Abstract: This is concerned with a fishtape reel which is in the nature of an inwardly opening circumferential housing with a closure for the inside which functions as a handle and also as a reeling and dereeling unit and, at the same time, closes the inner periphery of the reel or housing.

Abstract: A water faucet valve removal and insertion tool includes a handle and a self-tapping threaded rod attached to the handle. There is a sleeve coaxial with the threaded rod and threadedly engaged therewith. The sleeve includes a rotational stop which is formed and adapted to interact with a water faucet valve. The threaded rod functions to form an internal thread in the stem of a water faucet valve to thereby attach the tool to the valve. The tool can be used to remove an installed water faucet valve or to insert a water faucet valve within a faucet housing. In either event the tool is attached to a water valve by the threaded rod and uses the rotational stop to turn an installed faucet valve or to turn a valve during insertion for proper alignment thereof.

Abstract: A control valve for use in plumbing fittings such as shower control valves or the like includes a housing, a valve member within the housing, and a handle attached to the rotatable stem of the valve member. The handle and valve stem are rotatable relative to the housing to control discharge from the valve. There are cooperating stops on the handle and housing limiting rotation of the valve stem. The improvement comprises a device for retarding rotational movement of the handle and stem relative to the housing.

Abstract: A reel spring for use in a magnetic tape cassette has an elongated central base portion and adjoining end portions extending out of the plane of the base. The spring has first and second parallel side edges and terminates at transversely extending tip edges. The tip edges are joined to the side edges by cutout edges such that the width of each tip edge is less than that of the overall spring. The method for making the reel spring includes the steps of feeding a continuous strip of spring material into a shaping die for cutting and forming the strip into a finished spring. An end portion of the continuous strip material is severed from the continuous strip to form an individual spring blank. This is done by removing a pair of facing cutouts from the side edges of the strip at the appropriate location and slitting the strip in the area of the two cutouts. The blank is then formed into a finished spring.

Abstract: A battery capable of extended operation at high temperature includes a cell of laminated construction utilizing a solid oxidant cathode, an electrolyte element, a catalyst and a gas impermeable separator sheet providing an anode for the cell, with each element in electrical connection with the next. The solid oxidant is a mixture including powdered manganese dioxide, carbon and caustic material, the electrolyte element is a mixture including powdered magnesium oxide, and a binder, pressed into a solid pellet and soaked with caustic material. The cell further has a porous carbon paper substrate in electrical contact with the gas impermeable separator sheet and the catalyst is platinum dispersed on and adhered to the substrate. A source of hydrogen gas is provided, and when the battery is exposed to the hydrogen gas, a voltage is generated.

Abstract: This is concerned with an improved sweeping head and sweeping machine for sweeping carpet in one pass with an articulated sweeping head having an improved sweeping action and a substantial power savings.

Abstract: This is concerned with a hog feeder which has a center feed supply with a feeding trough around it with vanes which move the feed out from a plateau in the center under the feed supply and a ledge which prevents the feed from falling into the trough by gravity or vibration thus requiring a hog to move the vanes to get feed.

Abstract: A drive control for a vehicle such as a floor scrubber, a floor sweeper, a pallet truck or the like, operated by a person walking or riding on a sulky behind it, includes first and second drive motors each arranged to drive a vehicle wheel. Manual means are provided whereby an operator by manipulation of a control may determine vehicle speed; forward and reverse direction; and turning right or left. A variable voltage is responsive to the operator's movements for providing an electrical signal representative of the desired speed in either the forward or reverse direction. Other movements by the operator of the control provide turning in the right or left direction. The means for detecting a turning control signal from the operator is effective to reduce the motor drive signal to the motor on the inside of the desired turn, from the level representative of the existing speed toward a no-speed level at a programmed rate.

Abstract: A sheathing arrangement to protect an endotracheal tube from being ignited and/or punctured by a laser during surgical procedures where the endotracheal tube includes an inlet to receive anesthesia/oxygen mixture to be supplied to a patient undergoing the surgical procedure and an outlet which extends into the airway of the patient where an expandable seal is provided on the endotracheal tube to seal off the breathing passageway during the procedure and where a second flexible tubular sheath is provided to extend, be sealed around the endotracheal tube adjacent the outlet and extend upwardly substantially the length of endotracheal tube to define an annular area between the tubular sheath and the endotracheal tube where a nonflammable fluid is supplied to the annular area.

Abstract: A multi-pole load break switch having two sets of contacts in each pole connected in series to isolate its fuse. Also disclosed is a circuit incorporating the switches of the invention in a double-ended switch board having two power supplies normally isolated from each other.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for establishing and maintaining a selected tension on ultrafine wire being uncoiled over the end of a spool of such wire. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a dish having outwardly-extending filaments which engage the wire as it is uncoiled over the end of a spool of wire. In another embodiment, the apparatus incudes a disk having an arm which engages and constrains the wire as it is uncoiled over the end of a spool of wire. A braking mechanism which slows rotation of the disk is disengaged from the disk by a coiled compression spring. A cable connected to the braking mechanism and a tension spring applies a preset compression force to the spring. This force may be adjusted by varying the expansion of the tension spring. The compression force exerted by the cable against the spring is reduced as tension increases on the uncoiling wire by an arm supported pulley which supports the uncoiling wire and moves the cable.

Abstract: Concentration cycles, percent life holding time for a component in the boiler and continuous treatment concentrations are monitored or determined in a boiler system by adding to the feedwater an inert tracer in a predetermined concentration C.sub.I, which reaches a final concentration C.sub.F at steady state in the boiler and which exhibits a blowdown concentration C.sub.t at different points in time. The component is an inert tracer having no significant carryover in the steam, nor significant degradation during boiler cycles. The tracer is monitored by continuously converting a characteristic of its concentration to an analog which may be recorded as a function of time.

Abstract: Machine tool fixture for clamping a workpiece characterized by jaw members nested in an overlapped relation with jaw closing cam surfaces in laterally spaced relation defining a slot in which is positioned a complemental cam section of a cam plunger moving on an axis normal to the axis of jaw movement. In one embodiment the plunger and jaws have a second set of complemental cam surfaces to open the jaws; in a second embodiment, springs are used to open the jaws at a corresponding limit position of the cam plunger.

Abstract: A back flow preventer and vacuum breaker for use with a plumbing fixture in which the discharge may be moved to a position within a body of water includes a body having an inlet and an outlet, a chamber connecting the inlet and outlet and an air vent opening into the chamber. There is a first diaphragm positioned within the chamber which controls air flow through the vent. There is a second diaphragm positioned in the chamber which controls flow from the inlet into the chamber and includes an integral check valve extending into the outlet.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming viscous flowable material, such as meat and food, into specific shapes such as meatballs and cylindrical fillings for egg rolls. The apparatus includes a container having side walls and a curved pressure plate positioned between the side walls. A rotor is located between the side walls and it has a rim facing the curved, adjustable pressure plate so that the rim and the pressure plate converge in the direction of rotation of the rotor to define a flow channel of decreasing volume for the viscous flowable material. A motor is provided to rotate the rotor in the direction of convergence with the adjustable pressure plate. Scrapers are carried by the rotor to force the viscous material flow into the channel toward the convergence of the rotor and the pressure plate to compress the viscous flowable material. A mold cavity is provided located relative to the rotor rim and the pressure plate to receive the viscous flowable material from the flow channel.

Abstract: A multi-layer radial lip seal assembly adapted to be retained to the housing of an automotive air conditioning compressor and to be disposed about a rotatable shaft extending through a chamber provided in the housing. The lip seal assembly includes a first seal member or disc of virgin FEP adjacent to a second seal member or disc of graphite-filled PTFE. A retainer is provided to support the first and second seal members and an elastomer is molded to the retainer and seals the seal members to the retainer. The first seal member acts to protect the second seal member during installation and quickly wears away, so that the second seal member becomes the primary seal member.

Abstract: A photo album assembly has a book-like cover formed of two sheets of plastic, edge sealed to afford front and rear cover panels hinged to a spine panel. In one embodiment each cover panel includes a pocket that receives a paperboard stiffener; in another embodiment stiffer material is used for the inner cover panel sheets. A pair of rectangular retainers are mounted on one cover panel, adjacent opposite ends of the spine panel; a plurality of long, thin binder members are mounted between the retainers, each binder member having slots at both ends that engage the retainers for this purposes. For each binder member there is a flexible hinge tape, having two adhesive-coated strips separated by a non-adhesive hinge strip; one adhesive strip mounts the hinge tape along the edge of the binder member, and the other adhesive strip mounts a photo on the binder member. Alternatively, the binder members may be of unitary construction, with just one adhesive strip for photo mounting.

Abstract: Running gear (1) of a railway vehicle, which is suspended on the undercarriage (2) of the railway vehicel by blade support springs (3) and suspension attachment (8), with the additional arrangement of an additional blade spring as absorption spring (12); the absorption spring (12) is essentially more flexible than the rigid blade support spring (3), and the absorption spring (12), is tensed into the spring band (7) of the blade support spring (3). Blade support spring (3) and absorption spring (12) are kinematically connected in parallel.