Abstract: A travel bag is formed from a rectangular, pliable fabric container to which is attached a carrying and suspension system including a single handle connected to a support plate adjacent the upper wall of the container. When the bag is lifted by its handle, a significant portion of the lifting force is transmitted to horizontally extending straps, sewn along their lengths to the sidewalls of the container, via vertically extending straps bearing on the support plate and anchored to the horizontal straps. The carrying and suspension system thus distributes lifting stress across the widths of the container sidewalls, thereby eliminating localized, vertical stress areas along the sidewalls. The side and end walls of the container are nonreinforced and the vertical straps may be adjusted to vertically and horizontally compress the container against objects therein to restrain them from shifting within the container when it is only partially loaded.

Abstract: This invention provides an orthodontic appliance of generally U-shaped configuration conforming to the natural arch of the patient, having a flexible outer portion adapted to overlie portions of the facial surfaces on the teeth of a row of teeth, an inner portion of greater rigidity than the outer portion for engaging portions of the lingual surfaces of a row of teeth and overlying the gingiva, and interconnecting portions at the ends of the appliance that fit around the posterior teeth of a row of teeth, with the crowns of the teeth extending upwardly through the opening and unobstructed by the appliance. The surfaces of the inner and outer portions are made to accomplish various tooth movements or tooth retention as desired by appropriately engaging the surfaces of the teeth. Greater degrees of movement may be accomplished by splitting the inner and outer portions and providing resilient members that urge the split segments of the outer portion together and the split segments of the inner portion apart.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed whereby both the inlet and exhaust plenums may be very "wide" (long), yet low in profile, economical to construct, and have very small tendencies to collect or be plugged with grease, while still achieving the important requisite of substantially uniform flow across the entire "width" (length) of the apparatus. One set of baffle or constrictor means is provided in the inlet plenum at regions between the inlet duct and the "sides" (ends) of such plenum. Another baffle or constrictor means is provided in the extended exhaust plenum, at regions between the exhaust duct and the central region of the grease-filter means. The respective baffle or constrictor means are relatively adjacent the ducts. The baffle or constrictor means are preferably fixed or adjustable baffles, or indentations (dimples) in the walls of the plenums. In one embodiment, an air-blocking plate is provided at the air-inlet throat on each "side" of the apparatus.

Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the locking apparatus for maintaining in closed condition the two halves of the casing sections of a high pressure leak-testing apparatus for pipe joints comprises a plurality of bifurcated links. The locking apparatus further comprises a substantial number of hooks having end portions pivotally connected to the bifurcated links, the connections being at relatively thin hook portions which nest with the links. With the described construction by which a bifurcated or yoke-shaped end of one element is nested relative to a relatively thin portion of another element, it is possible to achieve extremely strong locking of the casing sections in closed condition despite the great pressure contained within the tester.In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the packer of the leak-testing apparatus comprises a hollow cylindrical mass of rubber which is split, and has insert elements molded therein.

Abstract: A method is described for the controlled removal of anodized oxide layers from the surfaces of aluminum and aluminum alloys, without destruction of the metal. The preferred method uses an aqueous solution of oxalic acid and nitric acid as an oxide stripping bath.

Abstract: A casing hammer for driving casing while drilling a water well comprises a housing having an annular pneumatic chamber with a relatively lightweight, short-stroke annular piston. The piston is reciprocably driven at a high rate to provide a large number of light blows of controllable energy upon an annular anvil that seals one end of the chamber. Percussive blows upon the anvil are transmitted through a drive head and adapter to the upper end of the pipe to be driven. The hammer is suspended from a rotary drive head that operates a hollow drill string extending downwardly through the hammer and through the casing driven thereby.

Abstract: Material is drawn from a roll of flat stock, passed through a pipe forming machine, and welded to provide a continuous length of pipe which is stored in a variable size loop. Pipe is withdrawn from the loop by means of a series of pipe straightening and feeding rollers which feeds the pipe to a bending machine. The bending machine is suspended from an overhead platform for rotation about a vertical axis and carries a shearing cutter so that multi-bend pipe sections, such as automobile exhaust pipes, may be bent, severed and dropped onto a conveyor for inspection and disposition while the pipe is being continuously formed from the flat stock. Distance between bends and plane of bend are respectively controlled by the pipe feeder and the bend machine rotation. Differences between forming and bending rates are compensated by varying the amount of pipe in the storage loop.

Abstract: The present apparatus and method make it extremely easy for a worker, even when located in a manhole or on a telephone pole, to rapidly achieve a perfect break in an optical fiber and at a precisely predetermined position relative to a connector means. The breaking is the same, regardless of the upright, inverted or inclined position of the tool. Only a single motion of the blade is required at any desired speed, and there is no necessity for the blade to contact the fiber at a pressure within certain limits. These and other major results are obtained by clamping an optical connector element to the optical fiber before breaking is effected, and then removably securing the connector element to the breaker at a precisely known position which is correlated to the location of the scoring blade and to the characteristics of the connector.

Abstract: This invention provides a sealed fastener that includes a housing and a nut assembly, the housing having a base and a receptacle extending beyond the base on one side, an annular seal being positioned on the opposite side of the base and engaged by a flange of the receptacle which holds the receptacle to the base. The nut assembly includes a threaded member within the receptacle and a sleeve extending through an opening into the base and beyond the opposite side of the base. The sleeve is bendable outwardly to form a flange to cooperate with the base in holding the fastener to a workpiece, the seal including a bead which will engage such a workpiece and prevent leakage when the flange on the sleeve is so formed.

Abstract: A modular lightweight structural panel is made of a lightweight expanded plastic filler reinforced by wire lattice structures. A number of long, narrow filler elements are interleaved with a number of substantially flat lattice structures to form a laminated panel subassembly with corresponding surfaces of the filler elements collectively forming substantially planar surfaces of the panel core. The subassembly is laterally compressed, in a direction perpendicular to the planes of laminations, to thereby force each of the lattice structures to be pressed into and partially embedded in mutually contiguous surfaces of adjacent ones of the filler elements.

Abstract: The present method and apparatus are believed to be the first to achieve, at least in a practical manner susceptible of widespread use on large numbers of joints, both proper engagement and proper makeup torque between tapered threaded members such as sections of pipe in an oil well or pipeline. In accordance with one embodiment, presently preferred, gage means are employed to determine the actual hand tight plane of each tapered threaded member, and a mark is made on each such member in predetermined relationship to the hand tight plane. Such marks are then employed for field inspection of joints which have been made up to a predetermined, measured, desired makeup torque. In accordance with another embodiment, the members (for example, casing and tubing sections and collars) are made up until the marks on the collar and the pipe are at a predetermined axial distance from each other at a predetermined makeup torque or predetermined desired range of makeup torques.

Abstract: A lower portion of water well casing in the ground is perforated by means of a toothed wheel journalled on the end of an arm pivotally carried by an elongated perforator body. The perforator body carries an air driven piston and actuator link connected to pivot the arm and wheel downwardly from an upward retracted position to a lower start position in which a point of one tooth and a flat end of an adjacent tooth contact the interior of the casing. In this start position the axis of rotation of the wheel is in an over-center position, below a line between the arm pivot axis and the point of the upper one of the two teeth that contact the casing surface. In this over-center start position, the perforator body is pulled upwardly so that the wheel teeth are pressed outwardly against the casing surface with great force by the over-center arrangement which urges the wheel axis closer to the casing.

Abstract: For tensioning a drum head, a counter hoop bearing on the rim of the drum head is formed to define an annular channel between itself and the drum shell over which the drum head is stretched. Co-operating camming means extend into this annular channel from the inner surface of the counter hoop and from the outer surface of the drum shell, respectively, so that upon rotation of the counter hoop about the axis of the drum, the counter hoop is simultaneously moved parallel to that axis to alter the tension in the drum head.