Abstract: A two station wallpaper water trough includes a preformed flexible polystyrene container with an essentially vertical back wall, and an opposite front wall having a lower vertical segment transforming into an outwardly inclined upper segment through a transitional bend and a bottom and opposite complimentary moulded ends which defined, a first movable rod holding station at an elevation above the transition, a second movable rod station at an elevation below the transition, and a third fixed rod station at an elevation between transition and second station and between said second station and front wall. A fixed rod interfits between said fixed ends and a movable rod may be placed in the first station or second station said rod adapted to pass through the center of a roll of wallpaper and to carry the same.

Abstract: An actuator for a vibratory material feeder comprises a base, a tray support, at least one spring for mechanically coupling the base and tray support, and a spring mount for mounting the spring to an actuator mounting surface on one of the base and tray support. The spring mount comprises first and second bearings each having a spring-abutting surface for supporting the spring therebetween, an arcuate surface and at least one hole therethrough; first and second bearing blocks each having an arcuate surface for mating with the arcuate surface of a corresponding one of the first and second bearings, and at least one hole therethrough. One of the bearing blocks abuts the actuator mounting surface. The spring mount further comprises at least one fastener having a shaft extending through the at least one hole of each of the first and second bearings and bearing blocks and a corresponding at least one hole in the spring.

Abstract: A target shooting apparatus utilizes a plurality of light beam emitting guns or rifles to shoot at a plurality of targets, the individual light beam guns being identified by frequency encoding the light beam emitted by each rifle. The first rifle to "hit" a target deactivates the target and is credited with a score. Light and sound effects are generated when a target is "hit" to simulate reality. The number of rifles and targets is limited only by the physical size of the apparatus that would be practical to accommodate the players.

Abstract: A weigh feeding system using a stochastic controller wherein the weight of material is sensed, and an estimate of the mass flow state of the material being discharged is created by use of a Kalman filter process. Plant noise processes and measurement noise processes, which affect the measured weight signal, are modeled as stochastic processes and are used, in combination with the sensed weight signal, to calculate the estimated mass flow state. The noise model is modified to account for disturbances. The estimated mass flow state signal is used to calculate a motor feedback signal which, in turn, is used to control the speed of the discharge apparatus. In this manner, the mass flow of the material actually being discharged is driven to a desired mass flow with minimum error variance in the presence of unavoidable plant and measurement noise.

Abstract: The voltage comparison circuit uses digital gates formed into at least two pairs of flip flops, one digital gate having a volt reference supply to and acting to disconnect a load from a source when the voltage of the source declines below a predetermined threshold. In another aspect the circuit provides further digital gates which operate upon transistor and cycle a load for connection to a source on a duty cycle of 100 to 150 seconds on and off so that the load is provided with an intermitten secondary energy source which provides limited drain on the permanent source, which if it be a battery or a storage battery insures that the battery is not drained on a continuous basis even though the load may so demand. The circuit also monitors the voltage threshold of the primary source so that should it fall below that threshold the load is disconnected.

Abstract: The anti-theft product rack continuously monitors the weight of the rack including individual product units. When a weight deviation is detected, it is characterized as either a disturbance or as the removal of one or more product units. An alarm is sounded if the rack is continuously disturbed for a programmable number of continuous weight sensing cycles, or if a programmable number of disturbances occur during a programmable period of time. In addition, an alarm is sounded if the number of product units detected as being removed at one time exceeds a programmable limit. Finally, if the number of detected product units removed exceeds a programmable number during a programmable period of time, an alarm is sounded. The product display rack presents no physical barriers to product removal and requires no intervention of sales personnel for product removal.

Abstract: Mechanical resonance of the vibratory feeder is maintained by minimizing a phase angle difference between substantially sinusoidal drive voltage and current wave forms. The mass flow rate of material being fed is controlled by controlling the electrical power applied to the vibratory feeder compared with a desired electrical power computed from a desired flow rate. The preferred embodiment includes synthesized drive wave forms which are variable in frequency and amplitude in order to maintain the vibratory feeder in mechanical resonance at the desired flow rate. Resonant operation and accurate material flow are accomplished without use of electromechanical vibration sensors and control is accomplished using the magnitude and phase relationships between the applied voltage and current drive wave forms.

Abstract: A weighing apparatus includes a liquid container which is of a variable volume. An transparent press plate is fixed on the upper surface of the liquid container. The top surface of the press plate has weight indexing marks which are indicated in a vortex-like arrangement. The liquid container can be pressed by the press plate to discharge liquid from the liquid container. A transparent, thin hose has an open end communicated with the liquid container, and a closed end positioned just under the indexing marks of the press plate in such a manner that the closed end of the hose is self-wound in a vortex-like arrangement. When the press plate is not pressed, a portion of the hose is gripped by a holding mechanism to prevent the discharged liquid from flowing back into the liquid container.

Abstract: A weigh feeding system using a stochastic controller wherein the weight of material is sensed, and an estimate of the mass flow state of the material being discharged is created by use of a Kalman filter process. Plant noise processes and measurement noise processes, which affect the measured weight signal, are modeled as stochastic processes and are used, in combination with the sensed weight signal, to calculate the estimated mass flow state. The noise model is modified to account for severe disturbances. The estimated mass flow state signal is used to calculate a motor feedback signal which, in turn, is used to control the speed of the discharge apparatus. In this manner, the mass flow of the material actually being discharged is driven to a desired mass flow with minimum error variance in the presence of unavoidable plant and measurement noise.

Abstract: A weight transducer including an extruded housing having upper and lower inner surfaces. Affixed to the upper inner surface is a hall effect magnetic field sensor, and affixed to the lower inner surface is a pair of magnetic field generating magnets. The magnets are arranged with magnetic poles of opposite polarity located adjacent one another. The hall effect sensor senses changes in the magnetic field generated by the pair of magnets due to relative movement between the upper and lower inner surfaces with application of weight to the housing. The voltage output of the hall effect sensor is converted to a signal having a frequency which varies in proportion to the weight applied to the housing. The hall effect weight transducer provides a very rugged and relatively inexpensive yet highly accurate weight transducer.

Abstract: A vibratory material feeder including a vibrating gate, particularly suited for feeding fibrous materials. The invention includes a vibrating material feed tray having a section providing a tapered smooth transition from vertical to horizontal for material being fed, and a section including a vibrating gate. The vibrating gate is connected to a vibrating gate support member which is connected, by rotatable supports, to first and second relatively movable portions of the vibratory material feeder. As the material tray vibrates, the vibrating gate support member causes the vibrating gate to move with motion opposite to that of the vibrating tray, and with greater magnitude. The smooth transition from vertical to horizontal, combined with the synchronized motion of the vibrating gate, promotes uniform material flow and prevents material agglomeration, particularly for fibrous materials.

Abstract: A mass-measuring and force-measuring device which comprises a frame, a load-bearing component guided at right angles and parallel, a pathless measuring system and means for transmitting the load to the measuring system, which possess a lever which is connected to the frame via a first plate having at least one joint and non-rotatably and non-displaceably mounted on the said lever, and is connected to the load-bearing component via a second non-rotatably and non-displaceably mounted plate having at least two joints.

Abstract: Mass and force meter manufactured from a single block extruded from a profiled bar and comprising several components, with a frame, a load support guided parallelly and vertically by guiding means consisting of at least two flat springs mounted one above the other, a motionless measuring system and at least one transmission member that transmits only part of the weight of the mass or part of the force to be measured to the measuring system, in which at least one component implements at least two functions of the meter.

Abstract: A mass-measuring and force-measuring device which comprises a frame, a load-bearing component, means for guiding the load-bearing component at right angles and parallel, and a measuring system, which means consist of two rigid plates connected to one another by means of two horizontal parallel connecting elements arranged one on top of the other, wherein one of these plates is connected to the load-bearing component, and the other plate is connected to the frame, each by means of a swivel joint and a retaining rod.

Abstract: A control for loss-in-weight feeders which decreases flow error during refill of the feeder hopper. The weight range (empty to full capacity) of the hopper is divided into weight increments. Samples are taken of the hopper weight during discharge and refill, and each sample is assigned to a weight increment. During discharge, a scale factor related to the density of material in the hopper is computed, assigned to a weight increment and stored in memory; and the hopper feed screw is driven at a speed proportional to the computed scale factor. During refill, the stored scale factors are retrieved from memory and the hopper feed screw is driven at a speed proportional to the stored scale factors; but no additional scale factors are calculated.

Abstract: A connector insert of insulating material having connecting pins molded therein is force-fit into a connector shell formed as a unitary structure with pin shields. The connector shell is formed with guide pin openings at each end that receive guide pins ultrasonically bonded to the connector shell formed of a thermal plastic resin. The connector is made by molding the connecting pins into the connector insert, molding the connector shell, seating the guide pins in the guide pin openings, ultrasonically bonding the guide pins to the connector shell and force-fitting the connector insert into the connector shell.

Abstract: A loss-in-weight gravimetric feeding system is disclosed which includes a prefeeder for receiving and discharging material and at least first and second feeders for receiving material from the prefeeder and discharging the received material to a common collector. The system includes a device for alternately diverting material discharged from the prefeeder to the first and second feeders, circuits for generating a first and second weight signal representative of the weight of material in the first and second feeders respectively, and structure for generating a reference signal representative of a desired mass flow rate of material from a feeder. The system further includes a circuit for alternately comparing the reference signal to the first and second weight signals in synchronism with the diverting device for controlling each of the feeders based on the comparison between the reference signal and the weight signal associated with the feeder.

Abstract: A control for loss-in-weight feeders which decreases flow error during refill of the feeder hopper. The weight range (empty to full capacity) of the hopper is divided into weight increments. Samples are taken of the hopper weight during discharge and refill, and each sample is assigned to a weight increment. During discharge, a scale factor related to the density of material in the hopper is computed, assigned to a weight increment and stored in memory; and the hopper feed screw is driven at a speed proportional to the computed scale factor. During refill, the stored scale factors are retrieved from memory and the hopper feed screw is driven at a speed proportional to the stored scale factors; but no additional scale factors are calculated.

Abstract: An electronic weighing apparatus and method is disclosed which enables the counting of an unknown quantity of items or samples such as currency, coupons, coins or similar items of a nominally uniform weight. The apparatus includes an electronic scale which provides a signal representative of the weight of an unknown quantity of items, a microprocessor which stores a representative unit weight of the items being counted and calculates an item count, and a display for providing an output representing the running count or other value representative of the items being weighed. An accurate count of the items is obtained by placing items on or removing items from the scale in incremental groups such that the net weight of any incremental group of items must have a stable net weight equal to or below a predetermined threshold weight before the count is made.

Abstract: In the testing of a digital test system (e.g. the automatic testing of a digital integrated semiconductor circuit) it is necessary to provide a plurality of clock signals (periodic pulse signals), each with a definite phase relationship to a particular clock signal called the "reference". For example, when the clock signals are all in the same phase they define a common wavefront without skew.