Abstract: A portable party table [1000] for holding hot and cold foods is described. It employs at least two sections [1100, 1500] held together with a hinge [1600] for holding foods. The party table [1000] has folding legs [1111, 1511] and leg supports [1113, 1513] to support the legs. Each section [1100, 1500] has a tapered base [1101, 1501] with a drain hole [1107, 1507] and a drain plug [1109, 1509]. As ice melts it is directed toward the drain holes [1107, 1507]. Electric receptacle [1525] provide electricity for a heating plate. Alternatively, the hinge [1600] is a type which provides spacing between the sections [1100, 1500] to thermally insulate the hot from the cold section. The hinge [1600] may be allowed to slide to provide an insulation gap [1607], or eliminate the gap [1607].

Abstract: An automated liquid dispensing system employs a mechanism which moves a container [1230] relative to a fill tube [1240] to fill the container [1230] with the proper amount of liquid [1131] with a designated amount of foam [1137]. The system [1000] also includes a container dispensing unit [1400] which pre-chills containers [1230] then flips them into a drop tube [1510] to be received by a lift [1550]. Lift [1550] raises the container [1230] to a pouring head [1570] and fills the container [1230] as it lowers container [1230] to properly fill the container [1230] and create a desired amount of foam [1137].

Abstract: A liquid dispenser with an interchangeable head and remote operating mechanism includes: a) an elongated handle member having a proximal end for a user to hold and an opposing distal end, the distal end including a storage compartment; b) a liquid reservoir contained within the storage compartment; c) said liquid reservoir connected to a universal head connector; d) the universal head connector having external exposure at distal end for connection to at least one interchangeable head; e) a pump located in the storage compartment connected to said liquid reservoir; f) remote control means located near the proximal end of the handle member for turning the pump on and off and for operating the pump in a first direction to pump liquid into the liquid supply container and in a second direction for subsequently pumping out of the liquid supply container; and, g) at least one interchangeable head connectable to the universal head connector, selected from the group consisting of a liquid dispensing brush, a liquid di

Abstract: A resilient inspection brush used in electrically inspecting pipelines for abnormalities is described which employs highly conductive metals, such as nickel. Since bristles [330] made from these metals cannot be secured firmly by soldering or epoxy, they are folded over a retaining member [350], or wrapped around the retaining member [350]. The retaining member [350] is secured inside of a base housing [320]. The top [321] portion of the base housing [320] may be crimped or swedged to reduce the size of the opening, thereby physically holding the bristles [330]. This also insures that the retaining member [350] does not pass through the opening, securing the retaining member [350] inside of the base housing [320]. In another embodiment, an inner sleeve [810] is used to further secure the bristles [330] and simplify assembly.

Abstract: A simulation system [200] models and optimizes parameters for a pulsed liquid slug boring system employing an energetic fluid [7]. The simulation system [200] employs a fluid flow energy unit [251], an exhaust and retention energy unit [253] and a comminuting energy unit [255] to calculate energies of the system. Total energy unit [257] combines these energies. Fluid flow energy unit 251 receives fluid volume and calculates the fluid flow energy. Exhaust and retention energy unit 253 receives input from the exhaust energy volume unit [243] and mission duration unit [211] to determine the exhaust and retention energy. Comminuting energy unit 255 receives hole depth and hole diameter and specific energy of rock to determine the require comminuting energy. The simulation system [200] operates to determine optimum values of design parameters by searching for the minimum energy solution.

Abstract: A system having a number of land units [100, 4000, 5000] is disclosed which operates to efficiently find and create boreholes [5] to one or more underground targets [1]. Each of the land units [100, 4000, 5000] may be remotely controlled from a central command unit [6000]. The land unit also may be self-controlled, or partially controlled by the central command unit [6000]. The system [10] is reconfigurable to reallocate tasks to functional land units [100, 4000, 5000] which were originally allocated to land units which have been destroyed and are now non-functional.

Abstract: A portable sound processing device [1000] designed to retrofit a portable digital player (PDP) such as an iPod sold by Apple, Inc., includes a display [1201] for interacting with a user, a plurality of input devices [1103-1133] for receiving input from a user. The portable sound processing device [1000] has internal or external pre-recorded music which may be mixed with the live input from a musical instrument [3]. The processor [1000] may perform digital signal processing to change the pitch while keeping the tempo the same for pre-recorded music to match the key of the instrument being played. The tempo may be adjusted while not affecting the pitch allowing a musician to practice a song at a slower pace. It may also highlight or remove a specific instrument for practice purposes. The result is a portable signal processing device [1000] which aids music transcription, learning and study.

Abstract: The present invention is a self-contained, high-energy liquid rock-boring system that will bore a small-diameter access hole [5] several hundred meters through hard granite and other obstacles within minutes of deployment. It employs a land unit [100] platform subsystem [1000] with an energetic fluid fuel reservoir [1300] and a boring subsystem [3000] having a plurality of pulsejets [3100]. Each pulsejet [3100] repeatedly ignites the energetic fluid [7] causing a plurality of rapidly-expanding gas bubbles [3250] which create and force a plurality liquid slugs [10] ahead of them rapidly out through a nozzle [3260] causing the slugs [10] to impact against materials ahead of the nozzles [3260], boring an access hole [5]. The system also employs an umbilical subsystem [2000] connecting the boring [3000] and the platform subsystems [1000]. The system can be used to rapidly bore an access hole [5] to provide air and resources to trapped miners.

Abstract: A personal bank card storage device for carrying one or more bank cards, having a housing, a magazine contained within the housing, tracks contained within the magazine, and at least one motor contained within the housing for moving the cards, the device has a key pad, a controller connected to the keypad for reading input from the key pad and operating at least; the invention further includes a method of storing and accessing one or more bank cards for use and includes the steps of providing a personal bank card storage device, inserting one or more bank cards in the container contained within the storage device, programming a personal pass code on a keypad, recalling the personal pass code, entering the personal pass code on the key pad to enable access to the one or more cards.

Abstract: A series of cell fill valves are interconnected by a series of hoses and T-connections, one to each battery cell. Each cell fill valve is controlled by a ball in a seat in a single fill opening. The ball is controlled by a float on a pivotable lever arm with an end finger which holds the ball up to admit water with the float down and allows the ball to lower onto the seat as the cell fills causing the float to rise to a shutoff level when the cell is filled to a desired level.

Abstract: A cryogenic system is described for boring a small-diameter hole through various materials including rock, soil and stone. It employs a valveless technique in a borehead [3000] where cryogenic fluid [7] fills at least one pulsejet [3100] which has proximal [3001] and distal [3003] ends. The cryogenic fluid [7] is frozen into a plug [8] near the distal end [3003], acting as a valve. Cryogenic fluid [7] just distal to the frozen plug [8] is rapidly heated by thermal units [3510, 3530] causing it to become a rapidly-expanding gas bubble. The rapidly-expanding gas bubble forces any liquid [7] distal to the expanding gas out of the distal end [3003] of each pulsejet [3100] causing it to impact the material [I]. Rapidly repeating this process causes the system to bore a hole through the material [I].

Abstract: A system for tracking, graphically selecting and interacting with people, vehicles and/or equipment (“Mobile Units”) employs a tracked device attached to Mobile Unit capable of collecting information relating to the Mobile Unit to which it is attached and for communicating this digital information via radio waves to a base connected to a network. A number of servers are connected to the bases through a hierarchy network and can selectively display the monitored locations graphically. The user may also graphically select Mobile Units with which to communicate and/or control remotely. The system is well adapted for creating a hierarchy structure which can potentially track numerous people, vehicles, equipment across a country or globally.

Abstract: A method and device for boring a hole [5] through a material along a desired path includes an umbilical subsystem [2000] connected to a boring subsystem [3000] having a plurality of pulsejets [3100]. These pulsejets [3100] repeatedly receive and ignite a combustible fluid [7] in a combustion chamber [3230] causing a portion of the fluid [7] to be forced out of a nozzle [3260] at high speeds as a fluid slug [10] that impacts materials ahead of the pulsejet [3100]. A controller [3310] controls the amount of fluid provided to each pulsejet [3100], and the firing timing, thereby controlling the intensity in which each slug [10] impacts the material. By modulating the intensity and firing sequence of each of the pulsejets [3100], material ahead of the boring subsystem [3000] is differentially bored thereby allowing steering of the boring subsystem [3000].