Abstract: A two-part housing assembly for a cluster mill. The housing assembly has substantially the same size, form and structure as a monobloc housing, but is divided along a horizontal plane located at or close to its horizontal center line into upper and lower mill housings each provided with a roll cavity and a roll cluster therein. The gap between the work rolls of the roll clusters is adjusted by symmetrical equal and opposite movement of the upper and lower mill housings achieved by four identical screws, one located in each corner of the mill housing assembly. Each screw has two threaded portions of opposite hand, one threaded portion engaging a threaded nut of opposite hand non-rotatively mounted in a recess in the upper mill housing and the other threaded screw portion engaging a threaded nut of appropriate hand non-rotatively mounted in a recess in the lower mill housing. Each screw supports the upper and lower mill housings.

Abstract: An auger conveyor assembly for heating and feeding polymer coated powder from a powder supply assembly to a shuttle assembly for ultimate delivery to the die cavity of a compacting press. The auger conveyor has an auger tube having near its rearward end an inlet connected to the powder supply assembly and near its forward end an outlet for delivery of heated polymer coated powder to the shuttle assembly. A hollow tubular auger with flights on its exterior surface is rotatably mounted in the auger tube and is rotatable therein by a motor and gear assembly to advance the polymer coated powder. For the majority of its length the auger tube is surrounded by ceramic band heaters. An air heater is mounted on a manifold at the driven end of the auger. An air tube connected to the manifold extends through the length of the auger. The tube has perforations at the discharge end of the auger.

Abstract: A router machine for making repetitive router cuts at predetermined positions on one or two workpieces. The router machine has a free standing main frame with an open work horizontal platform for supporting said one or two workpieces. The platform has a longitudinal front edge with a fence therealong. Clamping mechanisms for clamping the one or two workpieces at the predetermined positions. A workpiece feed mechanism for advancing the one or two workpieces to each of the predetermine positions. A pair of routers are provided having vertically oriented, opposed, coaxial bits. A movable support assembly supports the routers. The routers are shiftable vertically on the support assembly toward each other to an extended cutting position and away from each other to a retracted non-cutting position.

Abstract: A backpack vacuum cleaner comprising a housing with a compartment for a filter bag, a connection branch for a suction hose, a hip strap to be applied around the hips of the bearer and a pair of shoulder straps. In order to only limit as little as possible the freedom of movement of the bearer with respect to the upper part of his body and arms when using the vacuum cleaner, and at the same time to provide a vacuum cleaner with a comparatively big filter bag and a subsequent big cleaning capacity, the housing is divided in two, the two parts being connected with a flexible connection allowing a tilting movement between the two parts, the hip strap being fastened to the lower part and the shoulder straps being mutually interconnected with an equalizing device for equalizing differences in tension between the two straps.

Abstract: In a foldable playyard an improved floor assembly avoids the accidental folding of the playyard with the child in the playyard. A fabric floor assembly comprising three separate panels, two of which are fully secured peripherally to the frame assembly for a sturdier bottom/floor is disclosed. Also the two bottom layers are purposely separated from each other so as to create an air-gap therebetween to serve as a natural "shock-absorber" for a child jumping up and down in the playyard. One layer of the double layer fabric floor assembly is connected to all the vertical panels and the second layer is attached to the lower horizontal supports.

Abstract: An absorbent, microporous foam comprising a crosslinked polymer having interconnected fluid cells distributed throughout its mass, wherein the fluid cells have a diameter of between about 0.1 and about 100 .mu.m, and wherein the foam can rapidly absorb at least about twice its dry weight in fluid, is disclosed.A method for producing a microporous, absorbent foam is also disclosed. This method comprises the steps of:(a) mixing a cross-linkable polymer and a first solvent to form a stable solution, wherein the stable solution can be induced to phase separate;(b) inducing the stable solution to phase separate into a polymer-concentrated phase and a polymer-dilute phase after a predetermined period of time;(c) inducing crosslinking of said polymer, so that the polymer will crosslink in said concentrated phase for a predetermined period of time during phase separation to thereby form a microporous material; and(d) drying the microporous material to produce the absorbent foam.

Abstract: A method for removing a surface coating by impinging an area of impingement of the surface coating with photon energy while simultaneously impinging the area of impingement with a cryogenic particle blast flow.

Abstract: An elliptical skin biopsy punch includes a blade which creates an elliptical incision in the skin of a patient, in which the blade's profile is circular, thereby allowing the biopsy punch to be rocked back and forth during the surgical procedure. Integral depth guards are provided which prevent the blade from penetrating too deeply into the skin membrane, and which help to inform the physician when the incision has been completed. An aperture or window is provided so the physician can directly view the skin lesion while positioning the biopsy punch before the start of the incision. The upper portion of the biopsy punch has alignment marks to help in correctly positioning the biopsy punch around the skin lesion. Several different sizes of elliptical skin biopsy punch can be made so that the proper incision will be used for any particular skin lesion's size. Several different handle shapes are available for various sized lesions and various types of physician's hands.

Abstract: A laser light fire evacuation system, and a method for its use, is provided including a source of laser light in the visible spectrum which is directed into multiple vertical columns of light extending from the ceiling to the floor of a hallway or corridor, in which the multiple columns are sequenced from left-to-right or from right-to-left during a fire to appropriately direct persons to the nearest safe exit. Each column of laser light is nearly invisible when the smoke density in the air is at a low level, however, as the smoke density increases, the laser light beam will increase in perceived intensity and consistency. In one embodiment, the laser light source is directed toward a rotating mirror which redirects the light into a rotating beacon as the mirror rotates. Several fiber optic cables are located around the periphery of the rotating mirror and intercept the light beam, thereby having laser light directed down each of the fiber optic cables, in sequence.

Abstract: An electronic keyboard musical instrument is provided having optical emitters and detectors both positioned beneath each of the instrument's keys, whereby optical energy is emitted upon the bottom reflective surface of the key and the reflected light is detected. The distance between the optoelectronic sensor and the bottom of the key is detected by the light detector which produces an analog output signal and, by measuring the time between a first and second threshold crossing, the key's velocity can be determined. The two thresholds are preferably chosen to measure a rising voltage as the key is depressed, and the threshold values are preferably chosen at 50% of key travel and 75% of key travel. By use of these thresholds, a relatively clean and useful waveform is available at both threshold crossings, particularly since the mechanical movement of the key has nearly reached its terminal velocity.

Abstract: A method for suppressing boron penetration in a PMOS with a nitridized polysilicon gate includes steps of 1) growing a layer of gate oxide on a substrate, 2) forming at least one first polysilicon layer on the gate oxide layer, 3) nitridizing the first polysilicon layer, 4) forming a second polysilicon layer on the first polysilicon layer; and 5) implanting B-containing ions into the first and second polysilicon layers for constructing a PMOS structure wherein the nitridizing step suppresses a boron ion from penetration into the substrate. The present invention is characterized in nitridation on a polysilicon gate instead of a gate oxide which can effectively suppress boron penetration, avoid drawbacks resulting from nitridizing a gate oxide, and moreover, improve the reliability of the device owing to the slight nitridation effect in the polysilicon gate and the gate oxide.

Abstract: A firearm monitoring device has first means which generate a first signal in response to each recoil of the firearm and second means which receive the first signal and generate a signal which is indicative of the number of first signals received by the second means. More particularly, the firearm monitoring device has an inertia switch, which is mounted to the firearm, which generates a signal in response to recoil of the firearm. The signal is counted by a microcontroller which generates an output signal for delivery to a display or data collection device. The output signal can indicate the number of rounds left to be discharged, based on an initial number preset by the user, and can indicate the total number of rounds discharged by the firearm during its life. Additional controls are provided which allow the user to temporarily decrease the beginning number for the countdown.

Abstract: Inserts mountable on the top surface of the treads of escalator steps and walkway segments enabling adjustment of the gap between the ends of the tread and the adjacent balustrade skirts. The top surface of each tread is provided with evenly spaced ribs defining grooves therebetween and extending from the front edge to the rear edge of the tread. At its sides, the tread top surface has recessed planar unribbed surfaces extending from the front edge to the rear edge of the tread. A pair of plastic inserts is provided for each tread. The inserts are mirror images of each other and have ribs extending from their forward edges to their rearward edges, and having the same spacing as the tread ribs. The inserts are mountable on the recessed planar surfaces of the tread and extend from the forward edge to the rearward edge thereof. The outer edge of each insert has a downwardly depending flange covering the adjacent side edge of the tread.

Abstract: An improved electrostatic precipitator system is provided for use in high-grease atmospheres in which the grease is electrically conductive. The precipitator includes high-voltage insulators that are both located in areas unlikely to accumulate electrically-conductive grease and that, in themselves, can operate in a high-voltage system without tracking, even when a certain amount of conductive grease has accumulated on the insulators' surfaces. In a multi-cell precipitator system, a high-voltage insulator is provided as part of a cell-to-cell assembly that receives high-voltage electricity on one side of its insulator, and conducts that electricity to its opposite side, and is placed in a specially-shaped cut-out in the bulkhead between the cell chambers, in which the cut-out is shaped so as to minimize the amount of grease that may accumulate upon the cell-to-cell assembly's insulators.

Abstract: A container system for the shipping and storing of product such as bananas, comprising: (a) a substantially rigid outer container having at least one ventilation opening; (b) a closable inner container positioned within the outer container receiving the product, the inner container having a bottom portion and a top portion; and (c) means attached to the top portion of the inner container for opening the inner container so as to provide increased ventilation to the product. The inner container preferably comprises a flexible bag having a sealed bottom as its bottom portion, an open top adjacent the top portion, and a perforation extending about at least a portion of the bag, so that the opening means opens the bag by severing the bag at the perforation. The opening means may comprise a cord attached to the top portion of the bag. A method of packing, shipping and storing product utilizing this container is provided.

Abstract: Described are 2H-1-benzopyran-2-ones (coumarin derivates) of general formula (I), ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is a hydroxyl group, a lower-alkoxy group, a cycloalkoxy group with 4 to 6 C-atoms or the alkyl- or arylsulphonyloxy group R.sup.6 --SO.sub.2 O--;R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, independently of each other, are hydrogen atoms, hydroxyl groups, lower-alkoxy groups or cycloalkoxy groups with 4 to 6 C-atoms;R.sup.4 is a hydrogen atom, a lower-alkyl group with 1 to 4 C-atoms or a phenyl group;Y is a nitrogen atom, a CH group or a COH group;R.sup.5 is a phenyl, naphtyl, pyridinyl or pyrimidinyl group which may optionally be substituted by one or two C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 alkyl groups, by one or two halogen atoms, by a halogen and C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 alkyl together, by perfluoroalkyl with 1 to 3 C-atoms, by C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 alkoxy, by hydroxy, by methylenedioxy or by nitro;R.sup.6 is a lower-alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group with 4 to 6 C-atoms or a phenyl group which may optionally be substituted by one or two C.sub.1 -C.sub.

Abstract: A coil spring assembly is disclosed for use with motor vehicle suspension systems in which a portion of the wire coils of the coil spring is covered by a flexible hose or tube. Coil springs which could use such hoses include those having a tapered wire diameter wherein one end of the coil spring's wire has a smaller diameter than at other portions of its length. The flexible hose is made of a material which has sufficient resiliency to first be stretched as it is installed onto the wire of the coil spring, and then will naturally return back to near its original non-stressed diameter to tightly fit around the diameter of the wire at both ends of the hose. The resulting tight fit retains lubricant and anti-corrosive compounds inside the hose, and keeps moisture and dirt from entering the interior of the hose.

Abstract: Soap bars which both clean and moisturize the skin are disclosed. The soap bars contain, in addition to conventional bar soap components, a mixture of petrolatum and a specifically defined emollient, preferably an hydroxylated milk glyceride.