Abstract: This invention is a component craps stick for manipulating dice in a gaming casino, formed as a three-component detachable assembly of a rattan hook, a rattan shaft and a pinewood handle. The rattan components may be removed and replaced when they deteriorate or break due to flexural fatigue in extensive casino use. The three-component configuration is a distinct improvement over currently used single-piece rattan craps sticks which must be totally replaced when any part deteriorates or breaks.

Abstract: This invention absorbs excess menstrual flow when an intra-vaginal tampon becomes saturated during periods of heavy flow. A system of two small-size soft absorbent cloths, placed externally in the user's crotch and held in place by the female anatomy, absorbs all the excess flow. First, the multi-layer Large Cloth Assembly, inserted between and held in place by the vaginal lips at the opening of the vagina, absorbs fluid which would otherwise run down the inside of the legs when the user stands. Second, the folded Small Cloth placed on the skin between the opening of the vagina and the anus, secured in place by the buttocks closing around it, absorbs fluid which would otherwise leak through the crack between the buttocks, particulary when the body is horizontal. Disposal of both cloths is by a toilet flush. The invention has been effective in clinical trials, is medically safe, simple and hidden from view, comfortable, low cost, and adapted to any anatomy.

Abstract: This method generates the first electronically excited state of oxygen (singlet delta) at ambient temperature by a gas-solid chemical reaction involving a solid alkali metal peroxide or a solid alkaline earth peroxide and a non-radioactive-hydrogen-isotope halide gas. Singlet delta oxygen was produced from solid lithium peroxide, sodium peroxide or barium peroxide by reaction with gaseous hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide, deuterium chloride, or deuterium bromide. The method can be practiced in a static or a flow system, and the reaction may take place in a chemical oxygen-iodine laser. The described process avoids unstable precursors, such as basic hydrogen peroxide, and liquid phase quenching. The method is safe, compact, solvent-free, mechanically simple, requires no external energy source, and permits the generation of large quantities of singlet delta oxygen. Furthermore, since no liquid phase separations are required the process is ideally suited for zero gravitational force conditions.

Abstract: This container holder is a vertical structure with its lower extremity fixedly attachable to a sink drain opening, and its upper extremity capable of receiving and clamping the container whose lid is to be manipulated. At the holder bottom, parallel connected fixed and pivoting partial cylindrical sections are placed in the sink drain opening. The user rotates a cam lever to swing out the pivoting section until the holder is firmly fixed in the sink drain. The top of the holder has a platform on which the container is placed. A screw mechanism actuated by a crank handle converges two clamping jaws around the container to fix it in place. Advantages include use of minimum force for both sink attachment and container clamping, and normal sink function with the holder in place. The holder can be made of lightweight materials, is easily cleaned and rapidly deployed.

Abstract: This invention is an inert, non-consumed, anode for use in electrolytic production of aluminum from the ore, consisting of a plurality of parallel vertical wires, or rods, attached to a suspended support structure which is also connected to an electrical power source. The wires are made of a high-temperature corrosion-resistant alloy and are durably surface-coated with a noble metal such as platinum, typically deposited by the SCX sputter coating process. In operation the coated wires are immersed in a fused fluoride electrolyte bath at 900 C., but remain structurally intact at that temperature. Moreover, the catalytic noble-metal surface dissociates the oxides formed in the electrolysis, avoiding generation of greenhouse gases. To suit the dimensions of the electrolytic furnace, the inert anode can be expanded in the form of linear or circular modules of the coated wires or rods. The power consumption with the inert anode of the invention is half that with a carbon anode.

Abstract: A renewable protection system protects wheelchair and gurney users against diseases due to contacting contaminated surfaces with impervious sheet protectors—paper or plastic—covering all contact surfaces. Identical protectors separated by perforations form a roll from which they are detached for each successive user. The roll is placed in an openable storage tube with a protector dispensing slit. The storage tube is mounted detachably on wheelchair or gurney bottom frame bars. For a wheelchair, the protector is cruciform, with the crosspiece forming flaps extending over the sides of the wheelchair, and the longitudinal strip extending over the top of the back of the wheelchair. Four detachable adhesive stickers secure the protector to the wheelchair at the back and sides. For a gurney the protector has the width of the gurney platform and a length extending to the top of the headrest, to which the protector is attached by an open pocket.

Abstract: A hand held back applicator for spreading emollients on one's back and other body parts, consisting of a curved handle with a grip, attached to a head with an absorbent pad accommodating the emollients. The pad is attached to the head by pressure-sensitive hook-and-loop strips, enabling it to be quickly detached for laundering and later re-attachment, or replacement. A cover which completely encloses the head with pad attached, shields against loss of emollients and permits hygienic storage and packing. Further, the head can be detached from the handle, so that the head, with pad and cover in place, can be stored and transported separate from the handle and grip. Handle and head are made of rigid plastics, the grip of vinyl, and the pad is designed for repeated hygienic hot water-soap washing, dryer cycles, and many re-uses. The dimensions of grip, handle, head and pad are economically selected for best results with maximum comfort and minimum operating cost.

Abstract: This invention relates to the use of permanent magnets to improve the condition of the eyes, such as to provide relaxation, overcome tiredness, and create good feeling in the eyes. It is a combination of bi-polar magnets and eyeglasses in which circular magnets are mounted concentrically into the rims of eyeglasses and so placed immediately in front of the eyes for an optimum therapeutic effect. The magnets are solid cylinders with a large central hole mounted on intact or perforated eyeglass lenses; or thin flexible disks with either a large central hole or a plurality of small holes mounted directly on the eyeglass rims in place of lenses. The magnets, available commercially, are all bi-polar and vary in field strength from 400 to 1000 gauss. The use of the magnet-eyeglass combination should be from 10 to 20 minutes once or twice a day for an improvement in the eyes.

Abstract: A family of five board games with chess-like features played on a board of 64 white and off-white squares by two opposing players. Each player moves 16 pieces arrayed on the two rows closest to the player: 8 hollow domes each named RxM where x=A,E,I,O or U, on the back row; and 8 smaller solid hemispheres each named VOID on the second row. Four games are played with 8 identical RxMs per player, a RAM moving like a Rook, a REM like a Queen, a RIM like a Knight, and a ROM like a Bishop. The object of these games is to capture all the opponent's pieces. The fifth game has two each RAMs, RIMs, ROMs, and two RUMs moving like Kings, on the back row. The object here is to capture both RUMs of the opponent. In all versions a VOID moves like a Pawn. Different colors are assigned to the pieces in the different games and for the two players. The unique feature in all five games is the ability to create a third, more powerful, piece called RxMVOID moving like a Queen by covering a VOID on any square with a RxM.

Abstract: This Precise Recipe Spice Dispenser is an aid to cooks, providing accurate and speedy dispensing of proper amounts of spices in correct sequence for a given recipe. A transparent plastic form contains a series of separate trough-shaped spice compartments with open faces. The sequence and sizes of the compartments depend on the order and amounts of the individual spices required. The plastic form, when filled with the spices, is sealed to the front layer of a double-layer chipboard backing, such that the open periphery of the spice compartments exactly matches a cutout in the front layer. The back layer has a peelable strip with a peripheral perforation exactly back-to-back with the cutout periphery in the front layer. The names of the spices and the recipe as a whole may be printed on the front layer next to the sealed spice compartments. When the first spice is needed, the peelable strip is peeled back to expose just the first compartment, leaving the other compartments sealed.

Abstract: A T-shaped flow divider for use in watering and irrigating systems, with a swivel inflow connector, and a four-position three-hole ball control valve to direct the outflow to one or other or both of the T-arm outflow connectors, or to close off flow completely. The swivel feature permits the outflow connectors to swivel to any convenient circumferential location while the inflow connector is attached to a water supply source. This obviates the need for complete dismantling of rigid systems with 2-way valves for maintenance or changes in the system. Further, the 4-way control valve permits the accurate design of extended irrigation systems, particularly for irregular areas. One version of the flow divider has female threads on the swivel inlet flow connector for attaching to hose bibs and the like, with male threads on the outflow connectors.

Abstract: This invention is a heat engine operating on the afterburning Ericsson cycle whose principle is heat addition to the cycle by an afterburner in which fuel is burned with the low-pressure air working fluid exhausted by the expander. The resulting combustion gases are used in a countercurrent heat exchanger continually heating (1) the air expanding in the expander and (2) further upstream the high-pressure air (compressed by the compressor) in the regenerator. The ideal efficiency of this cycle is the Carnot cycle efficiency between the same top and bottom temperatures. Practical engines are more efficient than those in which heat addition takes place upstream of the expander. All moving parts are only exposed to clean air, and expander valves can be operated at temperatures comparable to current internal combustion engines. Liquid or gaseous fuels can be used and control of speed and power is simple, based on keeping engine temperatures constant.

Abstract: A compact, continuous-flow synthesis device for the production of dimeric hydrocarbon species by reacting unsaturated hydrocarbons such as alkenes and alkynes with atomic hydrogen or free radicals generated by the dissociation of molecular hydrogen or organics such as alkanes. The dissociation is carried out in a module either by the electric discharge between a pair of parallel, annular, flat disc, high-voltage electrodes or by the radiation between a pair of parallel, toroidal ultraviolet lamps. The reactant to be dissociated flows radially inward from the module periphery between the pair of electrodes or the pair of ultraviolet lamps, and reaches the axis of the annulus or torus in the dissociated state. Unsaturated hydrocarbons in the dispersed phase injected vertically down this axis react with the dissociated species in a collision chamber surrounding the dissociation module to form residual free radicals.

Abstract: A protective encasement for a vehicular trailer coupler of the latching lever towball and tongue type, completely covering the top land sides of the coupler. The encasement is made of strong thick-walled material such as but not limited to thermoplastic alloy molding and is secured to the coupler by a removable customized internal shackle through the latch lever lockhole. The shackle ends are locked into a completely encapsulated lockbody. When locked, the encasement outer wall is continuous except for the recessed lock keyhole and the flush shackle grip. This encasement provides protection for attached and unattached trailers, strongly resists tampering, is impervious to the weather, protects individuals against injuries from protrusions on the coupler, safeguards the trailer from accidental uncoupling, can be produced in bright external colors for highly visible identification, and requires no coupler or vehicle modification.

Abstract: The Third Brake Light and Illuminated Message Combination of this invention is powered by the vehicle battery and features a rotatable light box with a number of plane facets consisting of translucent, red-tinted, windows, each of which holds a different transparent strip with a message or graphic. The light box is placed on the rear window shelf of the vehicle. When the vehicle brakes are applied, electric lamps attached to a reflector inside the light box illuminate solely the facet and attached message which face to the rear where they can be seen by the driver of the following car. The number of facets can vary from two to eight. A control unit on the dashboard is wired to an actuator on the light box to permit the driver to rotate the light box to display different messages. The circuitry also illuminates a light panel on the control unit to indicate continuously which message is on display. The indicator light may be turned off by the driver, but will still light up every time the brakes are applied.

Abstract: Disclosed are peelers for fruits and vegetables and the like food products. The peelers are preferably tubular in shape and formed from an extruded flexible homogeneous composition. The tubular shape and its flexibility enables the inside diameter food contacting surfaces to roll towards and away from one another while compressively engaging the food between the surfaces. Compressive rolling engagement of a food product between the food contacting surfaces results in peeling away of the food product outer layers.

Abstract: This invention is an enhanced vapor extraction system and method for in-situ remediation of soils contaminated with volatile organic compounds, weathered organic compounds and residual organics. The system consists of air influx wells installed around the periphery of the contaminated zone, an air extraction well installed within the contaminated soil zone and a vacuum pump or suction blower pulling on the extraction well and creating an air circulation which flows from the influx wells through the pore spaces of the contaminated soil to the extraction well. The shear action of the flowing air strips the contaminants from the soil surfaces and pore spaces and entrains them into the air stream for later disposal. The improvement consists of increasing the air velocity through the system to increase shear action and so the rate of contaminant removal.