Abstract: A portable two-way protective respirator system to be worn by a person that filters ambient air of harmful viruses, bacteria, and other airborne contaminant particles and vapor components for safe and fresh breathing by the wearer, while also removing any harmful viruses, bacteria, and other airborne contaminant particles and vapor components from the person's exhaled airstream before it is emitted to the surrounding community to protect other persons therein is provided according to the invention. The system comprises a respirator mask connected by a flexible hose to an air inflow blower fan unit containing filter media that produces an incoming airstream for a first chamber contained inside the respirator mask free of those harmful contaminant particles and vapor components.

Abstract: A hand tool edge tester for evaluating the sharpness and smoothness of the cutting edge of a blade for the hand tool like a knife is provided according to the invention. The knife blade is held stationary along a horizontal, longitudinal axis. A long piece of solid tape of the cuttable substrate material like Teflon moved within a reel-to-reel tape mechanism attached to a tape carriage travels simultaneously horizontally as the tape carriage moves along a longitudinal axis, and along an upwardly inclined, diagonal pathway defined by the reel-to-reel mechanism. The blade of the hand tool slices the upwardly, diagonally moving tape ribbon with the load cell measuring the cutting force exerted by the tape ribbon against the blade as it is moved along the distance of the cutting edge substantially between the hand tool handle and the blade tip.

Abstract: A hand tool edge tester for evaluating the sharpness and smoothness of the cutting edge of a blade for the hand tool like a knife is provided according to the invention. The knife blade is held stationary along a horizontal, longitudinal axis. A long piece of solid tape of the cuttable substrate material like Teflon moved within a reel-to-reel tape mechanism attached to a tape carriage travels simultaneously horizontally as the tape carriage moves along a longitudinal axis, and along an upwardly inclined, diagonal pathway defined by the reel-to-reel mechanism. The blade of the hand tool slices the upwardly, diagonally moving tape ribbon with the load cell measuring the cutting force exerted by the tape ribbon against the blade as it is moved along the distance of the cutting edge substantially between the hand tool handle and the blade tip.

Abstract: An automated hand tool sharpening and cleaning system for sharpening the two opposed cutting edges of domestic, industrial, sport, or hobby hand tool like a knife blade is provided by the invention. The apparatus comprises a six-axis robotic arm, a pneumatic gripper, a vision sensor camera for profiling the blade edges, a robotic controller, and sequentially-arranged grinding, coarse sharpening, fine sharpening, and buffing rotating wheel assemblies used to grind, sharpen, and buff or polish the cutting edges of the knife blade. The blade cutting edges are profiled by the camera image that is processed by associated software to define the blade by multiple points defined along its edge, followed by a set of algorithms that are used to clean up any discrepancies in the profile data.

Abstract: A sharpening apparatus that may be used by a relatively unskilled person to simultaneously sharpen the two opposed cutting edges of a knife blade by hand and to maintain a sharpened cutting edge along the blade with minimal effort and training is provided by the invention. The apparatus comprises a panel member with a slot partially extending from its top edge, and a pair of sharpening steels that are pivotably mounted to the panel member to swing downwards in a crossed relation across the slot. A pair of counterweights or leaf springs biases the sharpening steels into their standby position. When the knife blade is moved down through the slot, it comes into contact with crossed sharpening steels to bow them outwards under tension applied by the leaf springs.

Abstract: A small and portable apparatus for sharpening the blades of a pair of scissors is provided according to the invention. The scissors sharpener comprises a main body; a vertically-oriented, stationary sharpening steel having opposed surfaces that is securely attached to the main body; a pivotable sharpening steel that rotates with respect to the main body; and a U-shaped return spring positioned between the main body and the pivotable sharpening steel. A user inserts a pair of scissors so that the inside surfaces of the two blades abut the opposed surfaces of the stationary sharpening steel for stable alignment, and closes the blades against the pivotable sharpening steel to cause it to travel along the blade cutting edges to sharpen them. When the scissors blades are disengaged from the scissors sharpening apparatus, the return spring will bias the pivotable sharpening steel back to its standby position.

Abstract: A sharpening apparatus that may be used by a relatively unskilled person to simultaneously sharpen the two opposed cutting edges of a knife blade by hand and to maintain a sharpened cutting edge along the blade with minimal effort and training is provided by the invention. The apparatus comprises a panel member with a slot partially extending from its top edge, and a pair of sharpening steels that are pivotably mounted to the panel member to swing downwards in a crossed relation across the slot. A pair of leaf spring bias the sharpening steels in their standby position. When the knife blade is moved down through the slot, it comes into contact with crossed sharpening steels to bow them outwards under tension applied by the leaf springs.