USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Other

Louis E Toth

Michael S Osofsky

William L Lechter

Earl F Skelton

Stuart A Wolf

Barry A Bender

Thomas A McInnes

J Richard Spann

Roy J Rayne

Steven H Lawrence

Gordon Randall Perry

David M Hill

Clark K Smith

Donald U Gubser

Jude C Tan

Robert J Soulen, Jr

Syed B Quadri

Lorraine Toth

Badri N Das

L David Jones

Douglas Pinney

David Shilitz

Thomas J Kimmitt

An adjustable trailer hitch which provides an operator improved remote control of the lateral position of a trailer hitch, and simplifies the procedure of hooking a trailer to a tow vehicle. The trailer hitch comprises a hitch assembly (such as a ball receptacle) attached to a roller carriage which moves from side-to-side along a bumper-like housing. The roller carriage engages a positioning screw, and an electric motor mounted in a sealed end cap powers the positioning screw. Rotation of the screw translates into rightward or leftward lateral movement of the roller carriage and consequently of the ball receptacle assembly. Motion of the ball receptacle assembly is controlled via a wireless remote control unit. Such direct control over the precise lateral position of the trailer hitch enables the operator to accurately steer the trailer when traveling in reverse. During hook-up, lateral movement of the hitch enables the operator to connect the trailer and the tow vehicle from a greater range of positions, and eliminates the need for absolute accuracy of alignment between the tongue of the trailer and the hitch of the tow vehicle as required by traditional fixed hitches.

Remote control towing-hitch assembly

A survival suit for providing a user with an inflatable suit that would keep its wearer afloat, keep them warm, and provide food and water in an emergency. The survival suit includes a main body portion and leg portions that extend from the main body portion. Arm portions extend from the main body portion and shoe portions extend from the leg portions. A hood portion extends from the main body portion. An inflatable bladder is coupled to the main body portion, the leg portions, the arm portions, the shoe portions, and the hood portion. An automatic inflation assembly is coupled to the main body portion and in environmental communication with the bladder to selectively inflate the bladder. The bladder extends along the side portions of the main body portion and the leg portions to facilitate free movement of a person in the anti-exposure suit.

Survival suit

An improved appliance for slicing food articles, particularly baked goods and bagels in a uniform, quick and safe manner. The appliance includes a food receptacle which is slidably inserted into one end of a main housing and into which a food item such as a bagel is placed. A motorized cutting carriage is pivotally mounted to the main housing and extends a serrated dual-bladed slicing assembly over the food item. When power is applied, the blades of the slicing assembly begin reciprocating, and the entire cutting carriage is pivoted with respect to the main housing in order to move the reciprocating blades of the slicing assembly through the food item. Once the food item is cut, the cutting carriage is returned to its home position, the food receptacle is slidably withdrawn, and the sliced food item is removed and consumed. The appliance requires a minimum of space and facilitates the slicing operation without damage to the bagel. The appliance is efficient, quick, easy to clean, and above all, completely safe.

Bagel slicing appliance

A process for producing the 2223 phase of (Pb,Bi)SrCaCuO that is much faster than existing processes has the steps of: calcining a precursor powder mixture while maintaining intimate mixing of this precursor mixture by intermediate grindings during calcination; compressing the calcination product into a consolidated body; and heating the calcination product while maintaining intimate mixing of the calcination product, to form essentially phase pure 2223 (Pb,Bi)SrCaCu). A fast process for making a (Pb,Bi)SrCaCuO part with a high J.sub.c has the steps of: pressing calcined and reacted (Pb,Bi)SrCaCuO powder into a green body having the shaped of the part; and sintering the green body for a selected time, most preferably between 6 and 8 hours, that is long enough to establish superconducting electrical contact between grains of (Pb,Bi)SrCaCuO but short enough to prevent void formation or part shape distortion. The part made by this process has a high density, at least about 4 or 5 g/cm.sup.3.

Process for making superconducting PBSCCO and PBSCCO parts

An improved gutter guard that operates by capillary action to allow water to flow off the roof and into an existing gutter system, yet precludes foreign matter from entering into the gutter, thereby preventing the gutter from becoming clogged, and providing a substantially maintenance-free gutter system. Preferred embodiments are shown for both plastic and aluminum construction, and several attachment means are shown for anchoring the gutter guard to a standard gutter system. The gutter guard can be economically manufactured and easily retrofit or used in conjunction with existing gutters.

Retrofit gutter guard

Hg,Tl-based superconductors are produced by HIPping. A new superconducting phase, having a double (Hg,Tl)-layer and the nominal composition:

HIP method of making high temperature mercury-containing superconductors

An improved appliance for slicing food articles, particularly baked goods and bagels in a uniform, quick and safe manner. The appliance includes a food receptacle which is slidably inserted into one end of a main housing and into which a food item such as a bagel is placed. A motorized cutting carriage is mounted on top of the main housing and extends a serrated dual-bladed slicing assembly horizontally over the food item. When power is applied, the blades of the slicing assembly begin reciprocating, and the entire cutting carriage is depressed downward in order to move the reciprocating blades of the slicing assembly through the food item . Once the food item is cut, the cutting carriage returns to its home position, the food receptacle is to slidably withdrawn, and the sliced food item is removed and consumed. In a second fully-automatic embodiment, the cutting carriage is self-driven downward and then upward (no manual depression is needed) in order to move the reciprocating blades of the slicing assembly through the food item. Both embodiments of the appliance require a minimum of space and facilitate the slicing operation without damage to the bagel. The appliances are efficient, quick, easy to clean, and above all, completely safe.

High temperature mercury-containing superconductors and method of making

An article comprises an oriented thick film superconducting coating on a polycrystalline substrate. The coating includes at least two highly oriented platelet components of

Aligned bismuth, strontium, calcium cuprate coatings on polycrystalline

High T.sub.c superconducting compounds are made by forming a reaction mixture of the oxides of Sr, Cu, Ca and Tl, compressing these into a hardened body, and placing the hardened body into a container. The container is then evacuated and sealed. The hardened body is heated under pressure until the oxides of Sr, Ca, Cu, and Tl react to form a superconducting compound.

High TC copper-oxide superconductors comprising Tl-Sr-Ca-Cu-O

A process is provided for forming an oriented thick film superconducting coating on a polycrystalline substrate. The coating includes at least two highly oriented compounds of

Method for forming aligned superconducting Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O

A machinable high Tc ceramic superconductor is formed by weighing and mixing appropriate stoichiometric amounts of Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3, SrCO.sub.3, CaCO.sub.3, and CuO (BSCCO), removing carbonates from the mixture, melting the mixture, casting the melted mixture into a mold, and inducing superconductivity and growth of randomly oriented platelets in the cast.

Machinable oxide ceramic

Method of making Tl-Sr-Ca-Cu-oxide superconductors comprising heating at

A substantially single phase superconducting composition is formed from a of 1:2:3 molar ratio of fine powders of a superconducting rare earth oxide, CuO, and BaCo.sub.3. The mixed powders and shaped articles formed from the mixed powders are calcined, sintered, and cooled in an oxygen containing atmosphere. The cooling step is done slowly to convert the sample to the orthorhombic structure and to improve the superconducting properties. The article formed is a substantially single phase superconducting composition.

Method of making substantially single phase superconducting oxide

Large oriented crystals greater than one millimeter in length of high T.sub.c superconducting compounds are grown by mixing starting materials in the correct proportions to make the superconducting compound, forming a mixture. The CO.sub.2 is removed from the mixture and the ternary oxide of the compound is formed from the mixture. Next, the mixture is formed into a self-supporting green body and sintered at a sintering temperature at which the top of the self-supporting green body is molten and the bottom surface is solid. The self-supporting green body is held at the sintering temperature for a time, forming a sintered body. Next, the sintered body is cooled so that crystals form. After this step, the crystals can be further processed to increase their superconducting properties. Finally, the crystals are removed and processed for use.

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Washington, DC, United States of America

Louis E Toth