Abstract: A door lock and release mechanism carried by a door and having a pair of oppositely directed locking bolts simultaneously movable to a release position by a door mounted operating bar. Provision is also made for moving the bolts to a locking position when the door is closed.

Abstract: An emergency escape apparatus for speedily evacuating workers or others from a high level platform or the like comprising a longitudinally folded tubular escape chute slidably connected to an angularly disposed cable, the chute being held in folded condition by a cover that may be speedily opened to release the chute for unfolding deployment down and along the cable, and the chute being of multisleeve construction with the outer layer of fire resistant material. The apparatus may be used for other purposes than emergency escape, for example as a slide chute in an amusement park.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting box blanks into formed but collapsed cases, the apparatus comprising means (15, 16) for receiving a vertical stack(s) of blanks, means (18, 19) for elevating and supporting the stack such that the top of the stack is continually elevated into position against a feeding mechanism (17) at a fixed elevated level, the apparatus further comprising a line of casemaking machinery (10a, 10b, 11, 12, 13, 14), all arranged at the elevated level of the feeding mechanism (17).

Abstract: A slitter-scorer apparatus comprises upper and lower slitter-scorer units which are disposed in one above the other relationship and are vertically movable respectively. The apparatus can immediately change slitting and scoring operations along the flowing direction of long and flat materials, which are fed continuously, without any reduction of the flowing speed of the materials, and the operations can be performed on the materials which flow along an approximately straight line, while the total length of the slitter-scorer apparatus is shortened to the upmost.

Abstract: An improved servicing attachment, for occasional use on a carding machine, having a support beam traversing a roller of the carding machine and removably mounted on the carding machine, a traversing unit reciprocably mounted on the support beam and a motor on the beam for moving the unit, a motor and driven spindle on the unit, a grinder or fettler on the spindle for treating the card clothing on the roller of the carding machine, support structure including stub axle supports on the beam mating with bearings on the carding machine which are aligned with the axis of the traversing unit driven spindle so that there are a range of angles about the axis of the spindle at which the attachment can be oriented without altering the setting between the grinder or fettler and the roller being treated, and handles on the beam ends for lifting the servicing attachment onto and off of the carding machine being serviced.

Abstract: A regenerative fluid dynamic machine, typically a blower or exhauster, includes a rotor (21) having a set of blades (24) which are curved, and preferably of aerofoil cross-section, in a manner which causes fluid flow passing through the set of blades to be turned with respect to the blades through an angle more than 90.degree., preferably 100.degree. to 140.degree.. The rotor is enclosed in stator structure (20) defining a toroidal passage (25) between inlet and outlet ports (26, 27) fluid flow in said passage following a path which forms a spiral centered within the cross section of the passages so that it passes through the set of blades more than once between the inlet and outlet.

Abstract: A device for mounting an electrical device such as a hair drier comprises a tube 10, suspension means 11, 12 to suspend the tube from a support with the tube extending downwardly, an extendable electrical lead 14 for the hair drier, the lead being urged into the tube by biasing means 19. The lead can be drawn out of the tube against the action of the bias. There are means such as a hook 20 for releasably attaching the hair drier to the tube so that when the tube is suspended from a support and a hair drier is connected to the lead the hair drier can be unhooked and moved away from the tube when the hair drier is to be used, the lead 14 being drawn out of the tube, and when use of the hair drier is over it can be returned to a storage position by hooking it on to the tube again, the lead returning within the tube.

Abstract: An annular die for a pelletizing machine, having a multiplicity of radial bores (12) through which in one direction or the other, material is extruded to form pellets, each radial bore (12) having a portion (A) of constant cross-sectional area and a portion (B) of gradually increasing cross-sectional area, the latter extending to the peripheral surface (14) of the die to which material to be extruded is supplied, the transition between the portion (B) of increasing cross-sectional area and the portion (A) of constant cross-sectional area being entirely smooth such that there is no break in the profile of the internal wall surface of the bore (12).

Abstract: The invention relates to a belt or apron for textile machines comprising a layer or lamination of a belt or apron as covered by U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,803 superimposed upon and bonded to a ply of resilient cellular polyurethane felt-like material.

Abstract: A freight carrier comprises a flat rectangular base having a post at each corner pivotally mounted on the base so as to be capable of being selectively pivoted between a folded position, in which the post lies parallel to and adjacent to the base, and an erected upright position, in which the post is perpendicular to the base, each corner post being spring biased in a sense which assists the pivotal movement of post towards the erected upright position.

Abstract: The invention is concerned with damp-proof courses which can be used at the end of a cavity wall of a building structure adjacent to a door or window frame. The invention provides a damp-proof course, which has a high degree of versatility in use. The damp-proof course in accordance with the invention comprises a strip of corrosion-resistant moisture impermeable material (and is preferably formed as a plastics extrusion) and its cross-section provides two web-like elements arranged at an acute angle in the range 45.degree. to 90.degree. with respect to each other the first web having at least one undercut formation on the inside of the angle and the second web having at least one undercut formation on the outside, each of the undercut formations providing anchorage for wall ties at any position along the length of the strip, and at least one of the webs also has a moisture barrier formation on its inside extending throughout the length of the strip.

Abstract: An assembly of glazed ceramic tiles for the interior walls and ceilings each tile comprising a glazed body with glazed spacing lugs on all four sides of the tile at least two of the glazed lugs on two sides extending substantially the full length of the sides and two glazed lugs on the other two sides extending substantially the full length of the sides or two shorter glazed lugs symmetrically arranged thereon one of each of the shorter lugs being longer than the other, all the glazed lugs on all the sides when assembled engaging glazed lugs on adjacent sides.

Abstract: A mixing device for bulk materials, particularly an agricultural trailer for mixing and dispensing silage, concentrates and other animal feedstuffs, includes a non-tipping body (10) within which rotates a main agitator (12) having members (14) which travel closely along the walls (11) of a lower zone of the body to carry material therein upwardly during part of their travel, and a secondary rotating agitator (16) towards the top and to one side of the body which operatively intercepts material carried towards it by the main agitator, separates it therefrom and returns it thereto. A part (15) of the body containing the secondary agitator can be opened for discharge of material under the same action of the agitators, in the case of a feed trailer discharge being at sufficient height to clear the feed fence of a stockyard.

Abstract: Access equipment comprising a wheeled vehicle (10) carrying on its chassis a turntable (11) on which is rotatably mounted a supporting structure (12) on which, in turn, is mounted a pair of articulated booms (14,16) having hydraulic actuating rams (20,21) and carrying a personnel platform (18) at the free end of the boom assembly, there being at each end of each boom a guide pulley or half pulley (22,23,24) around which passes a control or support line (26) anchored to the supporting structure (at 27) and to the platform (at 28), the line (26) remaining taut along a path whose length remains constant irrespective of the configuration of the boom assembly.

Abstract: The invention relates to opening rollers for open-end spinning wherein the opening roller has a support part for attachment to the driving spindle and an adapter having the fiber engaging teeth of the roller. According to one aspect of the invention, the support part and adapter have a releasable connection which both establishes driving attachment of the adapter to the support part and secures the adapter on the support part without the intervention of a third element. The invention also includes an arrangement in which a screw screwed axially into the support part has a head received in a recess formed partly in the support part and partly in the adapter whereby the screw both establishes a driving connection between the two parts and secures the adapter to the support part.

Abstract: A semi-continuous deodorizer for the deodorization of edible oils, comprising a vessel (10) divided into three zones (A,B,C), means for collecting oil to be deodorized in the first zone (A) and for receiving deodorized oil from the second zone (B), in the third zone (C), means for passing oil continuously to the first zone via a heat exchanger (15) where it is pre-heated by heat exchange with oil continuously withdrawn from the third zone, and an oil heater (18) for heating the oil to full process temperatures by circulating the oil through the oil heater and through said first zone making use of the gas lift principle with steam as the injected gas being introduced at (28) into the base of the oil heater.

Abstract: Equipment for cleaning hulls of ships and like surfaces, including a vehicle carrying an articulated boom structure comprising one or more booms connected to the vehicle and rotatable about a turntable thereon, and elevatable relative thereto, the outermost end of the boom structure carrying a frame or the housing which contains a nozzle or like for cleaning or applying coatings to the surface to be treated, the frame or housing including rollers for running along the that surface in contact therewith and the turntable drive being capable of being so rotationally biased that the rollers are positively maintained in engagement with the surface being cleaned.

Abstract: A pelletizing press wherein an annular die having material extrusion bores therethrough has its inner periphery operatively engaging freely rotatable pelletizing rollers. The die is carried by a tubular rotor and the tubular rotor is driven by at least two motors, each drive connected separately to a common endless flexible driving member also drive connected to said die.

Abstract: A convertible assembly that is adapted to hold a folded flexible container capable of being unfolded to a relatively large volume container and to effectively serve as the neck of that container when the latter is extracted and unfolded, comprising a rigid tubular member having reduced diameter opposite end portions formed with threads for mounting screw thread caps, and an internal ring mounted within the tube whereby upon removal of the caps and extraction of the folded container the neck of the container may be inserted through one tube end and positively held in place on the tube by the internal ring and material may be introduced into and dispensed from the unfolded container through the other tube end.

Abstract: A device for driving an endless chain or the like, particularly, though not exclusively, a chain of the flat-link kind used in bucket elevators, the device comprising a reciprocating slipper having locking means which grips the chain in one direction of reciprocating movement but runs freely with respect to the chain in the reverse direction, there being means for preventing reverse movement of the chain whereby the slipper advances the chain intermittently in one direction. In an alternative embodiment, two slippers may be provided working in opposition to each other so that the chain may be continuously driven thereby.