Abstract: Applicants' invention includes a method and apparatus to calibrate a servo sensor disposed on a tape head located adjacent a moving magnetic tape, where that magnetic tape includes at least one servo edge comprising an interface between a first recorded signal and a second recorded signal, and where the servo sensor detects that first recorded signal and that second recorded signal and provides a servo signal, and where an independent position sensor provides an IPS signal. Applicants' method first samples the servo signal and the IPS signal, and abstracts (N) datapoints from that sampled data. Applicants' method then calculates a transfer function using those (N) datapoints, and forms a first calibration curve. Applicants' method further includes setting a maximum allowable residual error for said first calibration curve. Applicants' method then determines (N) residual error values, each those (N) residual error values corresponding to a measured datapoint/calculated datapoint pair.

Abstract: A method to calibrate a transducer, whereby the transducer provides a first signal, and whereby a reference provides a reference signal. The first signal is sampled at a sampling rate comprising a reference frequency, and a digital measured first signal waveform is formed. The reference signal is sampled at the sampling rate, and a digital measured reference signal waveform is formed. The real and imaginary components of the measured first signal waveform are determined at (P) harmonics of the reference frequency. A filtered first signal waveform is formed using those real and imaginary components. The real and imaginary components of the measured reference signal waveform are determined at (P) harmonics of the reference frequency. A filtered reference signal waveform is formed using those real and imaginary components. A transfer function is formed using the filtered first signal waveform and the filtered reference signal waveform. A calibration curve is formed using that transfer function.

Abstract: Applicants' invention includes an apparatus and method to read and/or write information from and/or to a moving magnetic tape using a tape head disposed adjacent that magnetic tape, where that tape head includes (N) servo sensors and where that magnetic tape includes (N) servo edges. Each such servo edge comprises an interface between a first recorded signal and a second recorded signal, where each of the (N) servo sensors detects that first recorded signal and that second recorded signal. Applicants' method first calculates (N) target PES signals, where the (i)th target PES signal is determined for the (i)th servo sensor. Applicants method then provides (N) measured PES signals during a read/write operation, where the (i)th servo sensor provides the (i)th measured PES signal. Applicants' method then determines deviation Di, where Di comprises the absolute magnitude of the difference between the (i)th measured PES signal and the (i)th target PES signal.

Abstract: A method to calibrate a servo sensor disposed on a magnetic tape head disposed adjacent a magnetic tape, where that magnetic tape includes at least one servo edge comprising an interface between a first recorded signal and a second recorded signal, whereby the servo sensor is capable of detecting that first recorded signal and that second recorded signal, and whereby an independent position sensor provides an IPS signal comprising the position of the tape head with respect to the tape path. Applicants' method determines and uses initial servo signal information and initial IPS signal information to determine an initial transfer function. That initial transfer function is used to determine a positioning signal where the tape head is alternatingly moved in a first direction and an opposing second direction along a first axis as the tape moves along a tape path such that the position of the magnetic head along the first axis as a function of time comprises a periodic function having the positioning signal.

Abstract: A method to calibrate a servo sensor disposed on a magnetic tape head disposed adjacent a magnetic tape moving along a tape path. Applicants' method includes providing a positioning signal, where the positioning signal comprises a positioning signal frequency, an amplitude, and a DC offset. Applicants' method moves said tape head alternatingly in a first direction and an opposing second direction along a first axis as the tape moves along a second axis, where the first axis and the second axis are substantially orthogonal, and such that the position of the magnetic head along the first axis as a function of time is determined by the positioning signal.

Abstract: A folding ball hitch having a recessed safety chain latching mechanism is of the type normally mounted in the bed of a pickup truck. The ball is foldable from an upright or active position to a down or stowed position in which the ball does not interfere with the usage of the bed when the truck is not towing a trailer. To accommodate the safety chains of a trailer, the present invention provides a sliding rod mounted below the mounting plate of the hitch. Chain link sized slots are formed in the mounting plate. The end links of the safety chains can be inserted into the slots and the rod can be slid from one side to the other to securely lock the chains in respective slots. The rod is biased toward a latching position wherein the rod can be manually translated to open the slot for allowing insertion of a link of the safety chain, following which the rod can be returned to its center position in which the link is secured and any chain forces are transferred by the rod directly to the mounting structure.

Abstract: An oven that cooks foodstuffs containing water at temperatures up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit with longwave radiation generated by masking a cooking volume from radiant heating elements by blackened rigid inserts, which absorb shortwave and longwave radiation from the heating elements and uniformly reradiate the energy into the cooking volume as longwave radiation; non-condensing steam is injected into the oven until the vapor pressure of the water in the foodstuff attains a pressure at which water will migrate to the surface of the foodstuff to be evaporated; air is then passed through the oven to remove water from the foodstuff, while cooking with longwave radiation continues.

Abstract: A hot deck baking oven, which is an insulated cabinet enclosing internally heated decks, mounted one above the other; the bottom of one deck and the top of an adjacent deck form a baking chamber; baking is accomplished by holding bread dough in a stable thermal gradient in the baking chamber; each of such decks is cantilever supported from the rear and is spaced away from the sidewalls of the cabinet; the vertical supports of a bread rack inserted into the oven are guided into the oven by the opening between the sidewalls and the decks; the bakery product on the rack is held within each baking chamber; the sidewall/deck separation, allows moisture generated at each baking chamber to pass up the sidewalls of the chamber, to be vented from the top of the oven through an exhaust vent, an intake vent located below the lowest baking chamber allows air to preheat before entering the baking chamber.

Abstract: Commercial baking oven with sliding doors; the doors are mounted closely parallel by cylindrical shoes of low friction material fitted to the door bottoms, the shoes slide in a plurality of equidistant bottom vee tracks, the upper part of the doors being located by guide shoes of a low friction material operating in an upper track; heat retaining lips mounted on door edges abut when the doors are closed; a heat retaining zee strip is mounted between the cylindrical shoes; the vee track is shorter than the fully closed measurement of the doors so debris is forced out of the vee track as doors are open and closed.

Abstract: The legs of the landing gear of a semi-trailer may be automatically extended and retracted by a pneumatically operated actuator adapted to be connected to the crankshaft of the landing gear and adapted to rotate the cross-shaft of the landing gear selectively in either direction at a high or low speed. The crankshaft is rotated by gears and ratchets which are driven by pawls adapted to be reciprocated by an air-actuated cylinder and adapted to be alternately positioned in active and inactive positions. The flow of pressurized air to the cylinder is controlled by a cycle valve and an on-off valve, the latter being capable of turning off the actuator automatically when the legs are fully retracted.

Abstract: A baking oven having a baking chamber preferably divided into a plurality of baking compartments disposed in a vertical stack separated from one another by a deck and enclosed by a cabinet having an access door. Each such deck comprises top and bottom plates with a space therebetween and a heating element therein spaced from said plates. The deck is provided with a narrow vent to said space across its width adjacent the access door. A sensing bulb or other temperature sensing means of a thermostat is located in the said space with the sensing tip of the sensing means being substantially at said vent. The top surface of the bottom plate is selectively blackened and the heating element is located to provide progressively less heating toward the back of the baking compartments. The top side of the baking chamber is defined by a like deck and the bottom side of the baking chamber is defined by a similar deck which does not have a blackened lower plate.

Abstract: The electromagnet of an electrically controlled brake is prevented from rotating on its mounting pin by a bracket which also captivates the magnet against axial removal from the pin while leaving the magnet free to pivot and float axially on the pin. The bracket is made of a strip of resiliently yieldable material and includes a leg paralleling the pin and secured at one end of the magnet. The other end portion of the leg extends through a hole in the brake operating arm and is integral with a tang which engages the arm to captivate the magnet against axial removal from the pin.