Abstract: Recovery of a towed body, in one embodiment in the form of a decoy which is initially stowed in a receptacle or canister and which is allowed to pay out behind an aircraft on a towing cable wrapped around a spindle, is accomplished by snaring or lassoing a portion of the towing cable and by dragging it to a further spindle which is driven so as to cause the lasso and a portion of the towing cable to wind up around the driven spindle. When a sufficient amount of the cable is wound around the driven spindle, the cable end secured to the canister is severed to allow all of the rest of the towing cable to be wound up. In one embodiment, a telescoping saddle or docking cradle is provided which extends from the canister to receive the retracted towed body so that it may be secured to the moving vehicle from whence it can be recovered, refurbished, and redeployed.

Abstract: For bartending, in order to avoid batch chilling of beer glasses and the like in which the last glasses put into a refrigerator are the first pulled out and are thus not properly chilled, a last in, last out glass chilling system provides a supply of properly chilled beer glasses even when newly washed warm glasses are to be chilled. In one embodiment, the last in, last out glass chilling system includes a series of trays on a conveyor in the cabinet, with each tray loaded with glasses. The conveyor moves the trays upwardly in the chill cabinet, with the chilling occurring during the time that the tray of glasses moves from a bottom position to a top position. This assures that, unlike batch chilling, properly chilled glasses are always available. In one embodiment, a tray of glasses is in inserted at the base of the chill cabinet, with the conveyor being motorized to move the trays within the chill cabinet in an upward direction.

Abstract: A system for fluid processing is provided to control shear, point velocity and pressure in either a Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluid which includes creation of three fields, namely a dynamic microshear field, a dynamic velocity field and a dynamic pressure field, with the fields being created by the injection of energy between 1 KHz and 10 MHz into the fluid. Control is achieved by control of the angle at which mechanical energy is delivered, steering and/or focusing of the energy, control of the amplitude of the energy waveform, of the energy, and control of the frequency of the energy in one embodiment to eliminate standing waves. By controlling the three fields, the system is able to control overall fluid behavior. In one embodiment, energy is injected into a fluid at any angle to the direction of flow assuming the fluid is flowing, with the injected energy providing a predetermined controllable zone of energy in the fluid at the region of energy injection.

Abstract: A wireless phone based system to accommodate users of wireless phones for providing information as to the location of Certain services such as gasoline stations, movie theatres, drug stores, etc., includes the utilization of a GPS receiver and a wireless phone, with the wireless, phone adapted to call a predetermined number requesting the desired service and providing the location of the cellular phone. In one embodiment, the GPS receiver is co-located with the wireless phone in a car, with the wireless phone being carried in a handsfree cradle having a number of service-request buttons, such that depression of a service-request button activates the wireless phone through its bus structure to call a predetermined number and provide the identity of the caller along with the caller's location.

Abstract: An audio coupling is provided between a location reporting unit and the microphone of a wireless phone in which location information is provided either by synthesized voice and/or DTMF tones through the audio coupling to the microphone such that the location of the wireless phone can be broadcast on the normal voice channel to a dispatch operation such as a Public Safety Answering Point or to a location-based service provider. The subject interface makes possible the adaptation of any wireless phone to provide location-based information without change to the wireless phone and without any additional infrastructure for the wireless network. The utilization of synthesized speech and/or DTMF tones over the voice channel provides a universality for the system, which can be utilized anywhere where there is both wireless and GPS satellite coverage.

Abstract: An improved accuracy phase shifter having cascaded phase shifting modules is provided for phase shifting a pulse train which rather than utilizing two pairs of control voltage leads for each phase shifting module, utilizes only one pair to significantly reduce the electromagnetic interference between the cascaded phase shifting modules. The result is that the phase of an incoming pulse train can be shifted from 0 to 360° in 3° increments with +/−1° accuracy. When the subject phase shifter is utilized in long haul fiber-optic cable networks operating at 10 gigabits/sec. for correcting phase offsets of data streams transmitted over ultra long distances, the utilization of the subject phase shifter plays a part in obviating the necessity of having regeneration units every 70 to 100 miles, thus permitting error-free transmission over as many as 2500 miles without the requirement for regeneration.

Abstract: A versatile system which includes a display unit by which a plurality of image works selected from photographs, paintings, newspaper articles, pictures, images, prints, designs, sports memorabilia, certificates, awards, and diplomas may be viewed simultaneously or individually, as selected by the viewer. A display unit stores a plurality of image works for selective viewing by an observer by virtue of each image works being mounted on a slidable carrier, which may be slid within a framework to enable or disable viewing of image works which may be disposed behind a given slidable carrier.

Abstract: A method is provided for specifying parameters for modular formworks from construction documents which define an original structure, in which the construction documents are either scanned or a CAD version is read out. From the scanned drawings or the CAD information, various elements of the structure to be built are identified and selected in an order specific to a particular modular construction system. After identification and selection, reference numerals are assigned for the selected parts or components, with the numbers representing a component of the building such as what floor is intended, walls, ceilings, and other structural components down to the placement of light switches, HVAC vents, drainage, sinks, and plumbing valves.

Abstract: An expendable jammer is ejected as a decoy from a target in which the jammer includes a single port, keyed primed oscillator which is primed with the low level signal received at its antenna. The priming signal is injected directly into the tank circuit of the oscillator which is rapidly turned on and off (keyed) to produce a rapidly pulsed signal which tracks the frequency of the priming signal. The resultant signal from the oscillator is transmitted back to the receiving section of the radar initiating the signal in such a manner that the receiver cannot distinguish the individual pulses of returned energy due to the high PRF of the returned signal. Thus the signal from the jammer is detected as a CW signal. The expendable jammer also has a multiple threat capability in which simultaneously arriving signals from different sources result in a jammer output at each of the different frequencies of the incoming signals with sufficient jamming power at each frequency.

Abstract: A visual programming aid for object-oriented programming provides high level visualization for domain experts of the entire object-oriented program to permit understanding of the program on a macro level and to permit the domain expert to participate in the programming. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by visually arranging objects in flow charts, each object having a block number. The entire flow chart system represents the flow of events, not the flow of time. This permits concurrent execution of objects if the events permit. The objects are characterized as either action blocks or decision blocks, or both. In one embodiment action blocks are denoted as three dimensional rectangles, and decision blocks as three dimensional diamonds. Whether an object is an action or decision type is determined by object characterization which is the process of type casting the function of an object at its point of use on the flow chart.

Abstract: A method is provided for rapid Internet searching through the creation of a “fingerprint” of information associated with a search request made by an individual. This fingerprint is forwarded to a library that locates information related to the fingerprint from information submitted by entrants who enter their data in accordance with a specialized master plan and format. In one embodiment the master plan has such universal parameters as description, location, price, consumer and consultant feedback, payment, shipment and time, insurance/warranty, and maintenance. A request is encoded in terms of a particular coordinate number reflecting master plan parameters as the fingerprint that is transmitted to the library. The fingerprint, in one embodiment includes the result of a series of branching operations to arrive at a decision or a coordinate number corresponding to a prescribed priority choices of parameters.

Abstract: A system for fluid processing is provided to control shear, point velocity and pressure in either a Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluid, which includes creation of three fields, namely a dynamic microshear field, a dynamic velocity field and a dynamic pressure field, with the fields being created by the injection of energy between 1 KHz and 10 MHz into the fluid. Control is achieved by control of the angle at which mechanical energy is delivered, steering and/or focusing of the energy, control of the amplitude of the energy waveform, of the energy, and control of the frequency of the energy in one embodiment to eliminate standing waves. By controlling the three fields, the system is able to control overall fluid behavior. In one embodiment, energy is injected into a fluid at any angle to the direction of flow assuming the fluid is flowing, with the injected energy providing a predetermined controllable zone of energy in the fluid at the region of energy injection.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for preventing injury to an individual who seeks to transport a snowboard on a chairlift includes providing a detachable loop strap which encircles a portion of the snowboard and goes over the individual's knee and/or thigh such that when the individual has one foot in the snowboard binding at one end, the dangling portion of the board is supported by the loop strap over the individual's knee or thigh. In one embodiment, the strap is neither attached to the board nor to the knee or thigh, but rather is looped around both to support the snowboard. Upon reaching the top of the chairlift, the board is released merely by unbuckling and removing the looped strap. One of the advantages of the loop strap is that it prevents ankle and knee injury due to the dangling of the board from one foot as the person rides the chairlift.

Abstract: A mechanical packing braided such that a number of angled recesses or projections at predetermined intervals are formed in the surface of the braid adjacent a rotating shaft, the recesses or projections causing a deflecting hydrodynamic force on the fluid film between the packing and shaft such that leakage of the fluid from under the packing set is reduced when compared to normally braided packing under the same conditions. When constructed from yarns suitable for very low seal water requirements, the rejective “pumpback” force on the fluid film is sufficient to reduce the leakage of seal water to zero so that exfoliated graphite packing which normally has a 95% reliability when running dry can be given a 99.5% reliability. In one troublesome scenario, th subject packing operates to stop leakage due to pressure surges so that water which would ordinarily leak out even with the use of yarns having exfoliated graphite fibers is contained.

Abstract: A self-adjusting interlocking throat bushing is provided in which mating concentric bushing rings are provided with an interlocking annular slot in the outer bushing ring and an annular ridge at the periphery of the inner bushing ring to hold the two rings in axial alignment when bushing is installed and the packing gland is tightened to compress the packing ring between the gland and the bushing. The annular slot/ridge structure prevents canting of the parts of throat bushing during packing ring compression thereby eliminating packing extrusion between the shaft and the annulus of the bushing. Before compression, the concentric rings are held together in alignment so that the bottom ring cannot drop out of its proper position prior to compression. After compression, the locking structure comprising the slot and ridge structure results in the bushing being compressed evenly about the shaft, thereby to eliminate misalignment and shaft sleeve wear.

Abstract: A system is provided for providing portable nail care in which a mobile nail care kiosk having running water and a station for providing the nail care is wheeled to a temporary position, such as by a gate of an airport terminal, to permit the on-the-spot provision of nail care services adjacent the gate. In one embodiment, the mobile kiosk is provided with its own self-contained water supply and waste disposal vessel, along with a heater for heating the water for a sink adjacent the nail care table for providing running water for use throughout the nail care process. By virtue of the mobility of the kiosk, nail care services can be provided at a convenient location to passengers or airport personnel whose flights have been delayed.

Abstract: A system is provided for changing the shape of a foresail from a spinnaker shape to a Genoa shape through the utilization of a tensioning line which runs from the head of the spinnaker shaped sail to its tack. Tensioning of this line provides that the flap of material forward of the tensioning line folds back over the leeward side of the foresail, where differential pressure across the luff created by the tensioning line sucks the loose flap of material in towards the sail, such that it lays flat against the leeward side of the sail. The reshaping permits the use of the sail to within 50 degrees of the wind, thus allowing the use of one sail for wind conditions which would normally require two or more sails.

Abstract: An improved stability canvas tensioning picture frame which is formed by a plurality of abutting frame members is provided with a tapered screw and facing tapered channels in the abutting frame members, with each of the abutting frame members having a semi-circular slot adapted to receive an apertured disk in a mild interference fit, with the single apertured disk providing longitudinal and lateral stability between the abutting frame members when the screw is screwed down into the tapered channel to move the abutting members away from each other.

Abstract: An infrastructureless system is provided for automatically providing the telephone number of the phone making an emergency call by utilizing a synthetic voice announcement of the phone number during the emergency transmission from the phone, thereby to eliminate infrastructure involved in providing the telephone number to the recipient of the emergency call.

Abstract: A golf ball is provided which changes color or other indicia after significant immersion in water to indicate that the ball has been recovered from a water hazard and may not have predictable flight characteristics which may result in loss of carry and roll. In one embodiment, a microencapsulated dye layer is formed immediately below the final gloss coat, with controlled dye release causing a stained look to the ball after significant immersion in water. In another embodiment, the dye or ink is provided in pelletized form for ease of manufacture.