Other

Ingersoll-rand Company

Generation Unlimited, LLC

Fire & Safety Electronics Inc.

Arthur E Brown

Thomas Mitchell

John C Kulli

Frank Giotto

Kenneth G Kling

Cecil L Pearson

Howard G Corlett

A system, method and corresponding apparatus are provided for packaging, storing, tracking, and dispensing pharmaceuticals in unit doses in a highly efficient manner. In particular, a method of packaging pharmaceuticals within a ribbon having a plurality of adjacent segments each containing a unit dose of a pharmaceutical and having associated data indicia for efficient and uniform transport, tracking, storage and dispensing is provided. Pharmaceuticals are loaded into an automated dispenser that is networked with computers for accepting prescriptions and dispensing pharmaceutical accordingly.

High efficiency automated pharmaceutical dispenser

A modular smoker assembly includes a heat pot that is fillable with a combustible material to produce smoke for smoking food items when the combustible material is burned. A plurality of cooking pots is provided and respective ones of the cooking pots are stackable on top of each other for positioning on the heat pot. In this way each of the cooking pots is in fluid communication with the heat pot to receive the smoke for cooking. Food items are positionable in the cooking pots to cook the food item with the smoke. A lid bucket is positionable on top of a topmost one of the cooking pots when the cooking pots are stacked on the heat pot to retain heat in the cooking pots.

Modular smoker assembly

Disclosed is a fire hose coupling apparatus for self powered lighting of an area where a fire fighter is engaged in fires suppression with a fire hose, and for providing real time environmental data to fire fighters.

Self-powered fire hose fitting for lighting, environmental monitoring, and communications system

There is provided a portable fiber optic cable based intrusion detection system in which support posts are driven into the earth to define a perimeter. A portably mountable fiber optic cable attenuator is installed to each support post. The fiber optic cable is wrapped around a first compressible member of the attenuator and then looped through a second compressible member. A retractable rod having a cross arm there through is elevated through the second compressible member to form an upper loop in fiber optic cable. The retractable rod is then retracted leaving the remaining upper loop. An external force on the fiber optic cable diminishes the upper loop about the cross arm thereby creating a microbend in the fiber optic cable. A light detector senses a reduced light intensity, caused by the microbend, at the end of the fiber optic cable which triggers an alarm.

Portable optical intrusion detection system

A main internal combustion engine powers a motor vehicle at 55 MPH. A smaller auxiliary engine powers the vehicle at slower speed. Both engines power at the same time for passing, hill climbing, etc. Either engine can be shut down (or idled) while the other engine powers. Thus, the engines operate more closely to best efficiency and this shall result in reduced fuel consumption (as calculated herein) and less air pollution. In a first species, the main engine transmits shaft power through a standard friction clutch and then to an ordinary transaxle consisting of torque converter, automatic transmission and differential. The auxiliary engine is mounted next to the transmission. Power from the smaller engine passes through an overrunning clutch and then by toothed belt and sprockets to the torque converter. A second species is identical to the first except an over running clutch takes the place of the friction clutch. In a third species, the main engine, main clutch, and transaxle are standard items mounted in the same location as in present single engine cars.

Three displacement engine and transmission systems for motor vehicles

This is a specialized hand-held and battery-powered unit for field testing of backflow valves. It displays and prints a permanent record of simultaneous source- and discharge-port pressure values and their difference. To reduce operator distraction and confusion during backflow tests the source and discharge values are automatically equalized, bringing the difference to zero, whenever the actually sensed pressures are within a threshold differential such as 0.2 pounds per square inch. Preferably two pressure sensors are provided for connection to source and discharge ports respectively, yielding independent analog electrical signals representing the pressures; and two independent analog-to-digital converters respond to the two sensor signals respectively. Digital input signals from the converters pass to a microprocessor--which controls a digital display to show the three values continuously. The processor also controls an onboard printer to record the same values, together with elapsed time, at regular intervals such as two seconds. In the record are automatically recorded test parameters, which for integrity of the record include some data settable only at the factory: testing-device serial number, operator name and regulatory-agency license number, and serial number and date of the test itself.

Computerized portable testing device for backflow valves

A large compressor has a four throw crankshaft, four connecting rods, four crossheads, and four horizontally opposed pistons. As usual, each piston is offset from its opposing piston and this causes the usual inertia force couples (primary couples and secondary couples). The crankshaft has counterweights thereon. A parallel oppositely rotating countershaft has balance weights thereon. These rotating weights balance the two primary inertia force couples. The crank sequence and the crosshead/piston locations are such that the two secondary inertia force couples counteract each other and no other secondary balancing device is needed. Further, the same counterweights also serve to balance the four crankpins and the large ends of the four connecting rods. Thus, the whole machine has near perfect balance with no unbalanced reciprocating primaries, reciprocating secondaries, primary couples, secondary couples, or rotating unbalance. The balancer parts can be retrofitted to existing compressor machines without removing the crankshaft from its frame or disturbing other compressor parts. Also, set forth is a lower cost partial balancing system with the same parts as above except the countershaft is omitted.

Balanced reciprocating machines

A drug dosage calculation system includes a hand held, battery operated computing device for use by nurses and other clinical personnel to make calculations pertaining to the drug administration rate and the corresponding flow rate settings of IV systems that are used for intravenous administration of fluids to a patient. Flow rate setting, drug dose rate, drug amount and the amount of IV solution into which the drug is diluted are the primary variables used in such calculations. A keyboard is used to supply data to a computation device that computes the unknown quantity. A display device displays the data input to the computer and also displays data calculated for the unknown variable.

Drug dose rate calculator

A rotary crankshaft has multiple cranks. Each crank drives a reciprocating member in a cylinder or guideway via a con rod. Main counterweights are attached to the crankshaft and rotate therewith. Two contraweights rotate in the opposite direction from the crankshaft and at the same RPM as the crankshaft. The two contraweights are generally rotatably mounted on the crankshaft, coaxial therewith, and near each end of the crankshaft. The two contraweights are driven from the crankshaft by toothed gearing. The two contraweights plus the main counterweights combine forces so as to counterbalance the primary reciprocating inertia forces of a plurality of said reciprocating members. By proper adjustment of the size and angular location of both the main counterweights and the two contraweights, it is possible to obtain near perfect primary balance under any or all of the following conditions:

Balancers for various reciprocating machines using rotating balance

An engine is disclosed in which two cylinders or guideways are mounted in a Vee or L formation with a reciprocable piston or crosshead in each. Connecting rods interconnect each reciprocable member to a crankshaft. Countershafts with balance weights thereon are referred to as balance shafts and these are driven at twice cranshaft speed in opposite directions and they serve to counterbalance the secondary reciprocating inertia forces. The balance shafts are mounted substantially parallel to the crankshaft instead of at right angles to the crankshaft as taught by Lanchester in a Vee machine. Thus, ordinary gearing can be used to drive the balance shafts instead of the skew gearing taught by Lanchester in a Vee machine. When the angle between the two cylinders is 90 degrees, only two not four balance shafts are required. When the machine has four cylinders in a 90 degree Vee, only two parallel balance shafts are required to serve all four cylinders. For some applications, three balance shafts are used.

Reciprocating multicylinder vee machines with secondary counterbalancers

This invention is best suited for counterbalancing a single reciprocating (recip) member (such as a piston). A con rod interconnects a rotary crankshaft to a recip member. Two main counterweights are attached to the crankshaft and rotate therewith. Two coaxial contraweights rotate in the opposite direction from the crankshaft and at the same RPM as the crankshaft. The two main counterweights plus the two contraweights combine forces so as to balance the primary recip inertia forces. Two secondary weights are mounted on two parallel countershafts and they rotate at twice crankshaft RPM and in opposite directions from each other so as to balance the secondary recip inertia forces. A positive toothed driving means (such as gearing) is used to drive the two said countershafts from the crankshaft. The same gearing plus the two said countershafts are also used to assist in driving the two said contraweights so as to minimize the total number of shafts, bearings, and gears. So as to further cut down on the number of gears and cost, two of the drive gears are extra wide; they mesh in two separate planes; and thus perform a double function. In one species, the said two contraweights are attached to a single hollow shaft which surrounds the main shaft of the crankshaft. The said secondary weights have a large L/D so as to reduce their flywheel effect for a given static moment.

Reciprocating machines with both primary and secondary counter rotating

A rotary compressor, expansion engine, or the like. Two interengaging rotors rotate in a casing structure. The optimum number of lobes per rotor is two for pressure ratios up to about three. The first rotor has end plates thereon which open and close larger ports in the end walls. Low pressure dump pockets are formed twice per rotation and these have now been determined to have negligable loss. The first rotor has lobes of small angle so as to reduce a precompression loss. The second rotor has lobes of larger angle so as to improve performance. An interchamber throttling loss has now been reduced. When operating as a compressor machine, the discharge ports start to be uncovered about 15 degrees early for better performance.

Rotary positive displacement machine with specific lobed rotor profiles

The machines may function as a rotary compressor, vacuum pump, expansion engine, or the like. Two interengaging rotors rotate within intersecting bores in a casing structure. Two higher pressure ports are located one in each flat end wall of the casing. One rotor opens and closes the two higher pressure ports so as to control the flow of air or gas through same. The optimum number of teeth or lobes for each rotor is two. The port controlling first rotor has lobes of small included angle so as to reduce the effect of a precompression loss. The coacting second rotor has lobes of larger included angle so as to improve performance.

Growing community of inventors

Lake George, NY, United States of America

Arthur E Brown