Abstract: Solar siding elements of very thin, high heat conductive sheet material are installed on the outer face of an exterior side wall of a building so as to form thereon a solar cover providing a plurality of passages between its inner face and the outer surface of the building wall. Air is caused to flow, by forced draft or convection, through the passages in intimate heat exchange contact with the interior surface of the solar cover, and thereby become heated. The air is constrained to enter the passages through an inlet manifold and to be discharged from the passages through an outlet manifold. For heating the building, the heated air from the outlet manifold may be discharged into the building, or into a heat sink for storing the solar generated heat, and increasing the air temperature before discharging the air into the building.

Abstract: The gauge is a flat metal block with a precisely finished planar bottom face by which it can be supported on the upper planar face of a conventional granite gauge block for lateral sliding therealong while retaining a fixed angular relation to the planar face of the block. The base has an open end V-slot with planar faces which extend at 90.degree. to the plane of the bottom face, from the bottom to the top of the base, and which diverge outwardly at 90.degree. to each other to, and open through, a side of the base, to provide positioning jaws. The base, while resting on the granite block, can be slid to cause these faces of the positioning jaws to engage the circumferential wall of an article of circular cross section while one end of the article rests on the face of the granite block.

Abstract: The anti-jackknife device is installable on a tractor-trailer combination in which the tractor and trailer are detachably connected by a fifth wheel assemblage without any modification in the fifth wheel assemblage. The device includes a stop lug mounted on the underside of the trailer in fixed lateral and endwise position relative thereto, but for movement upwardly and downwardly into and out of engagement, respectively, with a limit stop mounted in fixed position on the tractor. When the lug and stop are interengaged, they permit free relative rotation of the tractor and trailer about the turning axis of the fifth wheel within certain limits extending a few degrees in each direction beyond a median position wherein the tractor and trailer are aligned for straight line travel.

Abstract: The air hammer is of the type employing a body having a first portion with a central bore and a piston reciprocable in the bore by pressurized air under control of an automatic valve. The body has a second or muffler portion which embraces the first portion and is operative to muffle the noise created by exhaust air from the bore. The muffler portion is provided with pressurized air passage means through which the pressurized air must pass for causing operation of the piston. The passage means are so arranged that removal of the muffler portion from the body disrupts the supply of pressurized air to the piston and thereby renders the hammer inoperative. Headers are provided on the ends of the body and are drawn tightly against the ends of the muffler portion by tie bolts which extend through through-passages, respectively, in the muffler portion.

Abstract: A device having an elongated resilient body in the form of an open top trough with upwardly divergent side walls and open at the ends. One end of the body has integral lens gripping pads arranged one on each side wall. The pads are spaced from each other laterally of the body and are movable toward each other by flexure of the side walls. The pads are shaped so that, when they are engaged with a soft contact lens which is installed on the cornea of a human eye and then moved toward each other, they first flex the lens so that its posterior face disconforms to the cornea and air can enter therebeneath and release the adhesion of the lens to the cornea, and then support the lens by the device so that it can be removed from the eye by manipulation of the device. The opposite end of the body is arranged to support the lens in undistorted condition for insertion into the eye by manipulation of the device.

Abstract: A power driven valve stroke adjusting device, remotely controlled, is operable for adjusting the length of stroke of a spring returned poppet valve of a valve-in-head internal combustion engine in which the valve is driven by an associated valve operating rocker on the head, operated by a push rod which, in turn, is driven by a tappet which is lineally reciprocable axially and concurrently rotatable about its axis. The device is carried on the rocker and is operable to adjust the valve stroke for opening the valve by the rocker from starting position of the valve to a long-stroke open position or to a short-stroke open position, selectively. The adjustment is effected during engine operation and without any hindrance to tappet rotation and without any change in the timing relation between the tappet and its operating cam, all while maintaining a zero or fixed preselected clearance between the rod and the rocker and between the rod and the tappet in the starting position of the valve.

Abstract: A set of fittings for converting a conventional plastic bottle into a drip irrigation device, and the combination of said bottle with certain of the fittings installed thereon. The set includes a hand operable trepanning tool manipulatable from the exterior of the bottle for cutting a substantially circular hole in the side wall of the bottle near its bottom. The fittings include a discharge element and auxiliary attachment elements arranged and related to each other and to the size of the hole so that the discharge element can be installed on the bottle and secured to the bottle wall portion surrounding and adjacent the hole in sealed relation thereto. A flexible tube is connected to the discharge element for conducting liquid from the bottle to points of application. A flow regulator is provided on the tube for regulating the rate of discharge, and is capable of limiting the discharge to a number of preselected controlled drips, selectively.

Abstract: A radiant energy shade having a front panel of transparent sheet material pleated in parallel pleats, and a planar rear panel of radio-chromic sheet material which is normally transparent, but which darkens on exposure to the rays from the source of radiation. The shade is installed with the pleats partially open and, defining with the rear panel, triangular cross sections, preferably with the base side of each pleat extending at 90.degree. to the plane of the rear panel and with the other side oblique to the plane of the rear panel. The oblique sides are coated with opaque reflective material for their full length from the forwardmost edge part way toward the plane of the rear panel to provide show areas. The parallel base sides of the pleats and the remaining portions of the oblique sides are left clear. At higher levels of the source or sun, all of the direct rays are reflected forwardly by the coated show areas, while the shaded areas of the front panel and of the rear panel remain clear.

Abstract: A profiler employing an arm which rocks about a fixed axis and carries a stylus for following a profile to be indicated and recorded. During rocking of the arm from, and return to, a normal starting position, the arm is extended by a cam, and spring returned under the control of the cam, so that the surface engaging edge of the stylus follows a lineal path tangent to the arcuate path which the edge would follow were the arm of constant length. The point of tangency of the lineal path is at the position of the surface engaging edge in the normal starting position of the arm. This adapts the profiler for more accurate indications of profiles, especially in profiles in which departures from the mean are large. A second like arm and stylus are provided and arranged so that the stylus edge follows a lineal path coincident with the same tangent. As a result profiles of opposite faces of an article can be traced by the styli, respectively, simultaneously, at points aligned with each other lengthwise of the tangent.

Abstract: The air hammer is adapted to be connected to a source of pressurized air and has an exhaust passage means controlled by a settable exhaust valve. Reciprocation of the hammer is controlled by an automatic valve when the hammer is active. The exhaust passage means and exhaust valve are arranged so that in a first set position of the exhaust valve, it renders the hammer operative by the pressurized live air under the control of the automatic valve, and in a second set position of the exhaust valve, it renders the hammer inoperative by the pressurized live air. Further, in said second position of the exhaust valve, it admits live air from said source to the tool continuously in sufficient volume to blow out of a hole, in which the tool is operating, particulate matter theretofore produced in the hole by the tool. In the first position, the exhaust valve stops the flow of live blow-out air to the tool.

Abstract: The method converts a conventional four cycle internal combustion engine into a single acting reversible steam, or fluid pressure, operated engine by changing the timing cycle of the valves relative to the crankshaft and connecting the valve ports to a reversing valve for admitting live steam to the intake ports while connecting the exhaust ports to the atmosphere, and for reversing the connection, selectively.

Abstract: An elongated resilient cylindrical body of small diameter has at its forward end a contact lens holding suction cup. A small diameter axial duct extends entirely through the body. The duct is open at its forward end at the central portion of the cup and at its opposite end at the distal end of the body. The body has a tapered portion which is of progressively decreasing diameter from a location near the distal end of the body to the distal end. The distal end of the body thus presents rearwardly a relatively small annular contact sealing area surrounding the rear end of the duct.

Abstract: A power driven remote control device is operable from a location remote from the engine for adjusting the length of stroke of one or more valves of an internal combustion engine during engine operation and while maintaining the valving cycle substantially unchanged. The strokes of all of the valves of the engine can be adjusted equal or preselected amounts concurrently. The control is arranged so that it can be installed on a conventional engine to provide an operating combination therewith without substantial modification of the existing engine structure. In this combination, the control utilizes fluid pressure generated by the engine, such as the oil pressure from the engine oil pump, for changing the length of valve strokes while isolating the valves from any rocking that might otherwise be imposed by the valve driving cam or tappet.

Abstract: A newspaper holding receptacle is arranged to be disposed on the floor at or alongside the outside lower margin of a closed door of an apartment. The receptacle has a laterally disposed bracket so arranged that it can be attached to, and detached from, the lower end of the door readily while the door is open, but cannot be detached while the door is closed. The receptacle has a restricted entry opening through which a newspaper can be inserted easily while the receptacle is attached to the closed door, but cannot be withdrawn readily. The restriction of the entry passage is effected by an element which also functions for detachably connecting the bracket and receptacle in assembled relation.

Abstract: A hollow body has ball and socket connections at its opposite ends, respectively. Each ball has a bore therethrough with its inner end disposed in the body cavity. A flexible imperforate tube is connected at its opposite ends to the balls, respectively, in a manner such that liquids can pass, under positive or negative pressure, through the body cavity and balls without contact with the interior wall of the body cavity and the outer companion surfaces of the balls and their sockets. The tube is curvilinear endwise and the length thereof exposed in the cavity is greater than the distance between the inner ends of the bore of the balls so that it can self-adjust to different rocked positions of the balls relative to each other without substantial change in the cross section of its passage. The balls can be locked individually in various rocked positions.

Abstract: A panel of spaced, parallel, translucent, outer sheets of set plastic material with an inner sheet of corrugated sheet plastic disposed therebetween with the crests of the corrugations at the opposite faces of the corrugated sheet being engaged with, and secured in fixed relation to, adjacent outer sheets, respectively. Each corrugation has alternate show areas and shade areas. The show areas are coated with material which reflects light or impedes the passage of light therethrough. The shade areas are generally uncoated so that, relative to the show areas, their reflectivity is less and their light transmission is greater. The corrugations are so related to the outer sheets that, in the panel cross section, they define with the outer sheets right angle triangles with one side of each corrugation at a right angle to both outer sheets. The resultant panel is thus a truss structure, having high strength, desirable controlled light transmitting characteristics, and high heat insulating properties.

Abstract: A fuel line leading from a fuel supply tank of a self-propelled aircraft to the engine is equipped with a normally open fuel cut-off valve adjacent the tank and with a vent control valve adjacent the engine. The vent control valve is normally open for supplying fuel to the engine and normally closed with respect to a vent which discharges into the atmosphere. At one end of the fuel line, in advance of these two valves, in the normal direction of flow of fuel through the line, the fuel line is connected to a pressurized source of evacuating fluid, such as a drum of carbon dioxide. A normally closed evacuation control valve is interposed in the line at that end at a location adjacent the evacuating fluid source and in advance of the fuel cut-off valve.

Abstract: Plasticizable material is pressure molded into articles free from flash in mold cavities of specialized molds defined by separate mold sections with removable cores. Prior to and during molding, the sections are held clamped together to fully confine the material which is pressurized by reducing the volumetric capacity of each cavity. This pressurization is maintained until the material is set or cured, and may be increased before final set to forge or densify the material further. The method employs a conventional press and two gangs of specialized two-piece, multi-cavity molds. The molds of each gang are supported in a horizontal row, with their juxtaposed flat faces and parting planes disposed vertically, for movement of each mold section flatwise endwise of the row to open and closed positions. The mold sections are clamped closed by power means which apply extraneous clamping pressure independently of the press operation.

Abstract: A method of, and apparatus for, applying to the original set mortar adherent to the faces of a used brick components of force so directed as to remove the mortar from the faces. The forces are applied to the mortar on opposite side and edge faces of the brick concurrently so as to relieve the brick from bending stresses. These forces have components directed inwardly of the brick and also in directions along and across the faces of the brick for wedging, shearing, cracking, and abrading the mortar off the faces. The forces are applied as the brick is moved along a predetermined path, and are progressively increased as the brick advances, except at those surface areas at which the mortar to which the forces are applied has been removed or reduced in thickness. The freed mortar passes immediately from the site of application of the removal forces. The original faces of the bricks are not marred or scarred noticeably and the bricks are not chipped or broken, by the applied forces.

Abstract: A cutting tool having one portion including a cutting head and another portion including a stem, the portions being separately produced from the same or different metals, or nonmetals, ceramics and the like, and then connected together in coaxial relation by a slip, press, or shrink fit of a polygonal shank of uniform cross section throughout its length on either one of said portions into a complementary polygonal socket in the other portion. Novel means are provided for adjustment of the portions generally radially of the cutting axis to offset differences in concentricity due to manufacturing errors and to assure firm and precise coaxial relation of the assembled portions.