Abstract: A candy dispenser includes a container defining a chamber adapted to hold a plurality of pieces of candy in a random fashion. The container has sides, a top, and a bottom which define the chamber. A dispensing tube extends along one side of the container. An opening in the container places the chamber in communication with the dispensing tube. The opening is sized to admit a piece of candy from the chamber to the dispensing tube. A leaf spring is mounted to the bottom of the container. The spring has a spring arm which closes the bottom of the dispensing tube and an upwardly extending finger on the spring arm which is received in the dispensing tube. A plunger associated with the dispenser moves the leaf spring from a relaxed state in which the spring finger is in the dispensing tube and closes the opening to a primed state in which the spring arm is urged away from the dispensing tube a distance sufficient for the spring finger to clear the opening to allow a piece of candy to enter the dispensing tube.

Abstract: A protector device and method for using the same that prevents a bow from striking the edge of the stringed instrument in a waist region of the instrument, substantially eliminating potential harm to the instrument, such as nicks, dents, scratches, cracks and the like due to inadvertent bow strikes. A crescent-shaped device constructed and arranged to be detachably secured to a waist portion of a bowed stringed instrument sound box. The device is dimensioned such that, when installed on the stringed instrument, it prevents a bow from contacting the edge of the instrument in the belly region during normal use of the instrument. The apparatus may be a unitary member or may be a multi-layered device. In one embodiment, the protector device includes a flexible elongate outer shell and an elongate inner cushion attached to the outer shell. The apparatus is configured to be installed within the stringed instrument waist adjacent to the edge of the belly.

Abstract: An induction furnace having a voltage source series inverter, a load circuit having a combination of an induction coil and a resonating capacitor bank, and control circuitry to phase lock the inverter frequency to the natural resonant frequency of the load. The capacitor bank can be divided into two groups, one across the output of the inverter and the other in series with the load. This arrangement allows for the division of the inverter voltage across the furnace coil according to the ratio of the two capacitances. The inverter uses pulse width modulation and is buffered from the load circuit by means of a small series connected inductor. Additionally, the system can have a common power supply system that supplies power in any desired proportion to a plurality of induction furnaces.

Abstract: A method for improving abrasion resistance of sodium perborate tetrahydrate crystals prepared by reacting sodium metaborate with hydrogen peroxide in an aqueous slurry crystal growth medium, the improvement including highly supersaturating the aqueous slurry crystal growth medium. Also, an agent such as an excess of caustic may be added to the aqueous crystal growth medium to limit the growth rate of individual crystals.