Abstract: An improved flexible blanket heater includes a thin, normally flat flexible blanket of elastic dielectric material having a high modulus of elasticity and defining top and bottom surfaces. An elongate flexible resistance element of an alloy having a lower modulus of elasticity than said dielectric material and positioned within and arranged to extend about and throughout the plane of the blanket. The blanket has welts at its top and bottom surfaces adjacent and coextensive with the element. The welts establish curved compacted element supporting masses about the inside circumference of the element when the blanket is bent and which serve to limit bending of the element to radii at which the modulus of elasticity of the element is not exceeded. The blanket includes flexible fabric reinforcements at its surfaces which prevent free elastic flow and displacement of the dielectric material and assure compacting of that material about the inside circumference of bends at the welts.

Abstract: An elongate fuel cell with anode and cathode chambers. A fuel supply delivers a hot fuel gas mixture of steam and methanol or methane to the anode chamber. A catalytic reformer in the anode chamber reforms the fuel gas to hydrogen and carbon dioxide. A hydrogen-permeable anode in the anode chamber is premeated by and diffuses the hydrogen to hydrogen ions and free electrons. A catalytic cathode in the cathode chamber receives hydrogen ions from the anode and is supplied with oxygen from the air. A di-electric, hydrogen-ion-permeable separator is positioned between the anode and the cathode to stop movement of electrons and permit movement of hydrogen ions therebetween. An external electric circuit is connected with and extends between the anode and cathode and conducts the free electrons from the anode to the cathode. The hydrogen ions, oxygen and electrons in the cathode react to produce the by-products, heat and water.

Abstract: A unitary back-pack air supply to supply air to a pneumatic hand tool. The back-pack includes a substantially flat, rectilinear frame defining an air supply chamber and substantially flat vertical front and rear planes. Shoulder and waist straps are connected with the frame to extend over the shoulders and about the waist of a wearer and to support the frame at the wearer's back. A heat and sound insulating and vibration dampening back engaging panel is carried by the frame at the front plane thereof. A mounting plate is positioned rearward of the rear plane of the frame and is connected thereto by shock mounting devices. An engine driven air compressor unit is mounted on the plate to project rearwardly therefrom. An air supply line connects the unit with the chamber of the frame. An elongate flexible air delivery line connects with and extends between the frame and a pneumatic tool engaged in one hand of the wearer.

Abstract: An electro-chemical electric power generating apparatus characterized by first and second electro-chemical fuel cells. Each cell includes a case containing spaced anode and cathode plates, an electrolyte between the plates and an external electric circuit connected therebetween. The apparatus next includes a steam-methane reformer to reform steam and methane to hydrogen enriched gas fuel. The cathode and anode fuels of the first cell are methanol and hydrogen and the byproducts of chemical reaction thereof are water and methane gas. The cathode and anode fuels of the second cell are oxygen and hydrogen and the byproduct of chemical reaction thereof is water. The methane gas byproduct of the first cell and the water byproduct of both cells are conducted to the steam-methane reformer and are reformed thereby into hydrogen enriched fuel gas which is conducted to and feeds the anodes of both of the cells.

Abstract: Improvements in standard planing knife holders for standard disposable double-edged planing knives which include spring means carried by the holders to engage the bottoms of related knife-receiving channels in related planing knife driving shafts to normally yieldingly urge the holders and their related knives radially outward in the channels and relative to related screw actuated clamping bars within said channels and engaging the holders and knives. An improvement comprises permanent magnets carried by the holders with south poles spaced from opposing rear surfaces of related channels and with north poles contacting and holding the knives assembled with the holders. The improvements also include secondary permanent magnets carried by the holders with south poles spaced from the knives and clamping bars and north poles contacting and holding the holders on said rear surfaces.

Abstract: A gas fueled fuel cell including spaced anode and cathode electrode parts defining anode and cathode gas chambers, means to conduct anode and cathode fuel gases into the chambers and a unit between the parts and separating the chambers. Said unit includes spaced rigid gas and liquid permeable anode and cathode laminates with outer surfaces disposed toward the anode and cathode chambers. Said outer surfaces have catalytic material deposited thereon and establish chemically reactive interfaces between the laminates and their related chambers. The outer surfaces are covered with gas permeable hydrophobic barriers. The cell next includes spacer means between the laminates including a layer of gas and liquid permeable dielectric material. Finally, the cell includes an ion permeable electrolyte compound between spaced opposing inner surfaces of the gas and liquid permeable laminates.

Abstract: A normally flat horizontal blanket-type waterbed heater unit having top and bottom laminates of thin flexible dielectric sheet plastic material and an elongate electric resistance element arranged and sealingly engaged between the laminates. A power supply cord connects with opposite ends of the element and extends from the unit. The unit further includes a normally open safety switch connected with and between related ends of sections of the element. The switch includes spaced terminals atop the bottom laminate, a contact bar above the terminals and below the top laminate and a resilient insulating support part between the laminates and adjacent the terminals and bar. The part normally yieldingly holds the bar and adjacent portion of the top laminate spaced above the terminals. The unit is arranged atop a water bed mattress supporting platform and below the bottom wall of a sheet plastic waterbed mattress bladder.

Abstract: An improved cutting mechanism for a pole pruner; the cutting mechanism includes a head mounted on the upper end of an elongate vertical pole. The head has an upwardly, radially forwardly and downwardly turned, recurvant, work-engaging hook defining a downwardly and laterally opening hook opening with an inner shearing edge. An elongate normally vertically extending cutting blade is normally positioned adjacent one side of the hook and is pivotally mounted at its upper end to pivot forwardly and upwardly across the hook opening. The cutting blade has an elongate actuating lever normally projecting upwardly and rearwardly from its upper end. The lever arm is pivoted rearwardly and downwardly by manually applied force to pivot the blade from its normal position across the hook opening.

Abstract: An orthopedic implant device is provided for bringing portions of a fractured bone into proper alignment and abutment. The device is an elongate generally cylindrical unit surgically implanted within living bone with a fractured portion and includes a plurality of pivotally mounted struts which are deployed within the cancellous material of the bone distant from said fractured portion thereof. The struts are pivotally deployed radially outwardly until anchoring contact with the interior surface of the surrounding cortex of the distant portion of the fractured bone is established. The components of the device maintain a force urging the portions of the bone defining the fracture toward each other. When the device is to be removed from the bone, the struts can be collapsed so that the device can be withdrawn.

Abstract: The combination of a brassiere with a pair of laterally spaced, forwardly projecting, rearwardly opening, concavo, convex breast receiving cups of flexible fabric and force receiving and distributing reinforcing inserts removably engaged within the lower quadrant portions of said cups and below a wearer's breasts engaged therein. The inserts include elongate, laterally extending, flexible fabric panels with upper forward and lower rear edges, force receiving and distributing bases at and along said lower rear edges and pluralities of laterally spaced, elongated, flexible, resilient reinforcing stays carried by the panels with upper ends adjacent said upper forward edges of the panels and lower rear ends at the lower rear edges of the panels and in force transmitting relationship with said bases.

Abstract: A motor-driven adjustable mounting structure for satellite T.V. dish antennae which operates to scan an in line of sight segment of a geostationary T.V. relay satellite orbit belt. The mounting structure includes a vertical mounting post, a universal levelling structure atop the post, a vertically extending body pivotally carried by the levelling structure on a horizontal axis, a head structure rotatably carried by and projecting upwardly from the body and including an antenna carrier structure carrying the antenna with its axis normal to the vertical axis of the body and turning axis of the head.

Abstract: A wind-powered prime mover comprising a pair of elongate, vertically extending, laterally spaced parallel rotors with a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially outwardly projecting circumferentially and longitudinally extending vanes. The rotors are arranged so that the vanes of each rotor projects between adjacent pairs of vanes of the other rotor as the rotors rotate. The rotors are rotatably supported atop a turn-table which turns to dispose the lateral plane on which the axes of the rotors occur at right angle to prevailing wind. Wind directing shrouds are engaged about the lateral outside halves of the rotors and function to direct wind from said outer halves of the rotors laterally inward toward and between the lateral inner halves of the rotors. The windward sides of the shrouds define a wind gate through which wind moves into engagement with the rotors and are pivotally movable to increase and decrease the lateral extent of the wind gate to throttle the wind, as desired.

Abstract: A device for tensioning and extending an elongate helical tension spring, one end of which is anchored and the other free end of which is disposed toward and spaced from a structure to which the spring is to be connected. The device includes a frame with a spring engaging saddle engageable with a side of the spring, between the ends thereof. The device next includes an elongate flexible girdle with one end anchored to the frame extending about the spring and having the other end releasably coupled to the frame. The device next includes a manually rotatable winch drum carried by the frame, a manually operable ratchet releasably stopping rotation of the drum and an elongate tow line with one end portion connected with and wound about the drum and its other end portion extending to and releasably coupled to the structure to which the spring is to be connected.

Abstract: An adjustable fence structure in combination with the work supporting table of a power tool. The fence structure is a parallogram frame structure including elongate, parallel mounting and fence rails and a pair of elongate, parallel links spaced longitudinally of, extending between and pivotally connected with said rails. The fence structure includes a locking device to releasably lock the rails and links against pivotal movement with said rails in set lateral spaced parallel relationship and which includes an elongate lock bar with one end pivoted to the fence rail and its other end portion pivotally and slidably connected with the mounting rail with the longitudinal axis of the bar angularly related to the longitudinal axes of the rails and links. The locking device includes a screw part to releasably clamp the bar in set position on the mounting rail.