Other

The Procter Gamble Company

Eveready Battery Company, Inc.

Universal Electronics Inc.

Cyberlogic, Inc.

Eds Technologies, Inc.

Jim Dandy, Inc.

William A Johnson

David J Howe

W James Budzyna

Jonathan Joseph Kaufman

Nicholas J Smilanich

Gangming Luo

Leonard A Watts

Robert S Siffert

Arthur DiMartino

Gregory J McCabe

Chi-Thien Doan

Charles E Sawabini

Ronald L Altman

Roy O Johnson

A method for the assessment of various properties of bone is provided. The method includes applying a pair of ultrasound transducers to skin on opposite sides of the bone and generating an ultrasound signal and directing the signal through both the bone to obtain a bone output signal. The method further includes establishing a set of parameters associated with the bone output signal and then further processing the parameters in order to obtain the desired bone property. Two novel parameters are also disclosed, namely the net time delay (NTD) and mean time duration (MTD) parameters. An apparatus for the assessment of various properties of bone is also provided. The apparatus includes a pair of ultrasound transducers which may be single-element transducers or array transducers in any combination. The apparatus further includes various computer hardware components and computer software for generating and directing the ultrasound signal, establishing the parameter set and performing the processing. In addition, an apparatus that is battery powered, handheld, and portable and operates in real time is also provided.

Ultrasonic bone assessment apparatus and method

The present invention includes a device for dispensing food products such as ice cream, yogurt, sherbet, sorbet, whipped topping, cheesecake filling, pudding and the like comprising a scoop having a channel portion with a tapered, semi-circular cross section along a curved axis. The scoop is designed to be mounted on or adjacent to a container of food product and to extend substantially across one half of the opening of the container. The scoop may be mounted to the container with the smaller cross-sectional area mounted adjacent to the sidewall of the container and with the larger cross-sectional area mounted proximate the center of the container. Alternatively, the scoop may be mounted with the larger cross-sectional area adjacent the sidewall and with the smaller cross-sectional area mounted proximate the center of the container. The cross-sectional area of the channel portion in either case is tapered from end to end. The channel has a leading edge and a trailing edge, one of which extends outwardly more than the other to engage and scoop product from the container into the channel portion during relative movement between the scoop and the container. The scoop is moved or rotated relative to the container with the outwardly extending edge engaging and removing product therefrom. As the exposed layer of food product is scraped up by the scoop, it is guided into the channel and toward an opening in the portion of the scoop having the larger cross-sectional area. The product is dispensed using product forming means to gather the product as it moves through the opening in the scoop and forms it into the desired shape and size for serving.

Apparatus for dispensing food products

A heater device for orthopedic splints is organized in a portable container to preheat plastic splint sheets for immediate use in forming various shapes to fit and to stabilize the injured body portion of the patient. The heater is incorporated in a container having heating elements, a temperature controller, a cut-out sensor, and a supply of plastic orthopedic splint sheets inside. A control panel outside contains a power-on indicator lamp, a heater-on indicator lamp, and a temperature dial control or a toggle switch having multiple preset temperature settings. An AC power input element is on one side of the container. A supply of plastic splint sheets are contained in a separate inner compartment.

Heater for orthopedic splints

An acoustic guitar is combined with a cassette tape player carried inside of the body of the guitar and arranged for playing recorded music simultaneously with live music being played on the guitar by a musician. Necessary switches, wiring, and power supplies are also included. In one version of the assembly all components are carried inside or on the surface of the guitar so as to provide a self-contained assembly. Another version includes an external, large amplifier/speaker located away from the guitar but interconnected with controls and a pickup device on the guitar.

Acoustic guitar with internally located cassette tape player

A device for preventing rocks and dirt from entering a combine including a plurality of grain saver dam sections secured to a bracket by a bolt, bushing, mounting bracket and nut. The grain saver dam section includes a series of cutout sections and horizontal support sections.

Grain saver dam

A seat pedestal assembly including a center post having a lower distal end adapted to be slidingly and rotatably received by a boat deck; a support frame including a center sleeve and a plurality of seat members disposed parallel to and in spaced relation with the center sleeve, the seat members being angularly spaced equidistantly around the center post, each of the seat members having an inner diameter, an outer diameter and a length, each of the seat members being respectively connected to the center sleeve by a connecting member; the center sleeve having an inner diameter adapted to slidingly and rotatably receive the center post therethrough; and, each of the seat members inner diameter being adapted to respectively receive for axial and rotational movement therein a seat post provided depending downwardly from an existing seat.

Seat pedestal assembly

A flashing alarm device responsive to audible signals produced by a smoke detector when the smoke detector senses a smoke condition, the alarm device including a circuit with a microphone portion for responding to audible signals produced by the smoke detector and an amplifier circuit portion for amplifying signals produced by the microphone, a switch circuit portion having a control input connected to the output of the amplifier circuit portion, and another circuit portion including a battery, a timer circuit, and a light bulb, the battery having a connection to the amplifier circuit and to the timer circuit, the timer circuit and the light bulb being connected in series with the switch circuit portion for energizing and de-engergizing the light bulb whenever the switch circuit portion is in its conducting condition. The device may also include a housing for the components and the device may optionally be constructed to operate on transmitted and received radio frequency signals.

Warning light system for use with a smoke detector

Method of and apparatus for heating or cooking a food product packaged within a container by using heated air. The oven apparatus includes a substantially closed-loop heated air system that starts with a blower that blows air into a heating barrel where a heating element heats the air to a high temperature. The heated air exits the heating barrel, passes through an air flow channel in the oven's door, and enters the oven's heating chamber. The heated air passes through the container inside the heating chamber and heats the food product within the container. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heating chamber is rotated while the heated air passes through the container to tumble the food product and ensure even heating thereof. The air exiting from the food product container enters a recirculation chamber which directs the air back into the blower to repeat the cycle. Heated air is recirculated through the food product container for either a fixed period of time, or until the temperature of the air exiting from the container reaches a predetermined value. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the oven includes a central processing unit that is programmed to control the oven's overall operation based on signals received from various transducers, e.g., a door switch, various temperature sensors, an air flow switch, and product-in switch. Also disclosed are various embodiments of containers that are particularly adapted for heating food products by utilizing the oven apparatuses of the present invention.

Method for rapidly heating or cooking a food product

A battery charger device and method including a charging circuit having a source of charging energy and connections for installing one or more batteries to be charged, the device having a controllable switch associated with each battery to be charged and a microprocessor for controlling the switches to establish a charging sequence of distinct repeated charging periods for each battery, a display device associated with each battery under control of a microprocessor for individually indicating the charging status of each battery, the microprocessor having inputs at which various parameters with respect to the batteries being charged are applied such as battery voltages, ambient temperatures and charging currents, the microprocessor being programmed to terminate a voltage charging operation with respect to any one or more of the batteries if the measured difference between the charging and non charging voltage of any one or more of the batteries during succeeding charging periods exceeds some predetermined value, or if the charging current, or the ambient temperature of the battery being charged is outside of a predetermined range. The present device and method may also include a back up termination means which responds to measurements of the battery voltage during succeeding charging periods and determines therefrom that on a predetermined number of succeeding cycles the condition of the battery voltage has changed by at least some predetermined amount.

Electronic battery charger device and method

Articles, moving along a delivery path, are counted by directing a stream of pressurized air toward one major surface of the passing articles, the direction of the air stream being transverse to the direction of travel. Sensors arranged about the air stream detect the acoustic signal which varies with changes in the profile of the passing articles, exemplified by signatures. The detected acoustic signal is divided into a plurality of frequency ranges which, in one preferred emboidment, are averaged to reduce the effect of noise which may be present in only limited ones of the frequency bands. The averaged signals are then compared against thresholds to determine the instantaneous state of the articles, exemplified by a signature stream, to generate count signals.

Method and apparatus for detecting and counting articles

A dam, positioned behind the sickle blades on the cutter bar of a combine, prevents rocks and dirt from entering the combine and saves grain pods, prematurely dislodged from the stem, from falling from the combine header platform onto the ground. The grain-saver dam may be made in sections, bolted together loosely, so as to flex with the flexible cutter bars utilized on today's combines, or may be of one piece for use with a rigid cutter bar.

Grain-saver dam for combine cutter bar

A water boiler adapted for use in a fireplace is disclosed having an inlet header pipe, an outlet header pipe, and a series of pipes disposed parallel to one another and connected between the inlet and the outlet header pipes. The series of pipes is fashioned so as to form a grate suitable for supporting a log fire, including a horizontal portion upon which the logs may be supported and a remaining portion which extends upward along the rear wall of the fireplace through an arc back toward the top front of the fireplace, whereby heat rising from the fire passes between the series of pipes for added boiler efficiency. A heating system using the fireplace boiler and operating in conjunction with a conventional residential heating system is also disclosed. The fireplace boiler contributes heat a conventional furnace to reduce the amount of energy consumed by the latter.

Growing community of inventors

Holliston, MA, United States of America

William A Johnson