Abstract: A collector cart includes a body having an open rear end, which is closed by a canopy pivotally mounted adjacent its front end on the body adjacent its front end. The body has a support pivotally connected to caster wheel supports and a tow bar attached to a riding lawn mower hitch plate. Telescoping chutes connect the mower outlet with a canopy port to fill the cart with debris. 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 release a locking connection of the rear portion of the canopy frame to the rear of the body.

Abstract: A gripper on a powered gantry, which moves longitudinally relative to a porous conveyor belt, pulls a selected length of a composite sheet material and its backing from a supply roll on a carrousel and past a cutter. After a segment has been cut, the gantry returns the gripper to pull the composite sheet and its backing from the supply roll while the belt moves the segment thereon to a desired position thereon. This continues until the belt supports a plurality of segments. The gripper gantry includes a marker to mark each segment on the belt. After marking is completed, a powered gantry moves to dispose a top film over the segments. A powered gantry, which has a cutter thereon, is then moved so that the cutter, which can move orthogonal to the motion of the gantry and also has its reciprocating cutting blades rotatable about a vertical axis, can cut one or more pieces of desired shapes from each segment. After cutting is completed, the segments are advanced from the belt through a separator.

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 protective sleeve, which is a hollow cylindrical metal tube, is releasably attached to the lower portion of the drill bit sub so that three equally angularly spaced lugs are at specific circumferential positions relative to the cutters. The lugs engage three equally angularly spaced wear strips on a wear strip support, which is mounted on the lower portion of the drill bit sub below the protective sleeve, so that the wear strip support rotates with the drill bit sub. The drill bit bears against the lower end of the wear strip support when the drill bit is mounted on the drill bit sub. The specific positions of the lugs on the protective sleeve align each of the three wear strips with the maximum outer protrusion of one of the three cutters on the drill bit.

Abstract: A tine mounting tray includes a substantially planar portion from which a plurality of smaller substantially planar portions are punched out. Each of the punched out portions is spaced from the remainder of the substantially planar portion of the mounting tray to form an opening to receive a substantially V-shaped connecting portion between two tines of a tine assembly to be mounted on the mounting tray. Each of the punched out portions has a tab at one end, which is bent upwardly after the connecting portion of the tine assembly has been inserted within the opening so that the connecting portion of the tine assembly abuts the two connecting sides of the punched out portion. This bending of the tab connects the tine assembly to the mounting tray through preventing withdrawal of the tine assembly from the mounting tray.

Abstract: An injection molding apparatus produces a one-piece molded end closure has a pull ring spaced from a main panel, which has an annular flange extending therefrom and may have score lines. The pull ring is connected to the main panel by a tenon. The apparatus includes a slidable member disposed in a first passage in a core having a cavity surrouding a portion of the first passage. The core and the slidable member have end surfaces spaced from an end surface of a cavity insert to form a recess therebetween into which molten plastic is injected to form the main panel. The core has a second passage communicating the recess with the cavity in the core so that the molten plastic flows into the cavity to form the pull ring with the tenon being formed in the second passage in the core.

Abstract: A two prong symmetrical shaped element is connected to a non-symmetrical shaped element on opposite sides of a material by disposing the two prongs in two holes in the non-symmetrical shaped element, which is a hook or an eye. The non-symmetrical shaped element is supplied from a hopper through a feed chute to a guide channel in which it is advanced to a setting station where it is attached to the two prong element by cooperation of an anvil and a ram. When the non-symmetrical shaped element is a hook, its orientation is changed by a rotatable transport stop disposed betwen two portions of the feed chute during advancement of the hook through the feed chute. When the non-symmetrical shaped element is an eye, its orientation is changed during its advancement through the guide channel prior to its disposition at the setting station.

Abstract: A one-piece molded end closure has a pull ring spaced from a main panel having an annular flange extending therefrom. When the end closure is frangible through having score lines formed in the main panel, the pull ring is connected by a tenon adjacent a score point, which is the junction of two score lines and inside of the inner diameter of the pull ring, so that pulling on the pull ring, which is substantially parallel to the main panel, starts rupturing of the two score lines. The end closure also may be a plug type having a friction fit within a container whereby there are no score lines; the pull ring is still used to remove the end closure from the open end of the container. The method and apparatus for molding enable production of the end closure as one piece without any tearing of the pull ring or rupturing of the score lines when the end closure is removed from the molding apparatus.

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.

Abstract: A recirculating ball nut includes an inner hollow element surrounding a ball screw extending therethrough with the inner hollow element and the ball screw having cooperating helical grooves with balls therein. The ball nut has an outer hollow element surrounding the inner hollow element and secured thereto. The outer hollow element has the same number of helical grooves, which extend for less than a revolution, on its inner surface as the inner hollow element. Each helical groove in the outer hollow element has its ends communicate through ball connectors with one of the helical grooves in the inner surface of the inner hollow element and the cooperating helical groove in the ball screw at two spaced portions to allow the balls to recirculate. Each ball connector is disposed within a slot in an end of the inner hollow element and rests on an arcuate portion of an inner surface of the outer hollow element.

Abstract: When a golfer strikes a ball on a tee connected to a latch release for a pivotally mounted arm, the arm is accelerated by a preloaded torsion spring from an inactive (vertical) position to an indicating (horizontal) position in which an opening in the arm is disposed on the same line of sight from the golfer as the tee. An endless tape, which is supported by the arm, has a number appearing in the opening for a short, selected period of time after the arm reaches its indicating position. The opening is blocked by a slide after the selected period of time has elapsed so that the golfer will not see the number if the golfer fails to maintain eye contact with the ball impact area after striking the ball on the tee. When the arm is returned to its inactive position, the number on the tape can be viewed from the opposite side of the arm having the opening so that the golfer can ascertain if the number was viewed.

Abstract: A collector cart includes a body having an open rear end, which is closed by a canopy pivotally mounted adjacent its front end on the body adjacent its front end. The body has a support pivotally connected to caster wheel supports and a tow bar attached to a riding lawn mower hitch bar. Telescoping chutes connect the mower outlet with a canopy port to fill the cart with debris. When the cart is to be dumped, a linkage mechanism is activated by an operator, who remains on the mower, raising a lift handle to initially cause rearward shifting of the canopy relative to the body to release a locking connection of the rear of the canopy to the rear of the body. The body is released from its tow bar at the same time so that continued raising of the lift handle by the operator causes the body to pivot to a dumping position while the canopy pivots away from the body due to a rope of a fixed length connecting the front of the canopy to the mower.

Abstract: A one-piece molded end closure has a pull ring spaced from a main panel having an annular flange extending therefrom. When the end closure is frangible through having score lines formed in the main panel, the pull ring is connected by a tenon adjacent a score point, which is the junction of two score lines and inside of the inner diameter of the pull ring, so that pulling on the pull ring, which is substantially parallel to the main panel, starts rupturing of the two score lines. The end closure also may be a plug type having a friction fit within a container whereby there are no score lines; the pull ring is still used to remove the end closure from the open end of the container. The method and apparatus for molding enable production of the end closure as one piece without any tearing of the pull ring or rupturing of the score lines when the end closure is removed from the molding apparatus.

Abstract: A grinder has an abrasive belt removably mounted on a wheel for grinding a workpiece. The belt has its ends extend through a transverse slot in the wheel into a recess within the wheel. One end of the belt is attached to a first slider and the other end of the belt is attached to a second slider with the sliders increasing the tension on the ends of the belt through outward movement of the sliders by centrifugal force as the wheel rotates with the tension increasing as the angular velocity of the wheel increases. The sliders may move parallel to each other or along two separate radii extending from the axis of rotation of the wheel. Pivotally mounted pendulums may be employed instead of the sliders to apply tension to each end of the belt with the pendulums increasing the tension on the ends of the belt through outward movement of the pendulums by centrifugal force created by rotation of the wheel.

Abstract: A tailstock body of a numerically controlled lathe is positioned by a hydraulic rotary motor at a desired position to have a quill center of the tailstock body engage one end of a part or workpiece. The positioning of the tailstock body is by a programmable controller of a numerical control receiving signals for an encoder attached to the hydraulic rotary motor.

Abstract: A spindle carrier, which is movable vertically by an electric servo motor through a relatively long ball screw, has a substantially constant counterbalance force maintained on it irrespective of whether it is moving up or down. This prevents compression or tension of the ball screw. The counterbalance force is maintained substantially constant through sensing the load on the spindle carrier and using the sensed load to vary the hydraulic pressure applied to a piston within a hydraulic cylinder and connected through a chain to the spindle carrier to apply the counterbalance force.

Abstract: A portable hammock support includes a first pair of ground engaging members pivotally connected to each other and aligned with each other and a second pair of ground engaging members pivotally connected to each other and aligned with each other. The first and second pairs of ground engaging members are disposed substantially parallel to each other. A first U-shaped element has one leg pivotally connected to one of the first pair of ground engaging members and a second leg pivotally connected to one of the second pair of ground engaging members. A second U-shaped element has one leg pivotally connected to the other of the first pair of ground engaging members and its other leg pivotally connected to the other of the second pair of ground engaging members. A hammock has one end fixed to a base of the first U-shaped element and its other end releasably connected to a base of the second U-shaped element.

Abstract: A distortable diaphragm seal, which is preferably formed of felt, seals each end of a nut through which a screw extends. Grease, which is introduced into the interior of the nut to function as a lubricant, is sealed therein by the seal. The seal has an opening of substantially the cross sectional shape of the screw normal to the axial centerline of the screw to permit part of the seal to extend circumferentially along the unthreaded O.D., and to permit another portion of the diaphragm seal to run into, and out of, a helical groove in the ball screw, thus forming a continuous seal on the screw surface.

Abstract: A security box includes a base having a support wall with four countersunk mounting holes through which mounting bolts extend to attach the base to a building wall while spacing the support wall from the building wall. The base has a top wall extending substantially perpendicular to the support wall and having L-shaped rails on its opposite sides within which a mounting plate for cable TV connectors is supported. A cover has a top wall overlying the top wall of the base with a flange on its rear to overlie the support wall. The cover also has a front wall, side walls, and a bottom wall with the bottom wall fitting between a flange at the bottom of the support wall of the base and a pair of L-shaped flanges extending forwardly from opposite sides of the support wall and inwardly towards each other. One of the flanges cooperates with a cam-type lock, which is mounted on the front wall of the cover, to lock the cover to the base.

Abstract: A thermal printhead, which is pivotally mounted on a carrier, is moved into and out of its printing position by a four bar linkage, which is responsive to the direction in which the carrier is being advanced, rendering a spring, which urges the thermal printhead into its printing position, effective and ineffective. When the carrier is advanced from left to right to print, the linkage responds to a drive mechanism for the carrier to enable movement of the printhead into its printing position by the spring prior to the carrier drive mechanism moving the carrier. When the carrier is to be moved from right to left in the non-printing direction, the linkage responds to the initial motion of the carrier drive mechanism in this direction to render the spring ineffective and to move the printhead out of its printing position prior to the carrier drive mechanism moving the carrier.

Abstract: A printhead of a resistive ribbon printer has a column of electrodes formed on each of at least two edge surfaces. When the column of electrodes at one edge surface is worn out after being used for printing, the printhead is rotated so that the column of electrodes at the other edge surface is used for printing. Instead of the column of electrodes at each edge surface being the same size, the column of electrodes at one edge surface could be smaller than at the other edge surface so as to have a higher resolution for graphics whereby the position of the printhead is changed each time that higher resolution is desired and then returned to its initial position when alphanumeric printing is to occur. The printhead could have more than two edge surfaces with each having a column of electrodes for printing when at the printing position.