A calling system for use in a hotel or the like having a plurality of rooms each with a telephone connected to a telephone substation for enabling a telephone operator to ring the telephone to awaken the guest, have an audio pre-recorded message played to the guest when the telephone is answered and provide a visual indication that the telephone has been answered. The system may also have an automatic calling switch which is presettable.

A winch utilizing an axle of an automobile comprising an axle formed with splines, a hub securely mounted on the axle, a coupling ring internally splined to mesh with either or both the splines formed on the axle and hub so as to effect engagement and disengagement of the axle and hub, and a drum formed with internal splines adapted to engage with the splines of said axle so as to engage with or disengage from said axle.

Tobacco waste is mixed with a liquid, such as water in the weight proportions 3:1 - 3:7 between tobacco and liquid, and the mixture is subjected in a preferably closed container to blow, pressure, or shock impulses of a high repetition frequency, for forming substantially water dissoluble lumps. The water dissoluble parts of these lumps are subsequently dissolved in a liquid such as water. The solution thus formed is separated from at least the principal portion of the tobacco material which is ...

Flexible resilient, e.g., plastic, caps are provided for containers, e.g., beverage cans, such caps being mounted at each end of the container, each such cap having a plurality of fork-shaped connector grips around the periphery of the cap, and a center grip and an adjacent slot in the center of the cap, so that the cans can be connected together in any desired manner, for example one atop the other and/or across each other, to provide a multiplicity of construction configurations.

A system for swaging a flared end of an oil well tubing. A ring of explosive material is placed in an inwardly collapsed condition and transported through the tubing. After the explosive material exits from the flared end of the tubing, it is opened and moved to a position substantially surrounding the flared end of the tubing. The ring of explosive material is detonated, causing the flared end of the tubing to be swaged inwardly to a desired configuration. An anvil with a geometry corresponding...

An inverter has a direct voltage intermediate circuit having a positive (Udc+) and a negative (Udc-) voltage busbar, and an auxiliary voltage source (1) which generates auxiliary voltages (U1, U2, U3) referenced to the positive (Udc+) and the negative (Udc-) voltage busbar of the direct voltage intermediate circuit. The inverter also has for each phase an upper (2) and a lower (3) power semiconductor, connected in series between the positive and the negative voltage busbar. The point between the...

A method for filling a powder container, including the steps of placing a first powder container to be filled in filling relationship to a supply of powder in a vessel, vibrofluidizing the powder in the vessel to improve its flow properties, dispensing powder from the vessel into the first container, removing the first container from the vessel, and placing a second container to be filled in filling relationship to the vessel.

A rectifier generates a rectified output and a dc power output. The rectifier has an antenna element, a tuning capacitor, a coupling capacitor, first and second rectifying diodes, and a storage capacitor. The antenna element and the tuning capacitor are coupled in parallel and grounded at one terminal. The first rectifying diode is grounded at its anode terminal and the storage capacitor is grounded at one terminal. The coupling capacitor is coupled between the ungrounded terminal of the antenna...

The present invention includes an appliance that has a cook vessel and a Peltier device. The Peltier device may have a motive heat distribution system on its waste side. The active side of the Peltier cools and heats the cook vessel in the absence of a motive heat distribution system. The present invention may also operate in the absence of an extraneous temperature regulation system. Methods of cooling and heating food are also part of the invention.

An improved efficiency thermoelectric system and method of making such a thermoelectric system are disclosed. Significant thermal isolation between thermoelectric elements in at least one direction across a thermoelectric system provides increased efficiency over conventional thermoelectric arrays. Significant thermal isolation is also provided for at least one heat exchanger coupled to the thermoelectric elements. In one embodiment, the properties, such as resistance or current flow, of the the...