Abstract: An apparatus bushing is fixed to a support wall or the wall of the apparatus housing and is electrically coupled to the apparatus within. A high voltage cable is fixed to the single leg of a 600-Amp "T" connector and is supported only by a bracket extending from said apparatus bushing to one of the "T" legs. A removable pin-and-socket applied link member selectively couples the remaining "T" leg to the apparatus bushing whereby power passes between the apparatus and high voltage cable only when said link is present and isolates said cable and apparatus when it is absent. A novel operating assembly assures proper contact between the link sockets and the pins of the apparatus bushing extender and the 600-Amp "T" connector and can be arranged to positively separate the link assembly. The operating assembly can also be used to install and remove a cap assembly when the electrical link is not in place.

Abstract: A simplified electrical high voltage loadbreak bushing insert connector is disclosed which provides an improved electrical current path between a bushing well and a male probe contact during fault and activated closure while eliminating the usual prior art internal conductive sleeve contact. A solid contact, directly coupled to a bushing well stud, electrically engages a tubular extension of the movable female contact assembly during movement of the assembly over its entire range. In a first group of embodiments, contact is made with the interior of the tubular extension while in others with the exterior. Various stop member arrangements are disclosed to limit movement of the female contact assembly and of joining the solid contact to the insert body.

Abstract: A depressible roadway marker has an outer metal housing within which an elastomeric core is held. The core holds a retroreflective lens element above the level of the roadway which depresses into the metal housing when run over by a vehicle tire. The core includes a wiping element to scrub the lens element each time the core is depressed. The core includes structure to absorb the forces encountered during depression to reduce fatigue damage to the core.

Abstract: A conductive metal coupling sleeve harder and springier than the conductor and connector to be joined is interposed between them. The sleeve having patterned inside and outside surfaces is placed over the conductor end and the conductor-sleeve combination is inserted into the bore of the desired connector and subjected to compressing forces to crimp the components together. The patterns of the sleeve interlock with the conductor and the walls that define the connector bore. The springiness of the sleeve insures good electrical conductivity between the components in the event there is some springback of the components upon the termination of assembly compression or creep during use.

Abstract: A high-voltage cable is fixed to the single leg of a 600-amp "T" connector, which in turn is coupled for non-removable engagement with an insulating bushing fixed to a wall of the apparatus housing it is to serve. A removable screw-applied link member selectively couples the remaining leg to the apparatus bushing whereby power is supplied to the apparatus only when the link is present and isolates the cable when it is absent. A bushing extender and novel contact extenders fix the positions of components and serve to align the two arms of the link. Each of the arms includes an externally threaded stud for engagement with the contact extenders which are positioned in the "T" leg and bushing extender such as to engage the studs before interface interference to assist and guide the screw assembly of such parts. By this system, the apparatus and cable can be tested, grounded and a visible break performed without moving the high-voltage cable.

Abstract: In a high-voltage bushing insert having a moving, piston-operated, female contact assembly electrically coupled to an interior metallic sleeve by means of a louvered contact ring, the improvement comprising a static metallic contact member providing an alternative electrical path from said female contact assembly to said metallic sleeve. The static contact member is generally circular and substantially closed at a first end and is multiply slotted adjacent its second end to provide a series of bulbous, spring fingers thereat. The spring fingers making intimate electrical contact with the interior of the female contact assembly in its static position and for a portion of its travel away from the closed end of the metallic sleeve. An exterior ring at the contact's first end assures good electrical contact with the metallic sleeve.

Abstract: This invention is directed to electrical connectors for joining components of high voltage electrical systems, such as splices and elbows for joining high voltage cables and high voltage cables to transformers and the like. Each connector has at least one extendable conductor to which a high voltage cable may be coupled outside of the housing and then returned to the protection of the housing. Typically the elbow has one while the splice has two extendable conductors. Removable fasteners may be used to hold the extendable conductors out of or adjacent the housing ends and lockable fasteners hold the completed joints within the housing.

Abstract: A rejection apparatus adapted for selective installation in a female electrical socket to prevent mating of an incompatible male connector. The apparatus is formed of an elongated body of dielectric material and includes a segmented spherical head portion adjacent one end. The spherical head portion is designed to resiliently compress to allow insertion into a connector sleeve of the female socket. The head portion snaps outwardly into retaining engagement at an inner end or shoulder area in the sleeve. The spherical head portion also includes a shoulder which can engage an associated inner portion of the female socket to limit axial movement of the apparatus. When in position in the sleeve, the opposite end of the apparatus extends outward to function as a rejection element. The end is color coded to give a ready visual indication of the presence of a rejection apparatus in the sleeve.

Abstract: A self-righting roadway marker support for a flexible boundary or roadway marker has a hollow anchor sleeve sunk into a supporting surface, a mounting collar secured to said anchor sleeve, a pivot strut extending through and upward from the collar, a compressible coil spring to resiliently urge the strut into contact with the collar, and a spring stop which selectively limits the extent to which the coil spring may be compressed. An oblong, radiused or chamfered aperture formed in the collar cooperates with a spring-mounting eyebolt to prevent the strut from rotating when deflected. A tool is also disclosed for installing the marker support. The force required to deflect the support assembly is set to be less than the force that would destroy or permanently set or deform the boundary marker.

Abstract: A surface mounted grounding connector and method for installing same to the bared shield of a jacketed, shielded cable from which a portion of the jacket has been removed, without severing the shield and reestablishing the moisture protection of the shield. The connector is made up of a contact means placed atop the bared shield and engageable therewith to prevent relative movement of said contact means with respect to said shield. A copper braid is first engaged with said contact means and then wrapped about both said contact means and bared shield to establish a good electrical joint and held in place with a suitable clip.A preformed liquid-tight sealing form has a grounding conductor inserted through a suitable aperture therein and the bared conductor crimped in the crimpable connector attached to the contact means. The form is then moved into position such that its stem fits tightly about the ground conductor and crimpable connector and skirt overlies the contact means and bared shield.

Abstract: A flow reactor for reacting a feedstock with a proteinaceous preparation immobilized on and within the pores of a support medium while traversing a spiral path between adjacent turns of said spiral. A support medium has a spacing means placed on one surface thereof. The support medium and spacing means are then wound upon a porous core to form a jelly roll-like spiral configuration. The marginal edges of the reactors are sealed but provision is made to introduce or remove materials from said core and the free end of the spiral is left open to also introduce or remove materials. In a first form the feedstock is introduced into the core and the reacted feedstock is removed from the spiral free end. In a second form the introduction and removal of the feedstock and reacted feedstock is reversed. The spacing means may be a series of ribs on the support medium or may be a net-like sheet.

Abstract: A two piece, plastic, bayonet locking housing for assembly over a high voltage cable splice to protect the splice and exposed concentric neutral wires. End seals are provided at the cable entrances to the housing to prevent the entrance of dirt and moisture and take the form of closely conforming rubber tubes. The rolled tubes are mounted on the slotted cable entrance ends of the housings and held there by the hoop forces of the housing. Radial displacement of the housing ends reduces these hoop forces permitting the tubes to start to unroll and the tubes are fully extended over the housing ends and onto and over a portion of the cables.

Abstract: A fail-safe sensor system to provide a positive indication of the proper operation of a sensor system by accounting for the return signals from an active zone and a monitor zone beyond. Search signals, provided by a transducer operating in the transmit mode, are transmitted within an active zone within which objects to be detected are expected to be located. Unreturned search signals are permitted to travel beyond the active zone into a monitor zone beyond and objects in such monitor zone cause return signals which are also employed. A counter feed from a free running clock source is permitted to run up a count whose predetermined limit represents the estimated maximum time period during which a sensor system should operate without contacting an object. Return signals, whether from objects in the active zone or the monitor zone, reset the counter back to zero.

Abstract: A retroreflective relatively flexible laminate sheet construction has a thermoplastic web with a smooth light-receiving first side and a second side coextensive with said first side. A retroreflective pattern is formed on the second side. A slurry of granular material is deposited on the second side to cover selected portions of the formed pattern with remaining portions of the formed pattern devoid of the granular material, and said slurry is dried or cured to produce a well-defined pattern. A layer of backcoating material is deposited on the second side to overlay the granular material, the backcoating material contacting the thermoplastic web where no granular material has been deposited, thereby encapsulating the granular material between the second side and the backcoating layer. An added, outer layer provides additional weather protection for the thermoplastic web. Methods are detailed to manufacture the laminate, and compositions of backcoating mixtures also are disclosed.

Abstract: A self-cleaning pavement marker adapted to be installed in a groove below the plane of the driving surface of an associated roadway to provide a retroreflective light signal visible to an oncoming vehicle. The marker comprises an integrally formed elastomeric body adapted to be positioned in a longitudinally extending groove cut in the roadway surface. The body includes an upper portion for receiving a retroreflective lens means. The lens means is effective a retroreflect light impinging upon its front face from an oncoming vehicle back toward the vehicle. The upper body portion of the marker is depressible between a normal position wherein the lens means is positioned below the plane of the associated roadway to retroreflect light impinging on the front face from an oncoming vehicle back toward the light source, and a depressed position caused by the force of a vehicle tire passing over the upper body portion.

Abstract: A tool for producing a pattern of highly accurate optical quality surfaces and the method of making same from a series of bi-metallic pins. A high strength metal pin is coupled to a slug of metal of lesser strength capable of being accurately scribed. The supporting pin blank preferably is magnetic stainless steel and the slug is of copper. A group of such bi-metallic pins then is placed in an appropriate fixture after which an optical configuration, such as the three faces of a cube-corner element, are scribed into the copper ends. A completed tool may then be electroformed to produce an electroformed tool from an array of the like or different pins, arranged in various patterns.

Abstract: A retroreflective relatively flexible laminate sheet construction has a thermoplastic web with a smooth light-receiving first side and a second side coextensive with said first side. A retroreflective pattern is formed on the second side. A slurry of granular material is deposited on the second side to cover selected portions of the formed pattern with remaining portions of the formed pattern devoid of the granular material, and said slurry is dried or cured to produce a well-defined pattern. A layer of backcoating material is deposited on the second side to overlay the granular material, the backcoating material contacting the thermoplastic web where no granular material has been deposited, thereby encapsulating the granular material between the second side and the backcoating layer. An added, outer layer provides additional weather protection for the thermoplastic web. Methods are detailed to manufacture the laminate, and compositions of backcoating mixtures also are disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are an improved method and apparatus for continuously embossing a repeating pattern of precise detail, in particular, cube-corner type reflector elements, on one surface of a single sheet or on one surface of a laminate of transparent thermoplastic materials, to form retroreflective sheeting. A continuous embossing tool in the form of a flexible thin metal belt or cylinder has on its outer surface an embossing pattern which is the reverse of the precision optical pattern to be formed. The embossing tool is continously moved at a predetermined speed along a closed course through a heating station where the temperature of a portion of the embossing tool is raised to be above the glass transition temperature of the sheeting or laminate and a cooling station where the heated portion of the embossing tool is cooled while in a relatively planar condition to be below that glass transition temperature.

Abstract: An electrical connector for use in connecting a male contact to a female contact in an energized high voltage circuit, the electrical connector having a female contact assembly which is movable and is accelerated in response to the generation of arc-quenching gases within the electrical connector to aid in more rapidly closing the connection between the female contact and the male contact, and kinetic energy absorption and dissipation means for gradually absorbing and dissipating at least a portion of the kinetic energy imparted to the female contact assembly as a result of such acceleration thereof, so as to decelerate the female contact assembly and thereby facilitate bringing the female contact assembly to a halt subsequent to closing the connection.

Abstract: A thin transparent glass sheet is bonded to the substantially flat planar front face of a cube-corner-type retrodirective reflector formed of a light-transmitting synthetic organic resin for covering at least the reflex reflective area thereof. A liquid urethane resin radiation curable to a transparent solid state is applied to the front face of the reflector and one side of the glass sheet is coated with a silane solution which is allowed to dry, and which side is then placed against the urethane resin on the reflector front face and pressed thereagainst until all air bubbles have been forced from the urethane resin and it has spread to a layer of predetermined thickness.