Abstract: For use in a suspended ceiling system a pair of beams joinable end to end in aligned relation, each of the beams having a vertical web and lower flange at right angles thereto. The beams have identically formed end portions each terminating in a horizontal tongue integral with the web. Each web has formed therein a window having an inwardly spaced "locking" edge and having a vertical dimension just slightly greater than the height of the tongue. Each of the tongues is notched and bent along its upper and lower edges to form a pair of integral hooks. The tongues are sufficiently straight with respect to the plane of the web so that when a tongue is received in the window of the companion beam it bears with resilient lateral force against the far edge of the window, insuring that the hooks "catch" behind the locking edge to a desired depth.

Abstract: A rotary mower having a drive assembly which provides automatic de-clutching and prompt braking of the mower blade to a stop when the device is left unattended, while the engine keeps running. A blade carrier is mounted on an anti-friction bearing at the lower end of the drive shaft. A driving hub is secured to the drive shaft at a level above the anti-friction bearing. A shiftable shell of upwardly facing bowl shape surrounds the drive hub and defines a clutch space. Mounted on the hub in the clutch space is a stack of clutch discs made up of a set of driving discs keyed to the hub and an interposed set of driven discs keyed to the interior of the shell. The blade holder is keyed to the lower surface of the shell. A set of springs on the blade holder urges the shell upwardly in a direction to apply clutching pressure to the discs for driving of the blade. The shell has an annular lip or flange around its upper edge having a friction surface thereon.

Abstract: A solenoid for an electric starting motor housed in a generally cylindrical plastic cup. A pair of diametrically arranged fixed contacts penetrate the end wall, forming binding posts for a load circuit. A magnetic sub-assembly is provided consisting of an armature and wound bobbin surrounded by a hollow magnetic annulus having axial clearance openings. A movable contact sub-assembly includes a conductive disc mounted on an axial plunger which is seated against the armature. The disc has, on its opposite side, a return spring. When control current is applied the armature is sucked into the annulus overcoming the force of the return spring and shifting the conductor disc into seated engagement with the fixed contacts thereby completing the load circuit. The disc and fixed contacts both have substantial axial and radial thickness providing high heat capacity as well as high conductivity for prompt dissipation of heat.

Abstract: A rectangular metal cabinet of the panel type intended for sale and transport in a knocked-down condition for assembly with self-tapping screws penetrating the mated edges of the panels. The rear panel has flanges along its lateral edges and the side panels have flanges along their front edges, the flanges being of the box type to impart torsional rigidity at the four upright corners of the cabinet and to receive as well as shield and conceal the tips of the self-tapping screws. The cabinet has one or more rectangular shelves dimensioned to extend to the walls thereof, with the upright flanges being notched out at shelf level by an amount equal to the thickness dimension of the shelf to enable engagement between the edges of the shelf and the walls of the cabinet as well as support for the shelf in the vertical direction. The rear panel consists of left and right-hand sections which are symmetrical and of identical width having box type flanges at their central edges joined in abutting relation.

Abstract: A deck construction for a rotary mower which includes a shallow cylindrical blade housing with horizontal aprons extending fore and aft therefrom. Integral wheel supporting plates extend vertically along the respective lateral edges of the aprons and at right angles thereto. Each wheel supporting plate has a cantilevered tip portion which extends to the sidewall of the blade housing and which is welded to the sidewall at a region which is spaced substantially upwardly from the lower edge of the housing. The tip portion of each blade supporting plate is of flaring shape defining a generally triangular relief space thereunder and so that the plate forms a downwardly angled brace between housing and apron. The wheel supporting plates and apron are mutually reinforced by a narrow flange extending continuously around the edges thereof between the welded tip portions.

Abstract: A chain saw having a housing in the form of a plastic shell of structural foam fully open on one of its lateral sides to expose a central chamber. The chain saw includes an integral motion assembly formed of an engine, a blade mounting bracket, forwardly projecting blade and driven cutter chain. A mounting plate is secured to the underside of the engine, the plate being formed of a thin plate of metal having substantially parallel front and rear edges received in front and rear grooves within the shell, the central chamber being sized to receive the engine so that the engine and mounting plate may be slid into seated but floating position in the chamber in the manner of a drawer. Resilient connectors interposed between the engine mounting plate and the shell and interposed between the blade mounting bracket and the shell hold the motion assembly in seated position.

Abstract: A suspended ceiling system including a main beam formed with a vertically extending rectangular window and a pair of cross beams intended to abut the main beam in alignment with one another at the window. The cross beams, which are identical, have at each end a pair of longitudinally extending vertically spaced tongues integral with the web thereof, the tongues being spaced and laterally offset in opposite directions from the plane of the associated web to such degree that the diagonally measured distance between the upper edge of the upper tongue and the lower edge of the lower tongue is equal to the diagonal dimension of the window so that, when the tongues of the mated cross beams are inserted into the window from opposite sides to seated positions, the tongues of the cross beams mutually overlap one another for snug occupation of all four corners of the window opening.

Abstract: A rotary mower having an inverted housing with a discharge opening formed in the rear surface thereof, the opening having a cover plate which is hinged at the rear edge of the housing and biased into a normally closing position. The plate has a pair of integral arms projecting beyond the hinge at its lateral edges. A pair of parallel guide plates are secured to the housing in positions closely alongside the respective arms, the guide plates having angled but parallel slots extending forwardly and downwardly therein. A grass catcher is provided having a mouth dimensioned to receive the cover plate and including a support bar spaced horizontally above the mouth, the support bar, upon insertion into the slots, serving to engage the arms for progressively swinging of the cover plate into a horizontally extending position within the catcher.

Abstract: A power lawn mower having a transversely arranged tubular grip for manual control rockable forwardly from a reference position to adjust a power control member. The grip is of oval cross section dimensioned to fit the grasp of the operator's hands. When the grip is in reference position the long dimension of the oval is angled rearwardly and downwardly so as to be substantially parallel to the operator's palms in a natural grasping position, so that the operator can sense by the orientation of his hands the neutral, or starting, position of the power control member and, upon forward rocking, the degree of departure from neutral position. A safety latch is provided for securely latching the grip in its reference position. A latch-releasing trigger on the grip is positioned to be manually engageable by at least one hand of the operator incident to grasping the grip for releasing the latch and thereby releasing the grip for forward rocking movement.

Abstract: A chain saw having a housing in the form of a plastic shell of structural foam fully open on one of its lateral sides to expose a central chamber. The chain saw includes an integral motion assembly formed of an engine, a blade mounting bracket, forwardly projecting blade and driven cutter chain. A mounting plate is secured to the underside of the engine, the plate being formed of a thin plate of metal having substantially parallel front and rear edges received in front and rear grooves within the shell, the central chamber being sized to receive the engine so that the engine and mounting plate may be slid into seated but floating position in the chamber in the manner of a drawer. Resilient connectors interposed between the engine mounting plate and the shell and interposed between the blade mounting bracket and the shell hold the motion assembly in seated position.

Abstract: A luggage construction in which opposed shells are fitted with mated valances, one of the valances having a flat seating surface with an adjacent first wall and the other valance presenting a second wall parallel to the first so that the valances, in mating engagement, define an outwardly facing channel. Seated in the channel is a mounting member in the form of a flat strip having at its ends relatively thick retaining portions and a thin center portion resulting in a central recess of rectangular shape having opposed end walls. The end walls are formed with overhangs. A lens of matching rectangular shape has its ends in keyed engagement with the overhangs to permit the lens to be pressed laterally edgewise into seated position when the luggage is open. The presented second wall of the channel serves to obstruct the adjacent lateral edge of the lens when the luggage is closed to preclude removal of the lens as long as the luggage is in locked condition.

Abstract: A tube and ball truss system for making a structural lattice which includes a plurality of hollow metal balls spaced in a three-dimensional array, each ball having a set of radial through-openings as well as an access opening on one side, adjacent ones of the balls being interconnected by metal tubes having an outer cylindrical wall and a central axially extending core joined by integral webs, the ends of the core having axially tapped holes engageable by clamping bolts extending through the through-openings in the balls. The ball surface is locally flattened to form land surfaces surrounding the through-openings for flat seating of the end surfaces of the tubes; indeed, the land surfaces are recessed to provide shallow socketed engagement and precise alignment with the ends of the tubes.

Abstract: A cutter pin for mounting on a mower disc having a keyed radial socket with a curved backstop adjacent thereto, the pin being tapered from shank to tip portion in the vertical plane but with the top portion having substantially the same maximum width as the shank in the horizontal plane to provide a flattened blade-like structure with generally parallel lateral edges. The pin is formed integrally of durable plastic having substantially the characteristics of nylon so that it stands out from the periphery in radially self-supporting position with sufficient stiffness for the cutting of grass as the disc rotates.

Abstract: A cutter disc assembly for a rotary lawn mower in which the disc has a circular central portion and a peripheral portion with a shallow vertical wall in between. Radial openings are provided in the wall in register with radial grooves formed in the underside of the peripheral portion. A plastic pin is in register with each opening, with the shank of the pin occupying the associated groove and with a stiffly resilient tip portion projecting beyond the periphery of the disc into cutting engagement with the grass. Each groove has a curved rear wall against which the pin bends as the projecting tip of the pin strikes an obstruction as well as a curved front wall against which the pin bends upon rebound, the curved walls being of outwardly flaring shape thereby to support the shank of the pin substantially free of concentrated stress. Each groove has, in addition, a bridge or "ceiling" which serves as a guide surface to hold the pin in a downwardly-angled working position and to provide frictional damping.