable runs from the microphone and housing to the cab and is connected through an amplifier to a speaker provided inside the cab. While the vehicle is being driven, the speaker reproduces a significant portion of the airborne sound received by the microphone within the cab.

Abstract: A kit for constructing a raisable soft curtain mounted on a single conventional U-shaped curtain rod including a plurality of tough mesh loops which can hook onto the horn of a conventional U-shaped curtain rod's wall bracket. The loops have master rings or guides for pull cords. The kit also includes means for vertically mounting a series of cord guides or rings to a sheet of curtain fabric. Further included is a replacement combination rod mounting bracket and manually releasable cord latch or lock mechanism. Sufficient cord is also provided for running from the bottommost ring in each vertical series of rings, through that series of rings and through the master ring to the latch or lock mechanism and down one side of the installed curtain.

Abstract: An improved grass mower and attachment which employs a sling for holding a disposable bag is disclosed. The sling is open to one side so that full bags can be unloaded without lifting. The sling is mounted to a frame which receives the margin of the bag and this frame is mounted so that it can both pivot downward (when unlatched) and slide rearward relative to a housing from which clippings are delivered to the bag during grass cutting. When the bag is desired to be unloaded, the frame is unlatched and the sling, which is otherwise held above the ground, pivots its open side down to the ground. The housing can slide from over the frame by advancing the mower. The filled bag can be then tied and rolled out of the sling onto the ground without lifting it. A new bag can be fitted to the frame, inside the sling, and the lightweight frame, sling and empty bag returned and relatched under the housing and the mower used to fill the new bag.

Abstract: A lightweight paint carrier system for use with artist's acrylic paint containers or bottles of a fixed size and cylindrical shape. A number of generally circular trays are provided with a central post. The trays nest together with one tray nesting atop another to form either a single layer assembly or two or three layer assembly. The trays of the second and higher layers mount onto the post of the tray below and are supported therefrom in a cantilever fashion. The trays are of two types--a base which includes an artist's water basin surrounded by twelve wells for receiving the bottom of the bottles and an intermediate layer tray which has wells uniformly distributed on its upper surface for receiving eighteen of the paint containers. A top is provided for either the one base tray or the stack of nested trays and a handle having a rod of a length sized to accommodate a single tray stack or a multiple stack array is provided.

Abstract: A three-axle, "six-wheel" pusher unit for a carwash system of the type wherein an endless chain moves under a slotted track. The pusher employs a straight bar which can project out of the track, with the track-contacting rollers positioned at the end of the bar and the wire-engaging rollers positioned at an intermediate position. The tire-contacting rollers are formed without internal inletting or open volumes and held in place by button-headed bolts and washers. The under-track forward rollers are secured to a removable axle which is held in a sleeve welded to the end of the bar. This axle is secured by means of a machine screw through the axle and sleeve and nut outside the sleeve. The head of the machine screw is smaller than the hole in the sleeve into which it fits, so as to bear against the axle and hold it tight against the opposite inner surface of the sleeve. In a second embodiment, a hollow rectilinear and tubular bar is employed with the third axle received through side holes and similarly secured.

Abstract: A system of a subcutaneous venous access device or injection port and needle, wherein the port includes a self-closing septum for repeatedly and periodically receiving a predetermined section of an injection needle, and which septum covers an injection-receiving chamber in communication with a vein. The needle has a non-coring (e.g., "Huber" or removable stylet) point and means for providing a locking configuration such as increased diameter but smooth outer surface of the needle port-received section, which, when properly inserted, is within the septum or chamber, so as to more securely affix the needle within the port and prevent or decrease the incidence of accidental partial or total removal and the resulting undesirable subcutaneous infiltration of chemicals during infusion.

Abstract: A device including a dosimeter badge containing a preset quantity of an aromatic endoperoxide, AO.sub.2, for example the endoperoxide of rubrene or of 9,10-di-phenylanthracene in an organic matrix containing atoms of a high atomic number such as liquid O-dichlorobenzene or solid-P-dichlorobenzene. When exposed to ionizing radiation the aromatic endoperoxide decomposes to produce the fluorescent aromatic. After exposure, the badge is fluorometrically detected by exposing the pre-set quantity of light radiation and the fluorometric result measured, and a system for doing this is also disclosed. The badge preferably is constructed so as to contain two identical samples of the AO.sub.2, one of which is shielded from ionizing radiation (by, e.g., lead foil envelope) during exposure use, and the other of which is unshielded to such hard radiation while both samples are shielded against light and untraviolet radiation.