Other

Depuy International Limited

Brightwell Dispensers Limited

University of Southampton

John Frayn Ewans

Rick Kowalski

Etienne Vincent Bunoz

David S Barrett

David Grant Barnett

Geoffrey Sallows

Richard Twomey

Andrew New

Neil Watkins

An oarlock-installation for a boat in which an oarlock is mounted on an upright pin for angular displacement about the pin during rowing of the boat, the oarlock-installation comprising a mechanism for deriving measurements of angular displacement of the oarlock from a datum angle about the pin during the rowing, a mechanism for deriving measurements of force exerted on the oarlock during the rowing, and a mechanism for deriving measurement of rowing power from the measurements of force and the measurements of angular displacement. The rowing-boat oarlock-installation may also comprises a power module, attached to the oarlock, which is responsive to rowing of the rowing-boat to derive force measurements in accordance with rowing forces exerted on the power module during the rowing.

Rowing power measurement

A display instrumentfor a coxed rowing boat has a main-bodywith a display headdisplaying rowing-related measurements digitally at its front end, and a resilient partially-spherical extensionfrom its rear end. In the assembled instrumentthe extensionis entered into an open-mouthof a cup-receptacleto be gripped resiliently surface-to-surface within a peripheral rimof the mouthso as to resists relative movement but allows manual adjustment of orientation of the main-bodyrelative to the receptacleto facilitate the cox's view of the display. The receptacleis entered in an apertureof a dashboardadjacent the cox's positionin the boat, and electronic circuitry of the instrumentis receptive of GPS signals to calculate boat and water-stream speeds for display.

Display instruments allowing display orientation adjustment

A rowing shoe () of adjustable length has a shell () divided into heel- and toe-sections () carried by parts () of an elongate chassis (). The chassis-part () carrying the toe-section () slides on a head () of chassis-partwhich is fixed to the foot-stretcher of the boat. A lever () pivoted on the chassis-part () projects forwardly from the toe-section () and has a slotted projection () engaged with one of a series of teeth () of the head () to restrain sliding of chassis-part (). Depression of lever () releases the restraint by lifting projection () clear of the teeth (), so allowing length-adjustment of the shoe () to a size indicated through a window () on an extension () of a plate () carried with the chassis-part (). Release of the lever () allows the projection () to engage a tooth () and hold the adjusted size, urged by pressure of the rower's foot. A wide strap () which extends over the instep of the shoe is secured on the outside flank by fabric-fastening (). The strap () covers any gap between heel- and toe-sections (), and a flap () of the heel-section () extends under this with its free end towards the inside flank of the shoe to assist along with the strap () in lifting the heel-section () with the rower's heel during rowing.

Rowing shoes

A gauge () for rig-related measurements of a rowing boat involves a graduated slider () which is slidable longitudinally within a tube () that is parallel-mounted via pivoted links () on a bar (). A head () of the slider () carries a laser () and is used with the bar () located in a seat-runnerto sight its beam B on the swivel-pin () or the face-of-work () of an oarlock (). A reading of the slider-graduations is made and then again after the slider () has been extended with the head () turned down to bring the beam (B) onto the heel () of a rowing shoe () fixed in the boat. Difference between the readings gives the work-to-heel distance. Measurement of the distance-through-the-work is made from the swivel-pin () or face-of-work (), to either the front end of the runners () or the front of the seat () when pushed fully forward. In an alternative gauge, the sighting device is a gun-sight mounted on a graduated slider () which slides on a mounting plate () that has feet () for engagement in a seat-runner () of the boat.

Rowing-boat gauges

An assembly for use in fixing a first component of a joint prosthesis, having a bone facing surface and an exposed surface which faces towards a second component of the joint prosthesis when implanted on a patient's bone. The assembly includes a skirt which can be temporarily fixed to the edge of the first component extending along the edge thereof from a remote portion of the edge to an accessible portion of the edge. The skirt provides at least one opening through which cement located between the bone facing surface of the component and the surface of the bone can be displaced. The opening is located so that cement is prevented from being displaced at the remote portion of the edge and is instead displaced at the accessible portion of the edge.

Tibial cement skirt assembly

A bone cement plug for fitting into the intramedullary canal within a bone to restrict flow of bone cement during surgery comprises a sleeve () whose wall is circumferentially continuous and has an outer surface () for contacting the wall () of the canal. The sleeve () is formed from a deformable material so that it can be expanded transversely to contact the surface () of the canal. The plug includes an expander which can be drawn through the cavity () in a direction generally along the axis of the sleeve (), to cause the sleeve () to expand transversely to contact the surface () of the canal. The inner surfaces of the wall converge towards the end () of the sleeve () towards which the expander is drawn to cause the sleeve () to expand to contact the surface () of the canal.

Bone cement plug

Operation of an electric microswitchfor timing or other purposes during rowing is brought about by the rower moving the heelsof his/her shoesin opposite sideways directions transitorily. A unitcontaining the switchinvolves two platesthat are tied by cordsto the two heelsrespectively within the foot-wellof the boat, so as to slide relative to one another against a spring bias when the heelsmove apart. The microswitchoperates in response to the sliding to energize an LEDfor sending a light pulse via fibre-optic cableto a timing unit. A modified unitincludes a wireless transmitterin place of the LED, and an alternative modification involves two parallel fibre-optic cablesfrom the unitand an optical block. The blockis moved in response to the heel-movement from where light transmitted by the unitdown the cableis not reflected back via the cable, to where the light is reflected back up the cablefrom reflective surfacesof block. Light reflected back to the unitvia the cable

Rowing- and sculling-boat electric-switch operation

An instrument for measuring rigger-spread of a boat has an elongate casingfor support athwartships of the boat with a shoulderof the casingabutting the outside of the gunwaleopposite the riggerand a slidingly-adjustable shoulderabutting the opposite gunwale. A measuring tapeis extendable longitudinally from the casingto the oarlockof the riggerto give a reading of spread, the extendable length being limited in dependence upon the spacing between the shouldersof the casingsuch that this length is increased or decreased by half the amount of any increase or decrease, respectively, of that spacing. Limitation of the extendable length involves a mechanism in which the two endsof a flexible stripor wire are secured respectively to the sliding shoulderand the casingso as to define a loop that is caught by a hookof the tapein limiting tape-extension. A modified limiting mechanism involves a step-down 2:1 coupling via pinionsbetween a rackfixed to a sliding shoulderand a rackthat engages a stop pinof the measuring tape

Rigger-spread measuring instruments

A dispensing device for dispensing a measured quantity of a concentrated cleansing liquid into a spray bottle or any other suitable receptacle, is provided with means for pumping the measured quantity of the liquid from a source into a holding reservoir. The dispensing device includes inhibiting means for preventing the interruption of a priming stroke as the liquid is pumped from the source into the reservoir and for preventing the interruption of a delivery stroke as the liquid is pumped from the reservoir to the receptacle. The inhibiting means includes a pivotable lever having an arcuate rib engaged by a pair of locking members arranged to engage opposite tracks of the arcuate rib.

Growing community of inventors

High Wycombe, United Kingdom

John Frayn Ewans