Abstract: A filter underdrain apparatus and a method for manufacturing such apparatus. The apparatus includes a cover member, a water orifice member and a bottom member, each being individual pieces. The cover is placed over the water orifice member and connected thereto by welding. The bottom member is likewise connected to the cover and water orifice members by welding. A water passageway and an air passageway are defined in the inside of the assembled members. Water egress from the water passageway is provided by holes in the water orifice member and the cover. Air egress from the air passageway is provided by holes in the cover.

Abstract: A stepladder/handtruck combination is used as a stepladder in a first position and as a handtruck in a second configuration. A plurality of steps are positioned to move between horizontal positions in the stepladder configuration and positions substantially parallel to the frame when the combination is being used in the handtruck configuration. A pair of wheels provides for convenient transport and a support plate used in the handtruck configuration is pivotal about a frame member and assumes a position parallel thereto when the combination is stored. Links connect the steps to the frame and provide for displacement of the steps when the combination is moved between the stepladder and handtruck configurations.

Abstract: A temperature compensated fuel control valve or regulator has a temperature sensor which senses the temperature of fuel entering the regulator. The temperature sensor controls the area of an orifice through which the fuel must pass in order to enter the burner. When the fuel is at low temperature, its viscosity will be higher and more of the orifice area will be exposed to the fuel. When the fuel is at high temperature, it will flow more easily and less of the orifice will be exposed to the fuel thereby allowing less fuel to pass to the burner.

Abstract: A water jet cleaner for the underside of a vehicle. A plurality of jets are directed upwardly from a spray head which is mounted on a longitudinal member positioned closely to the ground on which the vehicle is resting. A handle is attached to the longitudinal member and wheels are mounted to the frame and the longitudinal member to allow manual reciprocal movement of the cleaner beneath the vehicle by an operator. The jets are angularly adjustable such that the cleaner may also be used to clean the surface itself such as a driveway.

Abstract: A flow control device ?1! for insertion into a conduit to control the flow rate of fluid flow therethrough. The device ?1! includes two opposed dished baffle plates ?2! and ?3! defining a chamber ?4! therebetween. Each baffle plate has a generally centrally located orifice ?6! and ?7! respectively. The device ?1! is adapted for positioning substantially transverse to the longitudinal extent of the conduit by means of, for example, flanges ?10 and 11! or a pre-connected threaded sleeve ?15!, such that fluid flow along the conduit is diverted through the orifices ?6! and ?7!. Additional spaced baffle plates ?5! may be added on the downstream side to fine tune the flow rate.

Abstract: An improved drive system for an extruding apparatus. A piston is mounted for reciprocal movement within a cylinder and moves between a power stroke wherein fluid is extruded from the cylinder and a return stroke wherein fluid is allowed to enter the cylinder. The piston is moved by a throw mounted to a crank. The plane of the axis of the crank is offset from the plane of movement of the piston within the cylinder. The plane of movement of the throw axis is parallel to the plane of movement of the piston during at least a portion of the power stroke of the piston. The throw is circular and the force exerted on the pistons by the throw during the portion of the power stroke is parallel to both planes of movement of the pistons thereby to avoid any sidewise and unequal loading on either one of the pistons.

Abstract: A fuel tank cover to temporarily cover the top and sides of the fuel tank of a motorcycle. The fuel tank cover has an upper panel that is solid and intended to cover the entire upper portion of the fuel tank. Two side panels are adapted to snugly cover the sides of the fuel tank and a forward panel member is adapted to cover the forward portion of the fuel tank.

Abstract: An animal watering apparatus has a centrally located cylindrical casing extending vertically downwardly in the ground with the surface of the water in the casing being located generally at ground level. A liquid level device or regulator is located below the surface of the water in the casing so as to not be susceptible to freezing. A water supply line is located below the frost line of the ground and provides water to the liquid level device in the central casing. A second casing is positioned in the ground and is connected to the central casing at the bottom of both casings such that the water supply to the central casing is also supplied to the second casing. Insulation surrounds substantially the length of the first and second casings. The liquid level device may be readily removed from the central casing from the ground surface so as to service the liquid level device and its associated tubing.

Abstract: An emergency shut-down system to close a gate valve in a pipeline and therefore terminate flow. The closing action is initiated when a pilot valve senses pressure in the pipeline outside predetermined limits. This reduces the signal pressure in the system which, in turn, causes a fluid dump from the gate valve actuator which closes the gate valve and terminates fluid flow in the pipeline. The system is reactivated by manually pumping the system which re-opens the gate valve and allows fluid flow in the pipeline to again continue.

Abstract: A storage and retrieval system such as can be used as a parking bay structure is provided which comprises a hydraulically operated skip hoist system and which includes a skip hoist shaft and a skip which is hoistable up and down the shaft. A plurality of parking bays are located around the skip hoist shaft. A pair of shuttles are located on the skip and are moveable relative to the skip for positioning vehicles on and removing vehicles from the parking bays. The shuttles are located on a rotunda on the skip which is rotatable about a vertical axis for rotating the shuttles to align the shuttles with the parking bays surrounding the skip hoist shaft.

Abstract: A counterbalancing apparatus for dynamically balancing an out of balance rotating member. A first series of weights having identical size and weight are mounted to freely move within a first groove or race when the apparatus is rotating after being mounted to a shaft or other rotatable member. A second series of weights having identical size and weight are similarly mounted to freely move within a second groove or race located inside of the first groove. The first series of weights is different in size and weight from the second series of weights.

Abstract: A grease gun used to provide grease to a fitting. A first and second piston are reciprocated with respective passageways by an electric motor and act to press grease through the passageways into the fitting. The electric motor rotates a cam and the cam, in turn, moves a drive pin which is connected to the pistons through a piston block to provide the reciprocal motion. Single handed operation of the grease gun is possible after connecting it to the fitting.

Abstract: Playthings, such as dolls (10, 12), figures or toy animals (22) are provided. The playthings are provided singly or in pairs. The playthings have limbs, such as arms, or other appendages such as tails or trunks, extending from their bodies, the limbs or appendages being provided with connection elements, such as magnets (14), for removably attaching limbs together to simulate "hand holding" or to attach to metal surfaces or to "pick up" metal objects. In alternative embodiments the magnets are arranged so that they will repel each other so that certain limbs or appendages will not attach to each other. In another embodiment the playthings can be manipulated by the thumb and fingers, such as in the form of recesses (44) provided in the clothes or by strings (38), such as in the form of a marionette (46).

Abstract: An electronic ballast for discharge lamps comprises an open loop configuration of an impedance converter first stage and an inverter second stage linked by a limiting control stage. The impedance converter stage presents its load, passive or active, as input resistance. It draws a continuous current, through large RFI/EMI suppressing input inductors, which is switched discontinuously through a tank circuit using an energy transfer relationship based on the switch on-time and the inductance and capacitance of the tank circuit. The impedance converter stage supplies unregulated power to the inverter stage which operates stably at a fixed frequency. If an imbalance such as an overcurrent condition or an overvoltage condition develops in the system, the limiting control stage temporarily preempts the converter switching until stability is reestablished.

Abstract: A two line pilot valve used to exhaust hydraulic fluid from a control circuit when the operating conditions within which a flowline is intended to operate are outside of predetermined limits. The pilot exhausts fluid within a control circuit to a reservoir which allows a dump valve to dump fluid from an actuator which causes the actuator to close the flowline. The pilot has a first poppet sleeve which contacts an o-ring. When the poppet sleeve and o-ring separate, fluid is allowed to pass from the inlet port of the pilot to the exit port and thereby exhaust the fluid of the control circuit.

Abstract: Toggle apparatus for attachment to a tractor (10) or other pulling device having a main line cable (12) for attachment to the pulling device (10), a stopper (20) on the cable (12) and a toggle (22) which is retained on the cable (12) by the stopper (20). The stopper (20) is dimensioned to allow the passage thereover of slider rings (16) for the removal or mounting of the slider rings (16) from or onto the cable (12). The toggle (22) is dimensioned to retain the slider rings (16) against the stopper (20) on the cable (12). The toggle (22) is movable into a position in which it is in alignment with the cable (12) to permit the slider rings (16) to pass over the toggle (22) in the aligned position for removal of the slider rings (16) from the cable (12).

Abstract: Digital image processing apparatus for interpolating a digital input image into an interpolated output image, in one embodiment of the invention, comprises an input buffer (12) for accommodating pixel data of the input image and a coefficient buffer (14) for storing precalculated interpolation weighting coefficients prior to real time image interpolation. The coefficient buffer (14) comprises a first memory segment (22) for containing a set of precalculated sharp interpolating weighting coefficients obtained by using a sharp interpolating algorithm, a second memory segment (24) for containing a set of precalculated soft weighting coefficients obtained by using a soft interpolating algorithm and a third memory segment (26) for containing a set of precalculated weighting coefficients representative of a predetermined characteristic of the input image, such as contrast or density.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for determining the water content of an oil and water mixture such as is transported by pipelines and which oil and water may vary in density from time to time. A densitometer measures the density of the oil and water mixture in the pipeline and a value for the dielectric constant of the oil is obtained from the density measurement by correlating the density reading with a capacitance or dielectric constant reading from an empirically generated chart. A basal sediment and water instrument measures the dielectric constant of the same mixture. The difference between the two dielectric constants is then obtained. This result is converted directly into a water based percentage by volume of the oil-water mixture being carried by the pipeline.

Abstract: A process for the extraction of copper from a sulphide copper ore or concentrate comprises the steps of subjecting the ore or concentrate to agitation leaching at an elevated temperature and pressure to obtain a resulting acidic leach liquor containing dissolved copper and reducing the acidity of the resulting acidic leach liquor by effecting percolation leaching of a bed of low-grade copper ore or granular rock with the acidic leach liquor. The agitation leaching is carried out in two stages, i.e. a first leaching step at an elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of oxygen and an acidic chloride solution as lixiviant and a second leaching step at atmospheric pressure with an acidic sulphate solution. In a preferred embodiment, the bed of low-grade copper ore or granular rock is in the form of a heap and the percolation leaching comprises heap leaching. Copper is extracted from the leach liquor by solvent extraction.