Abstract: A mower including a housing having a cutting apparatus such as a flail mower rotatably mounted therein. The mower includes a detector which determines during mower raising when the housing is positioned at least a predetermined distance above the ground surface directly below the housing. After passage of a time period during which the detector continuously detects that the housing is positioned at least the predetermined distance from the ground, a signal is sent to an actuator mechanism which interrupts the delivery of power to the motor rotating the cutting apparatus such that the flail mower comes to a stop. In one embodiment, a locking mechanism can be provided which prevents power from being reintroduced to the mower motor after the mower is lowered until the operator purposefully disengages the locking mechanism.

Abstract: An addressing structure (10, 10') using an ionizable gaseous medium has plural nonintersecting channels (20, 20') extending in a first direction and filled with an ionizable gaseous medium. Each channel contains a reference electrode (30, 30') and a row electrode (62, 62'). An amplifier (100) provides a kicker pulse to one or both of the first and second electrodes in a channel at a time coincident with the application of a second electrical signal to the second electrode. The kicker pulse and the second electrical signal cooperate to promote ionization of the gaseous medium within a predetermined discharge initiation delay time tolerance. The ionization captures across a liquid crystal material (44) data signals placed on column electrodes (18); the data signals place display elements (16) associated with the electro-optic material in predetermined data storage or display element states.

Abstract: A particulate filter (16) is provided within an inlet channel (22) of an ink jet (14). The filter is oriented generally in the direction of ink flow to provide a greater filter surface area. Positioning the filter within the inlet channel results in reduced acoustic crosstalk, more effective filtering, and more efficient purging of the filter itself because of the relatively high ink pressure drop across the filter in the channel. Positioning the channel vertically assists the buoyancy of the bubble movement during operation and purging.

Abstract: An improved ink jet print head includes tapered manifolds (222), ports (234), and inlet channels (214) all leading elevationally upward to sweep bubbles from the head, aided by their buoyancy. The ports opening to the inlet channels are distributed at staggered locations throughout the manifolds with at least some of the ports located adjacent to the elevationally highest edge of each manifold. This aspect of the invention reduces bubble entrapment and improves jetting performance by reducing acoustic cross-talk among ink pressure chambers (204) of the head. Moreover, tapering the ink supply manifolds and other features causes more uniform ink flow rates and reduces flow rate stagnation regions within the head. Purging cycles therefore require smaller volumes of ink than with prior designs.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet print head having an improved driver design and capable of extended and continuous periods of operation with substantially reduced rectified diffusion-induced printing quality degradation. In preferred ink jet print heads of the present invention, the ink-contacting portion of the surface of the diaphragm of a piezoelectric ceramic/diaphragm drive mechanism is electropolished. By electropolishing only a portion of one surface, the ink-contacting surface, of one ink jet print head component, rectified diffusion is greatly reduced.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing cross-talk across the width of a pixel, cross-talk along the length of a channel, flicker, and/or image sticking in a display system by providing (a) an electrical circuit (resistor 102, switch 108) for bringing a reference electrode (30') and a row electrode (62') in a channel (20') to the same potential before the gaseous medium in the channel loses an ability to redistribute charge and (b) an electrical circuit (driver 104 and/or driver 26) operable to bring or to clamp one or both of those electrodes to a predetermined electrical potential. Corresponding methods are also provided.

Abstract: This invention relates to a container for turkey callers having a body of flexible material with a first end portion adapted to overlap a second end portion to provide a container for storage and transportation of a turkey caller. The first end portion and a second end portion are adapted to be reversed and folded and held in place with a strap to expose the turkey caller for instant use when the container and turkey caller are in place on the front of a hunter.

Abstract: An extremely compact ink jet print head has an array of closely spaced nozzles which are supplied from densely packed ink pressure chambers by way of offset channels. The ink supply inlets leading to the pressure chambers and the offset channels are designed to provide uniform operating characteristics to the ink jet nozzles of the array. To enhance the packing density of the pressure chambers, the ink supply channels leading to the pressure chambers and offset channels are positioned in planes between the pressure chambers and nozzles. An optional ink purging pathway is provided for purging bubbles and other contaminants from the chamber side of the nozzles. The ink jet print head may be assembled from plural plates with features in all but the nozzle defining plate being formed by photo-patterning and etching processes without requiring machining or other metal working.

Abstract: Printing is by an array of color-printing elements or nozzles in order ot produce interlaced color printing while printing each line only once with each color. Print head array configurations for printing two, three and four colors include linear and parallel arrays. In one embodiment, a first color and a second color are printed on alternate lines of a first set of print lines. The first color and a third color are printed on alternate lines of a second set of print lines. Also, the second color and the third color are printed on alternate lines of a third set of print lines. By sequentially printing these consecutive sets of lines on a print medium, with each of the three pairs of colors, all of the lines of an image are printed once with each color. Other color-printing configurations are also shown.

Abstract: A first surface of a first metal component of an ink jet print head is bonded to a second surface of a second metal component of the ink jet print head, the first and second surfaces being of materials having the same or similar coefficients of thermal expansion. A layer of filler material is electroplated or otherwise placed on at least one of these surfaces. The filler material has a melting point which is below the melting point of the first and second components, and the total thickness of the filler material on the surfaces together is in the range of from approximately one-sixteenth micron to approximately five microns, with one-eighth micron to two microns being a preferred range. These surfaces are placed together and subjected to heat and pressure to diffusion bond the surfaces without melting the filler material. The diffusion bonding is performed in one approach until no more than approximately one micron of filler material remains between the surfaces.

Abstract: A first surface of a first metal component of an ink jet print head is bonded to a second surface of a second metal component of the ink jet print head, the first and second surfaces being of materials having the same or similar coefficients of thermal expansion. A layer of filler material is electroplated or otherwise placed on at least one of these surfaces. The filler material has a melting point which is below the melting point of the first and second components, and the total thickness of the filler material on the surfaces together is in the range of from approximately one-sixteenth micron to approximately five microns, with one-eighth micron to two microns being a preferred range. These surfaces are placed together and brazed under low pressure. Preferably, the braze pressure is from about one-half psi to no more than about one hundred psi, with about ten psi being most preferred.

Abstract: An enhanced oil recovery method utilizes a monitored salinity concentration decline in produced water at the various producing wells of a steam flood project to determine actual steam distribution. This actual steam distribution is utilized to determine appropriate production capability modifications for certain ones of the producing wells so as to cause the actual steam distribution to more closely approximate a predetermined preferred steam distribution so as to maximize oil production from the steam flood project.

Abstract: An enhanced oil recovery technique includes the predetermination of a desired steam distribution within a steam flood pattern, which preferably is proportional to the volumes of oil in place within various sectors of an area of a subsurface formation. These sectors are associated with the various producing wells of the steam flood pattern. Initial steam distribution is then determined. Subsequently, one or more of the producing wells has its production rate modified so that the final steam distribution within the formation will more closely approximate the predetermined preferred steam distribution.

Abstract: The invention contemplates a single-coil configuration adapted for embedment in an orthopedic cast, for use in applying electromagnetic signals for osteogenic therapy. An otherwise flat circular multiple-turn coil is so permanently deformed as to establish a first generally U-shaped projection of the coil in a first viewing aspect which is normal to the coil axis, the deformation being further such as to establish a second generally U-shaped projection of the coil in a second viewing aspect which is normal to the coil axis, said viewing aspects being orthogonally related. The depth of the deformation is common to each of the U-shapes and is approximately one fourth of the combined span of the two U-shapes.