Abstract: A wedging assembly for steering or branching a borehole comprises a wedge defining the steering or branching angle, a locking device for locking the wedge in a desired position, and an actuator for actuating the locking device, the locking device including cooperable male and female locking members which are relatively moveable to cause an annular locking surface on the female member to lock firmly about the wall of the borehole.

Abstract: Reagent for immunoassay, ligand binding assay and ligand receptor assay in which luciferin is covalently bonded to a molecule having biological activity for bonding to a particular biologically active group of a material and method in which the luciferin and biologically active molecule conjugate is added to a material having a group for combination with the biological activity of the conjugated molecule, the mixture is incubated to bond the material to the reagent through the biological activity and the product of the bonding is reacted with luciferase to produce bioluminescence having intensity dependent on the concentration of the material being assayed.

Abstract: A device for indicating the penetration of a needle into a vein, artery, lumen, or other cavity in a patient's body includes a filament that is moved through the needle toward its sharpened end. As the needle is inserted through bodily tissue, the distal end of the filament is retained by the tissue at the needle's sharpened end. The filament is loaded with compressive force so that the distal tip is moved through the end of the needle when the end enters a space. Penetration is indicated by the sudden movement of a visible indicator attached to the filament that is caused when the retention of the filament's distal tip is released by the penetration of the needle's end into the space.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a continuously operable tool for use in a production line process, and to a process using one or more such tools. The tool is capable of handling a plurality of workpieces simultaneously and comprises a rotatable assembly such as a drum having a series of workpiece handling stations spaced around its periphery. Workpieces are picked up one by one on the drum as each handling station passes a pick-up point during each revolution of the drum. Each workpiece is carried round on the drum until it reaches an exit point, where it is transported away from the drum. Each workpiece handling station includes at least one workpiece manipulation device which reciprocates back and forth between an inoperative position and an operative position in which it operatively engages a workpiece at the station between the pick-up point and the exit point.

Abstract: The device for attaching a flexible wheel cover to a spoked wheel to decrease the drag generally comprises a body including means for attaching the body to a wheel spoke and a fastening portion for attaching a flexible wheel cover to the body. A slot in the body receives a spoke. The cap of a compression fastener fastened to body immediately adjacent the spoke bears on the portion of the spoke in the slot to fixedly attach the device to the spoke and so that rotation of the compression fastener moves the device along the spoke. A cover for fastening to the attaching/tensioner device comprises a conical sheet of flexible material, such as DuPont Mylar.

Abstract: An apparatus for mounting adjacent the bottom of a waterway having a current for impeding the deposition of suspended sediments upon the bottom of the waterway. A buoyant wing member having leading and trailing edges with substantially flat top and bottom surfaces includes a flap member spanning the wing member and extends at a predetermined upward angle away from the top surface towards the leading edge. The apparatus is mounted with the flap member facing the bottom of the waterway wherein the fluid in the wake is accelerated upwards away from the waterway bottom so as to resuspend fine sediments. When the wing member is mounted with the flap member directed away from the waterway bottom the wake is directed downwards against the bottom causing scouring of the waterway bottom.

Abstract: A mixer having a rotary drum which comprises a flexible member, an inner rotor with outstanding blades thereon, the flexible member, the inner rotor, and its blades all being of elastomeric material, the inner diameter of the flexible member being greater than the envelope diameter of the rotor blades, the mixer rotor being positionable within the flexible member with which its blades co-operate in the mixing of concrete, but being withdrawable therefrom for cleaning and maintenance purposes.

Abstract: A ladder comprises a pair of spaced stiles, each having a channel shaped cross-section with the flanges of each stile directed towards those of the other, and a plurality of rungs interconnecting the stiles, each rung also being of general channel section, the tread portion of the rung defining an acute angle with one flange and an obtuse angle with the other flange, and weld beads joining the outer surface of the acute angled rung with one flange of each stile and the inner surface of the obtuse angle rung with the web of each stile.

Abstract: A tool such as a cleaning tool has an extensible handle comprising two or more telescoping tubes of elliptical or other noncircular cross-section which, when their axes are aligned, may be freely telescoped relative to one another until a desired extension is reached, and may then be rotated out of alignment to bind the tubes together.

Abstract: Method and apparatus which cyclically generate a compressed, arithmetically-coded binary stream in response to binary occurrence counts of symbols in an uncoded string. The symbols in the uncoded string are drawn from a multi-character alphabet which is not necessarily a binary one. Coding operations and hardware are simplified by deriving from the binary occurrence counts an estimate of the probability of each unencoded symbol at its precise lexical location. The probability estimation eliminates any requirement for division or multiplication by employing magnitude-shifting of the binary occurrence counts. The encoded stream is augmented by the estimated symbol probability at the same time that an internal variable is updated with an estimate of the portion of a probability interval remaining after coding the current symbol, the interval estimate being obtained from the left-shifted occurrence counts. Decoding is the dual of encoding.

Abstract: A rack for forming a slide out support shelf in an enclosure such as an oven comprises an outer frame member defining the perimeter of the rack and having opposite front and rear limbs and opposite parallel side limbs, and a series of spaced parallel support members extending between and rigidly secured at their opposite ends to one of the pairs of opposite limbs of the outer frame member. The support members define a support surface of the rack and the rear limb of the frame member forms a stop member raised above the support surface when the rack is positioned in the enclosure with the side arms engaging above opposed guide ribs on opposite side walls of the enclosure. The side limbs have integrally formed rearwardly projecting and downwardly inclined hook-like projections for engaging over the guide ribs to prevent the rack from tilting and from pulling all the way out.

Abstract: A biochemical method of assaying for ligand molecules in fluids based on the specific interaction of a ligand and a ligand-recognition molecule that binds the ligand wherein a free radical forming group is covalently coupled to label either a ligand sought to be assayed or the ligand recognition molecule or is internally generated from the ligand or ligand recognition molecule, and directly or indirectly assaying for the ligand.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel membrane useful in an electro-chemical, optical or other sensor device and to a method employing the membrane for determining the concentration of large molecule compound such as glucose in an aqueous solution of that compound and a dissolved small molecule substance such as oxygen.

Abstract: A motor vehicle rear light assembly designed to be used in addition to the conventional vehicle brake lights includes a housing adapted to be mounted at the rear of a vehicle and having at least three compartments each containing a light source such as one or more light bulbs. The light sources are operated by a suitable control circuit, which may be connected to the vehicle brake lighting system, so that the central light source is switched on to burn continuously as long as the brakes are applied and the outer two light sources flash alternately on and off a predetermined number of times as soon as the brakes are applied and then burn continuously until the brakes are released. Mounting brackets which are rotatably mounted on the housing are used to mount the housing on a vehicle in the desired orientation.

Abstract: A combination vehicle assembly comprises a first vehicle, such as a mobile home, and second vehicle, such as a car, van, or truck, releasably connected to the first vehicle. The first vehicle has a steering mechanism for maneuvering the assembly and a drivable mechanism for propelling the assembly. The second vehicle is drivable independently of the first vehicle when they are separated and has a motor for providing driving power to the assembly. The connection between the vehicles comprises a releasable drive coupling between the second vehicle motor and the first vehicle propelling mechanism so that the first vehicle is driven by the second vehicle motor.

Abstract: A spreader which is useful for hoisting a container, for example with a crane or hoist, and being spective to transmit a lifting force to twist lock blocks located at the corners of the container when engaged by the respective twist locks carried by the frame of the spreader, comprising a lifting member (21), lifting cables (44) between the lifting member and the spreader frame (11), an indexing head (30) between the indexing head and the lifting member, coupling means arranged to rotate the twist locks (16, 17) simultaneously upon lifting forces being applied, and inhibit means (52, 57) arranged so that if any one of the twist locks does not rotate to a locked position upon the lifting force being applied, the inhibit means inhibits movement of the coupling means which in turn prevents the indexing head from rotating and thereby all other twist locks are prevented from rotation.

Abstract: A locking mechanism for a mobile safe having at least one loading door for depositing valuables such as cash within the safe and at least one unloading door for emptying the safe includes an actuating mechanism for moving the loading door between its open and closed positions. The actuating mechansim extends out of the safe for engagement with a vault door locking mechanism when the safe is placed within an outer vault for secure deposit of cash into the safe. The engagement is such that the actuating mechanism operates to open the loading door as the vault door is locked. A locking device associated with the actuating mechanism automatically locks the safe door in its closed position and can only be released by subsequent unlocking or opening of the unloading door by a person having the required key.