Abstract: An indirect fired oven system for curing coated products, particularly metal product such as coiled sheet steel or coiled sheet aluminum, is provided. The oven line comprises at least one oven zone though usually at least two or three zones are present, through which the coated product travels, and the oven line is operated at elevated temperatures. An indraft is induced at the entrance and exit ends of the oven line by a balance air fan which captures the indraft air at both ends almost immediately that it enters the oven line, and feeds part of the indraft air to a heat exchanger and then back to the oven zones, and part of it unheated directly back to the oven zones. The temperature in the oven zones is controlled by the influx to each zone of heated air.

Abstract: A circuit is provided having an alternating current input and a synchronous switch means which has a control coil--such as a saturable reactor--with the input, so as to control the energy throughput of the synchronous switch means and therefore the output of the circuit. The current through the control coil is sensed and maintained in such a manner that the ampere-turns ratio of the control coil is maintained constant, thereby ensuring that the output of the circuit will be at a constant current irrespective of the internal resistance of the control coil or changes of that resistance. The output of the circuit may be an alternating current; more generally, it would be a direct current for such use as a battery forming and charging circuit.

Abstract: A long strut between a sea-platform and the ocean bed needs to have its weight supported. Otherwise, much of its strength is used merely in supporting itself. The strut disclosed is made in sections, joined typically by screw threads. The joints need to be inspected periodically. The hollow sections of the strut have their buoyancy disposed internally, yet with the joints exposed internally for inspection by a probe that passes down inside along the length of the strut. The vulnerable joint area is made accessible to the probe. When the joint area includes welds, they too are vulnerable and need to be inspected; the fact that the buoyancy forces also have to be fed into the strut at the joint areas makes for even greater difficulty in providing access for the probe to all the places that need to be inspected. This access is provided in the various manners as shown.

Abstract: Chilling or freezing a substance into small pellets is disclosed. A substance such as liquid egg falls gently from only a small height onto the surface (12) of liquid nitrogen. The discharge nozzle (13) is prevented from freezing up by a flow of ambient or heated air over it. The surface of the boiling nitrogen is kept smooth by imparting a velocity to the nitrogen with an impeller (20) or by running the nitrogen along a trough. The pellets are consistent as to final temperature, and the process is efficient as to nitrogen use. The process can be used with other thick, creamy substances.

Abstract: A fishing float assembly for use with a fishing line, and having a chemiluminescent light stick assembled thereto, is provided. The fishing float is a standard fishing float, having an upstanding substantially rigid circular neck at its top, to which is assembled an attachment portion. The attachment portion comprises a body having a sleeve in its lower end, where the sleeve has one or a plurality of slits formed along its length, and has a collar fitted over the sleeve. Either or both of the sleeve and collar may have sloping faces such that downward movement of the collar along the sleeve causes the sleeve to constrict and thereby grip the neck portion of the float. At the upper end of the body of the attachment portion, a socket is formed and dimensioned so as to grippingly retain a chemiluminescent light stick when placed therein. The light sticks are, themselves, available in the market, and have standard and constant dimensions.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus provides rigid support for the grinding wheel by having the wheel shaft off center in the support housing. The one-piece housing can now have mass and bulk disposed in the plane of the contact force, for greater rigidity. The extra bulk provides room for a conduit internally in the housing to feed coolant to the wheel.

Abstract: Buoyancy apparatus is provided which allows two or more air canisters (43,45) to be mounted one above the other on a section (7) of a strut, without touching the delicate sides of the highly stressed part of that strut section. The canisters need not be of the same length as the section, and each may be of a length determined by the differing manufacturing economies of each. By removing this manufacturing restraint, it is economically possible to produce a strut in the form of a practical tether for a tension-leg platform for deep ocean use. The buoyancy canisters are held in place by tension cords (54,56,58) which attach flotation abutment plates (57,59) to a bulbous and relatively unstressed end (8) of the strut section. The strut, together with its buoyancy, may be deployed by screwing the strut sections one to another.

Abstract: Ladder frames for shoring structures are assembled into towers using cross-braces clamped to the columns of the frames. The towers several tiers high are braced one to another by secondary braces, also clamped to the columns of the frames. Disclosed is a connector that permits two secondary braces to be joined to the column at a single location. The connector is such that one secondary brace is set to lie horizontally, whereas the other may lie diagonally. The connector includes bands which may be clamped and tightened onto the columns and braces, and the tightening means is not detachable from the connector; clamping wedges and bolts are provided which are all captive.

Abstract: Radar detection and signal processing circuits are provided where, following a front end having an RF and local oscillator mixer to an I.F., which is then further mixed against a signal from a swept frequency oscillator, in the presence of a microwave frequency signal, the output of a band pass filter goes to a detector for frequency modulated intermediate frequency signals, and that detector has at least a first output signal that is fed to two pairs of complementary paired comparators, the outputs of which are set to low and high threshold levels. The first pair of complementary comparators has a low threshold level output which is examined by a microprocessor for the incidence of detected low threshold signal in a number of spaced cells--as determined by a clock which divides the detector output into time cells of the sweep period of the swept oscillator. Signal processing is provided so that the incidence of signals in a pair of spaced cells over a given number of consecutive sweeps causes an alarm.

Abstract: A vacuum-formed lid for a large drinks container is disclosed made from extruded sheet plastic. The lid has provision for the user to remove a tear-out portion to leave a hole through which liquid may be poured out of the container. The lid includes a ridge which is gripped between finger and thumb. A slit is located just under the thumb, so that squeezing the ridge is effective to open the slit. The slit runs across the "grain" of the extruded plastic. The effect is that tearing the lid can be easily accomplished, yet the tear may be directed and controlled easily.

Abstract: A radar detector assembly is provided for portable installation in an automotive vehicle--that is, for detachable attachment within the vehicle--where a substantial portion of the front face of the body of the radar detector is covered with a mirror, and the back face is provided with fastening means to detachably attach the radar detector to the mirror which is permanently installed in the vehicle. Within the body of the radar detector is a microstrip antenna for reception of microwave frequency radar signals, and the microstrip antenna is located within the body of the radar detector at a place where the front face of the body is not covered by the mirror, and the back face of the body is not proximate to the vehicle mirror.

Abstract: A mountable and demountable partition structure for motor vehicles, such as vans and station wagons, is provided. The partition comprises a panel which is adapted to extend substantially from top to bottom and from side to side of the vehicle, where it is mounted; and is mounted by fastener means extending downwardly through brackets at the bottom edge of the panel into plates secured in the floor of the vehicle, and through brackets at the top of the panel into tracks mounted between roof ribs in the roof of the vehicle. The panel comprises three panel portions, each of which extends across the width of the panel, where the upper panel portion is tilted fowardly from the vertical, and the lower portion is tilted rearwardly from the vertical, when mounted.

Abstract: The invention distinguishes between two aspects of learning the technique of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. One aspect is in learning what CPR feels like. The other is in learning the sequence of actions, times, rates, etc. It is the latter aspect that is more easily forgotten, and the invention provides a very inexpensive aid, which has the simplest possible mouth and chest simulators. The student can carry out a periodic repetition of the routine of motions on the aid. Refresher courses are then not needed so often, and the courses can concentrate on the "feel" aspects of CPR rather than the "routine" aspects. A simple and inexpensive teaching and practice aid for CPR is provided which has a stand on which a piece of foam material is mounted, and a generally self-supporting tube which has an upwardly facing open end. The other end of the tube is connected to a balloon. The structure and action of the device more or less replicates the physiology of a person in cardio-pulmonary arrest.

Abstract: A storage tank, such as a water tower is disclosed, made by bolting rows of glass-coated steel plates together. The plates overlap each other side to side and above and below. The contact with plates at the diagonal corners is not an overlapping contact but an abutment contact, and the lines of abutment contact are staggered row to row. This arrangement leads to a very efficient use of material, and to an inherently leak proof structure when the plates are arranged to form a double skin in the lower regions of the tower.

Abstract: In a swimming pool, or other open-to-sunlight water system, algae is controlled, as disclosed, by ionisation from a single metal, i.e., zinc. The zinc is mounted in a jacket that is built into the pipework of the pool, as a plurality of metallic zinc discs mounted in a plastic jacket or sleeve which is inserted into one of the circulation pipes for the pool. The sleeve is mounted to the pipe by pipe-to-sleeve adapters at each end thereof.

Abstract: The cremator disclosed is of the kind in which reduction burning takes place in a coffin chamber, followed by oxidation burning in an afterburner chamber. It is also of the kind in which partly cremated embers can be moved to an ember-reducing location to make room for another coffin to be admitted to the coffin chamber. The disclosure shows the ash removal port in the side of the cremator, which allows the afterburner chamber to occupy space behind and underneath the coffin chamber; an arrangement which makes for a very compact, fuel efficient, easy-to-construct unit. The hearth includes an ash-trough for ember reduction. The hearth can be thin because it is supported on the central wall that divides the ducts of the afterburner chamber, which makes for good heat transfer, and quick warm-up.

Abstract: A storage tank, such as a water tower is disclosed, made by bolting rows of glass-coated steel plates together. The plates overlap each other side to side and above and below. The contact with plates at the diagonal corners is not an overlapping contact but an abutment contact, and the lines of abutment contact are staggered row to row. This arrangement leads to a very efficient use of material, and to an inherently leak proof structure when the plates are arranged to form a double skin in the lower regions of the tower.

Abstract: Battery charging and surveillance circuits are provided which may have either shunt regulation or series regulation of the control coil. Automatic start up of the charging sequence is initiated when a battery is connected to the output terminals by providing a latch circuit which is powered from a capacitor charged from the high ripple voltage at the open output, which capacitor voltage collapses and causes a one-shot circuit to close, which closes a control power cut-off device in series with the control coil, thereby initiating a battery charging sequence. When the battery is to be disconnected, either a push button switch may be momentarily closed or a latch operates to open the cut-off device, thus causing the output voltage of the battery charging circuit to fall below that of the battery--the power diodes in the circuit preclude back-charge from the battery--so that the battery may then be disconnected without any substantial current flow and therefore without any arcing at the output terminals.

Abstract: The method disclosed is for making hollow-handled sticks in fibre-reinforced plastic. The method is to mould the stick handle in moulds that run the full length of the handle. The moulds comprise a core and a channel. A resin-and-fibre mat is squeezed between the core and the channel. The hollow handle can be formed either by glueing two U-shaped components (15,16) together one inside the other or by wrapping the mat (27) around a mandrel (24), in which case the mandrel is withdrawn lengthwise after curing. The stick blade (29) may itself be inserted in the channel (25) in which case the mat of the handle may be arranged to enwrap the blade.