Abstract: An undercutter apparatus for scooping out contaminated gravel from beneath railroad tracks is designed for use off of the rail road tracks. It can be used when the grade of the ground adjacent to the railroad tracks is quite different from the grade of the railroad tracks. The apparatus includes a control head mounted on an excavator with the control head carrying hydraulically operated means for pivoting the undercutter bar 180° about a vertical axis; for pivoting the distal end of the undercutter bar up and down relative to the proximal end of the undercutter bar approximately 60° above or below in normal horizontal position; and for driving a continuous loop undercutter chain around the undercutter frame for dragging out the contaminated gravel. The undercover apparatus can be a locked into any selected position within these ranges of motion controlled by the control head, or additional positions controlled by operation of the excavator boom and used in that position.

Abstract: A ground scraper designed to be pulled by a tractor or the like includes a pair of parallel frame rails with a scraper blade between them and perpendicular to them. The scraper blade can lowered to a preferred depth of scraping and can be raised above the bottom of the frame for towing. Dual-wheeled trucks on the rear of the frame can be raised off the ground to allow the frame to contact the ground for scraping and can be lowered into contact with the ground, also raising the frame off the ground, for towing on roads or the like. The rear of a tongue can be raised relative to the front of the tongue to pick up the front of the ground scraper frame for transporting the ground scraper and then the rear of the tongue can be lowered relative to the front of the tongue, allowing the frame to contact the ground. The exact angle of the tongue can float up and down in order to allow towing on uneven terrain.

Abstract: A drain fitting includes a cylindrical body that is sealed against a floor drain cover to confine condensate liquid, such as from an air conditioner, inside the perimeter of the drain fitting by tightening a self-tapping screw that is inserted into a hollow stem in the center of the central body portion of the drain fitting, pulling a gasket in the bottom surface of the drain fitting against a floor drain cover. A nipple connected to the drain fitting receives a condensate drain hose. A vent opening is formed into a side wall of drain fitting.

Abstract: A bow stand includes an upper section and a lower section connected by an articulating joint that allows the upper and lower sections to be folded flat against each other for compact storage. A point at the lower end of the lower section is pushed into the ground and an archer's bow is set into a U-shaped bracket mounted at the top of the top section for temporarily storing the bow without having it touch the ground.

Abstract: A pair of handles is strapped or screwed to a load, such as a used furnace to allow it to be picked up and carried more readily. Each handle projects above the top edge of the load and is connected to an elongated member that is flat against one side of the load. The elongated members may also be screwed to the load. In one embodiment, the bars have an upstanding rib for reinforcement and three slots for threading webbing straps through. In another embodiment, the elongated members are essentially lengths of angle iron with handles attached to the upper ends and the two legs of the elongated members fit along a corner edge of the load.

Abstract: A two-piece die for simultaneously embossing a pattern into a web of material and cutting out that pattern from the web includes a flexible die member having male embossing patterns surrounded by a male die cutting edge. A base die member has female patterns into which the male patterns on the base die fit, but no corresponding groove for the male die cutting edge. The two members of the die set are held in a register by upper and lower outwardly projecting register tabs on the base die that are received into corresponding register slots in the flexible die and a register bar raised above the surface of the flexible die along side the register slots are on. An edge of the base die lying between the register tabs butts against the register bar. The die members, with a paper between them, are run through a flat bed press to produce embossed cut out patterns.

Abstract: A reminder card having a printed message is printed directly on the mailing envelope on the rear lower portion of the envelope and is perforated for easy removal. The reminder card is slipped into a window pocket on the front face of the envelope to display the reminder message. A base for forming the envelope into an upstanding display is formed by bending a flap on the bottom rear of the envelope upward into an arc and adhering the flap to a gummed flange formed from the outer edge of the sealing flap of the envelope to create a triangular shaped display capable of remaining upright. A magnetic strip glued to the envelope allows the envelope to be secured to a vertical ferrous surface.

Abstract: A carriage moves back and forth under a vehicle and three cameras or laser fixed along one axis pivot in a common plane, utilizing two cameras at time to locate a target fixed to a reference point on the undercarriage of the vehicle. Triangulation calculations, combined with the location of the cameras provide the location of the reference point in space in a three-dimensional coordinate system and compare that location with a stored designed location of the reference point prior to the crash, allowing the vehicle structure to be returned to its designed shape by other equipment.

Abstract: A lock utilizing a retractable pin is used to capture one link of a chain to fasten the chain to one or more vertical uprights. The user depresses a bolt that protrudes from the hollow vertical stake member to overcome spring tension and slide a hardened pin away from a slot in the stake and an aligned slot in the lock housing, then inserts a selected link of a chain and releases the bolt, which slides the pin through the chain link and beyond the slots. The pin reciprocates within a tight-fitting bore in the lock housing, increasing lateral strength of the locking system. The resulting railing can cover any length and a number of spaced parallel railings can be strung between spaced vertical uprights.

Abstract: A folding chair has a height adjustable seat whose height is controlled by a pneumatic cylinder having locking springs is seated inside each of the two tubular front legs of the chair. A trigger mechanism allows the user to release the locking aspect of the springs, adjusting the height of the seat before locking the spring length again. The chair is supported by a pair of cylindrical sleeves that move up and down the front legs and that are connected by a seat stop bar that maintains the seat in a position ready for use because it is contacted by the straight rear edge of a pair of gussets connected to the sides of the seat. The chair seat pivots upward into a storage position through a pair of hollow pins connected to fittings at the top of the pneumatic cylinders and that move up and down the front legs within an elongated slot cut into each front leg.

Abstract: A jogging stroller for carrying a baby includes three wheels mounted on a frame that holds a cloth seat and includes frame rails that project upwardly and rearwardly from a single front wheel to a horizontal handlebar member at the rear of the stroller. A pair of handles are attached to the handlebar members by a clamp and these include a stem member that extends outwardly from the stroller handlebar and are connected to a perpendicular handle element that can rotate about the stem member and the stem members can be rotated about the axis of the horizontal stroller handlebar and can be slid along the handlebar. The handle elements can be fixed in space in a position desired by the user or can be left loose enough to rotate during use. The handle elements have a coil spring inside a grip member, allowing the handles to flex as the user jogs, thereby permitting more natural motion of the hands and shoulders during jogging.

Abstract: A light rope runs along the stringer of a stairway and is concealed by in-fill panels fitted into a groove on a frame rail running along the wall or stringer adjacent to the stairway. A light grille having a square frame and a patterned grille insert is seated along each tread adjacent to the next higher riser and is connected to the frame rail by a pair of adjustment arms. Translucent panels are mounted on the rear of the light grilles, allowing light to shine through them. Electrical circuitry turns the lights on when a user approaches the stairs and automatically turns the lights off after a predetermined time after the user has departed the area of the stairs.