Abstract: A battery discharging system includes a discharging circuit, a battery bay, and a controller electrically interposing the discharger and the battery bay. When a battery is connected to the battery bay the controller operatively couples the battery to the discharger until the battery is discharged below a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A teleprompter suited for use with a camera having a lens with a field of view defined by an axis in a forward direction. The teleprompter includes, generally, a reflector supported proximate the lens; a projection screen supported forward of the reflector; a projector supported forward of the reflector for projecting an image on the projection screen so that the image is capable of reflection by the reflector along the axis. The projection screen being preferably concave and oriented such that the projected image projected by the projector onto the projector screen is reflected by the reflector along the axis of the lens in a forward direction.

Abstract: A system for controlling the process of cooking a variety of food items at a single cooking apparatus which includes a cooking computer for controlling the operation of the apparatus. A database is operatively connected to the computer recipes for controlling the cooking of each food item are stored in the database. The apparatus has a plurality of product keys. Each key activates the cooking computer to perform a recipe. The association of a respective recipe to a designated product key is stored in the database. At least one time period is associated with each recipe corresponding to a time when the recipe is associated with a product key. The association is stored in the database and the cooking computer causes the recipe to be associated product key when the real time corresponds to the time period associated with the product key.

Abstract: A technique for detecting when a full charge for a cell pack is reached based upon sensing an actual temperature of the cell pack. The initial actual temperature is the first value stored as a reference temperature. During subsequent sampling events, the actual temperature is stored as the reference temperature when the actual temperature exceeds said reference temperature. A first value for each sample event is stored in a rollover memory when said actual temperature exceeds the reference temperature, and a second value is stored in the rollover memory when the actual temperature does not exceed the reference temperature. The occurrences of the first values is summed for a series of consecutive sampling events to derive a total. The total is compared to a predetermined limit, and if the total is greater, then charging of the cell pack will be discontinued.

Abstract: This fly catcher features a mating relationship between the tapered passageway of the fly entry path and the capture chamber that permits the capture chamber to be entirely separated from the passageway for easier cleaning of the catcher. The passageway is comprised of upper and lower conical wall portions so that each wall portion may have a different slope which allows the slope of each wall portion to be designed to maximize the width of the bottom entrance mouth of the passageway and minimize the width of the top exit port of the passageway without causing the height of the passageway (or the fly catcher) to become exceedingly tall.

Abstract: A device for dispensing liquid from an ampul or the like has a body that defines a cavity with an open entrance end for receiving an ampul. An annular seal in the cavity is in sealing engagement with an ampul as the ampul is telescopically inserted into the cavity, and an inlet tube secured in the cavity has an inlet end adjacent the open end of the cavity and an outlet end in fluid communication with a dispensing passage, so that when an ampul is in sealing engagement with the annular seal and the inlet end of the tube is submerged in liquid in the ampul, further axial movement of the ampul into the cavity creates a piston action which compresses air trapped in the cavity and forces liquid from the ampul through the inlet tube and the dispensing passage in a dispensing action.

Abstract: The fluid valve essentially comprises a support structure designed rotatably to support an inlet within a certain oscillatory ambit and stationarily supporting a plurality of outlets within the oscillatory ambit, and operative means for effecting fluid-tight communication seriatim between the inlet and one of the outlets. The inlet is preferably a blunt needle provided with a side port and each of the outlets comprises an inverted "Y"-shaped member formed of an entrance portion and a pair of leg portions. The needle is designed to be thrust into the entrance portion, so that its side port establishes fluid-tight communication with one of the leg portions. Means are provided, including a pneumatic cylinder, for effecting relative motion between the inlet and the outlets. There is also a means for normally closing off all the entrance portions of the outlets except the selected one, and only during the entry of the blunt needle therein.