Abstract: An ambient air intake system for a dry cleaner is disclosed which draws room air through the access opening when the door to the machine is open and vents this air to an outlet without passing it through the interior tubs which contain residual solvent vapor laden air. To accomplish this an air duct is interposed between the access opening of the cabinet housing the dry cleaner and the open end of the interior tubs, with the duct effectively sealed about the periphery of the cabinet opening and the open end of the outer tub and having aligned openings therethrough to define a passageway through which the clothes are inserted and removed. The duct is connected to an electrically actuated normally closed valve which in turn is connected to the inlet of a motor driven fan, the outlet side of which leads to an exhaust pipe.

Abstract: A generator for controlling a transducer by means of sinusoidal wave trains is constituted by the association in series of a generator for producing wave trains formed by a whole number of half-cycles of periodic signals and of a filter which is tuned to the frequency of the periodic signals.

Abstract: An improved loader mechanism is used with a machine tool having a chuck which is operated between opened and closed conditions and a bar feed mechanism having a feed gripper which is also opened and closed. The loader mechanism is operable to transfer one piece of bar stock at a time from an intermediate station to a loading station while simultaneously transferring another piece of bar stock from a magazine to the intermediate station. After a piece of bar stock has been moved to the loading station, the piece of bar stock is registered relative to the feed gripper and chuck by activating a compensating cylinder to press the leading end of the piece of bar stock against a stop member. When the stop member has been moved out of the way of the registered piece of bar stock, a main cylinder is activated to push the registered piece of bar stock into the open feed gripper and chuck.

Abstract: This invention presents a method of making a rigid unitary fertilizer composite for fertilizing plants and trees and articles produced by the method. In the form of a spike, the composite has sufficient strength and toughness so as to enable it to be pushed or pounded into the ground near the roots of plants and trees. The method involves making an aqueous paste containing plant nutrients, acrylamide, and a catalyst for the polymerization of the acrylamide. The paste is then molded to the desired shape. The acrylamide is allowed to polymerize, after which time the excess water is removed by drying. The final product, which should contain at least 5 weight percent polyacrylamide, is a rigid mass.

Abstract: A thermal cycling switch such as is used to control surface units on domestic cooking ranges is provided with a compression spring arrangement urging the cam controlling the switch in one direction and a shaft axially movable relative to the cam in an opposite direction, and detent means are provided to prevent the shaft and cam from being rotated until the shaft is first shifted axially relative to the cam.

Abstract: A method of forming a colored oxide film on the surface of an aluminum material is disclosed in which the aluminum material is subjected to an electrolytic treatment in an aqueous solution containing sulfuric acid to form an aluminum oxide film containing aluminous oxides and having lattice defects; sulfuric ions in the solution are caused to enter into the lattice defects of the oxide film; some or all of the sulfuric ions are reduced to form sulfur and sulfides; and the colored oxide film is formed using the sulfur and sulfides as coloring sources.

Abstract: A paint spray gun of the airless type is disclosed. The spray gun includes a central passageway for delivering liquid paint under pressure to a spray tip having an elongated, sharp edged spray opening and a pre-orifice adjustable in cross-sectional area positioned upstream in the passageway from the spray opening. The pre-orifice is formed by an elastomeric member having an opening therethrough co-axially aligned with the passageway and the spray opening. The elastomeric member is arranged for axial loading and elastic deformation to vary the cross-sectional area of the pre-orifice opening by operation of a control knob externally mounted on the body portion of the spray gun.

Abstract: There is provided an improved bar stock feed tube characterized by its ability to reduce noise level. The tube structure is composed of inner and outer tubes defining an annular space therebetween, the annular space being sealed at each end and being filled with a particulate material, particularly metallic shot, e.g. lead.

Abstract: A motor vehicle air brake system includes a blend back proportioning valve which reduces brake sensitivity at low braking pressures and which allows full braking at high braking pressures.

Abstract: A thermally sensitive check valve is disclosed in which a bimetallic snap disc functions in one position as the check valve element and in another position to either maintain the valve open as in one illustrated embodiment, or to maintain the valve closed as illustrated in another embodiment. By combining the check valve function and the valving function in a single bimetallic snap disc, a simple and reliable device is provided.