A dispenser particularly suited for use in dispensing potable water into food and beverage reconstitution bags is described. The dispenser is characterized by an expansible chamber. selectively adjustable stop means for varying the maximum dimensions, a rotary valve, and a linear valve coupled in a cooperating relation for delivering potable water to and from the chamber. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N77-30737*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. INTRA-OCULAR PRESSURE NORMALIZATION TECHNIQUE AND EQUIPMENT Patent Application William J. McGannon, inventor (to NASA) Filed 31 Aug. 1977 10 p Sponsored by NASA (NASA-Case-LEW-12723-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-829317) Avail: NTIS HC A02/MF A01 CSCL 06B A method and apparatus is described for safely reducing abnormally high intraocular pressure in an eye during a predetermined time interval. This allows maintenance of normal intraocular pressure during glaucoma surgery. A pressure regulator of the spring-biassed diaphragm type is provided with additional bias by a column of liquid. The height of the column of liquid is selected such that the pressure at a hypodermic needle connected to the output of the pressure regulator is equal to the measured pressured of the eye. The hypodermic needle can then by safely lits N74-14845* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Langley Research Center, Langley Station, Va. MODIFICATION OF ONE MAN LIFE RAFT Patent Emest J. Soter, inventor (to NASA) Issued 1 Jan. 1974 4 p Filed 29 Oct. 1971 (NASA-Case-LAR-10241-1; US-Patent-3,781,933: US-Patent-Appl-SN-193672; US-Patent-Class-9-11A) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 06K A one man inflatable life raft is described. The raft has an inflatable tube perimetrically bounding the occupant receiving space with a flexible floor member. A zippered opening in the floor allows entry and facilitates the use of a constant diameter tube. An airtight fabric bulkhead divides the peripheral tube longitudinally into inflatable tube sections, where if either tube section were punctured, the bulkhead would move into the punctured section to substitute for the punctured wall portion and maintain the inflatable volume of the tube. The floor member is attached to the central portion of the tube wall so that either side of the raft can be the up side. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N74-20725* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. REDUCED GRAVITY FECAL COLLECTOR SEAT AND URINAL Patent Jeri Wexler Brown, inventor (to NASA) Issued 23 Apr. 1974 5 p Filed 15 Mar. 1973 (NASA-Case-MFS-22102-1; US-Patent-3.805.303; US-Patent-Appl-SN-341621; US-Patent-Class-4-10: US-Patent-Class-4-120) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 061 A waste collection system for use in a reduced gravity including a seat having an opening centrally located with a pair of opposed depressed valleys on opposite sides of said opening for accommodating the ischial tuberosities of a user. The seat has contoured surfaces for providing support of the user's body and includes a prominent ridge towards the rear, which provides forward-aft positioning cue to the user. A curved recess is provided adjacent the forward portion of the seat for accommodating a tubular urinal having an enlarged open mouth. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office (NASA-Case-MFS-21163-1; US-Patent-3,790.037; US-Patent-Appl-SN-266925; US-Patent-Class-222-324; US-Patent-Class-224-444) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 061 A cyclically operable fluid dispenser for use in dispensing precisely measured charges of potable water aboard spacecraft is described. The dispenser is characterized by (1) a sealed housing adapted to be held within a crewman's palm and coupled with a pressurized source of potable water; (2) a dispensing jet projected from the housing and configured to be received within a crewman's lips; (3) an expansible measuring chamber for measuring charges of drinking water received from the source: (4) and a dispenser actuator including a lever extended from the housing to be digitated for initiating operational cycles. whereby precisely measured charges of potable water selectively are delivered for drinking purposes in a weightless environment. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N74-32546* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. William Elkins (Garrett Corp., Los Angeles), Eugene W. Connell (NASA-Case-MSC-110/72; US-Patent-3,832,735; A flexible joint for a pressurizable garment is described which has two fabric layers bonded together. The lay of one layer is straight cut and the other of bias cut. A ring-like tension member covered with Teflon disposed at the minor diameter of each joint convolution, is unrestrained other than being retained in the flexure plane. A compression ring is secured at the major diameter, at certain of the convolutions, preferably alternate ones. (NASA-Case-LEW-11581-1; US-Patent-3,850,169; US-Patent-Appl-SN-327921; US-Patent-Class-128-2.05P; US-Patent-Class-128-2.05A) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 068 Circuitry is disclosed for processing an arterial pressure waveform to produce during any one cycle a pulse corresponding to the initial systole and a pulse corresponding to the dicrotic notch. In a first channel, an electrical analog of the arterial pressure waveform is filtered and then compared to the original waveform to produce an initial systole signal. In a second channel, the analog is differentiated, filtered, and fed through a gate controlled by pulses from the first channel to produce an electrical pulse corresponding to the dicrotic notch. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office An improved orthopedic (orthotic) arm joint that can be used in various joint of mechanical arms is described. The arm joints includes a worm, which is coupled to an electric motor for rotating a worm gear carried within a rotatable housing. The worm gear is supported on a thrust bearing and the rotatable housing is supported on a radial thrust bearing. A bolt extends through the housing, bearings, and worm gear for securing the device together. A potentiometer extends through the bolt, and is coupled to the rotatable housing for rotating therewith, so as to produce an electrical signal indicating the angular position of the rotatable housing. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office TRANSDUCER RATOR (NASA-Case-MSC-14632-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-571459) Avail: NTIS HC $3.25 CSCL 06K An electro-chemical iodine valve was designed to be operated by an electrical current in response to detection of iodine levels in the water supply. Additional iodine is injected into the water system in precise and controlled amounts so that a preset residual concentration of iodine in the water supply may be maintained. The iodine generator includes a sensor which electronically detects the iodine level in the water, and produces a correction current control. The correction current control causes the electro-chemical iodine valve to release iodine from the iodine accumulator into the iodine dispenser. The valve operates at a power of 10 mWatts and the system uses recycled water. NASA N75-27758* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Pasadena Office, Calif. Issued 10 Jun. COOPERATIVE MULTIAXIS SENSOR FOR TELEOPERATION Avail: Apparatus for grasping an article under remote control is provided with a sensor comprised of a photodetecting cell divided into four quadrants to define X and Y coordinates and a light emitting diode on a Z axis normal to the X and Y axes. Two additional light emitting diodes are equally spaced on each side of the first diode along the X axis of the sensor. The diodes are sequentially energized and images of the diodes are reflected by a target comprising two plane mirrors and a corner retroreflector mounted on the article to produce signals from the cells which, when combined and nulled, will align X, Y, and Z axes of the sensor with corresponding axes Xm, Ym and Zm of the target, and also decrease the distance between the sensor and the mirror to a predetermined value. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office Patent Stacy R. Hunt, Jr. (GE, Philadelphia), Robert J. Homkes (GE, Philadelphia), Wilmer B. Poteate (GE, Philadelphia), and Andrew C. Sturgis, inventors (to NASA) (GE, Philadelphia) Issued 24 Jun. 1975 23 p Filed 10 Sep. 1973 Continuation-in-Part of Abandoned US Patent Appl. SN-160371, filed 7 Jul. 1971 Sponsored by NASA (NASA-Case-MSC-13601-2; US-Patent-3,891,311; US-Patent-Appl-SN-395495; US-Patent-Class-351-38) 06B CSCL Compact vision testing apparatus is described for testing a large number of physiological characteristics of the eyes and visual system of a human subject. The head of the subject is inserted into a viewing port at one end of a light-tight housing containing various optical assemblies. Visual acuity and other refractive characteristics and ocular muscle balance characteristics of the eyes of the subject are tested by means of a retractable phoroptor assembly carried near the viewing port and a film cassette unit carried in the rearward portion of the housing (the latter selectively providing a variety of different visual targets which are viewed through the optical system of the phoroptor assembly). The visual dark adaptation characteristics and absolute brightness threshold of the subject are tested by means of a N75-27760* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Robert D. Lee, Robert J. Hudock, and Dale I. Shute, inventors (NASA-Case-ARC-10753-1; US-Patent-3,893.449: 068 A portable miniature ultrasonic transducer positioning apparatus is described; the apparatus has a transducer receiving sleeve coupled to a pair of orthogonally orientated, independently pivotable yokes. The yokes are pivotably mounted to a base member. A pair of potentiometers are coupled to the axes of the yokes and to a dual meter sleeve position indicator for indicating, with respect to the axes of the yokes, the angular position of a probe slidably fitted in the sleeve. An oscilloscope or similar signal display device is coupled to the probe for providing signal readout for use in ultrasonic cardiology oscilloscope studies. As an option, a ball lever assembly is provided for remotely controlling yoke position and the angular position of the sleeve and a probe fitted to it. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N75-32766*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. AUTOMATIC FLUID DISPENSER Patent Application (NASA-Case-ARC-10820-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-620675) Avail: NTIS HC $3.25 CSCL 06K An apparatus for dispensing fluid to test animals according to a time schedule is disclosed. Fluid automatically flows to individual dispensing units at predetermined times from a fluid supply and is available only for a predetermined interval of time after which an automatic control causes the fluid to drain from the individual dispensing units. Fluid deprivation continues until (NASA-Case-MSC-14640-1; US-Patent-3,915,012; US-Patent-Appl-SN-526449; US-Patent-Class-73-421R; US-Patent-Class-128-2F) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 06B A solids biowaste sampling system for use under space flight conditions is described. The sampling system is comprised of: a storage container; a seat; and a tissue bypass which permits passage of a waste sample to a slinger assembly or delivery of tissue directly into the interior of the storage container. The slinger assembly has a rotating platform which radially distributes the biowaste materials transverse to the vertical in a shredded form. The biowaste material is collected by a sampling strip for retention and examination. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office 166 170 23 22 |