An apparatus for generating electric pulses is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a generator or oscillator for charging a storage capacitor and a control circuit for controlling the discharge of the capacitor through an output or discharge circuit which includes a controllable switch device and two output terminals or electrodes. In an embodiment, the output circuit also includes a high voltage output pulse transformer.Whenever a load resistance exists or occurs between the two output electrodes, a particular detector current will flow through the load resistance and through a specific detector or load sensing circuit in the apparatus. This detector current indicating that an external load resistance is present, will automatically start the charging generator which then will operate to charge and recharge the storage capacitor as long as the detector current exists, i.e. as long as the external load is present.

An improved animal prod having a base shaped to engage a portion of the animal's hindquarter and a thigh engaging assembly shaped and positioned to engage a portion of at least one of the animal's hind legs generally near the animal's inside thigh and generally near the animal's hindquarter in an operating position of the animal prod with the base engaging the animal's hindquarter.

A self-defense apparatus includes a battery-powered source of high voltage arranged in an insulated housing and a finger probe device which is strapped to one finger of one hand of the user and is electrically connected to the source of high voltage. The finger probe device includes a layer of electrical insulation disposed between the finger and two metal prongs which protrude outwardly adjacent the distal end of the finger. One prong couples to the hot side of the source of high voltage and the other prong couples to the ground side of the source of high voltage. A two conductor cable connects the two prongs to the source of high voltage and when both prongs are placed in contact with an electrically conductive surface, they deliver in excess of 1,200 volts.

A self-defense apparatus includes a battery-powered source of high voltage arranged in an insulated housing and a finger probe device which is strapped to one finger of one hand of the user and is electrically connected to the source of high voltage. The finger probe device includes a layer of electrical insulation disposed between the finger and two metal prongs which protrude outwardly adjacent the distal end of the finger. One prong couples to the hot side of the source of high voltage and the other prong couples to the ground side of the source of high voltage. A two-conductor cable connects the two prongs to the source of high voltage and when both prongs are placed in contact with an electrically conductive surface, they deliver in excess of 1,200 volts.

The animal prod comprises one or more electrodes attached to an insulating case and is usable to apply electrical stimulus shocks to control the behavior of animals. Structures are provided to restrain the electrodes and bias the electrodes in forceable contact with electrical terminals. The electrical terminals are electrically connected to a high-voltage oscillator circuit which is actuated by a weather-resistant, flush-mounted push-button switch. The push-button switch is provided with a slidable cover to prevent unintentional actuation. The insulative case is equipped with a removable battery cover, the cover being held to the case by a retaining mechanism which includes a sliding fastener.

An electrified glove is disclosed for subduing criminal suspects and arrested individuals. The glove includes a circuit powered by a small battery that may be rechargable and will deliver a continuous A.C. shock and intermittent D.C. shocks to open output terminals located on the glove exterior. The shocks will temporarily incapacitate a suspect or arrestee and enable him to be subdued and handcuffed, if necessary. The circuit design enables a number of shocks to be delivered before a recharge is required.

A stock or cattle prod for applying an electric shock to stock to induce them to move when loading them for transportation or through a cattle chute or the like comprises a handle having a high voltage generator and a battery therein. A head, which is angularly rotatable relative to the handle structure, is provided, this head having electrical contact means adapted to electrically, conductively contact said handle in any selectable angular position therebetween the head being adapted to extend forward from said handle and comprising a shaft carrying the contact means and, forward from this shaft terminating in a pair of spaced conducting tips or electrodes. The handle is constructed to insulate and protect the high voltage conductors and to provide a convenient switch for energizing the tips. The handle and shaft are constructed to afford rotation of the tips to any desired angle with respect to the operator's hand, both the handle and head being provided with external electrical insulation means effective to protect the operator from the electrical shock voltage, insulation while maintaining the electrical connections to the tips. The head on which the tips are mounted is relatively flat and is adapted to be held in face engagement with an animal's body, this facilitating the effective handling of the prod during use.

The shock prod comprises a circuit for producing high-voltage electrical pulses. The circuit is mounted in a housing and communicates electrically with two conductors integral with a prod extension. The prod extension extends from the housing in a fixed predetermined direction with respect to the housing. The extension is elongated in the fixed direction, terminates in a free end, and is generally flat with a high width-to-thickness ratio, having sufficiently high flexural rigidity and buckling resistance to avoid excessive deflection or deformation in use. With this novel configuration, the extension is constrained to bend in a preferred plane parallel to the thickness dimension. Loads applied in the other planes produce torsional deflection so as to allow bending in this preferred deflection plane. This wide, thin cross-section permits a wide electrode spacing simultaneously with a thin bending surface, resulting in the following: A minimum bending radius which greatly reduces instances of breakage; allows electrification and desired electrode spacing over any desired portion of the prod extension; eliminates need for separate electrode mounting hardware; remains operational even if the extension is snapped in two, when a sufficient electrode-conductor spacing geometry exists along the length of the prod extension.

An animal deterrent device consists essentially of a palm-sized handle of six to eight inches in length for hand gripping and defining a housing within the central portion thereof to house a plurality of generally rigid tubular sections telescoping one within the other within the housing and being adhered thereto by a fusible adhesive adhering an outer sleeve of the telescoping sections. A pocket clip is attached to the handle and the plurality of sections when fully protracted extending to a length of about three feet with the overall apparatus weighing less than six ounces. The apparatus may additionally have a loop attached for hand transporting of the apparatus. The apparatus is utilized by a jogger upon an attacking animal by extending the telescoping sections to form a rigid whip-like structure so as to engage the attacking animal with the extended telescoping sections.

A controlled shock animal training device is shown which includes a mounting collar for mounting the device about a portion of the animal's body. The strap has a pair of electrical contacts which are spaced apart on the mounting strap. An electrical circuit, carried on the mounting strap, connects the pair of spaced electrical contacts and provides a controlled voltage output through the contacts upon triggering of an electrical switch within the circuit. A foldable flap formed in the collar interrupts the electrical circuit during installation of the collar. The shock provided is of limited duration and controlled intensity and requires that the electrical switch be opened and then reclosed to repeat the shocking operation.

A knock down spring whip assembly including a hollow housing which serves as a handgrip, and also stores a spring subassembly formed of lengths of helically wound springs of sequentially increasingly larger diameter size to move between a telescoped position within the housing and an extended whipping position projecting from one end of the housing with the springs wedgingly engaging each other in an end to end arrangement. A removable closure unit is provided for plugging the other end of the housing to define a storage compartment. The closure unit includes an integral magnet for retaining the spring subassembly in the telescoped position, where the closure unit can be replaced with other types of closure units. The housing includes a tapered end and an annular constriction for providing both a wedging engagement of the projecting springs as well as a positive locking action. Weighted ball bearings can be included within one of the springs for spiral rotation therethrough to provide an additional striking force. The striking spring can be replaced by a solid rod for an increased striking force. Preferably, the tip portion at the striking end is also removable to permit the spring whip assembly to be disassembled into its component parts.

The lunge whip for training horses is light in weight, balanced and long. It includes a main body having a number of telescoping tapering hollow tubular sections movable between a collapsed storage position and an extended operative position. The front section or sections are flexible and resilient to aid the whipping action of the whip. A long cord lash of synthetic braided non-tangling fiber such as polyester or polyamide fiber is attached by a swivel to the front end of the main body and bears a popper cord at its front end. The popper cord is preferably of sisal twine and has a front end bearing a popper tassel for audibly signaling a horse during training. The whip main body bears a pair of spaced hooks for use as cord lash winders when the whip is collapsed. The cord lash may be connected to a loop in a wire wrapped around the front end of the main body and covered with a heat shrunk sleeve. Alternatively, the front end of the main body can be embedded in a cavity in the cord lash and the assembly covered by the heat shrunk sleeve. The whip is simple, efficient, easy to handle and inexpensive.

An improved stun-gun or electrical shock device which includes improved circuit elements to eliminate the frequent product failure due to corrosion and pitting of an internal spark gap as found in prior art electrical shocking devices. The conventional internal spark gap found in prior art stun-guns is replaced with a pair of surge arrestors, thereby eliminating the problems caused by corrosion and pitting of the internal spark gap which has caused prior art stun-guns to have a limited life and fail.

A multi-functional electronic self-protection device is disclosed. The device includes a flashlight with reflector which also mounts shock blocks. The casing includes a circuit board and booster together with a battery, and in the base thereof, a buzzer is mounted. A first switch controls the flashlight so that rotation of the lens case will turn the light on and off. A second switch controls the generation of an electric charge at the shock blocks so that when the casing is rotated and a switch depressed, a strong electrical charge whill be generated at the shock blocks. The base is also slidably mounted on the casing and by slidably displacing the base, a third switch activates the buzzer which is coupled also to the battery.

An electrified livestock controller for guiding animals, preferably pigs, doubles as a gate and a prod. The controller comprises a central panel of generally planar dimensions, comprising a plurality of central, vertically disposed ribs separated from one another by elongated slots. One or more similar accessory panels are hingedly connected to each side of the central panel. The hinge structure facilitates adjustment of the controller for deployment in a variety of configurations. The hinge structure comprises a detent system having a plurality of indexing disks which, when yieldably mated together, facilitate positioning of the panels in a custom configuration. Suitable flush mounted electric strips are defined on all of the ribs, to provide a shocking effect without tissue damage. The system includes a removable cattle prod which, besides functioning as a handle, can be withdrawn from the handle to separately prod animals. Either concurrently with or independently of rib electrification, audio and/or visual effects may be generated to cause Pavlovian conditioning in the animals. A preferred visual effect of ascending motion, which may be induced by a revolving curtain displaying a spiral image, motivates the animals like a prod. The curtain is best operatively disposed behind the vertical ribs of at least one of the panels.

A knock down spring whip assembly including a hollow housing which serves as a handgrip, and also stores a spring subassembly formed of lengths of helically wound springs of sequentially increasingly larger diameter size to move between a telescoped position within the housing and an extended whipping position projecting from one end of the housing with the springs wedgingly engaging each other in an end to end arrangement. A removable closure unit is provided for plugging the other end of the housing to define a storage compartment. The closure unit includes an integral magnet for retaining the spring subassembly in the telescoped position, where the closure unit can be replaced with other types of closure units. The housing includes a tapered end and an annular constriction for providing both a wedging engagement of the projecting springs as well as a positive locking action. Weighted ball bearings can be included within one of the springs for spiral rotation therethrough to provide an additional striking force. The striking spring can be replaced by a solid rod for an increased striking force. Preferably, the tip portion at the striking end is also removable to permit the spring whip assembly to be disassembled into its component parts.

An animal defensive barrier device comprising a hand-grip portion having end caps; a strap connected to the hand-grip through one of the end caps; a loop portion distal at one end of the hand-grip and a loop portion distal from the first loop end; a plurality of knots between the hand-grip and the distal loop portion; and a plurality of sleeves on the strap between the hand-grip portion and the distal loop portion.

The present invention provides an electrically chargeable garment having a pair of leggings having an outer layer with a pair of closely spaced electrical terminals of opposite polarity disposed on the outer surface of the outer layer. There is also provided means for attaching the leggings to a wearer and means for adjustably supporting the leggings from the wearer.

A personal protection device includes a belt which conceals a whip in an internal sheath formed therein. The whip has a handle which also is concealed by an end portion of the belt. The whip can be quickly and easily withdrawn from the sheath in the belt by releasing the end portion and grasping the handle, all in a substantially single motion. The whip material allows sufficient flexibility to be worn comfortably around the waist, but is rigid enough to be an effective striking device. Embodiments for sports and uniform use are disclosed.

A horsewhip includes a coupler having one end secured to a handle portion and having a ring formed in the other end. The coupler includes a recess formed in the middle portion. A tail portion includes a loop formed in one end for engaging with the recess of the coupler and includes a free end for engaging through the opening of the ring so as to solidly secure the tail portion to the handle portion. The tail portion may be easily secured to and may be easily disengaged from the handle portion by the users such that the tail portion can be easily replaced with a brand new one.

A whip with a braided handle and method of fabrication which includes a generally cylindrical handle portion. The handle portion has an inboard end and an outboard end and is fabricated of a braided rope construction which comprises a plurality of single yarns twisted together to form a plurality of piled yarns which are then braided, with a helical angle of the twist of the single yarns within their respective plied yarn being equal and opposite to the helical angle of the plied yarns in the braid. Also included is an inboard first thread which is wrapped circumferentially about the handle end from adjacent the inboard end and extends outboardly. An outboard second thread is wrapped circumferentially around the handle portion to provide a handle. A whipping portion extends outboardly of the outboard end of the handle portion and is fabricated of extensions of the braided strands from the handle portion but in an unbraided braid form.

A self-defense whip having an elongated hollow tube within which is telescopically received a flexible lash, preferably formed of flexible control cable. The tube has a constriction proximate one end and the lash has an anchor at one end which is axially movable in the tube but which will not pass through the constriction. The lash has a weighted tip at its other end which pulls the lash into extended whipping position and accelerates the tip into an arc leading the lash. When the lash is formed of flexible control cable, the whip makes an intimidating, whistling noise as it cuts through the air.

A disciplining apparatus including a handle and a plurality of elongated strips mounted on an end of the handle. The strips extend from the handle in a common direction. The strips are further configured in a shape of a cylinder.

A battery operated hand held device for use in handling or controlling livestock, particularly cattle, swine, sheep and horses. This invention provides a novel alternative to conventional electric livestock prods, which deliver an electric shock to the animal. While operating on the principle of external stimulus to invoke a flight response, this invention relies on vibration and/or sound rather than painful electric shock. This unique mode of action satisfies the needs in the livestock industry for low stress handling equipment and techniques with the welfare of the animal as a priority.

A personal defense device includes an electrical stun circuit and electrodes with a structure adapted for use as an impact weapon as well, and further includes a radially disposed flashlight or signal light therewith. The electrical circuitry for the stun apparatus is formed of flexible circuit material with dual circuit paths between each component, for reliability and resistance to damage due to impact forces incurred when the device is used as an impact weapon. A second, normally closed interrupter switch is provided for the stun circuit, with the user of the present device being required to hold the interrupter switch in order to keep the stun circuitry from operating when the master switch is turned on. The end opposite the handle includes a series of impact ribs with cutting blades removably installable thereon, to produce shallow (non-life threatening) cuts in an assailant during an attack.

Multiple embodiments of a personal defense device each include an electrical stun circuit and electrodes with a structure adapted for use as an impact weapon as well, and further include a radially disposed flashlight or signal light therewith. The electrical circuitry for the stun apparatus may be formed of flexible circuit material with dual circuit paths between each component, for reliability and resistance to damage due to impact forces incurred when the device is used as an impact weapon. A second, normally closed interrupter switch may be provided for the stun circuit, with the user of the present device being required to hold the interrupter switch in order to keep the stun circuitry from operating when the master switch is turned on. The end opposite the handle may include a series of impact ribs with cutting blades removably installable thereon, to produce non-lethal cuts in an assailant during an attack.

The invention provides a device for use in partially or fully immobilizing animals such as cattle, sheep and the like. The device includes a probe for insertion in the anal canal of the animal the probe comprising a pair of spaced electrodes connected by way of electrical conductors to a power source. The power source providing a pulsed electrical current having a voltage of between 2 and 10 Volts and a frequency of between 20 and 50 Hz to the electrodes.

The invention provides a device for use in partially or fully immobilizing animals such as cattle, sheep and the like. The device includes a probe for insertion in the anal canal of the animal the probe comprising a pair of spaced electrodes connected by way of electrical conductors to a power source. The power source providing a pulsed electrical current having a voltage of between 2 and 10 Volts and a frequency of between 20 and 50 Hz to the electrodes.

A control device for marine animals comprises an electrical device that applies an electrical voltage directly to a marine animal in order to shock the marine animal, for control thereof. The device preferably comprises a pole or rod having electrical prongs at one end which my be applied to the marine animal, thereby applying and electrical signal having a voltage, amperage and frequency that stuns and/or shocks the animal. The character of the electrical signal is such that the animal is temporarily paralyzed, so that it may be safely handled by humans for bringing it into a watercraft without otherwise damaging the animal.

An electrical shocking device is used for realistic defence training against edge weapons such as a knife. The device includes a handle and blade body shaped to resemble a knife. Spaced apart contacts along the edge of the blade body are selectively coupled to a voltage source for delivering an electrical shock through the contacts when contacted. The voltage source delivers a non-incapacitating electrical shock to produce a fear response in the person being trained without injuring or incapacitating the person. The voltage applied can be incrementally increased as training progresses.

A golf flog apparatus and associated method for relieving stress and/or frustration, as well as enhancing demeanor and/or play, during die play or contemplation of golf. Included is a handle with a plurality of cords coupled thereto. Further included is a plurality of golf balls each coupled to a corresponding one of the cords.

An extendable electronic discharge staff will consist of a central sliding member translating within a tubular body member to be positioned by the means of a spring-loaded ball detent. When the central sliding member is positioned, it will be locked in place by the means of a locking nut at the distal end of the tubular body member. A forward adjustable handgrip will be located and locked into position along the length of the tubular body member to accommodate the size and comfort of the person using the device. By rotating the rear hand grip, the device will be turned on or off, and by sliding the rear handgrip forward or backward a high or low voltage will be delivered to the distal contact end of the central sliding member. On an alternate embodiment having three contact positions, the default center position delivers low voltage while both forward and backward outer positions deliver high voltage. This action gives the operator two different voltage capabilities along with a visible snapping arc to indicate the potential of the device. A sealed cylindrical housing fixed to the rear of the tubular body member will house a removable battery pack and electronic control module. The device is capable of giving a momentary delivery, a prolonged delivery, or several prolonged deliveries and has been designed not to stun an individual unless necessary, giving the unruly individual several warnings in advance.

An electrically powered animal prod, particularly for use in motivating larger animals to move in the desired direction, having a flexible shaft is disclosed. The animal prod can also be powered with rechargeable batteries located in the handle and can be recharged without removing the batteries from the handle. The flexible shaft provides for better, more definite contact, longer contact and a more durable animal prod.

An animal herding device has an elongate tubular body portion adapted to avoid kinking thereof, a hand gripping member at one end and a noise making member at the other end. The body portion may be internally reinforced with a rope or like means. The body portion may also be optionally fitted with padding for specified uses.

A device designed to prod livestock is intended to create an audible sound to aid in the controlled movement of animals. The device takes the form of a long pole comprising an upper end provided with a comfortable handle and a wrist strap and a lower end provided with a whistle. To use, the user would hold the device by the handle in one hand and whip it in a fast, circular motion, causing the whistle to make a sound. When done near an animal, the sound will cause the animal to move away, thus allowing the user to control the movement of the animal. The device is suitable for use by farmers, ranchers, auctioneers, herdsmen, or anyone who loads or moves livestock.

The present invention relates to a gum dispenser for automatically dispensing gum by the vertical lifting of a gum case. Particularly, the present invention provides a container that has a self-sealing means, accurately dispenses a piece of gum one by one, prevents the generation of container defects, and provides ease of operation and molding. Currently, in the above operation structure, an inner case receiving gum therein is fitted in a lifting shaft of an outer case to be lifted or lowered so that a piece of gum is pushed up to an upper end of the lifting shaft, and then the gum is exposed to a dispensing hole perforated in a lid, which is coupled with the inner case, one by one for a user to enjoy. The above structure, however, has a disadvantage in that if two pieces of gum are lifted to the upper end of the lifting shaft and the lifting shaft is exposed to the perforated hole of the lid, then the lifting shaft and the dispensing hole correspond to each other 1:1 so that the two pieces of gum pop out, which makes the gum difficult to catch. In addition, if the lifting shaft is molded integrally with the outer case, the lifting shaft is likely to be twisted or bent due to the thickness thereof in the cooling procedure during the molding thereof so that it is difficult to achieve a precisely standing structure. Furthermore, if the inner case is repetitively lifted or lowered in the outer case, an outer force may be applied in the lifting motion according to a vacuum state, so that smooth operation becomes impossible and longer molding time is required in the molding. In addition, in the state that the lid is sealingly coupled with the outer case and the inner case for the sealing of the container during storage or delivery thereof, a perforated lid for implementing the dispensing hole may be pressed by the lifting shaft and the container may burst. If the perforated lid is formed to be thick in order to prevent the bursting, a pulling portion to be pulled for cutting the perforated lid is likely to be cut, and implementation of the dispensing hole may fail. As a result, the present invention is aimed at resolving the above problems.

The present invention provides an apparatus and process for making softgel capsules having incorporated therein other solid dosage forms selected from the group consisting of pellets, smaller capsules, smaller tablets, sustained release solid dosage forms, immediate release solid dosage forms, extended release solid dosage forms and zero order release solid dosage forms, said apparatus comprising: (a) two spreader boxes; (b) two casting drums; (c) a pair of rotary dies having means for suction; (d) a liquid fill system; (e) a wedge for heating gelatine ribbons and feeding said fill; and (f) two lateral dispensing devices said lateral dispensing devices including hoppers having said solid dosage forms, channelguides for transporting said solid dosage forms and a grasping claw for dispensing said solid dosage form into the softgel pocket formed in the rotary dies.

A multi-pocket step-drawer is disclosed that includes a dispensing drawer and a control module. The dispensing drawer has a body comprising at least one fixed wall forming at least two open-top compartments that are arranged along an axis parallel to the front-to-back axis and a ladder fixedly coupled to the body. The ladder has a plurality of cross arms arranged along an axis parallel to the front-to-back axis. The control module includes a housing and a latching element coupled to the housing and disposed proximate to the ladder. The latching element has a first position wherein the latching element engages one of the plurality of cross-arms so as to prevent the dispensing drawer from moving toward the front and a second position wherein the latching element allows the dispensing element to move toward the front.

An apparatus for dispensing elongated articles such as straws, including: a container for holding the elongated articles; a hopper to receive some of the elongated articles, where the hopper is reversibly movable between a closed state and an open state; and a manipulator for performing a cycle to release a single elongated article by isolating a single article and then moving the hopper from the closed state to the open state, thereby releasing only the single elongated article.

A label dispenser having a body and a hinged lid attached thereto. The lid is held in a closed position by way of magnets. The interior of the body has guides that hold label packs in a vertical arrangement. The labels and liner are passed between the body of the dispenser and the lid.

A portable personal dispenser assembly comprising a combination of a dispenser and a communication enabled, portable handheld pocket-sized, personal computer in which the pocket-sized personal computer performs compliance monitoring of use of the dispenser and preferably controls and powers the use of the dispenser.

A paper towel cabinet includes a first side wall and a second side wall, a pivotally mounted front wall defining a door, a back wall extending between the side walls, and a paper towel tray having an opening to provide access to paper towels. The paper towel cabinet also includes a module assembly comprising a first module having a front surface extending transversely relative to the first side wall and toward the second side wall. When the door is in an open position, the front surface prevents paper towels leaning toward the door from falling out of the cabinet. The cabinet also includes a bar mounted proximate to the opening and having a length extending between the side walls. The bar is positioned between a stack of paper towels and the opening when the stack of paper towels is placed on the paper towel tray.

Flower vending machine and method of use of the same, with the object of preventing fogging of a display space comprised within said machine, said display space being accessible by means of at least one hatch covered by a transparent sheet to which is directed a flow of air to preventing fogging of the interior of the display space. In the method of use of said machine the cooling system is stopped, the flow of air is introduced and an air extractor external to the display space is activated. All this prevents the fogging of the display space, thereby guaranteeing excellent visibility of the flowers as well as their optimum preservation.

Provided are an article advancing device and an article arrangement shelf, wherein the article advancing device has a flexible sheet on which articles can be arranged at a condition where the sheet is extended, a roller to which one end of the sheet is fixed and which winds the sheet in the reverse extension direction, a drive means which rotates the roller in the winding direction of the sheet, and a wall member with which the articles in the first row of the articles arranged on the sheet come into contact. When the articles are arranged on the sheet, the article advancing device stops the winding operation of the sheet by the drive means by the contact of the articles in the first row with the wall member. The article advancing device has a simple article advancing function which employs a horizontally extending shelf basically having no incline and which does not require energy, such as electric power, and can be used regardless of the packaging state of the articles.

An electro-mechanical vend-sensing system includes at least one biased member mounted on a side of the vend space having a first potential voltage. A contact strip with a second potential voltage is positioned beneath the biased member. A controller circuit senses when the biased member contacts the contact strip, which indicates that a article has been appropriately vended to the customer.

A method for processing application forms comprising extracting content from filled first forms of consumers, each of the first forms comprising one or more fields, arranging the extracted content of one or more fields of the plurality of fields of the plurality of filled first forms in a first matrix; encoding the content of each of the rows of the first matrix to define a second matrix; and disposing the encoded content of the second matrix in multiple empty second forms such that content of one column is disposed on only one of the empty second forms, each of the second forms includes the same type and number of fields as that of one of the filled first forms, further wherein the number of the filled second forms is based on the number of the one or more fields in the filled first forms.

A fire pit includes a circular bottom plate and a circular, centrally-apertured log-supporting plate. A plurality of legs secured about the periphery of the log-supporting plate maintain the bottom and log-supporting plates in vertically spaced, parallel relation to one another. Each leg has a hollow uppermost end. A plurality of arcuate grates is mounted about the periphery of the log-supporting plate and a vertically-oriented post is secured to each of the grates, mid-length thereof. Each of the posts has a lowermost end slideably received within the hollow uppermost end of its associated leg to releasably connect each grate to the log-supporting plate. Arcuate openings positioned radially outwardly of the central opening enhance the flow of oxygen into the areas where combustion occurs. The log-supporting plate is inverted and the grates are stacked atop it when the fire pit is in its storage configuration.

A station combines a toilet paper dispenser, dispenser for dispensing hand wipes, a dispenser for dispensing surface antibiotic wipes, and a deodorant feature. The station includes a toilet paper dispenser made from a plastic type material and the toilet paper dispenser may be a single or double roll dispenser. The station cover houses a battery-operated fan that pulls air from inside the dispenser. A tray inside the dispenser holds a fragrance cup holding a quantity of deodorant. The base holds one or two rolls of commercial toilet paper, each of which rolls on a hollow plastic axle to hold a bottle containing wipes. A microswitch may be integrated in the cover to disengage the fan when the cover of the unit is open.

Disc dispensing device for dispensing discs impregnated with antibiotics onto a culture dish. The device comprises a stationary support on which a magazine is removably mounted. The magazine holds a plurality of tubular containers each containing a stack of discs to be dispensed. A moving means moves one disc from a bottom end of a tubular container to a pick-up position. From the pick-up position a transfer means picks up said one disc and transfers it to the culture dish where it is dispensed. The removable culture dish is supported by a moveable carriage which is mounted on the stationary support. The carriage is moveable relative to the magazine from a starting position to an operating position and vice versa. Control means control the operation of the device. The plurality of tubular containers is rotatable around a magazine center under control of the control means.

A control system for a common access cabinet having a plurality of drawers and electrically controlled latches. Each latch corresponds to one drawer and is configured to receive an electrical signal. The electrical signal contains an address assigned to a particular drawer. When a latch receives a signal that defines the address of the drawer to which that latch corresponds, the latch unlocks that corresponding drawer. The latches receive the signals over an asynchronous serial interface bus. A user input device receives user identification data that is processed by a processor device to determine if the user is authorized to access any of the drawers. If the user is authorized, the processor device generates a signal that contains an address that corresponds to a drawer identified in the user identification data. The signal is converted to an asynchronous serial signal which is routed to the asynchronous serial interface bus.