Abstract: A pill crusher has a portable housing with a base to be supported on a surface and a top surface having a transverse slot opening into a holding container in the housing for one of more pills carried in a pouch. The pouch can be manually inserted through the slot until a bottom edge of the pouch sits on a base of the container. Two horizontally oriented and opposed solenoids are powered by rechargeable battery power in the housing and drive vertical crusher plates toward one another in the holding container to impact repeatedly, during depression by the operator of a manual switch, until the operator determines that the repeated impacting action has sufficiently crushed the pills in the pouch so that the pouch can be withdrawn through the top opening.

Abstract: An elongated substantially flat four-conductor moisture detection and location sensor is described. The sensor includes four parallel conductors laminated to a dielectric substrate. Two of the conductors are protected by a water pervious dielectric layer and form the water-sensing element. Two other conductors are covered by a water impervious dielectric layer and are used to loop-back one or more of the water-sensing conductors. Precise location of a water leak location is determined by connecting the four conductors to a resistance bridge. The design allows for the connection of a four-conductor cable to extend the monitoring and detection point to a convenient location without loss of location accuracy.

Abstract: A leaf spring assembly includes a safety strap extending along the bottom of a plurality of stacked leaf springs that are held in a stacked relationship by a leaf fastener. The strap is attached to each leaf spring in the stack by fasteners at opposite ends of the spring such that adjacent leaf springs are connected on each side of the fastener. In the event that any one of the springs fails between the leaf fastener and one of the ends at which the strap is attached, the broken pieces of the spring remain connected to the other springs in the stack. This prevents pieces from breaking free of the assembly and creating road hazards in the event of spring failure.

Abstract: A centrifuge of the type having an outer bowl and an inner rotor both of which are generally cylindrical and rotate in the same direction but at slightly different rates separates slurry fed into the interior of the rotor into solids and liquid. An auger flight on the outside surface of the rotor carries the solids along the annular channel between the outside of the rotor and the inside of the bowl. The slurry is fed into a chamber at one end of the rotor and through outlet holes in the sides of the rotor into the channel. An end plate of the chamber has a forwardly projecting domed central nose which extends into the flowing slurry. Transverse guide plates of the rotor act to engage the slurry and accelerate it into rotation with the rotor before escaping through the holes. The guide plates are shaped with curved angularly projecting ribs on the downstream side in front of the hole over which the slurry flows in a smooth path before exiting the hole.

Abstract: Cathodic protection of a structure including a steel member at least partly buried in a covering layer, such as steel rebar in a concrete structure, is provided by embedding sacrificial anodes into the concrete layer at spaced positions over the layer and connecting the anodes to the rebar. The anode body is formed, by pressing together finely divided powder, flakes or fibers of a sacrificial anode material such as zinc to define a porous body having pores therein. The sacrificial anode material of the anode member is directly in contact with the covering material by being buried or inserted as a tight fit into a drilled hole so that any expansion forces therefrom would be applied to the concrete with the potential of causing cracking. The pores are arranged however such that corrosion products from corrosion of the anode body are received into the pores sufficiently to prevent expansion of the anode body to an extent which would cause cracking of the covering material.

Abstract: In ice fishing the fishing line passes through top and bottom holes in a container for liquid allow the fishing line to move through the container when pulled. A non-freezing liquid is poured from a supply into the container arranged such that the fishing line can move through the container when pulled with the non-freezing liquid preventing the line from freezing to the container or to the holes therein. The line may have a plug for butting against the bottom one of the holes to temporarily prevent the escape of liquid prior to the container being dropped into the ice fishing hole when the water will prevent the escape of the liquid.

Abstract: Cathodic protection of steel in a building or other concrete or similar structure is provided by locating an anode in a suitable location adjacent to the steel and providing an impressed current from a power supply to the anode. The anode is formed from a material which is more electro-negative than the steel so that in the event that the power supply falls below the galvanic potential therebetween, current flows under galvanic action to replace the impressed current. A diode in the circuit prevents flow of current across the power supply but allows the galvanic current when the power supply fails open circuit. An additional diode can be provided in the event the power supply fails closed circuit to prevent reverse current flow.

Abstract: A wine storage system is formed by a modular frame defined by upright members and cross members arranged to form a three dimensional array of compartments in rows and columns where the upright members and cross members have interconnections therebetween allowing addition of further members to form frames of different sizes in a modular construction. Each compartment is arranged to receive an independent wine cell having an insulated rectangular housing with a door and a semi-conductor or other based cooling element inside the housing for cooling the wine bottles. A modular electrical supply arrangement provides a single connection for the modular frame and a connector on each compartment for the housing as it slides into the compartment. Some of the housings can be replaced by less expensive knock down or collapsible non-cooling racks for temporary storage.

Abstract: A machine for inserting plastic pre-formed helical coils into aligned holes at an edge of respective collated books for binding the books is adjustable to accommodate different thickness books and respective different diameter and pitch of coil. The machine has a platen having an edge comb at which the edge of the book is presented and a coil drive for rotating the helical coil parallel to the edge of the platen. Two spine formers support the book such that its spine takes up a curved shape in side elevation and a clamp with an edge comb clamps the book on to the platen. Both the edge comb of the platen and of the clamp are provided as insert portions attachable to the respective element for easy replacement of the pitch. The location of the coil drive is automatically adjusted by measuring the coil diameter with a gauge. The clamp moves along an arc which automatically adjusts the clamping location for thickness of the book.

Abstract: A time-sliced discrete-time Phase Locked Loop which is suitable for simultaneously synchronizing multiple input signals to multiple output signals is provided by implementing a discrete-time phase detector, loop filter, and voltage controlled oscillator that together operate as a single discrete-time PLL in hardware and applying control logic to retrieve the history for each signal pair from a context memory (RAM), to enable the discrete-time PLL hardware, and to store the resulting history in the context memory for use in subsequent operations for a particular input/output signal pair.

Abstract: A combination of profiles for forming slider and double hung sash windows or patio doors includes a common outer profile and two different inner profiles so that one inner profile can be used to form the double hung and the other to form the slider. This allows the slider top inner to be cut away to form a floating section resting on the top of the sash. This allows the drain holes to be formed separately in the inner and the outer to be longitudinally offset to prevent direct air penetration. The sash frame is formed with a removable glass stop on one side which snaps into engagement at right angles to the glass surface of the sealed unit to allow formation of a tri-pane with 0.5 inch spacing and to allow the use of two strips of adhesive one on each side of the sealed unit with no need for drainage.

Abstract: A greenhouse has an exterior curtain wall structure formed by spaced tubular posts carrying external transparent panels and bottom non-transparent wall panels below a sill with the panels spanning the posts. A plurality of elongate benches is located within the interior at spaced positions along one side wall with the width of the benches being equal to the post spacing to form a modular construction. Each bench has associated with it a respective air handling system for conditioning including a duct which is located partly under the respective bench and a fan in a fan housing at the side wall. From the fan a vertical duct section extends to a flexible tube extending over the bench. An alley is arranged along the opposite wall containing electrical controls mounted in cabinets forming panels for mounting in the span between posts. Air dehumidification, fogging, heating and cooling are provided in the duct under the bench.

Abstract: A greenhouse has an exterior curtain wall structure formed by spaced tubular posts carrying external transparent panels and bottom non-transparent wall panels below a sill with the panels spanning the posts. A plurality of elongate benches is located within the interior at spaced positions along one side wall with the width of the benches being equal to the post spacing to form an expandable construction. Each bench has associated with it a respective air handling system for conditioning including a duct which is located partly under the respective bench and a fan in a fan housing at the side wall. From the fan a vertical duct section extends to a flexible tube extending over the bench. Air dehumidification, fogging, heating and cooling are provided in the duct under the bench. An alley is arranged along the opposite wall containing electrical controls mounted in cabinets forming panels for mounting in the span between posts.

Abstract: Cathodic protection of an existing concrete structure, including a steel member at least partly buried, such as steel rebar, in the concrete structure, is provided by embedding anodes into a fresh concrete layer applied over an excavated patch and/or as a covering overlay. The anodes are embedded at spaced positions or as an array in the layer and connected to the rebar. A reinforcing layer is applied to the anode or adjacent the anode to resist expansion of the anode body tending to cause cracking of the concrete caused by the larger volume of the corrosion products relative to the anode material. Pores are provided in the anode body so as to take up the corrosion products. The reinforcing layer can be provided in the actual anode body as a closed surface surrounding the anode material inside or may be provided in the concrete as a layer on top of the anode in an array form at or near the outer surface of the concrete.

Abstract: In a hog production plant the hogs are divided into a series of separate pens within the hog plant based generally on weight such that the lightest hogs closest to the initial weight are arranged in the first pen when the arrive and the heaviest hogs closest to the final market weight are arranged in the last pen. Each pen includes a sorting scale arranged to receive a hog therein and to weigh the hog for selection of one of two outlet paths leading to the next pen of the series or, in respect of the last pen, to a discharge location.

Abstract: A resilient anti-fatigue layer shaped to fit under the sole and heel of a shoe of a wearer includes a mat of fibers heat bonded together with a tight surface against the sole and a loose surface against the floor. The mat of fibers includes a generally flat portion shaped to match the bottom of the shoe and a plurality of tabs formed of the mat at the edges of the bottom portion and projecting beyond the edges of the bottom portion with at least one tab at the front, two tabs at the rear and at least one tab at each side, with each tab having attached thereto a respective strap. The straps provide a on each side a single strap which extends from the front side connection tab, through slots provided in a toe connection member to the rear side tabs, to the heel tabs and over the foot.

Abstract: A combine harvester has a straw chopper attached to a rear hood behind the rear edge of the sieve assembly with a chaff guide system to bypass the chaff in front of the chopper and a straw guide system to bypass the straw above the chopper and over the tailboard. The chopper has a housing with a feed opening into which straw and/or chaff can be fed depending upon the positions of the chaff guide system and the straw guide system. A chopping assembly mounted in the housing discharges through a discharge opening through onto the tailboard having a plurality of guide fins for spreading. The housing bottom wall has a pivotal adjustment portion to allow chaff entering the feed opening and engaging the chopping assembly to discharge from the housing at a discharge position different from the discharge opening for spreading with supplementary spreading fins.

Abstract: A fan rotor is mounted on a shaft carried on bearings attached to a base plate and there is provided an assembly for preventing reverse rotation of the fan which could damage the motor. A stop plate is mounted on the base adjacent the shaft with an edge adjacent the shaft. A pair of wing members are carried on the shaft on two collar pieces so that each wing member is pivotal between ends of the collar pieces about an axis parallel to the tangent to the shaft at the wing member. The wing members are V-shaped and pivot so that one leg moves under gravity either in the vertical or horizontal orientations of the shaft from a retracted position, in which it is free from the stop plate to an extended position in which it engages the abutment surface of the stop member to prevent reverse rotation. The wing members are shaped and weighted such that rotation of the shaft beyond a predetermined angular velocity causes centrifugal force to move the wing members to the retracted position.

Abstract: A medication cart a includes a housing mounted on four posts at corners of the housing with a generally horizontal counter top at the top of the housing and a plurality of drawers in the housing underneath the counter top having locations therein for containing medications and for containing data charts relating to medications to be dispensed to a number of patients. The housing is mounted on a base with a plurality of ground wheels for movement by an operator over the ground to different locations to service a series of patients with the medications. A lifting mechanism for lifting the housing relative to the base is defined by four threaded rods each extending generally upwardly between the base and the housing with a lower end of each rod attached to the base and an upper end extending into a respective post. A nut on each rod is connected to the housing such that rotation of the rods causes axial movement of the nut along the rod and lifting of the housing relative to the base.

Abstract: A transportation cart primarily for transporting deceased animals through the alleyways of a barn has a swivelling mast and boom mounted on the front section of a frame driven by powered wheels with a slide panel attached to the mast below the boom over which the object can slide as it is pulled by actuating a winch to be carried. A coupling is provided between the front frame section and a rear frame section with castor wheels for providing side to side movement of the rear frame section relative to the front frame section transverse to a longitudinal center line to provide ballast when the lifting is to one side and to provide manoeuvrability. The boom has an inner end mounted on the mast for pivotal movement about a transverse axis such that an outer end of the boom can be raised and lowered and the slide panel is movable from its inclined slide position below the boom to a raised stored position attached to an underside of the boom.