Abstract: A lighter-than-air semi-rigid airship has Configurable Buoyancy And Geometry (CBAG) allowing it to become short and plump for maximum buoyancy during takeoff and landing, but also allowing it to become long and slim for reduced drag (albeit less buoyancy) so that it may travel at high speed. It may be combined with a heavier-than-air structure having wings or rotors to form a hybrid aircraft whereby the wings or rotors provide enough lift to compensate for the reduced buoyancy during high-speed flight.

Abstract: A nearly silent icemaker and dispenser for a refrigerator-freezer that can gently dispense uniform pieces of ice in a quiet controlled manner.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of doing business that involves creating a novel business entity to function as an “Inventors Cooperative Alliance” (hereinafter referred to as an ICA). The primary function of the ICA is to dramatically lower the cost and risk of an individual inventor getting and marketing a patent by creating a sub-entity called a “Patent Co-op” which can be duplicated locally, or replicated thousands of times nation-wide by selling franchises.

Abstract: An acoustic suspension speaker enclosure is filled with a heavy gas, which has a much lower sonic velocity than air. This allows the enclosure to operate at a much lower frequency, in direct proportional to the reduction in sonic velocity.

Abstract: A laser marker/designator has an energy storage and conversion circuit providing a constant input current to a solid state pulsed pump diode.

Abstract: An agricultural harvesting machine having a cutting element movably supported thereon is provided with a height sensor including a transmitter and a receiver mounted for movement with the cutting element. The transmitter directs bursts of sound waves in the range of about 5 KHz toward the ground and echoes of the bursts are picked up by the receiver, the elapsed time between transmission and reception being an indication of the height of the cutting element above the ground. To distinguish between echoes of the bursts and environmental noise picked up by the receiver, the bursts are encoded by transmitting them in pairs, the bursts of a pair being of fixed duration and separated by a fixed interval of time. The duration of each signal and the time spacing between signals is checked and if they are not of the correct duration or are not separated by the fixed interval of time they are rejected as noise.