Abstract: An apparatus is described for burn-in and/or functional testing of microelectronic circuits of unsingulated wafers. A large number of power, ground, and signal connections can be made to a large number of contacts on a wafer. The apparatus has a cartridge that allows for fanning-in of electric paths. A distribution board has a plurality of interfaces that are strategically positioned to provide a dense configuration. The interfaces are connected through flexible attachments to an array of first connector modules. Each one of the first connector modules can be independently connected to a respective one of a plurality of second connector modules, thereby reducing stresses on a frame of the apparatus. Further features include for example a piston that allows for tight control of forces exerted by terminals onto contacts of a wafer.

Abstract: A water valve assembly includes a valve body having defined therein (1) a first fluid inlet, (2) a temperature sensing port, (3) a fluid outlet, and (4) a fluid channel in fluid communication with the first fluid inlet, the temperature sensing port, and the fluid outlet. The assembly also includes a first water valve being in fluid communication with the first fluid inlet. The assembly also includes a sensing device having a temperature sensing surface being positioned in thermal communication with the temperature sensing port. In addition, the assembly further includes a pressure inlet member having a pressure channel defined therein. The sensing device further has a pressure sensing surface, and the pressure channel is positioned in fluid communication with the pressure sensing surface. A method of operating a water valve assembly is also disclosed.

Abstract: A water valve inlet screen has a mesh network for filtering contaminates, and openings to allow water to pass through the inlet screen and into the valving cavity. Ribs of differing heights are formed on the mesh network to hold large particles away from the openings and allow water to flow around the particles. Additionally, the ribs increase the turbulence of water flow and, thus, reduce the stability of contaminates lodged on the ribs and encourage them away from the openings that they rest in front of. A flange is located on the downstream end of the inlet screen with serrations to provide openings for allowing water passage through the flange. Water passing through the flange encourages large particles to accumulate at the downstream end of the inlet screen, and leaves the upstream end of the inlet screen with fewer obstructions to block the free flow of water.

Abstract: A solenoid controlled, pilot actuated inlet water valve apparatus has an inlet connected to a residential water source pipe and an outlet connected to an appliance such as a dishwasher or clothes washing machine. The inlet water valve contains a flow control, a noise suppressor, a pilot valve controlled by an electrically operated armature, and a main valve composed of a diaphragm, diaphragm insert, valving surface and bleed passage. The noise suppressor is located downstream of the flow control and reduces water velocity by first radially dispersing incoming water to the periphery of the noise suppressor in a dispersion chamber. Next, water passes through passage holes located around the periphery of the noise suppressor into a recombining chamber with it is directed toward a central exit port. When water moves in the recombining chamber toward the central exit port, the water converges from different directions further reducing water velocity and noise caused by cavitation.

Abstract: A household appliance, solenoid controlled, pilot actuated inlet water valve has a diaphragm insert with a bleed valve that substantially closes when a main valve is open to reduce water and contaminate flow through the bleed passage. The pilot valve outlet extension has openings to reduce vacuum drawn from the outlet into an actuation chamber thereby further reducing water flow through the bleed passage. The bleed passage is internally and externally configured to reduce contamination impairment. An anti-hammer rib or lip is placed on the pilot valve outlet extension upstream of a guide tip which provides less close-fitting surface that may be impaired by contaminates while still dampening valve closing to reduce valve noise and pipe hammer.

Abstract: A household appliance, solenoid controlled, pilot actuated inlet water valve has a diaphragm insert with a bleed valve that substantially closes when a main valve is open to reduce water and contaminate flow through the bleed passage. The pilot valve outlet extension has openings to reduce vacuum drawn from the outlet into an actuation chamber thereby further reducing water flow through the bleed passage. The bleed passage is internally and externally configured to reduce contamination impairment. An anti-hammer rib or lip is placed on the pilot valve outlet extension upstream of a guide tip which provides less close-fitting surface that may be impaired by contaminates while still dampening valve closing to reduce valve noise and pipe hammer.

Abstract: A pressure operated valve includes an inlet and an outlet connected by a main valve having a valve diaphragm member that communicates with an operating pressure chamber. A pilot valve inlet port and a pilot valve outlet port also communicate with the operating pressure chamber. The inlet port is configured in the form of four circular slits of 0.004 to 0.007 inches width. The slits are formed by four pins of a pilot valve insert which fit into four bores in a valve body. Each pin has a ridge on its surface parallel to the pin axis, which pin locates and spaces the pin in the bore to form the slit. The slits are located flush with wall of the main inlet so that water rushing through the inlet washes particles off the slit. The pilot valve outlet port is sealed by an armature comprising a ferromagnetic sleeve and a flexible rubber core. A groove in the core receives the end of a lever which seals the pilot valve inlet port whenever the pilot valve outlet port is open and vice versa.

Abstract: A valve includes a rigid washer seated in the valve inlet conduit and supporting a flexible flow control washer having an flow control orifice that constricts with increasing pressure. The washer aperture is axially aligned with the flow control orifice. A cylindrical expansion chamber axially aligned with the orifice and aperture is located immediately downstream of the washer aperture. The expansion chamber has four cylindrical exit ports parallel to the chamber axis and communicating with the valve's valving chamber. Each port has a raised lip about the periphery of the port and extending into the expansion chamber. A bullet is integrally formed with the valve body along the axis of the expansion chamber and extends into the downstream portion of the flow control orifice at all pressures. The bullet has a flared base that directs the water radially into the expansion chamber.

Abstract: An articular cartilage repair piece and methods of forming and using same to substitute for a cut-out piece of damaged articular cartilage on a bone in an articulated joint in a mammal. The repair piece includes a backing layer of non-woven, felted fibrous material which is conformable to flat and curved surfaces. The front face of the backing layer is either uncoated or covered by a coating of tough pliable material having front surface which is tough, smooth and slippery in the presence of the natural synovial fluid of the joint and responds naturally as the repair site interfaces with underlying meniscus cartilage or articular cartilage of an opposing surface through articulating motion in the joint of a patient.

Abstract: A housing that includes a cup shaped member and a cover carries a printed circuit board through a plurality of posts. Openings in the housing permit lead wires to be fed to the printed circuit board. The lead wires are leak tightly sealed in the openings by way of shouldered plugs which carry the lead wires. The plugs are sealed with respect to the housing through pliable sealing rings and E-rings secure the plug axially at their shoulders. Locator tabs insure that the plugs engage the openings in a proper orientation. The cover of the housing is sealed with respect to the cup shaped member through a sealing ring carried in a groove of the cup shaped member with pressure being applied through an interference fit with the ring. A leak tight window in the housing permits viewing from the outside. The shouldered plug holding the window is sealed with respect to the housing by a sealing ring and is held axially by the plug being threaded to the housing.

Abstract: A housing has a window with a plurality of panes. There is a light guide member in the form of first and second plates meeting at right angles. The first plate has white indicia painted on it and the light guide member is positioned so that the indicia are viewable in the window, one indicia in each pane. A red arm slides along the first plate on the side opposite the window. The arm is made of light guide material and is attached to a slidable tape and a lever passes through a hole in the tape so that the indicating arm moves in coordination with the lever to provide a red background to the one of the indicia in the window that indicates the position of the lever. A blue plate on the side of the arm opposite the window provides a blue background to the other indicia in the window.

Abstract: There is described a speed sensor that is particularly adaptable to moving vehicles such as automobiles. A permanent magnet, stator assembly, and field coil are held within a ferromagnetic cup that is adapted to mate a bearing assembly of a non-driven wheel of the vehicle. A rotor assembly is carried by the wheel spindle. The rotor assembly has poles spaced entirely around the circumference of a circle while the stator assembly has only a few poles distributed over an arc of a portion of a circle. A magnetic flux is provided by the permanent magnet, which flux passes through the stator poles and the rotor poles. The ferromagnetic cup completes a flux path between the stator and rotor poles, and also to the magnet. The rotor poles rotate with the wheel, causing a changing magnetic flux which in turn generates an alternating voltage current in the field coil. The alternating current so generated is then fed through an electrical terminal to a vehicle computer.

Abstract: There is described a speed sensor that is particularly adaptable to moving vehicles such as automobiles. A permanent magnet, stator assembly including a stator pole piece, and field coil having an aperature are held within a cup that is adapted to mate a bearing assembly of a non-driven wheel of the vehicle. The stator pole piece is carried substantially within the aperature of the field coil. Rotor poles are carried on the wheel spindle. A magnetic flux is provided by the permanent magnet, the flux passing through the stator poles and the rotor poles which rotate with the wheel in close proximity to the stator assembly, causing a changing flux field. The changing magnetic flux in turn generates an alternating voltage current in the field coil. The alternating current so generated is then fed through an electrical terminal to a vehicle computer.

Abstract: An indicator housing has a window in it and an aperature for passing a gearshift lever through it. There is a light guide having indicia on it which are viewable in the window, an indicating arm, and a metal tape closing the aperature in the housing, connecting the indicating arm to the gearshift lever, and supporting the indicating arm for movement along a first axis parallel to the light guide over a range that permits it to be visually aligned in the window with the indicia to indicate the lever position. The tape has two openings in it along an edge and the indicating arm has two pins. The housing includes a body portion and a cover portion. When the cover is secured to the body, the arm is trapped between the cover and tape in a direction perpendicular to the first axis, with the pins in the openings, thereby securing the arm to the tape.

Abstract: There is described a speed sensor that is particularly adaptable to moving vehicles such as automobiles. A permanent magnet, stator assembly, and field coil are held within a cup that is adapted to mate a bearing assembly of a non-driven wheel of the vehicle. Rotor poles are carried on the wheel spindle. A magnetic flux is provided by the permanent magnet, the flux passing through the rotor poles which rotate with the wheel and through poles of the stator assembly. As the wheel turns, the rotor poles are at times aligned with the stator poles across on air gap and at other times not aligned across an air gap, the air gap being in a plane parallel to the plane in which the wheel rotates. This results in a changing magnetic flux, which in turn generates an alternating voltage current in the field coil. The alternating current so generated is then fed through an electrical terminal to a vehicle computer.

Abstract: An indicator housing has a window in it and an aperture for passing a gearshift lever through it. There is a light guide having indicia on it which are viewable in the window, an indicating member, and a metal tape connecting the indicating member to the gearshift lever and supporting it for movement along a first axis parallel to the light guide over a range that permits it to be visually aligned in the window with the indicia to indicate the lever position. The indicating member includes a surface at a 45.degree. angle to the first axis. A wire spring has two ends attached to the indicating member and a V-shaped portion between the ends. The end of the V engages the housing and forces the sides of the V against the angled surface to prevent the arm from rattling in directions orthogonal to the first axis. The 45.degree. surface also acts as a reflectinhg surface to reflect light from a bulb into the indicating member.

Abstract: A soft tissue implant in the form of a meniscus cartilage replacement for a patient. Appropriately shaped top and bottom layers sandwich therebetween at least one intermediate felted layer. A resilient bonding material coats the layers and holds same in a laminated condition. The intermediate layer(s) is cut narrower than the top and bottom layers and the layers have a common side edge. The top layer is contoured, to provide a wedge shaped cross section and a contoured three dimensional shape. A fabric member is bonded to the thickened edge of the laminant and is porous to invite ingrowth of patient tissue to anchor the implant eventually in place. In addition, a method of making the implant involves coating of layers with a resilient bonding material, applying the layers one atop the next, and curing the resilient bonding material after each successive layer is applied.

Abstract: There is described a speed sensor that is particularly adapted to moving vehicles such as automobiles. A permanent magnet, stator assembly, and field coil are held within a cup that is adapted to mate a bearing assembly of a non-driven wheel of the vehicle. A magnetic flux is provided by the permanent magnet and when rotor poles carried by the bearing assembly rotate in close proximity to the stator assembly, the magnetic flux in turn generates an alternating voltage current in the field coil. The alternating current so generated is then fed through an electrical terminal to a vehicle computer.

Abstract: Apparatus for selectively blocking passage of lipids in a liquid flow path. A baffle interposed in the liquid flow path is of nonpolar material and is arranged to permit liquid flow therethrough with contact of said liquid with the nonpolar material of the baffle for removing lipids from the flow. In one embodiment, the baffle is interposed between the wound drain connection and vacuum connection in a drain reservoir and protects the hydrophobic filter which is at the end of the vacuum passage communicating with the interior of the drain reservoir bottle. The baffle enables use of a nonpolar material for the hydrophobic filter and avoids coating and thereby clogging of the hydrophobic filter by lipids in the liquid drained from a wound.

Abstract: Apparatus for selectively blocking passage of lipids in a liquid flow path. A baffle interposed in the liquid flow path is of nonpolar material and is arranged to permit liquid flow therethrough with contact of said liquid with the nonpolar material of the baffle for removing lipids from the flow. In one embodiment, the baffle is interposed between a wound drain connection and vacuum connection in a drain reservoir and protects a hydrophobic filter which is at the end of a vacuum passage communicating with the interior of the drain reservoir. The baffle enables use of a nonpolar material for the hydrophobic filter and avoids coating and thereby clogging of the hydrophobic filter by lipids in the liquid drained from a wound.