Abstract: A spreader particularly adapted for manual operation over a residential lawn includes a one-piece hopper made of corrosion resistant material. Lugged wheels connect with a shaft which is rotatively carried by and extends through a lower part of the hopper. On the shaft inside the hopper is an agitator bar having outward extending projections. The bar projections align with a series of slots in a rear wall of the hopper for a discharge of material in the hopper to the ground below. To regulate this discharge a movable gate is positioned on an outer side of the hopper slots. Gate movement is effected by a control bar carried in a flow control housing of a handle assembly having an extension attached to the hopper. The degree of gate movement, which affects the size of the slot openings, is regulated by a position of a stop operatively connected to a rotatable dial in the flow control housing.

Abstract: A burner unit particularly adapted for use in a non-vented dwelling space as a fireplace substitute includes a fuel cell carried on a grate which in turn is connected by support frames to a base plate. The fuel cell has a slidable lid to provide access to a fuel canister holding container portion of the fuel cell. The base plate has a glass covered cutout to allow upward illumination from a light fixture connecting with the unit below the base plate. The burner unit may be installed in an enclosure which in turn may be freestanding, placed in a wall opening or in a furniture piece. To use the unit, fuel in the canisters is ignited to burn with a slight flame and produce heat and toxic-free products of combustion. The light fixture is energized to illuminate rock pieces on the glass and simulate glowing embers under the grate.

Abstract: A peristaltic-type pump having an intake which may be conveniently connected to a liquid coating source includes an impeller having a pair of rollers. Rotation of the impeller causes the rollers to progressively compress a length of tubing in the pump. This compression creates suction to draw the coating material into the pump and pressure to drive a flow of coating to a handle attached to an applicator. The handle includes flow control devices which may be selectively operated to supply coating to the applicator only as required. During periods of non-flow the coating pressure is sensed to deactivate the pump when the pressure exceeds a preselected limit. Deactivation of the pump saves energy and prolongs a life of the pump.

Abstract: A pump particularly adapted to produce a pressurized fluid flow has an upper drive section attached to and separated from a lower pumping section by a diaphragm. The diaphragm maintains the integrity of each section to prevent contamination of the fluid, for example. In a housing of the drive section is a rotary drive shaft having an end formed with a camming surface. The drive shaft camming surface engages a camming surface formed on an end of a reciprocating member slideably carried in the housing on a spring. A lower end of the reciprocating member extends through the diaphragm and has a piston positioned in a piston chamber of a cylinder of the pumping section. As the drive shaft rotates, the engaging camming surfaces with the spring reciprocate the reciprocating member. Fluid flow into and from the piston chamber is selectively regulated by valving devices.

Abstract: A shaker particularly adapted for mixing the components of a liquid base material in a miniature size container includes a housing which carries a low voltage, high speed rotary output electric motor. The motor may be energized by batteries or by a domestic power source through an adaptor. An eccentrically offset bearing member attached to the motor rotates to reciprocate a connecting rod which in turn oscillates a cradle about its vertical axis. To mix the contents of the container, the container is set in the cradle in a horizontal orientation and held in such by a strap. This orientation not only promotes mixing by placing the contents in a gravitationally unstable position but subjects the contents to centrifugal and horizontal accelerating and deaccelerating forces during oscillation. Within a short time period the components are mixed to a homogeneous consistency.

Abstract: A receptacle particularly adapted for storage and transportation of a liquid comprises a container and a replaceable cover. An upper end of the container is formed with an inner and outer peripheral rim spaced apart to receive an inside and outside peripheral flange of the cover. The cover outside flange has a ring-like offset which snaps into a recess in the container outer rim to hold the cover and container together. Surfaces of the container rims and cover flanges engage to form an inner seal and an outer seal to inhibit leakage of liquid from the receptacle. The cover may be removed by use of a tool which can produce permanent damage to the outer seal. The surfaces of the inner seal remain intact allowing replacement of the cover to reseal the receptacle.

Abstract: A compact, disposable-type flashlight which is particularly suited to be carried on one's person, in a briefcase or purse, has a hollow, oval shaped case. Caps cover ends of the case with a bulb carried in one cap. The bulb extends into the case where a base of the bulb engages an end wall of a resilient member. The resilient member in turn separates a pair of batteries which have an insulated and uninsulated outer casing respectively. A conductive strap fits about the casings to join the batteries to the resilient member. The batteries are opposingly positioned allowing a conductive plate in the other cap to connect opposite terminals of the batteries in series. A pair of lead wires extend from the bulb base with one wire connected to the positive terminal of the insulated battery while the other lead wire is free and extends into a space between the case and the strap. To activate the flashlight the case is manually squeezed to force the free lead wire to contact the strap.

Abstract: An improved coupler carrier assembly comprises a spring basket, having front, rear, end and bottom walls, with a plurality of compression springs disposed therein; a coupler carrier having a lower portion disposed in the spring basket and being supported on the compression springs for vertical movement in the basket; and a wear element defined by a front wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall and located so that the front, rear and bottom walls are adjacent to at least a portion of the inside surfaces of the front, rear and bottom walls of the spring basket, respectively. Reduced wear between the spring basket and the coupler carrier is obtained.

Abstract: A railroad brake shoe may include a friction element made by combining a number of materials so as to produce the required frictional characteristics for railroad braking. Heretofore, such friction elements commonly contained materials such as lead and asbestos. These two elements may have toxic characteristics under certain circumstances and therefore are suspect. To safely handle these suspect materials has thus become most difficult and expensive. By this invention, a composition friction element, which meets the requirements of the railroad industry, includes a substantially reduced suspect material content, yet is competitive in performance and cost with other known products.

Abstract: A filtration system includes a deep-bed type filter to receive an inflow of a waste water when the system is in a filtration mode. A distribution plenum within the filter distributes the waste water to an upper and lower portion of the filter bed. As the waste water flows to conduits centrally located within the bed, particulate in the waste water is entrapped by filter media comprising the bed. The waste water is discharged from the system in a clarified condition. Periodically the system is placed in a rejuvenation mode wherein a series of circuits are used to remove the entrapped particulate from the filter bed so that the system may again be returned to its filtration mode to process additional waste water.

Abstract: A bracket is provided as part of an "E" type railway coupler and located totally below and within the envelope of the coupler guard arm for attachment of an air line fitting. A hose is attached for coupling the air line to the adjacent car and to which another hose is attached for connection to the air line on the car body. The hose is oriented in the direction of the coupling line and supported in a position where the glad hand carried thereby is a controlled distance above the rail height.

Abstract: Elongated components such as piston pins may be sequentially fed at an entrance point onto a conveyor connected to a distant discharge point. The conveyor includes a pair of guides so spaced to allow the pins to fit loosely therebetween and a stop plate which limits downward movement of the pins. An elongated drive plate having a top edge positioned between the guides and below the pins is rotated in an elliptical-like pattern so that the top edge lifts the pins from the stop plate, moves the pins forward and then re-engages the pins with the stop plate at a point forward of the point of initial lifting. The pins thus may be conveniently stepped between the entrance point and the discharge point as well as accumulated and stored if such is required. The conveyor may include sorting sections to separate the pins into different groups having equal diameters where pins of varying diameters have been inadvertently mixed.

Abstract: A friction shoe particularly adapted for providing improved regulation of movement between a bolster and a side frame of a railroad car truck includes a central body portion and triangular-shaped wings formed on each side thereof. Pairs of these friction shoes are disposed in pockets formed at the ends of the bolster which in turn are resiliently carried in a window formed in each side frame. Each friction shoe wing has a downwardly and outwardly sloped wear surface to form a convex-like seating area. In turn, each bolster pocket has complementarily formed friction surfaces providing a concave-like receiving area. During operation of the truck, the shoe seating area interacts with the bolster pocket receiving area to produce a wedging action. This wedging action in turn insures improved frictional regulation of side frame-bolster movements and maintains such in an aligned relationship.

Abstract: A reciprocating storage unit particularly adapted for moving and storing of component parts used, for example, in mechanical-related apparatus includes a circular body providing a downward low-friction spiral guide path between an upper entrance point and a lower discharge point. A slope of the downward path is such that as parts enter the path, movement will not occur by gravity alone. To obtain movement, the unit reciprocates about its vertical axis which with gravity produces movement of each part in series of intermittent steps. Each part proceeds downward and may be stored in the unit in a damage-resistant manner adjacent to the discharge point for release as required.

Abstract: Articulating devices may be used to combine railroad cars into a semi-permanent unit. Each device includes a male and female connecting member having ends attached respectively to adjacent ends of the railroad car bodies forming the unit. A pin disposed in aligned apertures formed in the outer end of each member forms a joint therebetween. To allow for vertical and horizontal movements between the members during operation of the unit, the pin aperture in the male member is larger than the pin and has a rear surface portion providing a substantial contact area with the pin. To maintain the pin aperture and pin in a controlled slack relationship, the male member is urged forward by a follower which is carried within the female member and engages an end surface of the male member. The position of the follower in turn is regulated by a wedge element which engages a pair of resilient elements carried by the follower.

Abstract: Oil, used as a lubricant and coolant in an industrial process, may become contaminated by foreign materials, for example, water and solid particulate. Because of its cost, continued use of the oil is desirous but impossible if the foreign materials are not removed when the concentration of such becomes excessive. By heating the contaminated oil and adding a chemical agent such as an alkaline solution of sodium metasilicate, the oil may be selectively separated from its contaminants allowing its further use.

Abstract: An improved railway truck friction shoe is provided. The contact point of the shoe slope face with the bolster and the spring center line of the shoe are substantially coincident; the contact point is substantially equidistant from the top and bottom edges of the shoe column face. The convex sloped surface of the shoe has a reduced crown radius, and the vertical face of the shoe has an increased length. The shoe is designed to provide a more even distribution of contact pressures across its column face. This results in a longer wear life for the shoe by providing for more uniform wear.

Abstract: A friction shoe is provided for use in a railway truck. The shoe is placed such that it frictionally engages both a side frame vertical column and the slope surface of the bolster to dampen the oscillating motion of the bolster in the side frame. The shoe is provided with winged extensions and tapered flanges that engage a complementary slope surface and raised flange on the bolster.

Abstract: A wearplate for a column of a railway freight car side frame is attached by fastener means to a column web and additionally is welded to top and bottom lugs of the column web by weld metal in recesses of said lugs and in recesses of the web which communicate with the lug recesses at the side of the plate which seats against the web.