Abstract: A plastic stabilized composite camshaft and method. In one version, a hollow polished tube is positioned within appropriately aligned and fixtured annular cam elements having interior protrusions that increase in size toward the tube axis and a flowable, hardenable material is injected through the tube to fill the voids between the tube and the cam elements for securing the cam elements to the tube. The protrusions enhance the grip of the plastic with shrinkage. The surfaces of the tube and of the cam elements are preground to finish dimensions. In another version, the annular cam elements are originally circular and formed into their final configuration in the mold by appropriately configured side acting shuttles. In a preferred embodiment for automotive applications, the shaft and cam elements have nesting configurations that form a continuous space therebetween such that the hardened material compressionally resists torsional forces between the shaft and cam elements.

Abstract: A four-mode pneumatic relay includes a relay body defining four chambers, each coupled to a port. Two of the chambers are formed by a diaphragm assembly consisting of a rolling diaphragm coupled to an input post that drives a movable orifice shaft and a pair of diaphragms of different effective areas coupled to said movable orifice shaft. A movable plug assembly includes valve plugs for interconnecting the first chamber with the second chamber and the second chamber with the third chamber via a valve seat and an orifice and recess in the movable orifice shaft. A pair of mechanical switches couple different ones of said ports for providing multi-mode operation. One switch supplies input pressure to either the first port or the third port and another switch couples the second and fourth ports together to vents the fourth port.

Abstract: A self-operated droop compensated regulator includes a spring casing and a lower casing, sandwiching a diaphragm. The lower casing has inlet and outlet ports. A one piece cam stem and relief seat is mounted for movement with the diaphragm and includes a first cam surface for directly engaging a movable disk holder. The disk holder is movable in a straight line within an orifice tube that supports the valve seat. The cam surface moves the disk holder at a nonlinear rate with respect to the diaphragm. A pressure relief mechanism is incorporated within the upper portion of the diaphragm. A bias spring acts, between a second similar cam surface on the opposite side of the stem and the disk holder, to maintain the first cam surface in contact with the disk holder. The orifice tube has a removable boost end cap for providing a boost action to the diaphragm.

Abstract: A metallic gas pressure regulator includes a spring casing and a lower casing, sandwiching a diaphragm. The lower casing has axially aligned inlet and outlet ports. A one piece plastic cam stem and relief seat is mounted for movement with the diaphragm and includes a cam surface engaging a movable plastic disk holder. The disk holder is movable within a plastic orifice tube that supports a plastic valve seat. The orifice tube has a removable plastic boost end cap for providing a boost action to the diaphragm. A pressure relief mechanism is incorporated within the upper portion of the diaphragm. A metal disk is affixed in the inlet and includes a flow restricting hole and a flow diverter for directing flow toward the pressure relief mechanism in the event of destruction of the plastic orifice tube.

Abstract: A straight line, side opening dead end cable clamp includes a pivotally mounted keeper that is spring loaded on the cable clamp body to urge the keeper into an open position. The body of the clamp has a very low profile permitting it to be formed in a mold that has a straight parting line. A cable receiving groove is formed in the body at an angle to bring the axis of the cable in line with the supporting clevis. The keeper has an elongated cable compression member that is maintained in alignment with the cable receiving groove. A single and a double U bolt design are disclosed. The compressive force applied to the cable by the cable compression member and the cable supported groove in the body is maximum at the supportive end of the clamp and minimum at the mouth of the clamp. A double loop spring member couples the keeper to the body and urges the keeper to an open position to permit access to the cable receiving groove.

Abstract: In a duplicating machine, a system for readily interchanging a printing head on a permanent rotatable shaft of a printing couple of the machine, to facilitate rapid changing of printed indicia in short run duplicating situations. An elongated manually manipulatable segment is readily removably mountable on the rotatable shaft. At least one ring-like mounting member is fixable to the manually manipulatable segment at any position therealong. At least one adjustable printing head is secured to the mounting member. The manually manipulatable segment can be bodily removed from the shaft and the printing head can be replaced or adjusted while the machine continues to operate.

Abstract: A housekeeping manifold is provided at the end of a row of ejector apertures of a drop-on-demand printhead module. The housekeeping manifold includes upper and lower parts disposed on opposite sides of the row of ejector apertures, a trench extending between the manifold parts through which ink drops from the ejector apertures are discharged, openings between the manifold parts and the trench and a ducting arrangement for supplying environmental fluids to or exhausting such fluids from the region of said apertures by way of the manifold parts and trench.

Abstract: A drop-on-demand ink drop printhead is mounted fixed in a printer for selectively printing drops of ink in a print line. The printhead comprises a plurality of stacks of like print modules arranged in side-by-side relationship to form a number of laterally offset module layers. Each of the modules includes at least one group of uniformly laterally spaced ink ejectors, the groups in each layer being laterally spaced by the same amount such that drops from overlapping portions of two or more of the groups interleave to form a segment of the print line. Make-up ink and air supply ducting arrangements are provided for the modules in each stack.

Abstract: A large volume recording pen suitable for use in graphic recorders and the like includes an elongated cylindrical body defining an internal ink reservoir. A cap is secured to the upper portion of the cylindrical body while the lower portion defines a tapered portion joined to a downwardly extending reduced section tip extension. A conventional ball receptacle is formed at the lower end of the tip extension and supports a captivated recording ball. A pressure ball sized and configured to be received within and freely movable within the interior of the pen body supports a coating of nonwetting material. An ink supply is supported within the cylindrical body and is in communication with the ball receptacle and recording ball by a tip supply passage within the tip extension. The pressure ball is supported upon the upper surface of the ink supply within the cylindrical pen body by the capillary action of the ink.

Abstract: A sheet slicing mechanism includes a rigid frame member supporting a stepper motor coupled to a drive gear. A rotatably supportable rotary member includes a driven gear coupled to the drive gear and is rotatably supported upon the frame. A blade frame having a generally cylindrical configuration is received within the rotary member and is freely movable in the vertical axis. The blade frame supports a cutting blade and a cutting force weight. The rotary member defines a vertical slot which cooperates with an outwardly extending pin in the blade frame to permit the blade frame to be vertically movable with respect to the rotary member while locked thereto as to rotational motion. A solenoid activated lifting means is supported upon the frame and is operable to raise the blade frame to a noncutting position.

Abstract: A directionally controllable air cylinder has a set of circumferentially disposed air passages formed at each end of a closed tube. A sleeve manifold surrounds the tube and is pneumatically sealed thereto by means of a plurality of O-rings. The O-rings are positioned such that they selectively expose the sets of air passages to the manifold for receiving compressed air and to the atmosphere for venting. The direction of piston movement is determined by the set of passages exposed to compressed air. A pilot piston moves the manifold in response to a pilot air signal in one embodiment and an electrically operated solenoid moves it in another version. The manifold may also be manually or mechanically moved to operate the air cylinder. Hydraulic cylinders utilizing fluids, other than air, are also disclosed.

Abstract: An anti-motion sickness mechanism comprises a platform suspended from a conveyance for movement about all principal axes. Any vertical movement of from 0 to 0.5 Hz has a tendency to cause motion sickness. A supplementary vertical movement of about 2.5 Hz is added to the platform to break up such vertical movement into sub-movements having a reduced tendency to cause motion sickness.

Abstract: An abrasive multi-disc cutter is formed by uniformly coating a cylindrical holder with a mixture of diamond powder and resin. The holder is rotated about its longitudinal axis while one or more beams of laser energy are used to ablate the resin for forming a plurality of annular depressions in the coating, the depressions being equally spaced along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical holder. An abrasive annular cutting disc is thereby provided between each pair of successive annular depressions. The cutter is used to cut a plurality of parallel, spaced ink cavities in a piezoelectric substrate forming part of an ink jet printer printhead.

Abstract: A graphic recorder includes a moveable pen carriage and drive means associated with the pen carriage for causing it to travel back and forth under computer control. A media roller defines a continuous cylindrical member supported beneath the carriage path and coupled to a computer controlled media drive system. Recording pens supported on the pen carriage are selectively lowered into recording positions in which they write upon a flexible media and against the media roller directly.

Abstract: A flexible catheter for opening obstructions in blood vessels comprises a coil spring rotatably mounted in the end of a hollow tube. The spring is driven off center by a flexible wire drive shaft that is an extension of the coil spring. The end turn of the coil spring forms a cutting edge. A thin, flexible wire guide is affixed to the outside of the hollow tube adjacent to the coil spring and extends in front of the cutting edge. The wire guide has a free end that passes back into the coil spring and hollow tube. The wire guide follows the orientation of the blood vessel and guides the coil spring.

Abstract: An engine analyzer includes an A/D converter for sampling analog data from an engine under test and developing digital data consisting of 11 magnitude bits and a sign bit. Four flag bits are added to make a digital word of sixteen bits with the four added bits being equal to the sign bit. Flags are set by making their bit value opposite to that of the sign bit. The sixteen bit words are stored in a RAM memory and the presence of the flags enables ready identification and retrieval of the data.