Abstract: This invention provides an elastomeric compressible mixture having the compressible properties of a rubber or rubber-like compound with the heat characteristics of a conductive metal member. This compound material is made of two parts tetrafluoro ethylene powder and the remainder about seventy-five parts of heat-conductive metal powder such as aluminum powder and twenty-five parts silicone rubber. This compound is attached as a flat sheet to a conductive metal backup member or may be a cover for a conductive metal roll. This mixture is used to accommodate irregular thicknesses of thermoplastic films. This elastomeric mixture as a material is used with heat and pressure to effect a seal of the heated thermoplastic film to an adjacent film.

Abstract: This invention discloses a forming roller used in the production of air packaging or dunnage. This forming roller receives heated thermoplastic film brought to the peripheral surface and with vacuum draws this softened film into formed cavities to provide bubbles or blisters in said film. The roller is made of a rapid heat-conducting metal such as aluminum. A shaft providing stiffness is inserted in the roller and fluid conduits in the shaft ends communicate with a counterbore formed in both ends of the roller. Fluid-conducting passageways are drilled in this roller and carry controlled-temperature fluid from one end of the roller to the other. In this same roller is formed vacuum-conducting drilled holes that communicate with the multiplicity of formed pockets in the peripheral surface of the roller. A collector shoe having an arc-shaped cavity is disposed to engage at one time about one-half of the vacuum conductors and is disposed to carry vacuum to these conductors as the roller is turned.

Abstract: There is depicted and claimed "on demand" apparatus and method for producing air-cushioning material for end-user manufacture. There are two arrangements and both provide economy of apparatus, space, labor and materials. Two thermoplastic film strips are carried from roll storage means to this air-cushioning forming means whereat the webs of film are locally heat-sealed together. A first film is fed to a heated roll whereat this film is heated sufficiently to be thermoformed on a cooled roll with cavities formed therein. These cavities are manifold-connected to a source of vacuum which draws the heated film into the formed cavities. The second strip of film is fed to another heated roll having a resilient covering material with thermoconductive metal powder as a substantial component, thus providing sufficient thermoconductivity and resilience to heat-seal or weld this second film to those areas around the cavities formed in the first film.

Abstract: A digital readout and display adapted for use with a tank of oxygen under pressure provides pressure regulation, discerning of the pressure in the tank and consumption of the oxygen. A small battery within a case member powers this display. The readout device includes a gauge with a movable element responsive to pressure. An S-shaped rod is carried by and fixed to this shaft. This rod is very light in weight and in a secured condition is free at both ends to prevent friction of moving parts. The discharge end of this light-conducting rod comes in way of a light receiver carried by the body of the gauge. There is a multiplicity of receivers arrayed in a circular pattern near the edge of the gauge body and the light from this rod actuates a reed switch which sends an electrical signal to a microprocessor thence to an LED digital display. A single emitter may be used to send light through three rods each of which is carried by a gauge-type device.

Abstract: This invention pertains to apparatus for processing end-taped electronic components. This apparatus provides means for high-speed trimming, bending, or combinations thereof, of the leads of these components. The dies as assembled portions are carried in blocks for easy removal from reciprocated slide members. Left- and right-hand die assemblies are carried in by blocks removably attached to slide members mounted in groove portions of a support block. This support block may be moved by screw threads on a shaft to provide desired fine adjustment of the trimming of the leads. Barrel-type eccentric cams are carried on this apparatus and are moved in timed relationship to each other and the motor drive. Each of these eccentric cams engages and reciprocably drives box-like follower members which move a slide member, and an associated die block and die assembly. The driven sprocket is positioned between and adjacent the reciprocated die assemblies at the processing station.

Abstract: This invention provides an apparatus and method of setting up apparatus for the automatic cutting and/or shaping of IC components carried in a tubular carrier and advanced for processing by gravity. A base plate is disposed at an angle of approximately forty degrees to the horizontal and provides a supporting means for gravitational feeding of these components from a removable U-shaped retainer to a guide and then to a die station. At this die station a resiliently tired feed wheel engages the body of the IC component which is metered and advanced with an intermittent motion. This motion is provided in a timed relationship with two rotating shafts which have pins moved in a precise orbit around a shaft centerline. These pins are one-hundred-eighty degrees out-of-phase with each other. The rotated feed wheel and attached tire are intermittently moved in a strict timed relationship to the movement of the two shafts by a one-way clutch driven by one of the shafts and by an eccentrically moved Pitman arm.

Abstract: There are depicted, described and claimed an apparatus and method for receiving and transporting tray blanks of corrugated cardboard. Cutouts provide means for bending of flap portions of the blank which form the outer retaining walls or members. Asjustment is provided for the frame support and for the size of the tray as to its width, length and sidewall height. The tray blanks are advanced forwardly to and into a hopper where the lowermost tray blank is withdrawn from a stacked array by a plurality of vacuum cups carried by and on arms. The tray is erected on a reciprocably-moved table by apparatus whereat the back edge portion is brought to a normal position, then the partially erected tray is filled with containers brought by conveyors and said containers are inserted by pushers. The forward end of the tray is brought to a substantially vertical condition by Y-fingers. The rear inner side flaps are moved to a position against the containers by pivoted finger mechanism.

Abstract: An emergency exit sign auxiliary lamp flashing system operates from self-contained rechargeable batteries upon failure of the electrical power from the AC power mains supplying power to the exit sign, including a charging circuit for recharging the batteries, with provisions for preventing overcharging and for disconnecting the load from the batteries before the battery voltage drops to a level which would impair its service life. Included is a solid state circuit which provides for automatically exercising and self-testing the proper functioning of the system to ensure its being serviceable when called upon to function during a power failure by periodically simulating the effect of a failure of AC power and verifying that the battery, lamp and flashing circuit operate normally or signalling a visual and/or audible alarm if they fail to operate properly.

Abstract: An upstacker jaw clamp and palletizer apparatus in which containers are fed one at a time to an upstacker station and an elevating platform whereat these containers are lifted and at the extreme lift are retained by opposed jaw clamps. These jaw clamps are moved substantially simultaneously to and from retaining condition in response to electronic control signals. The jaw clamps carry pins that are reciprocably retained in bores with forward movement provided by a bias. When a round metal container is palletized, each jaw clamp has two substantially alike pins with blunted forward ends. When the container is plastic with a contoured bottom, the pins are threaded and retain a contoured member. No matter the container shape, the jaw, when moved forwardly, causes the lip portion to move under the elevated container with the pin ends, the contoured member, or the plate disposed immediately above the lip portion and biased forwardly to engage the side walls of the container.

Abstract: A method is described for coating a hydrophobic filter membrane so as to render said membrane hydrophilic. This method is particularly for treating polypropylene or polytetrafluoroethylene in which the filter membrane is contemplated to have a pore size not larger than two (2) microns. The treating solution has Triethanolamine Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) as the active ingredient. This treatment may use heated air (125.degree. to 200.degree. F.) as a drying assist which renders the membrane to have a substantially instantaneous "wet-out".

Abstract: A catheter system is provided for the introduction and placement of a flexible catheter into the lumen of an artery or vein. A guide wire is provided and is kept in a sterile condition within a flexible bag-like enclosure attached to the hub of a needle. The needle cannula is hollow and is sharpened in the usual manner and is secured in a hub to provide a needle assembly. This hub is provided with a skirt and the cannula extends through this hub and into flow communication with a "flashback" indicator. In one embodiment the cannula is formed with a transverse hole near its interior end and in the other embodiment the cannula's inner end is in flow communication with a channel and then to a longitudinal or annular groove in a centering plug. In every embodiment there is a centering plug which provides a guideway for the guide wire which is positioned in this guideway to prevent fluid flow. The guidewire is manipulated forwardly into the lumen after penetration has been made as indicated by the "flashback".

Abstract: A flowable concrete delivery apparatus is provided in which both rigid and flexible pipe is connected in an end-to-end relationship to provide a high pressure conduit. These lengths of pipe are connected by clamps, each clamp being fixedly secured to a skid that provides a sliding protector for the clamp and prevents unwanted opening and damage to the clamp. The pipe lengths are carried by freely rotating wheels, each having a sleeve that provides a free fit on the outer diameter of a pipe length. The conduit is moved by a hook tool, this tool having one end formed with a handle and the other end with a bifurcated hook that is contoured to releaseably engage the outer diameter of a pipe. An attendant manipulates and moves this hook tool to position and arrange the conduit pipe in the desired delivery position. Although a great convenience, the hook tool is not required by the attendant in every instance as the wheels enable the attendant to grasp and move the pipe conduit when the occasion arises.

Abstract: This douche nozzle provides a linear valve which is constructed in the stem of the nozzle. This valve is closed to fluid flow when in the outer position and is open in the inner condition. The valve is made with telescoping tubular portions and a stop means is provided so that the linear valve is not accidently moved from its fluid flow stop condition and position. This nozzle is used with a collapsed flexible bag whose open end is fed through a tubular collar and the end of this bag is reversed with a short end portion brought along the outer surface of the collar. The nozzle has an enlarged end and a skirt portion which mates with and mounts on the outer portion of the collar so as to retain this bag with the nozzle.

Abstract: This invention shows a sterile connection device as made in several embodiments but with a common purpose in which a protector may be pierced, penetrated or opened by pressurized fluid flow by means carried on a influent connector member but with the withdrawal of this means the protector is closed to the passage of unwanted contaminents. The influent connector may be conduit, a syringe or a like member with or without a needle, or a influent connector made as a molding and with or without a needle. The protector, if resilient, may be a secured diaphragm; a duckbill valve, or a slit in a resilient wall of a tubular member removably mountable on an extending tubular end of a effluent connector. The influent connector and the effluent connector are formed of plastic with molding processes providing the desired tolerances.

Abstract: This invention pertains to pins carried by and in a retainer head member with the pins actuated when and as the head member and an associated contact member reaches the outermost portion of a paperboard member whereat the pins are caused to move obliquely to this surface and penetrate the paperboard sufficiently to engage and retain the paperboard. These pin ends by latch members are maintained in the desired penetrating position during transfer. This latch is actuated to release the projected pins when transfer is completed. The paperboard is conventionally of corrugated paperboard construction and the extent of pin end protrusion is carefully controlled so that the pin ends in the penetrating position do not protrude and penetrate the rear panel or wall of the paperboard so that only one penetrated paperboard member is transferred. The embodiments shown are adapted for use with paperboard which is not supple or flexible as is cloth or leather.

Abstract: The several embodiments illustrated in the FIGS. show welding apparatus for joining a plurality of plies of laminar thermoplastic materials held in and by gripping apparatus such as clamp jaws or belts. The weld is made by locally melting said plies by heating their protruding edges to a determined degree and for a determined period of time. Heat is brought into close proximity to the melt area and the gripping means provides a cooling means for the gripped plies of film. The completed welds are then cooled. The welding apparatus may be applied to material plies to seal their edges, or to seal the plies intermediate their edges. The welding is also shown as produced by continuous means and a heated ribbon may provide the severing means.