Abstract: A signaling device is shown for signaling the delivery by the mailman of mail into the mailbox. A flat signal member is provided having a large area visible from a considerable distance and from any angle of where the signal member is hanging below the box in signaling position. The signal member is mounted for pivotal movement on the mailbox between signaling and nonsignaling positions independently of opening and closing movement of the mailbox door. The mailman, if delivering mail, releases the signal member from a latched position on the door to drop to signaling position before opening the door to deliver mail. If not released, the signal member performs no signaling function and is not affected by opening and closing the door merely for mail pickup. Two forms of the signaling device are shown, one for original box manufacture and the other for attaching the signaling device to an existing mailbox.

Abstract: A firewood splitting wedge tool for splitting quarters at one time from a log. The tool is formed integrally of metal with a cross-shaped cross section formed by four wedge blades each having the same wedge taper extending from a flat cross-shaped top surface downward to sharp lower blade edges. The blade edges are tapered slightly outwardly downwardly from the axial central body portion of the tool where the four blades join located at 90.degree. angles between each blade and its adjacent blades. The arrangement provides two primary coplanar blades and two secondary coplanar blades located normal to the primary coplanar blades, the latter being longer than the secondary coplanar blades. A wide flat curved sharp edged starter portion extends downwardly from the sharp angled lower ends of the primary blades.

Abstract: A hexagonal housing unit is erected with flat roof and side wall panels of different shapes, formed of selected desired building materials, and manufactured by production procedures. Certain of the panels may be formed of two pieces or sections. There are several sizes of certain panels to accommodate multiple unit installations either initial or by add-on construction. Simple joints, preferably bolted, connect the panels and proper roof drainage is enabled in multiple unit buildings.

Abstract: A method of making an energy-absorbing shock cell for mounting bumper devices on legs of offshore oil rig structures having inner and outer metal tubes connected by an intervening vulcanized rubber sleeve maintained under compression adhesively bonded to the inner and outer metal tubes. The shock cell is made by a series of operations in which portions of the metal tubes are coated with adhesive material, and the rubber sleeve is bonded to the adhesive coated areas by vulcanization and post-vulcanized heating.

Abstract: A composite plastic and metal pulley intended primarily for use with an endless drive belt for vehicle accessories, particularly an alternator. The pulley is formed by a hollow cylindrical-shaped molded plastic member having a series of outwardly opening V-shaped belt-receiving grooves on the outer surface thereof. A flat disc-shaped metal member is mounted within the central bore of the plastic member perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof. The outer edge of the metal disc is scalloped and is embedded firmly within the plastic to prevent rotation of the disc with respect to the plastic member. A central opening is formed in the disc for mounting the pulley on the extended end of the alternator shaft.

Abstract: A tensioning device for maintaining a predetermined amount of tensioning force on an endless drive belt for a vehicle accessories drive system. A shaft is mounted in a fixed position on the vehicle engine adjacent the drive belt. A housing is pivotally mounted on the shaft and is biased by a torsional coil spring in a belt tensioning direction. The spring is located within an annular space formed by spaced inner and outer housing walls and is telescopically mounted with respect to the shaft. A lever extends generally radially outwardly from the housing and an idler pulley is mounted on an end of the lever and is moved into tensioning engagement with the drive belt by the torsion spring. One end of the spring is attached to the housing and the other end is adapted to be fixed with respect to the shaft. The spring is placed in torsion and biases the lever and housing in the belt tensioning direction.

Abstract: A boat loader and unloader has a vertical post which is mounted on the rear of a vehicle. A carriage is slidably and pivotally mounted on the top of the post by rollers. A reel assembly having a crank-operated, cable take-up tube is removably mounted transversely across the midportion of a boat. A cable is attached to and extends between the reel tube and carriage which is clamped to the boat transom. Acutation of the crank-operated reel tube winds the cable about the tube raising the boat from the ground to a position where the boat and carriage then can be pushed forwardly on the rollers to move the boat and carriage to a forward storage position on top of the vehicle. A reverse operation enables an individual to manually unload the boat from on top of the vehicle. An improved conrol mechanism is mounted on the reel and includes a plurality of spring-biased camming rollers which are engaged between ramp surfaces formed on a band brake and a stub shaft attached to the take-up reel.

Abstract: A composite pulley construction intended primarily for use with the endless drive belt for vehicle accessories. The pulley is formed of a sheet metal body and has a multi-V-groove belt-receiving formation molded of plastic on an outer cylindrical wall portion of the metal body. The plastic belt-receiving formation has a series of inverted V-shaped projections forming outwardly opening V-shaped grooves located between adjacent pairs of the V-shaped projections and between a pair of outer, spaced belt-retaining annular projections also formed of plastic. The belt-retaining projections extend radially outwardly beyond the crests of the V-shaped groove-forming projections a predetermined distance and reduce sideways movement of the belt with respect to the intervening V-grooves. The outer surface of the cylindrical wall portion preferably is knurled to enhance the bonding of the plastic to the metal surface.

Abstract: Overlapped or folded bills in a paper money dispenser are detected by sensors that measure bill length and thickness. The sensors generate a first signal when bill thickness corresponds to the thickness of at least one standard bill and generate a second signal when bill thickness corresponds to at least twice standard bill thickness. A third signal is generated when bill thickness corresponds to at least three times standard bill thickness. The first and second signals, together with a fourth signal corresponding to the bill length, are supplied to a computer that identifies single or double bills as well as overlapped or folded bills and jammed bills. Bill count is incremented in response to identification of single or dispensable double bills. Overlapped bills, folded bills, double bills that cannot be dispensed, triple bills or suspicious bills are diverted to a storage canister.

Abstract: A simplified construction of a customer terminal for a single conveyor tube visual banking service pneumatic tube system to which a teller terminal also is connected. The customer terminal has a cylindrical carrier-receiving pocket extension connected to the system tube. The pocket is formed by two molded plastic members, one fixed in the terminal cabinet and one a door. The members are hinged together so that the door may be opened for carrier placement or removal through a fixed member opening which provides access to the pocket when the door is opened. The door is biased open and is closed manually which automatically locks the door closed and pressurizes the system to send a carrier from the terminal. A carrier delivered to the terminal during system vacuum operation automatically opens the door. The system airflow terminal connection provides an air brake effect to abruptly arrest carrier movement avoiding noise and shock.

Abstract: An enclosure construction for pneumatic tubes and power and control cables installed overhead for remote visual auto teller banking systems which is inexpensive and attractive and readily installed. The enclosure includes plastic half sections which are snap-engaged along laterally opposite longitudinal joints having weather seals therein. One of the plastic half sections is fixed internally to a semicircular clamping member which cooperates with a second clamping member. The clamping members are clamped to the pneumatic tube before one of the plastic enclosure members is assembled with the other.

Abstract: A retrieval mechanism for a divert-container-equipped ATM of typical construction to retrieve and protect paper money bills dispensed at a customer's request by the ATM and left at an accessible location at the ATM bill delivery station unpicked by the customer. The unpicked bills are sensed after a short time delay in unpicked status. The unpicked bills when sensed are automatically returned to the reversible conveyor of such typical divert-container-equipped ATM and transported by reversal of the conveyor to the divert container.

Abstract: The depositor device is an attachment for and is combined with known ATM-type depositories for banking deposits energized by customer identification bank credit cards which are used for verifying the customer's identity. The depositor prints on an adhesive label stuck after printing onto the deposit-containing envelope entered into the depository, information entered into the ATM control system by the customer concerning the amount of the deposit, the customer's checking and/or savings account numbers, the customer's personal identification number, the time and date of the deposit, etc. Such information is necessary or desirable for the rapid processing by the bank of the deposit transaction. The label is on a label supply carrying strip when printed, and is peeled from the carrying strip and stuck onto the deposit-containing envelope, which may contain coin, as the envelope moves through the depositor.

Abstract: The luminaire raising and lowering system includes a mast head in which a plurality of sets of pulleys are located. A carrier ring containing a number of lighting fixtures is suspended from the top head mast by a plurality of cables associated with respective ones of said sets of pulleys. Those cables are connected to a main winch cable through intermediate linkage means which compensate for differences in the length of said plurality of cables and enable the carrier effectively to "float". Means are also provided to monitor the tension on the main winch cable thereby preventing accidents due to undue slackness of the main winch cable or mispositioning of the same on the winch reel. Four cable and three cable systems are disclosed. Novel latching means are provided to take the load off of the suspension cables when the carrier is at the top of the pole in normal use.

Abstract: A device for tensioning the endless drive belt for vehicle accessories. A housing is mounted in a fixed position adjacent the drive belt. A shaft assembly is slidably mounted in an axial bore formed in the housing and includes a stub shaft portion extending outwardly from the housing through a slot formed in one of the housing walls. An idler pulley is rotatably mounted on the stub shaft and is moved into tensioning engagement with the drive belt by a compression coil spring which is adjustably mounted in the housing bore by a spring guide. The spring slidably moves the shaft assembly in a belt tensioning direction within the housing bore. Concavely curved surfaces are formed in certain areas of the shaft assembly within the housing. Roller means are interposed between and are biased by a spring into a wedging relationship with the curved shaft surfaces and adjacent housing walls.

Abstract: The mast has a housing arranged to be mounted on the roof of a vehicle such as an emergency vehicle at the usual location of a vehicle light bar, whether or not a light bar is associated with the mast housing. A seal unit is located at the lower end of each telescoping mast section engaging the next outer mast section. The seal unit leaves the lower end of all mast sections unobstructed so that a tubular passage is formed from end to end of the mast. A retractable power supply cable is located in the passage of supply power to the electrical appliance mounted on the top of the mast. There are electrical plug connectors at each end of the mast for releasable connection with the electrical fixture at the top and with the vehicle power supply at the bottom of the mast. The mast is mounted on an offset pivot which simplifies the pneumatic-actuating system which tilts and telescopes the mast, and also enables the mast to tilt by gravity from telescoped retracted vertical to stored horizontal position.

Abstract: A bumper construction for offshore oil rig structures in which an upright metal bumper pipe member of considerable length is encased or sheathed loosely with a tubular rubber enclosure rotatable on the pipe member. The tubular enclosure is formed by a series of rubber sleeves telescoped over and stacked on the upright pipe. Each sleeve has three integrally vulcanized layers of elastomeric materials which have physical properties different one from those of each other layer. The different elastomeric materials are present in predetermined percentages by weight. Each sleeve has a length substantially greater than its inner diameter and preferably more than two times its inner diameter. The sleeves have interfitting conical formations at adjacent ends when stacked.

Abstract: Heavy-duty railway transport equipment for carrying out banking services between a teller terminal inside a bank and a customer terminal at a remote drive-up station visible to the teller, which transport equipment can accommodate heavy and bulky banking material loads for commercial banking transactions. The transport system includes a track-traveling car-cradle-container assembly which moves as a unit along a track connected with the terminals. The terminals each have doors normally latched closed but automatically opened upon arrival of the assembly at the terminal. The terminal doors are latched closed when moved to closed position. The container is moved to differently oriented positions at the two terminals when the terminal doors are opened for convenient access by a teller of customer. The container has a multi-pivot mounting on the car to enable such different orientation, and has a large generally rectangular top opening for easy access.

Abstract: An energy-absorbing shock cell for mounting bumper devices on legs of offshore oil rig structures having inner and outer metal tubes connected by an intervening vulcanized rubber sleeve maintained under compression adhesively bonded to the inner and outer metal tubes. The shock cell is made by a series of operations in which portions of the metal tubes are coated with adhesive material, and the rubber sleeve is bonded to the adhesive coated areas by vulcanization and post-vulcanized heating.

Abstract: Protein is extracted from fresh or cured pork bones to produce an aqueous solution of about 4% to 7% protein, as well as a lard by-product and cooked bone fragments which may be ground and sold as bone meal. Bone fragments of the desired maximum dimension are combined with substantially equal parts of water and are heated to above the boiling point of water when papain proteolytic enzymes are added in controlled proportions. The aqueous bone-enzyme mixture is heated in the 135.degree. F. to 145.degree. F. range for two hours when salt is added in controlled proportions followed by heating the mixture at 145.degree. F. for one hour and then rapidly heating the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes to 195.degree. F., then heating at, but not above, 195.degree. F. for 1/2 hour followed immediately by chilling as rapidly as possible to 150.degree. F. The solids are separated from the liquids and the liquids centrifuged to separate the lard product and aqueous protein solution.