Abstract: There is disclosed an improved form of folding arms in a tray packaging wrapping machine that elevates a tray of meat or other product causing it to be wrapped on top and sides by a sheet of stretchable PVC film after which arms fold the edges of the film underneath the tray; wherein the improved folding arms move with nonrotational motion from opposing edges of the tray toward the center of the tray. Said arms have a film-engaging edge portion with a length substantially less than the width of the film sheet being folded, this edge portion being defined by an indentation in the outline of the arm at each end of the edge portion; the depth of the indentations are about 10% to about 50% of the length of the film-engaging edge portion and the transition between the film-engaging edge portion and the indentations is curved with a radius of curvature of about one-half inch.

Abstract: Decoding apparatus is disclosed providing desirable multichannel separation among various signals received in a channel pair and distinguished by relative phase and amplitude, including re-distribution of output vs. input signal nulls or positions on the "phase-amplitude sphere." Disclosed separation enhancement circuits are characterized by improved economy and signal purity. Enhancement is preferably controlled within the circuit by combination of gain-controlled enhancement signals with fixed matrix signals in summing amplifiers or the like. In some embodiments the enhancement signal for one output channel is modified to produce a different enhancement signal for a different output channel. In such separation enhancement, alternatives to the preferred-embodiment variable-gain element may include such commercial devices as expander or noise-reduction chips.

Abstract: There is disclosed a ground wheel takeoff drive system for fertilizer spreaders or the like including a gearbox being adapted to reside at least partly inside one of the speader's pneumatic tire and wheel cavities and having a hollow shaft journalled therein through which passes the axle on which the tire and wheel is mounted. The hollow shaft is secured to rotate with the ground wheel and a restraining element causes the gearbox to be restrained from rotation. The gearbox has a sprocket which is geared to be driven from the rotating hollow shaft, a remote control cable arrangement is connected to a gear lever on the gearbox which slides a driven gear in and out of engagement with a gear secured to the hollow shaft so that the gearbox sprocket motion may be disabled or enabled from a remote position; a sprocket chain is provided with suitable idlers for driving a sprocket wheel connected in a conventional manner to the gear drive mechanism for the fertilizer spreader.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process of oil recovery from tar sands or separation of hydrocarbons from a solid or viscous bitumen source wherein carboxylic acids or carboxylic acid mixtures are utilized as a solvent or diluent and are mixed with heavy crude oil, injected into an oil reservoir or mixed with tar sands in a surface vessel to reduce the viscosity of the crude oil and to increase the mobility of the oil. The process is characterized by the use of an amphiphilic phase separation induced by injection of isopropanol or other alcohol to facilitate the recovery of carboxylic acid diluent from the bitumen product, and another phase separation step may be employed to separate the carboxylic acid component from the alcohol. Sodium chloride or other brine solution is usually mixed with the alcohol and many embodiments combine a light hydrocarbon such as heptane with the carboxylic acid as an additional solvent. Carboxylic acids in the form of fatty acids with from 8 to 20 carbon atoms are preferred.

Abstract: There is disclosed a driving and control circuit for a tuning fork resonator also adaptable to rotary motor control wherein an approximately sine wave signal from a motion sensor is applied to an instantaneous level detector which causes a control signal to be generated during that portion of the sine wave signal where the instantaneous level exceeds an adjustable reference level; the control signal causes the application of a current to the tuning fork drive which is in a direction to cause braking and reduction of motion amplitude. A distinctive feature of the instantaneous level detector is the fact that the sine wave signal is not rectified but is rather converted to a fluctuating direct current signal with a DC level accurately determined by an internal semiconductor voltage reference element.

Abstract: There is disclosed an environmental control system for a large volume structure (one horizontal dimension of at least 60 feet) having an air tempering unit including a horizontal cylindrical duct of about three feet diameter with an axial flow propellor fan and motor placed in one end to draw air through the duct and a gaseous fuel burner upstream from the fan with oxygen supplied from the air stream and with combustion products thereof being propelled through the fan. A series of propeller-fan air movers are placed in the structure near ceiling level with the first of the air movers placed about 25 to 50 feet in front of the air tempering unit. The air tempering unit and the air movers are operated by a control unit in response to a cycle timer and various sensor elements including an air velocity sensor for outside air supplied to the air tempering unit and an internal air temperature sensor.

Abstract: A rotor assembly machine which transports electric motor rotor laminates from a conveyor to a skewing nest where slots in the laminates are engaged by a plurality of vertical skew blades having a composite structure with two slightly separated spring steel vanes. The reduced width of the slot when the laminates are skewed is accommodated by the vanes of the skew blade flexing together. A particularly novel skew setting mechanism causes the skew blades to be tilted at a predetermined angle which is adjustable by varying the vertical distance between a higher fulcrum member and a lower blade pivot which rotated a predetermined angle causing the laminates to be skewed by an angle inversely related to the distances between the pivot and fulcrum, which distances in a multi-station machine may be separately adjusted thereby producing rotors from different stations with different skew angles.

Abstract: There is disclosed a drive regulation and control circuit for a tuning fork resonator also adaptable to other electrical devices wherein an approximately sine wave signal from a motion sensor is applied to an instantaneous level detector which causes a variable width pulse signal to be on during that portion of the sine wave signal where the instantaneous level exceeds an adjustable reference level; a control signal is generated with a magnitude varying as a moving average of the width of the variable width pulses; the control signal causes the reduction of current to the tuning fork drive to cause reduction of motion amplitude. An optional feature provides rapid response by activating a motion braking signal having a duration approximately equal to the variable width pulse "on" period.

Abstract: There is disclosed a rotatable mounting unit including two molded plastic parts, one of which is circular and adapted to be screwed to a counter, shelf, or the like as a base while the other part is rectangular and screwed to a television receiver of the like and acts as a platform therefor. The platform and base are secured together by placing a recess in the platform over a cylinder in the base in a manner to cause a post in the center of the recess to enter an opening in the center of the base with two lugs extending from the post passing through slots extending from the opening in the base. Upon rotation of the platform relative to the base the lugs slightly distort to firmly engage a flange around the opening in the base locking the two parts together but allowing them to be rotated. Detents consisting of button-like projections on the platform cooperating with holes around the cylinder of the base provide a detent function at approximately 20 degree intervals of rotation.

Abstract: There is disclosed a multiple compartment birdhouse where the compartments are within three rigid white plastic cylinders with the end walls of the compartments being formed by resiliently deformable white plastic sheet material having an entrance opening cut centrally therein and removably secured about three inches from the edge of said cylinder by having its top and bottom edges captured in notches in the edges of elongated strips of semirigid plastic material running most of the length of the cylinder; the bottom such strip acts as a slightly raised floor in the compartment and is provided with holes to facilitate drainage and ventilation; each tube has two compartments and there is a double partition in the center of each tube formed of the same material and of generally the same shape as the end walls. The tubes are secured in a triangular array in mutual peripheral contact and metal fixtures are secured to the base of the triangle for mounting the array atop a conventional birdhouse pole.

Abstract: There is disclosed a hoist adapted to be mounted on a conventional sectional scaffold structure in which the hoist apparatus consists of a boom assembly to be mounted near the top of a scaffold structure and a winch assembly to be mounted near the bottom of such structure. The winch assembly includes a cable drum and a cable, a worm gear drive for the drum and a two-speed pulley drive from the motor to the worm gear. The cable runs upwardly in proximity to a column of the scaffold structure and through a short hollow vertical mast section on top of which is mounted a rotatable boom having a pair of pulleys to guide the cable out of the top of the mast section to the end of the boom and downwardly to receive a load. The mast section supporting the boom may be only about six feet long and is removably attached to a column of the scaffold structure so that the scaffold structure effectively supplies the mast for the boom of the hoist.

Abstract: A sanitizing method and a sanitizer system to be attached to a conventional circular beverage can filling machine, the system including a plurality of collector manifolds, each manifold being adapted to collect sanitizing liquid from a plurality of adjacent can filler valve centering bells, there being sufficient number of manifolds with plural bell sealing rings to accommodate every filler valve of a particular machine; the manifolds are connectable by flexible hoses to a rotating collector which is preferably permanently installed at the top of the can filler machine; the entry ports of the collector rotate with the rotating conveyor table of the machine and the exit port of the collector is from a stationary portion thereof. There is a provision for passage of carbon dioxide gas through the center of the collector to maintain carbonation in the beverage in the filler bowl. Clamps are provided for the manifolds to hold their sealing rings firmly up against the taper of the filler valve centering bells.

Abstract: There is disclosed a puck for use in a parlor game played on a table top or the like in which the principal object is to flip the puck with a finger and lag it to overhang the opposite edge of the table; the puck comprises a body of foam material with vertical sides with a low density of approximately three pounds per cubic foot and in the shape of an acute triangle having sides somewhat more than two inches; corners of said triangle are rounded to a radius of about one-quarter inch; the puck is about one-half inch thick and has a bottom surface layer of non-woven nylon fabric with a coefficient of sliding friction on clean, dry glass of approximately 0.8. The top of the foam body has adhered thereto a triangular piece of plastic sheet material on which advertising or other indicia may be printed.

Abstract: There is disclosed an isometric training device for golfers to improve driving distance and accuracy including a conventional golf club shaft having an elongated head member secured at the bottom of the shaft where the club head normally would be and inclined at an angle of about 125 degrees to the shaft. The elongated head may be about nine inches in length and is provided with holes for attaching a flexible generally inextensible cord at various positions therealong including two positions to the rear of the junction of the shaft with the elongated head. The device is used by attaching a cord between a stationary object such as a table leg and a selected one of the holes in the elongated head and, in accordance with instructions, orienting the head on the floor in a normal driving position at a selected angle with the cord; stress is imparted to muscles by acting against the restraint of the anchored cord.