Abstract: The hood for an air recirculation type of street sweeper forms a single, unidirectional air flow duct from the air inlet line to the air return. The top wall of the hood is formed to provide an air stream deflector that slants downwardly in the direction of the air return line and accelerates the air stream to insure that all debris is entrained in the air stream as it leaves the hood.

Abstract: A loading arm having an inner conduit section, an outer conduit section, and a manually operable arm extension, is disclosed. The entire arm assembly is rotatable about a vertical axis, and a motor is provided to raise and lower the inner conduit section about a horizontal axis. Two parallel rods are connected at one end to a fixed link at said horizontal axis and connected at the opposite end to the outer conduit section to maintain the outer conduit section in a fixed attitude at any position of the inner conduit section.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for subterranean slurry drilling and mining of granular ore, such as phosphates, with a combined drilling and mining apparatus. The apparatus includes a tool string having a drilling head and mining head that are selectively interchangeable on its upper end for drilling into one or more ore strata to be mined and thereafter to remove ore from the strata as a slurry. The drill string includes a plurality of inner and outer pipe sections connected to a drill bit at its lower end. A drilling/mining liquid is directed through the tool string during both the drilling and mining modes of operation. During drilling, liquid is directed through a foot valve into the rotating bit to wash cuttings to the surface externally of the tool.

Abstract: A wrapping machine and method is provided which forms a tube of wrapping material around spaced articles to be packaged. A four side rotary tucker cooperates with a crimping, sealing and cut-off mechanism to produce uniformly tucked, crimped end style packages with articles in packages after air has been discharged from reduced cut-off length with the result that wrapping material costs are minimized while package appearance is improved. The wrapping machine is readily adjustable to handle articles of different cross sections and lengths, and means are provided for removing air from the tube of wrapping material.

Abstract: A wrapping machine and method is provided which forms a tube of wrapping material around spaced articles to be packaged. A four side rotary tucker cooperates with a crimping, sealing and cut-off mechanism to produce uniformly tucked, crimped end style packages with articles in packages after air has been discharged from reduced cut-off length with the result that wrapping material costs are minimized while package appearance is improved. The wrapping machine is readily adjustable to handle articles of different cross sections and lengths, and means are provided for removing air from the tube of wrapping material.

Abstract: A circuit for detecting the color of fruit on a plurality of conveyor paths by measuring the light reflected from the surface of the fruit at a viewing station at each path. The circuitry operates to develop a pair of signals at each of the conveyor paths which signals are provided by measurements of the amount of light reflected from the fruit within two distinct bands of wavelengths of light. These signals are routed, one pair at a time, through a pair of amplifiers and a pair of voltage comparators to develop appropriate discharge signals for each of the conveyor paths. A sequencer controls a pair of switching circuits which direct the signals, one at a time, to the amplifiers. The sequencer also directs any signals from the comparators to driver circuits which provide power to divert cull fruit from each conveyor path.

Abstract: A rotary brush includes a generally cylindrical, sheet metal core having fittings arranged to be inserted into both ends thereof for the reception of conventional brush drive means, e.g., a rotating drive shaft adapted to extend through the core or stub shafts which are adapted to extend only into the ends of the core. The fittings are comprised of an elastomeric material having a Shore scale A hardness within the range of from about 85-100, and the tubular core is provided with radially inwardly extending circumferentially spaced projections adjacent each end thereof which are adapted to slidably fit within axially extending grooves formed in the outer surface of the fitting and to resiliently engage the fitting to thus lock the fitting against relative rotation. The fittings, which are adapted to be snugly and resiliently secured to the aforementioned brush drive means, may be readily replaced when desired simply by sliding them out of the ends of the core.

Abstract: According to the present disclosure, tubular thermoplastic material is intermittently fed between opposed transversely extending seal bars operating in timed relation with the intermittent feeding of the web to sequentially perform cutting and sealing of the web during its period of repose. To insure a clean straight transverse cut, which occurs momentarily before transverse sealing, the web is held under tension between longitudinally spaced draw and feed rolls. Immediately after the web is transversely severed, the seal bars are brought into pressure engagement transversely sealing the web along a margin which will define the bottom of the bag. Before the web is fed an additional increment, it is momentarily fed rearwardly to avoid the possibility of adherence to the seal bars.

Abstract: A dry-break coupler, of the type used on a gasoline tank truck loading arm, is connectable with a standard A.P.I. adapter, that is located near the bottom of a truck tank, for loading fluid into the tank. The coupler and the adapter can be connected together or they can be separated, without the loss of fluid, while both fittings are continuously subjected to internal fluid pressure. The coupler has a tubular body that defines a central flow passage. Located within the tubular body is a movable valve closure element. This element opens and closes the flow passage of the coupler, and it also actuates a central valve of an adjacent adapter. An adapter latch and a first rotatable shaft that operates the adapter latch are pivotally mounted on the tubular body. A second rotatable shaft that operates the valve closure element is mounted within the tubular body. Portions of both the first and second rotatable shafts extend in substantially parallel relationship.

Abstract: A wrapping machine of the horizontal form, fill and seal type, in which a continuously moving web strip is formed into a tube of thermoplastic material, has introduced therein a file of longitudinally spaced articles. A transverse sealing and cutting mechanism, coordinated with the lengths of each article and with the velocity of the tube, seals and cuts the web between articles to produce individually wrapped articles. To conserve wrapping material and to produce a wrinkle-free tight wrap, there is disclosed tucking devices, cooperating with the sealing and cutting mechanism, which, in addition to tucking, creates smooth well-defined folds at the ends of each package. More particularly, the tucking devices are in one embodiment, rotated about axes located on either side of the web tube path with the speed of rotation being such that the tucking devices closely approximate the speed of the web since tucking occurs during web movement.

Abstract: According to the present disclosure a method is provided wherein tubular thermoplastic material is intermittently fed between opposed transversely extending seal bars operating in timed relation with the intermittent feeding of the web to sequentially perform cutting and sealing of the web during its period of repose. To insure a clean straight transverse cut, which occurs momentarily before transverse sealing, the web is held under tension between longitudinally spaced draw and feed rolls. Immediately after the web is transversely severed, the seal bars are brought into pressure engagement transversely sealing the web along a margin which will define the bottom of the bag. While the sealed portion of the web is at the sealing station, cooling air is discharged along the sealed portion of the web to effect cooling. Before the web is fed an additional increment, it is momentarily fed rearwardly to avoid the possibility of adherence to the seal bars.

Abstract: A filling machine for filling open top containers with pressurized liquid, especially carbonated liquid, or liquid which readily foams, having rotary turret mounting filling valve assemblies, each of which includes a cylinder with its foot valve and a piston with its plug valve, as generally known in the art. Before filling starts, a measured charge is trapped in a measuring chamber. Each foot valve is provided with a perforate wall exposed to atmosphere on its underside, and a flexible diaphragm overlies the perforated all and is exposed to the filling charge. At the start of the container filling operation, the foot valve is moved downward, while in sealed relation with the cylinder, to first deblock the plug valve and then decompress the measured charge.

Abstract: A marine loading arm jumper assembly especially suitable for use on a buoy or other offshore fluid transferring facility where tanker movements are large and space is limited. The assembly comprises a pair of articulated loading arms extending from a coaxial pipe swivel joint mounted on the buoy, and a terminal pipe swivel joint assembly including another coaxial swivel joint for connecting this dual arm system to a tanker manifold. A guide arm assembly also is provided to maintain the loading arm in proper alignment with the terminal swivel joint assembly while the arm is disconnected therefrom as during periods of very bad weather.

Abstract: A mobile street sweeper of the air recirculation pickup hood type has a hopper and a dust filter chamber. A main blower exhausts air from the hopper and introduces it into one end of the hood and air is returned to the hopper from the other end of the hood. An auxiliary blower withdraws air from the filter chamber and exhausts it to atmosphere. The hood is provided with an unobstructed front window and angled deflectors which windrow large objects into the window. The upstream end of the window is disposed at a zone wherein the static pressure of the air stream circulating along the hood is at atmospheric pressure and the downstream end of the window is disposed at a zone wherein the static pressure is only slightly less than atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A drum rotation indicator enables a crane operator to sense rotation of a drum, and thereby determine linear movement of a cable, that has one end wound about the drum. This indicator has a cam, that rotates with the drum, and a cam follower, that translates rotation of the cam into linear movement. A readout plunger is located conveniently for the operator's hand, and linear motion that is induced by the cam follower is transferred to the readout plunger by a medium that can be a mechanical linkage, a push-pull cable, or a hydraulic system. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cam follower disengages automatically from the cam after linear motion has been transferred to the readout plunger. The linear motion transferring medium also transfers motion from the readout plunger to the cam follower, which pivots into engagement with the cam. The cam has a serrated periphery, to give an instantaneous response, upon rotation of the drum, to engagement of the cam follower with the cam.

Abstract: A xenon flash lamp mounted on a target flashes at a rate which is determined by the frequency of an oscillator also mounted on the target. A detector assembly which is mounted on a gun receives flashes of light from the lamp only when the gun is aligned with the target. The detector assembly includes a photodetector which produces an electrical signal pulse for each flash of light received. A local oscillator mounted near the gun and tuned to the frequency of the oscillator at the target produces voltage pulses at the same frequency as the frequency of the light flashes from the target. A counter connected to the photodetector counts the number of pulses of light received over a given period of time. Another counter connected to the local oscillator counts the number of voltage pulses received over the same period of time. The readings of the counters are processed by an electronic divider circuit to produce a signal which is proportional to the percent of time that the gun is aligned with the target.

Abstract: A light projector mounted on a front wheel of a vehicle provides a pair of light beams. The first light beam is projected to a roof mirror mounted on an adjacent rear wheel and is reflected to a first target mounted with the projector on the front wheel of the vehicle. The toe angle of the front wheel relative to the axis of rotation of the rear wheel of said vehicle is calculated from signals which are developed by said first target. The second light beam is projected to a mirror mounted on the other front wheel and is reflected to a second target mounted adjacent to the projector to determine the total toe angle between the front wheels. The difference between the total toe angle and the measured individual toe angle of the front wheel upon which the projector is mounted is calculated to provide the individual toe angle of the other front wheel relative to said axis of rotation of the rear wheel of the vehicle.

Abstract: A paddle mounted on a fruit sorter at the end of a fruit conveyor is connected to the plunger of a solenoid which normally is actuated to bias the paddle into the path of fruit being discharged from the conveyor toward a good-fruit discharge conveyor. A color sorter is positioned to scan the fruit leaving the conveyor, and means are provided to de-energize the solenoid upon the detection of a good fruit to allow the paddle to be moved from the path of the fruit so that the fruit will fall onto the discharge conveyor. Power to operate the solenoid is provided by a circuit which develops a relatively large value of current upon initial energization of the solenoid. This large current acts to quickly move the paddle into the path of any cull fruit or non-fruit leaving the conveyor to deflect such items from the discharge conveyor. The sorter circuitry provides a much smaller amount of current after the initial surge to retain the paddle in its deflecting mode until a good fruit is again scanned.

Abstract: A final gear-reduction unit is mounted at each wheel of a motor vehicle and is pivotally connected to one end of a lower control arm so that the unit may be turned to steer the vehicle. The other end of the lower control arm is pivotally connected to the frame of the motor vehicle on the side of the vehicle opposite the side on which the wheel is mounted. This allows a considerable amount of up and down movement of the wheel relative to the frame of the vehicle. The wheel is rotatably mounted to the gear-reduction unit with the gear-reduction unit positioned above the axle of the wheel to provide greater ground clearance for the drive to the gear-reduction unit. A pair of universal joints and a length of axle shaft connected between motor-driven differential gears of the vehicle and the gear-reduction unit provides the drive to rotate the wheel.

Abstract: Apparatus for subterranean slurry drilling and mining of granular ore, such as phosphates, with a combined drilling and mining apparatus. The apparatus includes a tool string having a drilling head and mining head that are selectively interchangeable on its upper end for drilling into one or more ore strata to be mined and thereafter to remove ore from the strata as a slurry. The drill string includes a plurality of inner and outer pipe sections connected to a mining nozzle section, to an eductor pump section, and to a drill bit at its lower end. A drilling/mining liquid is directed through the tool string during both the drilling and mining modes of operation. During drilling, liquid is directed through a foot valve into the rotating bit to wash cuttings to the surface externally of the tool. During mining, the tool string is rotated, the foot valve is closed, and a mining nozzle is opened thereby causing liquid jetting from the mining nozzle to reduce the ore to a slurry.