Abstract: An improved apparatus for separating and feeding a preformed container fron a nested stack, said apparatus adapted for accepting a nested stack of containers in a vertical array, tilting the nested stack to a horizontal array by means of a tilting carriage assembly (34), advancing the horizontal stack (170) on an advancing portion (36), stopping the nested stack at a preferred position and immediately lifing the nested stack from the advancing portion (36) by means of an elongated rail assembly 96. A separating assembly (38) separates a first container from the nested stack, said first container advances to a pivoting hook assembly (40) where the first container is oriented from a substantially horizontal array to a substantially vertical array, and a stabilizer assembly (42) steadies the horizontal container for transfer to subsequent machinery.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for separating a preformed cover from an inclined nested stack of covers, advancing and simultaneously rotating said cover from a substantially vertical disposition to a substantially horizontal disposition by means of a transfer chute, said cover advancing to a placing position, by means of gravity, on an inclined chute. Said cover being placed on a matching container, said container advancing on a process conveyor. Said apparatus adapted for feeding and placing a range of covers of like design without the need for intermediate adjustments.

Abstract: A rocker-type lump breaker for breaking oversized or lumped granular materials into acceptable sizes. The lump breaker is mounted interior of a hopper. This lump breaker comprises a perforate deck member, a plurality of rocker arms carried on a oscillating or rocking shaft carried by said deck member, and a means exterior of said hopper for providing said rocking motion to said shaft. The rocker arms are adapted to co-act with apertures provided in said deck plate to break the lumped material into acceptable sizes. The acceptable sized material is passed through the deck member. The rocking motion of the shaft is controlled to produce a gap between the ends of each rocker arm and the deck member.

Abstract: An improved rotatable and expandable spindle assembly, which is adapted for cantilever mounting in and on a machine base. The spindle assembly has an integrally mounted multi-ported directional control valve for point of use operation. The valve is connected to a constant supply of a pressurized medium and is mounted at and on the free end of the spindle assembly. The spindle and valve arrangement is adapted for a rapid expansion or collapsing of the spindle when and as desired by an operator.

Abstract: There are disclosed jigs that are used in the present invention. These jigs are directed to hold and retain left, right and intra-proximal attachment forms prior to and during the soldering of the attachment to a crown. Each jig has a precisely formed head portion sized and shaped to receive and retain a mating engaging portion of the attachment so that the attachment is soldered in a predetermined position to the crown. The jig is made of a high temperature material and has a tail portion that is integral with and extends from the shaped head so that both the jig and the crown may be retained in an investment material during the soldering of the attachment to the crown. The attachments are used for bridges or partial restorations. Preferably the jig is provided with a scored surface to provide an improved gipping surface while imbedded in the investment material during soldering.

Abstract: A Hand-held collapsible magnifying lens assembly comprising a plurality of elongated flat magnifying lens segments. Each of the segments is mounted on a common pivot for arcuate rotation. A connecting means is provided for limiting the arcuate rotation of each of the segments. Each of the segments being contoured to provide a more or less continuous viewing area absent overlaping of the segments when the lens assembly is brough to an expanded configuration. This lens assembly may be provided with an aligning means for bringing the segments into a more or less straight alignment.

Abstract: This invention relates to an instrument for the detection of microorganisms in a culture media by means of the measurement of the gaseous products generated during bacterial metabolism, without the need for extracting the products of metabolism from the culture vessel in order to perform the measurement. A special vial containing a gas-liquid separation system permits the measurement through the walls of the vial by determination of the infrared absorption by the gaseous contents within the vessel. While intended primarily for blood-culture testing, the method is applicable to other microbiological and physical chemistry investigations where changes in gas concentrations must be determined in a simple, convenient manner. An alternate embodiment is shown and described whereat a high concentration of gas is present and the infrared energy path is too long for accurate measurement.

Abstract: This invention pertains to a spreader roll adapted to remove wrinkles, ripples, bags and torque marks from fast-traveling webs of material of fabric, plastic or combinations thereof. The resulting fast-traveling web has a smooth, uninterrupted surface. This spreader roll is not a bowed or grooved roll, but is a straight roll having a resilient outer tubular rubber sleeve. The supporting shaft is straight, rigid, non-rotating, and is carried by support blocks. This outer sleeve is retained at each end by clamp means which is carried by anti-friction bearings. This clamp means includes a bearing ring which is pivotally carried by the central shaft. Each pivoted bearing ring is individually adjusted to stretch the resilient cover to remove the distorting wrinkles, ripples, bags or torque marks in the fast-moving web. A multiplicity of disc brushes is carried on a freely rotating tubular member and these brushes are positioned by spacer rings.

Abstract: This invention provides a protector for a sharpened tip of a needle of conventional construction. Preferably, foam rubber or plastic is used, with the rear of this foam material secured to the hub containing the needle and with the fore end of the foam material secured to a molded tubular guide end member. An inner sleeve is provided with the foam material. This foam material is shown as an extrusion or as a strip with adhesive on one side. This protector is accordionized when the needle is advanced into the patient. Bias may also be provided by a spring. The spring is shown as an integral part of a tubular length, with the interstice portions extending between convolutions of the spring. Three embodiments of spring placement are shown. In all embodiments, it is anticipated that the needle and protector will be brought to the patient, and with the needle advancement the protector accordionizes as the needle is inserted.

Abstract: An acoustic sound-masking system carried in a core module provides conversational privacy for workers in an open-plan office space. The core module is movable to a desired location on the open floor and has at least three substantially like height side-panel portions providing a movable tubular enclosure. This module has a top member configured to provide a closure of the top end of the tubular enclosure and at least one through aperture is formed and in which is mounted a loudspeaker. This loudspeaker is adapted to produce sound and direct this sound upwardly and outwardly. Each loudspeaker is mounted so as to not protrude excessively above the top surface of the top member. At least one divider is attached or has one end substantially contiguous to the tubular enclosure. A plurality of desks or work areas is arrayed between the dividers, with a pair of desks or work areas between each divider.

Abstract: A method for centrifugally casting thermosetting plastics and the like, this method including the following steps of assembling and closing a casting mold having an upper portion and a lower portion; placing a prepared dividing hub onto and over a plurality of drive pins provided on a spinner carried by a stationary base, said dividing hub having a reservoir engaging a plurality of prepared closed casting molds onto and over a like number of nozzles, each of said nozzles extending radially from the sides of said dividing hub; placing and tightening a clamping means around the perimeter of the casting molds; pouring a pre-measured quantity of the thermosetting plastic into said reservoir in the dividing hub; moving a vacuum hood to the stationary base and with gasket means forming a vacuum chamber with said stationary base; evacuating the now closed vacuum chamber; forming and providing a conduit connecting an extreme tip of each of said nozzles with a bottom portion of the reservoir and then spinning the cast

Abstract: An apparatus and method for centrifugal casting of thermosetting plastic and the like in a vacuum chamber including a vacuum chamber for enclosing a rotating spinner journaled in a stationary base, a dividing hub removably engaging the spinner, a reservoir for holding the casting material within the dividing hub, the dividing hub additionally adapted to equally distribute the casting material to a plurality of nozzles extending outwardly from the dividing hub, a plurality of casting molds removably engaging the nozzles, a sleeve within a mouth of the casting mold forming a seal between the casting mold and the nozzle while reducing mold wear, a removable clamp for retaining the plurality of casting molds to the dividing hub during the spinning cycle, the plurality of casting molds additionally adapted for removal from the apparatus for transfer to a remote curing station.

Abstract: A hand-held and operated seeder apparatus is provided which is capable of carrying and spreading seed and the like to selected lawn areas. This operation is accomplished by securing the lower end of a storage handle to a cup member. When the apparatus is moved up and down, seed in the handle flows from the handle to the cup and the seed is then jostled to and over the top of the cup. The seed falls onto localized areas of ground.

Abstract: A hand operated bending apparatus is provided for the bending of metal such as tubing and bar by the application of a force to a sweep lever arm cooperating with a preset pivoted force link, thereby urging the metal to follow the contour of a forming die and automatically terminating the bending action at a preset point by the disengagement of the force link from the metal bar.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus and a method for processing edibles, such as fruit, which are sliced and then sectioned. Watermelon is one of such edibles or fruit which is first sliced generally transverse of its long axis. These sliced pieces are automatically fed and moved to apparatus for sectioning the fruit. These sliced portions with their ends removed are then fed by automatic means into a sectioning apparatus where these circular portions of fruit are then cut into pie-shaped sections. After sectioning, a stick may be inserted into each sectional piece. The sectioned pieces may be wrapped and/or frozen, if desired. The apparatus and method steps are automatically and repetitively produced with appropriate high speeds that deliver shaped segments to further processing such as wrapping and/or freezing.

Abstract: A pot holding arm is removably secured to a semicircular receiving member in one of a plurality of retaining pockets and cooperating positioning slots. In one embodiment a semicircular casting has a plurality of pockets and a slot in association with each pocket. These slots are adapted to receive and retain a pot holding arm. This semicircular member may be secured to a wall or to another similar portion to form a circular member. In one embodiment it may be clamped to a pipe and in another embodiment may be slightly larger so that it may be rotated on the pipe or post. This rotating circular member is longitudinally retained on the pipe by an attached collar. In another embodiment the semicircular cast member has extending T-forms but without a retaining bottom portion. A pot holding arm as used with each of these extending T-forms has a limit stop so that this arm does not slide below a determined point on the receiving and retaining member.