Abstract: An athletic ankle brace is custom-formed to the shape of a wearer's ankle. The ankle brace includes a hardenable brace panel adapted for being molded while flexible to the medial and lateral aspects of the lower leg and ankle of the wearer. Upon hardening, the molded brace panel provides a rigid custom fit for restricting inversion and eversion of the foot during wear. The brace panel defines an integrally-formed hardenable posterior heel tongue adapted for being molded while flexible to the heel of the wearer and extending under the heel to further support the ankle upon hardening.

Abstract: A strain gauge sensor for measuring the unit weight of a moving sliver in a textile machine, comprising a support rigidly mounted on a sliver output end of the textile machine and a trumpet carried by the support for outputting a condensed sliver. At least one strain gauge is carried by the support and responsive to strain imposed on the support by movement of sliver through the trumpet. Electrical circuit is means carried by the support in electrically communicating relation to the strain gauge, and includes a power supply and amplifier carried by the electrical circuit on the support for outputting an excitation voltage and a Wheatstone bridge for receiving the excitation voltage from tile power supply and applying the excitation voltage to the at least one strain gauge, receiving a feedback signal from the strain gauge and outputting a control signal corresponding to the weight of the sliver passing through the trumpet.

Abstract: The display apparatus 2 comprises a cascading display device 4 which defines three elongate channels 6, 8, 10 in which articles, for example magazines or newspapers, may be arranged and displayed. The display device 4 is supported by a support device 12 which extends between a rear wall 14, situated behind the device 4, and the display device and is arranged to support the display device against downwards movement. The support device includes a support flange 78 which extends into a gap defined between limbs 34, 36 of respective channels 6, 8. Support rods 16 extend between the wall 14 and the display device 4 and are arranged to space the display device 4 from the wall 14; to prevent the display device 4 from pivoting about the support device 12; and to add rigidity to the display apparatus. In another embodiment, a support device is provided which includes support flanges which extend into respective gaps defined between the first and second channels 6, 8 and the second and third channels 8, 10.

Abstract: A propeller aircraft for being powered by an operator moving the aircraft in a circular flight path on a tether, and adapted for emitting simulated realistic propeller and engine noises during flight. The aircraft includes an elongate fuselage carrying aerodynamic flight surfaces and at least one propeller assembly. The propeller assembly comprises a propeller shaft and a propeller hub having at least two propeller blades carried by and extending radially-outwardly from the propeller hub. The hub includes a bore therethrough for rotatably-mounting the hub on the propeller shaft. The bore is sufficiently larger in diameter than the shaft to permit axially-oscillating, non-concentric rotating motion of the propeller hub on the propeller shaft responsive to and proportional to the rate of movement of the aircraft through the air on the tether by the operator. An impact surface proximate the propeller shaft is provided for being impacted responsive to rotation of the propeller hub.

Abstract: A flexible laminated sheet flooring product for covering a subfloor. The flooring product includes a resilient top layer defining a wearing surface of the flooring product. A fiber backing is laminated to the top layer for dimensionally supporting the layer. A pressure sensitive adhesive coating is permanently applied to the fiber backing and releasable from a protective covering without separation of the fiber backing from the top layer. The coating has sufficient tack for releasably adhering the flooring product to the subfloor.

Abstract: A convertible patient transport apparatus includes a frame assembly adapted for supporting a patient. A plurality of bent pivot legs are attached to the frame assembly and mounted on respective wheels for rolling movement of the transport apparatus over a supporting surface. Each of the pivot legs includes a vertical upper portion, an intermediate portion formed at an angle to the upper portion, and a vertical lower portion formed with the intermediate portion. An actuator pivots the legs between an open position, wherein the distance between the lower portions of laterally adjacent legs is increased, and a closed position, wherein the distance between the lower portions of laterally adjacent legs is reduced. In the open position, the width of the transport apparatus is expanded to move the frame assembly over a bed of the patient. In the closed position, the width of the transport apparatus is narrowed.

Abstract: An overhead door for occluding an opening in a structure. The door includes a pair of tracks having inwardly facing surfaces which define a channel. A door panel is located intermediate the pair of tracks and moveable along a predetermined path of travel which is defined by the tracks. A release assembly is borne by the door panel and is operable to releasably engage at least one of the tracks. The release assembly includes a moveable plunger which is received in the channel of one of the tracks and which guides the door panel along the path of travel. The plunger disengages from the channel when force of a predetermined magnitude is applied to the door panel.

Abstract: A method for creating an opening in tubular knitted fabric articles, including the steps of providing a knitting machine having a plurality of needles mounted in axial needle slots in a needle cylinder, the needles having a hook formed in a top end of a needle shank and a latch pivotally mounted on the needle shank below the hook for opening and closing the hook. A deflector is provided for deflecting a loop of yam being formed by a needle into the vertical plane of an adjacent needle. A needle is selected from which a loop is to be transferred. The loop on the selected needle is enlarged by deflecting the loop out of the vertical plane of the selected needle laterally into the vertical plane of an adjacent needle while the adjacent needle is in a lowered, non-interfering position relative to the deflected loop.

Abstract: A process of producing an assembled yarn, including the steps of providing two or more yarns moving downstream from a supply to a take-up, inserting alternating-direction zones of twist into at least one of the yarns, the at least one yarn having an area of zero twist between said alternating direction zones of twist, combining the at least two yarns to form a single, integrated yarn strand, and intermittently exposing the yarn strand to an air blast to create a zone of intermingled yarns at spaced-apart points along the length of the yarn strand to prevent torsional movement of one yarn relative to the other yarn. According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of exposing the yarn strand to an air blast includes the step of intermingling the yarns at the areas of zero twist.

Abstract: A plant transplanting support device is formed of a sheet material for lining an interior of a container having a bottom and side walls for holding a plant. The support device resides between the container and the root ball of the plant to support and maintain the root ball intact upon transfer of the plant from the container to another container or from the container into a planting bed. The support device includes an elongated sidewall portion for being formed by a user such that its opposite ends converge to define sides of an enclosure. The enclosure is adapted to fit within the container adjacent the side walls of the container. A plurality of leg portions extend outwardly from the sidewall portion at a bottom edge of the enclosure. The leg portions are adapted for being folded upwardly from the bottom edge of the enclosure to an opposite top edge of the enclosure to define an enclosure bottom for residing adjacent the bottom of the container to support the root ball when transplanting the plant.

Abstract: A needle for a circular knitting machine wherein loops can be transferred from one needle to an adjacent needle for forming decorative patterns of open-work. The needle includes an elongate shank having a hook formed on a top end thereof and a butt formed on a bottom end thereof. A latch is pivotally mounted on the shank below said hook and reciprocally moveable by a yarn being formed into a loop between an open position wherein the latch resides generally alongside the shank of the needle and a closed position extending between the shank and the end of the hook. A loop deflector is positioned on the needle shank between the latch and the butt and extends laterally into a plane defined an adjacent needle for receiving the adjacent needle through the loop whereby the loop is transferred laterally to the adjacent loop to thereby form an opening in the fabric being formed by the knitting machine.

Abstract: Joy device of a casing in a form of pedestal, upon a mast for hauling up a flag by means of a strand pulled by a mechanic device is fixed, all in time to a sonorous emission generated by a sound electronic chip included into the casing. According to the invention, the mast is detachable and is provided a housing for bearing a portion of the mast at the detached state. Furthermore advantages arise when the sound chip is mounted upon the outside of the housing of the feed bateries of the sound chip and when the switch for the electric feed is provided in a form of resiently deformable membrane operatively faced to the bottom end of an operation pushbutton provided on the casing.

Abstract: A container having walls and defining a space between the walls in which articles may be contained. The container includes a partition and attachment. The attachment is operable, in use, to adjustably attach the partition to the container within the space, to form a smaller space of variable size. The attachment includes complementary formations on the container and on the partition, which mate so attach the partition to the container. There is sufficient resilience in or associated with the complementary formations to allow the partition to be adjusted along an adjustment direction by the application of sufficient force in that direction fo force the complementary formations tp disengage.

Abstract: A bulk bag discharger is disclosed having an inner product tube for receiving the discharge spout on the bottom of the bulk bag, the tube being housed within an outer chamber that traps and retains foreign material and contaminants that could otherwise fall into the clean product zone. The result is discharge of product from within the bulk bag with minimal contamination from the outer bag.

Abstract: A pool skimmer basket assembly is submerged in a filter passage. The filter passage communicates with a filter opening formed in a wall of a pool. The basket assembly operates to separate and capture debris entrained in pool water entering the filter opening and moving downstream through the filter passage. The skimmer basket assembly is accessible through a user access opening communicating with the filter passage, such that the skimmer basket assembly is readily removable by a user for periodic emptying and cleaning. The skimmer basket assembly includes a basket defined by walls and having an open top arranged for receiving pool water. A filter is provided for separating debris from pool water flowing downstream through the filter passage and through the open top of the basket. An extendable handle is attached to the basket for being grasped by the user to lift and remove the basket outwardly from the filter passage through the access opening.

Abstract: An athletic pole adapted for minimizing injuries to the hand and wrist of the user in the event of an accident. The pole includes a handle having an enlarged handle base, a shaft extending from the handle and including a proximal end adjacent the handle, a distal end, and an enlarged shaft base on the proximal end that normally engages the handle base. The pole also includes an attachment device for attaching the handle to the shaft and a biasing device exerting sufficient tension on the attachment device for biasing the attachment device to maintain the handle base and the shaft base in a mating, coaxial position during normal use. The periphery of the handle base and the periphery of the shaft base collectively form a fulcrum point for permitting controlled, tensioned articulation of the handle relative to the shaft. Such articulation results when a predetermined bending force is applied to the pole that is sufficient to overcome the tension of the biasing device on the attachment device.