Abstract: A chute is disclosed for passing articles such as laundry between floors or walls in a building. The chute has a tubular frame to be securely inserted in an opening in a planar partition, and a flexible tube attached to and hanging from the frame. The tubular frame has a peripheral wall defining an inlet in communication with one side of the planar partition and an outlet extending beyond the other side of the planar partition. A peripheral flange is outwardly directed from the peripheral wall adjacent to the inlet and is adapted to rest against one side of the planar partition. A gripping projection extends transversely from the peripheral wall and is spaced from the other side of the planar partition. The flexible tube is releasably attached to the gripping projection. A lid is movably connected to the frame to open and close the inlet.

Abstract: Prior hydraulic lifts for bathtubs have required complicated installation and a dedicated source of hydraulic pressure. The present invention provides a bathtub lift operated by the domestic water pressure and which uses simple hydraulic cylinders.

Abstract: A vibratory core drill apparatus for the recovery of soil or sediment core samples. The samples are collected within a rapidly vibrating sample tube which is driven into the ground by the apparatus. The apparatus comprises a drill stand, vibratory drive for imparting a vibratory motion to the sample tubes, coupling for coupling the sample tubes to the vibratory drive, support for supporting and restraining the coupling and vibratory drive, a carriage assembly for mounting the support to the drill stand in sliding up and down fashion, and carriage drive for lifting or lowering the carriage assembly. The invention permits the rapid recovery of representative soil or sediment samples at depths of up to 20 meters without the periodic disassembly of the invention during the drilling operation.

Abstract: An improved hose rupture valve is disclosed for preventing the excessive and dangerous flow of fluid through a high pressure hose when the hose is ruptured or the pneumatic or hydraulic tool at the end thereof is accidentally decoupled downstream of the valve. The valve comprises a housing containing a cylinder having a pivotally mounted vane. During normal operation, the vane is held in an open position by biasing means such as a spring. When the hose downstream of the valve is ruptured or accidentally decoupled from the pneumatic or hydraulic tool, the pressure within the cylinder suddenly decreases relative to the pressure within the housing and the vane pivots into a closed position to prevent the excessive flow of fluid through the outlet port of the valve.

Abstract: A tool for removing lagging strips from conveyor belt pulley drums is disclosed. A tool head is driven across the drum against the end of the strip, and simultaneously raises the metal clips which retain the lagging strip. Parallel tubular elements guide the tool head across the drum, and a hydraulic cylinder or winch may be used to power the tool head.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the shape of a hot railroad rail during accelerated cooling of the rail head. The railroad rail is cooled along its web-base junction at a rate which achieves a pre-selected degree of shape control, while avoiding over-cooling of the upper portion of the web or the tips of the rail base. The apparatus comprises spray means for applying selected volumes of coolant to the web-base junction of the rail oriented about the periphery of the rail. Such apparatus may be used to shape a rail during the accelerated cooling thereof in line with a rolling mill.

Abstract: Apparatus for adjusting the radial displacement of a member, such as a tool bit, from a rotational shaft, such as a boring bar used in a boring operation. An aperture in the boring bar supports the tool bit, allowing it to protrude radially outwardly from the boring bar. An adjustable feed mechanism in the aperture adjustably feeds the tool bit along the aperture. An adjusting mechanism couples with and facilitates adjustment of the feed mechanism. A calibrating mechanism on the adjusting mechanism, and on the boring bar, calibrates adjustment of the feed mechanism by the adjusting mechanism.

Abstract: A bag holder for supporting a conventional plastic grocery bag in an open position for use as a waste receptacle. The bag holder includes a support frame and a pair of collapsible swing arms connectible on opposed ends of the support frame. Adjustable and lockable mounting brackets are provided for removably mounting the support frame on a support surface, such as a drawer or cabinet underneath a kitchen countertop.

Abstract: A branch take-off airflow device for use in an air distribution system that includes coaxial input and output ducts and one or more branch ducts having a status pressure regain section and a take-off section that has a central passageway and one or more take-off passageways. Each of the take-off passageways is generally rectangular in transverse cross-section and defined by inner and outer walls with the latter being a continuation of a wall defining the output opening of the regain section. The inner wall has a thick, rounded leading edge where the take-off passageway commences. In one preferred version, there is an elongate air flow defining member located centrally in the main passageway of both sections and extending in the axial direction. This member has a generally round, transverse cross-section with a maximum diameter equal to or less than the diameter of the hub of an adjacent axial fan.

Abstract: A method of reducing tubular metal products includes the steps of selecting a tube to be reduced having the specified initial wall thickness necessary to produce the desired finished wall thickness, and reducing the tube by passing it through a succession of roll stands which reduce the end portions of the tube without applying tension between roll stands and which reduce the portion of the tube intermediate the end portions with application of tension. The method produces reduced tubular products with substantially uniform wall thickness throughout eliminating the necessity of cropping end portions which have out-of-specification wall thickness.

Abstract: A method of detecting flame within a region where flame is expected. Radiation emissions from the region are measured within selected portions of the visible and infra-red frequency bands. Spectral characteristics of the two measurements, including their auto spectra, coherency and transfer function, are derived. The derived spectral characteristics are compared with prestored spectral signatures representative of the spectral characteristics of radiation emitted from the region within the selected portions of the visible and infra-red frequency bands while known flame conditions prevail within the region--thereby estimating the deviation of the derived spectral characteristics from the prestored spectral signatures. The deviations aforesaid are compared with predetermined threshold alarm values to assess the presence or absence of flame.

Abstract: A method of encoding speech sounds to facilitate their transmission to and reconstruction at a remote receiver. A transmitter and a receiver have identical filters and identical codebooks containing prestored excitation vectors which model quantized speech sound vectors. The speech sound vectors are compared with filtered versions of the codebook vectors. The filtered vector closest to each speech sound vector is selected. During the comparison, filtration parameters derived by backward predictive analysis of a series of previously selected filtered codebook vectors are applied to the filter. The transmitter sends the receiver an index representative of the location of the selected vector within the codebook. The receiver uses the index to recover the selected vector from its codebook, and passes the recovered vector through its filter to yield an output signal which reproduces the original speech sound sample.

Abstract: A liner for lining a generally rectangular-bottomed container. First and second outer faces of the liner are connected together along opposed first and second edges and are separable from one another along a top edge extending between the first and second edges. An inwardly gusseted bottom face of the liner extends between opposed bottom portions of the first and second edges. First and second lines of weakness are spaced inwardly from the first and second edges and extend from the top edge, across the outer faces, into the inwardly gusseted bottom face.

Abstract: An asphalt-paved road surface is rejuvenated in two stages. First, an exposed upper asphalt layer is heated to a selected temperature and depth. The heated upper asphalt layer is then removed from the road surface to expose a lower asphalt layer. In the second stage of the process, the lower asphalt layer is heated to a selected temperature and depth. The lower layer is then either broken up and left in place, or else it too is removed from the road surface. In the former case, asphalt removed from the upper layer is replaced on top of the ruptured lower layer; in the latter case, asphalt removed from the upper layer is comingled with asphalt removed from the lower layer. The removed/ruptured or comingled asphalt (as the case may be) is then pressed back against the road surface to repave the road.

Abstract: A doorjamb strike plate reinforcing device to provide increased holding strength and, therefore, security to bolted doors and similar closures. A reinforcing device is provided having a rigid body configured for cooperating with a strike plate to laterally restrain a bolt received by the strike plate. Integral to the body of the device is fastening means for fastening a fastener thereto to secure the device to the doorjamb. The fastening means is configured for receiving a fastener from a direction above the device and for guiding the passage of the fastener into the doorjamb in a direction which is at an angle of less than 25 degrees to the plane defined by the strike plate and, preferably not greater than 10 degrees so as to provide for the anchoring of the device and strike plate in a direction which is substantially parallel to the line of force which would be exerted thereon during an attempt to forcefully open a bolted door.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making a dock or sea wall whereby the wall comprises at least one sectional dock member, the dock member comprising a concrete base section and a concrete wall section perpendicular to and attached thereto. A forming float device is used to make each sectional dock member while the forming float device floats in a body of water (e.g. sea). Both the base and wall sections of the dock member are formed horizontally on the water, thereby simplifying the means of constructing and positioning the dock members. The forming float device provides a base section forming surface and a wall section forming surface perpendicular thereto. Rotation means are used to rotate the forming float device from a first position in which the base section is horizontally formed to a second position in which the wall section is also horizontally formed. Then the forming float device is rotated a third time to properly orient the dock member prior to positioning the dock member on the sea floor.