Abstract: A side wing plow assembly is provided for use on a vehicle, e.g. a grader. It includes an elongated blade, an articulated forward connector assembly for connecting the inner end of the blade to the vehicle and a rear connector assembly for connecting the outer end of the blade to the vehicle rearwardly of the vehicle cab. Hydraulic cylinders tilt the blade and raise and lower the blade and a telescopic arm adjusts the angle of the blade. A shock absorbing linkage also permits the blade to bounce over an obstruction to avoid damage.

Abstract: An improvement for trimmers of the type that include an elongated main handle member with a motor assembly on one end and a cutting head at the other end. A secondary retractable handle member is pivotally mounted at one end to a point on the main handle member that is adjacent to the cutting head so that maximum control can be exerted on the positioning of the latter. The retractable handle member is preferably made to conform to the shape of the main handle member when brought next to it. A securing latch assembly releasably keeps both of them attached to each other when desired by a user, typically, to operate on horizontal cutting planes. The retractable handle member is not separated when a user desires to make vertical cuts.

Abstract: A tablet coating machine for applying a coating to a bed of tablets, the machine comprising a circular drum with frusto-conical ends which is rotated about its axis. The periphery of the drum is perforated to allow air to flow through the bed of tablets disposed in the drum under the action of a suction shoe. In order to be able to optimise the efficiency of the tablet coating process for different quantities of tablets, the volumetric capacity of the drum is adjustable to achieve a desired tablet depth for the quantity of tablets being processed. More particularly an axially adjustable wall portion is provided within the drum to adjust the length of the tablet containing portion of the drum. The wall portion is made up of segments which are dimensioned to fit through an opening into the drum by which tablets are introduced into the drum.

Abstract: A digital integrator is disclosed that provides a wide dynamic range and extremely fast clearing of previous integration results. The digital integrator includes an analog-to-digital converter that generates a series of digitized representations of an electrical signal and further includes an ALU that generates an integration result by adding successive digitized representations in the series throughout an integration interval. The digital integrator includes circuitry for clearing the integration result from the ALU after completion of the integration interval in preparation for a subsequent integration interval on the electrical signal.

Abstract: An improved film type air temperature control valve for an automotive HVAC assembly has a flexible, apertured belt that wraps closely around both faces of a heater core case internal to the HVAC housing. Winding and unwinding of the belt around the heater core case, and across a heater core bypass passage, simultaneously opens up more of the bypass passage as it closes off more of the heater core faces, and vice versa. Because of the close conformance of the belt to and across the heater core faces, both faces of the always hot heater core can be completely closed to direct or indirect air flow, preventing any undesired incidental heating of the air flow.

Abstract: A film valve designed to replace a semi cylindrical, solid rotary valve, which rolls the film against or away from the perimeter seal of an HVAC outlet opening without relative rubbing. Spring biased take up rollers journaled on V shaped, resilient wire support legs keep a film sheet biased against interleaved, arcuate support fingers to hold the film in the necessary curved shape. The curved film sheet rolls up or winds out from the rollers as the legs are pushed toward one another, or allowed to swing away from one another. The film rolls down onto or up and off of the foam seal surrounding the outlet opening without relative rubbing.

Abstract: An air inlet assembly for the scroll housing of an automotive air conditioning and ventilation system is specially structurally matched to the scroll housing so as to be more compact and efficient. An inlet housing is fashioned coaxial to the scroll housing and blower, within which a coaxial, partially cylindrical door rotates around the central axis so as to open or close one of a pair of diametrically opposed air openings. An annular filter fits within the rotating door. Regardless of which air inlet is open, air that is pulled in by the blower is forced into a radial space between the filter and the door, three hundred and sixty degrees around, and is forced radially through the filter before entering the scroll housing. Because of the coaxial, matching relationship between inlet housing a scroll housing, the entire assembly is very compact and low in profile, as measured along the vertical co axis.

Abstract: A hygrostat system employs a hygroscopic element of a coherent polymer suitable for burying in soil near a plant (for example, a pot-plant). The hygroscopic element directly contacts the soil and has no lost motion as it expands and contracts so that the soil does not interpose itself at the ends of the element. In one embodiment, the hygrostate system has an upper chamber shaped like an inverted cup closed by a diaphragm and a lower frame shaped like an inverted stirrup having a lower arch and having an integrally-molded upper snapping ring, which fits inside the rim of the upper chamber. The upper chamber has a water inlet/outlet spigots extending therefrom. The hygroscopic element is strip shaped and is clipped or keyed at its lower end to a key-stone protrusion formed at the bottom of the lower frame. A pair of guide rails, which serve to stiffen the hygrostat element against buckling, extend from each side thereof.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming a tube, preferably of flexible thermally insulating material, comprises a cutting head 14 with a pair of concentric cutting edge 16, 18 which cooperates with a presser head 28 to cut rings 50 of material from a sheet 48 presented to the cutting head. The rings are stacked up on a guide bar 32 and sprayed with a coating composition to consolidate them into a tube which may be collected on a take-up drum in a continuous manner.