Abstract: A support for a water heater is constructed of a plurality of component elements including four stacks of two elements each. The first base elements can be positioned to form an approximate cylinder with the second upper elements stackable thereupon. Diametrically opposite pairs of elements are secured in position by steel bands. An elongated trough fits between pairs of adjacent stacks of elements and has laterally extending flanges which engage and support the weight of the trough upon inwardly directed ledges on adjacent component elements. The trough is designed to fit extending laterally or transversely so that it can be extended to lie beneath the spigot on the water heater to facilitate draining, as needed.

Abstract: A double ended guide pin assembly includes a first guide pin body having a first rotation axis and a first keying surface. A second guide pin body has a second rotation axis and a second keying surface. A fastener element connects the first guide pin body to the second guide pin body such that the first and second guide pin bodies are independently rotatable on the first and second rotation axes, respectively. The first and second keying surfaces are selectively positionable at different orientations with respect to each other.

Abstract: An apparatus for activating a cellular telephone within a cellular telecommunications network. A PCMCIA card interacts with a controller to display required programming information and questions. A user of the cellular telephone inputs responses to questions on a display. The user responses are transmitted to a system administrator at a customer activation center via a mobile telephone switching office in the cellular telecommunications network. The system administrator provides any necessary information for activating the cellular telephone. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a personal computer is connected to cellular telephone and the PCMCIA card is connected to the personal computer. Information for the user may be shown on either the display of the cellular telephone or on a display of the personal computer. The user may input information and responses to questions via a user input device provided as part of the display or as part of the personal computer.

Abstract: A mechanism is described for transferring data between a pair of relational databases on client and server machines. A client component creates a first pipe in the client, and sends information to a server component, enabling it to create a second pipe in the server. The client component then calls the data unloading utility of the client database, causing it to start to unload the data into the first pipe. The client component then starts up a Send process in the client, which reads data from the first pipe and sends it to the server. At the server, the server component calls the loading utility of the server database, specifying the second pipe as input. As the data arrives at the server, the server component writes it into the second pipe, from where it will be read by the loading utility and written into the server database.

Abstract: A sighting aid for golfers is characterized by a transparent lens having a sight line extending laterally across a surface thereof and a plurality of dots spaced along a line normal to the sight line. The dots are arranged adjacent to an edge of the lens beyond the focal path of the eye closest to the golfer's target. The dots are used by the golfer to spot a new target line for executing a golf shot for a breaking putt or for a fade or draw.