Abstract: A shielded optical fiber adaptor for mounting in an opening of a conductive faceplate of electronic equipment. The adaptor has an insulative body with a conductive plate imbedded therein. The plate has an aperture within the body which allows passage of light from the optical fiber and extends outwardly of the body to contact the faceplate when the body is retained in the faceplate opening. The largest dimension of the plate aperture is no more than ten percent of the wavelength at the highest operating frequency of the electronic equipment.

Abstract: A connector having integrally formed walls and a cover enclosing wire receiving ends of terminals. The connector has openings along an edge which have resilient grommets installed therein. Each of the grommets includes a central web which is slit to allow wires connected to the terminal ends to be moved laterally into the center of the grommet and be conformably received therein.

Abstract: A building entrance box providing an interface between a signal transmission media cable having a first plurality of filamentary signal transmission elements and a second plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements. In a first embodiment, moisture infiltration is reduced by providing potting material in a transition region between a splice chamber of the box and a connector chamber of the box. In another embodiment, a plastic protector panel is specifically shaped to reduce condensation and to reduce the effects of any condensation. Modular protector panels mounted in the box are automatically grounded when mounted to a conductive chassis plate and are so arranged that input and output wires are isolated from each other.

Abstract: Structure for mounting a circuit card to a sheet metal wall includes upper and lower standoffs formed integrally with the wall. Each upper standoff extends a predetermined distance from the wall and is adapted to receive and hold a fastening member. Each lower standoff is formed integrally with the wall and includes a projection portion extending the same predetermined distance away from the wall and a hook portion having a support portion extending away from the projecting portion and a securement portion extending upwardly from the support portion and spaced from the projecting portion by a distance equal substantially to the thickness of the circuit card. Accordingly, a lower edge of the circuit card is supported by each lower standoff hook portion and fastening members are extended through holes in the circuit card to threadedly engage the upper standoffs.

Abstract: A building entrance box providing an interface between a signal transmission media cable having a first plurality of filamentary signal transmission elements and a second plurality of individual filamentary signal transmission elements. In a first embodiment, moisture infiltration is reduced by providing potting material in a transition region between a splice chamber of the box and a connector chamber of the box. In another embodiment, a plastic protector panel is specifically shaped to reduce condensation and to reduce the effects of any condensation. Modular protector panels mounted in the box are automatically grounded when mounted to a conductive chassis plate and are so arranged that input and output wires are isolated from each other.

Abstract: An electronics package consisting of a molded plastic body on a ceramic substrate is provided with a layer of a ceramic surrogate material on a surface of the plastic body opposite the ceramic substrate to reduce bending stress of the package. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the ceramic surrogate layer is less than that of the ceramic substrate. Equations are developed for determining an optimum thickness for the surrogate layer.

Abstract: A retainer for a circuit board test probe includes a unitary member in which the test probe is inserted. The retainer may then be plugged into a desired opening in a test fixture plate, with a circumferential bead on the retainer and a circumferential groove in the plate opening providing a snap-in feature. Inward compression of the retainer moves the bead out of the groove to allow the retainer to be removed from the plate opening.

Abstract: A diaphragm-type gas pressure regulator wherein the valve subassembly is constructed as a drop-in unit. The valve subassembly includes a diaphragm lever and a plunger valve. A seat disk is inserted in a cavity at a first end of the plunger valve and the rounded pivot end of the lever is inserted in a groove at the other end of the plunger valve. The plunger valve is then inserted into a valve guide and a lever pin is installed through the guide and the lever, thereby capturing the subassembly. This subassembly is then placed into the regulator body and a mounting plate of the valve guide is screwed down into the regulator body. The lever is lifted up and its actuator end is inserted through an opening at the bottom of the valve stem of the regulator's diaphragm assembly. An orifice member is then threadedly installed into the regulator body inlet, the end of the orifice member having a valve seat which becomes seated in the end of the plunger valve guide.

Abstract: A method and system for evaluating lead-acid battery jars in a battery backup or standby system applies, in a stepwise manner, a current load across a group of adjacent jars. Voltage measurements are taken across each jar in the group at various times during the application of the current load. These measurements are utilized to calculate the ohmic resistance, the charge transfer resistance and the double layer capacitance of each jar.

Abstract: A shielding and grounding assembly for conductive jacketed cables routed out of electronic equipment includes a conductive enclosure surrounding the equipment with circular openings to allow the cables to pass therethrough. Each circular opening is surrounded by a cylindrical flange. A flexible sheet formed of a conductive material is wrapped around the bundle of cables passing through each opening. The sheet is secured at a first end to the flange and at a second end to the bundle of cables.

Abstract: Secondary backplane boards are secured to a main backplane board to provide interconnection paths in a direction transverse to interconnection paths provided on the main backplane board, so that current manufacturing capabilities of multi-layer backplane boards are not exceeded.

Abstract: A lockable piano-type hinge assembly including a locking hinge piece in addition to two hinge pieces which include the hinge pin barrels. The hinge pin is secured to the locking hinge piece which has an opening aligned with a locking loop secured to one of the hinge pieces. When the hinge assembly is assembled, the locking loop extends through the opening of the locking hinge piece and a locking device is insertable through the locking loop to prevent relative movement of the locking hinge piece and removal of the hinge pin from the barrels.

Abstract: A construction and a method for measuring the clamping force exerted by a fastener securing together two bodies. The construction includes a piece of material the same as that of a first of the bodies and a stack of at least two pieces of the same material as the second body. The overall height of the stack is equal to the thickness of the second body. A fastener secures all the pieces together. By measuring the force required to move a piece of the stack relative to the other pieces of the stack, an indication of the force exerted by the fastener is provided.

Abstract: A temperature compensating device for optical fiber gratings includes first and second expansion members having different coefficients of thermal expansion. The expansion members are elongated in a direction parallel to the fiber grating and levers are secured to both ends of the expansion members. Each lever has a first end flexibly secured to a respective end of the first expansion member and a middle portion flexibly secured to a respective end of the second expansion member. The other end of each lever is secured to a respective end of the fiber grating. The expansion members, the levers and the fiber grating all lie substantially in a single plane. There is also disclosed a package for holding four of the temperature compensating devices in two rows of two devices each, with their fiber gratings adjacent each other so that when viewed in a plane orthogonally to the longitudinal axes of the fiber gratings, the fiber gratings are each at a respective corner of a rectangle.

Abstract: An RJ11 customer bridge assembly having a cover member for selectively closing a plug-receiving cavity and preventing unauthorized removal of the assembly from a building entrance protector box by blocking movement of a releasable latch member. Contaminated protective gel in the cavity is easily replaced by opening the cover member and blowing out the contaminated gel.

Abstract: A safety device for a platform cable hoist within a latticework tower including a plurality of skid members which are flexed inwardly when there is tension from a lift cable. Brake members are secured to the skid members and, in the event the cable fails, the skid members deflect outwardly so that the brake members, which have hook portions at their upper ends, engage transverse braces of the tower. Between the hook portions and the skid members, the brake members are formed with an energy absorbing portion which absorbs kinetic energy from the falling platform to slow and stop its descent.

Abstract: A test fixture for the vibration testing of pole-mounted apparatus includes a short length of pole hingedly supported on a vibration shake table, with the apparatus undergoing testing being secured to the pole. The end of the pole opposite its hinged mounting is coupled via a spring assembly to a rigid member secured to the shake table. Adjusting the spring constants "tunes" the response of the pole section to simulate a full size pole.

Abstract: A self-sealing pressure valve assembly which eliminates O-rings by providing a tapered annular projection on one side of a wall closely surrounding an opening through which the valve is installed. A complementary engaging projection is provided on a locking member of the valve assembly. In addition, the wall opening and the valve body are tapered on the side opposite the projections. Thus, the projections provide a seal on one side of the wall and the tapers provide a seal on the other side of the wall when the locking member fully engages the valve body, as by threads.

Abstract: A hoist mechanism for raising and lowering a platform within the interior of a tower and confined within the tower interior. In a first illustrative embodiment, a motor driven worm gear drives rubber coated wheels that are spring loaded to apply pressure to vertical tower members.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for correcting the curl in drying and dried paper is presented wherein high velocity hoods are used in combination with drying cylinders. In addition, the use of impingement drying hoods provide a means to correct for variations in the moisture profile of the paper. High velocity hoods can be located in the drying section of a paper machine to compensate for uneven drying by paper cylinders.