Abstract: A sheet material decurling apparatus for use with a machine having a sheet conveyor comprises a trough member which includes two elongate, sheet supporting members, each having an arcuate upper surface with a radius greater than 250t, where t is the thickness of the sheet material. An elongate fillet, curved in the direction opposite to and joining the sheet supporting member surfaces, has a radius less than 15t. Further, the angle formed between the planes tangent to the sheet supporting member surfaces at the lines of transition therefrom into the fillet is in the range of 60.degree. to 120.degree.. A series of vacuum conduits are disposed in the trough member adjacent the bottom of the fillet and have a total cross-sectional area of approximately 0.07 inches square per linear foot of trough member. A vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum conduits to effect air flow downwardly through the trough member.

Abstract: A revolver in which the cylinder is indexed by the cylinder-indexing hand to a position just before the next chamber is in full alignment with the barrel where the corresponding cylinder notch partially overlaps the cylinder lock. The cylinder lock is provided with a cam-surface on its cylinder-engaging portion that engages the leading edge of the notch for camming the cylinder the rest of the way into its fully indexed position.

Abstract: Methods are disclosed for the metallizing of non-metallic substrates, i.e. polymeric substrates, by the coating of the substrate with polymerizable monomers in the presence of a small amount of silver ion. The substrate is cleaned, acid etched and then contacted with a monomer solution containing a soluble silver salt. The monomers are preferably polyfunctional and form a polymerized layer grafted onto the polymer substrate. A peroxide is also disclosed in the monomer solution for regeneration of the silver ion concentration and to combine with monomers to produce homopolymers which also attach to the active sites on the substrate and to side chains of the graft polymer. The grafted layer contains silver atoms closely bound to it and the silver atoms form nucleating agents for the deposition of copper from an electroless plating bath. The metallized substrate may then be further electroplated.

Abstract: A tobacco smoke filter cartridge comprises essentially a wrapper of an electrically insulating material, a bed of particles of an electrically conductive or semi-conductive material packed into the filter chamber defined by the wrapper, and two spaced electrodes in electrical contact with the bed of particles for passing an electric current therethrough. The cartridge may be mounted in a cigarette or cigar holder or the stem of a pipe with a miniaturized electric supply circuit built into the holder.

Abstract: A firing mechanism in which the hammer and trigger are interconnected by gears, so that the hammer can be cocked and fired simply by pulling the trigger in what is commonly referred to as double-action. The hammer is mounted so that it can pivot independently of the gears in order to discharge a cartridge. A sear connects one of the gears to the hammer so that it can be cocked by means of the trigger and then released when the trigger is fully retracted. A safety feature is also provided by mounting the hammer so that it is normally out of alignment with the firing pin and, thereby, can not accidentally discharge the gun. However, when the trigger is pulled the hammer is shifted bodily to bring it into alignment with the firing pin.

Abstract: A weighing apparatus comprises a plurality of hydraulic load cells each including a piston, a cylinder, and a flexible diaphragm of fluid impervious material sealed in the cylinder and overlying the piston to form a fluid pressure receiving chamber. The cylinders are interconnected in spaced coaxial relation on a main support frame. The pistons are similarly mounted on a floating frame which comprises a number of threaded rods which permits reciprocal piston movement relative to the cylinder and to the main frame. A force sensitive output signal generator is mounted in the main frame in operative relation to the interconnected pistons to receive forces from them when fluid pressure is received in any of the pressure receiving chambers. The pistons are adjustably clamped to the threaded by nuts so that the piston-cylinder spacing may be changed for calibration purposes.

Abstract: An easily assembled, low cost, disposable pump is disclosed for use with household liquid product containers. The pump is designed to prevent leakage of the product regardless of container attitude and comprises hollow outer and inner cylinders, each having an end wall, the cylinders being nested in telescoped manner with their end walls in spaced adjacency to form an intake valve chamber and a superimposed product receiving and discharging pump chamber. Liquid inlet duct means is formed in the respective end walls of each cylinder for admission of fluid, and a plunger assembly including a hollow stem and a piston is slidably received in the inner cylinder for reciprocable pumping action therein. The hollow stem provides communication between the pumping face of the piston and atmosphere, via a check valve disposed in the stem. A second check valve is disposed in the valving chamber formed by the telescoped cylinders.

Abstract: A hanger rod assembly is described wherein a hanger rod may be conveniently horizontally supported from wall mounted brackets. The hanger rod assembly includes a pair of clamps which grip brackets and ends of a hanger rod in a conveniently applied manner. The clamps each include clamp elements shaped to retain the hanger rod ends while tightly engaging the brackets for support of the hanger rod.

Abstract: A system, which induces air flow past a gel type product and into the environment, comprises a cartridge that includes a porous container for holding the product and a battery mounted with the container. The cartridge is formed to be received in an air flow inducing device that includes a housing having an air admitting opening and an air discharging opening. A fan is mounted in the housing to induct air flow through the air admitting opening, through the container, past the product and out of the air discharging opening into the environment. The fan is driven by a motor that is connected to two contacts mounted in the housing and positioned to make contact with the terminals of the battery when the cartridge is received in the air flow inducing device.

Abstract: An apparatus, for example, an intravenous drop-feed apparatus for sensing the rate at which liquid drops fall along a predetermined vertical path and for regulating this drop rate to be substantially equal to a preselected drop rate includes a disposable drip chamber which defines a vertical drop path. The drip chamber is formed with an indentation having an upper wall that projects into the drop path to be impinged by drops falling on its interior surface. A probe is removably mounted on the outside of the chamber in interfitting engagement with the chamber indentation and includes an electrically conductive element located to contact the exterior surface of the upper indentation wall. The element, which is electrically but not thermally isolated from falling drops, exhibits conductivity that varies significantly with its temperature and, accordingly, generates pulses at a rate that corresponds to the periodic rate of the falling drops.

Abstract: A combined cylinder-release and safety device for a double-action revolver having a finger lever which is held in its normal, safety-off, position by the cylinder-spindle spring for manipulation in one direction against the pressure of the spring in order to release the cylinder. Provision is made for also moving the finger lever in the other direction beyond its normal position in order to lock the action, so that the gun cannot be fired either in double-action or in single-action.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing an inflatable balloon catheter having an inflatable catheter tip attached to a double lumen catheter shaft to form a smooth, continuous outer surface at the outer juncture of the tip and shaft. The tip is molded and comprises a hollow, thin-walled, cylindrical balloon section that has at least one open end. Mating die members are provided to define a cylindrical mold cavity having inside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the balloon section. The catheter shaft is extruded to have initial outside diameter substantially equal to the outside diameter of the balloon section and, while in a partially cured state, a leading portion of the extruded shaft is stretched to locally reduce its outside diameter. The stretched portion is clamped between the die members in the mold cavity to form a shoulder at a transition between this leading portion and the remainder of the shaft. The entire shaft is then cured.

Abstract: A material dispenser using a deformable tube through which the flow of material is controlled is described. The deformable tube is selectively mounted to expose a pinch region to a pressure element having a predetermined shape. The deformable tube is selectively supported to enable precise control over tube constriction for accurate material flow control. A micrometer stop is conveniently mounted to regulate the size of the tube restriction. Automatic and repeated actuation of the dispenser is obtained by locating the pressure element as a piston in a cylinder. Various deformable tube embodiments are described to reduce tube wall stresses for longer operating life and enable both positive closure and opening of the deformable tube.

Abstract: A flexible longitudinally continuous tape construction is disclosed for use in joining mating edges of juxtaposed members, the tape having an X-like configuration transversely of its length to provide paired legs adapted to receive and be secured along the edges of members to be joined. The tape is capable of serving as a pliable hinge to permit articulation of the joined members about an axis which may or may not be rectilinear; or it may also serve simply as a binding for joining members intended to be fixed relative to each other.

Abstract: Circuit boards for electronic equipment are produced in which the circuit-forming conductor metal is deposited on a suitably catalyzed and masked resin substrate by all-electroless deposition techniques, wherein the characterizing feature of the invention is the use of a separate acceleration step after catalyzing and prior to application of a resist mask, supplementary of the usual post-masking accelerating step. Improved surface resistivity or insulation resistance in the printed circuit board and improved adhesion of the electrolessly deposited metal are achieved.

Abstract: An improvement is obtained in the bond strength between members of a laminate comprising a plastic substrate and a metal film through a process of first laminating to the plastic substrate a thin, sacrificial, anodized metal foil by heat and pressure, chemically stripping the foil from the substrate surface, activating the surface for electroless plating and electrolessly depositing a metal thereon, wherein the substrate is contacted with an aqueous solution containing an organic silicon compound at some stage subsequent to said chemical stripping operation. The final metal film when applied to the substrate exhibits consistently better adhesive strength than is obtained without the organic silicon treatment.

Abstract: In a multi-polar electromagnetically energized rotary indicator each of the pole pieces is associated with a significantly isolated flux path, which, at one end of the turning axis of the rotor part of the indicator, leads diametrically to a flux concentrator displaced 180.degree. from the pole piece in question. In a particular embodiment, this result is realized by a system of separate but mutually nested bridging parts of ferromagnetic material, each of which defines an essentially independent flux path. Other embodiments provide quasi-independent flux paths serving a similar electromagnetic function. An arrangement for sensing the response of an indicator is described.

Abstract: A specimen holder is described for collecting and examining a specimen collected from a body. The holder includes a transparent adhesive coated foldable segment. The adhesive is used to collect the specimen and retain the back-folded segment against a flat transparent portion of the holder. Visual examination of the specimen can then be carried out directly through the transparent holder without transfer of the specimen to glass slides or the like.

Abstract: A mat cutting apparatus is described for cutting sheet material. A cutting board is provided on which a pair of longitudinal guide bars are mounted with a predetermined spacing between them. The spacing is selected to snugly receive a cutting block. The cutting block is formed of a guide block on which a knife assembly is movably mounted. The guide block fits snugly between the guide bars to enable formation of a precision cut when the knife assembly is plunged into a mat to be cut. Several embodiments for cutting mats are shown including straight and angle cutters and a cutter adapted for use with a template.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for determining a measured direction such as the direction of a ship or airplane relative to an external magnetic field such as the magnetic field of the earth. This apparatus comprises means for establishing a magnetic field rotating at constant angular velocity, located to influence the external magnetic field. The rotating magnetic field vector bears a known angular relationship as a function of time to the measured direction. A detector is located to be influenced by the rotating and external fields for detecting the occurrence of a predetermined angular relationship between the rotating and external magnetic field vectors.