Abstract: A hitch is mounted on the rear end of a rearwardly extending tow bar of a towing vehicle, with the tow bar having a hitch ball secured thereto. The hitch comprises a first plate which is secured at its rearward end to the forward end of the upper clevis element of the towed vehicle. The first plate has a circular-shaped opening formed therein which is adapted to receive the ball sphere of the hitch ball. The first plate also has a slot formed therein which extends forwardly from the circular opening which is adapted to receive the shank of the hitch ball. A second plate is slidably movably mounted on the first plate between rearward and forward positions. The forward end of the second plate has a semi-circular opening formed therein which is positioned beneath the ball sphere of the hitch ball when the second plate is in its forward position. A retaining pin extends through the first and second plates when the second plate is in its forward position to maintain the hitch on the hitch ball.

Abstract: A novel digital video and data delivery system makes possible the delivery of digital video content, bi-directional data services such as Internet data, and plain old telephone service (POTS) to an end user over a communications channel. The channel is typically the copper wire pair that extends between a telephone company central office and a residential premises, but may be any communication medium that supports the communication of compressed digital video, bi-directional data, such as Internet data, and POTS, and indeed, may be a wireless connection. The digital video and data delivery system capitalizes on a bus, or broadcast backplane, created by circuitry contained within the central office. The broadcast backplane enables a plurality of video program data to be available to each end user, and allows a plurality of end users access to a plurality of video programming content without the necessity of delivering the entire program content to each end user.

Abstract: A sensing probe unit includes an electrically nonconductive polymeric layer charged with a permanent electric charge to form an electret and intimately bonded to a compensating metal electrode. In the fabrication, the polymeric layer is cleaned and the metal electrode affixed to one surface by vapor deposition, lamination or baking. The polymeric layer may also be applied by coating the electrode with dielectric particles and then heating the subassembly to fuse the particles into an integral layer and to bond the fused layer to the electrode. The subassembly is thermally destressed and the polymeric layer is thereafter charged by triboelectric charging, corona discharge or electron beam charging, or by liquid contact charging processes. In the latter, a Freon-type or other similar liquid having good wetting properties and high evaporation rate is used as a contact charging liquid which creates a particularly stable electret. The sensing probe is stored to prevent loss of charge and sensitivity.