Abstract: A thin flexible sheet of PETG or similar plastic has a disk shaped body with a number of radially protruding petals. The outer perimeter of one side of the inserter is coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive. A hearing aid battery with its connected selectively-gas-permeable tab is adhered to each of the inserter petals. Each petal has a small through hole positioned in alignment with the vent hole on the battery, which permits exchange of gases through the semipermeable tab. A battery is inserted into a hearing aid while attached to the inserter by gripping the inserter between the thumb and forefinger, and positioning the battery into an adjacent hearing aid battery compartment and then separated from the inserter by a sliding or wiping motion. The inserter is retained in a container fixed by removable side strips to a backing card.

Abstract: Adjustable upper straps extend from the four corners of a collapsible seat assembly and terminate at a central O-ring. A groin strap extends from the central ring to a portion of the seat assembly. A tree ascender strap is also connected to the central ring, and has a latchable hook which can be used to encircle the trunk of a tree and secure the climber as he climbs. A back strap and shoulder strap extend from the central ring and help to restrain a hunter within the assembly both while climbing and while in an elevated position in the tree. A main lead securing strap extends from an extension strap connected to the central ring and has a buckle which allows it to be secured around a tree above the head of the hunter. The main lead securing strap is looped through itself in such a way that the strap chokes the tree trunk within itself to prevent slipping on trees with smooth bark.

Abstract: A container blank has a bottom panel with outwardly extending inner and outer end panels which fold up to form double thickness end walls. Two opposed parallel side panels have glue tabs which are affixed to the outer end panels. Each glue tab has a 45-degree angle fold line which allows the side panels to be folded to overlie the bottom panel during shipping. In a covered box where the height of the box h measured vertically exceeds one quarter the length of the end panel and approaches one half the length of the end panels, there is not space available to receive the cover front flap tab within a pocket defined between the end wall and an adhesively attached glue tab, if the glue tabs in front and in back are of equal size. To accommodate the enlarged cover front flap tabs, the front glue tabs may extend a greater distance along the end panels than the rear glue tabs. The rear glue tabs are less than half the length of the outer end panels, and do not extend frontwardly beyond the glue tab fold line.

Abstract: A molded plastic housing is mounted within an opening of predetermined size in the front wall of a cabinet beneath a counter top. Evenly spaced parallel grooves in the top wall of the housing receive dispensing modules constructed with peripheral pairs of upwardly protruding fins which are spaced distances which are multiples of the spacing between the parallel grooves. Each module, be it a napkin dispenser, a straw or stir stick dispenser, other box-like unit, may be inserted at any location within the housing. The volume within a single housing may thus be occupied by many different dispensing modules, or by multiple modules of the same type. Differentiated dispensing cavities may be formed by one or more dividers having a single upwardly extending fin which engages within a housing groove, and a lower base which engages the housing lower wall. A transparent face plate has two rearwardly extending ears which are flexible to extend into the housing on either side of the dispensing modules.

Abstract: A thermoformed thermoplastic truck bedliner has at least one pair of under-cut load restraint pockets formed by portions of opposed bedliner sidewalls. The pockets are recessed from the sidewall so that a load restraining member such as a 2.times.4 beam may be pressed downwardly to be snapped into engagement with the pockets. The pockets support the boards in a horizontal orientation, with the wide dimension of the board extending from front to back within the liner to give greater board stiffness against loads shifting from front to back. The pockets may be formed in either under the rail bedliners or in over the rail bedliners. In an alternative embodiment, each under-cut pocket is formed in a cross shape such that a board may be positioned horizontally or vertically.

Abstract: A thermoformed thermoplastic truck bedliner has a bottom wall with parallel front-to-back ribs which overlies the floor of a truck cargo bed. Two side walls extend upwardly on opposite sides of the bottom wall and are joined at a front wall. Ribs of a normal height define the load support surface of the bedliner bottom wall, while regions of parallel ribs which are lower in height than the normal ribs define cargo containment regions. The intersection of the reduced height ribs with the normal height ribs defines ridges which restrain escape of cargo in the front-to-back direction, while the bedliner side walls and elevated height protrusions on normal height ribs adjacent to the cargo containment regions restrain side-to-side displacement of the cargo.

Abstract: A gear motor has a hydraulic oil drain path through bearings which support the spindle and mounted mower blade. The drain path is through two plain bearings and two opposed thrust bearings to a low pressure port located adjacent to the spindle shaft seal. A drain from the low pressure port through one of the hydraulic motor shafts leads to the case drain. A check valve prevents fluid from leaking through the drain should the spindle shaft seal fail. The plain bearings and thrust bearings have a press fit insert in the shape of a cylinder with a planar lip. The cylinder portion of the insert forms the plain bearing and the planar lip of the insert forms the thrust bearings. The bearing insert cylindrical surfaces have two helical grooves which extend across the cylindrical surface to conduct lubricating oil through the plain bearings. The grooves in the plain bearings communicate with similar grooves in the thrust bearings.

Abstract: A signature bundle inverting machine having a table for movement between a bundle receiving position and a rotating position for inverting bundles prior to transport to a binding machine. The table may also include a hoist-accessible position that permits the bundles to be removed from the table by a hoist or other lifting mechanism to reduce manual labor.

Abstract: Two racks of parallel screening bars each have rigid rack frames which extend beneath the bars. Two crankshafts with offset cam surfaces are mounted to the machine frame, and the rack frames are mounted by bearings to the crankshaft cam surfaces. The rack frame bearings are closely spaced beneath the bars to balance the system, while the rack frames provide a stiff oscillatory platform for the bars, permitting narrow gauge bars and increased screening area. The rack frames also include counterweights to dynamically balance the system.

Abstract: A flashlight has a center pivot mechanical connection between a plastic battery housing and a rotatable plastic turret, permitting free rotation of the turret. A lamp housing is pivotable within the turret about an axis perpendicular to the center pivot. Electrical connection between the lamp within the lamp housing, and the batteries within the battery housing is provided by two pairs of ring and point contacts mounted to the turret and the battery housing, and by ring contacts connected to the lamp housing surrounding the pivot axis of the lamp housing which engage with a point contact and ring contact in the turret. The light may thus be pointed in any direction in the hemisphere above the battery housing. A snap ring securely retains the turret to the battery housing while permitting free rotation about the rigid center pivot which does not provide electrical connection.

Abstract: A thermoformed thermoplastic bedliner has a ribbed bottom wall which overlies the floor of a truck cargo bed. Two side walls extend upwardly from the bottom wall. The ribs extend longitudinally along the bottom wall and terminate at a transverse flat portion. The bedliner can be modified to accommodate mounting of a fifth wheel hitch to the truck frame, either by bolting through the bedliner or by cutting away the transverse flat portion.

Abstract: An extended nip press apparatus is disclosed for pressing a web of paper extending therethrough. The apparatus includes a rotatable backing roll and a press shoe having a concave surface which cooperates with the backing roll. The arrangement is such that the concave surface and the backing roll define therebetween an elongated pressing section for the passage therethrough of the web. The shoe includes an upstream portion and a device for urging the upstream portion toward the backing roll. A downstream portion extends from the upstream portion, the downstream portion being resiliently disposed relative to the upstream portion. A further device selectively urges the downstream portion toward the backing roll for controlling a pressure profile applied by the shoe to the web for inhibiting delamination of the web.

Abstract: Multiple legs elevate a central ring bearing, to which a ring-shaped rotatable plastic sheet support carousel is mounted. The carousel is fitted with a ring gear which engages with a drive system to position the carousel and the thermoplastic sheets supported from it. A multi-post vertical press is positioned with two posts extending upwardly interior to the ring bearing, and two posts extending upwardly exterior to the ring bearing. The ring bearing thus extends through the press, allowing the carousel to supply and remove plastic sheets to and from the press. An upper platen and a lower platen are mounted for vertical displacement to the posts, thereby ensuring a high degree of parallelism between the molds mounted to the platens, and accurate twin-sheet thermoforming.

Abstract: A conversion frame mounts to pre-existing bolt holes in a conventional USPS tilt-tray carriage with bolts that extend into the holes which previously supported vertical axis rollers for the mechanical drive tilt-tray carriage. The conversion frame has a forward foot and a rear foot, both of which connect to a ferromagnetic driving plate. The feet elevate a connection platform above the driving plate, and provide clearance for the rotation of four positioning rollers which extend sidewardly from the platform on protruding ears. The conversion kit allows the rapid change-over of a conventional mechanical drive tilt-tray sorter system to a LIM drive system with maximum re-use of parts.

Abstract: A dairy chemical dispensing system for supplying an amount of at least one chemical to a utilization point in a dairy wash system, comprising: (a) an operator input controller for receiving operator input comprising input of a given amount of chemical to be supplied to the utilization point, and providing a signal corresponding to the operator input; and (b) a chemical dispenser in operative contact with the operator input controller, comprising a chemical source conduit, a pump connected to the chemical source conduit and to a chemical output conduit for supplying the chemical at a predetermined flow rate to the utilization point, a flow sensor connected to the output conduit for measuring an actual flow rate of the chemical through the output conduit, and a data processor electrically coupled to the pump and the flow sensor, where the data processor(1) receives the signal from the operator input controller, and based on that signal, determines a pump activation time necessary to supply the given amount of c

Abstract: A truck cargo bed utility box blow molded of high density polyethylene which complements the styling of many truck bedliners. The utility box incorporates a mounting system for a central pneumatic spring which holds the lid of the box open. The mounting system consists of a bracket mounted to a wall forming part of the storage bin and a bracket on the bin lid. The lid bracket and the bin bracket extend to and engage with a hinge pin which joins the lid to the storage bin. The brackets are constructed of sheet metal and are mechanically joined by the hinge pin. The loads imposed on the lid and bin wall by the air spring are distributed through the hinge pin. The bin bracket is also attached to a metal rim which surrounds the opening into the box to provide load distribution. The metal rim provides a distortion resistant structure to which locking hasps can reliably latch. By distributing the loads imposed on the plastic lid and plastic bin distortion of the plastic is prevented.