Abstract: A constant-head soil permeameter for determining hydraulic conductivity of earthen materials is inserted into a borehole at the desired test depth. A calibrated reservoir, disposed on the ground surface, is attached thereto with a suitable length of hose. Water is added to the calibrated reservoir and allowed to flow freely into the borehole until an equilibrium level is reached in the borehole and inside the soil permeameter. The water flowing to the permeameter is throttled by buoyant float pressure that is greatly increased by a single lever, lever-lever, or lever-link-lever valve control assembly which provides considerable versatility and mechanical advantage, thereby allowing more constant head control and much greater depths of testing than previously attained by known permeameters. A filtered vent system, backflow check valve, and seals restrict entry of soil particles and debris, thereby minimizing cleaning and maintenance of the invention.

Abstract: A constant-head soil permeameter for determining hydraulic conductivity of earthen materials is inserted into a borehole at the desired test depth. A calibrated reservoir, disposed on the ground surface, is attached thereto with a suitable length of hose. Water is added to the calibrated reservoir and allowed to flow freely into the borehole until an equilibrium level is reached in the borehole and inside the soil permeameter. The water flowing to the permeameter is throttled by buoyant float pressure that is greatly increased by a lever-and-link valve control assembly which provides considerable mechanical advantage, thereby allowing better constant head control and much greater depths of testing than previously attained by known permeameters. A filtered vent system, backflow check valve, and seals restrict entry of soil particles and debris, thereby minimizing cleaning and maintenance of the invention.

Abstract: One or more flow equalization basins or lagoons are utilized for performing hydrolysis of ATP as the first stage of biological phosphorus reduction, selective reduction of biological oxygen demand (BOD), deamination, and denitrification of nitrate and nitrite compounds, in addition to simultaneous flow equalization of wastewater produced by food processing operations on a 2-to-6-day schedule. The inflow half of a single basin or an entire first basin is. operated on an anaerobic/anoxic basis. The outflow half of the single basin or an entire second basin, if present, is operated on an anoxic/aerobic basis. A downstream nitrification reactor is operated on an aerobic/anoxic basis or is operated exclusively on an aerobic basis if followed by an anoxic reactor.

Abstract: An electronic security method and apparatus prevents unauthorized access to a security device, communications equipment or other equipment by generating a data coded signal between an encoding device couple with a transmitter and a decoding device coupled with a receiver; part of the coded signal is fixed but the remainder is continuously and automatically changing with reference to time and synchronization is maintained between transmitter and receiver by an identical timer chip clock in each which operates on the same oscillation frequency; specially designed computer software is used to program an identical microcontroller unit within the transmitter and the receiver.

Abstract: When a van or a sport utility vehicle having a trailer hitch and a spare tire attached to the outside of its tailgate is backing up, collision with a solid object impacts the tire and crumples the tailgate, causing expensive repairs. The backup protection device of this invention is mounted on the trailer hitch and receives the impact, transmitting it to the vehicular frame and protecting the tailgate. This device comprises a transverse tube, a central tube that is longitudinally disposed and fits over the trailer hitch, and a pair of side tubes that are disposed in parallel to the central tube. The central and side tubes are rigidly and perpendicularly attached to the transverse tube. A backup plate that is vertically disposed in use and a step plate that is horizontally disposed in use may also be attached to the transverse tube.

Abstract: A medical attachment device is described that is hung upon and rigidly attached to an upright and horizontally disposed part of a patient transport vehicle and that also grasps an upright pole of a wheeled patient care apparatus for maintaining the vehicle and the apparatus in fixed spatial relationship while both are being moved by a single medical attendant.

Abstract: An infant car seat has an adjustable carrying handle and foot and head sunvisors that can be elevated above the infant's feet and head while offering protection from sun, wind, and dust and enabling an adult to monitor the infant occupant without undue strain.

Abstract: A hanger for supporting objects such as pictures and mirrors is made of a bendable metal strip or from a molded plastic, having on one end a groove which is parallel to a wall and uppermost when mounted on the wall for supporting a picture. This groove is particularly suitable for fitting into and supporting a saw tooth clip installed on the top frame of a picture, mirror, or the like, but it is also suitable for supporting a picture hanger wire, without being exposed to view above the frame when supporting either the clip or the wire.

Abstract: A hanger for supporting objects such as pictures and mirrors is made of a bendable metal strip or from a molded plastic, having on one end a groove which is parallel to a wall and uppermost when mounted on the wall for supporting a picture. This groove is particularly suitable for fitting into and supporting a saw tooth clip installed on the top frame of a picture, mirror, or the like, but it is also suitable for supporting a picture hanger wire, without being exposed to view above the frame when supporting either the clip or the wire.

Abstract: A machine for cleaning an internal combustion engine cylinder head uses a high-pressure water jet supplied by a pump driven by an electric motor or an internal combustion engine powered by a power pack and via a spinning spray nozzle head mounted on a vertically reciprocating traveller travelling the length of a cylinder head clamped by headstock and tailstock clamping assemblies each with six conical-headed, spring-loaded clamping members clamped together by a pneumatic ram and rotatable horizontally at varying speeds by a variable-speed electric motor and drive assembly in synchronization with another electric motor driving the traveller; a spinning spray jet swivel head assembly is rotated via an hydraulic motor from the power pack; clamping and spray head assemblies are mounted within in a framed cabinet and a removable wheeled waste water collection tank underneath has fixed, vertically-opposed, horizontally spaced baffles for separation and settling sludge and floating scum from water which is then recy

Abstract: An opening device is described for cans having a tear-away closure panel that is defined by a circular score line adjacent the rim of the can, the panel being connected by a rivet to a ring tab lying approximately flush with the surface of the panel. The device has a generally circular perimeter, a handle opposite the perimeter, and a recess in the perimeter formed by a narrow mouth and two opposed prongs, the sides of at least one prong being separated by an acute angle. The opener is operated by wedging a prong beneath the ring tab to pry it upwardly and break the score line. Then the device is rolled toward the opposite side of the can, pulling the closure panel upwardly while continuing to break the score line until the closure panel is removed from the can.

Abstract: A tensile support device comprising a pair of rigid, elongated members which are horizontally disposed and attached closely together at their outer ends and held widely spaced apart by a cable or strap at their inner ends which rest against a supporting surface, such as a wall, a tree, a pole, or a plurality of balcony posts. A tensional support cable is fastened at its lower end to the outer ends of the members or to the connection between the outer ends of the members and at its upper end to the supporting surface, or to a window sill by using an auxiliary bracket, at a point substantially above the inner ends, whereby a compressive force is created along the rigid members when a plant container is hooked over the connection between the outer ends.

Abstract: The depth minder comprises a drill bit having a shank and an integrally attached flange, with male threads thereon, which has a larger diameter than the shank so that it prevents drilling to a deeper depth than the length of the drill bit beyond the flange. A primary spacer is also used which has female threads to accept the male threads of the flange partially into the top of the spacer, a bottom surface, and a central hole which is large enough to accommodate the largest sized drill bit of a series of bits, thereby further selectively reducing the drilling depth. One or more adaptor spacers of plastic or of metal are additionally used to provide additional options regarding the depth of penetration desired for the drill bit. Such an adaptor spacer is adhesively attached to the bottom surface of the primary spacer or to the lower surface of the flange, thereby providing a range of drilling depths.

Abstract: A two-piece, plastic, screw-on, closure and dispenser has an outer tubular female part with upper and lower internal screw threads and a separate, inner tubular male part with a single external screw thread rotatably attachable to the upper thread of the female part the lower thread of which is screwed onto the external screw thread of an outlet on top of a container, the male part is double-walled, an elongated pouring spout is an integral axial extension of an inner wall and a knurled hand knob is at the top of an outer wall and is turnable in either direction within the stationary female part for axial extension or retraction of the spout. An integral, internal, annular frustro-conical flange extends around the internal wall surface of the female part between threads and forms a valve seat around a fluid-flow opening.

Abstract: A mortar course tool has a tray with a sliding plate which slides under a rectangular open frame surrounding the plate to close a mortar wafer dropping gap formed by the frame while the mortar is being carried to a brick wall; the sliding plate slides away from the frame to open the gap dropping a wafer of mortar of brick top area and mortar course thickness. Runners behind and connected to the frame telescope into sleeves behind and connected to the plate in an arrangement clear of mortar to enable frame and plate to be moved towards and away from each other by means of a cross bar pull handle on each.

Abstract: A water freeze guard valve having a water-filled actuator chamber and a linkage assembly for transmitting linear expansion movement, caused by ice formation within the actuator chamber, to force a poppet disc against the seat of the valve supply port and thereby close the valve when freezing conditions occur, a latch assembly for keeping the valve open prior to freezing weather, a spring to keep the valve closed during the subsequent thaw, and a lever for manually and selectively re-opening the valve. When installed in a water supply line for a building structure that is subject to freezing and thawing conditions, the valve shuts off the supply of water to the building structure during the freeze and prevents further supply of water to the building after the thaw occurs so that the interior of the building is not damaged by flooding.

Abstract: A live chicken separating and counting machine which has a single high level primary endless belt conveyor connected by a divergent fixed chute to twin lower level secondary conveyors of higher speed than the primary conveyor to further separate chickens; a pair of additional but mobile product flow-diverting or changeover chutes is provided at the discharge end of the secondary conveyors, these chutes oscillate intermittently in a limited horizontal arc in synchronization with a pair of L-shaped flaps each of which has a long arm and a short arm, both flaps pivot in a limited vertical arc below the discharge end of the mobile chutes both of which when aligned in an inner position, fill an inner collection chamber for chickens which is closed off by short arms of the flaps and when the mobile chutes are diverted to an outer position, long arms of the flaps swing up to a horizontal position, closing off the bottom of the outer collection chambers which then fill with chickens.

Abstract: A pilot-operated, diaphragm-controlled float valve assembly has a primary valve and a pilot valve operated by a float arm, a cavity for the main valve is formed between a split segment casing and is divided by a valve disc centrally mounted upon a flexible diaphragm into a lower, larger, pressure-differential chamber and an upper, smaller, pressure-differential chamber, both chambers being fluidly connected by a variable restricting orifice formed by a gap between an axial bore in the valve disc and a fixed guide rod for the disc. The top of the guide rod acts as a seat for a pilot valve; a lateral bore extends through the top of the guide rod and another through the base of the valve, enabling water to flow into both pressure differential chambers when the main valve outlet is held normally closed against its seat by bias of the diaphragm to prevent backflow under low pressure conditions.