Abstract: The “Resonant Apparatus for Conducting Sound Waves” is for an electric string instrument, such as, but not limited to, a member of the guitar, bass, mandolin or violin family. The invention comprises a resonant apparatus and at least two connectors, to conduct sound waves from the vibrating string(s) of the musical instrument through the first connector to the resonant apparatus through the second connector to an electric pickup or plurality of pickups. The invention provides for proper phase alignment between the vibrating string or strings and the electric pickup or plurality of pickups.

Abstract: A lens system for collecting and focusing light emanating from an object has a cuvette housing the object and having a wall of thickness not greater than 1.5 millimeters; a plano-convex lens having a planar surface affixed to the wall; a sequence of at least three meniscus lenses, each meniscus lens having a concave surface toward the object and a convex surface, each successive meniscus lens receiving the light from the immediately preceding meniscus lens and having radii of curvature of its concave and convex surfaces greater than corresponding radii of the preceding meniscus lens; and at least one compound lens that may be a doublet lens or a triplet lens, the compound lens receiving the light from a last meniscus lens, wherein an image of a geometrical point on the object has a root-mean square spot size equal to or less than 63 ?m.

Abstract: A composite frozen confectionery item includes a cone, truncated cone or cup shaped shell formed from a solid fat based composition and nestingly contained substantially within a close fitting protective packaging sheet of corresponding shape, the confectionery item and packaging sheet each having an open end and a closed end, and the shell forming a lining in substantially contiguous contact with an internal surface of the packaging sheet and a filling of ice confectionery.