Abstract: An easily transportable self-powered conveyor device, for use e.g. in transporting pieces of wood over rough terrain, has a drive chain and driven disc installed on a chainsaw in place of a saw chain and bar, the drive chain being in driving engagement with the driven disc. A sheave is connected to an output of a reduction gearing for rotation thereby and a rope extends around the sheave, with securing devices attached to the rope and spaced apart along the rope for temporarily securing objects to the rope for conveyance thereby as the rope is pulled by the sheave. A retaining device anchors the sheave to any suitable support, e.g. a tree.

Abstract: A platform support device for temporary attachment to a vertical side of a structure, e.g. for supporting planks on which a tradesman can stand while installing soffit, has an elongate upright member with an attachment portion at an upper end of the upright member. The attachment portion is formed with a flat face for abutment against the structure and with nail holes interrupting the flat face for receiving therethrough the heads of nails projecting from the structure, whereby the support can be suspended from the structure at a height determined by the locations of the nails. A pair of arms extending laterally outwardly from opposite sides of the upright member at a lower end of the upright member for stabilizing abutment against the structure. A horizontal support projects forwardly from the lower end of the upright member; and a reinforcement extends between and is fixed to the top of the support and the front of the upright member.

Abstract: A child-resistant lockable lighter has an actuating lever which can be slid to and fro between a locked position and a released position. In its released position, the lever is pivotable for opening a gas valve. In its locked position, the lever is prevented from pivoting and, also is wedged against the side wheels of the spark wheel so as to prevent rotation of the spark wheel. The pulling force required to displace the locking lever from its locked position to its released position is greater than that which can be exerted by a child.

Abstract: A collapsible, self-priming hose has a flexible inner tube extending along the interior of the outer tube, which has a diameter sufficiently greater than that of the inner tube to provide an intermediate space between the inner and outer tubes upon inflation of the outer tube. Retainer members extending between and connected to the inner and outer tubes expand the inner tube from a collapsed condition upon inflation of the outer tube and are flexible to allow the hose to collapse on deflation of the inner and outer tubes.

Abstract: A building cladding system employs fasteners for securing cladding panels, each having a front face, a near face and a peripheral edge, to support rails mounted horizontally on a wall of a building. The cladding panels have metal support members extending rearwardly from the rear faces of said cladding panels and the support members and the support rails have portions which interengage for suspending the cladding panels from the support rail. The cladding panels also have metal projections extending from the rear faces and including securement portions located beyond the peripheral edges of the respective cladding panels and further fasteners engageable engaging the securement portions for securing the metal projections to the building wall.

Abstract: A method of controlling the switching of components of a cordless telephone system includes sensing the signal link quality of the signals received from a handset at a basestation through signal exchanging components. e.g. RADs, supplying switching control signals to the signal exchanging components so as to cause adjacent ones of the signal exchanging components to have mutually different switched states; and changing the control signals so as to reverse the switched states of the signal exchanging components in response to a predetermined deterioration of the signal link quality.

Abstract: An RF repeater for interfacing with a base station for exchanging transmit and receive signals in a time division duplex cordless telephone system comprises a multicarrier amplifier having an input and an output and a transfer switch connected to the amplifier output and the amplifier input and having first and second switch states. The switch means connects receive signals from the handset to the amplifier input and the amplifier output to the base station in the first switch state, and connects the base station to the amplifier input and transmit signals from the amplifier output to be broadcast to the handset in the second switch state. The operation of the switch is controlled so that the transmit and receive signals are alternately amplified by the amplifier. Thus, only a single amplifier is required.

Abstract: An RF repeater arrangement for use in linking cordless handsets to a base station, has RF repeaters spaced from a common power supply unit and so distributed over an area to be serviced by the power supply unit that each of the RF repeaters is spaced from at least one other of the RF repeaters by a distance which is less than the range of coverage of the handsets. The power supply unit has a DC power supply connected to supply DC power to said a cable inner conductor, and RF repeaters each have an antenna for exchanging the radio signals with the handsets, transmit and receive circuits and a DC power pick-up connected to the co-axial cable inner conductor for powering the respective RF repeater.

Abstract: A tentacle-like manipulator has a resiliently longitudinally extensible, laterally bendable elongate member, e.g. an inflatable bellows or a helical compression spring-like member, with an end effector mounting on one end thereof. Tendon-like tension members extend along said elongate member and are spaced apart from one another around said elongate member, one end of each of said tension members being to said elongate member at said one end thereof. Guides spaced apart along and secured to said elongate member and slidably engage said tension members for guiding said tension members relative to said elongate member. Further tension members extend along only a portion of the length of the elongate member and are secured to the elongate member at a location intermediate the ends of the elongate member. Winches are used to wind and unwind the tension members to correspondingly control the length and the bending of the elongate member.

Abstract: A bore jag, having a tapered tip at one end, the opposite end of the bore jag being releasibly connectible to an end of a barrel cleaning rod, and frusto-conical barbs distributed along the bore jag for retaining engagement with a cleaning cloth. A bore jag guide in the form of an O-ring extends around the bore jag for sliding engagement with the bore of a rifle barrel as the bore jag is drawn along the rifle barrel bore. The bore jag guide comprises a material which is sufficiently soft to avoid damage to the rifle barrel bore by the sliding engagement of the bore jag guide therewith, and the bore jag guide being so dimensioned as to support the remainder of the bore jag out of contact with the rifle barrel bore during the travel of the bore jag along the rifle barrel bore.

Abstract: A heating system comprises an oven located above a solid fuel stove, a chimney for receiving combustion gases from the solid fuel stove, and a heat exchanger in the chimney for transferring heat from the combustion gases to a flow of water. A heat exchange passage adjacent a water tank receives combustion gases from the stove and transfers heat from the combustion gases to water in the water tank. A damper is adjustable for controlling the flow of the combustion gases to the chimney and to the heat exchange passage.

Abstract: In a vehicle equipped with a road shoulder compacting apparatus, the apparatus includes a ground engagement member for rolling engagement with a shoulder of a road as the vehicle travels along the road, and a support structure carrying the ground engagement member on the vehicle and including an adjustable connection between the vehicle and the ground engagement member. The adjustable connection permits displacement of the ground engagement member from one side to the other of the vehicle and vice versa, so that the ground engagement member can be utilized at opposite sides of the vehicle. A selectively adjustable mechanism is provided for raising and lowering the ground engagement member into and out of engagement with the ground.

Abstract: A cross-brace for a pair of joists has inclined brace members extending in vertical X-shaped array and a horizontal member rigidly connecting outer ends of two of the brace members and forming a horizontal strut between the outer ends. The cross-brace has flat lateral extremities, with flat vertical laterally outermost surfaces, for surface-to-surface abutment with opposed sides of the joists, the flat lateral extremities allowing the cross-brace to be entirely accommodated between the opposed sides of the joists.

Abstract: A cable winding mechanism and method employ a cable reel having a hub portion having an axis of rotation and first, second and third sets of spokes extending radially outwardly from the hub portion, with the second spoke set located between the first and third spoke sets and defining therewith first and second winding gaps, respectively, for accommodating respective monospiral windings of a cable. A drive rotates the cable reel about the axis of rotation of the hub portion and a cable deflector guides cable into the first and second winding gaps during the winding of the cable on the reel. The second set of spokes is interrupted by a cross-over gap at which the cable can extend between the first and second winding gaps and the cable deflector is displaced, in timed relation to the rotation of the reel, so as to guide the cable alternately into the first and second winding gaps and through the cross-over gap.

Abstract: A lockable container has a neck on a container body and a cap on the neck. Screw-threads releasibly retain the cap on the neck. The cap includes a locking member which is movable between a locking position, in which the locking member prevents the relative rotation of the cap and the neck, and a released position, in which the locking member permits the relative rotation of the cap and the neck. A pair of annular members extending around the closure and rotatable independently of one another interengage with the locking member for releasibly retaining the locking member in the locking position and can be rotatably adjusted of the annular members to release the locking member for movement to its released position. On movement of the locking member into its locking position, a closure connected to the locking member closes an outlet in the cap for preventing outflow of liquid from the container.

Abstract: A cable reel has first and second sets of spokes extending radially from a hub, the spokes of the first set being spaced axially of the hub from the spokes of the second set so as to snugly accommodate a monospirally-wound cable between the first and second sets. The spokes of the first set are angularly off-set from the spokes of the second set, as viewed axially of the hub, so as to accommodate a splice in the cable between the first and second sets.

Abstract: Apparatus for composting biological waste material, comprising a screen for separating the waste material into solids and liquids, a sludge outlet for adding sludge to the solids to form a mixture therewith and a compacting section for compacting the mixture. Further sludge is mixed with the compacted mixture to form a further mixture therewith, which is composted in a composter. The liquid separated from the biological waste is screened to remove fine solids and the fine solids are added to the first-mentioned mixture prior to the compacting thereof, the liquid being added to the further mixture in the composting section.

Abstract: The general object of this invention relates to the use of the inner space of the handle of a vacuum cleaner for storing the electrical cord, switch and plug of said appliance.Another object of this method consists in the use of a coiled electrical appliance cord, which can easily be stored inside the handle of a vacuum cleaner.Another object of this method is a specially designed electrical plug, which is used as a closure cap on top of the upper end of the handle of a vacuum cleaner, after that the coiled electrical cord has been stored inside said handle.Still another object of this method is a specially designed electrical switch, which is used as a closure cap on top of the upper end of the handle of a vacuum cleaner, while the appliance is being used and after that the electrical plug has been removed from the top of the handle and said coiled electrical cord has been pulled out of said handle.