A decorative tile having a front face with a design thereon varies in density so that the front face of the tile presents a solid appearance, but the overall weight of the tile is less than for a comparable conventional plaster tile. The tile of the invention can be made from a mixture including a binder, fiber strands, and a bulk enhancing agent. The decorative tile of this invention is particularly useful for ceiling decoration.

A system for controlling an apparatus operating on a moving web, in accordance with a periodic characteristic of the web. Indicia of successive periods of the characteristics are generated and compared to generate control signals to the apparatus. Specifically, a cutoff control system for a web-fed printing press is disclosed wherein the effective position of the cutting apparatus along the web path is varied in accordance with variation in the position of a maximum density change in an individu...

An improved battery powered quartz timing control circuit that drives a stepper motor, featuring a battery heated by a temperature-responsive battery heater which is activated when the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the battery drops below a predetermined temperature.

There is disclosed a novel high heat flux liquid cooled semi-conductor heat sink structure suitable for mounting semi-conductor chips such as IC's, hybrids, lasers, and power semi-conductors, said heat sink being made of metals, such as tungsten or Molybdenum; ceramics such as alumina, Beryllia, aluminum nitride, silicon carbide or variants thereof or other suitable material such as crystalline carbon, said semi-conductor heat sink structure including at least one surface suitable for bonding on...

There is disclosed a liquid cooled stationary anode tube wherein the anode is adapted for irradiation by an energy beam, and includes a heat exchange surface, said tube includes means for providing a flow of coolant liquid to remove heat from said heat exchange surface by formation of nucleate vapor bubbles on said heat exchange surface, said liquid tending to include a viscous sublayer adjacent to said heat exchange surface, the improvement wherein said heat exchange surface includes at least o...

A low cost vector graphics display processor is capable of being operated by a relatively small processor. Indicia of a predetermined sequence of endpoints defining a figure, and move/draw indicia indicative of connections in the figure between successive endpoints are stored in a coordinate memory. Drive signals for display are generated in accordance with the contents of respective position counters. The contents of current position counters are selectively varied from values corresponding to ...

An improved edge-illuminated sign includes a transparent plate, a hollow housing secured to one or more edges of the transparent plate, and a light source disposed within the housing for illuminating an edge of the transparent plate. The housing can take the form of a frame surrounding the transparent plate on four sides, allowing operative elements of a light unit to be disposed inside of one or more hollow frame sections. According to a further aspect of the invention, the light source housing...

An improved mausoleum includes a support frame made of fiberglass structural members and a plurality of sealed fiberglass caskets which are proof against deterioration. The mausoleum according to the invention eliminates the need for venting and drainage, greatly simplifies construction of the mausoleum, and reduces funeral expenses. In preferred embodiments, each of the fiberglass caskets has a pair of central lateral flanges, and the support structure includes a plurality of pairs of parallel ...

A method and apparatus are disclosed for improving the hearing of a hearing-impaired subject who, if anatomically normal, possesses a tympanic membrane intended for generating mechanical tympanic vibration in response to sound waves impinging thereon, an inner ear responsive to mechanical vibrations, and an ossicular chain intended to communicate mechanical vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear; wherein the ossicular chain is interrupted to preclude transmission of mechanical vi...

A ferrofluid rotary-shaft seal apparatus of extended seal life suitable for use as an exclusion seal in vacuum or other demanding applications which seal apparatus comprises: (a) an annular permanent magnet adapted to surround the rotary shaft to be sealed and having poles of opposite polarity at each end; and (b) a series of spaced magnetically permeable, pole-piece elements in a magnetic-flux relationship with the one and other ends, respectively, of the permanent magnet, each pole piece havin...