Abstract: Shredded tobacco is supplied from a storage reservoir to one or more cigarette making machines by way of discrete pneumatic conveying pipes. The reservoir receives fresh tobacco at regular or irregular intervals so that the quantity of tobacco in its interior is constant. The contents of the reservoir are maintained in suspension so that at least the major part of the supply of tobacco shreds forms a fluidized bed which is located directly below the intakes of the conveying pipes. When a machine requires a batch of tobacco shreds, the respective pipe is connected to a suction generating device so that it draws air from the region between the underside of the fluidized bed and the upper side of the bottom wall of the reservoir whereby the ascending current of air entrains tobacco particles directly from the fluidized bed.

Abstract: Apparatus for changing the orientation of successive stacks of overlapping paper sheets has a first conveyor which delivers stacks seriatim onto the upper side of a support located below a vertically movable and rotatable turntable having at its underside a layer consisting of rubber and formed with openings for escape of air. The support has plenum chambers which discharge streams of compressed air against the underside of a stack between the support and the turntable whereby the stack is lifted off the support and bears against the layer at the underside of the turntable before the latter begins to rotate through 90 degrees to thus change the orientation of the stack. Prior to rotating, the turntable is moved downwardly toward and bears against the stack on the support to thereby expel air from the stack and to cause opening of valves in the upper side of the support by way of the lowermost sheet of the stack.

Abstract: A bicycle pannier is securably fastened to the luggage rack of a bicycle. The pannier includes a container open at the top end thereof and a lid hinged to the container and adapted to sealably enclose the top end of the container. The lid and the container each include complimentary oblique passages permitting a locking ring to be inserted therethrough for locking the pannier to the bicycle. The complimentary passages also serve as a handle for manually transporting the pannier.

Abstract: A cone pulley for a transmission with strand-like tensioning means includes at least two pulley parts which are axially displaceable relative to one another. The strand-like tensioning means is held by and between the two pulley parts. Biasing means is provided for biasing the two pulley parts to a closed position, that is toward one another, in axial direction. Furthermore, means is provided for reducing the biasing action of the biasing means and includes cooperating screw and nut members, operatively associated with the respective pulley parts.

Abstract: An apparatus which removes contaminants from the liquid in a centrifugal pump has a housing connected with the pump shaft and having a cleaning chamber connected with a first space containing contaminated liquid and a second chamber connected with a second space for cleaned liquid as well as with the first chamber. The second space communicates with the first space by way of a narrow clearance which further communicates with an outlet of the first chamber. The first chamber can contain a disc separator and its outlet is positioned in such a way that, when the housing rotates, liquid entering the first chamber from the first space is relieved of impurities and flows into the second chamber where it can undergo additional cleaning prior to entering the second space. The contaminants return into the first space via outlet and the clearance, and those contaminants which are contained in the liquid entering the second space are returned into the first space by way of the aforementioned clearance.

Abstract: Apparatus for conversion of a stream of partially overlapping imprinted sheets into discrete stacks each of which contains a fixed number of fully overlapping sheets has a chute one side wall of which arrests successive foremost sheets of the stream and causes such sheets to descend in the chute and to pile up on top of each other. A rotary separating device has three prongs which are moved seriatim from an upwardly inclined first position above the path of the stream to an upwardly inclined second position in which the respective prong intercepts the oncoming sheets of the stream. In to a horizontal third position, the respective prong continues to intercept the oncoming sheets and supports the lowermost intercepted sheet from below while the respective prong allows the intercepted sheets to descend in the chute in a fourth position. The stacks of piled-up sheets are removed during the intervals between movements of successive prongs between their second and fourth positions.

Abstract: An apparatus for engaging and transporting discrete sheets downstream of a severing station at which a cross-cutter severs a running paper web has a catcher assembly with an upper and a lower conveyor unit. The conveyor units define an elongated path for the transport of sheets therebetween. The catcher assembly is adjustable, in its entirety, with reference to the severing station, and each conveyor unit is adjustable relative to the other conveyor unit. The rearmost portion of the upper conveyor unit is adjustable toward and away from the adjacent portion of the lower conveyor unit.

Abstract: A luggage rack which is mounted on the roof of an automotive vehicle and has two longitudinally extending parallel rod-shaped carriers and several traverses separably connected to and extending at right angles to the carriers. Each traverse has an elongated outer section and an elongated inner section which is telescoped into and is movable lengthwise and/or at right angles to the outer section. The sections of each traverse have intersecting sockets in the form of elongated open-ended slots receiving parts of the carriers so that the surface bounding the slots contact the respective carrier parts. Screws which extend through the outer sections and mate with nuts on or in the inner sections bias the sections of each traverse against each other and against the respective parts of the carriers to thereby fixedly hold the traverses in selected positions.

Abstract: A centrifugal-force friction clutch with a torque transmission dependent on the speed of rotation has a hub-shaped input part, a drum-shaped part to be driven, a clutch output centrifugal weights acting upon the drum-shaped part. In a first speed stage the weights are held back to prevent torque transmission, in a second speed stage, the torque increases at least substantially proportionally to the increase in centrifugal force and friction, and in a third speed stage, less torque is transmitted than is proportional to the centrifugal force and friction. Radially displaceable friction shoes are fixed with respect to the output and are movable radially outwardly by the weights to transmit torque, and means are provided for resiliently holding back radially outward movement of the friction shoes. The weights are tiltable relative to the friction shoes and are radially displaceable by centrifugal force with the friction shoes.

Abstract: A rotary stencil unit for screen printing machines has a tubular stencil provided at its opposite axial ends with respective end rings. One or both of these end rings has in its circumferential wall one or more openings which afford radial or diagonal access to the interior of the respective end ring and to the adjacent end portion of the stencil.

Abstract: Rows of perforations which are produced in a plant for the making of webs of tipping paper for use in filter tipping machines are monitored by pneumatic or photoelectronic devices to ascertain the distance between such rows and the nearest marginal portions of the web while the web is transported toward the paster in a filter tipping machine. If the distance between the perforations and the marginal portion deviates from the desired distance, if the perforations are absent and/or if the combined cross-sectional area of perforations per unit length of the web is unsatisfactory, the monitoring system generates signals which are used to warn the attendants so that the attendants can replace the defective web with a satisfactory web and/or to effect segregation of filter cigarettes embodying defective portions of the web.

Abstract: The double volute casing of a centrifugal pump has a main portion which has first and second volutes extending along arcs of not more than 180 degrees. The outer diameter of the main portion equals or approximates the outer diameter of the end of the first volute, and such end is adjacent to the start of the second volute whose end communicates with an outlet nozzle of the main portion. The latter has two channels which flank the second volute and extend between the end of the first volute and the outlet nozzle. The inner sides of the channels are open and face the axial passage of the main portion. Such inner sides are sealed from the axial passage by tubular inserts which are installed in and are separably fastened to the main portion of the casing. The passage receives a single-suction or a double-suction impeller or a stationary guide wheel which is located downstream of the impeller. The main portion of the casing is a one-piece casting.

Abstract: A cassette containing a stack of film units having overlapping positive and negative sheets has a housing with first and second side walls having first and second openings, and a light-admitting aperture between the two side walls. The film units are stored in a first compartment of the housing adjacent to the aperture in such a way that the foremost unit is in register with the opening in one of the side walls. A discrete withdrawing strip for each film unit has an inner portion adhering to the rear side of the respective unit and an outer portion extending outwardly through the opening in the other side wall. The withdrawing strips form a bundle which extends through a channel connecting the first compartment with a second compartment behind the stacked film units.

Abstract: Apparatus for recording data on X-ray films which are stored in cassettes having windows for exposure of certain portions of films therein includes a housing with two slots for insertion of cards with information pertaining to the patient and/or physician. The housing confines a battery of liquid crystals and an associated digital clock, digital calendar and digital counter each adapted to be actuated from the exterior of the housing to cause the corresponding liquid crystals to furnish the selected information. Such information, together with information on one of the cards, is imaged onto the exposed portion of X-ray film in the properly inserted cassette by a partly light transmitting mirror and an optical element.

Abstract: A tanning machine wherein a pressure roller urges one side of a hide or skin against the blades of an elongated rotary severing device has a grinding unit which treats the blades of the severing device and is mounted in the frame of the tanning machine. The grinding unit has elongated straight first guide members which are fixedly mounted in the frame and extend in parallelism with the axis of the severing device, a first carriage which is reciprocable along the first guide members by a motor through the medium of an endless chain and carries second guide members extending radially of the severing device, a second carriage which is reciprocable along the second guide members and supports a grinding tool, and a cam and follower arrangement which moves the second carriage along the second guide members in response to reciprocation of the first carriage along the first guide members.

Abstract: The device for securing the hull of a watercraft and/or a sailboat mast comprises a locking bar the lower end of which has a hook, an annular eyelet or a crosshead by means of which the locking arm can be secured on a portion of the roof carrier which supports the hull of the watercraft and is secured to the roof of an automotive vehicle or on the sailboat mast which can be inserted between the roof and the roof carrier during transport. The upper end of the locking bar has a thread onto which can be screwed a flange or nut by means of which the hull of the watercraft or the sailboat mast can be securely clamped. The threadedly connectable flange or nut acts either upon the hull of the watercraft, e.g., a surfboard, or upon a portion of the roof carrier when the sailboat mast is secured by the locking bar. If this safety device is to be used in connection with the hull of a watercraft, it is necessary that the hull be provided with a through opening, for example, a daggerboard opening.

Abstract: Clutch disk assembly includes a hub, a friction lining support disk coaxially surrounding the hub, the friction lining support disk and the hub having mutual relative torsional play force storage means operatively connected between the hub and the friction lining support disk and effective against relative torsion therebetween load friction means ineffective over a first given range of torsional play between the hub and the friction lining support disk and effective over a second given range of the torsional play, the load friction means comprising a friction member and friction means effective over the second given range of torsional play, at least one force-storage device compressible over the second given range of the torsional play being effective through the friction member, and a pair of disk-like members disposed in axial spaced relationship on the hub and fixed thereto against relative rotation therewith, the load friction means being disposed in the axial space between the pair of disk-like members.

Abstract: Successive frames of spliced-together exposed and developed photographic films are examined prior to introduction into a copying machine to prevent the reproduction of film frames having blurred images. Portions of or entire film frames at an examining station are spot scanned, line-by-line, and the resulting video signals are processed to determine one or more quotients which denote the ratio of maximum density gradient to density range of the respective film frames, the ratio of first and second density gradients obtained on scanning the entire frequency spectrum or the lower density portion of a film frame, and the ratio of frequency of occurrence of the first and second density gradients. Such quotient or quotients are compared with a threshold value and the results of comparison are used to classify the film frames as suitable or unfit for the making of reproductions.

Abstract: A device which removes dust and/or other impurities from photographic films, records or other data carriers has one or more brushes whose bristles sweep along the surface or surfaces of a data carrier while the data carrier moves relative to the bristles and/or vice versa. The electrostatic charge which develops as a result of frictional engagement between the data carrier and the bristles is led away by providing each brush with bristles at least some of which consist of conductive material and are grounded via electrodes which contact the tips of the bristles and/or by way of the core of each brush.