Abstract: A carpet layers knife made for easy replacement of a replaceable blade which includes a blade holding portion and a handle portion; the blade holding portion provided with an internal shoulder to guide the blade into and out of the knife without dulling the blade, and a connecting element holding the elements of the knife together, the connecting element being positioned to be out of the path of the blade as it is inserted and retracted but capable of holding the blade firmly in its tightened position while providing a passageway for insertion and removal of the blade in its loosened position.

Abstract: A spiral piston ring made of self-lubricating material and having at least two complete convolutions and having a gradual and continuous taper except for the terminal portions thereof which taper at a steeper angle than the gradual and continuous taper, and with indentations in the convolutions adjacent to the terminal portions which are positioned and which have a size and shape to receive exactly the terminal portions.

Abstract: A compact, sound-attenuating muffler for a high-performance internal combustion engine is disclosed in which the muffler casing has an elongated transverse cross-section with a height dimension of only slightly larger than the height dimension of the inlet exhaust pipe and a width dimension in the range of about 2 to 41/2 times the height dimension. The muffler includes a divergently tapering planar first partition which causes gases to be expanded only in a horizontal plane toward the side walls of the muffler and further includes a second partition formed to contract or converge the gases in a horizontal plane toward a central opening. The first partition has a cup-shaped back surface so that contraction of the gases around the back side of the first partition is highly effective in attenuating sound, and both partitions are sloped in a direction toward the outlet from the muffler so as to minimize the generation of back pressure, which is not substantially greater than the back pressure in a straight pipe.

Abstract: A compact, animal-operated animal feeder is disclosed in which the feeder housing has a pair of foldable doors mounted over a feed opening and latched in a closed position. The doors can be unlatched by the animal, which carries a latch release device about its neck, and the natural tendency of the animal to push toward the feed will fold the doors laterally to an open position permitting access to food inside the feeder. A magnetic latch release assembly in which a plurality of permanent magnets are arranged in an array to provide a key for release of a latch having correspondingly arranged magnets is also disclosed. A compound door including a magnetically releasable latch assembly is also disclosed.

Abstract: A garment bag that can also be used as a portable clothes dryer, having a flexible, foldable enclosure with a top gusset adapted to admit the neck of a portable blower-type hair dryer, long side panels and a closed bottom. Also included is a closable opening in one side panel, a plurality of vents near the top and at least one vent at the bottom and a flexible carrying handle attached at spaced locations in the top of the bag.

Abstract: Connector apparatus for joining structural components, such as posts 19 and panels 25, to form a modular structure. Posts are extruded members with T-shaped grooves 21 therein. Affixed to the panels are grooved rails 27 with corresponding T-shaped grooves. An adjacently positioned grooved post and panel rails are joined by connector assembly 31 which consists of two C-shaped channels 33 and 35, and a plurality of transversely extending threaded elements 39 that are threadedly engaged to the channels. The threaded elements have left and right hand threaded ends 38 and 40, each end threadedly engaging one channel, and when rotated, act to increase or decrease the distance between channels to lock or unlock the panel to the post. Periodically spaced slots 47 in the channel webs or on a U-shaped member secured to the webs permit brackets 48 to be mounted to the connector apparatus.

Abstract: A device for holding flexible sheet material to a structure including a fixed element that is attachable to the structure and has at one end an elongated cavity and at the other end an intrinsic lock mechanism and a locking device having at one end an arm for holding sheet material against the interior portion of the cavity and for bearing against the open edge of the cavity, the locking element also having the second half of an intrinsic lock device that is adapted to snap into the intrinsic lock device half on the fixed element.

Abstract: A solar cooking device made of a flat array of concentric mirrors tilted to focus at a small area, the array being movable mounted on a stand to be movable around a ball joint and with a carrier for a cooking vessel held by a double crank to be at the focal area of the mirrors.

Abstract: Band saw apparatus are disclosed which include a drive assembly formed for support and guided movement of a saw blade for cutting of a workpiece, an endless band saw mounted to the drive assembly, and reciprocation apparatus formed for reciprocation of the blade toward and away from the workpiece to enable variation of the force per unit area of the cutting edge of the blade on the workpiece. In the preferred form blade reciprocation is provided by a pair of spaced apart guide assemblies each including independently operable fluid piston-cylinder assemblies coupled to a lever carrying guide blocks which engage the back edge of the saw blade. The guide blocks can be reciprocated by the fluid piston-cylinder assemblies in synchronism or out-of-phase to vary the amplitude, frequency and duration of displacement independently of blade speed and at two locations along a length of the blade so as to produce oscillation as well as simple reciprocation.

Abstract: A furnace for burning a particulate fuel compacted into a plug which includes a force feed of particulate fuel through a compacting means and into a tubular furnace in which burning is expected within the compact fuel plug by injecting air through the furnace wall.

Abstract: A biplanar posting device having a board with a rear edge and a front edge and lines passing from the rear edge toward the front edge diverging toward the front edge and intersecting the front edge at an angle of about 70 degrees with a plate fixed to the upper surface of the board having end planar portions held in contact with the board and central diverging portions in the form of two flat planes diverging from the upper surface of the board at about 4 degrees and intersecting the planes in contact with the board at a line that overlays the diverging lines. An orthotic properly placed on the device and packed with plastic beneath the heel portion will inherently be formed with a lower surface to correct a defect in the bones of a patient.

Abstract: A muffler for dissipating the sound component in exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine or the like is disclosed which has an enhanced useful life. The muffler includes a partition positioned across an incoming stream of exhaust gases. The partition is formed with stream dividing or splitting means which positively divides the stream into portions that can be more evenly directed throughout the muffler. This prevents destructive preferential flow of gases within the muffler. Additionally, shielding of sound absorption material in the muffler is accomplished by selecting the pattern of perforations to reduce the contact of such material with high velocity gases.

Abstract: A power torque wrench operated by pulling a flexible tension element tangentially from a drum which is connected through ratchet means to a coaxial driver and having a second tension element wrapped around the drum in the opposite direction so that the work stroke of the motor winds the second tension element around the drum and the return stroke of the motor winds the first tension element around the drum.

Abstract: A foldable dolly in which the arms are rotatably mounted to the frame preferably by means of interengaging sleeves formed with opposed ramps and opposed shoulders and positioned in relatively vertical alignment such that the ramps and shoulders of the first sleeve mate with the ramps and shoulders of the second sleeve. The sleeves are thereby found to permit rotation of the arms between a folded, collapsed position and an extended deployed position, while at the same time providing enhanced rigidity and stability of the arms at the extended, deployed position.

Abstract: An improved thermally actuated diffuser is disclosed. The diffuser comprises three thermal sensor actuators. A first thermal sensor actuator is responsive to changes in the room air temperature and is engaged when cool air is supplied through the duct into the room. A third thermal sensor actuator is responsive to changes in the room air temperature and is engaged when warm air is supplied to the room. A second thermal sensor actuator is responsive to changes in the duct air temperature and brings either the first or second thermal sensor actuator into engagement with the diffuser when the appropriate temperature of air is supplied through the duct and disengages the thermal actuator not being used with that duct air temperature.

Abstract: The invention concerns a three-knife trimmer, in which for the purpose of cutting on three sides stacks of books, brochures, or the like, first the side knives and then the front knife, or vice versa, are operated to carry out the cut by a single-revolution shaft, during one revolution, by means of intermediate gears at a single location, whereby the drive system for the knives consists of a guide unit and an operating unit preceding it, which operating unit is comprised of a gear unit (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) with a gear ratio that changes during one revolution of the single-revolution shaft (12). This yields a simple gear system with few parts that is simple in construction, is stable in the path of transmission and shows a harmonic motion pattern, so that the machine can operate at high speeds.