Abstract: An accessory for a chair having two or more front legs, for use in cooperation with at least one of the front legs of the chair and for providing a good platform for a person's foot or feet while sitting in the chair working on motor skills, the accessory comprising one or more board items comprising one or more board-like items, including planks, of various thicknesses having on or in each item at least one restraining device having one or more chair-leg contacting surfaces that will prevent a child, while sitting in the chair, from moving the board-like item out of its functional place with his feet. The chair accessory is used with a chair including a child's chair to provide a foot rest when the chair occupant's legs are too short to allow the occupant's feet to reach the floor to provide stability necessary to permit more advanced fine motor development.

Abstract: Disclosed is a chair accessory comprising one or more board-like items, including planks, of various thicknesses having on or in each item at least one restraining device having one or more chair-leg contacting surfaces that will prevent a child, while sitting in the chair, from moving the board-like item out of its functional place with his feet. The chair accessory is used with a chair including a child's chair to provide a foot rest when the chair occupant's legs are too short to allow the occupant's feet to reach the floor to provide stability necessary to permit more advanced fine motor development.

Abstract: A laminate comprising a tough, flexible, hard layer and a cushion layer for uses such as in making a compact, athletic equine boot that resists turning on the animal's hoof when the animal such as a horse is jumping, running and turning in water, mud, sand and sawdust comprising a bell portion having a cushiony layer on the interior of a relatively rigid or hard shell, an internal compressible protrusion, a fastener to secure the boot on the hoof, the hard shell being flexible and strong to resist blows from over-reaching rear hooves. The invention also includes a method of making the laminate comprising a layer of a tough, flexible, strong material and a cushiony layer.

Abstract: A laminate comprising a compressible, cushioning layer and an open layer comprised of a tough, reinforcing woven or non-woven mesh, net, webbing, scrim or sheet material having openings therein and attached to the compressible, air permeable, cushioning layer is particularly useful for producing horn wraps that permit ventilation for the parts of the horns and head in contact with a horn wrap product. Permeable or air ventilating laminates of various materials and configurations are disclosed along with methods of making horn wraps using the laminates.

Abstract: A small, four wheeled, stable utility vehicle (S4WSUV) for hauling and dumping material, articles or containers and especially adapted to operate in tight areas is disclosed. The S4WSUV has two widely spaced free turning swivel wheels and two widely spaced, independently driven rear wheels, a pivoting platform connected to a lifting mechanism for pivoting the platform to dump the material, etc. to a side of the S4WSUV. An engine drives a power source that can be a hydrostatic system, an electrical system or a mechanical system for motors driving the rear wheels. Optional features include a cantilever mounted seat assembly, foot and/or hand controls for steering, container mounts on the platform or a platform frame for securing one or more containers of various types and sizes and attachments for attaching one or more pieces of equipment for functions other than hauling and dumping.

Abstract: An electrically powered animal prod, particularly for use in motivating larger animals to move in the desired direction, having a flexible shaft is disclosed. The animal prod can also be powered with rechargeable batteries located in the handle and can be recharged without removing the batteries from the handle. The flexible shaft provides for better, more definite contact, longer contact and a more durable animal prod.

Abstract: A compact, athletic equine boot that resists turning on the animal's hoof when the animal such as a horse is jumping, running and turning in water, mud, sand and sawdust comprising a bell portion having a cushiony layer on the interior of a relatively rigid or hard shell, an internal compressible protrusion, a fastener to secure the boot on the hoof, the hard shell being flexible and strong to resist blows from over-reaching rear hooves. The invention also includes a laminate comprising a layer of a tough, flexible, strong material, a cushiony layer and a fastener for attaching one end of the laminate to another end of the same or different laminate. Also disclosed is a method of making.

Abstract: Horn wraps for protecting the horns and head parts of animals, like cattle, from lariats are disclosed comprising a laminate having an air permeable compressible layer attached to a normally open fabric or scrim material. The laminate permits ventilation for the parts of the horns and head in contact with the horn wrap product. Permeable or air ventilating laminates of various materials and configurations are also disclosed along with methods of making the laminates and horn wraps.

Abstract: Adjustable Dee ring embodiments are disclosed that allow the saddle and/or the billet or Latigo to be located in an optimum position on the horse. The adjustable Dee ring is light weight and a billet or Latigo can be easily and quickly adjusted laterally within a frame of the Dee ring by moving a billet holder or Latigo holder generally vertically a very small distance to unlock it for lateral movement, then moving it laterally and lowering it into the desired position to engage one or more locking features on the frame. Methods of using the adjustable Dee ring and of making a saddle comprising the adjustable Dee ring are also disclosed.

Abstract: A tailgate or side-gate for a vehicle, including a pickup truck, is disclosed that, when lowered, forms at least one step that is lower than the bed or floor of the vehicle. A more preferred embodiment forms at least two steps at different levels so that one may easily walk into the box with both arms full. When raised the exterior of the tailgate can have an appearance like the exterior of an original equipment tailgate. A mechanism for automatically lowering and raising the tailgate or side-gate is also disclosed along with several other functional options.

Abstract: A horse boot that resists turning on the horse's hoof when the horse is jumping, running and turning in water, mud, sand and sawdust comprises a bell portion having an internal protrusion, a cuff extending above the top of the bell portion sufficient to reach or almost reach the fetlock of the horse and a fastener for securing the boot onto the horses hoof is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method of making the boot.

Abstract: A novel and superior lariat and lariat rope body for calf and steer roping having a core of monofilaments in the center around which three or more strands of twisted monofilament yarns are wound tightly to form the rope. A novel method of making lariat rope bodies and apparatus used are also disclosed. The rope body has a core in at least about 68 percent of the length of the rope body beginning with the honda end.

Abstract: A method of making a fiber glass mat especially useful for bonding to wood contains glass fibers and a “B” staged resin is disclosed. A substantial portion of the resin binder can be a furfuryl alcohol formaldehyde, phenol formaldehyde, melamine formaldehyde, or any other resin that can be “B” staged. Also, a method of making wood and wood product laminates using this new mat without any other adhesives, and the resultant laminates are disclosed.

Abstract: A chopper for chopping fibers or fiber strands having a back up roll and a blade roll containing blades that work against a peripheral surface of the back up roll and a method of using is disclosed. The chopper has a number of improved features for reducing the frequency of long fibers or long fiber strands and fuzz from getting into the chopped product. The chopper can have one or any combination of the improvements. The improvements include a strand guide located at least two feet up stream of the chopper, a first starting roll for starting a new strand that runs on a fluid bearing that can be adjusted to control the RPM of the first starting roll, a mount for a roll that runs against the peripheral surface of said back up roll, a strand guide insert for reducing fuzz generation and for preventing fuzz from getting into the product, and a deflector plate for catching and deflecting chopped strands thrown off the back up roll into a chopped strand product chute.

Abstract: An apparatus for receiving and automatically moving a moving strand of fibers from a starting position to any one of a plurality of predetermined positions in a multi-grooved separator roll is disclosed. This apparatus is particularly in processes of making continuous fiber products from molten material and replaces a manual operation that presented safety problems.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for separating or chopping long fibers or the like are improved by maintaining the temperature of one or more temperature sensitive components of the chopping apparatus with cooling means to maintain one or more desired characteristic of the material within a desired range. The invention increases the effectiveness of a chopper.

Abstract: A precious metal bushing used for fiberizing molten glass through nozzles protruding from the lower surface of an orifice plate in the bottom of the bushing requires a substantially reduced investment in precious metal by having very short sidewalls and endwalls such that the distance from the bottom surface of a flange at the top of the bushing to the top surface of the orifice plate is more than about 0.2 inch, but less than about 0.65 inch and preferably less than about 0.5 inch.

Abstract: The invention includes fibrous nonwoven multiple layer mats having at least two layers with a body portion layer and a surface portion layer having fine fibers and/or particles therein, both layers being bonded together and to each other with a same resin binder. Preferably most or essentially all of the particles and/or fibers in the surface layer are larger than openings between the fibers in the body portion of the mat. The mats produced according to this invention are useful as a facer for all types of boards such as wood boards, wood product boards, insulating boards and hard boards of all types, and also as reinforcement and dimensional stabilizers for making a large number of novel laminate products and for a myriad of other uses. These mats are made on a wet laid nonwoven mat machine with a modification to the binder preparation system, an inventive step in the preparation of the binder and in the selection of ingredients for a binder slurry.

Abstract: A universal transparency adapter for use on flat bed image scanners. The transparency adapter, which is placed on the image window of an image scanner, utilizes circumferential back lighting to uniformly project through and illuminate the desired transparent image to be scanned. A circular or other perimeter surrounding light source provides lighting to the transparency original in an economical and simple manner. The inventive light source can also be integrated with a conventional scanner by using the inventive light source as a lid for the conventional scanner.

Abstract: A portable stool useful for hunting, spectator events, and other uses which can be supported by any generally vertical surface such as a tree, wall, post, etc. and the ground is disclosed. The stool can be easily and quickly converted from a use mode into a compact mode for easy carrying and storage and back to a use mode. The preferred stool has a primary support member, a secondary support member, preferably pivotly attached to said primary support member, having a fork on one end, and a seat. The seat can be padded and preferably locks onto either the primary support member or the secondary support member, or both, in the compact mode. The primary support member can also have projections for attaching to a rope or cable making the stool also useful as a handle to pull or drag a heavy object such as large game.