Abstract: An automatic vending machine comprises a plurality of electric lamps arranged geometrically on a front panel of a housing and a lamp control circuit for lighting the lamps successively and repeatedly in response to a signal which is generated in accordance with a vending operation of the machine. The lamps are arranged equidistantly along a circle and thus a light spot appears to rotate along the circle. In a preferred embodiment the lamp control circuit comprises a lottery circuit which produces a winning signal for discharging an extra article as a free addition and at the same time the light spot is stopped at a predetermined lamp having a lucky number applied thereto.

Abstract: A method of mounting photographs, posters, prints, textiles or other art work for display, which comprises placing the same between two sheets of plastic, providing a plurality of channel clamps at a plurality of locations along the perimeter of said sheets, and exerting a compressive force upon said sheets by means of screws in said channel clamps.

Abstract: An improved compact-type vacuum cleaner is provided. The vacuum cleaner comprises a hollow body member having a closed end and an open end, driving means disposed in said body member, fan means also disposed in said body member and adapted to be driven by said driving means, and duct means also disposed in said body member and adapted to recirculate within said body member an air flow generated by said fan means, said duct means having one end connected to the suction side of said fan means and the other end connected to the discharge side of said fan means.The vacuum cleaner may further be provided with wiping means attached to the open end of said hollow body member.

Abstract: A method of treating fibrous material such as textile products, e.g. garments or the like, which may be compressible, so as to permit the product to have improved wrinkle resistance particularly when such products are vacuum packaged or otherwise, wrinkling would occur. The method involves treating the material to reduce the segment mobility level of the fibrous material to a point below that prior to treatment and to lower the relative regain level of the material. The method also involves lowering, for fibrous materials, regain levels of such materials to preferably below 0.27. In the methods, the segment mobility and regain levels are preferably stabilized under a stabilization step before packaging.

Abstract: The preparation of beehives from a synthetic resinous material which is acceptable to the bees, which is not attacked by vermin, and which exhibits the requisite physical properties to provide a desirable beehive is accomplished by assembling the hives from molded urethane foam panels, the urethane foam being formulated so as to produce a product which is not rejected by the bees and which does not make the bees nervous or otherwise interfere with their normal habits in secreting honey in said beehive.

Abstract: A method for producing steels within a very close analysis tolerance in which the raw materials are melted down in a first vessel, the melt is then tapped into a second vessel in which deslagging is accomplished, and thereafter the melt is subjected to treatment under a vacuum. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also described.

Abstract: A steelmaking process is described in which solid sources of iron (e.g. scrap) are charged into a convertor equipped with tuyeres through which air, oxygen or mixtures thereof can be blown into the convertor.The process includes (1) a preheating phase in which carbon carriers (fuels) are burned in the convertor to produce hot combustion gases which pass upwardly through solid sources of iron, until the same is heated to an average temperature between about 1000.degree. F. and 1200.degree. C., (2) a melting phase during which the solid sources of iron are melted; and (3) a refining stage in which the melt is refined by oxygen blown into said melt in the usual way.

Abstract: In the method of producing steel in a converter equipped with tuyeres that are shrouded with a protective medium which are disposed below the melt surface, oxygen is also introduced above the melt during at least a major part of the refining time with sufficient velocity to suck in large amounts of reaction products thereby increasing the proportion of the scrap that may be charged.

Abstract: An electric switch comprising a plurality of electrically conductive resilient strips secured to an electrically insulating base member and a supporting member for supporting the strips in such a manner that these strips extend substantially in parallel with each other at a given distance and store resilient force in a direction opposite to that of an operational force. An electrical contact is made by displacing one of the resilient strips toward the other strip against the stored resilient force. In a preferred embodiment prior to securing the strips to the base member the strips have been bent in the direction opposite to the acting direction of the operational force.

Abstract: A process for increasing the life of refractory masonry of furnaces and metallurgical vessels in which the masonry is exposed to oxidizing atmospheres at high temperatures and/or molten metals or slags which are highly erosive, which process consists in depositing carbon in the pores of such masonry by means of carbon carrying media which are decomposed when heated.

Abstract: A carrying case for musical instruments, particularly saxophones, in which means are provided for immobilizing the instrument so that it does not shift its position within the case regardless of whether the case is right side up, upside down or on its side.

Abstract: A non-silver photosensitive image forming composition containing at least one substituted bis-diaryl vinylidene compound and/or at least one substituted bis-diaryl imine compound and tetraiodoethylene in a dried photosensitive layer thickness not exceeding 3 microns in layer thickness, the nature of the substitution being such that substantially any high extinction absorption peak or combination of high extinction absorption peaks is available from a family of compositions covering the range of 350 to 900 nm in wavelength, said composition being placed on a transparent or reflective substrate fitted with a compatible adhesive for the photosensitive layer not more than 0.

Abstract: A novel seasoning liquor having excellent seasoning effect with high nitrogen and alcohol contents, and a method for producing the same by using, as the main raw material, a protein aqueous solution or dispersion containing starch and being obtained from corn. The production method comprises the steps of: saccharifying the starch by adding amylolytic enzyme such as .alpha.-amylase to the raw material, performing lactic fermentation by adding lactic acid bacteria, then pasteurizing and deactivating said enzyme by heating, and decomposing the protein and starch by adding koji containing, as substrates, corn starch, wheat and the like, further performing alcohol fermentation by adding yeast. The concentration of sodium chloride is increased step by step according to the increase of alcohol concentration, and the fermentation and ripening can be finished within a short time of about 25-35 days.

Abstract: A novel light-brown seasoning liquor with high nitrogen and alcohol contents, and a method for producing the same by using, as the main raw material, a protein aqueous solution or dispersion which contains starch and is obtained from corn. The production method comprises the steps of: performing lactic fermentation by adding lactic acid bacteria to the raw material, then pasteurizing it, and decomposing the protein and starch by adding an enzyme solution extracted from koji with a saline solution, further performing alcohol fermentation by adding yeast, thereby finishing the fermentation and ripening within a short period of only 20-35 days. The fermented material is then filtered and sodium chloride is added to the filtrate to obtain the above seasoning liquor.

Abstract: An apparatus for assembling a fuel rod bundle having a number or elongated fuel rods arranged in parallel with each other and fixed by means of a plurality of spacers and lower and upper tie plates comprises a fuel rod supplying apparatus for feeding successive fuel rods in a longitudinal direction of the rods, said fuel rod supplying apparatus including means for carrying the rods in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to any one of a plurality of positions; a bundling apparatus including means for fixing or holding the spacers and the lower tie plate and means for rotating said fixing means by given angles; and a measuring apparatus including a circular pitch measuring mechanism and a layer space or pitch measuring mechanism for measuring circular and layer pitches of the assembled fuel rods in the bundling apparatus.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing hot metal from iron oxide in a shaft furnace by means of reduction with CO and H.sub.2 is described in the case of which iron oxide and coke are placed in the shaft furnace. For the purpose of the coke combustion, oxygen or a gas containing oxygen is introduced together with a reduction gas having a temperature ranging from approximately 1300.degree. to 1500.degree. C., comprising for the most part CO and H.sub.2 and introduced from the hot metal zone of fusion into the furnace shaft. The flue gas of the shaft furnace is purified at least partly, whereby a backflow gas comprising for the most part CO and H.sub.2 is formed and introduced back into the shaft furnace. This method is characterized by the fact that it is especially economical.

Abstract: An improved Colorimeter which can be used to analyze samples in either a stationary mode (e.g. in a test tube) or in a flow-through mode wherein the sample flows through the apparatus. The Colorimeter is equipped with means to direct the illuminating radiation selectively to either mode of sample.

Abstract: Carbon monoxide and hydrogen are produced by spraying a mixture of molten sodium and/or potassium from one nozzle into a chamber maintained at a temperature of 650.degree. C. to 850.degree. C. along with one or more separated sprays containing a slurry of carbon, water and carbon dioxide so that the various sprays contact each other in said hot chamber so constructed so that the reactants are forced into a suitably constructed reactor containing iron and/or its oxide in a semifluid bed powdered condition. Preferably, the reactor contains mixtures of the metals and/or oxides taken from the class of iron, cobalt, nickel and manganese. In a cyclic reaction, the metallic sodium is reconstituted along with continued production of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the iron type component remaining in the reactor which as a consequence of the reagents and conditions is cyclically oxidized to oxides of iron type elements and reduced to finely divided iron and/or mixtures of iron, cobalt, nickel and manganese.