Abstract: A container has a lid that can be opened only by lifting and pulling a pull tab, with lifting of the pull tab resulting in an evident change. The pull tab is held down by attachment (interference fit, weld, glue) to a lid surface by a hold-down that is joined to the pull tab by a pair of bridges. When the pull tab is lifted, the bridges are broken. Thereafter, the pull tab springs up slightly from the lid plane, under the force of one or more spring walls and a hinge, which makes it evident that the container has been opened.

Abstract: A container has a lid that can be opened only by lifting and pulling a pull tab, with lifting of the pull tab resulting in an evident change. The pull tab is held down by attachment (interference fit, weld, glue) to a lid surface by a hold-down that is joined to the pull tab by a pair of bridges. When the pull tab is lifted, the bridges are broken. Thereafter, the pull tab springs up slightly from the lid plane, under the force of one or more spring walls and a hinge, which makes it evident that the container has been opened.

Abstract: A container has a lid (20) that can be opened only by lifting and pulling a pull tab (30), with lifting of the pull-tab resulting in an evident change. The pull tab (30) is held down by attachment (interference fit, weld, glue) to a lid surface (38) by a hold-down (40) that is joined to the pull tab by a pair of bridges (52, 54). When the pull tab is lifted, the bridges are broken. Thereafter, the pull-tab springs up slightly from the lid plane, under the force of one or more spring walls (80, 81) and a hinge (34), which makes it evident that the container has been opened.

Abstract: A container of sheet plastic reveals when it has been opened after a clerk loaded it with food. The container has a base (12) and lid (14) that remain latched together until they are separated at an initial opening region (40) where the lid has a radially-outward projecting lid tab (44) and the base has a tear-away part (52) with a blocker (60) that blocks access to the lid tab. The blocker surrounds the radially outward edge and opposite sides of the tab. The blocker prevents access to the lid tab to lift it to open the container until the tear-away part (52) is torn along a tear line (81). The fact that the tear-away part is torn away, reveals that the container has been tampered with.

Abstract: The driver of a vehicle (10) is protected from glare caused by the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle at night, or by the Sun lying low in the sky. The vehicle windshield (20) is divided into pixels (42) whose transparency can be reduced. The transparency of a limited area of the windshield is controlled by reducing the transparency of windshield pixels that lie along the light path (32) of bright light that passes through an area (34) of the windshield to the driver's eyes. In one system, a small sensor (44) includes a sensor plate (50) with an array of sensor pixels (54), and a lens (56) that forms an image of a forward portion of the environment on the sensor pixel array. An electronic circuit (70) couples sensor pixels to corresponding windshield pixels, and reduces the transparency of windshield pixels when corresponding sensor pixels are brightly illuminated.

Abstract: Food containers formed of sheet plastic are latchably stackable on one another. Each container has base (14) and lid (16) elements, with one of them having an outer rim part with a pair of long handle sections (80, 82) that can be pivoted up to form a handle assembly for carrying the container. The sections that form handles are formed in the lid element (16) rather than in the base element (14), so a person does not have to contend with long bouncing sections if the person eats a meal out of the base. One of the elements has vertically undercut grooves (50) and the other element has horizontal projections (52) that slide into and along the grooves. The grooved element has vertical passages (120) along which the projections can move vertically until they can slide into and along the grooves.

Abstract: A container of sheet plastic reveals when it has been opened after a clerk loaded it with food. The container has a base (12) and lid (14) that remain latched together until they are separated at an initial opening region (40) where the lid has a radially-outward projecting lid tab (44) and the base has a tear-away part (52) with a blocker (60) that blocks access to the lid tab. The blocker surrounds the radially outward edge and opposite sides of the tab. The blocker prevents access to the lid tab to lift it to open the container until the tear-away part (52) is torn along a tear line (81). The fact that the tear-away part is torn away, reveals that the container has been tampered with.

Abstract: Food containers formed of sheet plastic are latchably stackable on one another. Each container has base (14) and lid (16) elements, with one of them having an outer rim part with a pair of long handle sections (80, 82) that can be pivoted up to form a handle assembly for carrying the container. The sections that form handles are formed in the lid element (16) rather than in the base element (14), so a person does not have to contend with long bouncing sections if the person eats a meal out of the base. One of the elements has vertically undercut grooves (50) and the other element has horizontal projections (52) that slide into and along the grooves. The grooved element has vertical passages (120) along which the projections can move vertically until they can slide into and along the grooves.

Abstract: The driver of a vehicle (10) is protected from glare caused by the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle at night, or by the Sun lying low in the sky. The vehicle windshield (20) is divided into pixels (42) whose transparency can be reduced. The transparency of a limited area of the windshield is controlled by reducing the transparency of windshield pixels that lie along the light path (32) of bright light that passes through an area (34) of the windshield to the driver's eyes. In one system, a small sensor (44) includes a sensor plate (50) with an array of sensor pixels (54), and a lens (56) that forms an image of a forward portion of the environment on the sensor pixel array. An electronic circuit (70) couples sensor pixels to corresponding windshield pixels, and reduces the transparency of windshield pixels when corresponding sensor pixels are brightly illuminated.

Abstract: Food containers formed of sheet plastic are latchably stackable on one another. Each container has base (14) and lid (16) elements, with one of them having an outer rim part with a pair of long handle sections (80, 82) that can be pivoted up to form a handle assembly for carrying the container. The sections that form handles are formed in the lid element (16) rather than in the base element (14), so a person does not have to contend with long bouncing sections if the person eats a meal out of the base. One of the elements has vertically undercut grooves (50) and the other element has horizontal projections (52) that slide into and along the grooves. The grooved element has vertical passages (120) along which the projections can move vertically until they can slide into and along the grooves.

Abstract: Food containers formed of sheet plastic are latchably stackable on one another. Each container has base (14) and lid (16) elements, with one of them having an outer rim part with a pair of long handle sections (80, 82) that can be pivoted up to form a handle assembly for carrying the container. The sections that form handles are formed in the lid element (16) rather than in the base element (14), so a person does not have to contend with long bouncing sections if the person eats a meal out of the base. One of the elements has vertically undercut grooves (50) and the other element has horizontal projections (52) that slide into and along the grooves. The grooved element has vertical passages (120) along which the projections can move vertically until they can slide into and along the grooves.

Abstract: The driver of a vehicle (10) is protected from glare caused by the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle at night, or by the Sun lying low in the sky. The vehicle windshield (20) is divided into pixels (42) whose transparency can be reduced. The transparency of a limited area of the windshield is controlled by reducing the transparency of windshield pixels that lie along the light path (32) of bright light that passes through an area (34) of the windshield to the driver's eyes. In one system, a small sensor (44) includes a sensor plate (50) with an array of sensor pixels (54), and a lens (56) that forms an image of a forward portion of the environment on the sensor pixel array. An electronic circuit (70) couples sensor pixels to corresponding windshield pixels, and reduces the transparency of windshield pixels when corresponding sensor pixels are brightly illuminated.

Abstract: An earplug has an earplug body (12) with a front sealing portion (20) that seals to a person's ear canal, a body rear portion (22) that lies out of the ear canal, and a passage (26) that extends along the body axis and that allows environmental sound to flow into the ear canal when the passage is not blocked. The body rear portion has a lateral slot (30), and the earplug includes a blocking element (14) that is laterally (L) slidable along the slot. The blocking element can slide between a first position (14A) wherein a hole (32) in the element is not aligned with the passage to prevent sound from reaching the ear canal, and a second position (14B) wherein the hole is aligned with the passage to allow sound to reach the passage.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a combination animal grooming tool consisting of a device with a handle connected to a head with a rotating unit having two or more grooming fixtures. The first fixture is a rake-brush section consisting of a plurality of prongs and the second fixture is a de-shedding unit that is solid stainless steel tapered with a plurality of teeth spaced 0.025 inches apart. The stainless steel de-shedding unit is set into a boss on the rotating unit. An ergonomic tool handle has an orifice in the distal end for hanging in a storage location. A plurality or ribs extend the length of the handle giving a comfortable non-slip surface. The handle connects to the tool head section by the means of the tool neck. The tool head section is composed of a first side member and a second side member with a supporting central web between them. The rake-brush section of the rotating unit has a plurality of prongs in one or more lines across the rotating unit.

Abstract: An offshore hydrocarbon production system includes a vessel (12) with a turret (16), and a fluid swivel (50) on the turret that is connected to risers (41–43) that extend to the sea floor (26), wherein a drilling/workover rig (60) on the vessel can lower tubing (65) toward the sea floor without danger that the tubing will wrap about the risers when the hull weathervanes. The rig is mounted on the turret. Pipes (54) that extend from the rotatable part of the fluid swivel to fittings (55) on the hull (14), are supported on a gantry (80) that is fixed to the hull and having a gantry middle portion (106) that extends over the turret. The gantry middle portion extends higher than the top (88) of the rig.

Abstract: A system for using natural gas to safely provide large amounts (at least 30 megawatts) of electricity to consumers. The system includes a floating generating vessel (110) that lies offshore and carries one or more turbine-generator sets (114, 116) that use natural gas as fuel and whose electricity output is delivered though a power line (138) that extends at least partially in the sea to a consumer. One consumer is a process vessel (112) that processes natural gas and that has transfer facilities (68) that transfer liquified gas to or from a tanker (106) that holds over 10,000 tons of liquified gas. Some of the gas is transferred from the process vessel through a conduit (136) in the sea to the generating vessel (110) to provide fuel. Another consumer is an onshore facility (52). The generating and process vessels (110, 112) are widely separated (e.g. at least 0.2 kilometer) to protect personnel in the event of a gas explosion or fire.

Abstract: An offshore hydrocarbon production system includes a vessel (12) with a turret (16), and a fluid swivel (50) on the turret that is connected to risers (41-43) that extend to the sea floor (26), wherein a drilling/workover rig (60) on the vessel can lower tubing (65) toward the sea floor without danger that the tubing will wrap about the risers when the hull weathervanes. The rig is mounted on the turret. Pipes (54) that extend from the rotatable part of the fluid swivel to fittings (55) on the hull (14), are supported on a gantry (80) that is fixed to the hull and having a gantry middle portion (106) that extends over the turret. The gantry middle portion extends higher than the top (88) of the rig.