Abstract: The original recoil spring rod or guide that is present on many semi-automatic pistols is removed and replaced with a new guide that differs from the original by having a means for affixing a mount to the new guide. In one embodiment the new guide has a threaded bore in the end that is exposed at the front of the pistol. Complementary threads are provided on a bolt or machine screw, and a structural mount is configured so that is may be rigidly affixed to the guide (and thusly affixed to the frame of the pistol) by the bolt or machine screw, etc. In another embodiment, the replacement guide is significantly longer than the original guide; and the extra length that protrudes out of the front of the pistol is given external threads. A nut with complementary threads is then used to rigidly fix a mount to the frame of the pistol.

Abstract: In revolvers that are loaded by swinging or shifting the revolver's cylinder away from alignment with the barrel, an extension of the cantilevered axle pin (upon which the cylinder rotates when the revolver is fired) can be sufficiently exposed so that a specially crafted mounting device can be connected to the axle pin. Connection is accomplished by simply sliding the mounting device longitudinally over the distal end of the pin (or an extension thereof). A common extension of the cylinder's axle is an ejector rod that is used to eject spent shells from a cylinder. Typical ejector rods have both the strength and the precision that makes them well suited to function as anchors for a mounting device. When a cylinder and its axle pin are rotated back to a closed position with respect to the revolver's frame, the mounting device is captured by rigid parts of the revolver (e.g., the barrel and/or a part of the frame)--so that the device will remain fixed until the cylinder is again opened.

Abstract: A mounting and placement system for the periodic and manual placement of one or more sprinkler heads around a yard or other area that needs periodic watering, said sprinkler heads being advantageously made in accordance with conventional designs. A shank or spike depends from the body of such water sprinklers, said spike being downwardly tapered to a point. A plurality of generally tubular anchor members are sized and configured to telescopically receive the spike of the sprinkler. The lower end of the anchor member is squeezed together to form a more narrow, bladelike shape to foster entry into the ground. To ensure that the top of the anchor member is not damaged by any axial blows as it is being driven into the ground, an impact-resistant plug may be temporarily placed in the open top of the anchor member. But the lower end is left partially open so that rain water and the like may drain from the anchor member.

Abstract: An apparatus for temporary installation within a relatively large pressure veseel, especially a boiler-furnace for generating electricity, for facilitating the manual inspection and (if necessary) the repair of things within said pressure vessel. The apparatus includes a generally horizontal platform upon which workers stand, and cables for raising and lowering the platform. The platform is fabricated from relatively small construction elements, each of which has a size that permits it to be inserted through a small access opening in the pressure vessel. The elements are manually assembled within the vessel by pinning them together, using high-strength pins which engage a plurality of prepared aperture. A relatively large platform is constructed in a vertical mode, and subsequenctly rotated to its horizontal and working orientation.

Abstract: An eyeshield for covering an eye that is being treated for some medical problem, so as to shield the eye until such time as it has healed. The eyeshield includes a substantially firm but bendable foraminous member having a concave interior surface that is adapted to be juxtaposed with the eye--to create a kind of shallow "vault" over the eye. The preferred material for the foraminous member is a sheet of 6061 aluminum alloy having a thickness of about 0.025 inch. The member has a peripheral edge or rim having the general shape of an ellipse, with a major axis of about 3 inches and a minor axis of about 2.4 inches. The eyeshield also includes a relatively thick but lightweight border that is permanently mounted around the rim in such a way as to completely envelop the same.

Abstract: An eyeglass construction characterized by having a conventional frame with a pair of rim supports for receiving and holding a pair of lenses. The rim supports have a plurality of fixed prongs distributed around the rims at points that are remote from a bridge that connects the tops of the two rim supports. Affixed to the frame, usually near the bridge, is a retaining mechanism that includes a housing having two open ends. A wire-like member is adapted to protrude out of each of the two open ends of the housing for a distance which is adequate to cooperate with the fixed prongs for firmly holding the lenses in the rim supports. Whenever it is desired (or necessary) to replace one or both of the lenses, the appropriate wire-like member is retracted into the housing, such that the adjacent lens may be manipulated--usually by slightly rotating it--in order to free it from the rim support. The wire-like retaining member is biased in its extended position by a bias member having the characteristics of a spring.

Abstract: A fastening combination adapted for quickly and efficiently connecting a first structure to a second structure using a single tool (like a screwdriver) and from just one side of the two structures. The fastening combination (which may be called a "blind" fastener) is particularly useful in the aircraft industry for installing a transparency such as a canopy or window to the airframe of some plane. A transparency may be removably connected to the airframe with a plurality of internally threaded members (or sleeves) and mating fastening bolts. The sleeves are loosely mounted in a plurality of fastener housings that can be permanently installed near an edge of the transparency. A means is provided for achieving a mechanical connection between each sleeve and an associated housing in such a way that torque applied by the fastening bolt to the sleeve will be resisted by the housing--and in turn by the transparency (or any other mounting structure to which the housing is anchored).

Abstract: A portable apparatus adapted for use in filling chuck holes in paved surfaces with a sulphur-based material that has been heated to a plasticized condition. The apparatus includes an electrically heated furnace in which an auger is mounted for the purpose of moving a sulphur-based material through the furnace at a controlled rate (e.g., about 2 feet per minute), such that the material will be elevated to a temperature of above 305 degrees Farenheit (the melting point of sulphur) to produce a tenacious filler material. The furnace is heated by tubular resistance heaters that are bent in a spiral fashion around a mandrel, so that they may be placed in intimate contact with the exterior of a tube which constitutes the core of the furnace. The furnace is fed by a hopper that is mounted above the entry point for the auger, so that dry material may be fed--by gravity--into the furnace whenever a gate-valve mechanism is opened.

Abstract: A fail-safe X-ray film marking system that includes a reusable fastening combination adapted for use in temporarily fastening a marking element to a container that is configured for holding X-ray film. The marking element is at least partially opaque to X-rays, and it is adapted to be positioned on the cassette in such a way that an image of an identifying character of the marking element will be imprinted on the X-ray film (inside the container) after it is exposed to radiation. The fastening combination is formed from X-ray permeable material that will not degrade the quality of an image produced on the subsequently exposed X-ray film; a suitable material for the combination is nylon.The fastening combination preferably includes a relatively large sheet having a pile-like surface comprising a multitude of small, short loops of the kind that can be engaged by a multitude of resilient hooks of the Velcro type.