Abstract: An electrical wiring device, which may be an incandescent lamp socket, receptacle, switch, pilot light or any other wiring device intended for mounting in an opening of a metal sheet, has a mounting means of the snap-in spring type, including divergent spring arms formed with sheet engaging elements on their free ends, that have serrations adapted to engage opposed corners of the mounting opening formed in the metal sheet or plate in which the wiring device is to be supported. The serrations differ from conventional types used in springs of this type in that the portion of the spring arm in which the serrations are formed has a centrally depressed area which offsets inwardly, from the general plane of the teeth, all but the side edge portions of the portion of the spring arm in which the serrations are formed.

Abstract: A defrost control scans, in a predetermined sequence, the several evaporators of a refrigeration system of the type that is installed in a supermarket and that typically comprises a series of refrigerated food display cases in which the evaporators are mounted. Individual to each evaporator is a defrosting means and a sensing device that operates to put the defrosting means in a standby, ready-to-operate condition whenever it senses that the evaporator is in need of defrost. When the control means reaches, in the scanning sense, an evaporator whose defrosting means has been placed in a ready-to-operate condition, it acts to initiate actual operation of the defrosting means associated with that evaporator. In these circumstances, the scanning of evaporators that follow in the predetermined sequence is temporarily arrested. This assures against overloading of the defrosting means, which may typically be of the "hot gas" type, and hence particularly sensitive to overloading.

Abstract: An interlocking billiard cue bridge head adapted to be fixedly mounted to a standard billiard cue bridge stick and including an interlocking capacity provided by a tab assembly integral to the bridge head which can conveniently interlock with the head of another similarly configured pool bridge to thereby effectively create a bridge capable of supporting a cue stick at selectively variable heights which can be greater than the height at which either bridge head is capable individually.

Abstract: One piece metal insert adapted to be embedded in a cavity in a work piece embodies a sleeve portion and a nut portion joined together by a frangible connection. The sleeve portion has an internal diameter which is less than a zone of maximum diameter on the nut portion and is adapted to be moved into a telescoping position about the nut portion so as to be expanded by the nut portion and forced into firm engagement with the side walls of the cavity in the work piece. The sleeve portion has splines on the exterior thereof which are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the insert so that when they are embedded in the side walls of the cavity they will establish a positive connection with the work piece and resist axial movement of the sleeve portion with respect to the work piece.

Abstract: A decorative wreath having, in its finished form, a circular shape and composed of an annular core means enclosed and concealed by a sheath of decorative material, either natural or artificial. The core means is of sectional form, comprising a series of like sections each of which includes a core element of bendable wire material extending axially of, and secured to, the decorative sheath or covering. The core element has mating or complementary male and female connectors at its respective, opposite ends. The connectors comprise an undulant crimp on one end of each core element, terminating in a laterally projecting locking finger, extendable into a sleeve secured to the other end of an adjacent core element. This sleeve is formed with a side opening receiving the finger, which is placed under spring tension responsive to insertion of undulant, crimped part into the sleeve.

Abstract: An adapter for use attached to a chain saw for trimming hedges and cutting brush which includes a mounting member adapted to be fixedly secured to a chain saw guide or blade by mounting in the normally available bolt holes at the forward and rearward sections of the guide, the adapter further including a plurality of dividers forming a plurality of dividing channels therebetween in which the individual sticks or hedge members are gathered and compressed for cutting, the dividing channels being formed by dividing surfaces on the adjacent sides of said dividers to facilitate grouping of the hedges, the dividers further including a gathering surface positioned adjacent a stopping surface which is formed by the mounting member such that the gathering surface and the stopping surface are at an acute angle with respect to one another of preferably less than 90.degree.

Abstract: Equipment for use in washing articles such as egg trays and the like wherein the articles after being washed are moved by a conveyor to a drying zone for being picked up by a rotatable carriage by which they are lifted into a hood and rotated at high speed to discharge water or other washing liquid therefrom. The movement of the conveyor and the rotation of the carriage are coordinated to start and stop the rotation of the carriage so as to dry one article after another as it is advanced to the drying zone and onto the carriage by the conveyor. The rotatable carriage includes a system for orientation of the trays or the like for discharge to the conveyor and a brake assembly for quickly decreasing the rotational velocity of the carriage.

Abstract: A case for carrying ice skates in the form of a carrying container of rectangular box-like configuration having side end and bottom walls and a lid. The bottom wall of the interior of the container is provided with a pair of spaced apart rails which extend along the length of the bottom wall thereof. The space between the rails is adapted to freely receive the blade of an ice skate when the sole of the skate boot is supported on the rails. The height of the rails such that the skate blade is wholly out of contact with the bottom wall. At least one of the end walls is provided with an exterior groove which extends from the bottom wall to the lid of the container. The groove is of a width and depth for receiving and disposing the blade of an ice skate within and wholly out of contact with the side and bottom of the groove when the sole of the skate boot is supported on the end wall, thereby aiding a skater in putting on and/or taking off his ice skates.

Abstract: A patio pool having an outer wall fixedly mounted on ground level undisturbed earth and an inner wall fixedly mounted to undisturbed earth on the bottom of an excavation, the inner wall extending upward from the excavation to a height such that the top edge thereof is at the same level as the top edge of the outer wall thereby providing a pool whose total depth is partly a result of the excavation depth and partly due to the wall portion extending above ground level, the pool has struts fixedly secured to the inner wall for stabilizing the total wall structure, and a filler material positioned within the space between the inner and outer wall and below a plurality of deck slats connecting the top edges of the inner and outer walls for stabilizing the wall construction.

Abstract: An improved coiled spring conveyor particularly usable in an egg handling system for movement through stations which include both operations of candling and washing which comprises a plurality of coiled springs positioned about parallel rods which extend transversely to the direction of movement of the conveyor and eggs, the coiled springs being generally cylindrical including a first spring section of narrow diameter for firmly gripping the parallel rods and including a second spring section being slightly concave with respect to the transverse cross-section thereof to cooperate with adjacent similarly configured second spring sections to define a plurality of egg receiving recesses therebetween, the first spring sections and second spring sections being alternately positioned along each coiled spring to define a plurality of rows of egg receiving recesses extending parallel to the direction of egg movement on the conveyor, the respective second spring sections including a generally centrally located opaque

Abstract: Disclosed is a platform in which is centrally disposed a turntable designed to facilitate off-rink practice in the execution of spins. The turntable is provided with a pair of identical but opposite skate support blocks, adapted to support a skate boot and transversely spaced to define between them a blade-receiving slot or groove.

Abstract: This invention discloses an accumulation conveyor of the powered roller type, having a power-driven belt passing through a plurality of independent operating zones arranged in tandem along the length of the conveyor. The belt is held in contact with the driven rollers by resiliently-biased pressure rollers, the pressure rollers exerting at least sufficient pressure to maintain the belt in contact with the driven rollers. In each zone, additional pressure is applied to the pressure rollers to increase or decrease the pressure of the belt against the driven rollers. This pressure is applied by spring-biased roller cams actuated by linkages responsive to load-sensing means in a downstream zone and whereby the kinetic energy generated by the moving load is used to actuate the cams.

Abstract: A ski-sled attachment device for use secured to the bottom of the runners of a conventional snow sled which includes a base member of a configuration similar to a conventional snow ski which is generally flat and extends longitudinally to be adapted to be detachably secured to a sled runner to provide a wide surface to facilitate sledding in soft snow, the base member including a forward section which may include laterally extending channels in the upper surface thereof to aid in upward flexing to facilitate conforming of the base member to the upwardly curved contour of a conventional sled runner, the device including a plurality of locking means positioned along the upper surface of the base member to detachably secure the base member to the sled runner, each locking means being formed by a pair of tab members extending upwardly from the upper surface of the base member to define therebetween a guide means to receive the sled runner, the tab members including a laterally defined aperture therethrough, the d

Abstract: A device for dispensing fluid substances which includes a dispensing container for holding a metered amount of the fluid substance therein immediately prior to dispensing and which includes a primary opening in the top edge thereof which is adapted to be capped during filling of the dispensing container and which is adapted to be opened when it is desired that the metered amount of fluid substance should be dispensed from the container, the dispensing container also includes a secondary opening in the lower section thereof which may be substantially smaller than the primary opening, the device further includes a hollow adapter secured to the secondary opening of the dispensing chamber and adapted to be secured to the neck of a bottle or other source of the fluid substance to be dispensed, the hollow adapter including a dispensing collar adapted to be secured to the secondary opening of the dispensing container and a holder collar adapted to be secured to the neck of a bottle or holder of the fluid substance a

Abstract: A determination of the presence and amount of a specific organic substance (Ligand) that will form a complex with a macromolecule (antibody) may be made by means of a reagent obtained by binding to the Ligand to be assayed a chemiluminescent substance. The addition of a limited amount of a substance (antibody) having receptors for the ligand together with the chemiluminescent labeled ligand to the fluid to be assayed results in a competitive reaction between the Ligand present in the fluid and the chemiluminescent labeled Ligand for the limited number of receptor sites. Under equilibrium conditions, the amount of chemiluminescent labeled Ligand bound to the antibody is related to the amount of unlabeled Ligand in the solution being assayed, and is determined by isolating the antibody and measuring its chemiluminescence or by isolating and measuring the amount of free labeled-Ligand remaining.

Abstract: An underdrain for use with granular type liquid filtering systems including a plate of an inverted dished configuration having a plurality of laterally facing slots defined therein, the slots being defined by an upper edge and an associated lower edge, the upper edge being positioned almost directly above the lower edge such that the slots face horizontally outward, the slots being positioned upon the dished plate in a spiral array with each slot being formed by shearing of the plate material between two cutting edges positioned above and below the plate, the upper edges presenting downwardly facing arcuate edges and the lower edges presenting upwardly facing arcuate edges to define a slot having opposed facing arcuate sides, the plate may further define a flat horizontally extending imperforate annular center-section within the spiral array of slots and a flat horizontally extending imperforate annular outer-section extending about the spiral array of slots, the center-section may define a central aperture t

Abstract: A solar or thermal gravity engine including a conduit extending substantially vertically from ground level upward into the atmosphere including a plurality of valves in the walls of the conduit at various heights from the bottom thereof, each valve being capable of opening to allow fluid flow communication between the vertical conduit and a liquid return conduit which extends downward therefrom and may include therein precipitation enhancement means such as grids or fins to allow water vapor or other liquid vapor which has evaporated in the evaporating area to condense in the condensing area when the associated valve is opened and such that the liquid will pass downwardly through the associated liquid return conduit to be gathered as a vertical column of liquid in an accumulating chamber positioned immediately above a liquid driven power generating means such as a turbine or the like, after driving the turbine the downwardly moving liquid may be collected in a return chamber for passage to the evaporation are

Abstract: An apparatus and method for measuring the elastic properties of polymer melts and polymer solutions including the placement of a specimen of the material to be tested, within the intervening space between two members both of which are capable of low friction rotation about a common axis, further including a drive apparatus to forcibly rotate one member about the axis to shear the specimen, also including the measuring of the force required to shear the specimen, in order to determine the modulus of elasticity, yield stress and steady state viscosity of the specimen, further releasing the member not forcibly rotated and measuring the recoverable strain and rate of strain recovery by measuring the motion of the released member as a function of time for the purposes of determining the elastic characteristics of the specimen, further including a light source directed along the axis of rotation of the members into an optical fiber along the center line thereof so shaped to emerge in a direction parallel to the axi

Abstract: Apparatus for producing methane and other products by processing a slurry of biodegradable waste materials including two tanks containing waste material which are connected to allow fluid flow communication between slurry in each tank, each tank being airtight with respect to the ambient, one of said tanks containing a cathode and the other tank containing an anode to aid in the growth of methane producing bacteria, the tanks provided with movable hoods for collecting gas.

Abstract: A solar fluid heater embodying a plurality of loops of flexible plastic tubing is provided with means for protecting and reinforcing the return bends at the ends of parallel lengths of the tubing to protect them against distortion, undue expansion or rupture upon prolonged usage or when the tubing is subjected to high temperatures or pressures.