Abstract:
The method comprises providing the end of a guitar string in a metal ferrule, exerting lateral compressive forces on opposite sides of the ferrule and at longitudinally-spaced points therealong in order to grip spaced portions of the string and also cause lateral offsetting of such string portions from each other, and thereafter exerting longitudinal compressive forces on the ferrule to effect tight folding and cold flow of the metal and to cause the string end to assume an S-shape. The resulting article is an S-shaped string end which is embedded in a tightlyfolded mass of metal, the metal having axially-spaced lateral fold planes on opposite sides of the bent regions of the string. The apparatus comprises two laterally-adjacent chambers each adapted to hold a metal ferrule, one of such chambers being associated with a means to apply lateral compressive forces, the other of such chambers being associated with a means to apply longitudinal compressive forces. The end of a guitar string is inserted into the ferrule in the one chamber, being pinched and held in such ferrule as the result of application of the lateral compressive forces. Because the string end is thus held in the ferrule, the string end moves with the ferrule to the other chamber in which longitudinal compression occurs to effect controlled folding of the ferrule. The ferrules are mounted on a feed belt which is actuated by a feeding device, and are sheared off the belt as the result of the longitudinal compression.
Abstract:
An apparatus for decoding four individual audio signals contained in four encoded composite signals to recover the four individual audio signals in substantially their original form. The apparatus minimizes the number of all-pass phase-shifting networks necessary to perform the decoding.
Abstract:
An amusement device adapted for fastening to an infant''s crib. In accordance with the invention there is provided an elongated shaft having a free and a root end. A generally flat elongated fastening strap is also provided, the root end of the shaft being joined to a flat surface of the strap at about the middle of the strap. The shaft and strap are formed of a single piece of flexible material, such as flexible vinyl. The fastening strap includes a fastening means which permits attachment to a bar of an infant''s crib in a manner whereby the shaft is extended horizontally in cantilever fashion. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the length of the shaft is selected, in conjunction with the hardness or durometer of the material, to yield a minimum stability of equilibrium. In this manner the shaft, of its own weight, will bend appreciably down and the force of room air currents or slight vibration of the crib frame will cause a swaying motion of the shaft.
Abstract:
Apparatus for reproducing four separate channels of information on a medium having only two independent tracks and presenting it on four loudspeakers to give a listener the illusion of sound coming from a corresponding number of separate sources. The realism of the illusion is enhanced by a decoding system which accepts the two outputs from the medium, which may be a disc record, one from each track, separates them into four independent channels each carrying predominantly the information contained in the originally recorded sound channels, and, utilizing crosscorrelation techniques, derives a pair of control signals for controlling the gains of amplifiers associated with the four loudspeakers. The use of cross-correlation improves the separation of the four independent channels, particularly the generally ''''front'''' from the generally ''''back'''' signals, thereby to enhance the realism of four-channel simulation.
Abstract:
A construction toy which includes a plurality of similarly contoured molded plastic blocks that can be arranged in inverted triangles and other top heavy constructions. Each block comprises an outer shell of generally cubical shape with each of the end opposing surfaces having a pair of crossed V-shaped notches of right angular shape, the notches extending completely across the block so that the side surfaces of the shell are hourglassshaped. Four triangular panels extend from the side edges of the shell and intersect at the center thereof, the exposed edges of the panels being oriented and dimensioned to lie in the planes defining the crossed V-shaped notches at both ends of the block. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, four elongated rectangular panels extend from the neck portions of the hourglass-shaped side surfaces of the shell and intersect the center of the shell. The invention particularly lends itself to being injection molded in a single-cavity mold.
Abstract:
Apparatus for decoding four separate channels of information transduced from a medium having only two separate tracks and presenting it on four loudspeakers to give the listener the illusion of sound coming from a corresponding number of separate sources. The realism is enhanced by a decoding system which accepts the two outputs from the medium, which may be a disc record, one for each track, separates them into four independent channels each carrying predominantly the information contained in the originally recorded sound signals, and, utilizing a novel wave-matching technique, derives control signals for controlling the gains of amplifiers associated with the four looudspeakers. The use of the wave-matching technique improves the separation of the four independent channels, particularly the generally ''''front'''' from the generally ''''back'''' signals, thereby to enhance the realism of four-channel simulation.
Abstract:
A subsystem of an apparatus that receives characterrepresentative signals and generates video control signals and keying control signals that are suitable for controlling a scanned display to present contrasting character images. A stroke generator means, responsive to the character-representative signals, generates a stroke of a character to be displayed. The stroke consists of a plurality of time sequential bits corresponding to a sequence of display events and a plurality of code bits that distinguish between contrasting portions of the sequence of display events. A decoding means is responsive to the time sequential bits and the code bits and generates keying control signals and video control signals that are suitable for controlling a scanned display to present contrasted images of characters to be displayed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the code bits are representative of the keying and video portions of the sequence of display events. The coding means produces signals that disable the generation of video signal during selected stroke portions, the code bits being determinative of which portions of the display event are to be disabled.
Abstract:
An amusement device that can be utilized as a stacking toy that teaches constructional principles, as a puzzle, or in other forms. In accordance with the invention, there is provided an elongated hollow cylinder having a longitudinal slot therein adapting it to be compressed circumferentially. A plurality of rings proportioned to be slidably fit over the cylinder in stacked arrangement are provided. Also provided are a plurality of cylindrical disks proportioned to be slidably fit within the cylinder in stacked arrangement. First and second end caps are proportioned to fit over and compress the end of the cylinder so as to be yieldingly held in frictional engagement therewith. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the end caps forms the center of an end ring, the end rings having the same outer diameter as the plurality of rings. When the device is assembled in its most natural form, it gives the appearance of concentric cylinders.
Abstract:
Apparatus for illuminating a background surface of a television studio or stage with white light comprising red, blue and green color components that are matched with the corresponding primary color sensitivity curves in a color television or film camera. The apparatus comprises an assembly of reflectors of elliptical shape supported in contiguous side-by-side relationship with successive reflectors positioned slightly higher than the last and having their major axes departing from the vertical to a greater extent than the last. Each reflector is illuminated by an elongated fluorescent lamp mounted at the focus of the reflector and having a primary color-emitting phosphor.
Abstract:
A transistorized voltage-controlled variable-gain audio amplifier including a transistor connected as a common-emitter amplifier, and a control circuit coupled to the emitter of the amplifying transistor and operative in response to a direct control signal to vary the impedance at the emitter without changing the voltage thereat. The control circuit includes a second transistor having matched collector and emitter resistors connected to a source of energizing potential and to ground respectively, and a branch circuit including at least two forward-biased semi-conductor diodes connected in series between the collector and emitter of the transistor. The junction between the diodes is connected through a capacitor to the emitter of the amplifying transistor thereby to effectively connect the impedance of the branch circuit in parallel with the emitter resistor of the amplifying stage. A direct control voltage applied to the base of the control transistor varies the current through the diodes to vary their impedance, and consequently the impedance at the emitter of the amplifying transistor, without changing the voltage at the emitter, to thereby vary the gain of the amplifying stage.