Abstract: A container having two side panels, a bottom panel and lid panels all diecut from a single paperboard sheet and two end panels of relatively thick rigid fiberboard opposite one another and joined to edges of the side and bottom panels. The end panels have sufficient strength and are configured such that the containers may be arranged in an accurate stack with the containers interlocked with one another. Each container has a pair of lid panels that fold together to close the container or may be folded back and locked against the side panels by tabs to hold the container open for convenient filling.

Abstract: A rack for storing and transporting a plurality of bicycles including an array of rails arranged side by side and having elongated slots for receiving brackets, each bracket detachably attachable to the fork of a bicycle so as to maintain the bicycle in an upright position. The brackets can be oriented so that the handle bars can be turned and each bracket positioned at a location on the rails so that the bicycles can be nested close to one another thereby permitting storing and transporting the plurality of bicycles in a confined space such as the cargo space of a van or sports utility vehicle. The rack is removably attached to a flat surface by a combination of straps to prevent separation of the rack from the flat surface and non-slip material to prevent sliding of the rack on the flat surface.

Abstract: A microwave cooking apparatus having a steam generating chamber constructed to receive microwaves and a cooking chamber constructed to be shielded from microwaves but which communicates with the steam generating chamber so that the food is cooked by exposure to steam heat rather than microwaves. Alternatively, microwave transmitting areas in the shield of the cooking chamber permit partial transmission of the microwaves so that the food is cooked by a combination of steam and microwave heat.

Abstract: A high speed method for presenting display of images obtained from a volumetric scanner in which multiple slices of object space are displayed simultaneously in real time thereby enabling a viewer to study relationships between various parts of the object. The slices are selectable by the viewer manipulating an icon on the display screen. Accordingly C-scans or B scans may be selected as well as I scans in which the scan plane has a selected orientation. Multiple I scans may be selected and viewed in perspective so that the viewer has an impression of a three dimensional display. Color and spectral doppler is incorporated with the scans to provide additional information of dynamic properties.

Abstract: A device for temporarily locking a door which has an extension arm having one end secured perpendicularly to a channel straddling an edge of the door and extending away from the channel and a retainer arm telescoped onto the retainer arm that can be oriented either vertically or horizontally for engagement with the wall so that the locking device can be positioned at any location on either the top or vertical unhinged edge of the door. A bar may also be attached to the retaining arm when the retaining arm is oriented in the horizontal position. The means for securing the device to the door is also provided with an adjustable spacer means for attachment to a door having one of a range of thicknesses.

Abstract: A force gage for measuring force and moment between two bodies along orthogonal axes (x,y and z) including a semiconductor substrate carrying on its surface a plurality of piezoresistors supported by a structure attached to the two bodies that transforms the force and moment into deformation components applied in the plane of the substrate surface there enabling the sensors to be fabricated economically en masse using IC manufacturing techniques.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making measurements on light fringes such as are produced by interferometers or gratings wherein such measurements can include measurements of position and velocity of an object such as a step and repeat carriage or microscope stageThe fringe pattern is sensed with a linear array detector whose elements are repetitively time multiplexed. The resultant output signal is filtered, yielding an AC signal with a phase indicative of fringe position. Rapid, digital, submicron counting is made possible using a phase lock loop to control the multiplexor clock. The advantages of AC interferometry are realized without optical modulation.

Abstract: A bracket for supporting a flagstaff in several orientations and useful particularly in situations where it is required to quickly raise or lower the flag such as to signal presence of a water skier down in the water and dismounting when it is desired to store the flag when not in use, the bracket including a bar with a hole for insertion of the end of the flagstaff and rotatably mounted on a panel with notches around an edge each of which engages a spring loaded catch on the bar when it is rotated in a corresponding orientation. In one embodiment, the panel is a side panel of a channel and the joining leg of the panel slides into a slot in a bar bolted to a base such as the side of a boat.

Abstract: A rotary valve including a housing with a cylindrical bore enclosing a rotatably mounted cylindrical tube. The cylinder has a first array of apertures and the housing has a second array of apertures. Each aperture of the first array aligns with an aperture of the second array once during a revolution of the cylinder so that pressurized fluid in the cylinder is ejected through the aligned apertures. The device has numerous applications such as in controlling the loading of transport tubes with fragile integrated circuit packages as well as in providing driving force in a conveyor system and distributing water in an irrigation system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for gaining intravenous access including a source of radiation for irradiating an area of the patient wherein the radiation has a wavelength such that the radiation is absorbed in areas containing veins and reflected in all other areas thereby forming a view which is seen through a screen to be the area where venous structure appears as dark lines thereby enabling a user to position the tip of a hypodermic needle at an appropriate location for drawing blood. In one arrangement, the apparatus is mounted on the head of the user. In another arrangement the device is mounted on a floor stand. In another embodiment, the apparatus is equipped with an image intensifier. In another embodiment, a mirror is provided enabling the user to view the selected area and the image simultaneously.

Abstract: An exercise apparatus for performing recumbent pedalling exercises including pedals slidably mounted on a substantially horizontal track, a belt having one end secured to each pedal extending back toward the user over an idler then to a drive shaft so that the belt unwinds from the drive shaft as the pedals are pressed along the track. Each drive shaft (one for each pedal) is coupled to a resistance wheel assembly through a one way clutch. The drive shaft is spring loaded so that each pedal returns to a starting position after being extend. Each pedal operates independent of the other pedal. In one embodiment, the resistance wheel assembly includes a fan in which resistance to turning can be controlled by controlling the width of expandable blades, by partially covering up the fan blades or by a variable transmission coupling the fan to the drive shaft. In another embodiment, the resistance wheel assembly includes a rubber wheel in contact with a roller.

Abstract: An auto mechanics creeper having side rails such that trays may be temporarily attached to either rail by sliding a lip of the respective tray into a slot between the creeper platform and the rail.

Abstract: A tensiometer for measuring the tension in the individual strings of a tennis racquet featuring a pair of rods which stradle the string to be tested, the rods extending from a base, a lever disk rotably mounted on the base and coupled by a spring to the base so that when the lever disk is rotated, the magnitude of torque required to overcome the tension in the strting and turn the base relative to the lever disk is indicated on a scale. The device also features a construction for adjusting the lever disk relative to the base in order to eiminate effects of the thickness of the string on tension reading.

Abstract: A pad lined with a mixture of cinnamon, aloe wood and anise star powders having a pervious surface for contacting the skin and exposing the skin to emanations from the powders. The pad has a plurality of chambers which contain portions of the powder and maintain the even distribution of the powder as a lining in the pad. In one embodiment, The pad is an insole worn in footwear. In another embodiment, the pad is provided with bands for strapping the pad to various areas of the body.

Abstract: A guard for a knee, elbow or shin including a composite pad of layers of perforated fabric, foam and mesh, all bound together at the periphery by a band of heavy fabric and strapped to the limb with an adjustable elastic band. The knee and elbow guards have one composite pad strapped above the joint and another composite pad strapped below the joint. A rigid shell is strapped to the composite pad. The straps have VELCRO patches which permit adjustment of the shell or complete separation from the pads.

Abstract: A method of making a heatsink characterized by an array of pins secured to a baseplate in which each pin has an elliptical cross section and the ratio of a length of the pin to the major axis of the cross section is about fifteen and a ratio of the length to the minor axis is about sixty. The heatsink is made using an investment casting technique involving the forming of a wax pattern.

Abstract: A foot operated double acting lever for rotating a lid hinged to a base from a first position to a second position such as lifting the seat of a toilet bowl without touching the seat with the hands wherein the lid (or seat) is locked in the second position when the pedal is not depressed thereby maintaining the seat in its second position and is unlocked by depressing the pedal a second time and allowing the lid to rotate back to its first position at a speed that is under control of the foot on the pedal. The device includes a rotating housing coupled to one end of the lever (opposite the end with the pedal) that is coupled to a drive gear that turns a hinge gear mounted to rotate on the same axis as the lid. In order that the lid be locked in the second position, a lock catch engages the drive gear and a fixed slot thereby locking the drive gear.

Abstract: A simultaneous signals frequency measurement receiver comprising a number n of delay line correlators, with a complete set of n, delays, a number 2n of digitizers, computational means to define an m.times.m matrix R, to calculate the mathematically defined eigenvectors of R, to calculate the simultaneously received signal frequencies. This receiver measures the frequencies of simultaneous signals based on a digitized sample of all the correlation outputs of a complete set of delay line correlators.

Abstract: A thermoelement (leg) of a thermocouple for use in peltier heating or generation of power by the Seebeck effect including a plurality of interleaved films wherein compositions of neighboring films are selected to create Kapitza boundaries between the films such as to reduce thermal conductivity but provide adequate electrical conductivity. The plurality of interleaved films includes a semiductor with suitable doping to establish required extrinsic conductivity and metals having dissimilar lattices such as aluminum and tungsten abutting one another. The practical number of films in the composite to establish the effect is ten. A preferred thickness of the films is less than twenty thousand Angstroms.

Abstract: A ground cover such as for use at the beach for picnics or sunbathing including a frame being a plurality of tube sections, each tube section having one end with a smaller diameter than another end of said tube section such that said smaller end of each tube is insertable into said larger end of a neighboring tube. The tube sections have arcuate shapes and each tubular section has ends joinable to ends of neighboring tubular sections to form a continuous frame. A flexible sheet cover has an elastic band around its perimeter providing that the cover be attachable to the frame when the frame is in its assembeled condition.