Abstract: A refrigerant handling system that includes a chamber for holding refrigerant, and a refrigerant pump for directing refrigerant into the chamber so that the refrigerant collects in liquid phase at a lower portion of the chamber while air and other non-condensibles collect in vapor phase at the upper portion of the chamber over the refrigerant. Sensors are responsive to temperatures of the refrigerant entering the chamber and of the refrigerant collected in the lower portion of the chamber. Partial pressure of non-condensibles in the upper portion of the chamber is determined as a function of a difference between such temperatures, and the non-condensibles are purged from the upper portion of the chamber when such partial pressure reaches a selected threshold.

Abstract: A method of suppressing background noise in a digital sound recording and reproducing system includes the steps of preselecting a specific voltage range to be considered to contain substantially all background noise, selecting a quiet sound benchmark voltage taken as zero output, defining a number of least significant bits of a digital sound signal confining the noise, defining voltages corresponding to the number of least significant bits, and replacing these voltages within the voltage range for both positive and negative most significant bits around the benchmark voltage with the benchmark voltage which clears sound signals from this type of noise. An apparatus for practicing the method employs logic circuitry providing suppression of signals within the preselected range.

Abstract: A fuel delivery system for an internal combustion engine that includes a fuel pump responsive to application of electrical power for delivering fuel under pressure to the engine. A pressure sensor supplies a pressure signal as a function of fuel pump output pressure. Electrical circuitry is responsive to the pressure signal for applying electrical power to the pump. A temperature sensor is operatively coupled to the circuitry for automatically varying the pump power signal to increase fuel pump output pressure when temperature at the temperature sensor exceeds preselected threshold temperature.

Abstract: A spherical gaming device to be held by hand, made out of different materials, having a central core, wherein the central core consists of a removable ball with variable weight and this central core is housed into a first and a second hemispherical hollows, that can mutually fit. The first hemispherical hollow is integral with the spherical gaming device, being at the same time a base of a removable cylindrical portion thereof. The second base of the removable cylindrical portion is a portion of the outside surface of the sphere. The hand-held device also has a pair of drilled holes on the surface of said sphere, that define a first and a second cylindrical hollows to receive the fingers. The removable portion is provided with a trip fastening arrangement.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for generating high pulse energy, short optical pulses having relatively high contrast. The system comprises a diode laser to seed a compact diode pumped amplifier, and comprises pulse shaping and cleaning elements to achieve relatively high energies and high contrast. The system is not locked to a fixed repetition rate as it is controlled by an electronic trigger. The system of the invention comprises a selectively triggered pulse source (asynchronous) which is coupled to pulse amplifying/pulse shaping means, which is coupled to pulse cleaning means, which is further coupled to a chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system.

Abstract: A workpiece holding press tool with an elongated body having an annular collar extending from an end face and a plug member secured to the collar by a fastener. The plug forms an annular groove with the body that receives a retainer clip which frictionally engages the inside surface of a workpiece to retain the workpiece on the press tool. The retainer clip is a circular spring steel wire having opposed ends with a relieved portion formed on the outside surface thereof to prevent scratching, marring or otherwise damaging the inside surface of the workpiece. In another embodiment, a second plug is added to provide a second annular groove to receive a second retainer clip for holding elongated workpieces having a cylindrical inside diameter.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting the added functions of a telephone dialer by adding diodes to the IC circuit and using as part of the input pins such that the need for total number of input pins and thus the manufacturing costs of the IC are reduced. The method is executed by using the available keyboard input/output boards without increasing the need for extra input pins in order to detect whether there is any diode in existence that is connected among the input/output ports.

Abstract: A digital/analog converter circuit of the analog multiplying type utilizing the major components of an analog multiplying current source and a DC offset compensation circuit for eliminating noise generation.

Abstract: A press for press-fitting an axle tube into a differential housing having a locator and accurately locating a flange on the tube relative the locator by offsetting flange mislocation, deflection of the tube and press and deflection and/or shifting of the tube and housing fixtures during press-fitting. The press has a ram in operable communication with a drive and a computer in communication with the ram and drive to accurately control movement of the ram and depth of insertion of each tube. Carried by the ram is a probe that senses flange location relative on the tube for determining deviation in flange location and offsetting depth of insertion to compensate for any such deviation. Another sensor communicates to the computer the insertion force the ram is applying to the tube to determine tube and press deflection.

Abstract: The plastic roof vent including a longitudinally extending thinner portion is provided adjacent the vanes and a foraminous strip is bonded as by heat bonding or ultrasonic welding to the roof vent. In accordance with the method and apparatus, the plastic roof vent is bent along the thinner hinge line to provide access for placing of the strip of porous material and for bonding the strip to the plastic roof vent.

Abstract: The preferred polymers comprise cyclic units having sulphur at the 1 position, nitrogen at the 3 position, a substituent R group carried off of a carbon at the 4 position, and a carbon at each of the 2 and 5 positions of the thiazole ring. Each of the units is connected through the 2 or 5 position to another thiazole unit. Intermediate units are connected through the 2 and 5 positions to thiazole units on either side, terminal (end) units are connected to a respective adjacent thiazole unit at the 2 position, hydrogen or another substituent is carried off of the 5 position of the terminal unit. The R substituent group is a hydrocarbon having more than 1 carbon atom.

Abstract: A refrigerant handling system that includes a refrigerant compressor having an inlet for connection to a source of refrigerant and an outlet for delivering refrigerant under pressure. A refrigerant/non-condensible separator is coupled to the compressor outlet. The separator includes a refrigerant conduit wound in a closed planar spiral, such that refrigerant flowing through the conduit is urged by centrifugal force against the radially outer wall portion of the conduit. Openings in the upper wall portion of the conduit vent air and other non-condensibles of lesser molecular weight than the refrigerant.

Abstract: A band severing method and tool having a band severing head made entirely in one piece from a unitary high strength body of metal. The body of the head has a continuous slot formed transversely therethrough and open at the laterally opposite ends thereof and at an end opening whereby the tool body can be receivingly engaged with a band run by entry of the band run edgewise through the slot. Slot band engaging edges on the head body are oriented at a convergent taper angle in the direction to the body axis and have a plurality of band run engaging teeth arranged in a serrated tooth pattern therealong. With the band run held so engaged with a portion of the run trapped in the body slot, the slot edges impart a band severing rupture in the band run at its engagement along the passageway slot edges transversely of the band in response to application of torque to the head operable to cause bodily rotation of the head body in one continuous direction of rotation.

Abstract: A cutting blade actuating link for actuating a cutting blade of a guillotine-type animal nail or artificial nail clipper. The link is in the form of a thin flat body having an integral hook formation at one end adapted for insertion into an aperture in the blade and a blade-release finger tab at the opposite end. The link hook has an inside peripheral edge concave surface to thereby define a hook eye interior surface inclined generally at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of said body. The link has a dumb bell shaped through-opening for receiving both a pivot pin for mounting the blade to the clipper handle and the hook end of the clipper handle spring. Progressive die stamping method, apparatus and punch and die tooling are also disclosed for making the link.

Abstract: A multi-piece, non-take-apart vehicle wheel disc and rim assembly and method of making the same. The wheel rim has a disc mounting flange extending radially inwardly of the rim which radially overlaps the disc. The disc and rim are each finish formed prior to assembly and each have a set of assembly-mounting holes extending parallel to the wheel axis which are generally registered in initial assembly. One assembly hole set is preformed slightly larger in diameter than the other. The rim is fixtured on an assembly apparatus to orient the average axis of the rim bead seats on a predetermined first axis of the apparatus. Then the disc is placed loosely on the rim with the sets of disc and rim assembly holes generally registered.

Abstract: A full face fabricated sheet metal wheel having a rim with dual bead seats and inboard flange and a disc welded to the outboard edge of the rim and providing an outboard tire bead retaining flange with a curl rolled to finish profile without machining. Method and apparatus for making such wheel includes a roll forming machine with modified roll forming tooling and workpiece clamping mechanism so as to rotatably spring clamp and rotationally drivingly support a wheel workpiece in the machine roll forming station on axially opposed outboard and inboard power driven lower rolls during roll forming the flange curl profile. An upper outboard roll operates to first clamp a flange pre-cursor portion of the workpiece to securely stabilize and prevent tilting of the workpiece on the lower clamping support rolls and then by further successive roll forming engagement cause cold flow of the flange metal to thin and iron the flange curl to finished profile.

Abstract: A low-profile, flat twin sheet thermoformed pallet adapted to carry and store relatively, heavy, bulky manufactured components having a high load profile relative to the low flat pallet profile. The disclosed pallet exemplary embodiment is particularly constructed for shipping and storing automotive vehicle passenger seats. The disclosed embodiment is a vehicle standardized pallet having cooperative seat load nesting compartments and a permanent on-board latching mechanism capable of removable receiving and securely attaching, with the same latch operating procedure, any one of the six different types of vehicle seat constructions, in pallet load groups of one or two, with the seats resting on their feet, and occupying predetermined positions in a given orientation thereon corresponding to their vehicle orientation in use.