Abstract: An amusement device includes an endless track containing a plurality of indicia bearing tokens independently movable in the track and filling the track. A first portion of the track is part of a turntable which permits the first portion to be rotated relative to the remainder of the track such that the order of the tokens in the first portion is reversed. The first portion of the track has a length relative to the sizes of the tokens such that at least two of the tokens are positioned in the first portion at any time.

Abstract: A scanner and scanning method for scanning a sheet such as a chart. The scanner includes scanning means and detection means. The scanning means includes means for supporting and mounting the sheet, and illumination means for directing light onto an illuminated area of the sheet, the illuminated area being elongated along a scan direction. The scanning means also includes means for causing the illuminated area to move across the sheet in a movement direction normal the scan direction. The detection means comprises a photodetector array and a coherent fiber optic bundle. The coherent fiber optic is tapered, such that it has a comparatively wide aperture adjacent the illuminated area, and a comparatively small aperture adjacent the photodetector array. In a related aspect, the illuminated area is caused to move in a first direction across the sheet such that the illumination means sequentially directs light onto a series of pixel areas of the sheet.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for determining the spatial coordinates of a workpiece including: a planar light source for illuminating the workpiece; an electronic imaging device adapted to view the intersection of the planar light and the workpiece; pulse signals including pulses representative of said intersections; and a device for determining the centroid of the pulse by integrating the pulse signal over a selected interval including the pulse, integrating the result of the first integration in like manner and dividing the result of the second integration by the result of the first integration.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the spatial coordinates of a workpiece including: a precisely formed jig; a planar light source; an electronic imaging device adapted to view the intersection of the planar light with the jig and the workpiece; a video digitizer for sampling and digitizing output signals from the imaging device and in particular reference pulse signals representative of said intersections; digital logic circuitry for algebraically summing video samples to determine the centroid or geometric mean of the reference pulses; and a computer for calculating calibration parameters based on knowledge of the form of the jig and scans of the jig, and applying those calibration parameters to scans of the workpiece to calculate spatial coordinates of the workpiece.

Abstract: An imperforate, highly heat-absorbent pellet is enclosed between vertically-spaced upper and lower wall members which are sealed together only at their outer peripheries. A layer of thermal insulation is interposed between the pellet and the lower wall. The pellet is maintained in a centered position in the serving base primarily by a peripheral, upwardly-inclined, thin flange about the pellet which contacts an upwardly-inclined side portion of the upper wall. A raised center portion of the upper wall has a wall descending to a depressed ring just inwardly of the side portion; the pellet has a corresponding downward step contacting the descending wall and assisting in aligning the parts. The pellet and server base thereby are made rigid against deformation and rendered substantially non-burstable upon heating.