Abstract: A fiber to curb and telecommunications T1 carrier overvoltage protection apparatus includes a pair of semiconductor junction breakdown crowbar devices connected in series between TIP and RING telephone lines, and a reverse standoff voltage breakdown zener-type device connected between ground potential and a junction connection of the series connected semiconductor junction breakdown crowbar devices.

Abstract: A vacuum frame apparatus including a latching system with means to assist in repressurizing the vacuumized area of the frame includes a vacuum blanket support frame pivotally mounted along one side of a glass panel for holding workpieces in precise registration against the glass panel for making copies includes a hollow rectangular frame around a flexible vacuum blanket. The frame members have a plurality of small vacuum ports on the underside inside a peripheral bead seal for evacuating the space between the flexible vacuum blanket and the glass panel when a vacuum is pulled on the interior of the hollow peripheral frame by a vacuum pump. Large size frontal ports are provided on the front side member of the frame to cooperate with batch mechanisms for clamping and holding the frame tightly against the glass panel during copy making.

Abstract: A transflection reflector includes a body for simultaneously reflecting and transmitting light rays. The body is formed by a plurality of layers of a polymeric reflective material and has reflected rays at each interface between adjacent ones of the multiple layers. The body is both selectively configured and positioned relative to a light source for a predetermined distribution of reflected and transmitted rays.

Abstract: An airbag system for motor vehicles and the like includes an inflatable airbag contained in a housing having a protective cover normally closing a panel opening aligned with an open end of the airbag housing. The cover is bodily movable away from the opening during deployment of the airbag and a flexible tether is interconnected between the cover and the panel or the housing for limiting the travel of the cover away from the panel opening during deployment. The cover includes an integral outer skin and inner skin folded over and spaced therefrom having slots to permit passage of tethers into a space formed between the skins and eventually filled with foam. An anchor in the form of an elongated element is placed between the skins and the tether and is secured to the anchor for spreading the load exerted by the tether over a wide area of the cover to prevent fracturing or breakage thereof.

Abstract: An inflatable air bag module for motor vehicles includes a housing for containing an air bag in deflated condition and an inflator assembly for providing gas to inflate the air bag when activated. The housing includes a first compartment holding the deflated air bag and having an exposed outer cover on one side formed with a fracture line defining an edge of a door. The door is adapted to pivot open along a hinged area when the cover is fractured by pressure from the inflating air bag as it expands out of the compartment. The housing also includes a second compartment holding the inflator assembly and a generally flat divider panel is provided between the first and second compartments with openings therein for permitting gas from the inflator assembly to rapidly inflate the air bag.

Abstract: The invention relates to strips of cocks.

Abstract: An environmental control system for controlling heating, ventilation, humidification and air conditioning equipment located in plant area of a house includes a kit consisting of a remote control unit located in a living space of a house that is linked by a four wire link to a main control unit located in or adjacent the plant area. The remote control unit has a temperature control device, a humidity control device, and a fan control device. Additionally, the remote control unit may include indicating devices and/or an internal battery charger for a rechargeable battery that may be used to operate electronic circuits and controls in the remote unit. AC power from an AC transformer in the plant area is supplied to each of the control devices via the four wire link. The main control unit has relay coils coupled to the four wires in the wire link via selectively poled diodes.

Abstract: A break-away retaining flap for containing a deflated, folded-up airbag in a rigid housing of an airbag module while a pivotable cover is attached with fasteners to close an open end of the housing comprises a sheet of thin flexible woven fabric material having a first portion designed for attachment to the housing on a line spaced away from the open end and a second portion adapted to be secured onto a row of fasteners adjacent the open end of the housing while the cover is attached. The retaining flap holds the folded-up airbag in place in the housing during the assembly process and prevents crimping, binding or damage when the cover is installed at final assembly. The retaining flap has a weakened portion intermediately between the first and second attached portions defining a tear-away line adapted to facilitate break-away of the retaining flap into at least two parts when the airbag is inflated without impeding the rapid inflation of the airbag during deployment.

Abstract: A toilet seat, more especially for a toilet with an upwardly extending flush cistern on the rearward region thereof, has an upwardly pivotable seat ring, possibly an upwardly pivotable lid, and a back plate portion which is fixedly connected to the seat ring extending therefrom on the side of its pivot axis which is remote from the the seat ring, whereby the back plate portion is pivotable with the seat ring. The spacing in respect of height of the pivot axis of the seat ring from the underside thereof at least substantially corresponds to the spacing between that pivot axis and the rearward end of the back plate portion.

Abstract: A heel supporting protective boot for bed patients comprises a body formed of flexible, compressible, convoluted, non-allergenic foam material having foot and leg supporting portions for respectively supporting a patient's foot extended in an upright position and for supporting the patient's leg above the bed in a generally horizontal position with the patient's heel elevated above an adjacent bed surface. The boot includes a friction reducing material on the body below the leg and heel for providing free sliding movement of the boot over the bed surface with minimal resistance in order to avoid bunching-up of bed linens and avoiding dislocation of the patient's foot in the boot resulting in heel binding or lack of support for the sole of the patient's foot. An additional pad of a foam material may be adhesively secured to an outer surface of the boot to prevent external rotation of the leg and the pad may also be adhesively secured inside the boot adjacent the foot supporting portion to limit foot drop.

Abstract: A combination of a prismatic reflector and a prismatic lens is provided for use with lighting fixtures. A reflector body has a substantially parabolic contour defining an interior cavity. The reflector body includes a plurality of prisms for receiving, transmitting and reflecting light. A lens body has a first mating surface engaging the reflector body, an opposed inverted conical surface, and a sloping sidewall extending between the mating surface and the opposed inverted conical surface. The mating surface of the lens body has a larger diameter than the opposed inverted conical surface. The opposed inverted conical surface includes a plurality of prisms for receiving and for redirecting light.

Abstract: A fill valve assembly for a toilet tank or the like includes a riser and a head portion that can be vertically adjusted without removal or disassembly of the valve in order to select a precise tank liquid level. Telescoping conduits in the riser are secured in adjusted position by a bayonet latch system including detents assisted by the force applied by pressurized liquid at the inlet to the assembly. A main valve disk is held against a valve seat by pressure in a control chamber in a standby position and is moved to an open position by venting of the control chamber. The valve includes an axial peripheral flange having an enlarged bead portion captured in an annular channel to provide an O-ring type seal against positive and negative pressure while maximizing flexibility of the disk. A lever for controlling a pilot seat for venting the chamber is pivoted between fulcrum flanges and is held by shoulders abutting one of the flanges. The lever is pivoted by a float in a float chamber.

Abstract: An arrangement of spacer means for positioning between articles such as containers comprises at least one spacer portion which is adapted to extend in an upstanding position in a substantially meander-like configuration as viewed in plan between the articles which are arranged in a row. The spacer portion can be formed by a process wherein a straight portion is introduced between two rows of articles, with the articles of one row being in displaced relationship with the articles of the other row. The two rows of articles are then moved together so as to constitute a common row, thereby deforming the straight portion into a portion of meander-like configuration extending between the articles for holding them in position.

Abstract: A foot piece of elastomeric material is provided for converting a new leg and foot cast and/or an already existing leg and foot cast into a walking cast by permanent attachment of the foot piece to a sole surface of the cast. The foot piece has an upper surface generally conforming to the shape and size of the sole surface of the cast and a layer of uncured adhesive material is provided on the upper surface. The adhesive layer is protected against curing or setting until ready for use by a thin layer of air-impervious film which is stripped or peeled away to initiate curing when the foot piece is pressed or forced against the sole surface of the cast and is held until the adhesive material cures or sets to provide a permanent adhesive attachment of the foot piece on the cast for converting the cast for walking.

Abstract: Vacuum frame apparatus is provided for maintaining precise registration between and an image forming sheet to be reproduced and a light sensitive sheet adapted for controlled exposure to light. The apparatus includes a light transmitting glass panel having a planar surface for contact with the image sheet and a vacuum blanket assembly including a blanket of thin, flexible sheet material adapted to contact the light sensitive sheet and bias the sheets toward the planar surface of the glass panel while maintained in precise registration. The vacuum blanket assembly includes a peripheral edge seal around the blanket for sealing engagement with the planar face of the glass panel and means for evacuating the space inside the peripheral edge bead between the planar face of the panel and the blanket of the vacuum blanket.

Abstract: A fill valve assembly for a toilet tank or the like includes a riser and a head portion that can be vertically adjusted without removal or disassembly of the valve in order to select a precise tank liquid level. Telescoping conduits in the riser are secured in adjusted position by a bayonet latch system including detents assisted by the force applied by pressurized liquid at the inlet to the assembly. A main valve disk is held against a valve seat by pressure in a control chamber in a standby position and is moved to an open position by venting of the control chamber. The valve includes an axial peripheral flange having an enlarged bead portion captured in an annular channel to provide an O-ring type seal against positive and negative pressure while maximizing flexibility of the disk. A lever for controlling a pilot seat for venting the chamber is pivoted between fulcrum flanges and is held by shoulders abutting one of the flanges. The lever is pivoted by a float in a float chamber.

Abstract: An assembly method and a thermostat for an electric/gas oven are provided. An enclosure formed by a base and a cover for enclosing a switch subassembly includes axially aligned channels extending through opposed walls and external keying and positioning features. A pair of axially aligned actuators are received within the axially aligned channels. A frame having cooperating keying and positioning features positions and supports the enclosure containing the switch subassembly and supports both a temperature responsive subassembly and a spindle subassembly in operative position with respect to the actuators.

Abstract: The present invention provides an XYZ type laboratory robot to be used with various peripherals suitable for analyzing and/or preparing samples of liquid. The robot has a work surface (1) including a moving system (2) for supporting elements (7) required for analyzing and/or preparing the samples of liquid. The work surface is associated with an appropriate sample-taking device such as a needle (5) connected to an automatic syringe and displaced vertically on appropriate sampling arms (3, 4) so that the needle (5) can be displaced along three orthogonal axes X, Y and Z. The needle (5) can be inserted into an appropriate stopper member (8) temporarily secured to the elements (7) such that a bottom portion of the needle (5) actively cooperates with the stopper member (8) resulting in the stopper member (8) exerting frictional forces on the outside of the bottom portion of the needle (5) to temporarily connect one of the elements (7) to the needle (5).

Abstract: A new and improved method and apparatus for altering the firing pattern of an existing furnace of the type including at least one pair of vertically spaced apart burners mounted on a wall of the furnace and supplied with secondary air from a common windbox. The method involves cutting a rectangular panel from the furnace wall around a first burner wherein the burner is located asymmetrically toward a first panel end and spaced farther away from a vertically opposite second end of the panel. The cut-out panel is then reversed in orientation from end to end so that the first burner is then spaced farther apart at a greater distance from a second burner. The panel is reinstalled in the furnace wall in reverse orientation thereby providing a greater spacing or staging distance between the first and second burners producing a reduced level of NO.sub.x when the burners are fired.