Abstract: The moderator structure is placed within a core space limited by a bottom wall, a top wall and a lateral reflector and is constituted by a stack of prismatic or spherical nodules applied in mutual contact in the three dimensions which prevent relative displacements of the nodules and so arranged as to form a lattice of interstices through which the molten salt is circulated.

Abstract: A device for reading printed characters formed of elements separated by spaces of first and second kinds in accordance with a character code. The device includes a read head arranged for relative motion with respect to the elements of a character, and is characterized by being insensitive to the speed at which the character elements move past the read head. The read head includes three element detectors physically spaced such that the first and second detectors are separated by a first kind of space, and the first and third detectors are separated by a distance equal to the second kind of space. Suitable circuitry is connected to the detectors for identifying the two kinds of space. The first kind of space is identified when the first and second detectors simultaneously detect character elements, and the second kind of space is identified when the first and third detectors simultaneously detect character elements.

Abstract: A process for attaching one or more layers of materials to a base or backing having an anvil in its composition. A backing has incorporated therein an anvil strip of high impact material with formed depressions for clenching staples driven through the layer or layers to be attached. The anvil strip may be a metal strip embedded in the spine of a binder or may be formed by the boundary line of a relatively hard material and a relatively soft material through which a staple or tack may pass and the layers may be a stack of paper or signature sheets.

Abstract: Temperature regulation of an avalanche photodiode is obtained by internal heating, by passing a reverse current through the breakdown region of the photodiode. In operation, an empirically-derived, reverse bias potential, equal to the breakdown potential at the desired operating temperature, is applied; and when incident radiation is to be detected the reverse bias potential is temporarily lowered to an empirically-derived operating value.

Abstract: A manual operator for a coiling door has a reel mounted for free rotation on a shaft supporting drums to which the coiling door is secured. An endless flexible non-extensible element is mounted on the reel with a sufficient number of turns thereon for complete opening or closing of the door and the reel is secured to the adjacent one of the door supporting drums. The resilient non-extensible element is manually drawn to open or close the door and may be provided with hand holds to facilitate grasping thereof. A guide for the flexible non-extensible element may be secured adjacent the reel to guide the flexible non-extensible element onto and off of the reel.

Abstract: A flame sensor according to the invention enables automatic monitoring and/or control of the condition of combustion of a flame such as perfect combustion or imperfect combustion by detection of particular infra-red radiations emitted by the flame. The flame sensor includes a rotary disc having two sets of band-pass filters mounted thereon, a single photoelectric conversion device for measuring intensity of radiations having passed said band-pass filters and a division circuit for providing a ratio of an output of the photoelectric conversion device containing the wavelength of a resonant radiation of a carbon dioxide to an output of the photoelectric conversion device containing no such wavelength.

Abstract: A phase comparator circuit arrangement is provided for controlling an electrical member on the basis of a control signal formed in accordance with the difference detected between a first waveform which is periodic and has a constant cyclic ratio, after it has locked on to a reference signal, and a second waveform which, after this locking on for which it serves as a reference, becomes non-periodic with a variable cyclic ratio for the purposes of exerting the said control. The circuit comprises a combination of a first bistable flip-flop circuit which receives the first and second waveforms respectively and which receives enabling voltages whose evolution is complementary between one input and the other. Means to subtract the waveform emitted by the first flip-flop circuit from the first waveform are provided to form the said signal for controlling the member.

Abstract: A communications system in which control or access to a channel is distributed among the several transmitting-receiving station linked by the channel rather than being centralized or under a master station control.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing documents having both pre-printed information adapted to be identified by an automatic recognition device and handwritten information adapted to be identified by the human eye. Each document is subjected to an operation involving the reading of the information contained thereon in two recurrent operating phases and an operation involving the recording of fresh data thereon. In the first phase, the pre-printed information is read by an automatic recognition device. During the second phase, the handwritten information is read visually and transcribed by an encoding device. Simultaneously therewith, fresh data is recorded on another document which was subjected to a reading operation in the course of the two next preceding operating phases.

Abstract: In order to provide for coherence of exchanges between a block of data of a ower speed level and several blocks of data of a contiguous level of higher speed, a control table of the block of the lower speed level registers page by page at least those blocks of the higher speed level which have received extracts from those pages; a control table of each of the blocks of the higher speed level registers by itself, page by page, the number of those extracts and also registers the validity of the data contained in its block, and preferably also the modifications of those data, and in certain cases the exclusion of access of other blocks of the higher speed level to those data; and an organization of the control of these data makes it possible to provide for the required coherence, starting with the information identified above.Applications: Information science systems with a hierarchy of memories.

Abstract: To distinguish between different types of fault detected by laser scanning of a moving web two or more detectors are arranged to collect light reflected in different ranges of angles in direction of web motion. By combining outputs of these in a logical way representing increases or decreases in the sums and differences of the signals they produce, the faults can be classified as absorbing, scattering, or their opposites, or deflecting.

Abstract: A method for producing randomly dyed skeins of yarn in an apparatus which comprises an open vat adapted to be filled with a liquid dye bath and having rack means for supporting a plurality of skeins of yarn which are to be randomly dyed. The rack means includes valved conduits to control the flow of dye therethrough. Further valve means are provided for selectively adjusting the level of the liquid dye bath relative to the skeins supported in the dye bath while maintaining the liquor ratio, i.e., the ratio of liquid dye bath to yarn dyed, constant and as low as practical.

Abstract: A system for controlling chopping for a converter in a DC electrical power supply.A transistor is arranged for chopping the DC input voltage which is connected to a chopping transformer. A control transistor controls the chopping transistor by means of pulses which it receives from a clock, via a pulse transformer.

Abstract: An optical system for conveying an optical image having two first biconvex od lenses arranged end to end on a common optical axis in spaced relationship, and between said first rod lenses but not in contact with them a pair of second rod lenses also arranged end to end on the same axis, the adjacent ends of the second rod lenses being concave and defining a biconvex cavity which can contain a fluid whereby a fluid lens is formed, the system being substantially symmetrical about a median plane through the biconvex cavity and the modulus of the reciprocal of the radius of curvature of the fluid lens being less than or equal to the modulus of the difference between the reciprocal of the radius of curvature of the convex surfaces of the first rod lenses adjacent to the second rod lenses and the reciprocal of the radius of curvature of the convex surfaces of the second rod lenses adjacent to the first rod lenses.

Abstract: A self-regulating, fast-response fuel vaporizer is disclosed which is cape of promoting increased efficiency of combustion of the fuel supplied to a spark ignition engine throughout the entire working range of the engine. The vaporizer comprises an inlet conduit through which fuel-air mixture is admissible to the engine, the mixture being directly heated within the conduit by an exhaust conduit which intersects with the inlet conduit. Use is made in the design of the respective heat transfer surfaces, of an inherent effect that flow pulsations have upon heat transference between a gas flowing in a tube and the walls of that tube, to provide a selected inverse relationship between heat transfer coefficient and engine speed whereby automatic regulation may be achieved of the heat supplied to the fuel-air mixture for all engine speeds.

Abstract: The present invention refers in general to dismountable structures, and more particularly involves a dismountable structure for inside maintenance in spherical tanks, providing two rotatable towers, one atop the other, with anti-friction bearings for rotation up to 360.degree., supported at top and bottom by rotary elements, and having at mid-section hinged arms carrying baskets and auxiliary arms and a rotary device for movement upward and downward for vertical work for the basket-supporting arms; it comprises in addition operating baskets having capacity to carry operators and inspection and maintenance equipment with illumination; the structure also affords safety winches with rack levers for raising and crank for descending, as well as auxiliary cable arms to provide a suitable angle of loading.

Abstract: A method for storing a binary signal in a high speed flip-flop memory. The apparatus includes a clock signal selecting device connected to control a pair of memory elements in cascade. Data is introduced into the first memory element under the control of a first control signal from the clock signal selecting device and is transferred to the second memory element under the control of a second control signal from the clock signal selecting device. A single output of a clock pulse generator is applied via parallel lines, one of which includes a delay element, to a logic gate to provide spaced time pulses which are applied to the clock signal selecting device. The clock signal selecting device includes a pair of two input AND gates, each of which are connected to receive at one input the spaced time pulses and at the second input a clock signal selecting signal derived from the output of a JK flip-flop having its sync input connected to receive the spaced time pulses.

Abstract: A high capacity associative read/write memory is provided which includes storage means which can be read from or written into and having memory units of equal capacity each containing an equal and predetermined number of levels. Addressing means are coupled to the memory for addressing the data locations in the memory. A first comparator compares the content of the memory addressed (the data descriptor word) with the words read from the associative memory and a second comparator compares the content of the words read from the associative memory with the content of a descriptor containing the memory word to be invalidated. The number of comparators is equal to twice the number of memory levels multiplied by the number of memory units and is independent of the capacity of the memory. The outputs of the comparators are multiplexed to enable it to be used in the normal mode or in an associative mode.

Abstract: An arrangement for checking contact betweena transmitter circuit situated upstream and a receiver circuit situated downstream, the contact being made to enable electrical signals corresponding to 1 and 0 logic states produced by the transmitter circuit to be transmitted in series to an input of the receiver circuit, is characterized in that it is formed by a first circuit situated upstream of the contact at the output of the transmitter circuit and a second circuit which is situated downstream of the contact at the input to the receiver circuit, the first circuit being designed to produce, at a first output connected to the second circuit, and if the contact is satisfactory, a current in a predetermined direction or the opposite direction in the presence of a signal representing a 1 or 0 logic state emitted by the transmitter circuit, the second circuit being designed to generate, at an output connected to the input of the receiver circuit, a signal corresponding to the logic state generated by the transmitte

Abstract: A loading dock leveling apparatus including a ramp pivotable about its rear end and having a pivotable lip on its forward end. Apparatus is provided for projecting the lip outwardly after the ramp is raised beginning when the ramp is walked down to provide that the lip will engage the bed of a vehicle to be loaded or unloaded. The projecting apparatus includes a knuckle joint which pivots to projecting position on the ramp upswing and which is subsequently pivoted by a lever to release the projecting apparatus during the walk down but before the ramp descends to the highest serviceable vehicle level. A lip lock is provided for holding the lip in its projected position until the lip rests on the bed of the vehicle to be unloaded or until the ramp passes well below dock level and the lip lock is disengaged by a lip lock release.