Abstract: A thread feeder with a thread-twisting preventive device for a knitting machine is provided. The thread-twisting preventive device includes at least a protective piece which is substantially cup-shaped having a wall and a coupling hole. The coupling hole allows the cup-shaped protective piece to be axially coupled to the spinning axis on the thread feeder, thus allowing the wall of the cup-shaped protective device to surround the spinning axis. Since the protective piece is a fixed piece that covers the exposed part of the spinning axis, broken threads will not be pulled by the spinning axis and twisted around the same. Production of fabrics thus will not be delayed due to broken threads twisting around spinning parts of the knitting machine.

Abstract: A trellis code of a special class is encoded by employing a binary convolutional code with a small constraint length, followed by a convolutional processor and a signal mapper. The trellis code is decoded by the trellis of the binary convolutional code.

Abstract: The manufacturing process for UV-screening photochromism eye glasses is based on the use of polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate or Nylon as substrate to be mixed with spironaphthoxazine or its derivative as photochromism agent along with carrier, hindered phenol type antioxidant, silicone coupling agent, organic phosphorous stabilizer, piperidine type light stabilizer, and UV-absorbent. By mixing two of the last three ingredients and all other substances thuroughly, the mixture is frozen ground or mechanically pulverized to fine particles for injection molding to produce a long-term stable UV-screening photochromism eye glasses.

Abstract: A fiber optic bioprobe in which an immobilized biolayer, such as an antigen or antibody, acts as a sensing etalon of a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The bioprobe is used in a system in which a shift in the spectral dispersion pattern, caused by reflected out-of-phase beams, is used to determine a concentration of a substance in a sample solution.

Abstract: A garlic press is described which utilizes a unique grater plate comprising a plurality of spaced apart drain holes and a plurality of conical projections. A corresponding press plate contains numerous recesses to receive the projections to facilitate the pressing of the garlic by penetrating the skin of the garlic clove. The garlic press may use a clean-out tool which includes a plurality of clean-out pins for engaging the drain holes in the grater plate. The tool can be stored by clipping it to one of the handles of the press when not in use. The pins of the clean out tool are a fixed length between three in four times of thickness of the grater plate. Alternatively, the clean out tool can be affixed to the press unit opposite the press plate with the top presser unit rotated about 270 degrees from a closed position to a fully open position, allowing the clean out pins to enter through the drain holes.

Abstract: A three-dimensional electrocardiogram display method for 3-D representation of a plurality of cardiac signals is provided. In this method, a 3-D rectangular coordinate system is defined to display the 3-D representation of the cardiac signals. Further, an amplitude display scheme, preferably an amplitude-to-color mapping table, is defined to assign various quantization levels of amplitude to specified distinctive colors. By graphic processing and display means, the 3-D representation of the cardiac signals can be generated and displayed. The physicians can choose to observe the 3-D graph in various views, including perspective view, sectional view, and top rectangular view. This allows the physicians to make diagnosis of heart diseases by observing just one or two 3-D representations of the cardiac signals. The physicians can thus have an overall integral view over a plentiful number of cardiac signals and thereby make diagnosis about the heart conditions of the patient more easily.

Abstract: A base drum beater including a stepped stem fastened to a pedal mechanism of a bass drum and having a front extension rod and a radial pin hole at said front extension rod, a locating pin mounted in the pin hole with its both ends projecting out of the periphery of said the extension rod of the stepped stem, two washers mounted around the front extension rod of the stepped stem, a spring mounted around the front extension rod between the washers, and a beater head mounted around the front extension rod between one washer and the locating pin and forced by the spring force of the spring into engagement with the locating pin, the beater head having a plurality of peripheral sections made of different materials that can be alternatively aimed at the base drum by turning the beater head about the front extension rod to change its angular position.

Abstract: A spool protector with a vertically-extendable spool protector is provided. The vertically-extendable spool protector is extendable vertically to protect spools of various sizes from being flipped away from the rollers that support the spools. The spool protector includes a protection beam and a releasable fastening means for releasably securing the protection beam in desired positions. The releasable fastening means can be implemented in two embodiment. The first embodiment is a supportive piece having a pair of angled portions each forming a coupling hole therein and the second embodiment is composed of a securing frame and a screw mounted on said securing frame. When said releasable fastening means release the protection beam, the technician can freely adjust for a suitable position for the protection beam so as to protect spools of various sizes.

Abstract: An exerciser includes a base supported on a support in a suitable inclined angle for supporting a user. An extension is slidably engaged in the base and has one end extended outward of the base and has a clamping device for clamping the feet of the user to the extension. A bracket is secured to the extension. A lever is pivotally coupled to the base and a handle is secured to the lever for rotating the lever. A cable couples the lever to the bracket for moving the extension outward of the base and and for pulling the feet of the user so as to straighten the spinal column.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a Christmas lamp socket. The socket mainly includes a housing member and an affixing part. The affixing part has a pair of opposing erection parts to be fitted into, and secured by, a pair of corresponding elongate trenches on the inner circumference of the housing member. The housing member has two holes on a mediate portion. The holes communicate with cords held between the mediate portion and a bottom of the housing member. The affixing part is fitted with two conductors which pass through the holes of the housing to connect with wires of the cords.

Abstract: This invention is a decoding method for a special class of trellis codes which have large free distances. The encoding of the trellis code to be decoded can be implemented by employing a single binary convolutional code followed by more than one processor. The decoding can be implemented by using the trellis of the binary convolutional code and additional processors.

Abstract: A catcher's face mask which has a sun-shade to shield a catcher' eyes from bright light from in front and from above. The catcher's face mask sun-shade includes a cage constructed to protect a catcher's face from a flying ball, and a lower padding attached to a lower inside portion of the cage by adhesive bands thereof and an upper padding attached to an upper inside portion of the cage by adhesive bands thereof at regular interval. A sun-shade having a glare-reducing strip with a curved bar affixed to a top surface thereof and a plurality of openings defined in the glare-reducing strip adjacent to the bar is provided in front of the upper padding but behind the cage, and secured to the cage by the bands of the upper padding extending through the respective openings and tightly adhering to a corresponding portion of the cage.

Abstract: An abdomen fitness apparatus including a frame bar, a slide slidably mounted around the frame bar and having a longitudinal coupling hole and a transverse coupling hole, a bearing plate pivoted to the frame bar at one end and adapted for supporting on the user's body, a tubular end cap fixed to the frame bar at an opposite end, a connecting tube fastened to the transverse coupling hole of the slide; a plurality of elastic rubber bands connected between curved pegs at the tubular end cap and curved pegs at the slide, and two tubular handlebars respectively connected to two opposite ends of the connecting tube and adapted for pulling the connecting tube and the slide toward the bearing plate, and two spring-supported retainer rods mounted in a respective radial hole at two opposite ends of the connecting tube to position the handlebars in one of four equiangularly spaced angular positions respectively.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polypeptide-containing compound(s), composition(s) comprising such compound(s) along with divalent metal ions and/or a carbohydrate moiety, their antiviral and anti-hepatoma activities, and the enhancement of activity of antiviral polypeptide-containing agents by their combination with a carbohydrate and at least one divalent metal ion. Preferably, the carbohydrate is a polysaccharide of arabinose and galactose and, independently, the at least one divalent metal ion(s) include magnesium and zinc. The carbohydrate and divalent metal ion can be present in the form of a complex. The composition has been isolated and purified from the root tubers of the Chinese plant, Zei-Bai.

Abstract: A distilling apparatus which includes a water chamber to receive cold water from an external water supply source, a heating chamber having an electric heater controlled to heat water to the boiling point, a guide pipe connected between the bottom side of the water chamber and the bottom end of the heat chamber to guide water from the water chamber to the heating chamber, a radiating coil pipe connected to a distilled water drain pipe outside the apparatus, and a steam pipe connected between the steam chamber and the radiating coil pipe and passing through the water chamber to guide steam from the heating chamber to the radiating coil pipe, permitting steam to be condensed into distilled water and heat to be absorbed by water in the water chamber.

Abstract: A palm-top wireless trackball including a mainframe to hold a circuit board on the inside, a hand-hold portion defined within said mainframe and having two smoothly curved opposite sides fitting the palm and the finger cushions, an operation area in the hand-hold portion, a smoothly curved stop flange raised from the bottom of the operation area, a transverse groove adjacent to the stop flange for resting the middle finger, and a transparent shade covered on the operation area to hold a transmitter on the inside, permitting the transmitter to be controlled by the circuit board, a circular ball holder raised from the top side of the operation area to hold a trackball for permitting the trackball to be rotated within the ball holder to trigger the circuit board in sending a corresponding radio signal through the transmitter, a drag key disposed in front of the smoothly curved stop flange and connected to the circuit board for operation by the forefinger, and an enter key transversely mounted on the hand-hold po

Abstract: The present invention relates to an object collector for collecting objects in a plurality of containers, which comprises a tank body, an inlet device, a guiding device, a receiving device, and a collecting device. The tank body has a top inlet opening. The inlet device comprises a swinging plate which is pivotally and rotatably mounted, above the top inlet opening, to the upper portion of the tank body by means of a mounting device. The container and the objects thereon, which are placed on the swinging plate, may fall down from the swung down swinging plate due to the weight of the container and the objects. The guiding device comprises at least two guide rails which are mounted and extended from one side of the upper portion of the tank body toward the opposing side of the lower portion of the tank body for guiding the falling down container to slide down and toss over.

Abstract: A Christmas lamp bulb fixing socket is provided that comprises a connecting socket provided to hold a bulb and an outer socket provided to hold the connecting socket. The connecting socket is connected with the outer socket by means of a protrusion extending therefrom for engagement with an affixing unit of the outer socket. Circumferential openings formed through the connecting socket are provided for engagement by corresponding convexly shaped protrusions of the outer socket that pass therethrough to firmly hold the bulb in the connecting socket.