Abstract: A sensor assembly comprises a housing, a bushing, a contact post, and a sensor. The housing has a hollow interior and the bushing is disposed within the hollow interior of the housing at a distal end of the housing. The bushing has a hollow interior, and the contact post is configured to slide within the hollow interior of the bushing as a tip of the contact post comes into contact with a surface. The contact post has a partial bore and the sensor is configured to slide into the partial bore if necessary. The sensor is also configured to measure a distance between the bottom of the contact post and a tip of the sensor. The sensor may communicate the measurement to a data processor.

Abstract: A tracking band comprises a magnetic tape and mounting tabs that secure the magnetic tape within a band clamp. The mounting tabs protrude radially inwardly toward a center region defined by the band clamp. The magnetic tape is precision-coded with a sequence of magnetic poles. The tracking band may be disposed within an annular recess of a rotating shaft of a heliostat. The tracking band may rotate with the rotating shaft. The shaft may be coupled with a mirror such that the mirror and rotating shaft rotate concurrently. As the tracking band rotates with the rotating shaft, the tracking band may pass by an encoder head, which may read the magnetic tape and relay information regarding the angular position of the mirror from the magnetic tape to a control system. The tracking band may thus provide altitude and azimuth position information for the mirror to a control system.

Abstract: A tracking band comprises a magnetic tape and mounting tabs that secure the magnetic tape within a band clamp. The mounting tabs protrude radially inwardly toward a center region defined by the band clamp. The magnetic tape is precision-coded with a sequence of magnetic poles. The tracking band may be disposed within an annular recess of a rotating shaft of a heliostat. The tracking band may rotate with the rotating shaft. The shaft may be coupled with a minor such that the minor and rotating shaft rotate concurrently. As the tracking band rotates with the rotating shaft, the tracking band may pass by an encoder head, which may read the magnetic tape and relay information regarding the angular position of the mirror from the magnetic tape to a control system. The tracking band may thus provide altitude and azimuth position information for the mirror to a control system.

Abstract: A key cabinet having a frame that defines an interior chamber with at least one panel attached within the interior chamber as well as a door attached to and overlying the frame. The door pivots away from the frame in an opposite direction than the panels to provide the user with simultaneously access to multiple panels as well as the door. In addition, a rail having grooves is provided that may be manufactured in a cost effective manner with a key releasably engaged with a corresponding groove.

Abstract: A printer stand comprises a support base for holding a rear-ejection printer and a paper catcher mounted to the rear of said printer and extending rearwardly and upwardly therefrom. The catcher comprises a flat backer panel having bent-up side flanges and having a bent-up lower ledge for supporting the lower edge of a packet of sheets of paper resting against the backer panel. The catcher is mounted to the base for easy removal by providing a forwardly and downwardly extending slot at the rear of each side wall of the support base, into and out of which the panel can readily be slid; the side flanges are preferably spaced apart by only slightly more than the distance between the outer sides of the side walls, and the ledge is preferably at about right angles to the packer panel. The system provides stable support of the packet of sheets, is easily assembled and disassembled, and is inexpensively made from a single metal sheet by bending up the side flanges and the ledge.

Abstract: A novel clamp system for telescoping tubes that is particularly useful with a telescoping centerpost stand adapted to mount, e.g., a music desk or a loud speaker. The novel clamp system is of the split ring type, the split ring being positioned between the inner and outer telescoping tubes, i.e., outside the inner tube but inside the outer tube. Arms of the split ring are sized to extend through a port in the outer tube, those split arms cooperating with the outer tube for preventing significant longitudinal and rotational movement of the clamp relative to the outer tube. An adjustable fastener connects the split ring's arms outside of the outer tube for adjustably tightening and releasing the clamp relative to the inner tube.

Abstract: A plurality leg stand, e.g., a tripod, with a novel one piece connector head that connects the legs at the top ends thereof. The one piece connector head, which is molded from an elastomer, has a number of hinge lines molded in a lower face which equal the number of stand legs, thereby permitting the stand's legs to move between collapsed parallel storage position and erected pyramid stand position. The head also includes a pad on an upper face that is sized to cooperate with the hinge lines molded in the lower face to provide certain definition for those hinge lines. The pad is of a thickness that the pad's top surface is elevated above the legs to receive a horizontal display bar at any rotational position thereon when the stand is erected.

Abstract: A capotasto having a force plate of a length sufficient to overlie two adjacent frets on a stringed instrument's fingerboard. The capotasto's leading edge portion is adapted to press the instrument's strings against a leading fret of two adjacent frets, and the capotasto's trailing edge portion is adapted to press the instrument's strings against the trailing fret of the two adjacent frets. The capotasto's force plate may be flexible in order to generally conform to the curvature or linearity of the instrument's frets when the capotasto is clamped in place on the adjacent frets.