Abstract: An attachment securable to the chuck of a hand-held power drill and adapted to clamp either a paint brush or a paint roller, so as to spin the same for cleaning by centrifugal force. The attachment is made of three separate parts, namely: a jaw unit, a sleeve and a cap nut, the latter provided with a spindle for insertion into the power tool chuck. The jaw unit includes a screw portion threaded within the cap nut and having a cylindrical extension in turn extended by a pair of spring jaws for receiving therebetween and clamping the narrower portion of a paint brush handle adjacent the brush bristles. A sleeve surrounds the arms of the two jaws and its opposite ends engage the cap nut and conical wedging surfaces of the jaw heads. Rotation of the cap nut with respect to the jaw unit causes axial movement of the sleeve which in turn causes retraction of the jaw to clamp the brush handle. The outer surface of the sleeve has paint roller clamping ribs to hold a paint roller around the sleeve.

Abstract: A double latch locking device for supporting a scaffolding in erected condition. The scaffolding comprises frames parallel to one another and supported vertically by crossrods having bored ends. The latter engage a short horizontal stem projecting from the interior plane of each frame, whereas a rigid arm projects above each of the stems parallel thereto. Two latches are pivoted independently of one another to a same pivotal axis located at the free end of the rigid arm, to move within the interior plane of the corresponding frame, and are adapted to releasably retain the stay rods to the frame in a limit locking position. The present device is characterized in that it enables the locking of a variable number of stay rods on the stem with a minimum of play; the first latch will retain for example up to three stay rods which would have been engaged on the stem, whereas the second latch will retain for example up to five stay rods.

Abstract: A ventilating device is removably placed on a baseboard heater having a heated air exit along the top front edge thereof. The ventilating device has a marginal slot forwardly extending above the air exit of the heater and has a blower fan sucking air from the marginal slot and expelling it through apertures in the upper front portion of the ventilating device. The front wall of the ventilating device extends below the top of the heater to prevent unheated ambient air from entering the fan. The blower fan is made of drums with end walls having fan blades and with air outlets around the periphery and with shield members around the drums so as to direct the air in the desired direction. The ventilating device is preferably provided with an air filter and a water reservoir and a water supply which may be removably mounted in the housing of the ventilating device.

Abstract: A bulldozer is provided with a ground scraping blade. The blade is supported to the chassis of the vehicle by a pivoted frame. The frame can be power displaced relative to the supporting chassis by a first pair of inclined rams, providing translational motion of the blade. A ram power displaces the blade in rotation relative to the pivoted frame. Another ram, extending vertically, interconnect the vertically spaced rear ends of a pair of helicoidal, diverging, sinusoidal arms forming part of the pivot frame with the front ends thereof anchored to the blade in horizontally spaced fashion. Extension of the latter ram induces relative motion of the pair of helicoidal arms so that one lateral side end of the blade will lift exclusively of the opposite lateral side end thereof.

Abstract: It is important healthwise to oxygenate water in swimming pools in order to kill the mainly anaerobic micro-organisms that may come to grow therein. Chemical agents are nowadays in current use, however, they are expensive, and also they do have damaging effects on the tissues of bathers particularly for the cornea. By mounting an oxygenating device at the water outlet of the recirculating system of the swimming pool, growth of anaerobic organisms is prevented. The present aerating device includes a spherical nozzle with a water flow channel, coupled to the recirculating system main water duct outlet, and a straw, engaging at one end transversely into the water flow channel and escaping at the opposite end above the water line. Ambient air is fed to and dissolved in the recirculated filtered water by the venturi effect generated by the forced circulation of water through the conventional recirculating water filtering system.

Abstract: Each panel of a garage door of the articulated type comprises a rigid metallic, rectangular frame including a pair of horizontal longer members and a pair of vertical shorter members rigidly interconnected. A casing surrounds the longer members and is made of two extruded sections, of synthetic material, which protrude laterally from the metallic frame and are interconnected to each other. The outer casing section carries weather strips for sealingly engaging the outer section of an adjacent panel. The outer casing section also carries retaining strips of J-shaped cross-section, which retain sheathing panes forming the main panel faces. These sheathing panes may be translucent or transparent, or may be opaque to conceal heat-insulating material which fills the panel inner space. Spaced upright mullions are disposed within the door panel and fixed to the horizontal frame members to provide anchors for the hinges which interconnect the panels.

Abstract: In a bowling game, an apparatus to automatically retrieve knocked down tenpins from the skittle alley, after each ball strike aimed thereat. The apparatus includes a series of cables each connected to the head of a corresponding one of the tenpins. The cables are connected to a computer controlled slider, guidingly carried by a horizontal rail and power driven in reciprocating motion by an endless belt. Once at least one tenpin is struck by a ball, all tenpins are lifted by their cables through actuation of the motor of the power driven endless belt. The slider then returns to its initial position, which will enable the cables to yield to the weight bias of their pins and therefore allow all of the latter--but for the knocked down tenpin--to fall back to their upstanding position on the skittle alley.

Abstract: The locking device locks the valve control lever in both its closed or open positions. It consists of a male part and a female part. The male part includes a lengthwise cavity, for flatly and freely receiving the valve lever, and a U-shape extension, transversely extending from one end of the male part main body. The female part defines a channel for sliding engagement by the interconnected male part and valve lever, to interlock same. A padlock interlocks the male and female parts by engaging registering ears thereof.

Abstract: The self-raising work platform assembly includes a pair of spaced towers adapted to be erected alongside a building structure, sleeve members surrounding and guided along the respective towers, joists extending between and releasably hooked to the sleeves, a flooring supported by the joists and chain blocks carried by the sleeves. The chains can be hooked to the tower to raise the sleeves, the joists and the flooring, to the level at which work on the building is to be effected.

Abstract: A refrigerator in which one of the horizontal grill-work shelves is replaced by a shallow, flat, water tank. The tank is supported by the same support brackets as the grill-work shelf it replaces. The tank bottom wall includes fore and aft extending grooves, for engagement by the support brackets. The upturned ledge at the free end of each support bracket engages a deeper groove portion at a front section of the main grooves, this groove portion extending short of the front edge of the tank. Thus, only partial forward withdrawal of the tank from the refrigerator chamber will be possible in the horizontal plane, accordingly with the play of the ledge along the deeper groove portion. This will prevent its accidental fall-out.

Abstract: Each vertically rotating blade of a wind-driven main rotor carries a secondary rotor oriented to be driven by the wind during its circular motion about the main rotor axis. The secondary rotors are thus exposed to a much increased relative wind speed and transmit torque to a rotary energy-producing device, such as an electric generator directly coupled to the shaft of the secondary rotor without the necessity of a speed-up transmission. Each secondary rotor may be located, in line with the chords of the main rotor blade, anywhere along said blade but, preferably, in the vicinity of the blade tip.

Abstract: The use of a sheet made of a polymer material, preferably polystyrene, having semi-flexible, thermally-insulating, hair-clinging, non porous, non slipping properties, as a dye-applying pad for hair highlighting. The polystyrene sheet defines one and another opposite flat portions merging about a fold line. A lock of hair is laid over one flat half portion of the sheet, and a fluid (e.g. gel, cream, or cream gel) dye solution including oxidizing means is applied to the lock of hair. The other flat half portion of the sheet then folded over and flatly compressed against the first portion of sheet to take the locks in sandwich for a sufficient development time to enable permanent hair coloring.

Abstract: A draining system for water which may collect between the upper and lower membranes of flat, horizontal or slightly sloped insulated roofs upon perforation of the upper membrane. The insulating panels located between the two membranes are provided at both their upper and lower faces with a network of intersecting grooves, and these networks communicate with each other through passages made through the insulating panels or constituted at the panel joints. A lower drain member is sealed to and opens above the lower membrane to drain any water having seeped under the broken or perforated upper membrane, so as to prevent deterioration of the insulating panels and water accumulation which may provoke considerable roof overload problems. In certain roof constructions, the network of upper grooves is not necessary.

Abstract: A node coupler for interlocking truss beams of a self-standing structure. The coupler includes at least one pair of diverging elongated arms. Each arm has a cylindrical inner end portion and a thin outer end portion, engaged into the cylindrical hollow of a given truss beam. A slit is made in the arm outer end portion, to release a spring-loaded U-shape clip. The U-clip has a transverse finger to engage a bore in the wall of the truss beam, under the bias of the clip spring load.

Abstract: A lift device for lifting the front or rear of a snowmobile. The lift is actuated by a pivoted handle bar, controlling a snowmobile chassis-engaging bracket through a parallelogram linkage. A non-hydraulic ram is connected to the parallelogram linkage wherein fluid pressure inside the ram cylinder builds up as the piston rod thereof retracts concurrently with the lowering of the raised snowmobile under the load of the descending snowmobile. A releasable lock about the inner end of the handle bar maintains the ram in loaded condition, until a vehicle is to be lifted. The power assist ram reduces by up to 90% the effort needed to pivot handle bar to lift the vehicle.

Abstract: A tool to assist a single worker of a car body reblocking workshop in installing a door or the like vehicle body part on a vehicle. The tool includes a wheeled base frame supporting three upright posts. Each vertical post carries a transverse horizontal arm. The two opposite end arms form support arms to support the bottom edge of the car door in upright position. The intermediate or body part stabilizing arm endwisely carries a discoid plate applied against the car body part, and from which project two opposite belts hooked at their outer ends to the opposite lateral side edges of the body part. Each support arm is controlled in elevation by an independent motor, while the stabilizing arm can be adjusted vertically and horizontally. Horizontal positioning is controlled along an azimuthal axis and can also pivot vertically.

Abstract: A closet, for use as a locker for storage of items such as clothing, school books and the like, consisting of: a closed, hollow, rigid frame, defining top, bottom and front walls, at least one door opening being made in the front wall; a rigid door for each door wall opening, the door being of substantially semi-cylindrical shape; a first disc rotatably mounted to the top wall by a first stem; a second disc rotatably mounted to the bottom wall by a second stem, the second stem being coaxial to the first stem. The door fixed to and surrounding about a half edgewise section of the discs. The door is rotatable about the coaxial items, between a closed position completely closing the door wall opening so as to be convex when viewed from the outside, and an open position substantially clearing the door wall opening. The door is releasably locked in its closed position, the discs and stems thereafter becoming beyond reach. The closet is characterized by its resistance to physical abuse.