Abstract: A flexible cover for closing the opening of a refrigerated produce rack when the produce does not need to be viewed thereby optimizing the refrigerated and moisturized air conditions inside the display area. The cover includes a plurality of transparent curtains that roll up on rollers for storage and roll down for use. Strip connectors provide connections across the gaps between adjacent curtains. Fasteners of the hook and loop type allow the strip connectors to be secured to the curtains across the gaps simply by placing the connectors across the gaps.

Abstract: An eyelash curler and method for curling eyelashes. The curler has an upper jaw for placement on top of the eyelashes and a lower jaw for placement under the eyelashes. The angle of the upper jaw to the handle is approximately 48.degree. allowing the curler to be positioned in contact with the cheek during use. The person holds the curler with two fingers on two finger grips on opposite sides of a sleeve and a thumb on the thumb grip at the bottom of a plunger. The curler is sighted in a mirror through an alignment aperture in the neck and the curler is moved toward the eyelashes while keeping the reflection of the pupil in the aperture until the first finger grip touches the upper cheek and the thumb grip touches the lower cheek. Once contact is made, the hand is maneuvered slightly about the finger grip until the upper jaw contacts the eyelid. The thumb grip is then squeezed toward the finger grips until the lower jaw butts against the upper jaw curling the eyelashes between them.

Abstract: An eyelash curler for use by one hand to curl eyelashes. The eyelash curler has an upper jaw with a curling bar member for placement on top of the eyelashes and a lower jaw with a resilient pad having a convex upper surface for placement under the eyelashes. Also included on the upper jaw is a lid guard projecting from the face of the curling bar member toward the eyelid when the curler is in position to curl the eyelashes. The lid guard keeps the eyelid out of the space between the jaws to prevent pinching of the eyelid and provides proper spacing of the jaws from the eyelid to allow optimal curling of the eyelashes. The upper jaw is coupled to a sleeve and the lower jaw is coupled to a plunger that slides inside the sleeve. Finger grips on the side of the sleeve and a thumb pad on the end of the plunger allow a three fingertip grip of the curler that optimally utilizes the characteristics of the hand to position the curler and curl the eyelashes.

Abstract: An abdominal exerciser for use with a belt to encircle an abdomen. A planar contacting plate rests on the abdomen. A retainer plate spaced from the contacting plate retains the belt in a relatively fixed location away from the skin of the abdomen. A coiled compression spring biases the retainer plate and belt away from the contacting plate. Exercise of the abdominal muscles is achieved by alternatively tightening the muscles to push the contacting plate toward the retainer plate and then relaxing the muscles allowing the spring to push the contacting plate away from the retainer plate. In an alternative embodiment, a weight is attached to the contacting plate by a second belt to stretch the muscles in the relaxed state and to require greater effort when the contacting plate is pushed toward the retainer plate.

Abstract: A scraper for cleaning an obscuring coating off a game card or lottery ticket. The scraper has a scraper blade on one end and a brush on the other comprised of a rabbit's foot allowing the scraper blade to be used by holding the foot as a handle and the brush to be used by holding the scraper blade as a handle. The scraper is coupled to the rabbit's foot using any one of several different means. One embodiment forms the scraper and coupling means from a metal tube. One end of the tube is cut, trimmed, and flattened to form the scraper. The other becomes the coupling means and is fitted over the ankle end of the rabbit's foot and crimped to the foot with the knuckles on the ends of the bones retained inside the coupling means. Other embodiments form the scraper and coupling means from flat metal. A cup or cylinder is formed, fitted, and crimped onto the ankle end of the rabbit's foot to retain the scraper blade.

Abstract: A staged mold for stabilizing hazardous wastes for final disposal by molding an agglomerate of the hazardous wastes and encapsulating the agglomerate. Three stages are employed in the process. In the first stage, a first mold body is positioned on a first mold base, a mixture of the hazardous wastes and a thermosetting plastic is loaded into the mold, the mixture is mechanically compressed, heat is applied to cure the mixture to form a rigid agglomerate, and the first mold body is removed leaving the agglomerate sitting on the first mold base. In the second stage, a clamshell second mold body is positioned around the agglomerate and the first mold base, a powdered thermoplastic resin is poured on top of the agglomerate and in the gap between the sides of the agglomerate and the second mold body, the thermoplastic is compressed, heat is applied to melt the thermoplastic, and the plastic is cooled jacketing the agglomerate on the top and sides.

Abstract: A steerable surfing body board for use by a surfer to a hydroplane down the front face of a wave. Two rudders are mounted near the front of the board and two skags are mounted at the rear. A control handle on the upper surface operates the rudders in parallel through a cogged belt between the rudder axles in the center of the board. The handle is offset 45.degree. from the position of the rudders placing the straight ahead position of the rudders in the center of the natural arc of the hand when the elbow rests on the upper surface of the board.

Abstract: A locking removable support surface such as an ironing board for use in a bread board slot in a cabinet or with an adapter. The inner end of the support surface has sides that taper away from each other. When the support surface is inserted into the slot, the sides wedge horizontally against the ends of the slot locking the support surface in place. The adapter allows the support surface to be used on a cabinet that does not have a slot or any vertical surface. A drawer is removed from the cabinet and the adaptor is inserted. The adapter has a slot for the support surface. One embodiment of the adapter has side walls that taper in to match the taper of the sides of the support surface to provide superior horizontal wedging. Another embodiment of the adapter has upper and lower walls tapering toward each other to provide vertical wedging of the inner end of the support surface.

Abstract: A processor controlled ear responsive hearing aid for the ear of a hearing impaired individual and method for operating a hearing aid. The input from the microphone is amplified and split into a plurality of band-pass channels each having a frequency range of approximately one-third octave. Each channel has an amplifier that is controlled by the processor. The processor receives control signals from a feedback microphone located in the ear canal and uses the control signals to develop a spectrum of the actual sound pressure levels by frequency at the eardrum. The processor compares averages of the actual sound pressure levels to the desired levels for each channel and for the overall output according to a predetermined set of instructions and controls the channel amplifiers and an output amplifier to produce the desired sound pressure levels for each frequency in the ear canal.