Abstract: A remote access manipulator comprises a locking mechanism capable of self-alignment for performing operations on equipment located in areas where human access is limited. The manipulator further comprises a slave carriage located in the equipment on which the operation is to be performed, such as a nuclear steam generator, for carrying tools and inspection devices for performing operations on the equipment together with a master carriage located in a scale model of the equipment and electrically connected to the slave carriage for controlling the movement of the slave carriage. The slave carriage is capable of advancing across a surface of the equipment to position the devices which it carries. The manipulator further comprises a slave manipulator arm used to move the slave carriage into and out of the equipment on which the operation is to be performed in conjunction with a master manipulator arm located in the scale model for controlling the movement of the slave manipulator arm.

Abstract: Retractable clamping means for clamping sheet laminates and other forms of work upon the work supporting surface of a table, said clamping means being retractable to inoperative storing position below said work supporting surface, and being movable to operative clamping position above the work supporting surface. In the preferred form of the invention, the clamping means operates upon two adjacent sides of rectangular workpieces in each clamping operation, and the workpieces are rotated 180 degrees on the work supporting surface to enable the clamping means to operate upon the remaining two sides of the workpieces. To facilitate handling of the workpieces, the table used in conjunction with the clamping means embodies air or other fluid float means.

Abstract: Material handling apparatus, including a bucket and a clamp arm mounted on the bucket, the clamp arm being movable from an operative position, where it cooperates with the operative edge of the bucket in handling material, to a storage position where it is located outside of the bucket.

Abstract: A loader bucket is provided with a plurality of leaf springs appended to the bucket for interaction with the bucket support linkage. The leaf springs impose forces on the bucket link pins preventing undesirable movement between the bucket and the support linkage when the bucket is rolled into a load transporting position.

Abstract: A system of attaching floor decking to a railroad car of the type having an open floor structure of flanged beam members. A plurality of plank members are positioned upon the flanged beam members. Each plank member is provided with a longitudinal groove along each longitudinal edge thereof. A plurality of fastening members attach the plank members to the beam members. Each fastening member includes a platelike body portion having a slot therein for grippingly engaging a flange of one of the beam members and includes first and second tongue portions fixedly attached to and extending from opposite sides of the body portion thereof for extending into the longitudinal grooves of two adjacent plant members thereby attaching the two adjacent plank members to the beam member which the fastening member grippingly engages.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an automatically controlled scraper for moving particulate material onto a radial or star feeder for distribution thereby. The scraper includes a scraper bucket suspended from a radially extending arm. The bucket is connected to both a digging cable line and a lifting cable line, each of which is in turn connected to a suitable winch. The winches are controlled by clutches and brakes, each of which are optionally activated by interconnected automatic and manual control elements, whereby operation may be selectively changed from automatic to manual at the discretion of the operator.

Abstract: A vehicle main frame has a pair of arms individually having first, second and third portions, with the first and third portions being disposed in first and second upright and substantially longitudinally oriented planes transversely offset from one another, and with the second portions of the arms connecting the first and third portions. Joints are provided for mounting an implement with forces from the implement being transmitted to the first portions of the arms in substantial alignment with the first planes.

Abstract: Increased reliability is afforded with this simplified apparatus for assembling and transporting a loose stack of documents. The documents are stacked on edge upon a pair of pinch rolls, normally stationary. A back plate is provided for supporting the documents in a loose stack, and preferably a foot plate is included for reliability in accepting documents and in forming the stack. Documents from a plurality of asynchronous sources as well as a single source of documents are readily assembled in the desired stack, for example, with the use of a conventional tined stacking or loading mechanism. The apparatus is readily adaptive to operation by computer for determining the particular documents to be stacked and, upon completion of the stacking, for applying a driving force to the rolls for transporting the assembled loose stack of documents between the rolls to the desired destination.

Abstract: This invention relates to tip lorries.The dumper is of the type comprising a chassis frame provided with at least four carrying wheels 2, two of which at least being driving wheels, with a tipper articulated on the chassis frame about an axis 30 situated in the vicinity of one end of the chassis frame above and at the rear of the wheel axis corresponding to said end, the bottom of the tipper enveloping while it tipps a cylindrical sector surface with a radius superior to the radius of the wheels 2b situated at said end, wherein a driver's cab 28 is lodged between said wheels 2b inside the volume limited by said cylindrical sector surface.This invention is used in units with a carrying capacity approaching 200 tons.

Abstract: Transport and assembly apparatus for a screw-tightening device having a carrier ring seatable on a pressure-vessel cover for loosening and tightening fastening screws thereon includes a lift truck having an elevating platform whereon a carrier ring is mountable, means for pivoting the carrier ring about a horizontal axis, and means for vertically adjusting the carrier ring with the elevating platform.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for lifting, handling, transporting and unrolling large round hay bales. Preferably said apparatus is employed on the bed of a pickup or truck and includes a frame mounted on the pickup bed with a beam pivotally mounted thereon and with arms slidably mounted on the beam. The arms have bale penetrating members rotatably mounted or fixed thereon. First power actuated means operably pivot said beam in an arc about the rear end of the pickup toward and away from the ground. Second power actuated means slide the arms and penetrating members along said beam toward each other in such fashion as to squeeze a bale sufficiently to allow the first power means to lift the bale from the ground, and away from each other to release the bale. The bale penetrating members are rotatably or fixedly mounted on the arms to allow a bale to be unrolled to facilitate feeding the hay of the bale to animals.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein improved pallet locating and clamping mechanisms for use in conjunction with the work transfer device in a transfer machine. The pallet locating and clamping means comprise a plurality of inverted V-blocks accurately positioned in the work stations of the machine which are adapted to cooperate with complementary V-grooves provided in the undersides of the pallets for automatically positioning and supporting such pallets precisely in the work stations perparatory to machining or other work operations to be performed on workpieces carried by the pallets. The clamping means for the pallets preferably are mechanically actuated and correlated with the pallet transfer device to clamp the pallets securely on the locating and supporting V-blocks.

Abstract: An apparatus for discharging loose particulate solid material from a storage space, for instance the hold of a ship. A screw conveyor is suspended in a carriage mounted at the upper part of the space and is horizontally movable. The carriage has a hoisting machinery for wire ropes in which a beam is suspended along which the conveyor is mounted. At least two stabilizing wire ropes are secured to the beam and run to pulleys on the carriage, which pulleys are so disposed that the wire ropes cross each other at a point between the carriage and the beam. From the pulleys stabilizing wire ropes run to a device for keeping the wire ropes tensioned when the beam is raised, lowered and stationary.

Abstract: In a tool transfer apparatus, a pair of support shafts, which have tool transfer arms fixed thereto, are coaxially mounted for rotational and axial movement. A pair of driven gears are respectively formed on the support shafts. A pair of elongated drive gears are engaged with each other and engageable with the driven gears. One of the drive gears is driven by a single drive device. The driven gears are selectively shiftable together into a first predetermined position where the driven gears are rotatable in opposite directions through the drive gears and into a second predetermined position where the driven gears are rotatable in the same direction through one of the drive gears.

Abstract: A transfer mechanism places one part in a fixture on a continuously rotating table and substantially simultaneously picks up another part from an adjacent fixture on the table. The transfer mechanism then places the picked-up part on one fixture of an intermittently rotatable table while substantially simultaneously picking up another part on the latter table preparatory to placing that part on the continuously rotating table. A turn over mechanism subsequently picks up the part placed on the intermittently rotatable table by the transfer mechanism, turns the part over, and replaces the part on the intermittently rotatable table preparatory to the part being picked up from the latter table and returned to the continuously rotating table by the transfer mechanism.

Abstract: A truck on rails includes a vertically adjustable horizontally extending main beam supported at one end and having a plurality of auxiliary beams semi-circularly arranged thereabout parallel thereto and each connected thereto by a plurality of parallel levers of equal length each having a fulcrum on the main beam, being pivotally connected adjacent an outer end to its respective auxiliary beam, and being operatively connected adjacent an inner end to an actuating rod reciprocable by a hydraulic actuator for adjustment of the auxiliary beams radially of the main beam. The auxiliary beams are provided with rollers for engagement with the inside of a pipe, and those on the uppermost auxiliary beam are driven by a compressed-air motor to compensate for frictional drag imposed by the others on pipe being rotated in continuous production on a pipe making machine. When the pipe is cut to length, the truck transports the cut-off length to a storage or shipping area and returns to support another length being made.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing a casting from a die casting machine and transporting it to a predetermined location comprises a plurality of hydraulic cylinder and piston sets connected in series and arranged in parallel with each other for driving a product gripping and conveying mechanism 30 towards and away from the die casting machine, thereby reducing the installation space and the operating time. Preferably, the apparatus has a turning device 40 for rotating the removed casting, and the gripping and conveying mechanism is inclined from 5 to 20 degrees to facilitate the removal of the casting.

Abstract: The invention relates to device for retracting and extending a movable, vertically pivoting access ramp comprising at least two successive main sections. At least one intermediate interlinking member is hinged with the main sections of the ramp towards their adjacent ends about a first hinge pin and a second hinge pin, respectively. First operating means are provided for the rotation of one section of the ramp and the intermediate member about the first hinge pin and second operating means are provided for the rotation of the other section of the ramp about the second hinge pin.

Abstract: A transfer arm assembly for transferring an exposed lithographic plate from a film negative drawer to a delivery belt system for delivering the plate to a photoprocessor which develops the plate is provided. The transfer arm assembly includes vacuum arms which contact the upper and non-emulsion side of the plate when the plate lies flat on the film negative drawer (or vacuum frame) and deliver the plate in an inverted position on top of the belts in a plane parallel to, but above the plane of the plate on the film negative drawer. A latchable arm is provided in the transfer arm system to enable pivoting of the arm about a first axis for a first portion of its rotation, and then about a second axis for a second portion of its rotation to enable the arms and plate carried thereby to be inverted from a first plane to a second parallel, but spaced plane.

Abstract: A load skidding vehicle including a vehicle frame and front and rear wheels on the frame. A grapple mechanism is mounted on the frame and includes a grapple outside of the periphery of the frame for partially lifting a load to be skidded across the ground. A force applying member is carried by the frame for applying a force having a substantial downward component to a load grasped by the grapple at a point spaced from the point of engagement of the load with the grapple and remote from the frame to thereby provide a reactive force tending to equalize the weight distribution on the wheels of the vehicle.