Abstract: A drill bit is provided with a cylindrical body portion fabricated from a plastic material. The body portion is fastened in concentric, end to end relation to a cylindrical cutter fabricated from a metallic material and having an array of cutting elements disposed thereon. The body portion and cutter are preferably tubular, wherein the cutting elements are disposed in an annular array, to facilitate core or crown drilling operations. The wall thickness of the tubular body portion may be increased relative that of the cutter to compensate for wear during drilling. The tubular body portions also may fabricated from a composite polymer including wear resistant particles, whiskers, fibers and the like disposed on inner and outer surfaces of the polymer body, or dispersed throughout the body.

Abstract: An adapter is provided for facillating simultaneous level-monitoring and filling of a vessel through a single vessel aperture. The adapter also reduces backflow that may occur during the filling process. The adapter comprises an aperture engagement end which is adapted to couple with the aperture of a vessel. The adapter also includes a plurality of inlets, pathways and outlets. A first pathway is substantially straight and is adapted to receive a level-monitoring devices easily couple with this first pathway. The adapter also comprises a second pathway which is free from fluid communication with the other pathway. This discrete second pathway is used for filling the vessel with minimal fluid backflow. This discrete second pathway also protects the level-monitoring device from possible damage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for machining flat or planarizing a fire deck of a bimetallic engine block includes providing a grinding wheel by disposing a series of abrasive inserts at spaced locations along a circumference of a circular head, so that during rotation of the head, the inserts form a notional annular grinding ring. The head is preferably a conventional milling head and the inserts are sized and shaped to fit within receptacles adapted to receive conventional milling inserts. In an alternate embodiment, a second series of abrasive inserts may be disposed radially inward of the first series of inserts to form an inner notional annular grinding ring disposed concentrically with the outer ring. Inner and outer inserts preferably comprise a single layer of diamond abrasive brazed onto a metallic substrate.

Abstract: A tail gate load organizing device is provided for carrying items longer than a pickup truck box floor with a tailgate down by moving a supporting point out onto the tailgate. The device includes an elongated base, vertical load partitions, base support system, and a tailgate attachment member. In use, the load organizing device is mountedly placed upon a tailgate and the attachment member is extended to bring about attaching engagement with a tailgate support which extendedly connects at one end to the tailgate and at another end to the pickup truck box side. The device is then useful in loading a pickup truck by causing an organized elongated load to be maintained within a pickup truck box and inclined relative to the floor of the truck box.

Abstract: Provided is an imaged wet lithographic printing plate which bears a hydrophilic layer and an oleophilic, water-insoluble layer in a desired imagewise pattern overlying the hydrophilic layer, wherein the oleophilic layer comprises a reaction product of a transition metal complex of an organic acid, preferably a chromium complex of an organic carboxylic acid. Also provided are methods of preparing such imaged wet lithographic plates by ink jet printing and by laser ablation imaging; methods of preparing positive working, wet lithographic printing plates imageable by laser radiation; positive working, wet lithographic printing plates prepared by such methods; and methods of imaging such positive working plates by laser ablation imaging.

Abstract: A grinding wheel is provided for grinding the fire deck of an engine block. The grinding wheel, includes a first annular grinding element disposed concentrically with the wheel on a backing plate. The first annular grinding element includes a first abrasive component of either metal brazed single layer abrasive components or abrasive components comprising grain bonded in a porous matrix having about 55 to 80 volume percent interconnected porosity. The wheel preferably has a second annular grinding element disposed concentrically inward of the first annular grinding element. The first annular grinding element preferably comprises a single layer of relatively course diamond abrasive component brazed on a metallic substrate, while the second annular grinding element preferably comprises a single layer of relatively fine diamond abrasive components brazed on a similar substrate.

Abstract: Provided is a mass and heat flow measurement apparatus comprising sample and reference microresonators, such as sample and reference quartz crystal microbalances; sample and reference heat flow sensors, such as sample and reference isothermal heat conduction calorimeters; and sample and reference heat sinks coupled thermally to the heat flow sensors. The apparatus may be used to measure changes in mass due to a sample on a surface of the sample microresonator and also to measure heat flows from the sample on the surface of the sample microresonator by utilizing the heat flow sensors, which are coupled thermally to the corresponding sample or reference microresonators. Also provided is a method for measuring the mass of a sample and the flow of heat from the sample to the heat sink by utilizing such apparatus.

Abstract: Provided are mass and heat flow measurement sensors comprising a microresonator, such as a quartz crystal microbalance; a heat flow sensor; and a heat sink coupled thermally to the heat flow sensor. The sensors may be used to measure changes in mass due to a sample, such as a gas sorbing or reacting, on a surface of the microresonator and also to measure heat flow from the sample on the surface of the microresonator by utilizing the heat flow sensor, which is coupled thermally to the microresonator. The combined microresonator and heat flow sensor may provide simultaneous and continuous measurement of the changes in mass and heat flow at a gas-solid interface. Also provided are methods for measuring the mass of a sample, such as a gas, and the flow of heat from the sample to the heat sink by utilizing such mass and heat flow measurement sensors.

Abstract: The present invention includes a method and apparatus which determines the tree-dimensional (x, y, z coordinate) position of the receiving position of a GPS antenna on an earth-moving machine or a vehicle, determines the tilt of the machine or vehicle in real time (tilt may vary from point to point), and utilizes this data to calculate the three-dimesional (x, y, z coordinate) position of a point of the earth's surface disposed beneath the machine or vehicle. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention derives and displays the distance between the actual elevation of this point and the desired surface elevation.

Abstract: The present invention includes a dental/medical instrument for use in diagnostic and related patient inspection/examination. The device includes a body including an integral speculum with a video image capture device or camera, a power supply and a video display. These components, in addition to user actuatable controls, are disposed integrally with the body. The body is adapted for convenient engagement and manipulation by a user's hand to provide a unitary, hand-held device capable of illuminating and capturing an image of a patient, and displaying the image.

Abstract: A driver is provided for a Coriolis flow meter having a flow tube adapted to vibrate at a predetermined resonance frequency to determine mass flow rate of a fluid passing therethrough. The driver includes a coil, a ferromagnetic core disposed coaxially within the coil, and a spring adapted to resiliently fasten the ferromagnetic core and the coil to one another. The coil is adapted for being rigidly disposed on the flow tube and the ferromagnetic core is adapted to oscillate within the coil in response to excitation of the coil. The spring serves to guide and dampen the oscillations of the ferromagnetic core relative to the coil so that the driver is free from attachment to a non-moving object. A pivotable and/or flexible restraint may be provided to maintain the core along a curved path to centripetally accelerate the core.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to an optical shutter device comprising one or more photon absorbing materials that convert photons to heat in less than 1 nanosecond and one or more thermochromic materials that undergo an increase or decrease in optical density at one or more wavelengths when the thermochromic material is heated from 25° C. to a temperature greater than 100° C. in less than 1 nanosecond.

Abstract: Provided are mass and heat flow measurement sensors comprising a microresonator, such as a quartz crystal microbalance; a heat flow sensor, such as an isothermal heat conduction calorimeter; and a heat sink coupled thermally to the heat flow sensor. The microresonator may be used to measure changes of mass due to a sample at its surface, and heat flow sensor, which is coupled thermally to the microresonator, may be used to measure heat flow from the sample on the surface of the microresonator to the heat sink. Also provided are methods for measuring the mass of a sample and the flow of heat from the sample to the heat sink by utilizing such mass and heat flow measurement sensors.

Abstract: Provided is a media-fluid material set which comprises a media with a support that bears a hydrophilic receiving surface together with a fluid material comprising a liquid carrier medium and a reactive transition metal complex of a fluorinated organic acid. After application of the fluid material to the hydrophilic receiving surface, the reactive complex reacts to form an ink-releasing layer. Such a media-fluid material set can be advantageously used in preparing waterless lithographic printing plates with ink-releasing layers comprising such fluorinated reaction products. Also provided are imaged waterless lithographic printing plates with such ink-releasing layers made by an ink jet printing application or by laser-induced thermal ablation, and methods of making such waterless lithographic printing plates.

Abstract: Provided is an ink jet fluid composition which comprises a liquid carrier medium and a diketene. Upon ink jet printing on a printing medium and subsequent exposure to an energy source, a durable and water-insoluble layer is formed. Such an ink jet fluid composition and printing process can be advantageously used to produce durable and water-insoluble images on printing media.

Abstract: A method is provided for machining the fire deck of an engine block. The method includes providing a grinding wheel having an outer annular grinding element disposed concentrically or the wheel may be provided with an inner annular grinding element disposed concentrically inward of an outer element. The outer element comprises a single layer of relatively coarse diamond abrasive brazed on a metallic substrate, while the inner element comprises a single layer of relatively fine diamond abrasive brazed on a similar substrate. The outer grinding element and the inner element if utilized, is formed as a discrete unit individually fastened to a backing plate to facilitate independent height adjustment of the elements relative the backing plate. The method further comprises orienting the grinding wheel with its axis of rotation at a predetermined oblique angle a relative the fire deck.

Abstract: A drill bit is provided with a cylindrical body portion fabricated from a plastic material. The body portion is fastened in concentric, end to end relation to a cylindrical cutter fabricated from a metallic material and having an array of cutting elements disposed thereon. The body portion and cutter are preferably tubular, wherein the cutting elements are disposed in an annular array, to facilitate core or crown drilling operations. The wall thickness of the tubular body portion may be increased relative that of the cutter to compensate for wear during drilling.

Abstract: Provided is an ink jet fluid composition which comprises a liquid carrier medium and one or more chromium complexes of organic acids. Upon ink jet printing on a printing medium and subsequent exposure to an energy source, a durable and water-insoluble layer is formed. Such an ink jet fluid composition and printing process can be advantageously used to produce durable and water-insoluble images on printing media.

Abstract: A television and computer integration system is provided that includes a coupler module electrically coupled to a remote keyboard and integral mouse. Coupler module is also electrically coupled to both a personal computer and to a conventional television. The personal computer has a conventional user interface which includes a keyboard, monitor and mouse. The coupler module enables the combination of the remote keyboard and mouse, and television to serve as a secondary user interface for the personal computer which may be operated in parallel with the primary user interface. A user may thus access and take advantage of substantially all of the capabilities of the personal computer (including computer games and Internet access) from the user's television, in the comfort of the user's living room or television room. The present invention thus advantageously provides efficient and inexpensive integration of television capabilities with personal computing, including Internet access.