Abstract: A method for joining a sole element with an upper element includes the steps of (a) operating a positioning system to position the sole element and the upper element in a defined first position with respect to each other, (b) operating the positioning system to position the sole element and the upper element in a second position for applying a joining agent to the sole element and/or the upper element and (c) joining the sole element with the upper element by operating the positioning system to position the sole element in contact with the upper element in a third position of the positioning system, wherein the third position is defined with respect to the first position.

Abstract: An active feed paintball loader for supplying paintballs to a paintball marker. The loader includes a container for storing a plurality of paintballs. An outfeed tube on the container is connected to an inlet tube on the marker. The loader further includes a drive shaft, a feeder rotatably disposed in the container for feeding paintballs into the outfeed tube, and a drive spring having first and second ends. The first end is engaged to the feeder to provide a driving force to rotate the feeder within the container. The second end is coupled to the drive shaft. The drive shaft operates to wind the drive spring to maintain sufficient tension on the drive spring to maintain a paintball stack in the outfeed tube. The loader further includes a mechanical drive handle accessible externally of the loader and connected to the drive shaft to manually wind the drive spring.

Abstract: A microscope (1) arranged for measuring microscopic structures uses punctiform bundles of rays from a point source (31, 34) of light focused by an optical system on a structure to be measured so that a photoelectric detector (15) can receive the ray bundles reflected from the structure. Plane plates (30a,30b) arranged in a non-parallel ray portion of the path of the optical system can be pivoted through predetermined angles for moving the focal point of the ray bundles on the structure. Encoders (61a, 61b) are coupled with the plates and arranged for measuring the pivot angles used in moving the focal point; and a processor (20) supplied with signals from the encoders and from the detector (15) is arranged for calculating the linear dimensions of the structure over which the focal point has moved.

Abstract: In addition to providing fine adjustment for precise two-coordinate positioning of a specimen, a microscope stage has a handle for rapid displacement of the stage when the fine adjustment is disconnected. This handle is secured to the underside of the cross-slide (6) of the stage, and in a laterally central position of the stage; the handle also extends through a cut-out in the stage carrier, thereby defining the range of movement of the stage. The arrangement of the handle is ergonomically favorable and reduces the danger of contamination of the specimen. In addition, a rotatable sleeve on the handle enables fine and precise adjustment of the angular orientation of a chucked specimen, with respect to the microscope.

Abstract: An illumination apparatus having two separate optical systems each of which is provided with its own light source for the bright-field and the dark-field illumination beam path and which can be optimized independently on one another to meet the different requirements of both types of illumination. The two optical systems are secured to the microscope such that their axes meet at, or in the vicinity of, the bright-field reflector via which the illumination is directed into the observation beam path.

Abstract: The invention contemplates provision of an additional selectively adjustable transmission mechanism, in the coupling of a microscope stage to focusing mechanism within the microscope stand. In the disclosed embodiment, the stage is mounted to a stage carrier (7) which is guided in the stand, and the additional transmission is provided between the stage carrier and the output rack (5) of the primary rack-and-pinion coupling of the focusing mechanism for the stage. The focusing mechanism is of the coaxial coarse-fine variety, with output to the pinion (4) of the coupling. In the additional transmission, an eccentric (11) is journaled for selective rotation in the stage carrier (7), the rack (5) of the coupling has an independent vertical guidance relation (9) with the stage carrier (7), and the rack (5) and eccentric (11) coact to establish instantaneous relative elevation of the stage (6) with respect to the rack (5).

Abstract: The invention contemplates adjustment mechanism for a pancratic objective, wherein each of two differently displaceable lens holders are nevertheless correctly driven by a single manual driving rotation, there being a variable-length corrective connection between the respective lens holders, and there being means operated upon manual adjustment of one holder for correctively varying the length of the connection to the other lens holder.

Abstract: A rapid feed paintball loader for use upon a conventional paintball gun. The rapid feed paintball loader includes a container for holding a plurality of paintballs. At a bottom portion of the container is a rotatable drive cone having a plurality of vertical fins. Each fin forms a gap with an adjacent fin large enough to accommodate a paintball. At the bottom of the container is an exit tube which exits from the bottom portion of the container and leads to an inlet tube of the paintball gun. A tube extension is mounted on an interior surface of the container adjacent to the sloped exit portion of the exit tube. The tube extension is mounted at a height which is above the top feed surface of the fins, and which is approximately equal to the radius of a paintball. A pivotable deflector is also mounted on an interior surface of the container adjacent the tube extension to prevent paintball jams from occurring within the interior of the container.