Abstract: An impact absorbing device includes a waterproof outer sleeve and a core assembly disposed within the outer sleeve. The core assembly includes a bendable structural element encased in foam.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system for detecting a partial discharge from electrical equipment. The system includes a vest dimensioned for wear by a user. An antenna is associated with the vest, and a receiver is coupled to the antenna and associated with the vest. At least one indicator device is associated with the best. Circuitry is associated with the vest and coupled to the receiver. The circuitry is configured to monitor ambient radiofrequency energy in real time, and determine that the partial discharge has occurred as a function of the ambient radiofrequency energy. The circuitry actuates the at least one indicator device as a function of the determination that the partial discharge has occurred, and transmits the determination that the partial charge has occurred to a control station via the wireless transmitter.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system for detecting a partial discharge from electrical equipment. The system includes a vest dimensioned for wear by a user. An antenna is associated with the vest, and a receiver is coupled to the antenna and associated with the vest. At least one indicator device is associated with the best. Circuitry is associated with the vest and coupled to the receiver. The circuitry is configured to monitor ambient radiofrequency energy in real time, and determine that the partial discharge has occurred as a function of the ambient radiofrequency energy. The circuitry actuates the at least one indicator device as a function of the determination that the partial discharge has occurred, and transmits the determination that the partial charge has occurred to a control station via the wireless transmitter.

Abstract: For manufacturing a master for the replication of optical discs a plate of fine-grained copper is coated with a photoresist and exposed by a laser beam which is turned on and off in accordance with information to be recorded on the disc. After developing the photoresist, the exposed portions of the copper layer is etched to a predetermined depth and the photoresist stripped from the etched copper surface.

Abstract: A method is provided for depositing on a substrate a layer of fine-grained copper especially adapted for the making of masters for optical information storage discs, comprising the steps of placing a substrate in an electroplating bath comprising from about 180 to about 220 grams/liter of copper sulfate, from about 40 to about 80 grams/liter of sulfuric acid, from about 30 to about 60 ppm of chloride ion, from about 1.0 to about 15 grams/liter of a polyether having a molecular weight from about 4,000 to about 10,000, from about 1.0 to about 100 milligrams/liter of a sulfonated, sulfurized benzene compound, and from about 3.5 to about 30 milligrams/liter of 1-lower alkyl-2-mercapto imidazole; and passing electric current through the bath to deposit copper on the substrate. Also disclosed is a method of using high performance liquid chromatography techniques to quantitatively measure 1-lower alkyl-2-mercapto imidazole concentration and to control the same.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for solving the problem of non-uniform phosphor aging of the screen of a dual mode television receiver having the capability of displaying the picture image in two different aspect ratios, for example, 4:3 and 5:3. In one embodiment, the entire screen is illuminated during display of a 4:3 aspect ratio image on the central area of the screen so as to effect uniformity of aging over the entire screen. Alternatively, the areas at either side of the central 4:3 aspect ratio image area are not illuminated during display of 4:3 aspect ratio images but are, instead, post-aged following a period of display of such images. Another solution is to electrically compensate for the faster aging of the central 4:3 aspect ratio are of the screen when viewing 5:3 aspect ratio pictures.

Abstract: A stereophonic electronic organ system having two electrical-acoustic channels each including a loudspeaker separated from the other, note generating means for producing for each note in a musical range two time-displaced electrical signals of substantially the same frequency corresponding to the note, and means for coupling one of the two signals for each note to one of the channels and means for coupling the other of the two signals to the other of the two channels. The two time-displaced signals for each note may be produced by providing two digital tone generators for each note and time-displacing one note from the other.

Abstract: Apparatus operable without need for an external power source for conveniently interconnecting data communication equipment (DCE), such as a modem, and multiple data terminal equipments (DTE), such as terminals and/or printers, which each have an interface conforming to a serial data communications standard, for permitting access to the DCE of any of the DTEs that may be connected to the apparatus. In the preferred embodiment, intended for the interconnection of interfaces conforming to the E.I.A. RS-232-C standard, a circuit interconnecting the data leads of a multiplicity of pluggable cable connectors supported on a chassis includes a transistor connected to be powered by input data signals from the DTEs and to operate as a switch under certain signal conditions and to be effectively removed from the circuit under other signal conditions.

Abstract: A television system for broadcasting high definition television on two channels of a direct broadcast satellite, a first of which carries a compatible 525-line picture. A second channel carries an augmentation signal, which in conjunction with the signal from the first channel, produces at a receiver tuned to both channels a 1050-line high definition television picture with a 5:3 aspect ratio. Time multiplex component signals and processing are employed, and high fidelity sound is provided by digital audio signals transmitted in time sequence with the video. There may be as many as five sound channels so as to provide three-channel stereophonic audio and various combinations of data and sound channels.

Abstract: A digital tone generator for a keyboard electronic musical instrument is described. The generator is of the waveshape memory type and repetitively interpolates between successive stored sample points thereby to effectively multiply the number of samples representing the waveshape so as to produce an output tone signal having reduced quantization error. Envelope errors are minimized by using cascade-connected multiplying digital-to-analog converters for multiplying the waveshapes derived from the interpolation with digital signals representative of an envelope waveshape. The system also includes a novel modification of a known multiplying digital-to-analog converter which greatly increases its speed of operation and makes possible the generation of clean output tone signals at the extremely high bit rates required to accomplish the interpolation.

Abstract: A stereophonic broadcasting system incorporating companding of the difference signal in which both the usual difference signal and a compressed version of the difference signal are transmitted to one or more remote receivers. At the receiver the usual difference signal and the compressed difference signal are combined and the resulting signal then expanded to obtain a noise-reduced difference signal for matrixing with the sum signal to obtain the original left and right signals. Utilizing both difference signals increases the effective level of the received difference signal by 6 dB, whereas the noise is increased only 3 dB, for a net improvement of 3 dB in signal-to-noise ratio. Utilization of both difference signals at the receiver also permits compression of the difference signal according to any desired compression law.

Abstract: A stereophonic broadcasting system incorporating companding of the difference signal in which both the usual difference signal and a compressed version of the difference signal are transmitted to one or more remote receivers. At the receiver the usual, unchanged, difference signal is used as a reference signal for controlling the expansion of the compressed difference signal so as to cause the amplitude of the companded difference to equal the level of the usual difference signal. Thus, the expander is adaptive to any compression characteristic that might be employed at the transmitter. Further, the availability of the usual uncompressed difference signal at the receiver enables the adaptive decoding of dynamic parameters of the received signal, such as frequency response and attack and recovery times, so that all of the parameters of the original signal can be restored automatically.

Abstract: A system for generating audible information from a sound track printed on paper by conventional printing techniques, the sound track consisting of a multiplicity of closely-spaced parallel sound track segments which are curved in a manual scanning direction and oriented generally transverse the manual scanning direction. Also provided is an optical scanner adapted to be manually moved along the sound track in the manual scanning direction, the scanner including means for automatically and continuously sequentially scanning the segments longitudinally to produce electrical signals representative of sound information contained in the sound track, and means for converting the electrical signals into audible sound.

Abstract: A triphonic sound system in which three independent stereophonically related audio frequency source signals L, R and C are combined to derive three other audio frequency signals M, S, and T which respectively comprise (L+1.4C+R, (L-R) and (-1.4C). In a preferred transmitter embodiment, useful in television broadcasting, the audio signals S and T modulate two quadrature-related sub-carriers of the same frequency to develop two double-sideband, suppressed-carrier signals, the frequency of the subcarriers being sufficiently high as to assure a frequency gap between the lower sidebands of the modulated subcarrier signals and the audio frequency signal (L+1.4C+R). The aforementioned signals, and a pilot signal having a frequency which lies within the frequency gap, are combined and frequency-modulated onto a high frequency carrier for the purpose of transmitting the same to one or more remote receivers.

Abstract: A toy vehicle jump includes a launching ramp and a landing ramp for an independently propelled toy vehicle, and an adjusting device for changing the orientation of one of the ramps from an operative position, in which a vehicle can negotiate the jump, to an inoperative position, in which the landing ramp does not accept a vehicle launched from the launching ramp. In a preferred embodiment of the vehicle jump, a jump structure, each comprising a launching ramp and a landing ramp, is provided for each of two vehicles travelling in adjacent lanes, and the adjusting device for each jump structure includes an actuator for increasing the angle of inclination of the respective landing ramp one step each time it is passed by a vehicle in the adjacent lane, until it reaches the inoperative position.

Abstract: An adapter is disclosed which is applicable for use in conjunction with a video game controller system. The disclosed adapter increases the manual inputs that can be communicated from one of the manual controller units to the video game controller system. The adapter comprises a shell opened at one end and adapted to fit over and envelop the joystick member such that the joystick member can be moved by manually moving the shell. A switch is mounted in the shell, and a conductor is provided for coupling the contacts of the switch to elements of an auxiliary connector. The auxiliary connector is adapted for coupling to an input port of the video game controller system. The auxiliary connector includes an auxiliary input port for receiving the connector of the respective manual controller unit.

Abstract: A memory system for use in a video game system or the like that has a limited number of signal lines for communicating address signals and a data bus, includes random access memory (RAM) to augment that contained in the game console in addition to plural segments of read only memory (ROM). A first decoding circuit is coupled to the data bus and to the signal lines that communicate address signals to the ROM segments, and in response to detection of a predetermined address and a predetermined status of selected data lines produces a signal that selects one of the plurality of ROM segments of memory locations. A second decoding circuit is coupled to a selected group of the address signal lines, and also to a segment of the memory unit set aside for random access memory (RAM) to which the others of the address signal lines are also coupled.