Abstract:
A bowel control probe and method of detecting and preventing bowel incontinence. The probe has a body with a distal end which is permeable to gas. Conductivity sensors on the probe will establish an electrical circuit in the presence of fecal matter to send an alert signal to a control unit. The sensors may be partially shielded by a removable sleeve to reduce false alarms resulting from moisture. The control unit may issue an audible or visual alarm and may transmit a signal to a remote nursing station. An air cuff about the probe body is cyclically inflated and deflated to block passage of fecal matter and to protect tissue and capillaries in the rectal area.
Abstract:
Pre-inked impression members for hand stamps are made from a gel or premix of thermoplastic resin particles and liquid ink with use of a disposable molding device comprising a matrix board that is recessed in its molding area with cavities to form inked indicia of the impression members and has a peripheral surface area to which is adhered fluid-tight, and entirely about the molding area, an upright rigid wall means comprising a structure of fiberboard, wood, hard resin or other suitable material shaped to a height corresponding to the desired thickness of the impression members. As another feature, during the heating for curing of a layer of premix formed over the molding area of a matrix board, the layer of premix is confined in place by a covering means, applied over it and held under pressure, which comprises, together preferably with overlaid pliable ink-absorbent material, e.g., plural cut sheets of newspaper, a pliable parting sheet, such for example as a sheet of emery cloth, coated on a side thereof contacting the layer of premix with a substantially resin-impermeable yet ink-permeable layer of fine particles nonadherent to the resin of said premix.
Abstract:
A bidet spout assembly includes a nozzle which has a body and a projecting conduit which functions to connect the nozzle to a water supply. The nozzle body has an interior water passage and the upper end of the nozzle body terminates in a generally planar seal seating surface. The nozzle body has an exterior wall with a threaded area thereon. A removable decorative outer cover is positioned about the nozzle body and has an interior wall with a threaded area thereon positioned for cooperation with the nozzle outer wall threaded area to removably secure the cover on the nozzle. A seal is positioned on the nozzle seal seating surface and is held in position by an aerator positioned on the seal. The aerator is held in position by the portion of the cover interior wall.
Abstract:
Requests are processed to transmit data packets upstream from a cable modem to a cable headend in a manner that minimizes the use of CPU operations and/or memory capacity. Data packets to be transmitted upstream are stored at the cable modem. The data packets each have a given transmission data byte length value. Burst profiles are received successively at the cable modem. Each time a new bust profile is received, a set of physical data length values corresponding to respective transmission data byte length values is calculated from the parameters of the received burst profile. The calculated set of physical data length values is stored in memory so the individual values can be retrieved from the transmission data byte length values again and again, rather than being re-calculated each time a conversion is made from transmission data byte length values to physical data length values. The same set of physical data length values is used until a new burst profile is received by the cable modem.
Abstract:
A one-piece cigarette lighter adapter is described which comprises a barrel for insertion into a cigarette lighter socket, which barrel has a deep groove and a shallow groove, and a slip-ring which fits over the barrel, which slip-ring has a ridge on its inner circumference, which ridge can be seated in either the deep groove or the shallow groove by rotation of the slip ring about the barrel. The one-piece cigarette lighter adapter can fit into both sizes of international cigarette lighter adapter receptacles, without recourse to an easily misplaced separate spacing element.
Abstract:
A computer system employs a thermal sensor in the main CPU housing to detect operating temperature. If a preselected trip point is reached indicating that overheating may be about to occur, the system goes into an orderly shutdown mode. A standby mode uses a low-power service processor which continues to operate even when the main unit is shut down. The service processor has limited functions, including detecting temperature within the main housing, and communicating by a network with a system administrator unit and reporting on the temperature in the main housing, and on the operating status of the main unit. A mechanism is provided to prevent the main processor unit from being unnecessarily shut down when the operating temperature is near but not beyond the trip point, as may occur due to variations in the power supply voltage and the voltage-dependence of the thermal sensor. This mechanism employs voltage stabilization of the supply for the thermal sensor when the computer is in its standard operating mode and the power supply for the main processor unit is running. Here the sensor is supplied from a precision voltage reference of a high degree of accuracy. However, when entering the standby mode, the main power supply is shut down, and so the thermal sensor is then operating from an auxiliary voltage source that is not stabilized. A simple isolating circuit allows one sensor to be used in both operating conditions, using one or the other of the power supplies. Since the trip point is much less important in the standby mode, there is no problem caused by the lack of precision in the voltage source.
Abstract:
An apparatus is disclosed for reducing disc deflection in response to the application of a non-operational mechanical shock to a disc drive. The disc drive comprises discs rotatable about a disc axis and each having an outer diameter. A circumferentially extending snubber is provided proximate a substantial portion of the outer diameter of each of the discs. The snubber includes a shroud portion immediately proximate the outer diameter of each disc and snubber arms which extend from the shroud portion in a direction toward the disc axis. The snubber limits deflection of the outer diameter of each disc in response to the application of a nonoperational mechanical shock to the disc drive.
Abstract:
Pre-inked impression members for hand stamps are made from a gel or premix of thermoplastic resin particles and liquid ink with use of a disposable molding device comprising a matrix board that is recessed in its molding area with cavities to form inked indicia of the impression members and has a peripheral surface area to which is adhered fluid-tight, and entirely about the molding area, an upright rigid wall means comprising a structure of fiberboard, wood, hard resin or other suitable material shaped to a height corresponding to the desired thickness of the impression members. As another feature, during the heating for curing of a layer of premix formed over the molding area of a matrix board, the layer of premix is confined in place by a covering means, applied over it and held under pressure, which comprises, together preferably with overlaid pliable ink-absorbent material, e.g., plural cut sheets of newspaper, a pliable parting sheet, such for example as a sheet of emery cloth, coated on a side thereof contacting the layer of premix with a substantially resin-impermeable yet ink-permeable layer of fine particles nonadherent to the resin of said premix.
Abstract:
A clamping assembly for connecting and disconnecting aligned hubs of a first and a second pressure vessel is provided. The clamping assembly includes a pair of clamp segments and at least one cam in operable engagement with the clamp segments. The clamp segments are movable between a closed position to engage the hubs and an open position to disengage from the hubs. The movement of the clamp segments from the closed position to the open position operates the cam to separate the hubs.
Abstract:
The present invention, generally speaking, uses input buffering and output control to provide a high-speed, high-performance digital traffic switch. Dropped discrete information units (cells) are dropped at the input port, and so will not be transmitted across the switch fabric. This reduces the traffic load on the switch fabric during congested periods, and makes the switch fabric easier to design and expand. Input buffering/output control allows for the use of smaller buffers than output buffered/output control architectures for the same level of "discrete information unit (cell) drop" performance, and scales well to larger systems. Input buffering/output control provides all the information necessary to the output (data flow) controller necessary to implement very precise control algorithms. These algorithms can then administer switch fabric admission polices and contract enforcement fairly across all input ports.