Abstract: A film development machine, having plural film treatment tanks capable of containing fluids therein for the development of a film transported therethrough by plural transport roller racks, which are small in size, capable of use in areas of limited access by permitting the film to be introduced into, and to be delivered from the machine, from the same side, and especially well adapted to develop films which are relatively small in length and width. The roller racks have a plurality of rollers forming an essentially non-linear film travel path between machine inlet and outlet. The rollers are closely spaced so that films of relatively small size can safely and reliably pass therethrough. Close roller spacing is maintained by providing rollers of different diameters, which compensate for the curvature of the path of film travel, and a gear drive system which drives nip forming pairs of rollers from alternating sides of the roller rack.

Abstract: An engine driven shaft is connected to an input gear of the transmission which, in turn, is geared to a power branching cascade, providing either for axial branching first followed by lateral branching or a reverse sequence of branching, obtaining in either case four outputs provided by pinions which mesh in pairs two large spur gears for re-combining all branches. These large spur gears are on a common shaft which is the transmission output.

Abstract: In a summing gear assembly, driving power is transmitted from a power source having several outputs, such as a steam turbine unit including a high pressure turbine, an intermediate pressure turbine, and a low pressure turbine, through input pinions and power drive lines to a common power take-off gear. Each input pinion is connected to a separate power output and is in meshed engagement with two adjacent power drive lines, there is one more power drive line than there are input pinions. The power drive lines are disposed in parallel laterally spaced relation and each has an intermediate pinion engaged with the power take-off gear.

Abstract: A dryer rack for automatic film developing machines, which is remarkably simple in construction and easy to maintain, which is highly efficient, and which dries the film quickly, thoroughly and with remarkable freedom from blemishes.Gear driven transport rollers arranged in a staggered pattern carry the film through the rack along a sinuous path. The rollers are thinner, more closely spaced and more numerous than in conventional dryer racks. Low-pressure, high-volume fans blow air directly onto the rollers without using air distribution tubes. The rollers themselves form air jets which distribute the drying air flow advantageously over the film surfaces.This rack, with its numerous gear driven transport rollers, is powered by a series of large power transmitting gears positioned along the rack, from which power is tapped off by smaller diameter coaxial gears. The latter in turn drive clusters of the roller drive gears.

Abstract: A gear train comprising a drive gear, a driven gear and an idler arranged a common plane so that both drive gear teeth and idler teeth mesh with the driven gear teeth. The teeth are asymmetric and the idler and drive gears are reflections of one another about a line. Rotation can be transmitted in one sense only and in direction from drive gear to driven gear only. The arrangement may be advantageously employed in timepieces such as electric wrist watches where a stepping motor drives time indicating hands.

Abstract: A gear transmission for an electrical operation means is disclosed wherein a reduction gear mechanism is provided to reduce valve opening and closing speed. The gear box has a cylindrical shape in which upper and lower plates support two gear shafts which rotatably support a plurality of pairs of large and small gears. The large gear is integrally and coaxially secured to the small gear in each pair. A small gear of a first pair of gears supported by one of the gear shafts is engaged with a large gear of a second pair of gears supported by the other gear shaft. The small gear of the second pair is in turn engaged with a large gear of a third pair of gears supported by the one of the gear shafts. The third pair of gears is rotated about the one of the gear shafts independent of the rotation of the first pair of gears.

Abstract: In a transport roller rack for automatic film developing machines, power gears supply the main flow of power to the rack, and cluster drive gears are coaxially rotated by the power gears to tap off fractions of the main power and supply these fractions to clusters of gears which in turn drive transport rollers.Coaxial gear units are used at the power tap off point. Each unit has a plurality of axially displaced portions, one constituting the power gear, another the cluster drive gear. The unit is supported by a shaft for axial rotation, but the construction of the unit is such that the shaft need not be relied upon to transmit the coaxial rotation from power gear to cluster drive gear.Such a coaxial gear unit greatly simplifies the construction and also leads to smoother operation with less risk of damage to the film.

Abstract: A transmission for a two-worm press with two counter-running worms, which includes two transmission output shafts respectively connectable to the two counter-running worms, first gears laterally offset relative to each other. These first gears are drivingly interconnected by second gears forming intermediate gears. The transmission also includes a bearing housing detachably connected to a transmission housing which houses axial bearings for the transmission output shafts and also houses the bearings for the intermediate gears. The bearing housing is connected to the worm housing of the two-worm press by means of the rods extending through the transmission housing. One of the transmission output shafts is firmly connected to a first extension shaft so that the latter is rotatable with said one transmission shaft.

Abstract: An actuator assembly particularly useful for operating butterfly, ball or plug type valves is disclosed herein and comprises a relatively efficient gear train including first means for coupling the gear train to a drive member and a pinion in driving engagement with a sector gear of limited circumferential extent formed on a periphery, preferably an inner periphery, of a generally triangular sector member. At the vertex of the sector member opposite the sector gear there is provided a rotatably mounted drive member for driving the stem of an associated valve member as it rotates. Accordingly, as the sector gear is driven, the drive member rotates the valve stem to open or close the valve. The input gear train includes a non-reversing coupling means adjacent the first coupling means whereby the drive member can rotate the sector member and, thus, the valve stem, but external forces on the output side of the non-reversing coupling means cannot cause rotation of the valve stem.

Abstract: A transport roller rack for automatic film developing machines, which employs gear driven rollers arranged in a staggered pattern, and spaced so closely together that the film follows nearly a straight path between the rollers. This renders the rack more jam-proof, and frees it of any need for stationary film guidance means, but on the other hand materially increases the number of rollers to be driven. A highly efficient gear drive is used which easily handles the increased number of rollers, and whose construction also eliminates any problem of binding between the gears driving adjacent rollers which rotate in the same direction.Each roller has a driving gear at its end. Every other pair of adjacent rollers rotating in mutually opposite directions have these driving gears at the same given ends and is mesh with each other. The intervening pairs of adjacent rollers rotating in mutually opposite directions have their driving gears at the ends opposite the said given ends, and also in mesh with each other.

Abstract: A reduction gear system includes a pair of sets of meshing pinions and internal gears having a substantially larger diameter than the pinions, a shaft connecting the internal gear of the first set to the pinion of the second set, a second shaft supporting the pinion of the first set, a third shaft supporting the internal gear of the second set, the axes of said second and third shafts being in alignment and parallel to but spaced from the axis of the first shaft. Additional parts of sets may be connected to the first pair. When used between the motor and drill bit of an oil well drill the shafts, pinions and gears are supported in an inner housing within an outer housing with a fluid mud passageway therebetween. The inner housing includes a grease chamber and the pressure of the grease is kept greater than the mud pressure by means of a piston surrounding the shaft at the top of the housing.

Abstract: A reduction gear system includes a pair of sets of meshing pinions and internal gears having a substantially larger diameter than the pinions, a shaft connecting the internal gear of the first set to the pinion of the second set, a second shaft supporting the pinion of the first set, a third shaft supporting the internal gear of the second set, the axes of said second and third shafts being in alignment and parallel to but spaced from the axis of the first shaft. Additional parts of sets may be connected to the first pair. When used between the motor and drill bit of an oil well drill the shafts, pinions and gears are supported in an inner housing within an outer housing with a fluid mud passageway therebetween. The inner housing includes a grease chamber and the pressure of the grease is kept greater than the mud pressure by means of a piston surrounding the shaft at the top of the housing.

Abstract: A paper-feeding mechanism of a compact printer is provided. The mechanism has a driven wheel which transmits rotation to a paper-feeding roller and a driving wheel which drives the driven wheel. The driving wheel has first and second sets of gear teeth for engagement with teeth on the driven wheel. The driving wheel is axially displaceable to provide for driving with the first set of gear teeth at a normal paper feed rate and also by the second set for driving at a rapid paper feed rate. A solenoid-operated rate-selection lever serves to select either of the driving speeds. A cam attached to a power wheel which drives the driving wheel serves to return the mechanism from rapid to regular paper-feeding.

Abstract: A postage meter attachment or conversion apparatus is disclosed that will convert a manually lever settable postage meter into an electrically controlled postage meter. The conversion apparatus is easily assembled to and disassembled from a standard lever operated postage meter. Each lever of the meter is settable simultaneously. The motion of the drive mechanism of the conversion apparatus conforms to the arcuate motion of the meter levers, thus eliminating the need for precise alignment between the levers and the drive mechanism. The conversion apparatus can be used to make the mechanical meter compatible in an electrical environment containing equipment such as a computer, a digital scale, and other postage system processing devices.

Abstract: A transport roller rack highly efficient in use of power, especially suitable for photographic film developing machines. The rack combines transport rollers in staggered, non-nip forming configuration, with a power gear train having coaxial power tap-offs to clusters of roller driving gears.Each cluster has its own cluster drive gear, which is coaxially rotated by a larger power gear.Roller driving gears belonging to adjoining clusters also mesh with each other, thereby uniting these clusters into a continuous train of intermeshing roller driving gears.Also, the method of transporting film by the use of this rack.

Abstract: A gear train includes a plurality of gears mounted for cooperation. Two of the gears are provided with at least one projection from the side of the gear in a direction generally parallel to the axis thereof. In operation the projections on the gears interfere at a predetermined angular position to limit movement of the gear train.

Abstract: A compact transmission designed particularly for a self-propelled, walking lawn mower is provided. The transmission is mounted on the deck of the mower behind the engine and is connected to a power take-off shaft of it. The transmission has two forward speeds and is shifted by a short finger-operated shift lever extending rearwardly. The transmission is compact, light in weight, and low in cost. These are achieved, in part, by the gears being arranged to occupy a minimum space and a one-piece shifter fork and guide plate being made of plastic material and assembled through an opening in the top of the transmission housing. The transmission housing also can use either a horizontal or a vertical input shaft with minimum change in design.

Abstract: A rotary drive assembly wherein a shaft is retained within a pinion against axial displacement therefrom by a projection on the shaft received in an annular recess in the pinion. The projection is forcibly urged axially from one end of the pinion bore therethrough into alignment with the recess whereupon the enlargement effectively locks the shaft to the pinion. Bearing portions may be provided on the shaft to be disposed outwardly of the opposite sides of the pinion for journaling the assembled shaft and pinion in suitable bearings. One bearing portion may be larger than the pinion bore so as to limit the relative movement therebetween. The bearing adapted to journal the larger bearing portion of the shaft is arranged to pass the shaft enlargement freely therethrough during assembly of the shaft to the pinion.

Abstract: This invention relates to a gear wheel casing for mounting in an apparatus, particularly a fishing reel. According to a preferred embodiment, the casing is in the form of a capsule comprising a cylindrical wall dimensioned to accommodate a single gear wheel and having an opening which is sufficiently wide to permit mounting of the gear wheel in the capsule but is sufficiently small to provide the capsule with a pronounced tendency to retain a gear wheel placed therein for permitting easy handling of the capsule and the gear wheel as a unit.

Abstract: The rolls in a straightening machine are arranged in an upper and a lower row each being associated with a gear, and these gears establish groups of three wherein one gear pertains to one row and drives the two others pertaining to the respective other row. The one gear of each group is on a shaft that is driven by a larger gear and these larger gears are correspondingly arranged in two rows. One of these larger gears receives driving input through a speed reducing gear from a drive motor, and meshes two of the larger gears but of the respective other row. A bypass gear drivingly links that one larger gear with a fourth one but being associated with the same row. The fourth and one of the two gears mesh with play.

Abstract: This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in electric hoists. Presently produced hoists do not use electric drills for power and are relatively large, heavy and costly.

Abstract: An improved gear system of greater efficiency having less bearing loading and less power requirement to rotate long gear trains. The system includes a plurality of large power gears serially mounted which receive rotative force from another power gear, the power gears positioned to turn respective power gear shafts. The power gear shaft transmits rotative forces to a drive gear which is smaller in diameter with respect to the power gear which drives it. The drive gear powers an individual satellite gear system of driven gears which drive a plurality of work producing satellite shafts. The large power gear in turn drive a downwardly positioned, similar, large power gear which in turn powers its own satellite gear train. In this manner the load of rotating the work producing shafts into a plurality of individual systems is broken up.

Abstract: A transmission system for a high speed cigarette packeting machine of the type on which the arbor is made up of a number of movable parts, comprises a train of gears that mesh with one another, a motor for operating the gears in a continuous fashion, and a plurality of shafts constantly caused to rotate by the aforementioned gears. Operating mechanisms of the machine are distributed throughout a wrapping line which extends along a sinuous, undulated path. The mechanism are connected to the rotatable shafts, from a part of which some of them take intermittent motion through Geneva mechanisms, and from the other part of which the other mechanisms take reciprocating motion through eccentric transmission devices.