Abstract: The present invention pertains to the art of floor coverings, and, more particularly to an apparatus for use in securing floor covering units to an underlay and a method of manufacturing said floor covering units and said underlay. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and method of manufacturing magnetized floor covering units and magnetized underlays for securing magnetized floor covering units.

Abstract: A hydraulic jack including a load cylinder, a pump, a release valve and a flow regulator. The pump is configured to provide pressurized fluid to the load cylinder. The release valve is in fluid communication with the pressurized fluid. The flow regulator is configured to alter a flow path of the fluid therethrough as an inverse function of a pressure drop of the fluid across the flow regulator. The fluid regulator being in fluid communication with the release valve.

Abstract: A clip connector seaming apparatus having upstanding projections arranged in sections to point inwardly on the lateral and longitudinal axes adapted to join a plurality of modular floor covering units comprising a modular floor covering is provided. The clip connector may comprise a releasable silicone backing and a pressure sensitive tape to affix or “tack” the clip connector to a supporting surface. The clip connector does not require any spray adhesives or additional glue to affix floor covering units to a support surface and is resistant to wear, moisture, excessive force. The clip connector may also be reusable to provide for replacing individual floor covering units.

Abstract: A clip connector seaming apparatus having upstanding projections arranged in sections to point inwardly on the lateral and longitudinal axes adapted to join a plurality of modular floor covering units comprising a modular floor covering is provided. The clip connector may comprise a releasable silicone backing and a pressure sensitive tape to affix or “tack” the clip connector to a supporting surface. The clip connector does not require any spray adhesives or additional glue to affix floor covering units to a support surface and is resistant to wear, moisture, excessive force. The clip connector may also be reusable to provide for replacing individual floor covering units.

Abstract: An electrical assembly including a conductor arrangement and a dual resolution potentiometer electrically connected to the conductor arrangement. The dual resolution potentiometer includes a first resistive element having a first adjustment mechanism and a second resistive element having a second adjustment mechanism. The first adjustment mechanism being coupled in a hysteresis arrangement to the second adjustment mechanism.

Abstract: A seaming apparatus is formed from an elongated plate that is inextendible in both longitudinal and lateral directions. An upper surface of the plate is divided into multiple, transversely spaced and longitudinally extending zones. In the preferred embodiment, three such zones, including two edge zones spaced by a central zone, are provided. Numerous elongated upstanding sharp projections are provided in each of the edge zones and an adhesive layer is provided in the central zone. A peelable protective cover is arranged atop the adhesive layer. A thin adhesive layer with a peelable protective cover may be placed on a lower surface to secure the seaming apparatus to a supporting surface.

Abstract: A feedback gate bias circuit for use in radio frequency amplifiers to more effectively control operation of LDFET, GaNFET, GaAsFET, and JFET type transistors used in such circuits. A transistor gate bias circuit that senses drain current and automatically adjusts or biases the gate voltage to maintain drain current independently of temperature, time, input drive, frequency, as well as from device to device variations. Additional circuits to provide temperature compensation, RF power monitoring and drain current control, RF output power leveler, high power gain block, and optional digital control of various functions. A gate bias circuit including a bias sequencer and negative voltage deriver for operation of N-channel depletion mode devices.

Abstract: A hydraulic jack includes a frame and a pump connected to the frame. The pump is connected to the frame. The pump includes a rod, a housing, and a piston, with hydraulic fluid being in the housing. The rod has a cross-sectional area and has a longitudinal axis. The housing has an end through which the rod slides and has an interior wall. The piston is coupled to the rod. The piston establishing a rod side chamber and a piston side chamber within the housing. The piston having a plurality of biased check valves fluidically coupling the rod side chamber with the piston side chamber.

Abstract: A mobility device including a frame, a plurality of wheels, a pair of telescopically arranged assemblies and a pair of handgrips. The plurality of wheels are rotatably coupled to the frame. The pair of telescopically arranged assemblies are coupled to the frame. The pair of handgrips are each coupled to a corresponding one of the pair of telescopically arranged assemblies. The pair of handgrips are arranged to adjust a height of the pair of telescopically arranged assemblies.

Abstract: A mobility device including a frame, a plurality of wheels, a pair of telescopically arranged assemblies and a pair of handgrips. The plurality of wheels are rotatably coupled to the frame. The pair of telescopically arranged assemblies are coupled to the frame. The pair of handgrips are each coupled to a corresponding one of the pair of telescopically arranged assemblies. The pair of handgrips are arranged to adjust a height of the pair of telescopically arranged assemblies.

Abstract: A hydraulic jack includes a frame and a pump connected to the frame. The pump is connected to the frame. The pump includes a rod, a housing, and a piston, with hydraulic fluid being in the housing. The rod has a cross-sectional area and has a longitudinal axis. The housing has an end through which the rod slides. The housing has an interior open cross-sectional area in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis, and the housing has an interior wall. The piston is coupled to the rod. The piston establishes a rod side chamber and a piston side chamber within the housing. The piston has a cross-sectional area, which is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the housing thereby allowing a portion of the hydraulic fluid to flow between said piston and said interior wall to and from the rod side chamber and the piston side chamber when the piston is moved in the housing.

Abstract: A hydraulic jack including a frame and a pump connected to the frame. The pump includes a rod, a housing, a piston and a plurality of valves. The rod has a cross-sectional area. The housing has an end through which the rod slides. The piston is associated with said rod, with the piston establishing a rod side chamber and a piston side chamber within the housing. The piston having a cross-sectional area. The plurality of valves each are fluidly connected to the rod side chamber and/or the piston side chamber. The piston, the rod and the valves are arranged to provide a first hydraulic fluid flow associated with the cross-sectional area of the piston until a predetermined pressure is reached and a second hydraulic fluid flow associated with the cross-sectional area of the rod after the predetermined pressure is reached.

Abstract: A hydraulic jack including a frame and a pump connected to the frame. The pump includes a rod, a housing, a piston and a plurality of valves. The rod has a cross-sectional area. The housing has an end through which the rod slides. The piston is associated with said rod, with the piston establishing a rod side chamber and a piston side chamber within the housing. The piston having a cross-sectional area. The plurality of valves each are fluidly connected to the rod side chamber and/or the piston side chamber. The piston, the rod and the valves are arranged to provide a first hydraulic fluid flow associated with the cross-sectional area of the piston until a predetermined pressure is reached and a second hydraulic fluid flow associated with the cross-sectional area of the rod after the predetermined pressure is reached.

Abstract: Phase-locked oscillators (74, 152, 172, or 196) include both a digital integrator (82 or 146) and a digital lead compensator (84, 148, or 180), and use either analog (108) or digital (184) summation of integration and lead-compensation signals to provide a lead-compensated digital integrator (86, 150, or 182). Preferably, integration and/or lead compensation includes decoding UP and DOWN signals into plus one, minus one, and/or zero signals. The phase-locked oscillators (74, 152, 172, or 196) may include one or more nonlinear digital-to-analog converters (282, 292, 310, 340, or 370) for digital-to-analog converting the digital phase-locking information and the digital lead-compensation information.

Abstract: Apparatus (70, 80, 90) and method are provided for selectively proportioning, or hot-switching, rf power to a plurality of rf outputs. The method includes: splitting a single rf signal into a plurality of split rf signals using power splitters (12, 36, 38A, 38B); separately power amplifying the split rf signals into the plurality of rf power outputs in solid-state current devices (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4); selectively proportioning gains of the power amplifying steps; and maintaining a total rf power substantially constant during the selectively proportioning step. Preferably, the method includes series connecting the solid-state current devices (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) in series between a dc source-voltage (VDC) and a lower dc voltage; and performing the separate amplifying steps in the series-connected solid-state current devices (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4). The selective proportioning step includes adjusting gate voltages of the solid-state current devices (Q1, Q2, Q3).

Abstract: Variable phase-shifting rf power amplifiers (10, 30, 50) shift rf outputs at any angle up to 90, 180, or 270 degrees, respectively, while maintaining an rf output substantially constant. The variable phase-shifting rf power amplifiers (10, 30, 50) include two to four field-effect transistors (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) that are interposed between phase splitters and combiners, and that are connected in series between a source voltage and a lower voltage. Phase shifting is achieved by selectively and variably controlling amplification of the field-effect transistors (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4). Selective and variable control of amplification is achieved by separately and variably controlling gate voltages of the field-effect transistors (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4), whereby a difference between the source voltage and the lower voltage is used selectively by one of the field-effect transistors (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) and selectively proportioned between two of the field-effect transistors (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4).

Abstract: Divided-voltage FET amplifiers (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 200, or 220) include two or more solid-state current devices, preferably gallium arsenide FETs, (Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6, and/or Q8), connected in series or series-parallel for dc operation, and connected in parallel for rf operation, thereby improving power efficiency by using the same current two or more times to develop rf power. Various ones of the embodiments produce separate rf outputs, separately amplify two rf outputs and subsequently combine them into a single rf output, and/or selectively phase shift rf outputs. Isolation between rf frequencies and dc voltages includes using decoupling capacitors with selected resonant frequencies and low effective series resistances (ESRs) and using inductors with selected self-resonant frequencies for rf chokes.

Abstract: Apparatus (40, 70, and 80) and method are provided for minimizing power losses when combining rf signals in conductors (50A, 50B, 62A, and 62B) that are at quadrature phase angles. The method includes: mixing rf signals that are at quadrature phase angles; producing a dc voltage from the mixing step that is a function of a phase-angle deviation from quadrature; and correcting the phase-angle deviation. The correcting step includes tuning a length of a selected one of two rf conductors. Preferably, the method also includes equalizing amplitudes of the rf signals. When the method includes series connecting upper (Q1) and lower (Q2) solid-state current devices, the step of equalizing amplitudes of the rf signals includes adjusting a bias voltage of one (Q1) of the solid-state current devices.

Abstract: Apparatus (70, 80, 90) and method are provided for selectively proportioning, or hot-switching, rf power to a plurality of rf outputs. The method includes: splitting a single rf signal into a plurality of split rf signals using power splitters (12, 36, 38A, 38B); separately power amplifying the split rf signals into the plurality of rf power outputs in solid-state current devices (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4); selectively proportioning gains of the power amplifying steps; and maintaining a total rf power substantially constant during the selectively proportioning step. Preferably, the method includes series connecting the solid-state current devices (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) in series between a dc source-voltage (VDC) and a lower dc voltage; and performing the separate amplifying steps in the series-connected solid-state current devices (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4). The selective proportioning step includes adjusting gate voltages of the solid-state current devices (Q1, Q2, Q3).

Abstract: Phase-locked oscillators (74, 152, 172, or 196) include both a digital integrator (82 or 146) and a digital lead compensator (84, 148, or 180), and use either analog (108) or digital (184) summation of integration and leadcompensation signals to provide a lead-compensated digital integrator (86, 150, or 182). Preferably, integration and/or lead compensation includes decoding UP and DOWN signals into plus one, minus one, and/or zero signals. The phase-locked oscillators (74, 152, 172, or 196) may include one or more nonlinear digital-to-analog converters (282, 292, 310, 340, or 370) for digital-to-analog converting the digital phase-locking information and the digital lead-compensation information.