Abstract: The present invention comprises apparatus designed to repel, but not injure, warm-blooded aquatic life from a specific aquatic region in an energy-efficient manner. A potential gradient is turned on and maintained between sets of immersed electrodes in response to the detection of the presence of warm-blooded animals in the "watched" volume at the surface and above and below the surface of an aquatic region. The electroshock is applied to the animal through the water by use of an electrical field generated from an array of electrodes placed in the water. The size, shape, and intensity of the electrical field are independently controlled by use of design criteria which allow the operator to determine the degree of electrical shock to be administered to a specific animal species by controlling the parameters of electrical energy induced into the animal through the water.

Abstract: A unique geometry is used to amplify the force created by gravity on a tilting mass to substantially increase the resulting contact force in a mechanical tilt switch. In some cases a novel contact surface containing abrasive particles is also used to substantially reduce the contact force required to achieve a low contact resistance. The combination of these two features permits a substantial reduction in the size of the seismic mass needed for mechanical tilt switches and results in a switch which has a comparable size and comparable performance to mercury switches without the use of mercury. In some applications the effect of vibration is reduced by partially filling the switch housing with a damping fluid.

Abstract: A vehicle crush detecting device consists of an electrically conducting tube with an electrically conducting rod concentrically positioned within the tube along with insulating means positioned at at least two points between the rod and the tube to insulate the rod from the tube. The electrically conducting tube is deformed during a vehicle crash by a force greater than a predetermined magnitude which causes the tube to contact the rod in response to the crush of a vehicle of a predetermined amount. The crush sensor is mounted in the crush zone of the vehicle and is used in conjunction with automobile passive restraint systems such as airbags.

Abstract: A jewelry article comprising a sleeve having a groove at one end and a central bore hole going substantially therethrough the sleeve, and a face piece having at least one tongue and spring bias means, which when a tongue of the face piece is inserted into the groove of the sleeve secures the two together such that when an earring post is inserted into the borehole of the sleeve the tongue will, under the spring bias means, secure the earring post to the sleeve. The sleeve and face are made of inert materials. If the tongue is indented from the plane of the face piece then when the face piece is tilted away (i.e., at an acute angle to the axis of the central borehole from being perpendicular to the axis of the bore hole, then even larger diameter earring posts can be entered.

Abstract: A vehicle crash detecting sensor having a pivoted sensing mass which rotates, in response to vehicle deceleration occurring in a crash of a vehicle, from an at-rest position through a second position of rotation at which time airbag deployment is enabled and then the mass is intentionally rotated through to a third (long dwell) position at a rotational angle much larger in magnitude and in the same direction as that of the second position. The sensing mass is spring biased to always bias the mass during rotation to the at-rest position regardless of the dwell angle of the mass during rotation. By appropriate configuration of the inner wall of the housing to which the other end of the spring, typically an elastica spring, is attached, the part of the spring which touches the wall can be controlled and thereby ensuring that the direction of the torque is always the same,- that is, towards the at-rest position.

Abstract: A sensor and bracket assembly designed for arrangement in the crush zone of a motor vehicle, is operative to determine when and if a crash of the vehicle is severe enough to deploy a passive restraint system (i.e., air bag or seat belt tensioner). The sensor is preferably of the crush switch type but may also be electronic of electromechanical. The bracket is designed to lie in the crush zone for a wide spectrum of crashes including those that involve only a portion of the vehicle front end including partial bumper over-rides and under-rides. The bracket may be either a separate part of the desired shape may be incorporated into the design of some part of the vehicle structure such as the radiator supports. The assembly may incorporate a single or multiple brackets and a single or multiple sensors.

Abstract: A combined can stacker and spatial media advertising/instructional device facilitating the vertical stacking of similar plan-view shape cans two-at-a-time while also providing space on the panel side(s) of the device for either advertising or for instructions, such as, for example, securing two binary chemical cans together and providing instructions as to the proper mixing of said binary chemicals. For specific example, to provide instructions as to mixing car body compound contained in one first can with hardener contained in the second can, where the two cans are secured to each other with the device to form one vertically integral physical unit.

Abstract: An eternal symbolic/religious memorial light having a flickering-candle appearance generated electronically by at least a pair of lamps and operated by a rechargeable battery charged/recharged by a solar cell unit, or by the solar cell unit itself. In an alternative embodiment, a light-dependent resistor (LDR) is incorporated to automatically adjust the current to the lamps in accordance with the background lighting conditions. Thus, the flickering appearance is made brighter during daylight when this is required in order to see the candle, and at nightfall, the brightness is diminished as the candle is more easily visible. In another alternative embodiment, the solar cells continuously run a user-programmed calendar/timer to turn on the lamp units only on specified memorial/anniversity days.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving messages by electromagnetic induction in a power restricted environment is disclosed in which the message bandwidth is narrowed prior to transmission and restored to its original breadth upon reception. This is accomplished by imputting a signal of a given duration into a signal storage means and outputting the signal from the storage means over a longer duration. The signal must be converted into a form suitable for storage. In a first preferred embodiment this is accomplished by converting the message to a digital form inputting it into a signal storage means, retrieving the message from storage at a rate different from the input rate and converting the retrived message to analog form. In a second preferred embodiment the signal is differentiated, and converted into a square wave; the zero crossings are identified and stored.