A capacitance fuel-gauging probe is supported at its upper end in a fuel tank by a stress-relieving mount. The mount includes a disc assembly formed of two identical steel discs each with a central aperture. The discs are joined together at their respective outer edges and around their respective central apertures by steel rings which separate the discs from one another, forming an annular recess. The ratio of the estimated disc stress to the disc material proof stress, and the ratio of the esti...

A multiprocessor system including firmware, which system is comprised of at least a plurality of central processing units and a main memory to be commonly occupied by all the central processing units. The main memory is composed of an operating system area and a firmware area. The firmware area is divided into a common firmware area utilized by all the central processing units and a plurality of independent prefix areas allotted to the central processing units. Each prefix area is operative as a...

A socket (10) for torquing nuts and bolt heads includes adjustable jaws (18) biased in an outward radial direction by associated helical springs (22) whose inner ends are engaged with a seat preferably embodied by a ball (20). A support member (16) includes slideways (30) that mount slides (24) of the jaws (18) for inward and outward adjusting movement, and each jaw (18) has an inwardly facing engagement surface inclined with a slight inward inclination in an axial direction away from the slide ...

A backpack is provided which is suitable for use by a child. The backpack has a main compartment for storing articles and a handle attached to cord means extending through a main wall of the main compartment. The handle can be secured to an outside surface of the main wall and can be removed by hand from the outside surface when it is desired to restrain the child by the cord means. The cord means is stored within the compartment when not in use. A subcompartment can be added for securing the ha...

The invention relates to a franking machine comprising a keyboard (1), a display (2), a calendar clock (3), a microprocessor (4), a program memory (5), a text memory (6), and a working memory (7), interconnected by a bus (B). Messages enabling normal franking operations and special operations are provided in the text memory, and each message has a corresponding program in the program memory. The machine includes an operator-warning alarm buzzer (8) operated by the message program whenever the me...

A microprocessor or the like supplies a plurality of address signals for memory access according to its own operation speed irrespective of the operation speed of a memory. A plurality of registers receives and stores the plurality of address signals which are inputted in an asynchronous state. The memory access is performed according to a sequence signals of the address signals stored in the plurality of registers.

A timepiece (4), adapted to be worn on a part of the body, for example on the wrist, is provided with an antenna capable of capturing an electromagnetic field bearing radio-diffused messages. Measurements have shown that when close to the wrist the radial electric component (E.sub.r) and the azimuthal or tangential magnetic component (H.sub..phi.) were predominant. Consequently, in order to capture the first, a capacitive antenna the electrodes of which are parallel to the back cover (2) of the ...

A system is provided for receiving, maintaining and processing blood samples for the subsequent separation and testing thereof. A pre-packaged blood sample receiving vessel is provided containing appropraite additives and a quantity of beads or other physical bodies for subsequent lysis, centrifugation, and separation of the sample. An additional pre-packaged arrangement is provided at the lab for the handling and removal of the lysed, centrifuged and separated sample in order to obtain the desi...

An electrical device is provided which has contacts having regions with a conductive matte-finish metal surface. The matte-finish surface is characterized by having a Knoop hardness number of at least 300, a diffuse reflectance of less than about 20 percent, and a specular reflectance of less than about 2 percent. These contacts have a contact resistance of less than about 50 milliohms, under a 50-gram load, even after exposure to 50.degree. C. and 95% relative humidity for a period of 20 days. ...

The invention provides a rotatable device including a body adapted to be supported for rotation about an axis of rotation. A resilient electrically conductive member is supported by the body for rotation with the body, and has first and second blades, the second blade being generally parallel and spaced radially inwardly of the first blade with respect to the axis of rotation of body. The first and second blades of the resilient electrically conductive member define a battery receiving area ther...