Abstract: An engine using centrifugal pumps to form a centrifugal multistage reverse compressor with flow alternating inward and outward in series. It is fed, at either the periphery or the center of one of the pumps, by either compressed then heated air or by products of combustion. This invention also includes a set of related inventions, comprising a group of flow guides to convert radial flow to axial flow and a group to convert axial flow to radial flow and the combination of those flow guides. The invention also includes a multistage centrifugal compressor using combinations of centrifugal pumps with alternating pumps having inward flow of gas traveling from the periphery to the vicinity of the axle and having outward flow of gas traveling from the vicinity of the axle to the periphery. The invention also includes the using the above in an external heat engine or heat pump.

Abstract: An engine feeds, at either the periphery or the center of one of the pumps, either compressed then heated air or products of combustion into centrifugal expanders in series. This invention is also a set of related inventions, comprising a group of flow guides to convert radial flow to axial flow and a group to convert axial flow to radial flow and the combination of those flow guides. The invention also includes the use of combinations of centrifugal pumps used to form a multistage compressor or a multistage expander with at least one pump processing a flow of gas traveling from the vicinity of the axle toward the periphery of the pump and with at least one other pump processing the same flow of gas traveling from the periphery of this other pump toward the axle of this other pump. The invention also includes the use of either the above centrifugal multistage expander or the above centrifugal multistage compressor, or both, in an external heat engine or in a heat pump.

Abstract: A fluid-controlled switch capable of being mass produced and densely spaced, having two groups of fluid control inputs, at least two fluid outputs, and an internal movable mass is disclosed. The fluid energy necessary for switching is used economically, fluid power consumption being drastically reduced after switching is complete, even though fluid power input may continue thereafter. The movable mass, which may be a group of little masses, divides the switch into two volume complexes. Switching is caused by a pressure difference between the two complexes. The pressure difference between the two complexes is caused by sufficient flow into one but not the other group of fluid inputs. The switch may be used to switch simultaneously one or more primary signals and corresponding status signals, which may be used to determine whether all switches in a row or column or other grouping within an array of switches are reset.

Abstract: In ink drop printers wherein a portion of the propelled ink from an orifice is returned for reuse and other ink selected from the issuing ink filament proceeds to an ink receiving surface, a cover is disclosed, which substantially prevents gas from leaving the selection region, unless the exiting gas or a substantially solvent saturated replacement gas is returned after ink is extracted for reuse. Thus, except for an ink extraction route, mist, satellite drops, exploded drops, evaporated solvent, and unused drops, whichever are present, are substantially prevented from leaving the cover; whereas, print droplets do leave the cover. Problems solved are ink solvent replacement, ink drying on printer surfaces such as orifices, dust entry to electrostatic areas, and external ink build up and messiness. Electrodes, or gas passing thereover, may be heated slightly to prevent solvent condensation.Features of a selection system having no electrodes, except those washed by ink droplets are disclosed.

Abstract: The method of operation of a vortex chamber which has a fluid connection which can be controlled at times to send fluid from the chamber to a cavity, containing a movable mass, and which can allow fluid to travel from the cavity through the same fluid connection into the chamber to later exit from the vortex chamber exit is disclosed. The vortex chamber, in a preferred embodiment, has a tangential power fluid input, an output at the center, and a radial combined input-output communicating with the movable mass container. The vortex chamber is used to reduce pressure at the fluid output when and only when control fluid input enters the chamber at the fluid input. Exhaust fluid from the movable mass container can easily pass radially through the vortex chamber to its output.

Abstract: In ink drop printers wherein a portion of the propelled ink from an orifice is returned for reuse and other ink selected from the issuing ink filament proceeds to an ink receiving surface, a cover is disclosed, which substantially prevents gas from leaving the selection region, unless the exiting gas or a substantially solvent saturated replacement gas is returned after ink is extracted for reuse. Thus, except for an ink extraction route, mist, satellite drops, exploded drops, evaporated solvent, and unused drops, whichever are present, are substantially prevented from leaving the cover; whereas, print droplets do leave the cover. Problems solved are ink solvent replacement, ink drying on printer surfaces such as orifices, dust entry to electrostatic areas, and external ink build up and messiness. Electrodes, or gas passing thereover, may be heated slightly to prevent solvent condensation.Features of a selection system having no electrodes, except those washed by ink droplets are disclosed.

Abstract: Two methods of producing a ribbon-shaped stream of ink and of producing an orifice for the narrow ribbon stream under 0.0005 inches thick are disclosed. Also a rotating drum-like configuration with electrostatic sites on its surface is disclosed. The drum, due to irregularities on its surface, breaks the ribbon into segments corresponding to the sites. If desired, the segments will upon release from the drum form side by side broad streams of directionally controlled droplets. The axial spacing between the apparent origins of the droplet streams can be made less than the minimum center to center spacing between control sites, because the sites can, but need not, be located along helical paths so that successive sites on a helical path would participate in originating different streams. Site and segment spacing may be only a few thousandths of an inch. Drum construction, parallel wiring for duplicate wedges around the drum, slit cleaning, and drum cleaning are also disclosed.

Abstract: The indentations in a serrated wall are used as a temporary storage volume for a conducting liquid. A conducting layer in the serrated wall is separated from the conducting liquid by a thin dielectric layer. Electrostatic forces at selected times pull the liquid into the serrations. When the liquid later relaxes to a configuration touching the serrations only near the peaks it leaves the indented volume of the serrations, thus causing liquid movement at a liquid border elsewhere. This may result in extension beyond a chamber of a multichamber mercury switch. An added bonus is as follows. The reduced area of contact with the serrated wall in the relaxed liquid state can benefit a mercury switch, because the reduced area means a reduction in the amount of surface adhesion energy which must be overcome in removing a mercury globule from a chamber.

Abstract: A method of controlling the impact points of successive selected droplets in a particular ink stream operating on a drum type printer capable of controlling uncharged non-magnetic droplets, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,686 is disclosed. Further the grid formed by any single stream can be made rectangular with one axis parallel to the direction of motion of the output medium relative to the droplet selector, to facilitate the simultaneous formation of properly oriented print characters. Phase and speed of contacting droplets relative to sites uniformly spaced around a rotating drum are sensed and controlled in a new way.Also an impacting sequence to produce a line of upright characters with the sequence to be reversed if the line is traversed in the opposite direction is disclosed.

Abstract: A process with minor variations for producing a configuration of glass and/or any similar material such as plastic or epoxy is disclosed. The configuration is basically a honeycomb of pipes of transparent material attached to a transparent plate, such as window glass. The pipes are closed at one end by the plate. The pipes prevent convection movement of a fluid parallel to the plate near its surface, except for very short distances. The unique inventive feature of the process lies in the fact that the honeycomb of pipes are produced simultaneously by a drawing process, during which either a part of a plate, which part is in the form of a grid, is softened, or a grid of new soft material is added to a plate, and the pipes are always attached to the plate both during formation and upon completion of formation.Also disclosed is a special configuration to render the pipes resistant to breakage under thermal stress.

Abstract: An electrostatically controlled electrical relay switch is disclosed which includes two chambers joined together by a constricted region therebetween. A conducting liquid, such as mercury, is positioned in one of the chambers and the movement thereof between the chambers is controlled by an electrostatic field. Electrical conductors extend into at least one of the two chambers so that when the conductive liquid is moved into a chamber, the electrical conductors therein are electrically coupled to one another. In an alternative embodiment, the movement of the conductive liquid between the two chambers acts as a means for switching fluid or a light beam. A dielectric fluid could be substituted for conductive fluid in the optical or fluidic switch. Also more than two chambers are possible. In the case of multiple chambers they may be grouped in a string each closest pair being separated by a constricted region or the chambers may be grouped around a single constricted region.

Abstract: An electrostatically controlled electrical relay switch is disclosed which includes two chambers joined together by a constricted region therebetween. A conducting liquid, such as mercury, is positioned in one of the chambers and the movement thereof between the chambers is controlled by an electrostatic field. Electrical conductors extend into at least one of the two chambers so that when the conductive liquid is moved into a chamber, the electrical conductors therein are electrically coupled to one another. In an alternative embodiment, the movement of the conductive liquid between the two chambers acts as a means for switching fluid or a light beam. A dielectric fluid could be substituted for conductive fluid in the optical or fluidic switch. Also more than two chambers are possible. In the case of multiple chambers they may be grouped in a string each closest pair being separated by a constricted region or the chambers may be grouped around a single constricted region.

Abstract: An electronically-controlled ink stream printer is disclosed which selects the ink used to produce an image by the controllable presence or absence of electrostatic forces acting mainly between portions of ink surface and portions of a solid surface. If the ink is electrically conducting then parts of the ink surface act as capacitor plates with parts of the solid surface forming complimentary plates. If the ink is a dielectric then parts of the ink surface develop a charge proportional to that induced on the contiguous solid surface. Various portions of the solid surface can have voltages applied independently.The solid surfaces may resemble rotating drums, flat surfaces, or curved surfaces. Droplet paths are affected by an interplay between controllable electrical forces and uncontrollable but predictable forces such as inertia, adhesion, air pressure, surface pressure, and aerodynamics. The path of a droplet determines whether it will become part of an output image.

Abstract: A process with minor variations for producing a configuration of glass and/or any similar material such as plastic or epoxy is disclosed. The configuration is basically a honeycomb of pipes of transparent material attached to a transparent plate, such as window glass. The pipes are closed at one end by the plate. Then pipes prevent convection movement of a fluid parallel to the plate near its surface, except for very short distances. The unique inventive feature of the process lies in the fact that the honeycomb of pipes are produced simultaneously by a drawing process, during which either a part of a plate, which part is in the form of a grid, is softened, or a grid of new soft material is added to a plate, and the pipes are always attached to the plate both during formation and upon completion of formation.Also disclosed is a special configuration to render the pipes resistant to breakage under thermal stress.

Abstract: An electrostatically controlled electrical relay switch is disclosed which includes two chambers joined together by a constricted region therebetween. A conducting liquid, such as mercury, is positioned in one of the chambers and the movement thereof between the chambers is controlled by an electrostatic field. Electrical conductors extend into at least one of the two chambers so that when the conductive liquid is moved into a chamber, the electrical conductors therein are electrically coupled to one another. In an alternative embodiment, the movement of the conductive liquid between the two chambers acts as a means for switching fluid or a light beam. A dielectric fluid could be substituted for conductive fluid in the optical or fluidic switch. Also more than two chambers are possible. In the case of multiple chambers they may be grouped in a string each closest pair being separated by a constricted region or the chambers may be grouped around a single constricted region.