Abstract: Retractable multiple aperture arrays, mounted behind jet engines that produce jet exhausts that pass chordwise over the wings of an aircraft, are disclosed. In their operative positions, a multiple aperture array lies in the exhaust path of each engine, immediately rearwardly of the engine nacelle. In this position, in a conventional manner, the arrays split the exhausts into separate streams, which entrain ambient air. The entrained ambient air mixes with the separated streams in the region where the streams recombine to suppress engine exhaust noise and move the noise source centers of the engine exhausts to positions above the wings. As a result, the wings act to shield noise from the line-of-sight community located generally beneath the wings. When not in use, the mutliple aperture arrays are each stowed in a compartment formed in the upper surface of the wing, beneath and immediately rearwardly of the engine with which the array is associated.

Abstract: A manually operated card reader for reading punched data recorded on a standard sized tabulation card and for reading punched data recorded on an appropriately sized identification badge or card is disclosed. Data is read from the standard sized tabulation card when the card is inserted in a first opening and conveyed through a curved passageway by manually pulling the card from a second opening. Data is read from the identification badge or card when the badge is inserted in the second opening and then withdrawn. In either case, the punched data is detected by an array of optical sources and optical sensors mounted along the opposite walls of the passageway near the second card opening. A pair of rollers, mounted between the first and second card openings, turn freely to permit pulling the standard tabulation card from the second card opening.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for rapid loading and unloading of large volumes of liquid to and from a cargo transport, herein a landed aircraft transport. At a ground station, liquid is loaded from, or unloaded to, a reservoir equipped with a positionable, extendible hollow tubular boom having a cross-sectional flow area exceeding thirty square feet. At the extendible end of the boom, a valve closure is provided, movable by a power-driven ball-screw actuator between a retracted position closing the open end of the boom and an extended, open position spaced forwardly of the boom end. A cooperating valve assembly and receptacle for receiving the positionable boom end are mounted on the aircraft in a wing section, accessible by a fold-away hinged wingtip.

Abstract: A label printer is disclosed for imprinting characters in succession on label stock comprising an elongated strip of label stock backing having a front surface and a back surface and further comprising a plurality of labels removably adhering to and spaced along the front surface of the elongated strip. The label printer takes the label stock from a supply position, passes it in a first direction by a print station, then passes the label stock with the imprinted labels through a label stripping apparatus which includes a first pin mounted so as to extend transversely to the first direction of label stock travel and bearing against the back surface of the label stock backing. The label printer draws the label stock from the label stripping apparatus in a second direction which is substantially at right angles to the first direction so as to result in separation of individual imprinted labels as the label stock passes around the first pin.

Abstract: A seal assembly for covering the structural opening in the side of a vertical stabilizer, through which extends a structural member for pivotally mounting a flying horizontal stabilizer to structure within the vertical stabilizer retards or prevents ambient air flow between the upper and lower surfaces of the horizontal stabilizer. A seal plate is affixed to the inner end of the horizontal stabilizer, is faired into the upper and lower horizontal stabilizer surfaces, and extends outwardly therefrom in a direction transverse to the horizontal stabilizer. The shape of the periphery of the seal plate is chosen at a predetermined position of the horizontal stabilizer so as to equidistantly space the periphery of the seal plate from that portion of the outer surface of the skin of the vertical stabilizer underlying or adjacent the periphery of the seal plate. A resilient, flexible seal member is affixed to the periphery of the seal plate and engages the surface of the vertical stabilizer in sealing engagement.

Abstract: An oil spill confining or sweeping system and method employing spray booms creating fine water spray curtains angled to the water's surface from an elevation above water level. Mounted divergently at the bow of a skimmer vessel, these spray curtains are effective to funnel the oil into the vessel's pick-up device ahead of the vessel without dispersing or emulsifying the oil. The fine spray particles making up the curtains have carrying effect sufficient to project entrained air with the spray to the water's surface independently of variations in distance between the booms and the water's surface attending passage of waves and swells.

Abstract: A bookbinding machine wherein a book comprising a plurality of sheets of paper or the like to be bound together is clamped by a clamping device at a first position and the clamping device with the book is reciprocated between the first position and a second position. In the course of reciprocation adhesive is applied to one edge surface or back of the clamped book. When the clamping device has been returned to the first position after reciprocation, a cover sheet on a supporting plate is applied onto the back of the book by raising the supporting plate, which is then moved away from below the clamping device after application of the cover sheet to the back of the book so that the book may be easily taken out of the machine from below the clamping device by gravitation or otherwise.

Abstract: In a closed loop control system for monitoring and regulating the rate of electrical power delivered to a plurality of electrical loads, an improved circuit is disclosed that is responsive to an analog input signal representing a measured power rate and has a digital pulse output for conditioning a digital switching circuit to add one or more loads when the measured power rate falls below a predetermined rate and to shed one or more loads when the measured power rate exceeds such predetermined rate. The analog input signal is compared with a reference signal to produce an analog error signal that is first compensated for certain types of power rate deviations and is then fed to an analog to digital conversion circuit which includes a threshold detection circuit and a pulse generator circuit and produces one or more output pulses in response to a predetermined threshold magnitude of the compensated error signal.

Abstract: To assure takeoff controllability of aircraft of the type having movably mounted stabilizers, a plurality of different stabilizer position ranges are established, any one of which may be selected by a range selector switch operated by the pilot. Proper pilot selection of an available stabilizer range depends on the gross weight and the location of the center of gravity of the loaded aircraft. This dependency is automatically accounted for by sensing the amount of load on the nose landing gear, by means of a pressure sensitive switch associated with the nose gear shock strut. The condition of the pressure switch indicates the proper range of stabilizer positions as a function of the gross weight and location of the aircraft's center of gravity. Circuit means compare the condition of the pressure switch with the position of the range selector switch and a range warning indicator is actuated if the nose loading requires a different stabilizer range.

Abstract: A wide range current flow fault detector comprising a current sensor and a selective interrogator are disclosed. Current flow, or the lack thereof, between a power supply (e.g., capacitor bank) and a load (e.g, the hammer coils of a line printer) is sensed by a current sensor connected to detect the voltages at spaced points along a selected length of the supply conductor connecting the power supply to the load. A differential amplifier forming a part of the current sensor produces an output voltage related to the voltage difference between the selected points. The output voltage of the differential amplifier is compared, in a comparator, with a preset voltage. Any time the output voltage of the differential amplifier is above the preset voltage, the output of the comparator changes from a first state (e.g., low) to a second state (e.g., high). At all other times, the output of the comparator remains in the first state.

Abstract: A compensated vehicle heading system wherein magnetic heading information is combined with heading information determined by sensing vehicle dynamic movement to provide augmented heading information is disclosed. The magnetic heading information is provided by a magnetic heading sensor. The heading information determined by sensing vehicle dynamic movement is provided by a vehicle dynamic system that senses vehicle direction changes. In one form, the vehicle dynamic system includes magnetic sensors mounted so as to sense the speed of rotation of the undriven wheels of a land vehicle and generate pulse chains in accordance therewith. These pulse chains are scaled and applied to an UP/DN counter. The output of the UP/DN counter is continuously compared with the magnetic heading information and the results of the comparisons control the gating of a trickle pulse addition to the scaled pulse chains applied to the UP/DN counter.

Abstract: Pneumatic apparatus for drawing binding strip from a stock roll, winding a length of the strip around a bunch of water cress, severing that length from the strip stock and twisting the ends of the length of strip together to form a tie around the bunch. The apparatus includes a two-armed lever. One of the arms is arcuate and has a profiled end which is adapted to engage the leading end of the length of strip and, as the lever is swung about its fulcrum, to push that leading end around the bundh into a bight in the periphery of an apertured disc. The trailing end of the length of strip is located within the aperture of the disc so that it is held from following the leading end. The disc is rotated to twist the two ends together and the lever is then swung back so that the other arm ejects the bound bunch from the apparatus.

Abstract: A thrust reverser suitable for reversing the flow direction of the fan air of a fan jet engine is disclosed. The thrust reverser comprises a cascade section and a fan duct blocker section. The cascade section includes a series of cascade elements mounted in a side-by-side manner about a portion of the engine nacelle for rotation through an arc of 90.degree. about longitudinal axes lying generally parallel to the direction of fan air flow. Each cascade element includes an inner panel, an outer panel, and a series of vanes located between the inner and outer panels. Rotation is between a closed position whereat the inner panel forms a portion of the fan air duct and the outer panel forms a portion of the outer surface of the nacelle, and an open position whereat the vanes define passageways adapted to reverse fan air flow i.e., direct fan air flow back toward the front of the engine.

Abstract: A switching control signal switches a pair of emitter coupled transistors via a drive circuit jointly connected to the base electrodes of the transistors so as to drive the base-to-emitter junctions between an "on" condition in which both base-to-emitter junctions are forward biased and an "off" condition in which both base-to-emitter junctions are reverse biased. In the "on" condition, the collectors of the transistors simulate closed relay contacts capable of conducting substantial current flow and in the "off" condition the collectors simulate open relay contacts capable of accomodating substantial standoff voltages. The drive circuit which controls the "on" and "off" conditions of the transistors includes separate turn "on" and turn "off" circuit paths for producing fast and uniform switching characteristics at the collectors.

Abstract: In an electrical load control system, method and apparatus are provided for selectively, individually connecting and disconnecting a plurality of loads to and from a power source. The loads are selectively connected (added), disconnected (shed), and reconnected (restored or added), in a predetermined sequence, wherein the ranking of the loads in such sequence is selectively rotated in a manner which results in a sharing of on and off time and an equalizing of wear among all of the loads. As an example of this operation, a load control system is disclosed in which the consumption of electrical power is varied by periodically shedding and adding individual loads in order to maintain the level of power usage below predetermined limits and yet make full use of the available power within such limits.

Abstract: Electrical wires and other continuous, elongate, flexible members having a three-dimensional exterior printing surface are marked with alpha-numeric characters by longitudinally feeding the wire past an electronically controlled ink jet printing head assembly that forms the characters by directing a positionable jet of ink onto the exterior surface of the wire. A wire feed transport receives the electrical wire from a storage reel and longitudinally feeds it through aligned guides establishing a wire guide path. The guide path carries the wire past a printing station at which the printing head assembly ejects a jet of electrostatically charged ink drops which are selectively deflected in a dimension transverse to the wire and in synchronism with the rate of longitudinal travel of the wire as established by the transport so that the ink drops impinge on the exterior three-dimensional wire surface in patterns which form the desired characters.

Abstract: Stepwise feed apparatus for longitudinal advancement of photographic print or film strips to an operating device, such as a cutter. Control of step feed distance is provided by a digital command derived by selective positioning of a movable cursor relative to the operating device, the cursor being set visually so as to coincide with a selected operating point along the strip. The command distance may be corrected at will either with the strip at rest or when in motion to accommodate changes in the interval between operating points along the strip.

Abstract: A metal preheating apparatus has a box-like structure including, a bottom, a top wall, a pair of sidewalls, and a pair of end walls forming an enclosed receptacle. Fluid channels are defined between the outer surfaces of a pair of inner walls spaced inwardly from the sidewalls and the inner surfaces of the sidewalls. The upper and lower edges of the inner walls terminate short of the top wall and short of the bottom to place the upper portion of the receptacle in fluid communication through the fluid channel with the lower portion of the receptacle. A horizontally, oriented, load supporting grate member is positioned intermediate these apertures and extends longitudinally between the end walls and transversely between the inner walls. The bottom of the structure is open. The top wall of the structure contains an upper door for charging scrap metal into the upper portion of the receptacle so that the scrap metal is supported by the grate member.

Abstract: Apparatus for gauging location of a movable element in relation to an end of an elongated impulse wave energy propagative member employing a sensing transducer adjacent one end of the member to sense first the direct impulse and thereafter the indirect impulse that is reflected from the opposite end. Processing of the sensing transducer responses and sequentially programmed digital measurement of time intervals associated with the duration and time relationship of such responses according to logic equations affords the desired location indication with automatic compensation for ambiently caused variations in shock wave propagation velocity in the member on repeating cycles of operation and with measurement accuracy independent of undue precision requirements in location of the sensing transducer in relation to the adjacent end of the member.

Abstract: An aerobic digestion process for reducing the solids content of an aqueous biodegradable organic sludge includes the steps of (a) introducing the sewage sludge into a vessel, the initial concentration of the total volatile organic solid in the sludge being less than about 2.5% by weight based on the total sludge present in the vessel, (b) maintaining the total volatile solids concentration at less than about 2.5% by weight; and (c) maintaining the temperature of the sludge in the vessel within the range of from about 38.degree. to about 46.degree. C. By processing the sludge according to the foregoing steps, including temperature maintenance within the foregoing critical limits and maintaining the total volatile solids concentration below the critical limit of about 2.5% by weight, the solids concentration of a sludge, such as a waste-activated sewage sludge, can be significantly reduced in a time period on the order of about three days.