Abstract: This invention is a device for irrigating tree seedlings and other small plants, to ensure that said plants stay moist in the critical few weeks following their planting. The device uses a bag, approximately 1 gallon capacity, constructed of biodegradable plastic, such as cornstarch, which slowly degrades into the soil so as to not leave residue in the planting field. The bag has a top filling opening with an adhesive sealing flap, and contains a multi-layered disk which acts as a passive valve which permits the slow drip-release of water from the bag over a 2-3 week period following planting. The multi-layered disk is made of two layers of thin plastic, a layer of special laboratory filter paper, and a layer of adhesive-sided gasket material which attaches said disk to said biodegradable bag. The design of the hole patterns in the layers of the disk, and the assembly and precise compression of said layers during manufacture, result in a device that produces the desired slow-release flow characteristics.

Abstract: This invention is a glove designed for football quarterbacks. The glove protects his fingers against injury, and enhances his ability to grip and throw a football with accuracy and distance in inclement weather. It has three principal features: (1) It is made of a thin, supple, tacky, water-resistant leather-like material (thickness range 0.008 to 0.024 inches) which fits tightly to the player's hand similar to a golf glove; (2) The four fingers of the glove contain hollow fingertip inserts molded from semi-rigid rubber-like material. These inserts lengthen the fingers slightly and are contoured to conform to the rounded shape of a football so that the fingertips make complete contact with its surface.

Abstract: An improved machine for undercutting the commutator of a DC motor. Designed specifically to undercut the mica insulation slots of a commutator, the device includes drive means to allow slippage of an undercutting assembly so that saw and spindle assembly damage are avoided. The invention also incorporates an automatic skewing attachment which indirectly senses misallignment of mica slots to be undercut and acts to reposition the commutator as needed so that the mica slot undercutting process may continue.