All The Claims

1. A waterproof flashlight, comprising:
a forward housing portion having an electrically driven illumination source, an electronic drive coupled to the illumination source and a power source therein;
a rear housing portion removably attached to the forward portion by complementary threaded sections of the rear and forward portions to form a single waterproof chamber for at least said electronic drive and power source; and
an activation switch located within a section of the waterproof chamber formed by the rear housing portion and a user-activated switch actuator for the activation switch located on the exterior of the rear portion, said activation switch comprising a mechanically-operated switch and an electronic switch coupled to the mechanically-operated switch for coupling the power source to the electronic drive, the mechanically-operated switch energizing the electronic switch when closed, the electronic switch being continuously powered by the power supply irrespective of the electrical condition of the activation switch and carrying load current for the electronic drive without said load current passing through the mechanically-operated switch, the activation switch being electrically coupled to the electronic drive irrespective of the relative angular orientation of the rear portion relative to the front portion when the rear and front portions are attached by the respective threaded sections to form the waterproof chamber.
2. The flashlight of claim 1 wherein the electronic switch is a field effect transistor.
3. The flashlight of claim 1 wherein the mechanically-operated switch is a magnetic reed switch, the switch actuator comprising a magnet.
4. The flashlight of claim 1 wherein the power source is a plurality of batteries.
5. The flashlight of claim 4 wherein the batteries are arranged in a plurality of parallel stacks extending parallel to a length of the flashlight.
6. The flashlight of claim 1 wherein a commutator comprising a series of concentric circular conductor paths on a substrate supported by one of the housing portions and a corresponding series of electrical contacts therefor supported by the other housing portions electrically couples the activation switch to the electronic drive.
7. The flashlight of claim 6 wherein the commutator provides a continuous bias voltage to the electronic switch.
8. The flashlight of claim 7 wherein the bias voltage is established through a intermediate tap to the power supply.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A device for the simulation of a rod-shaped virtual surgical instrument for the generation of a feedback signal, having a sleeve, wherein the sleeve has a push rod located symmetrically around the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, wherein a control device is provided, with which the sleeve and the push rod is brought into a detachable engagement with each other, so that in a first control position the sleeve and the push rod are freely mobile with respect to each other and in a second control position the sleeve and the push rod is moveable only by the application of a force to the device or not moveable, wherein the sleeve includes an electromagnet connected thereto and a metal plunger therein configured to move with respect to the electromagnet in the direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein the plunger is attractable by the action of the electromagnet, wherein the side of the sleeve facing the electromagnet has a first tapered portion that tapers toward the inside of the sleeve, wherein the plunger is effectively connected with a second tapered portion that is complementary to the first tapered portion, whereby the surface of the second tapered portion facing the push rod is frictionally fitted against the push rod.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second tapered portion has at least two longitudinal slots.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleeve includes a shoulder that projects into the sleeve interior, wherein the shoulder acts as a stop for a restoring spring, whereby the second tapered portion acts as a facing stop.
4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second tapered section includes a hollow cylindrical segment located around the push rod, wherein on the end of the hollow cylindrical segment spaced from the second tapered portion a thread is provided, wherein the thread is engaged with a complementary thread of the plunger.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electromagnet includes a circular magnet, an internal armature, and a coil, located between the circular magnet and the armature, whereby radial surfaces of the circular magnet, the internal armature, and the coil are located opposite the plunger and are flush with each other, whereby the facing surface of the plunger is oriented radially and parallel to the radial surfaces of the electromagnets.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first spring and a second spring are located on opposite sides of the sleeve, whereby the device is moveable flexibly when it is fastened to the push rod.
7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the virtual surgical instrument includes a handle having a first half and a second half, a virtual trocar, and a force feedback device, whereby the force feedback device includes the sleeve connected to the first handle half and the push rod, wherein the push rod is connected with the second handle half, whereby in the second control position the sleeve and the push rod is only moveable in relation to one another by one of (i) the application of force on the first and second handle halves; and (ii) not moveable.
8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the force feedback device includes a locking element, a spring element and engagement elements, wherein the spring element is permanently connected with the push rod and the locking element, and wherein the engagement elements via a control device, can fix the locking element in position with respect to the sleeve.
9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the engagement elements are at least one mandrel engaged in one of the locking element and the spring.
10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sleeve is a hollow tube in which at least one opening is provided, through which at least one mandrel is radially insertable.
11. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spring includes a plurality of disk spring washers.
12. The device as claimed in claim 9, further comprising at least one of a piezoelectric crystal and electromagnet energized by the control device for moving at least one mandrel.
13. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the locking element has at least one radial groove, wherein the at least one mandrel is insertable.
14. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the engagement elements includes an electromagnet actuatable by the control device, and means for fixing the locking element in position with respect to the sleeve.
15. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein elements for introducing a frictional force between a detachable engagement of the sleeve and the push rod elements are provided.
16. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second control position contains a plurality of continuously variable control positions.
17. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of the sleeve and the push rod which are positively or non-positively connected with each other provide the detachable engagement.
18. The device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising at least one of a piezoelectric crystal and an electromagnet energized by the control device for moving at least one mandrel.
19. The device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising at least one of a piezoelectric crystal and an electromagnet energized by the control device for moving at least one mandrel.

1. A method for computing railcar switching solutions in a railway switch yard having:
a. a switch for receiving a group of railcars to be switched, the group of railcars being arranged into two or more railcar blocks;
b. a plurality of classification tracks for receiving railcars from the switch, wherein the switch directs railcars from the group of railcars to respective classification tracks;
c. said method comprising:
i. providing in a machine readable storage medium an electronic representation of the status of each classification track, the status capable to acquire at least two conditions namely an opened condition and a closed condition;
1. in the opened condition the classification track is allowed to receive a railcar that belongs to any one of the railcar blocks;
2. in the closed condition the classification track is associated with a particular one of the railcar blocks and is allowed to receive railcars from the particular one of the railcar blocks while being closed to at least another one of the railcar blocks;

ii. computing with a computing device switching solutions for the railcars of the group of railcars, each switching solution being indicative of a classification track in which the railcar is to be directed, said computing using as a factor the status of each classification track and includes:
1. for a railcar that is a first railcar of a given railcar block for which a switching solution is computed, selecting a classification track among the classification tracks having an opened condition;
2. changing the status of the selected classification track in the machine readable storage medium to a closed condition;

iii. outputting data that conveys the switching solutions.
2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the railway switch yard is a hump switch yard.
3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said computing including determining an available space for receiving cars from the particular one of the railcar blocks in one or more of the classification tracks having an opened condition.
4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein said computing including using the determined available space as a factor for said selecting.
5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein said determining in connection with a particular one of the classification tracks having an opened condition includes assessing if the particular one of the classification tracks has enough available space to receive the given block to which the first railcar belongs in its entirety.
6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein said determining in connection with the particular one of the classification tracks having an opened condition includes assessing the Left Over Room (LOR) that would exist in the eventuality the given block to which the first railcar belongs is directed to the particular one of the classification tracks.
7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said computing includes determining the LOR in connection with several ones of the classification tracks having an opened condition and using the determined LORs as a factor for said selecting.
8. A method as defined in claim 2, including assigning the computed switching solution for the first railcar of the given railcar block to every other car of the given rail block, wherein all the railcars of the given railcar block are directed to the same classification track.
9. A method as defined in claim 2, including changing the status of the selected classification track in the machine readable storage medium to an opened condition, subsequent a computation of a switching solution for the last railcar of the given railcar block.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A display sign apparatus comprising:
an elongated support post having a lower end adapted to be buried in earth and an upper end terminating with a connector;
an arcuate arm having an end coupled with said connector and an outwardly extending portion;
a frame connected between said arcuate arm end and said outwardly extending portion; and
a display panel held in said frame against said arcuate arm.
2. The display sign apparatus defined in claim 1 including:
display indicia carried on said display panel.
3. The display sign apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein:
said indicia is magnetically attached to said display panel.
4. The display sign apparatus defined in claim 2 including:
a secondary frame mounted on top of said arcuate arm for insertably receiving a second display panel.
5. The display sign apparatus defined in claim 4 including:
anchor means secured to said lower end of said post for preventing twisting, tilting or leaning of said support post when buried in earth.
6. The display sign apparatus defined in claim 5 including:
illumination means carried on said arcuate arm; and
a power supply mounted on said arcuate arm and connected to said illumination means.
7. The display sign apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein:
said anchor means includes a first flange horizontally carried on said lower end and a second flange carried vertically on said lower end whereby said first flange and said second flange are normal with respect to each other.
8. The display sign apparatus defined in claim 7 wherein:
said illumination means is a panel of solar cells operably coupled to a plurality of LED’s carried on said arcuate arm directed to illuminate said indicia.