Abstract: A one-way damping valve mechanism in a hydraulic damper having a first hydraulic chamber defined in a cylinder, and a piston rod having an inner end on which there is mounted a piston slidably fitted in the cylinder, divides the first hydraulic chamber into a second hydraulic chamber and a third hydraulic chamber. The valve mechansim produces a damping force when the piston is moved in a prescribed direction to move working oil from the second hydraulic chamber into the third hydraulic chamber. The valve mechanism comprises a subvalve for defining a first hydraulic passage to generate a damping force when the piston moves at an extremely low speed in the prescribed direction, and a main valve for defining a second hydraulic passage to generate a damping force when the piston moves in a medium/high speed range in the prescribed direction.

Abstract: External noise in an infrared sensor for a ceiling type human detector is suppressed by increasing the conductivity between a conductive window and the can and improving the temperature compensation by offsetting any difference in the electromotive force per unit area of the inside and/or outside electrode of the sensitive element consisting of coaxial electrodes with different areas. In a pair of electrodes for ceiling mounting the electromotive force is larger than in a pair of lower electrodes for floor mounting. The sensor improves a total sensitivity for use in the infrared sensor for a wall installation type human detector, on account of improving performance and reliability of the pyroelectric infrared sensor for use as a human detector.

Abstract: In a dot matrix line printer in which a plurality of hammer springs mounted along the length of an elongated reciprocating hammerbank are selectively released or fired to impact dot printing impact tips mounted thereon against a print paper through a length of ink ribbon to print dots, the wear that would otherwise occur each time one of the hammer springs rebounds back into contact with a pair of pole pieces against which the hammer spring resides when in its retracted position is greatly minimized by chromium masses plated on the tip of the hammer spring and on the tips of the pole pieces. Chromium platings on each hammer spring are confined to the end of the spring and comprise either a pair of masses adjacent the different pole tips or a single mass encompassing both pole tips. The chromium masses are of convex contour and of hexavalent chromium composition to provide the masses with hard and smooth surfaces that slide over and do not abrade one another upon impacting.

Abstract: A license plate assembly on a motorcycle includes a stay by which a license plate is erected from a rear cover over a rear wheel behind a seat, and an illumination device embedded in the rear cover below and behind the license plate for upwardly emitting a light beam to illuminate the license plate.

Abstract: A thin-film coating apparatus for coating a thin film on a material includes a casing, a spinner mounted in the casing for rotating the material, and a pipe disposed upwardly of the spinner and having in a lower end thereof a nozzle for dropping a film-forming coating solution onto the material. The casing comprises an annular upper plate, a cylindrical circumferential wall, and a bottom plate. The annular upper plate has defined therein gas flow passages for passage of an inert gas such as an N.sub.2 gas introduced from an exterior supply source, and gas ejector holes defined in the upper surface of the annular upper plate in communication with the gas flow passages for ejecting the inert gas toward the pipe.

Abstract: A drain system for the floating roof of an oil tank or similar tank couples a drain sump at the underside of a central portion of the floating roof to the outside of the tank wall at a lower portion thereof via a flexible arrangement of rigid pipe lengths joined together by swivel joints. Each swivel joint is made pivotable about an single axis by a pair of side frames having pairs of leg portions pivotally coupled to each other along the axis and mounting a length of flexible pipe therebetween. The opposite ends of the length of flexible pipe are coupled to an opposite pair of pipe couplings mounted on central portions of the side frames between the leg portions and adapted to be coupled to the lengths of rigid pipe. The length of flexible pipe which is comprised of a length of flexible hose disposed between inner and outer wire helices is coupled to the pipe couplings by arrangements which include swedges, swedge rings and collars.

Abstract: There is disclosed an improved apparatus for locally heating selected portions of glass sheets conveyed through a tunnel type furnace on a roller conveyor. The apparatus comprises two localized heaters positioned within the furnace, supporting members for supporting the localized heaters, at least one portion of each of the supporting members extending into the furnace, and a drive mechanism positioned externally of the furnace and adapted to reciprocatingly moving the localized heaters in a direction transversely to the direction of conveyance of the glass sheets in a substantially synchronized relation to movement of the conveyed glass sheets so that the selected portions of the glass sheets are locally heated by the localized heaters and can thereafter be bent, at a bending station, to a much smaller radius of curvature than the rest of the glass sheet.

Abstract: A riding-astride type whole-wheel steered vehicle (100; 200) comprising front wheels (2) and rear wheels (3) attached to the front part and the rear part of a vehicle body frame (1), respectively, a power transmission mechanism (8, 11, 21) for transmitting power of a midship engine (5), which is mounted on the vehicle body frame between axles (13, 14, 16 and 23, 24, 26) of the wheels in terms of the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, to at least either of the axles, left and right footsteps (7) attached to the vehicle body frame at both sides of the engine, respectively, a front-wheel steering mechanism (29) for interconnecting a handle member of the vehicle with the front wheels and steering the front wheels, a rear-wheel steering mechanism (19) for steering the rear wheels, and a steering transmission mechanism (34) for mechanically interconnecting the front-wheel steering mechanism with the rear-wheel steering mechanism.

Abstract: An animal head suitable for attachment to a stuffed animal body is molded to form a thin shell and then filled with conforming foam rubber. The head defines open jaws that can fit around a wrist of a person and an elongated tongue that can be wrapped around the wrist and secured between the upper and lower jaws to serve as a carrying handle. By making the tongue flesh tone in color and providing a red coloration on a visible portion of the tongue, a novelty effect simulating blood dripping from a bite is achieved.

Abstract: A conveyor roller for use in a roller conveyor for conveying a heated glass sheet in a glass sheet processing system includes an elongated core rotatable by driver means, and a support body made of a felt material comprising fibers of at least one type which is mechanically strong and/or resistant to heat, the support body being mounted on and disposed around an outer peripheral surface of the core for supporting the glass sheet. The felt material comprises a base woven web of glass fibers, 10 to 50 wt % of aramid fibers and 50 to 80 wt % of carbon fibers which are by needling intertwined with each other and with the base woven web.

Abstract: A display device for displaying an image by forming same in a space includes a concave mirror having a reflecting mirror surface of a dark color and a luminous screen for displaying a picture thereon. Light is prevented by a light shielding structure from falling in around the luminous screen. The concave mirror and the luminous screen are arranged such that light from the luminous screen will be reflected by the concave mirror to form the real image of the picture on the luminous screen in front of the concave mirror. The display device can produce visual effects of much interest and is highly effective in many applications such as display and advertisement of products for sale.

Abstract: A post surgery device and method includes a pair of pressure pads and a harness that extends around the back of a patient's head to retain the pressure pads against the naso-labial region of the patient's face following a lipo-suction procedure to reduce naso-labial folds. A metal wire extends past the nose of the patient between the pair of pressure pads to complete a peripheral force loop to maintain sufficient inward force upon the pressure pads to compress the skin tissue against the subdermal muscle tissue to inhibit separation and swelling while healing proceeds. For a typical patient, the device is worn continuously for about two days following surgery and then for about four days thereafter with occasional interruptions being permitted.

Abstract: A preheater system for using thermal energy available in a refrigeration cycle to heat potable water disposes a double-walled coil having an internal vent path within a water filled tank. Superheated refrigerant is passed through the coil downwardly between an inlet and an outlet. Liquid condensed within the coil accumulates in the bottom of a trap from which it is forced upwardly into a receiver tank and then returned to the refrigeration system. If excessive cooling develops, a pressure responsive valve shunts incoming superheated gas into the receiver tank to return to the selected operating range.

Abstract: A multiplex transmission system (100) in which any (N.sub.i) of a plurality of nodes (N.sub.l -N.sub.n) connected loop-like with a signal transmission path (1a, 1b) and each respectively connected to, for controlling, one of a plurality of electrical equipments is adapted for transmitting, in a given order (i) and in accordance with a time base (1/2t.sub.1) that this node (N.sub.i) itself has, a prepared signal (A.sub.i, D) to the signal transmission path (1a, 1b) and for receiving prepared signal (A.sub.i, D; A.sub.x, D) from the signal transmission path (1a, 1b), wherein any (N.sub.i) of the nodes (N.sub.l -N.sub.n) is adapted, at a time point (r.sub.2, r.sub.3) where this node (N.sub.i) has received the prepared signal (A.sub.x, D) from any other node (N.sub.x) to have its own time base (1/2t.sub.1) synchronized with the time base (1/2t.sub.1) of the other node (N.sub.x).Any (N.sub.i) of the nodes (N.sub.l -N.sub.n) further comprises a monitoring timer (CNT.sub.

Abstract: A glass melting furnace includes a furnace body including for storing molten glass, an upstanding tank including a bottom member lying flush with the bottom wall of the furnace body and a rear wall remote from the furnace body, the upstanding tank communicating with the furnace body, a feeder disposed upwardly of the rear wall of the upstanding tank and communicating with the upstanding tank, and a drainage mechanism disposed in a corner defined between the rear wall and bottom member of the upstanding tank for draining out heterogeneous molten glass. The upstanding tank has a width smaller than the width of the furnace body. The drainage mechanism comprises a through hole having an inlet opening into the upstanding tank and an outlet opening at a rear surface of the rear wall, the through hole being tapered from the inlet toward the outlet.

Abstract: An arrangement for releasably coupling an engine to a driven device such as a power tool includes a lug-bearing ring mounted on the engine, the ring encircling a centrifugally operated clutch, splined shaft or other shaft coupling member at the end of a drive shaft and having a plurality of lugs with enlarged heads mounted thereon. The engine is releasably coupled to a driven device by passing the enlarged heads of the lugs through large portions of mating apertures within a lug-receiving ring mounted on the driven device and then rotating the engine relative to the driven device to move the lugs into necked-down portions of the apertures and lock one of the lug heads against a manually actuable resilient retainer strip mounted on the opposite side of the lug-receiving ring. A cable at the end of a manually operated engine speed control on the driven device is releasably coupled to the engine throttle control.

Abstract: A method of correcting the attitude of an article being conveyed in a feed system including two second feed paths for receiving the article from a first feed path and feeding the article so that a first part and a second part, which are related to each other, of the article will reach a target position for each of the first and second parts. The attitude of the article is corrected until the target positions are reached by compensating for a relative shift beyond a predetermined distance in a feeding direction between the first part and the second part of the article on the first feed path.

Abstract: An exercise device is providing for suspending the body above a support surface while a person performs exercises designed to stretch and strengthen the full range of back extensor, abdominal and gluteus maximus muscles. The device includes a pelvic brace which cooperates with a rotatable leg restraining member to position the body, in a cantilevered fashion, above the support surface nearly horizontally and face down preparatory to exercising the back extensor and abdominal muscles. Alternatively, the device can be mounted differently to strengthen and tone the gluteus maximus muscles. Utilizing gravity traction, the exercise device tends to decompress the spinal column while the exercises are being performed.

Abstract: A saw highly accurate, light weight guide assembly releasably attached to a portable power saw to provide the accuracy of a table saw while retaining the convenience of a portable saw. The saw includes a bidirectionally telescoping slide assembly having an outer track which attaches on one side to saw receiving base plate and an inner track which attaches on the other side to a guide arm and compass assembly. For ease of carrying the guide arm may be retracted while retaining a predetermined compass angle setting and the tracks may be secured together by a quick release latch. A set of ball bearings engages planar surfaces on the tracks to form a point contact which minimizes clogging while affording a smooth and easy yet stable sliding action for the two tracks.