Abstract: A method of illuminating flags raised on flagpoles, particularly advertising flags of the kind placed along roads and highways adjacent restaurants, hotels, and gasoline stations. One or more flags containing ultralight fluorescent material are illuminated by one or more lamps which transmit a significant proportion of ultraviolet light.

Abstract: A tumbler loader assembly is capable of moving a container to be tumbled from a conveyor loading area into a tumbler device using a feed cart while maintaining a low cart profile. The feed cart is capable of moving the container on conveyor rollers along the feed cart as well as having the capability for movement along a guide rail from a first position where the container is loaded onto the feed cart to a second position interior of the tumbler. The tumbler device has raising and lowering capability for interengaging the feed cart as well as for positioning the container for proper tumbling. Upon loading of the container onto the feed cart, the feed cart moves along the guide rail into the tumbler. The tumbler lowers to interengage the feed cart. The feed cart then transfers the container into the tumbler and the tumbler raises to allow the feed cart to return to its starting position.

Abstract: A fixture mount for providing a flush surface adjacent the ridge of a cathedral ceiling at the position where a ceiling fan or light fixture is to be supported is disclosed. The fixture mount is capable of fitting any common cathedral ceiling pitch and allows the user to mount a ceiling fan or fixture in a location such as the center of a room in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The fixture mount can be formed as a monolithic member or, alternatively, with a base mount member and one or more pitch mount members stacked sequentially, with each successive pitch mount varying the pitch of the fixture mount such that, when the pitch of a particular cathedral ceiling is known, the fixture mount of the present invention can be readily modified to correspond to the pitch of the ceiling.

Abstract: A sleeve system and method for using same provides an encasement for wires and cables passing through a wall or floor. The sleeve system is particularly useful in allowing the walls within a building to meet fire code requirements. The sleeve system can be used regardless of whether the wiring or cabling has already been installed through the wall or floor. The invention includes a pair of mating sleeve units individually inserted around the cables through the wall or floor and appropriate securing devices for tightly retaining the sleeve units in place. In one embodiment, the securing devices include at least one slotted flange and a slotted coupler on each side of the wall. The sleeve construction also allows easy installation of additional cables through the sleeve.

Abstract: A mooring device for securing a boat to a pole or other element at a mooring dock. The device includes an elongated tubular handle having attached at one end a flexible tubular piece which is looped back upon itself. A continuous mooring line or rope has one end which extends into the back end of the tubular handle, through the handle and tubular loop, back through the handle and out of the open back end where it is knotted with the other trailing end of the rope to form a loop at the back end. The trailing end of the rope may extend a predetermined length from the back end of the handle and, at its terminal end, may be looped back upon itself to form another attachment loop. The rope is pulled fight within the handle and the flexible tubular piece so that the loop at the front of the handle is retained in an open condition, laterally displaced from the handle, and the load or tensile forces tying the boat to the dock post are borne by the rope itself.

Abstract: A process of manufacturing a superconducting compound including mixing stoichiometric amounts of a metallic oxide, copper oxide and a metallic carbonate wherein the metal of the metallic oxide is one other than yttrium and is selected and identified by its intrinsic massivity which is close in value to the intrinsic massivity of yttrium and wherein the interplanar distance on the C axis between Cu--O planes that exchange electrons through the electron-hopping mechanism in the ceramic perovskite is within the range of 1.97 .ANG. and 1.01 .ANG.. The mixture is subjected to pressure to form pellets and the pellets are then heated in forming the compound. The compound produced by the process and ceramic compositions having the formulas Mn Sr.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x and Mn.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x.

Abstract: A vehicle security system for immobilizing a vehicle to prevent theft and other unauthorized movement of the vehicle. The system includes a brake blocking valve for selectively preventing fluid communication between the vehicle wheel brake cylinders and the vehicle brake master cylinder. The brake blocking valve is activated after the vehicle is brought to a stop, the service brakes are applied, and either an activation pushbutton is pressed to engage the system while the engine is running, or, alternatively, the system is automatically activated by turning off the ignition switch while foot pressure is maintained on the service brake. In addition to blocking vehicle movement by locking the service brakes in the brake engaged condition, the system also disables the starter by opening the starter circuit, and it disables the ignition coil by opening the ignition circuit, thereby further deterring and preventing unintended vehicle movement.

Abstract: An improved tank bottom configuration formed from a flat metal plate of square or rectangular shape is disclosed. The plate is sheared to provide two adjacent sides which are tapered along their lengths and a notch is cut in each corner portion. By the use of stop and die members, the plate member is deformed to provide a bottom wall portion which slopes downwardly toward one corner and upwardly extending side wall portions which extend around the periphery of the bottom wall portion. A drain opening and a crease are formed in the bottom wall portion, with the crease being aligned with and spaced from the drain opening.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for remotely controlling one or more vehicle functions. The method includes providing a first coded signal transmitted by a cordless transmitter. The signal is received in a receiver located in the vehicle. The receiver includes a decoding device to detect and identify the code and to compare the signal code with a vehicle specific code. When agreement is found between the received code and the vehicle specific code, the receiver activates one or more electronic circuits in the vehicle through the agency of a control circuit, such as to deactivate one or more of the vehicle functions. The method also includes transmitting from the cordless transmitter a second coded signal which results in the activation of those vehicle functions that were earlier deactivated.

Abstract: A socket holder for a set of wrench sockets can be magnetically attached to any metal surface while firmly securing the sockets therein. The socket holder has individual sleeves, each capable of receiving a socket, and a radial contracting member secured to each sleeve within the holder for the purpose of gripping the socket as it is placed within the sleeve. In one embodiment of the invention, the radial contracting member is in the form of a resilient gasket attached to the inner walls of each sleeve. In another embodiment of the invention, the radial contracting member is a foam pad secured between the outer shell and a spacer plate, wherein the foam pad has pre-cut holes to align with the socket holder sleeves.

Abstract: A rotary internal combustion engine has a double pivot center and allows for efficient communication between a central cylindrical intake/compression chamber and a crescent-shaped expansion chamber. Power packs rotating about the upper pivot location receive compressed gases from the compression chamber located within a flywheel which is positioned to rotate about the lower pivot location. Intake gases are ultimately compressed within the power packs before being ignited and causing a delayed powering of the power packs through the expansion chamber. Intermeshing of the power packs with the flywheel allows for the conversion of the power of the expanding gases acting on the power pack into rotation of the flywheel to power a drive shaft intimately mounted to the flywheel.

Abstract: A controllable pitch propeller for application principally to sailboats employing electric auxiliary power. The design addresses a highly efficient approach to performing four basic functions desirable on sailing vessels that have electrical, or internal combustion, auxiliary power and onboard electrical systems typically employing batteries. The design employs no external nor remote actuator means; instead, blade position (nominal pitch) is inherently "controlled" by the direction of shaft rotation and whether the propeller is acting as a propulsor or a turbine. The four basic functions, or configurations, performed by the design are 1) forward propulsion, 2) reverse propulsion, 3) efficient power generation as a turbine, and 4) feathering for no-power minimum drag. The propeller includes a cambered blade configured with a cross section that would purposely act efficiently with fluid inflow impinging on either edge, depending upon the function being performed.

Abstract: An optical fibre-connecting device includes a passageway which is funnel-shaped at both ends thereof and with which an optical fibre is intended to be inserted from either end into the passageway, so that the fibres will meet one another therein. The connecting device (1) includes a first silicon part (7) having a flat surface in which one or more grooves (8) of V-shaped cross-section have been etched. Additionally the connecting device (1) includes a second part (9) which is made of transparent glass and which has a flat side that is intended to abut the grooved surface of the first part (7) so as to form a channel of triangular cross-section, wherein a circle inscribed in the channel will have a diameter which is only slightly larger than the outer diameter of an optical fibre (5, 6).

Abstract: A mirror support structure for mounting at the rear of a vehicle to support a mirror for convenient viewing of a trailer hitch element positioned at the rear of the vehicle while the observer is seated in the vehicle driver's seat. The mirror support structure includes a mounting member adapted to engage with and be supported by a surface at the rear of the vehicle, and a support arm that is slidably carried by the mounting member and that is positioned at an acute angle relative to the vehicle surface. A mounting arrangement is provided for securing a convex mirror to the support arm.

Abstract: Pants pressing apparatus including a buck around which an operator turns the top or waist end of a pair of pants and cycles a pressing head with respect to the buck to perform the top end pressing operation. The apparatus includes a rotator mechanism including a clamp assembly which grasps the bottom end or cuffs of the pants and turns the cuffs and legs of the pants incrementally through 360.degree. as the operator is topping the waist end of the pants. The finished pants are thus free of any undesirable wrinkles.

Abstract: A mobile abattoir, particularly for slaughtering and processing sheep and members of the deer family. The abattoir is in the form of a towable, wheel-carried and covered vehicle which includes a machine room (11) that houses equipment for supplying electricity, water and heat distribution, a personnel room (50) and three processing stations, namely a first station (20) which includes lifting and transporting equipment for bringing a slaughtered animal to a first hanging and carcass processing position, a second station (30) which includes equipment for transferring the animal carcass from a hanging position in the first station to a lying position on a longitudinally movable processing bench (31), where the skin of the animal is removed from the carcass, equipment for connecting the carcass to a third station (40) which includes a movable transport part (15) and in which the carcass is finally processed while hanging from the path, whereafter the thus processed carcass is moved to a cooling space (60).

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for quantifying the leak flow rate of a fluid from a fluid leak site in a piping system. An ultrasonic sound detector is used to accumulate sound level data for known leak sites in known piping system elements through which a known fluid flows at known temperatures and pressures. The accumulated data provide a database to permit the determination of gas leakage rates in actual piping systems by comparing test data obtained for the actual piping system with the data contained in the database. Based upon the cost of the fluid, the annual costs for fluid lost as a result of leakage can be determined, as well as the annual volume of fluid lost.

Abstract: A method for making applique elements without the need for a light box, and without the need for tracing outlines of the applique elements onto the applique fabric materials. A pre-printed paper sheet is provided having outlines of the applique elements printed thereon in non-transferable ink. The back surface of the paper sheet is coated with a low softening temperature coating, such as a wax or a polymeric coating having a low heat softening temperature to releasably attach the cut, printed applique elements to the back of the applique fabric material. The applique elements are cut from the sheet of applique material and are releasably adhered to the back or wrong side of the applique fabric by pressing with a warm iron. An adhesive coating is applied to the seam allowance and to the peripheral edge of the template, and applique elements are cut from the applique material sheet together with the seam allowance, which is then folded over the template edge to adhere the seam allowance to the template.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming substantially parallel upper and lower surfaces on flexible freezer bags containing freezable materials so that upon freezing the packages are readily stackable one above another. The apparatus includes a rigid base plate having a planar top surface, a plurality of substantially parallel, spaced column members extending upwardly from the top surface of the base plate, and a plurality of rigid, intermediate plate members adapted to be slidably carried along the surfaces of the column members so that the upper and lower surfaces of the intermediate plate members are substantially parallel with the planar top surface of the base plate. Bags having fluid or semi-solid, flexible contents to be frozen are positioned one above another between respective intermediate plate members for freezing. After freezing the bags have opposed, parallel upper and lower surfaces that facilitate stacking the bags on a horizontal freezer shelf.

Abstract: A display unit of the LCD type having a display side and a rear side. The display side is provided with a first layer that is both transparent and electrically conductive, and the rear side is provided with a layer that is electrically conductive. Both of the electrically conductive layers are electrically connected with each other and are also electrically connected to ground. The conduction of the electrically conductive layers is such as to make lower than 5 k.OMEGA. the resistance from any point on the display side or any point on the rear side to a point at which the conductive layers are connected.