Abstract: The vibrating probe of a scanning force microscope is brought into engagement with a sample surface in an initial approach process moving the probe toward the sample surface until the amplitude of probe vibration at an excitation frequency is measurably affected by forces between the tip and the sample, an then in a final approach process in which a change in vibration amplitude caused by a dithering vibration superimposed on the excitation vibration exceeds a pre-determined threshold limit. The excitation frequency is reduced if the phase angle of vibrations exceeds another limit, and the amplitude of the excitation driving function is increased as the amplitude or tip vibration falls below a setpoint. During approach and scanning, vibration amplitude is measured through a demodulator having an intermediate reference signal locked in phase with the tip motion signal.

Abstract: An adapter is configured to be installed on an existing cable, extending along a connector of the cable to present a latching surface on a flexible arm of the adapter for engagement with a latching surface within a latching member adjacent a port connector of a device. When these latching surfaces are engaged with one another, the cable connector is held in engagement with the port connector. The flexible arm may then be manually depressed to release the engagement of these latching surfaces. The adapter is installed on the existing cable by placing the cord of the cable between a pair of hooks extending in opposite directions from the adapter, and by then turning the adapter on the cord so that the hooks are brought into position to extend partly around the cord.

Abstract: A printer for printing on both sides of a document, such as a check being printed at a point of sale terminal, uses a single printing station to print on both sides of the document. The document is moved along a document path and past the printing station, with the first side of the document being printed, with an end portion of the document then being positioned to extend through a slot within a rotor. The rotor is then turned through a 180-degree angle in a first direction, with an end portion of the document being held within the rotor and wrapped around a segment of the rotor. This end portion is next driven back to the printing station for the second side of the end portion to be printed upon. Then the end portion is driven away from the printing station, as the other end of the document is pulled through the rotor. Finally, the rotor is returned by rotation through 180-degrees opposite the first direction.

Abstract: A printer for printing on both sides of a document includes first printing document guides, through which a document is driven for printing on a first side of the document, second printing document guides, through which the document is driven for printing on a second side of the document, and transfer document guides, into which the document is driven between motions within the first and second printing document guides, with a deflector determining the printing document guide into which a document is driven from the transfer document guides. A print head is pivotally mounted between the printing document guides, being pivoted between a position adjacent the first printing document guides and a position adjacent the second printing document guides.

Abstract: A container opening device has a base and an upper carriage, sliding on posts extending upward from the base. The upper carriage has a downward facing upper platen, and the base has an upward facing lower platen which is rotated by a motor in response to the depression of a knob sliding on the upper carriage. In a first version, electrical contacts within the carriage close an electrical circuit between the posts when the knob is depressed. In a second version, a pushrod in the carriage, moved by depression of the knob, causes a shaft extending upward from the base to pivot, so that contacts in a switch controlling the motor are closed.

Abstract: Extruded material for forming blind slats has at least one textured surface with raised areas and adjacent lower areas. After extrusion and texturing processes, the slat material is passed through a spray painting process applying a substantially thicker coating of paint to the raised areas than to the adjacent lower areas.

Abstract: A screwdriver has a drive bit with a drive portion for engaging a socket within a socket-headed screw, with the drive portion being expanded by the distal end of an internal pushrod operating on the conical surface of a hold within the drive bit. The pushrod extends in a central hole within a housing. The housing may include a handle portion and a hollow shaft, with a threaded knob engaging the handle portion to move the pushrod. The drive bit may be a fixed portion of the screwdriver or an interchangeable part.

Abstract: An illuminated kite includes a number of light sources extending along its surfaces. These light sources may include a number of light circuits, each of which includes light bulbs extending in a spaced-apart relationship along an electrical wire including a pair of conductors, or one or more electroluminescent panels extending along a cover surface of the kite. The light circuits extend, within transparent sleeves formed in the kite cover, adjacent structural members of the kite. The electroluminescent panels are coated on the surface of the kite cover, or they are formed as elastomeric solids to be placed in pockets on the kite cover.

Abstract: A greeting card folded in the folio style of a conventional greeting card includes a holder for holding an audio cassette and a provision for displaying visual indicia describing audio information recorded on the cassette. This provision may be in the form of imprinted guidelines for writing, or it may be in the form of imprinted descriptive information. The greeting card may also include an adhesive surface for the attachment of a photograph or other visual indicia.

Abstract: A printer including two adjacent printing stations has a print head attached to a carriage moved through both printing stations, with a home position for the carriage being established between the printing stations. Data describing the position of the carriage, generated with the movement of the carriage, is reset as the carriage is moved past the home position, as indicated by a position detector. If this data is corrupted or lost, the carriage is driven in a first direction until the home position is reached or until a first end of travel position is reached, whichever occurs first. At this end of travel position, a tab extending downward from the carriage comes into contact with a tab extending upward from a sliding bracket on which an idler pulley within a belt drive system, causing movement of the carriage, is mounted.

Abstract: A fixture for testing circuits includes a rectangular array of conductive test pads, alternating with insulating areas in a checkerboard-like pattern. In a first embodiment, the entire array is printed on a central portion of a plastic membrane, with outer portions of the membrane carrying electrical lines from the test pads to connectors. In a second embodiment, the rectangular array is formed on surfaces of a number of closely packet plastic membranes, each of which has tabs extending away from the testing surface to connectors. The test fixture is generic, not being configured for testing a particular circuit configuration. To compensate for conditions of linear misalignment, the rectangular array is moved in a raster pattern having a size equal to the cell size of the rectangular array. To compensate for conditions of angular misalignment, the array may be rotated after such misalignment is measured, or test results may be compared with exemplary data for a number of misalignment conditions.

Abstract: A patient's leg is clamped into place for knee surgery by placement of the lower leg and foot in a leg receiving structure which is removably attached to a platform through the use of VELCRO closures. The platform is adjustably connected to a rail of an operating table. The leg receiving structure includes a foot holder, into which the foot is strapped, and a leg holder, into which a lower part of the leg is strapped. The leg holder is pivotally mounted on the foot holder, so that the foot may be flexed as the foot holder is moved among various positions on the platform.

Abstract: The vibrating probe of a scanning force microscope is brought into engagement with a sample surface in an initial approach process moving the probe toward the sample surface until the amplitude of probe vibration at an excitation frequency is measurably affected by forces between the tip and the sample, an then in a final approach process in which a change in vibration amplitude caused by a dithering vibration superimposed on the excitation vibration exceeds a pre-determined threshold limit. The excitation frequency is reduced if the phase angle of vibrations exceeds another limit, and the amplitude of the excitation driving function is increased as the amplitude or tip vibration falls below a setpoint. During approach and scanning, vibration amplitude is measured through a demodulator having an intermediate reference signal locked in phase with the tip motion signal.

Abstract: A valance includes central and end members formed from a single piece of extruded stock, with the central member having mitered corners at each end, and with each end member having a mitered end and a square end. The extruded stock has an inner surface including upper and lower attachment slots and an outer surface including upper and lower trim strip receiving slots. An “L”-shaped corner bracket connects each end member with the central member, extending within the upper and lower attachment slots. A decorative trim strip having heat-formed corners extends within the trim strip receiving slots of the end members and the central member. Alternative versions of the valance include a version configured to fit within a bay window and a design including upper and lower valance structures, with the lower structure being held by special brackets below and offset within the upper structure.

Abstract: A pair of communications adapters each include a number of digital signal processors and network interface circuits for the attachment of a multi-channel telephone line. A bus connecting the communications adapters can carry data between a network line attached to one of the adapters and the digital signal processors of the other adapter. The digital signal processors on each card are connected to a host, or controller, processor. Each digital signal processor interrupts its host processor by transmitting an interrupt control block as data to a data memory of the host processor, and by subsequently sending an interrupt causing the host processor to examine the data memory. Preferably, the interrupt control block includes data representing a number of requested interrupts.

Abstract: A duplex printer for printing on opposite sides of a document includes a ribbon shifting mechanism for moving a printing ribbon between a first position, in which the ribbon extends between a print head and the document for printing on a front side of the document, and a second position, in which the ribbon extends between the document and a platen for printing on a reverse side of the document. In one version of the printer, the ribbon is shifted as a carriage used to move the print head within a printing range, within which printing occurs, is moved outside this printing range into a ribbon shifting range.

Abstract: A scanning probe microscope operates in the manner of an atomic force microscope during intermittent periods of scanning motion, in which a sample surface is driven so that a scan line on the surface is moved past a probe tip being vibrated in engagement with the surface. Between these intermittent periods of scanning motion, the vibrating probe tip is moved out of engagement with the sample surface, so that the amplitude and phase shift of probe tip vibrations are determined by the gradient of a force field extending outward from the sample surface. Such a force field is established when the probe tip is attracted by, or repelled from, a magnetic or electric field at or near the sample surface. For each sample point, the system stores data representing the height of the sample surface and the force field.

Abstract: A disk texturing tool is used, for example, to provide textured spots in an annular portion of both sides of a hardfile disk. Disks are moved into and out of the texturing process in cassettes, through two disk-handling stations. In each disk-handling station, a lifter raises each individual disk from the cassette. The individual disk is then transferred to a pick-and-place mechanism, which moves it to a spindle. The spindle spins and translates the disk, so that both sides of the disk are exposed to beams derived from a pulsed laser. The pick-and-place mechanism then returns the disk to the lifter, which lowers it into the cassette pocket from which it was taken. The pick-and-place mechanism simultaneously moves one disk from the lifter to the spindle and another from the spindle to the lifter. While disks are moved by the pick-and-place mechanism of one disk-handling station, a disk in the spindle of the other disk-handling station is exposed to the laser beams.