Abstract: A new clear view wash shield for washing a paint roller and permitting viewing of the washing operation. The inventive device includes first and second transparent shield halves, with each half having a generally flat portion and a semi-cylindrical raised portion within each flat portion. The raised portions form a cylindrical housing for a paint roller when the shield halves are connected together. One of the semi-cylindrical raised portions includes a flexible water inlet flap thereon through which water from a spray nozzle is introduced into the cylindrical housing. The shield halves include interfitting projections and grooves for connecting the shield halves together, and each shield half includes a semi-cylindrical handle portion. The handle portions form a handle housing for enclosing the handle of the paint roller when the shield halves are connected together.

Abstract: A pre-slit injection site includes a housing with a flow path therethrough. A first end of the housing carries a pre-slit septum. One form of a blunt cannula, usable with the injection site, carries a locking member. When the pre-slit injection site slidably receives the blunt cannula, the locking member latches to the injection site and creates a mechanically coupled unit. Another form of the cannula includes a tube having a tapered distal end region and having elongate discharge slots for reducing contact surface area and for directing the flow laterally out of the cannula. The cannula may also include a rounded lead post, an annular barb, and axially oriented grooves.

Abstract: Insulated electrical cables which are suitable for use in gasoline fuel tanks comprise a stranded conductor which is blocked by a polysulfide and is covered by polyamide insulation.

Abstract: The improved cable guard for a compound archery bow includes an elongated, flexible resilient rod having a rear portion and an opposite front portion, the flexibility of the rod increasing from the front portion to the rear portion. Preferably, the front portion of the rod is generally circular in transverse cross-section while the rear portion of the rod is semi-circular in such cross-section, with a flat side facing away from the bow cables and toward the bowstring. In another embodiment both the front and rear portions of the rod are generally circular in cross-section, but the diameter of the rod decreases from the front portion to the rear portion thereof. The cable guard also includes an elongated transversely extending bracket the medial end of which is adapted to be secured to the rear end of the bow riser while the distal end of the bracket extends laterally of the riser and releasably secures the rod so that its position relative to the bow riser can be adjusted.

Abstract: A snowboarding boot with an improved sole construction comprises an upper that engages a two-piece sole. The sole includes a outer sole formed from a resilient rubber-like material that can include treads along the bottom. A midsole constructed from a lightweight, semi-rigid materials, such as ethyl vinyl acetate is joined to the outer sole. The outer sole includes side walls that typically wrap around the toe section of the boot and that taper away toward the heel section. The midsole includes sidewalls that extend upwardly along the upper at the heel section and that join with the sidewalls of the outer sole along a sloped seam line. The midsole sidewalls provide good lateral support to the heel section of the boot, while maintaining a lightweight construction.

Abstract: An improved method for minimizing interferences from random noise and correlated fluctuations which obscure electrical signals converted from optical emissions. In particular, an improved method for the removal of interferences from optical emission signals during endpoint determination in dry etching processes for the fabrication of micro-electronic devices which derives information in the presence of random noise, correlated fluctuations and periodic modulations of the plasma by maximizing the signal to random noise ratio and minimizing the obscuring effects of correlated fluctuation.

Abstract: A robot with a moveable arm is taught precise position data for the various locations it must attain during operation. The arm moves vertically, radially and angularly and is provided with an end effector which is used to grip the object being transported by the robot. The end effector is modified to allow effective position training before normal operation and to provide a warning signal during normal operation. Horizontal locations are taught by recording the angular and radial coordinates at which a modified section of the end effector is lined up with a vertical locating beam. Vertical positions are taught by recording the vertical coordinates at which a second locating signal is detected at the front edge of the end effector. This signal also serves as a warning signal during normal operation.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a novel arbitration procedure for selecting among devices in a computer system requesting access to a single resource such as, for example, a system bus or main memory. The arbitration procedure provides an efficient means for guaranteeing the available system bus bandwidth to devices having high bandwidth requirements. Each device can be allotted a certain amount of bandwidth that is guaranteed to be available for that device within a given time interval. Excess bandwidth not consumed by the guaranteed allotments can be used as remainder (e.g., available but not guaranteed) bandwidth by the devices. The arbitration procedure further provides a guaranteed maximum latency so that no device is prevented from completing data transfers in a timely manner. The arbitration procedure still further provides the ability to dynamically program the amount of the bandwidth that is guaranteed a particular device.

Abstract: A microlens tip assembly for focusing output light from a light delivery catheter upon a target tissue. Due to the inherent divergence of output light from diode lasers, when such divergent light is conducted from the proximal end of a catheter to the distal end by means of a fiber optic, a portion is reflected at the fiber/air/lens interface to impinge upon the microlens housing area thereby heating the housing assembly resulting in overheating at high power levels and possible device failure and/or tissue damage. The present high-powered microlens includes a rear and front mount, both of which are fabricated from a non-light-absorbing material such as transparent or white plastic. The use of transparent or non-ligh-absorbing plastic components decreases the amount of heating of the tip assembly during light delivery, thereby solving the problem of therapeutic light delivery device failures and/or tissue damage due to overheating.

Abstract: An optical recording system for recording data on an optical medium comprising: an optical source capable of providing at least one write pulse incident upon the optical medium; a direct read during write (DRDW) verification and control system within the optical source having a capability of measuring light reflected from the optical medium into a return beam aperture, the DRDW system including a plurality of detectors configured to receive light from different areas of the return aperture; and a comparison circuit for comparing light received in different portions of the return aperture.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for dimensioning and manipulating a patterned material by selectively applying a vacuum and/or positive pressure to the patterned material.

Abstract: A chaotic signal processing system receives an input signal provided by a nsor in a chaotic environment and performs a processing operation in connection therewith to provide an output useful in identifying one of a plurality of chaotic processes in the chaotic environment. The chaotic signal processing system comprises an input section, a processing section and a control section. The input section is responsive to input data selection information for providing a digital data stream selectively representative of the input signal provided by the sensor or a synthetic input representative of a selected chaotic process. The processing section includes a plurality of processing modules each for receiving the digital data stream from the input means and for generating therefrom an output useful in identifying one of a plurality of chaotic processes. The processing section is responsive to processing selection information to select one of the plurality of processing modules to provide the output.

Abstract: A device for preventing needle sticking injuries to a user's finger or hand. The device is made of resin or a similar material having a hardened surface but flexible. The device can be formed as a circularly shaped plate or a polygon shaped plate. The plate has a plurality of angularly and radially outward slits placed at its center. The slits are designed to allow the penetration of a needle cap through the plate and provide a tight grip onto the needle cap and shields the needle users from sticking accidents and injuries.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piercing member adapted for use with a flow channel. The piercing member has a penetrating member for piercing a solid closure, and is retained to the flow channel, but still allows fluid to flow through the flow channel while retained to the flow channel.

Abstract: A circuit (10) and method for protecting the gate-source elements of an FET includes a circuit (12, 13) for providing a pullup gate drive current to the gate-source elements. A voltage sensing circuit (45) senses a voltage on the gate-source elements to produce an indication if the voltage has exceeded a predetermined level. The voltage sensing circuit (45) has a zener diode (48) and a current mirror with first (52) and second (51) current flow paths. The zener diode (48) and the first flow path (52) are connected between the gate and a source of the FET. When a voltage between the gate and source of the FET exceeds the breakdown voltage of the zener diode (48) and one V.sub.gs in the current mirror, a current flows in the first flow path (52) producing a current flow in the second flow path (51). A circuit (20, 23, 62, 58, 60) reduces the pullup gate drive current in response to the current in the second flow path (51).

Abstract: An exercise vehicle is provided with an improved push/pull cable steering system for use in directing vehicle travel without interfering significantly with vehicle power. The vehicle includes a frame with a drive system attached thereto and includes at least one drive wheel coupled with the frame. Preferably, the drive system includes arm levers operatively connected to the drive wheel so that counter-reciprocal movement of the arm levers produces rotation of the drive wheel. The steering system includes a guidance wheel rotatably coupled with the frame, an elongate steering crank which is operatively coupled with the guidance wheel, hand levers pivotally attached to the arm levers and push/pull cabling assemblies connecting the hand levers to the steering crank.

Abstract: An air treating system filters and dehumidifies contaminated air within an industrial plant. The air treating system includes a prefilter, a filter, a blower and an evaporator. A self-contained filtering unit directly communicates with a flume which receives fluid carrying contaminated particles from a machining center. Multiple self-contained filter and dehumidifier units are coupled with a single air conditioning compressor and condenser unit.

Abstract: A workpiece loading interface is included within a workpiece processing system which processes workpieces, typically wafers, in a vacuum. The workpiece loading interface includes two separate chambers. Each chamber may be separately pumped down. Thus, while a first cassette of wafers, from a first chamber is being accessed, a second cassette of wafers may be loaded in the second chamber and the second chamber pumped down. Each chamber is designed to minimize intrusion to a clean room. Thus a door to each chamber has a mechanism which, when opening the door, first moves the door slightly away from an opening in the chamber and then the door is moved down parallel to the chamber. After the door is opened, a cassette of wafers is lowered through the opening in a motion much like a drawbridge. The cassette may be pivoted within the chamber when the position from which wafers are accessed from the cassette differs from the position from which the cassette is lowered out of the chamber.

Abstract: The magnetotelluric system for seafloor petroleum exploration comprises a first waterproof pressure case containing a processor, AC-coupled magnetic field post-amplifiers and electric field amplifiers (the "logger unit"), a second waterproof pressure case containing an acoustic navigation/release system, four silver-silver chloride (Ag-AgCl) electrodes mounted on booms and at least two magnetic induction coil sensors. These elements are mounted together on a plastic and aluminum frame along with flotation devices and an anchor for deployment to the seafloor. The acoustic navigation/release system serves to locate the system by responding to acoustic pings generated by a ship-board unit and receives a release command which initiates detachment from the anchor so that the buoyant package floats to the surface for recovery. The electrodes used to detect the electric field are configured as grounded dipole antennas.

Abstract: A microarchitecture in a complex instruction computer system is disclosed employing a sparse microROM array and concatenation address circuitry for forming microaddress entry points, avoiding the need for a programmable logic array to translate instruction opcodes and avoiding duplicative entry points, thus minimizing the microROM array size.