Abstract: Coaxial valves usually contain only one moving part. It has not been easy, then, to provide for electric motor actuation. Many actuators being proposed involve designs which lead to bulky packages. The key facing those improving coaxial valves is the provision of suitable linear actuation. The valve herein includes a valve housing with a flow channel therethrough. Arranged in the flow channel is a closing body. In alignment with the closing body is a ball screw actuator which includes a ball nut and a cylindrical screw. The ball nut surrounds a threaded portion of the cylindrical screw. The cylindrical screw is provided with a passageway therethrough through which fluid flows. The cylindrical screw is disposed in the flow channel to become a control tube adapted to move toward and away from the valve seat. To rotate the ball nut an actuating drive is employed driven by a stepper motor.

Abstract: During the last ten years patents directed to luggage scanning apparatus began to appear in the patent art. Absent from the variety of approaches in the art is stereoscopic imaging that entails exposing two or more images of the same object, each taken from a slightly different perspective. If the perspectives are too different, that is, if there is too much separation of the X-ray exposures, the image will look flat. Yet with a slight separation, a stereo separation, interference occurs. Herein a system is provided for the production of stereo pairs. One perspective, a left or a right perspective angle, is first established. Next, the other perspective angle is computed. Using these left and right perspectives the X-ray sources can then be spaced away from each other.

Abstract: Agricultural forced air heaters marketed for use in farm buildings which house poultry, swine, and livestock are quite susceptible to the accumulation of dust and other particles. These heaters are gas fired units having combustion, air mixing, blower and blower motor components assembled in a parallelepiped housing. To admit incoming air for their blowers and burners the heaters have multiple openings in the form of grid-like air intake ports on various heater sides. In the environments in which they are used the extensive use of air intake holes is a disadvantage. In the heater herein panels form four distinct chambers, a blower chamber, an air mixing chamber, a motor chamber, and a combustion chamber. Air inlets open into the motor chamber as the only air inlets in the heater housing. These air inlets provide all of the air for the heater.

Abstract: Shadowboxes traditionally have been used to show, and at the same time protect, hobbyist's items on display. The arrival of limited edition collectibles has led to a revival of the crafts of fabricating, not only shadowboxes, but other multiple compartment storage cases for use by hobbyists. Unfortunately the compartments in such cases cannot meet all of the size and shape requirements needed for various items now being collected. Such shadowboxes and stowage cases are not quite practical because they must be made to order. They also are not useable by artists and others desiring storage compartments that are not visible. Provided herein are multiple compartment storage cases that meet the stowage requirements for a wide variety of articles because they can be assembled by the user.

Abstract: A system for shopping for goods and services includes central communications facilities and remote communications facilities connected by communications links and permitting data communications between them. Central communications facilities offer goods and services in competition with each other. Each central communications facility stores, in addition to data, graphics in the form of video, and audio in the form of computerized voice and music. Computer input devices at each remote communications facility permit customers to access the data, graphics and audio. Computers at each remote communications facility also enable that facility to receive and download the data, graphics, and audio. Each remote communications facility is adapted to enable a customer, after viewing the data, graphics, and audio, to electronically negotiate a price for the purchase of the goods and services.

Abstract: A buoyant apparatus is provided for floating plants and other foliage in ponds. It is directed to a floating support or raft for one or more plant pots. Such materials are attractive to fish and other aquatic animals frequently present in such decorative ponds. In the floatable foliage pots herein the floating base or collar is protected so that it cannot be chewed, and ruined by aquatic animals. A mesh screen is adapted to cover exposed surfaces of the collar to prevent fish from biting it.

Abstract: There is a need for a carrier or rack enabling owners of passenger vans, and some delivery vans, to haul elongated objects. Such carriers or load carrying bracket attachments are provided herein for vans of the type having two sets of upper and lower external door leaf hinges. A rack element is adapted for each set of hinges, with the two cooperating or jointly forming the rack itself. Each rack element includes a support rail having upper and lower hanging brackets on its inner surface adapted to fit between the hinge leaves to hang on the upper and lower door hinges. A rigid arm attached to the front surface of the support rail extends outwardly as a boom for supporting objects such as ladders, plywood and the like which are to be carried by the van.

Abstract: Shelving patent emphasis appears to be concentrated on ventilated shelving. The shelving herein is for use with wall studs. The areas between studs in garages, basements, and attics usually constitute wasted space. This space is even less pleasing when free standing shelves are placed in front of studs. There is a need for shelves which effectively utilize the spaces between exposed studs. Stud shelves available commercially are only as deep as the depth of the studs themselves, and both hands are needed to screw or nail up one end of the shelf while the other end of the shelf dangles freely. The shelving herein extends beyond the front edges of the studs, and spikes support the shelves during installation.

Abstract: The combination, a wire shelf, a shelf liner therefor, and a two element shelf liner retaining mechanism is disclosed. The wire shelf is the type including transverse deck rods supported by longitudinal rods. The shelf liner is in the form of a sheet of a plastic sized to rest on the transverse rods and to extend along the longitudinal rods. The two element liner retaining element includes a spring clip to hold the liner, and an integral rod engaging element to prevent the shelf liner from sliding.

Abstract: Washers for cleansing metal parts, filters, quartz tubes and the like are either drum washers, or washers in the form of cabinets equipped with sprays. Industrial washers are washers adapted for assembly line cleaning of metal parts. Separate treating zones lead to the highly cleaned metal surfaces required by many coating processes. A conveying means is usually installed in the ceilings or floors of such washers for continuous transport of fabricated metal articles therethrough, and tanks are disposed in the base of such washers. Chemical cleaning agents utilized in industrial spray washers have a significant corrosive effect on the washer equipment. Herein a life-extending solution to the corrosion problem is provided. Plastic panels are carried by framework members to form a housing over the tanks, spray assemblies and drain areas.

Abstract: The invention constitutes a gutter cleaning system which includes a canister type vacuum cleaner with tubular wand sections with a nozzle adapted to be inserted into a gutter to remove debris therein. The nozzle carries an optical viewing system such as a fiber optic device or a television camera enabling the operator to observe the cleaning operation as it is performed.

Abstract: Traditional alternators, that is those non-inductor alternators employed in machines such as automobiles, provide either moving conductors which cut through a stationary magnetic field, or a moving magnetic field which passes over stationary conductors. In conventional inductor alternators, neither the field nor armature rotate. An electromotive force is induced in the output windings by periodic changes in the local reluctance of the magnetic circuit carrying the magnetic flux. The reluctance is governed by the shape of the rotor relative to the stator. By the elimination of the stator housing and of the rotor encompassing stator, this invention provides for the use, as inductor alternator rotors, of components which previously could not function as rotors.

Abstract: Since they should not be stacked, display racks are generally used to hold such objects as compact discs, video discs, records and the like. In display racks compact discs can be displayed for sale, and for showing them at home. Because of their generally planar structures, originally discs and records were stored in bins or troughs. But the most desirable display racks are those which display and advertise the articles as well as store them. In view of the art work which is customarily utilized on envelopes or jackets in which such objects are sold it is beneficial to aesthetically exhibit them. This is done by disposing them adjacent each other in registered relationship relative to each other in an aesthetically desirable display so that they are arranged side-by-side in picture fashion. The disadvantage of such displays is that in such arrangements individual discs are quite difficult to remove because of their proximity to each other and to the shelves which hold them.

Abstract: Automatic hair and scalp treatment machines are known which include a bowl, and a closure therefor, adapted to enclose the head with the face outside the closure. Also included are spray manifolds on an oscillating arcuate header, and driving means imparting partial rotation to the arcuate header. It has been found that dermatoses characterized by the formation of skin cells too rapidly to be eliminated, such as psoriasis, can be treated with this apparatus. Without the machine, removal of the dead cells or plaques is both time consuming and messy. In this treatment it is desirable to begin with low pressure sprays, and increase the pressure to the maximum which the patient can tolerate. One form of apparatus which could be used for this purpose is the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,121. In that prior art device the pressure regulator was a conventional regulator ahead of the header. By this invention an adjustable pressure means is provided.

Abstract: An automatic hair and scalp treatment machine which includes a bowl having a front wall, and a closure therefor, adapted to enclose the head with the face outside the closure. Also included are spray manifolds on an oscillating arcuate header, and a driving device imparting partial rotation to the arcuate header. Spray heads are located on the manifolds such that spray is deflected off of the front wall onto the users neck at the hairline.

Abstract: An automatic hair and scalp treatment machine which includes a bowl, and a closure therefor, adapted to enclose the head with the face outside the closure. Also included are spray manifolds on an oscillating arcuate header, and driving device imparting partial rotation to the arcuate header. Each spray manifold having a spray head oriented to direct spray around the ear.

Abstract: In order to compensate for the torque component generated by the main rotor f a helicopter, the helicopter engine turns a tail rotor while it is turning the main rotor. Tail rotors, while essential components, take power from the engine, introduce a drag force, add weight, and increase rotor noise. Since the engine is as close as possible to the main rotor, the complexity, number of parts, weight and efficiency of the remote tail rotor have gone unchanged. By this invention, those parts, and hence their added weights, have been eliminated. A self-driving tail rotor for a helicopter is provided herein.

Abstract: In external cargo carrying helicopters single or multiple point suspension argo slings are attached to cargo hooks on the undersides of helicopter fuselages. It is common practice to use such helicopters to transport motorized vehicles with those cargo slings, but transporting such vehicles presents a rigging problem. This method of transporting such vehicles is frequently impractical, either because of the excessive number of sorties necessary to transport the vehicles, or because when two vehicles are carried at once they bump against each other. By this invention a cargo adapter is provided by which two vehicles can be carried without bumping against each other during flight.

Abstract: A means for controlling a rotor of a helicopter utilizes cyclic pitch chas to its rotor blades, accomplished with a cyclic control stick. Cyclic control sticks have been a matter of concern in crashing situations. Prior art cyclic sticks are hinged to that they can be pulled out of the way of a pilot thrown forward and down by an impact. A lanyard actuated by the movement of the pilot's seat pulls the cyclic stick away from the pilot. Since such systems require various mechanisms and pulleys there is a need for an improved cyclic stick. A crashworthy cyclic control stick which is pilot actuated to overcome these difficulties is provided herein.

Abstract: A major design consideration in helicopters is that of compensating for ssses on blades resulting from air forces during blade revolutions. Spinning rotor blades are severely stressed. To some degree conventional articulated helicopter rotor hubs overcome vibration difficulties, but high maintenance is a problem. Hingeless helicopter rotor assemblies, generally employing composite materials, were developed to overcome these obstacles. Such hingeless helicopter rotor assemblies usually include a rigid central hub member, and radial flexbeams rigidly attached to the hub member. Flexbeam rotors do not completely eliminate the dynamic instability difficulty. Even using these designs energy must be absorbed by damping means. The shear principle of damping is utilized in this invention.