Abstract: An integrally molded plastic rodenticide dispenser has a base with a floor from which exterior sidewalls extend upwardly. A lid is joined to the base by an integral hinge. The lid is pivotal about the hinge to selectively cover and uncover the base. A passageway for pests, in particular rodents such as rats, is formed within the interior volume of the covered base by two converging barriers, the ends of which are spaced from one another to define a rodent feeding trough. Each barrier is comprised of two segments: a base barrier segment which is integrally formed with the base and extends upwardly from the base floor a distance less than the height of the base sidewalls, and a lid barrier segment which is integrally formed with the lid and which protrudes from the lid. The lid barrier segment is aligned with the base barrier segment when the lid covers the base to define a barrier across a portion of the base to block the passage of pests through the barrier.

Abstract: An impulse valve for an ion source is positioned between an ion source chamber and a gas metering valve. The impulse valve is a two-position solenoid-controlled valve which is closed in its off position. In the off-position, the valve forms a reservoir between the valve stem of the impulse valve and the metering orifice of the metering valve. In the off condition, the gas reservoir fills with gas that over time equilibrates to the pressure of the gas supplied to the metering valve. The volume of the gas reservoir and the pressure of the gas which is supplied to the metering valve are chosen so that when the two-position valve is open, the gas contained in the reservoir is sufficient to pressurize the ion source chamber to a pressure of approximately 0.1 Torr. Thus, when the impulse valve opens, a pulse of gas flows into the ion source chamber, where a plasma discharge is initiated.

Abstract: An interior wedge wire drum screen is mounted wholly within an exterior drum screen of narrower wedge wire spacing, and both are mounted to a frame and caused to rotate about a common central axis. One end of the outer drum is open and the other is closed by a disc-shaped drum head. The inner drum has an open end which is spaced inward of the open end of the outer drum. The waste water is presented to the surface of the inner drum screen by a waste water infeed which employs a vertical column. The column extends upwardly of an inlet and has a gradually increasing cross-section for reducing the flow of velocity of the waste water. A horizontal trough extends along the axis defined by the drums and communicates between the top of the column and a tray. The edges of the tray terminate in weirs which are parallel to the sides of the inner drum. Water flows in a smooth sheet over a weir to impact the sides of the inner screen with low velocity.

Abstract: A water tank is divided into a first heated compartment and a second heated compartment by an insulated baffle. A perforated cylinder is mounted within the tank and has a first segment which extends within the first heated tank compartment and a second segment which extends within the second heated tank compartment. Portions of a helical auger extend within each cylinder segment. Heated water at a first temperature is supplied to the first heated compartment by a first heated water manifold, and heated water at a second, higher temperature is supplied to the second heated compartment by a second heated water manifold. Mixing of the two temperatures of water is prevented by the insulating baffle. Food product is caused to traverse the length of the first heated compartment by the auger, and is transferred over the baffle into the second heated compartment by a lifting flight which elevates food product from the water into a chute which discharges into the second heated compartment.

Abstract: A cylindrical drum is rotatably mounted within a covered blancher or cooler water tank. The loads of the drum are supported entirely on an exterior frame formed of an inlet end plate and a discharge end plate and a plurality of linear support members which extend between and are welded to the two end plates. A helical auger is welded to and supported by the support members and defines an axially aligned central cavity which is substantially unobstructed between the inlet opening and the discharge opening. A perforated cylinder of screen material surrounds the dram and retains food product therein.

Abstract: A stiff lever arm has a tapered end. A slot is located within the tapered end of the lever arm. The slot has dimensions slightly larger than the looped line tie of a lure which allows the line tie to fit within the slot. Once the line tie is engaged within the slot, a manual force applied to the lever arm produces a torque which bends the line tie to the properly tuned position.

Abstract: A shock sensor has a housing with two portions. A first portion resiliently engages a reed switch which has staple formed leads. A second portion extends adjacent one of the reed switch leads and has modular components which permit consistent shock-sensing results to be obtained from reed switches of varying sensitivity by selection of appropriate components. The second portion is a closed-ended hollow tube in which a bobbin with a centrally located guide bar is inserted. A first disk extends outwardly from the guide bar. A self-test coil is positioned on the bar between the first disk and a second disk. A biasing spring extends between the closed end of the tube and the magnet, which is mounted on the bar. The magnet is abutted against a second disk which extends from the bar. The second disk positions the actuation magnet with respect to the reed switch when it is in its non-actuated position.

Abstract: The valve assembly 20 has two housing halves 22 which are bolted together to form a housing 24 for two resilient valve liners 26 with coaxial through passages 28 for the flow of fluids through the assembly. A metal gate 30 travels vertically within the housing 24 to selectively block the through passages 28. Each valve liner 26 has a radially extending flange 32 in which is embedded a frustoconical metal spring 34 which biases the flanges against the gate 30 and retains a seal about the gate in a valve closed configuration. The assembly has a split seat formed by two seat inserts 36 retained in the housing halves 22 beneath the valve liners 26. The seat inserts 36 are open to the bottom of the housing 24 and permit debris to be ejected from the valve assembly 20. An alternative embodiment valve assembly has a wave spring which applies a force through an embedded ring to bias the valve liners against the gate.

Abstract: A plastic pallet has a twin sheet thermoformed upper deck reinforced with a tubular metal substrate. Injection molded plastic octagonal posts have support member walls which are positioned beneath reinforced portions of the top deck. The posts also have a sleeve with a central bolt hole which is parallel to the support member walls. A twin sheet thermoformed lower deck is spaced from the upper deck by the posts and receives the posts in recessed pockets. Plastic bolts are inserted through the top deck, each post, and the bottom deck and are held in place by plastic T-nuts. A sawtooth parting line in the twin-sheet thermoforming molds provide accurate alignment and molding of the pallet parts.

Abstract: A generally spherical hitch ball has a downwardly extending neck and an outwardly extending flange which engages against the trailer hitch of a towing vehicle. A threaded shaft extends downwardly from the flange through an opening in the hitch. The coupling device is fixed to the hitch by a nut which is threaded on the shaft and engages a washer against the hitch. The nut is retained on the threaded shaft and positively prevented from escaping by a cylindrical pin which extends through an inclined hole formed in the hitch ball and the shaft. The pin has a head which is biased upwardly by a spring against the trailer arm where it fits over the ball. When the trailer arm is locked in place the pin head is inaccessible and the nut may not be removed.

Abstract: A trough-like support piece extends within a supply tube in a housing and supports a stack of beverage container lids. A spring biases a plate to urge the stack frontwardly to engage against a plurality of spring-loaded members which extend from the housing frontwardly of the plate. A cover is hinged to the housing and has two guide rods which extend rearwardly toward the lids. Three plastic claws are flexibly supported on a support member which is mounted front-to-back movement on the guide rods. A pull rod extends from the support member through the cover and is biased rearwardly by a spring. Each claw member is connected by flexible bands to claw stops, and the claws are thus positioned to engage with the frontmost lid of the stack. A user by pulling on the dispensing handle causes the claws to move frontwardly to extract a single lid and drop it onto inclined supports removal by a user.

Abstract: A housing has a vertical subframe in which is mounted one or more reed switches. A magnet is mounted to a carriage which is mounted about the reed switch by a two-degree-of-freedom joint. The carriage forms a cup with a base aperture which surrounds the subframe. The aperture defines a semi-spherical surface which rides on a semi-spherical surface at the base of the subframe. A shell is fixed to the housing and the inside surface of the shell has a semi-spherical surface concentric with the semi-spherical surfaces defined by the annulus of the aperture and the semi-spherical base of the subframe. The carriage has semi-spherical surface portions which engage the shell interior and is thereby constrained to rotate about the point of concentricity common to the shell, the carriage, the annular aperture, and the semi-spherical base of the subframe. The carriage is biased to an upright position by springs which extend between the base of the housing and an upper lip of the carriage.

Abstract: An instrument employs a projector which projects a moving pattern of heat onto a test object. An exemplary pattern is formed of bars or lines of infrared radiation separated by unheated areas, or areas of shadow. An infrared camera which is not sensitive to the wave-length of the projected light is used to detect the heat emitted by the test object. The projected bands of thermal radiation heat the surface of the test object. Some of the energy in the form of heat sinks into the structure, while some of the heat energy flows laterally from the heated band to the unheated bands between the projected bands. The lateral flow of heat between bands is resisted by cracks in the surface. This resistance causes heat energy to build up on one side of each crack. The downward flow of heat energy is resisted by less conductive material such as a debonding between layers which traps the heat, causing it to build up laterally.

Abstract: A transportable machine reduces vehicle tires to a fine powder size suitable for incorporation into new articles of manufacture. An upper infeed assembly is mounted to a frame above a spring-loaded upwardly biased lower infeed assembly. A splayed tire is fed between guiderails on the upper and lower guide assembles and is driven along by upper drive sprockets and rides on lower idler sprockets. The tire is fed by a tire-feed positioned above a cutter bar and biased downwardly to clamp a cut splayed tire against the cutter bar and to feed the tire over the bar and into cutter blades mounted on a rotary blade assembly. The rotary blade assembly has a shaft mounted for rotation about an axis to the frame and has a plurality of cutter blades spaced about the shaft periphery. Each rotary cutter blade has a saw-toothed profile with triangular teeth. The tips or the moving blades are slightly spaced from the cutting edge formed on the fixed cutter bar.

Abstract: A thermoformed thermoplastic panel has three V-shaped protrusions which extend into engagement with the ramped depressions within a truck tailgate to automatically align the upper edge of the panel with the rail cap of the tailgate. The panel forms a protective cover for the tailgate and is held in place by screws having large, wide, flat heads which overlie the upper surface of the cover. The screws have shanks which have a nonthreaded portion adjacent to the head and a tapered, threaded portion at the end. The screws are tightened to bring the tailgate cover upper edge adjacent to the tailgate cap.

Abstract: A thermoformed plastic base has a collapsible frame which supports a flexible fabric covering which defines an ice fishing enclosure. A first brace extends frontwardly from the base and surrounds an ice fishing hole and engages against the lower edge of the flexible covering. A second brace is engaged with the first brace and extend frontwardly and upwardly from the base to engage against the flexible covering above the first brace. The engaged segments of the first and second braces restrict portion of the flexible covering from deflection toward the base and thereby define a volume adjacent the enclosed space above the ice fishing hole which is protected from interference from the flexible covering. An angler may jig a fishing rod in the defined volume without the wind blowing the flexible covering into conflict with the rod. The base preferably has a hook and a pin mounted on opposite sides for connection of two like shelters.

Abstract: A plastic cartridge has a base with a primer pocket and a primer mounted therein. A propellant charge is located within the cartridge and a plastic, collapsible wad is positioned within the cartridge above the propellant charge. A strawlike fusing channel extends through the wad into the propellant charge and is packed with an igniter charge. The fusing channel communicates between the propellant charge and a tracer charge packed within a cavity in a lead shotgun slug. The wad has a plurality of upwardly extending petals which surround the slug within the cartridge and which engage with the rifling of a shotgun barrel when the round is fired.

Abstract: The transplant head of the transplanter has an upper plate with four pinholes spaced at the corners of a square of a determined width. A lower plate is adjustably spaced beneath the upper plate and has four pinholes located at the corners of a square of a lesser width than the upper plate pinhole spacing. Four transplant pins extend between the upper and lower holes such that when the upper plate is brought closer to the lower plate by a pneumatically activated mechanical linkage, the pins converge within a seedling plug. Additional pins and pinholes provide for transplanting of an array of seedlings. A pneumatic actuator is connected to the lower plate and is adapted to elevate the transplant head with engaged plug. A carriage is driven by a pneumatic actuator to position a growth pot beneath the engaged plug. A computer controller causes the plug to be lowered into the soil of the growth pot after which the mechanical linkage may be activated to space the plates to disengage the pins from the plug.

Abstract: A wooden upper deck is connected by two types of plastic spacer blocks to a wooden lower deck. The upper deck may be a conventional deck composed of stringers and slats or it may be a twin sheet thermoformed plastic deck. The lower deck is composed of stringers which underlie the plastic spacers and tie boards which abut the ends of the stringers. Connector spacer blocks serve both to join the upper deck to the lower deck and to connect the stringer boards to the tie boards. The stringers and tie boards are held in fixed relation by bolts which join the upper and lower decks passing through sockets in the spacer blocks. The stringers and the tie boards are bolted to the spacer blocks and are thus joined. The joint between the stringers and the tie boards may be strengthened by means of a metal link overlying the stringers and tie boards and linking the bolts together.