Abstract: Very dry air is made for drying grain and other particulates. The air is dried by first cooling under pressure to remove moisture, then contacted with a drying device such as a vessel containing desiccant, then heated and released into a bed of particulates.

Abstract: A system for dissipating electrostatic build-up from a circuit card to a chassis ground within an electronic system, prior to connection of the circuit card with the electronic system. A circuit card has a card connector for connecting the circuit card into a backplane receptor within the electronic system. The circuit card includes a surface upon which an electrostatic charge may collect and also includes at least one conductive pad. A card guide aligns the circuit card such that the circuit card connects with the backplane receptor when said circuit card is fully inserted into the card guide. A conductive element within the card guide couples the conductive pad to a chassis ground within the electronic system when the circuit card is partially inserted into said the card guide.

Abstract: Compensation for the effects of duty cycle on the output level of an imaging device, and for the effects of periodically varying distance between the output of the imaging device and its target, is accomplished electronically. An exemplary apparatus includes a source of radiation (generally a laser) having an output level that varies both with an input power level and, undesirably, with the duty cycle. The radiation source is operated to produce, on the recording surface, an imagewise pattern of spots, and an adjustment facility compensates for output-level variations resulting from duty cycle--that is, from the recent pattern of laser activity.

Abstract: A laser system for imaging graphic-arts constructions avoids the need to demagnify a divergent beam by using the output of a semiconductor or diode laser to optically pump a laser crystal, which itself emits laser radiation with substantially less beam divergence. A preferred implementation utilizes, as a pumping source, at least one laser device that emits in the IR, and preferably near-IR region, to image ablative or transfer-type printing members. The output of the pumping source is provided to the laser crystal via a focusing lens arrangement. The output of the laser crystal, in turn, is focused onto the surface of a recording medium to perform the imaging function.

Abstract: A hand-fed data-card reader compatible with cards of different widths and having a selectively actuable perforator for conveying cards past a reader head and for selectively cancelling desired cards via the perforation thereof. Cards are conveyed via a belt/pulley drive train that is operably coupled to a spiked perforator that engages each card at a preset one of two pressures so as to selectively convey the card with or without embossing the surface in a chadless fashion and whereby cancellation is achieved. Data media of differing widths are accommodated via an adjustable, lower, spring loaded guide assembly.

Abstract: A cordless graphics input device system for use with a computer. The device comprises an infrared emitting module useable on any surface adjacent a detector having a pair of patterned concave sensors. Coordinate information is determined via a detector contained microprocessor relative to the sensed analog position data.