Abstract: The ruler for composing or decomposing the chords for polyphonic musical instruments is characterized in that it comprises: ruler slides (A,B,C,D,E,F,P,Q) movable with respect to each other in a given direction and each provided with inscriptions relative to the notes of the chromatic scale, respectively assigned to the fundamental, the third, the fifth, the sixth, the seven the etc. . . . of chord--a cursor (K,N) relatively movable in said given direction with respect to the ruler slides, said cursor being with a marking (L,N5) positioned to make evident one of the notes of the chromatic scale of each of the slides: one element (H) integral with the slide (A,P) assigned to evident the inscriptions relative to the musical chord searched for the invention applies to a chord ruler for polyphonic musical instrument.

Abstract: A method of lining a pipeline or passageway with a flexible tubular liner. The liner is caused to evert in the pipeline by a fluid under pressure, and a former is used to smooth out the everting face of the liner and evenly apply resin over the everting face.

Abstract: The present invention provides a security panel in the form of a hybrid integrated circuit, comprising a plurality of laminae, at least one of which is provided with a semiconductive coating, said coating not being on the outside of the panel, the semiconductive coating not being present on a narrow edge zone of the lamina to which it is applied, electrodes being provided close to two opposite edges of the panel, one of said electrodes being continued along the narrow edge zone from which the conductive coating has been omitted to an area provided with integrated circuitry necessary for the operation of an alarm system, said area being provided within the laminae and also being connected with the second of said electrodes, electric connections being attached to the integrated circuitry area.

Abstract: This invention concerns an apparatus for cutting out discs or another shape of material in fibre form, for example cotton, and for cutting out and closing small bags filled with said discs, by a cover of the same shape, the apparatus being provided with a punch member co-operating with a die receiving a first sheet of cotton to be cut out, which is entrained with a translatory stepping movement.

Abstract: A cooking utensil utilizes a flat heating surface having in it a multitude of holes whose diameters are in the 1.5 to 3 mm. range. The holes are distributed over the heating surface and open into a chamber beneath the cooking surface. The chamber is formed by a collar that extends downwardly from the periphery of the cooking surface. The collar acts as a chimney that causes the hot gases to rise through the holes in the cooking surface and permeate the food with the aroma of the fuel, which may be wood chips, charcoal, or other substances that lend a distinct odor to food.

Abstract: An instrument for measuring stress is arranged to be insensitive to stresses caused by conditions other than that of the phenomenon to be measured. The instrument employs two equal lengths of optical fibers of the kind exhibiting birefringence when stressed. Polarized light is directed into one of the optical fibers along its longitudinal axis. The two optical fibers are arranged in series with respect to the longitudinal transmission of the polarized light through those fibers. A polarization rotator is situated in the light path between the two optical fibers. The polarized light transmitted through the polarization rotator is rotated by an amount causing stresses imposed equally on the two optical fibers to have equal and opposite effects of the transmitted polarized light.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for cutting out discs from a sheet of cotton or other flexible material employs a reciprocating punch assembly having a punch whose stem is held in a housing that aligns the punch with an aperture in a die. The punch carries a protruding spherical segment that presses the interposed sheet material against the rim of the aperture in the die. To adjust for misalignment of the punch with the die aperture, the punch is resiliently supported in the housing in a manner permitting the punch sufficient movement to enable its spherical segment to enter the die aperture and force the flexible material against the entire circumference of that aperture in one stroke of the punch assembly.

Abstract: A hot film bridge type flow measuring device having improved compensation for ambient temperature changes employs a chip on which two electrical bridges are situated. Each bridge has at least two of its arms formed by hot film temperature sensitive resistors. The resistors of the two bridges are disposed in parallel pairs on the chip but one bridge faces 90.degree. with respect to the other bridge. The output of each bridge is fed to the input of its own differential amplifier and the outputs of those differential amplifiers provide the inputs to a third differential amplifier.

Abstract: A method of making fluoride glasses produces fluoride glass having such low OH and low oxide content that the extrinsic optical absorbance caused by the OH vibration at 2.9.mu. is eliminated or substantially reduced. In the method, a glass charge is placed in a capped crucible and dry argon gas is caused to flow through the capped crucible while the temperature is raised to melt the charge. Thereafter, while the dry argon gas flow is continued, the temperature in the furnace is held constant for a time sufficient to obtain a homogenous melt in which all crystalline materials are dissolved. The temperature is then lowered to a value between the glass crystalization temperature and the sublimation temperature of ZrF.sub.4 and then, at isothermal conditions, the flow of dry argon gas is replaced by a flow of SF.sub.6 gas or by a flow of CF.sub.4 gas. At the lowered temperature, the SF.sub.6 or CF.sub.4 gas flow is maintained for a time sufficient to eliminate or greatly reduce OH and oxides in the glass melt.

Abstract: A cold metal working process gradually changes the cross-section of a copper band to a wider band having one or more sections of reduced thickness. A hammering tool having a chevron-like protrusion, formed by two convergent elongate ridges with long and narrow flat crests, performs a succession of elemental hammered compressions on the band. The metal band, between blows of the hammering tool, is advanced toward the wider part of the chevron-like protrusion and enables the reduced thickness section to be progressively widened by hammering, with the long flat crests of the two ridges, on narrow strips of the portions of the band adjacent to the reduced thickness section. The material displaced from the hammered indentation at each elemental compression of the narrow strip is displaced substantially laterally and results in a widening of the band without an appreciable increase in the initial thickness of the other portions of the band's cross-section.

Abstract: A tape driving arrangement employs a plurality of tapes mounted on a drum in a manner enabling any selected tape to be positioned at a pick-up station. The free end of each tape is provided with lateral protrusions which enable the tape to be drawn through the reading zone of an input unit to a take-up reel by a mechanism that engages those lateral protrusions. That mechanism and the engaged lateral protrusions travel in paths on either side of the reading zone and thus avoid damaging the input unit. A rewind mechanism is provided to enable the tape to be rewound.

Abstract: A high speed arrangement for detecting the occurrence of a flag character in a stream of serial digital data signals employs a pattern register in which are stored the bits of the referene flag pattern. As each bit of the serial data is received, it is simultaneously compared by a set of comparators with each of the bits in the flag pattern. The first comparator of the set compares the data bit with the first bit of the flag pattern and each successive comparator compares the data bit with the next successive bit in the pattern. The outputs of the comparators are coupled to corresponding stages of a shift register in the same ordered sequence as the comparators. All the stages of the shift register are arranged to be simultaneously clocked by clock signals.

Abstract: A de-palletizer for removing articles such as kegs or drums from a pallet utilizes a conveyor to move the pallets, one at a time, to an unloading station where a mechanism pushes the articles from the pallet on to a discharge table. The unloaded pallet is removed from the unloading station before another loaded pallet is moved into that station. To enable the articles to be easily pushed off the pallet, a tilting mechanism causes the articles to tilt on edge as the articles are pushed toward the discharge table, with the articles tilting away from the discharge table. The tilting mechanism is mounted on a reciprocating carriage carrying a pusher plate. When the carriage moves toward the discharge table, articles on the pallet are pushed by the plate toward that table. To cause the articles to tilt away from the table, the pusher plate has a protruding bar that engages the lower portion of the articles.

Abstract: A signal processor is arranged to process polarized light signals obtained from a stress sensor of the type having a photoelastic element that responds to stress by causing a phase difference between components of the polarized light propagating through that element. The stress sensor provides two output beams, each of which has a different polarized component of the transmitted light. The signal processor employs a pair of photodetectors which respond to the intensities of the two polarized light beams by converting the polarized light into electrical signals. Those two electrical signals provide the inputs to a difference differentiator that provides an output proportional to the difference between the derivatives of the inputs. The two electrical output signals of the photodetectors are also applied as inputs to a multiplier whose output is related to the product of its inputs.

Abstract: An improved mechanism for drawing the two cylindrical parts of a multi-contact electrical connector together and holding them locked in position employs three rings stacked around one of the two cylindrical parts. In one embodiment, the middle ring is able to rotate and the two outer rings are non-rotatably attached to the cylindrical part on which the rings are mounted. A barrel surrounds the three rings and is arranged to rotate with the middle ring. The barrel has a collar that engages the other cylindrical part of the connector to initially hold the two parts together. The three rings, on their facing surfaces, have sloping cams. The sloping cams are arranged, upon rotation of the middle ring, to cause the middle ring and one of the outer rings to move apart while simultaneously causing the middle ring and the other outer ring to come closer together so that the total height of the three rings remains substantially unchanged.

Abstract: An antenna is disclosed that is especially useful for radiating and receiving non-sinusoidal electromagnetic waves. The antenna is an efficient and distortion-free radiator of electromagnetic pulses that do not use a sinusoidal carrier. The antenna's size is independent of frequency and the antenna, therefore, can be of small size relative to the wavelength of the radiated electromagnetic waves. When used for reception of electromagnetic wave energy, the antenna performs with low distortion. The basic concept underlying the invention is the modification of the Hertzian electric dipole into an antenna structure that can carry large currents without requiring a large driving voltage. Antennas for the transmission or reception of sinusoidal waves achieve that goal by employing resonant structures.

Abstract: A high frequency welding device for welding plastic sheets, in which the high frequency energy is provided by fixed-frequency oscillator, preferably by using a quartz crystal amplifier, whose frequency does not change during the welding process. The output circuit is designed to have a resonance curve which, before the occurence of any change in the output and coupling circuit characteristics due to the welding process, intersects with the fixed frequency of the oscillator at a "operating point" which is on the slope of the resonance curve descending to lower frequencies. The circuit components are selected to behave in such a manner that the resonance curve undergoes a shift toward lower frequencies, with the fixed-frequency "operating point" rising across the peak of the resonance curve to a point on the slope of the curve descending to lower frequencies, as the welding process progresses.

Abstract: A broad band dipole antenna of short length is formed by two tubular linear radiators which are spaced apart at their adjacent inner ends. Each of the radiators is encased in an electrically insulative sleeve and the antenna is liquid loaded along its length by a jacket of conductive fluid disposed between the insulative sleeve and an insulative tubular housing surrounding the radiators. The dipole is center-fed and each of the radiators, at its outer end, terminates in a connection to one end of a lumped resistive load whose other end is connected to a conductive disk that is in contact with the conductive liquid.

Abstract: The invention concerns the continuous casting of metals such as alloys of copper and is directed to the type of apparatus that uses a graphite die having a mold passage in which the casting is shaped as it passes through the die. In that type of apparatus, the die is disposed between cooling elements that conduct heat away from the die to cause the hot metal to cool as it passes through the die and because the die has a tendency to bend away from the cooling elements, the apparatus employs clamps to inhibit separation of the die from the cooling elements. In the invention, means are provided to apply compressive force to the ends of the die to cause bending moments to be set up in the die that counteract the tendency of the die to bend away from the cooling elements. In the invention the die is made of two graphite plates of uniform thickness separated by graphite spacers which form a generally rectangular mold passaage.