Abstract: A reversible locking device 1 for a tensioner 100 of a timing chain 20 includes a locking device body 3, integral with the tensioner 100 and protruding with respect to the body of the tensioner 100, which has a shaped slot 2. A perforated protrusion 4 is integral with the shoe 5 carried by the piston 6 and protrudes with respect to the shoe 5 so that its hole is aligned with the shaped slot. A rod 7 has a first part 8 with a shape complementary to that of the shaped slot 2 and a second part 9 bearing at one end a conical portion 10 adapted to couple it irreversibly to the perforated protrusion 4 integral with the shoe 5.

Abstract: Smaller and lighter hydraulic pump/motors provide remarkably improved volumetric efficiency with pistons having body portions substantially as long as the axial length of the respective cylinders in which they reciprocate. A plurality of respective lubricating channels form a single, continuous lubricating passageway entirely within the cylinder block and not connected by either fluid “input” or fluid “output” passageways, being replenished solely by a minimal flow of fluid to and from the valve end of each cylinder and passing between each respective cylindrical wall of each cylinder and the axial cylindrical body of each respective piston. Several embodiments are disclosed in combination with various spring-biased hold-down assemblies. The preferred embodiment includes a fixed cylinder block, a roller bearing mounting between the wobbler and rotor of a split-swash plate, with piston shoes contacting the wobbler directly without any intermediary apparatus.

Abstract: A chain tensioning device links multiple tensioning arms to a common link, causing the tensioning arms to rotate into and displace chain strands with a single applied force and motion. The two tensioning arms rotate and tension proportionally, and when the pivot pin distances are equal, the two tensioning arms rotate and tension equally. The chain tensioner is preferably used to tension two slack chains flanking an auxiliary drive shaft. The chain tensioner is biased against the chain by a hydraulic tensioning assembly in one embodiment and by a spring tensioning assembly in another embodiment.

Abstract: A pair of spherical gears connects the intersecting shafts of a CV-joint. One gear has internal teeth, and the other has external teeth. The gear design is based on pitch circles that are great circles on theoretical pitch spheres that are concentric and have identical radii. The internal teeth are either conically or spherically shaped, while the external tooth faces are cylindrical with tangential flat extensions. The spherical gears are shown on half-shafts. The preferred embodiments have six teeth on each gear, and one preferred embodiment also uses balls for the internal teeth. The gears, while rotating at high speeds under load, can intersect throughout a continuous maximum range of 60° or more in any direction.

Abstract: A tree and brush cutter is attached to a dipper stick of an excavator or backhoe to be operated by a curl cylinder on the dipper stick. Blades on the cutter face the boom side of the dipper stick where an operator can observe their opening and closing. A link system on the cutter transmits an advancing motion of the curl cylinder into a cutting motion of the blades and a retraction motion of the curl cylinder to opening of the blades.

Abstract: A handle and bracket are combined with a resistance that opens the bracket away from the handle to facilitate wrist cocking in a backswing region of a simulated swing. As the handle moves toward a hitting region of the swing, the bracket moves to a closed position requiring the exerciser's wrists to uncock against the resistance in approaching the hitting region.

Abstract: A tensioner for a closed loop power transmission system for an internal combustion engine having a drive shaft terminating in a sprocket and at least one camshaft, each terminating in a sprocket, with a single continuous chain wrapping around all of the sprockets. The tensioner contains a pair of elongated tensioning arms, each one in slidable contact with one of the two strands of chain that traverses between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket(s). Each tensioning arm contains a wear face that remains in constant slidable contact with the strand of chain to which it is adjacent. An adjusting arm connects one of the ends of the tensioning arms. The adjusting arm has a ratchet means that adjusts for the backlash in the system and takes up any slack in the chain.

Abstract: An animated wildfowl decoy in the shape of a turkey having two internal servo motors to provide a reciprocal vertical motion to the head and a fanning motion to the tail feathers. The decoy has an internal power supply and a radio frequency receiver to respond to inputs from a radio frequency transmitter. A further embodiment of the animated wildfowl decoy consists of a self contained, partially encapsulated turkey tail feather assembly adaptable for use with a variety of wildfowl decoys.

Abstract: Components of a golf exerciser are contained within a tube that can be swung in a simulated golf swing independently of a golf club. Within the tube is an extension spring connected to a weight so that centrifugal force developed during swinging the tube can move the weight toward a distal end of the tube. There, a shock absorber is positioned for the weight to impact against whenever sufficient arcuate tube velocity is achieved. The shock absorber includes a deformable elastomer that cushions and stops the distal movement of the weight and also makes a sound indicating that a swing of sufficient velocity has been achieved.

Abstract: A method for vibration avoidance in automated machinery produces actuator space-time contours that meet design objectives of the machinery while suppressing energy content at frequencies in the space-time contour, by concatenating multiple space-time contour segments together in such a way as to be mostly free of energy at the frequencies of interest while meeting other specified design goals. The segments used to construct these frequency-optimized-contours are a series of concatenated polynomial segments, the independent variable t being time. These segments can define the variable to be controlled (e.g. speed or distance) versus time, or define one of the controlled variable's time-derivatives (e.g., the slope of the speed vs. time, etc.).

Abstract: A golf exerciser in the form of a swingable tube containing a movable mass supported by an extension spring is provided with a shock absorber cooperating with a proximal end mount for the spring. This absorbs recoil movement of the mass, the spring, the connector, and reduces recoil impact shock that otherwise could be felt by the hands of the person exercising.

Abstract: Traceable material property data is maintained in a database and provided to users upon demand. Cohesive and logical definitions of material property datasets are provided that capture the different industry standard facets of a material property. Traceability information includes the manufacturer of the material, the source of the material, the property measuring authority, points of responsibility, facets and constraints of the measurement process. Attributes for dataset ownership and dataset access cost are maintained and only the dataset owner is allowed to update those attributes. The ability to control access to the dataset is provided to the data owner. A dataset's measuring authority is permitted to review and re-grade data. The ability to define groups of users is provided with a designated user having the ability to control group membership and set the group's policies with respect to access of datasets owned by any member of the group.

Abstract: A key destroyer preferably deploys an angle grinder fitted with a grinding chamber, cover, and insertion tube through which a key can be inserted to be destroyed. The key is gripped in a holder that can slide key foremost through the support tube so that the coded portion of the key can pass through a safety wall at the inner end of the support tube and engage a rotating abrasive disk that grinds away the coded portion of the key. The head of the destroyed key can then be retained as evidence that a particular copy of a key no longer exists.

Abstract: A tensioner for imparting tension to a chain having a body, a resilient chain guide element a support member and at least one blade spring. The body contains at least one groove on its surface adjacent to the resilient chain guide for containing a blade spring in compression. The length of the blade spring is less than the length of the support member.

Abstract: A method and apparatus electrically charges particulates that need to be removed from a moving air stream. Various methods of corona charging of particulates are used in the fields of electrostatic precipitation of dust, printers and copying machines. This invention is preferably specifically aimed at improving the separation and collection of particulates from dust, mist or vapor generating devices. In another embodiment, a grid electrostatic precipitator, in combination with a corona pre-charger, is used to remove diesel exhaust.

Abstract: A magnetic gap in a solenoid core is formed by a non-magnetic brazing material bonded into a groove encircling the core in the region of the magnetic gap. A bore through a single piece core and valve cartridge is dimensioned to intersect the brazing material and remove magnetic material bridging the gap without severing the core into separate pieces. This allows the solenoid core and the valve cartridge to be machined in a single piece with a uniform diameter bore receiving a single piece solenoid plunger and valve spool. This ensures accurate concentricity of the plunger and spool within the bore, which improves magnetic performance while reducing manufacturing costs.

Abstract: A disposable concentrate pump where the small pump body is part of a liquid collapsible bag reservoir, and the actuating solenoid is mounted in the dispenser. When a new bag is loaded, the attached pump body is inserted into a solenoid. When the bag is empty the in-bag part of the pump will be disposed of, along with the empty bag.

Abstract: The transmission includes a minimal-orbiter gear complex and a single infinitely-variable rotary control device. The minimal orbiter includes only a control gear and an output gear interconnected by the different gearing portions of at least one cluster gear supported by an orbiting web responsive to an input drive provided by a primary engine. The rotary control device may be any kind of apparatus that is capable of providing resistance torque that can match the torque of the primary engine to slow and stop the control gear of the orbital complex. In a preferred embodiment disclosed, the rotary control device is a hydraulic jack machine having a drive shaft connected to an adjustable swash plate that provides primary control of the flow of fluid through the machine.

Abstract: A variable cam timing system for an engine with at least one camshaft comprising: a housing, a rotor, and a controlled bypass. The housing has an outer circumference for accepting drive force and chambers. The rotor has a connection to a camshaft coaxially located within the housing. The housing and the rotor define at least one vane separating a chamber in the housing into advance and retard chambers. The vane is capable of rotation to shift the relative angular position of the housing and the rotor. The controlled bypass provides fluid communication between the chambers. When the valve is closed, the valve blocks passage between the chambers and when the valve is open fluid flows through the passage extending between the advance chamber to the retard chamber. A method for reducing the valve event is also disclosed.

Abstract: A quantum dot laser operates on a quantum dot ground-state optical transition. The laser has a broadband (preferably?15 nm) spectrum of emission and a high output power (preferably?100 mW). Special measures control the maximum useful pump level, the total number of quantum dots in the laser active region, the carrier relaxation to the quantum dot ground states, and the carrier excitation from the quantum dot ground states. In one embodiment, a spectrally-selective loss is introduced into the laser resonator in order to suppress lasing on a quantum dot excited-state optical transition, thereby increasing the bandwidth of the emission spectrum.