Abstract: A pointing stick, which is used to control the position of a cursor on a computer monitor, has its axial longitudinal position relative to its fixed cover adjusted so that a flat bottom surface of a pad on the bottom of the pointing stick does not exert a force on a flat sensing surface, which produces electrical signals in accordance with where the flat bottom surface of the pad engages it when the pointing stick is moved and the force with which it is engaged, unless a user moves the pointing stick. This adjustment is accomplished during assembly through four equally spaced angularly groups of teeth on the pointing stick cooperating with four equally angularly spaced detents on a fixed support cover for the pointing stick. The teeth of each group are of varying length in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pointing stick from a minimum at one end to a maximum at the other so that a tooth of the same length of each group engages one of the detents at the same time.

Abstract: A keyboard has two segments connected to each other at their rear ends by a connector. The two segments can be pivoted about the connector through 90.degree. in the plane of a support surface for the keyboard. In one embodiment, each keyboard segment may be disposed at a maximum angle of 45.degree. to its support surface in a plane perpendicular to its support surface. Thus, the two segments may be tilted 90.degree. with respect to each other. The two segments may be separated and supported individually through three pivotally mounted supports on its bottom surface. Two of the supports are disposed adjacent the rear corners and pivot on the same axis while the third support is disposed adjacent a lower inner corner of the segment and pivots on an axis perpendicular to the pivot axis of the other two supports. Each of the supports has two legs of different lengths to permit various tilting configurations of each segment with one of the legs having an adjustable length in one embodiment.

Abstract: An outer sleeve of a rotary table deck bushing has an axial passage extending therethrough and within which is disposed an inner core, which has an axial passage extending therethrough to receive a drill string of a drilling tool. The inner surface of the outer sleeve and the outer surface of the inner core have cooperating bearing races to form raceways within which are disposed ball bearings to rotatably support the inner core within the outer sleeve. Each of the raceways communicates with an access passage extending through the outer sleeve to enable ball bearings to be supplied to the raceway and removed therefrom. The outer sleeve supports a slidable key for blocking each of the access passages when the slidable key is in its blocking position. The slidable key is retained in its blocking position on the outer sleeve by a set screw.

Abstract: A tobacco harvester includes a plurality of linearly spaced tobacco plant engaging flights attached to an endless chain at equal linear distances with the sensing of a tobacco plant at a first position resulting in a cycle of operation occurring to advance the plant from its first position to a second position just beyond the front end of a spear. The plant is centered by an upper driven belt and a lower non-driven belt between which the plant is advanced by one of the flights. A paddle wheel is rotated 180.degree. during each advancement of a tobacco plant from its first position to its second position and aids in advancing the plant between the two centering belts. When another plant is sensed at the first position, the first tobacco plant is advanced from its second position to a third position on a stick at the rear of the spear.

Abstract: A sealed envelope, which encloses a rectangular shaped container having an audio or video tape therein to form a package, is automatically removed from the container through cutting a first edge of the envelope during its travel in a first direction and then cutting two substantially parallel edges, perpendicular to the first cut edge, during travel of the container in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. After the three edges of the envelope have been cut, air pressure is selectively applied towards the cut edges. Then, flexible tubes apply forces to the top and bottom of the cut envelope to partially remove it from the container prior to the container being advanced in the second direction to an area in which a vacuum is applied to remove the cut envelope from the container. The packages are initially stacked in a magazine with each package being advanced from the magazine in the first direction in a predetermined spacing from the prior package.

Abstract: First and second complementary articles of hardware are fed to a single attaching station by first and second reciprocating feed-in fingers, respectively. Different types of first articles are selected during initial retraction of the first feed-in finger for advancement to the attaching station along a first path during advancement of the finger. Different types of second articles are selected during initial retraction of the second feed-in finger for advancement along a second path to the attaching station during advancement of the finger. During its retraction, the first finger is diverted from its first path at least when it would engage the first selected article. If the second selected article is disposed so as to be engaged by the second finger during its retraction, the second finger has a cooperating surface to cause it to move from the second path beneath the second selected article.

Abstract: Two mating fastener elements are attached to material at a setting station through a first electric motor. The motor rotates a cam for causing a first pivotally mounted arm to move a support, which supports one of the fastener elements, towards a ram, which is moved by a second pivotally mounted arm attached to the cam rotated by the motor. A second electric motor, which makes at least one revolution and may make a plurality of revolutions during each energization of the first motor, is energized when the first motor, which makes one revolution during each energization, is energized. Each of two hoppers has a plurality of one of the fastener elements. The second motor activates a knife blade in each of the two hoppers so that one of the knife blades moves upwardly in its hopper while the other is moving downwardly to feed the fastener elements within the hopper therefrom for receipt by the support or the ram.

Abstract: A strip of acetate of a selected length is cut from a ribbon of acetate by a heated cutting wire after the strip has a middle portion clamped between two pairs of fingers. A first outer portion of the strip is then folded beneath the middle portion of the strip at an angle thereto and adjacent thereto after which a second outer portion of the strip is folded at an angle to both the first outer portion and the middle portion and adjacent the first outer portion. The folded portions of the strip are held in the folded relationship as the fingers are advanced to an attaching apparatus at which the portions of the strip are attached to each other to form a bow and to a garment. Activation of the attaching apparatus is prevented if the operator has an extremity disposed in an area where the extremity will be struck by a portion of the attaching apparatus during activation of the attaching apparatus.

Abstract: A portable personal computer has a display screen movable between a substantially vertical position when a keyboard is in a substantially horizontal position and exposed for use and a substantially horizontal position in which the keyboard is not accessible or viewable but the display screen is accessible and viewable. In its substantially horizontal position, the display screen can be used as a book reading device or a pen based personal computer, for example. When the display screen is in its substantially horizontal position, function control buttons are accessible.

Abstract: A collector cart includes a body having an open rear end closed by a canopy pivotally connected to the body adjacent their front ends. A tow bar, which has the body pivotally connected thereto, has a support, which has caster wheels connected thereto for support, for the body. The tow bar has a quick hook-up requiring no tools at its forward end for connection to a hitch on a riding lawn mower. When the cart is to be dumped, a first handle is rotated by an operator, who remains on the mower, to initially cause pivoting of a rear portion of a frame of the canopy, which includes a cover on the frame, relative to the body and the remainder of the canopy frame to unlock the rear portion of the canopy from the rear of the body. After unlocking is accomplished, a second handle, which is pivotally mounted on the body and has a portion engaging the tow bar to prevent pivoting of the body, is rotated by the operator to disengage its engaging portion from the tow bar.

Abstract: A parallel interface connects a data processor and a printer so that each may transmit information to the other or receive information from the other. The transmitted information from the data processor can be data or status signals. The data or status signals are transmitted over the same eight information lines between the data processor and the printer with a predetermined signal being sent over another line from the data processor to the printer prior to transmission over the eight lines to identify whether the transmitted information is data or status signals. The printer sends status signals to the data processor over the same eight information lines after sending a predetermined signal to the data processor over a further line that it is going to transmit.

Abstract: A drill bit sub, which has a drill bit with three equally angularly spaced cutters releasably threaded into its bottom surface, has its lower portion reduced in diameter. A collar is welded to the uppermost portion of the lower portion of the drill bit sub and has its lower surface formed at an angle to its longitudinal axis. A protective sleeve, which is a hollow cylindrical metal tube, is removably mounted on the lower portion of the drill bit sub and has its upper surface at the same angle as the lower surface of the collar. The protective sleeve has three equally angularly spaced wear strips, which are substantially aligned with the three cutters on the drill bit. A first break out ring is mounted between the bottom of the protective sleeve and a support surface on the drill bit so that the drill bit bears against the bottom of the first break out ring.

Abstract: A wallboard is formed with each of its abutting top and bottom surfaces extending from its rear surface substantially perpendicular thereto for less than 50%, preferably 371/2%, of the distance between the rear surface and the front surface. The wallboard has a convex curved surface extending from the termination of the abutting top or bottom surface to the front surface. When the abutting surfaces of two wallboards are disposed in abutting relation, a deep fill recess is formed between the curved surfaces of the two adjacent wallboards. The recess is filled with a sealing compound having a greater compression strength than the compression strength of each of the adjacent wallboards so that any compression of the wallboards is absorbed by the wallboards and not the sealing compound whereby no tape is required at the wallboard joint and no ridging occurs.

Abstract: A drill section includes a hollow tube having a reduced portion of a box disposed in each end. Each box is welded to the hollow tube by a circumferential weld extending around an angled portion connecting the reduced portion of the box to a portion of the box having the same outer diameter as the hollow tube. There preferably is welding of the reduced portion of the box to the hollow tube through three equally angularly spaced slots at each end of the hollow tube. A break out ring is disposed on a threaded pin of a tool joint between the box, which has a threaded recess extending inwardly from its end to receive the threaded pin to attach the tool joint to the box, and an annular surface of the tool joint. A protective sleeve on the box has an annular end surface at the same angle to its longitudinal axis as an annular end surface of a collar, which is welded to the box, and held thereagainst by the tool joint attached to the box.

Abstract: A system and method is presented for filtering waste and debris from an aquarium tank and from the water supply therein without having to empty the tank or remove the fish therefrom. The invention generally includes a movable cleaner positioned adjacent the bottom surface of the tank, mechanism for moving the cleaner along the bottom surface of the tank so that the movable cleaner dislodges waste and debris deposited thereon and directs the dislodged waste and debris toward an aperture to be conducted away from the bottom surface of the tank. The movable cleaner preferably comprises a barrier structure and moving means preferably comprises mechanical structure positioned externally of the tank. The waste-carrying water may be filtered and then returned to the aquarium or replaced with fresh water.

Abstract: A support platform for a person in a wheelchair is disposed at ground level and mounted on the top of a movable support frame within a hole in the ground. The movable support frame is surrounded by a fixed frame having guide rollers for guiding the movable support frame in its vertical movement. A U-shaped handrail, which is not above the ground when the handrail is in its lowermost position, moves upwardly initially relative to the support platform. When the handrail has been moved upwardly a first predetermined distance by a drive arrangement, the drive arrangement then causes the movable support frame to move upwardly with the handrail to transport the person in the wheelchair on the support platform from the ground level position to a raised position at which the support platform is level with a surface of a building to enable the wheelchair to be rolled to the surface of the building.

Abstract: A trackball assembly has a ball supported on a bottom ball support, which is rotatably and translationally mounted on a lower support having an upper support conntected thereto. The ball protrudes through an opening, which has a beveled inner surface, in a retaining cap releasably secured to an upper wall of the upper support to enable manipulation of the ball by a user to position a pointer on a computer screen. The amount and direction of movement of the ball during its rotation in each of X and Y coordinate directions are sensed by two silicone rubber rollers, which are substantially perpendicular to each other, engaging the ball. Each roller is mounted on a metal shaft, which extends through an enlarged hole in a shaft support mounted on the lower support to enable limited pivoting of the shaft and the roller thereon.

Abstract: A dot matrix printhead is adjusted automatically or manually with respect to a platen in accordance with the thickness of a recording medium on which printing is to occur. When a host data processor sends a control signal to a printer microprocessor to indicate that a recording medium of a different thickness is to be printed, a carrier, which has a first portion supporting the printhead and pivotally and slidably mounted on a front guide rail, is moved so that a shift arm on the carrier engages a right side plate of the frame. This disconnects a ribbon drive motor gear from a ribbon drive gear and moves the ribbon drive motor gear into engagement with a gear train. Rotation of the gear train rotates a gear, which has a threaded shaft and is rotatably supported by a second portion of the carrier slidably mounted on a rear guide rail, to cause pivoting of the first portion of the carrier about the front guide rail to change the gap of the printhead from the platen.

Abstract: A motorized tape reel is carried on a mandrel shaft extending between a pair of brackets. At the first bracket, the mandrel shaft joins with a swivel ring which permits rotation and axial sliding of the mandrel shaft. The swivel ring swivels on vertical pins in order to swing the mandrel shaft out of its position between the brackets. A second shaft, journalled for rotation within the second bracket, has a power drive connection at its outer end and a separable coupling at its inner end for driving the mandrel shaft. A biasing spring at the first bracket urges the mandrel shaft towards the second bracket, thereby closing the coupling. To change tape reels, manual force is applied to the mandrel shaft to overcome the biasing spring and separate the coupling. The mandrel shaft is then swung out from between the brackets, and the old tape reel is removed. The reverse steps are followed to install a new tape reel.

Abstract: A composite tape laying machine removes each severed portion of a composite tape of a tape assembly from its backing that is not to be applied to a mold or the like. A removal tape of a material, which has a greater adherence to the composite tape than the backing has to the composite tape to which the composite tape is releasably adhered, is moved into engagement with each non-selected severed portion at least at the start of each non-selected severed portion. When the non-selected severed portion has a varying width, the removal tape is removed from engagement with the non-selected severed portion at the start of its maximum width. When the non-selected severed portion has a constant width, the removal tape is removed from engagement therewith substantially prior to the termination of the non-selected severed portion.