Abstract: A rotational gravitational machine including a rotatable structure and a set of movable weight assemblies carried by the rotatable structure and jointly rotatable with the rotatable structure about a rotation axis. The movable weight assemblies are arranged radially spaced apart from the rotation axis and angularly spaced apart from each other. Each movable weight assembly includes a movable magnetic weight that can reciprocally and radially move between radially innermost and outermost positions relative to the rotation axis. A first magnetic biasing system is provided, including a radially movable, first magnetic piston which magnetically biases the movable magnetic weight between the radially innermost position and the radially outermost position in order to unbalance the assembly formed by the rotatable structure and movable weight assemblies. This unbalancing allows gravity to produce a torque arm that promotes rotation of the assembly about the rotation axis.

Abstract: A kayak mooring stake is positioned in a scupper hole or sleeve. A knob is provided on the stake, and the knob rests on a shelf or ledge around the inside surface of the scupper hole or sleeve. When the mooring stake is rotated, the knob is positioned over an essentially vertical slot interrupting the ledge or shelf, and the stake can be thrust through the scupper hole or sleeve into the mud/sand at the bottom of a bay, lake, stream or the like, thereby fixing the position of a small watercraft against wind and/or current.

Abstract: A hands-free urine collecting device comprising a flexible sheet with an elastomeric element extending peripherally therearound wherein said flexible sheet is placed over a conventional toilet seat with said elastomeric member placed on the underside thereof to maintain the flexible sheet suspended above the toilet water. A recess in the flexible sheet provides access to a sample cup and is retained thereunder by looped elastic bands extending from the underside of said flexible sheet. An overflow recess is also provided to prevent excess urine from accumulating in the funnel formed by said flexible sheet.

Abstract: The new golf putter/chipper clubhead of this invention, which is generally hammer shaped both in plan view and in cross section, provides for an easily accomplished true pendulum swing by concentrating the mass of the club at the very perimeter of the arc of the pendulum, on-line with the direction of swing. The concentration of clubhead mass, being very low and directly behind the ball striking area of the clubhead makes it much easier to get very solid ball contact. A single club using this clubhead design can be used either right or left handed, even though there is but one ball striking face. The unique design enables contrasts in color, and/or texture, and/or reflective angle to be used to graphically alien the clubhead before and during the stroke. By optimizing the clubhead weight, as described in this invention, regulating the length of chips and/or putts essentially becomes an exercise in simply regulating the length of the backswing.

Abstract: A long handled chipper allows a golfer with the yips to chip better. In one embodiment, a plurality of club faces having different degrees of loft are provided so the club may be used for different purposes, e.g. as a chipper and as a putter.

Abstract: A heat exchange unit for an air conditioning/refrigeration system includes a plurality of independent spiral coils carrying hot refrigerant. Water is sprayed onto an upper set of the coils and passes through a bank of surface media onto a lower set of coils and then into a sump where it is recirculated. Water is also sprayed onto the lower coils. Air flows upwardly though the unit and cools the downwardly moving water droplets. Although most of the cooling in the unit is from evaporation, an unusual feature is the almost complete lack of scale buildup. The unit is almost completely dark inside so algae doesn't grow. Periodic high water temperatures and periodic purging of the recirculated water minimizes fungi growth. The coils are supported in such a manner that the tubes are allowed to lengthen and expand radially when temperatures are high and shrink when temperatures are low.

Abstract: A housing is provided for an air conditioning condenser of the type providing a fan creating an upward path of air movement through the housing, a heat exchange coil having and inlet and an outlet for connection to a source of hot refrigerant in a refrigerant loop and means for spraying water on the coil. The housing is made of rotomolded plastic and comprises a base, a plurality of identical walls and a top. The base and top are rotocast as a single piece and then cut horizontally with a saw to provide the two pieces. The base includes a U-shaped foot arranged to receive fork lift tines and oriented so the fork lift does not damage the inlet and outlet to the heat exchange coils.

Abstract: A process for recycling household waste, garbage or trash into useful articles including in one preferred embodiment the steps of collecting the waste material, feeding the waste material into a pulverizer to convert the material to a powdery mass, adding water to the mass to form a slurry, adding a binder to the slurry to inhibit bacteriological growth, pouring or otherwise forming the slurry into a useful shape such as a block, or sheet, and allowing the formed shape to air dry under relatively low humidity. The resulting useful article may then be used as a building block, wall board, ceiling tile and so on. In an alternative example, the binder is added directly to the pulverized waste material to produce a useful article such as a flexible roof shingle.

Abstract: A two transistor current-controlled current conveyor (C4) circuit is provided which exploits the translinear properties of the MOS transistor in subthreshold and uses unidirectional current signals. As a result, the circuits of the invention achieve high functionality and integration density with very low power dissipation. Two C4 circuits connected to and communicating through a bidirectional junction circuit of the invention permit the transmission of independent, bidirectional signals. These circuits are useful for implementing synthetic neural systems such as associative memories and silicon retinas, such as winner-takes-all and pyramidal neuron circuits and the outer-plexiform layer of a retina.

Abstract: A cellular logic operation processor for performing transformations, according to a controlled sequence, of the data points of a first matrix into a corresponding number of data points of a second matrix. The processor includes a plurality of operably connected digital storage devices for temporarily and sequentially storing each neighborhood of data points from a first matrix, wherein a neighborhood of data points is comprised of a central data point and its surrounding data points in a matrix. The processor also includes a plurality of taps wherein each tap is electrically connected to a digital storage device such that the tap electrically indicates the state of the data point stored in the digital storage device. A look-up table is also provided having stored therein a plurality of transformation values which are individually addressable in accordance with the combined states indicated by the taps.

Abstract: A dump valve apparatus is described which may be used to drain a chemical reactor tank. The valve includes a valve seat ring having a substantially vertical inner seat surface defining a discharge passage, a valve plug having a substantially vertical outer side surface which fits in the seat ring and a seal formed between such vertical sealing surfaces. The valve inlet and outlet openings are aligned with the vertical discharge passage through the seat ring and the sealing surfaces are vertical to minimize the amount of material deposited thereon. The outer plug side surface slides across the inner seat surface during opening and closing of the valve so that such surfaces wipe each other to remove deposited material and provide a self-cleaning valve. The inner seat surface is provided with a plurality of annular grooves containing elastic sealing members which engage the outer plug side surface to form a liquid tight seal which is resistant to the pressure created by the liquid within the tank.