Abstract: A hydraulic remote control (HRC) valve including a main spool valve and a pilot pressure control valve. A lever is operatively connected to the pilot valve whereby to provide “finger tip” control of the main spool valve. The HRC has an inverting output, whereby movement of the lever away from a neutral position causes a decrease in hydraulic pressure supplied to a hydraulic clutch. In practice, two HRC's according to the invention are embodied in a single housing. The HRC of the invention is of use in controlling the hydraulic steering clutches of tracked vehicles.

Abstract: A radiation sensitive compound contains at least two groups having the structure ##STR1## in which Ar represents a divalent or other polyvalent radical derived from an aromatic or heteroaromatic compound; X and X' which may be the same or different, each represents O, S or an imino group, provided that at least one of X and X' is an imino group; Y represents O or S; R represents a single bond or a divalent or other polyvalent radical and A.sup.- is an anion. Radiation sensitive compositions comprising the compound and optionally a resin may be used to produce radiation sensitive plates for lithographic printing plate production.

Abstract: Attachment of a ring, particularly a metal ring (2), to an article which has walls or skirts (1) of fibre-reinforced resin material. The ring has a plurality of external grooves (3, 4, 5, 6). The skirt comprises, for each groove in sequence, a first (32, 36, 37, 40) and second (33, 38, 39, 41) layer of fibre-reinforced resin material. The fibres in the first layer have a substantial orientation in directions parallel with the axis of the ring and extend from the skirt into the respective grooves. Overlying the first layer is a second layer comprising hoop windings from the skirt towards the groove. The second layer lies at least partly in the groove to lock the first layer in the groove. This layering is repeated for each groove and finally successive hoop windings (45, 46, 47, 48) are wound over the entire article. This is useful for attaching end rings to rocket motor cases or for attaching rings to pressure vessels to define an aperture.

Abstract: In a measuring microscope for measuring the distance between line elements of an optical image, means are provided for forming from an image-carrying beam, carrying the optical image, further image beams in which light of respective complementary regions of the image-carrying beam is suppressed, to form respective distinct non-overlapping but adjacent image portions for viewing. Means are provided for then carrying out calibrated displacement of the adjacent image portions. Thus, a line element in one image portion can be brought into alignment with a line element of an adjacent image portion. The degree of calibrated adjustment required for this gives a measure of the distance between the two line elements on the object which is imaged.The microscope may be constituted so that means involved in the suppression of complementary regions of the image-carrying beam are readily removable so that overlapping images can be provided for viewing.

Abstract: A marine tether anchoring device comprises an anchor body and a segmented spring collet that moves axially relative to the anchor body. As the anchor body moves downwardly relative to the collet the upper end of the collet is expanded by a wedge structure which is attached to the anchor body and lockingly engages the wall of an anchoring chamber. The lower end of the tether line is attached to the wedge structure and cannot escape from the anchoring chamber. Release is effected by slackening the tension on the tether line and supplying fluid to a piston supported in the anchor body so that the piston forces the collet downwardly and releases the segments of the spring collet from the face of the wedge structure. Retraction of the collet is completed by a cam ring that engages faces on the collet as final downward travel of the collet takes place.

Abstract: An optical viewing apparatus and method is disclosed having improved focusing, in which two beams of light, which are mutually inclined at a fixed angle, are converged in the vicinity of a reflective viewed surface, and the relative distance between the apparatus and the surface is adjusted until the beams coincide at the surface.

Abstract: A transcutaneous gas sensor for application to the body surface of a patient is provided. The sensor includes a sensing electrode having an exposed surface region which, in use, is applied to the body surface of the patient with an electrolyte layer between the electrode and the patient's body. Gas which has diffused through the patient's body from his blood to the body surface results in an electrochemical reaction taking place at the exposed surface region of the electrode. This exposed surface region can consist of an individual surface area, or several such surface areas. In one embodiment, the surface area or areas are arranged and are of a configuration such as to have associated therewith an imaginary envelope of greater area than the total area occupied by the individual surface area or areas; with such an arrangement, the surface area or areas have the same or similar widths.

Abstract: A ship's steering gear of the type operated by liquid under pressure incorporates two liquid systems each containing a pump fed from its own supply tank and a thruster unit capable of providing by itself steering action on a steering member. The two systems are interconnected by way of an isolating valve device. Each tank contains a liquid detecting device arranged on a drop of liquid level in that tank first to close the isolating valve device and on further drop of liquid level to stop the pump fed from the tank and start the pump in the other liquid system if it is not operating already.

Abstract: A floating platform intended to be anchored to the sea bed incorporates a substantially vertical tether. The tether is fitted with a gas-operated tension spring device capable of generating an elastic tensile force in the tether. Means is provided for varying the nominal tensile force which the spring device is capable of exerting. The tether may include an adjustor nut movable along a screw-threaded portion of the tether so as to be engageable with an adjustor nut adaptor supported by the platform.

Abstract: A releasable marine tether connection comprises a tether having a segmented spring collet which can be expanded to become trapped in an anchor chamber. A spigot is provided in the base of the chamber which urges the plug upwards relative to the collet when the tether is pushed into the chamber to make the connection. To release the connection tension is removed from the tether and the plug moved down to allow the spring collet to close and move out of the chamber.

Abstract: A developer for processing image-wise exposed negative-working radiation sensitive plates based on organic solvent soluble diazo resins or certain photocrosslinkable resins or photopolymerizable olefinically unsaturated compounds includes a surfactant and a salt of an aliphatic carboxylic acid containing up to nine carbon atoms. The developer is substantially aqueous and has a reduced tendency to foam formation. It is useful in the photomechanical production of lithographic printing plates.

Abstract: A flow transducer assembly (1) comprises a body (2), through which extends a passage (3) for carrying a fluid whose flow-velocity is to be measured. The body defines an inlet mouth (7) for the passage (3) which is so shaped as to provide, in use, a region in the mouth (7) in which the velocity profile across the width of the mouth (7) is substantially uniform. The transducer assembly (1) also includes transducer means (4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11) for use in performing a direct measurement of the flow-velocity in the said region.

Abstract: A value setting mechanism constituting an interface between printing mechanism and an electronic accounting system in a franking machine has each value precisely set without possibility of alteration during a printing cycle. A four digit value can be set by rotating thumb wheels that transmit the value to encoding switches and printing elements. A spring loaded locking bar lies between aligned recesses on the wheels when properly set. To initiate a cycle a trip lever is electromagnetically moved from a first position to a second position releasing a clutch pawl to actuate the printing elements via a clutch and to close switches. If bar fails to enter aligned recesses, a detent unit prevents the trip lever from moving to the second position. When it does so move, an arm thereon inhibits detent unit from moving in a direction to allow bar to withdraw from the aligned recesses.

Abstract: Liquid dispensing apparatus comprises a T-tube (9) of which the limb tube serves as a closed reservoir (8) for liquid, with an air space above. Liquid is pumped by a peristaltic pump (A) through a tube (6) and one arm of the T-tube into the reservoir until a level detector (D) responds to the liquid level in the reservoir reaching a datum level whereupon it renders the pump (A) inoperative. A further peristaltic pump (B) then starts to pump liquid from the reservoir out of the other arm of the T-tube and through tubes 13 and 15 to an infusion needle in a patient's body. When the liquid level in the reservoir reaches a predeterined lower level detected by another detector (E), the second pump (B) is rendered inoperative and the cycle is then repeated starting with operation of the first pump (A).The use of a peristaltic pump as the second pump (B) enables the liquid delivery pressure at the needle to be held just above the minimum necessary for infusion.

Abstract: Where switches are used for encoding decimal digits into binary words for use in processing devices in, for example, postal franking machines where security is essential, failure modes that produce normal codes not corresponding to the input decimal digits have to be detected. The switch described reduces the number of failure modes which the processor cannot recognize as errors in that it produces two 1-out-of-5 coded words for each decimal digit to enable a processing device to test whether each word in fact contains only one "1" (or "0") and then to combine the two words to produce a 2-out-of-5 word corresponding to the selected decimal digit. The switch comprises five contact elements A to E each comprising inner and outer arcuate portions 10, 11 concentric with common rings 13, 14.

Abstract: A single revolution clutch in a reduction gear in a franking machine is designed to avoid fraudulent operation and double cycling and for economical production by arranging a worm to drive a split worm wheel having a gap in each arcuate row of teeth respectively on the first and second worm wheel parts. Before operation, the worm rotates in the gaps. On release by a detent of a shoulder a spring brings a tooth into mesh with the worm which rotates the first worm wheel part until a lost-motion connection is engaged bringing the second worm wheel part into mesh with the worm to drive an output shaft. The detent is released by an electrical pulse then guided by a cam track to engage the shoulder arresting the first worm wheel part while the second part continues so as to stress the spring and return to the initial position with respect to the first part.

Abstract: Initial opening movement of a drawer in a cabinet by cam action raises a locking bar to lock the other drawers closed. In so doing the locking bar rotates a pinion having an arm which stresses a spring carrying it past an over-center position to maintain the bar in locking position while the moving drawer travels to the fully open position. The end of the closure of this drawer by cam action returns the bar, arm and spring to their initial state. A key-lock mechanism can raise the bar to lock all the drawers shut. If the cabinet is tilted forward substantially, gravity causes a ball to run to a position to hold the pinion against rotation thereby preventing all the drawers from automatically becoming locked due to the bar running to the locking position under gravity or inertia.

Abstract: Adjoining edges of sheets of pre-coated metal or other rigid material may be interlocked against movement transversely apart by forming the edge of a first sheet with a lock member constituted by a transversely offset reverse flange having at its extremity an outwardly directed first hook member and forming the adjoining edge of the second sheet with a transversely offset projecting flange whose extremity forms a second hook member directed inwardly. The sheets may be locked together by superposing the second hook member over the first hook member with the projecting flange behind the reverse flange and with orthogonal flanges spaced slightly apart and relatively rotating the sheets to a fully interlocked position defined by abutment between the orthogonal flanges. The above arrangement can advantageously be used in the vertical rear corner joints of a pre-coated steel cabinet where it is helpful to be able to assemble the cabinet from its major components without the need for pop-riveting or the like.

Abstract: A positive working light-sensitive composition comprises in admixture (a) a first component which is an azo dye formed by reacting a p-amino-benzene diazonium salt and a compound including the grouping ##STR1## and (b) a second component which includes a o-quinone diazide and/or a diazonium compound and which, on exposure to light produces an acidic light decomposition product which is capable of reacting with the azo dye to produce a material having a color different to that of the azo dye. The composition exhibits a color change on exposure to light and is useful for the manufacture of light sensitive plates for use in lithographic printing plate production.

Abstract: A liquid flow detecting device incorporates a static member arranged to be fixed within a passage through which flow of an operating liquid is to take place and an active member held captive by the static member but free to move relatively to the static member to a limited extent in one particular direction at least. The active member has an overall specific gravity substantially the same as that of the chosen operating liquid. Proximity sensing apparatus is included to detect movement of the active member relative to the static member in the particular direction and to issue a corresponding signal.