Abstract: A toy game of skill has a housing and a plurality of members rotatably mounted on the housing such that they are in operative association with one another. One of the members is rotated, and in so rotating that member, the rotation is communicated to the rest of the members to simultaneously rotate them. Located on the members are a plurality of object repositories. A plurality of objects, at least one less than the number of object repositories, are positioned within the object repositories. As the members move with respect to one another, the objects are carried on the object repositories. The objects can be transferred from one repository to an empty repository when two of the members are in a position aligning their respective object repositories with one another. However, the objects are retained in any one object repository whenever the members are in a position with respect to one another such that the object repositories are not aligned.

Abstract: A toy vehicle which is capable of changing both its size and shape has a compound vehicle chassis having a first and a second chassis member. The chassis members are movable with respect to one another. The chassis members are connected together such that they can be moved with respect to one another reversibly between a first position and a second position. The body of the vehicle includes at least one movable member which is movably associated with one of the chassis members and is movable with respect to the chassis member with which it is associated with between two positions. The spatial relationship between parts of the body of the vehicle is changeable in conjunction with movement of the chassis members and the movable member between their respective positions.

Abstract: A protection device of the type useful for preventing access to a padlock or small combination lock as well as serving as a container for keys, incorporates a first and second half which are joined together along a junction to form a united body. The united body has a closed bottom wall and a substantially circular circumferential wall as well as a top wall. Locking means are adapted to the body to secure the first and second halves together. The top wall includes an essentially elongated opening formed partly in one of the halves and formed in the remainder in the other half. The opening is sized and shaped to allow exposure of the shank of a padlock or combination lock from the body while retaining the body of the padlock or combination lock within the hollow interior of the united body as well as retaining a bulbus member attached to an exposed U-shaped member.

Abstract: A toy which is capable of moving over a support surface includes a body having a first member. At least a portion of the body is capable of contacting a support surface. The member has ends and is pivotally mounted to the body about one of its ends. A driving mechanism is located in the toy with at least a portion of the driving mechanism located at the second end of the member. This portion of the driving mechanism is capable of moving the toy across a support surface. The member is movable with respect to the body by pivoting about its first end. The driving mechanism is activated upon pivotally moving the member with respect to the body. After being activated, the member is biased back to its original position and in doing so, that portion of the driving mechanism located at the second end of the member moves with respect to the member and engages the support surface to move the toy across the support surface.

Abstract: An electric soldering iron includes an elongated metal housing tube enclosing a metallic heat conducting member having a first zone snugly fit within the housing and having a portion projecting out of the front end thereof for removably receiving a soldering tip. A second zone of the member extends rearwardly from the first zone and has a smaller cross section than the interior of the tube to create an insulating space therebetween. The heat conducting member is formed with an opening sized and shaped to receive the end of an elongated flat ceramic heater having embedded therein an electric heating element. The portion of the ceramic heater not located within the heat conducting member is surrounded and positioned by a refractory heat insulating tube abutting the rear end of the heat conducting member.

Abstract: A wave energy harvesting apparatus includes a float which rises and falls with wave movements across the surface of a body of water. A hollow tube having a turbine located inside thereof is located vertically downward from the float and is connected to the float by connecting members. The hollow tube is positioned at a depth which is essentially displaced sufficient from the surface of the body of water so as not to be influenced by vertical water movement associated with the waves moving across the surface of the body of water. The tube, however, is moved upwardly and downwardly through the water at that depth in response to movement of the float by the waves on the surface of the water. Movement of the tube upwardly and downwardly at the depth causes rotation of the turbine located in the tube, with the turbine in turn rotating the connecting member to transfer the rotational motion to the surface, wherein this rotational motion is then utilized to drive a generator or the like.

Abstract: An improvement for a low frictional connection between a first element and a second element wherein one of the elements rotates with respect to the other, such as a crankshaft and a connecting rod, includes the addition of a helical member located between the elements. One of the elements i.e., a crankshaft, would include a convex journal surface and the other element i.e., a connecting rod, would include a concave receptacle surface. The helical member is located around the journal surface. A bearing is positioned between the two elements directly adjacent to the helical member and moves against the helical member. The helical member is capable of being hardened and/or machined such that it presents a low frictional surface for the bearing to move against.

Abstract: A device for cropping photographs can be constructed utilizing upper and lower frames which are movable with respect to one another. Each of the frames has two edges located at right angles to one another; the frames are located one above another so that the edges of the frames define a rectilinear opening. The size of this opening can be varied by moving the two frames in a linear manner. The ratio between the lengths of the sides of the opening can be varied by varying the relative positions of the upper and lower frames including the noted edges.

Abstract: A relatively inexpensive electric soldering iron and handle structure can be constructed so as to be relatively simple to assemble by utilizing cooperating holding elements within a tubular handle to form a holder. This holder serves to support or hold a socket adapted to support a heating element and a cord retainer in place within the handle. The holder is in turn held in place within the handle through the use of cooperating detent elements on both the holder and on the handle. The parts of the soldering handle structure are dimensioned so that the parts previously identified can be inserted as a unit into the handle through one end of the handle as the cord is withdrawn outwardly from the other end of the handle.

Abstract: A game capable of receiving and then seemingly randomly dispensing objects includes a housing which has an accumulator chamber located therein. The accumulator chamber can receive individual objects, accumulate them, and then dispense the objects so accumulated. An activation member is mounted on the housing in association with the accumulator chamber. Further, a chance member is mounted on the housing in association with the activation member. The chance member is capable of moving between a plurality of positions, at least one of the positions being a dispensing position. The activation member moves the chance member on the housing between its positions in response to reception of one of the objects in the accumulator chamber by the depositing of the object in the accumulator chamber. Objects are accumulated in the accumulator chamber as they are so deposited, with the chance member being moved with the deposition of each of the individual objects.

Abstract: A variable speed vehicle has a satellite vehicle attached thereto by a connecting member. The variable speed vehicle includes a spring activated motor and a power train which is capable of receiving power from the motor and driving the vehicle at at least two velocities. The connecting member is fixedly attached to the satellite vehicle and movable with respect to the primary vehicle. When the satellite vehicle is moved away from the primary vehicle, the connecting member activates the spring motor, and when so activated, the spring motor returns the satellite vehicle towards the primary vehicle by acting on the connecting member. A velocity governing device is operatively associated with the power train and is responsive to the position of the satellite vehicle with respect to the primary vehicle.

Abstract: A toy vehicle has a body, and attached to the body is a chassis which is movably mounted thereon so as to move vertically up and down relative to the chassis. A motor is located within the vehicle and aside from propelling the vehicle forward over a support surface, the motor additionally drives a mechanism which raises and lowers the body relative to the chassis. When the body is raised relative to the chassis, the vehicle is propelled forward over the support surface by the motor; however when the body is lowered to the chassis, the drive connection between the driving wheel of the vehicle and the support surface is severed, inhibiting forward progress of the vehicle. The vehicle performs the above noted functions in a cyclic manner, repeating one after the other.

Abstract: A wheelchair having a frame capable of supporting the occupant includes a plurality of wheels including two driving wheels. Left and right side levers are mounted on the wheelchair such that the tops of the levers can be moved back and forth reciprocally toward and away from the occupant of the wheelchair. When the levers are in a position towards the occupant of the wheelchair, they are in a neutral position and by pushing away from the occupant from the neutral position to a displaced position, a power stroke is performed. Movement of the levers in the reverse direction back toward the occupant constitutes a return stroke of the same. A power transfer mechanism includes a first and second ratchet operatively associated with each of the driving wheels. The first ratchet allows the driving wheel to free wheel at all times in a forward direction.

Abstract: A toy has a body which is divided into a main section and a supplemental section. The supplemental section is movably mounted on the main section between a first and second position. A motor is located within the main section and connected to the motor are a set of drive wheels. The drive wheels extend out of the bottom of the main section and are positioned such that one of the drive wheels is on one side of the longitudinal center line of the main section and the other of the drive wheels is on the other side of the longitudinal center of the main section and both of the drive wheels are located on one side of the transverse center line of the main section. A guide wheel is located on the main section and is positioned such that at least a portion of the guide wheel extends below the main section and is located on one side of the longitudinal center line of the main section and is on the opposite side of the transverse center line from that of the driving wheels.

Abstract: Oil is preferably recovered from oil shale through the use of a process involving two separate heating steps. During the first of these steps the shale is heated by contact with a hot gas stream while it is agitated for a period and at a temperature which together are such that any significant further heating will cause the vaporization of pyrolysis products of the kerogen within the shale. During the second heating step the shale is further heated by contact with a hot gas stream while being agitated for a period and to a temperature which together are sufficient to produce and volatilize substantially all of the volatiles which can be obtained from or derived from the shale. After the second heating step the vaporized products and the remaining inorganic mineral matrix are separated, and the volatiles are recovered as oil.

Abstract: An improvement in Cartesian diving toy includes modification of both the diving component of the toy and of the receptacle in which the toy dives in. The diving toy includes an air chamber, a section of which is invaginated within the remaining section of the air chamber. The invaginated section is convoluted and is capable of extending or shortening in respect to pressure changes in the environment outside of the air chamber. A propulsion member is connected to the invaginated section of the air chamber and moves in response to the elongation or the shortening of the invaginated section to propel the toy through a liquid. The receptacle for the toy is improved by locating a pump chamber in association with the lower part of the receptacle allowing for complete purging of the air out of the pump chamber. The receptacle further includes a stopper having a protuberance on its lower side which fits within an upstanding wall on the upper portion of the receptacle.