Abstract: The automatic vacuum gripper comprises a gripper member with a resilient seal coupled to a hollow piston and shaft. The piston is spring loaded downward in a cylinder coupled to a vacuum source. With vacuum applied, the piston does not move until the gripped part is completely sealed to the gripper member.

Abstract: A stacked drop generator apparatus 20 for ink jet printing includes a stackable housing 22 of electrically nonconductive material having a cavity 24 containing fluid. A pressure wave is produced in the fluid by a device 26 which is deformed in response to electrical pulses. Each cavity 24 is flooded with fluid and has a nozzle 40 integral with the housing. The nozzle has an intake end 41 in the fluid cavity, an exit port 42 through which fluid is expelled from the housing. The cavity of the housing adjacent the nozzle has a tapered shape to concentrate the effect of the pressure wave on the fluid.

Abstract: A pressure-sensitive pen for use in a signature verification system is responsive to the handwriting pressure applied by the pen user to develop a signal representative of the pressure. In the preferred form, the pen comprises a cylindrical barrel that houses a ball-point pen cartridge encased within a rigid tubular member. The tubular member is secured by a flange to the lower end of the barrel, and is closed at its upper end. The pressure of the cartridge writing tip on the writing surface causes the upper end of the cartridge to bear against the closed end of the tubular member and cause strain therein. The strain in the tubular member is sensed and translated into a signal representative of the user's handwriting pressure.