Abstract: In the harvesting of legumes, apparatus having a plurality of rods mounted on a rotating axle provides a vibratory contact force to the seed containing pods to provide acceleration and impact forces to separate the seeds from the shells or pods containing the seeds, and an auger feeds the pods through the apparatus to optimize the time the pods are in contact with the rods.

Abstract: In the harvesting of legumes, apparatus having a plurality of rods mounted on a rotating axle provides a vibratory contact force to the seed containing pods to provide acceleration and impact forces to separate the seeds from the shells or pods containing the seeds.

Abstract: A mass flow cooler for cooling particulate material comprising a vertical bin having a top end, a bottom end, a material inlet near the top end and a material discharge in the bottom end; the material discharge comprising a plurality of orifices through which the particulate material may flow; a plurality of vertical, tubular heat exchanger elements, each having an open top end and a sealed bottom end and extending from the top of the bin toward the bottom of the bin; a plurality of fluid distribution tubes corresponding to the number of heat exchanger elements, each fluid distribution tube having an open top end and an open bottom end and extending through the top end of a corresponding heat exchanger element toward the bottom end of the heat exchanger element; each fluid distribution tube being connected to a source of cooling fluid; and a discharge orifice plate positioned below the material discharge for controlling the rate at which the material flows through the bin.

Abstract: In an article handling system that functions to make article discrimination-identification determinations, the possible article orientations A, B, C . . . are stored and compared to establish maximum pixel difference numbers and identification of longitudinal window position along the article where such maximum difference occurs. Each of the possible orientations is compared with all other possible orientations so that a small number of windows is identified as part of a setting procedure. When operating, the work articles are scanned and only the data at window locations are used to make article orientation identifications to reduce time and memory requirements for data processing.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in a system for making bags or the like from a continuous web or sheet of film material, the system including a perforator for imparting series of transverse perforations onto the web at regularly spaced intervals, which comprises a spreader roll having a reduced diameter portion between two enlarged diameter portions; a switch device located adjacent the reduced diameter portion; wherein the large diameter portions cause each series of perforation to pull apart and form a gap as the web is drawn over the spreader roll; and wherein the switch device is capable of being activated each time a gap passes in close proximity to the switch device.

Abstract: A brake lathe for truing brake rotors includes a tool holder driven by a direct current motor to move a cutting tool radially with respect to the rotor axis in direct proportion to the number of turns of the drive shaft of the direct current motor. A tool feed power control circuit maintains the direct current motor at constant speed regardless of radial forces acting upon the cutting tool and includes a converter/filter circuit, a regulator circuit, a sensing circuit, and a speed control circuit. A speed selection control includes a rheostat for providing a reference voltage corresponding to a select speed. The sensing circuit compares a voltage drop across the direct current motor to the reference voltage and produces an error voltage. The speed control circuit provides a direct current power voltage to the direct current motor in accordance with the error voltage output of the sensing circuit to maintain operation of the motor at constant speed.

Abstract: The horizontal wrapping machine of the type wherein a succession of articles are fed into a traveling tube of web material which is sealed longitudinally and severed and sealed between the articles to produce individual hermetically sealed packages. A variable speed motor drives a conveyor which may be provided with article feeding flights and a switch, actuated once each revolution of a timing shaft, provides a pulse corresponding to each flight on the article feeding conveyor. In addition an encoder driven by the variable speed drive motor shaft provides a digital velocity signal used as a reference signal for servo motors that may be coupled, in combination or individually, to drive web feed rolls, longitudinal sealing wheels and one or more sealing and severing heads. A delivery conveyor transporting individual packages may, through a suitable drive train, be driven by the variable speed drive motor.

Abstract: A non-extrusion device for split annular well casing and tubing hanger compression seals has a flat annular body having truncated, radially-split cone portions forming through holes for receiving pins or bolts and for guiding a compressed elastomer seal between inner and outer tubing structures along a radial direction to prevent axial extrusion of the seal.

Abstract: A juice press for extracting the juice from a non-citrus fruit or vegetable uses a pair of cups into which a press plunger is cycled to the fruit to be processed to be compressed and extruded through an orifice tube wherein a significant volume of juice will be pressed.

Abstract: A bulk material handling conveyor system having a set of buckets carried in a continuous manner from an infeed zone where the buckets are filled with product by way of a metering vibratory feeder to an unloading zone and back to the infeed zone. The buckets may be selectively at least partially emptied in the unloading zone.

Abstract: In an apparatus for rolling up web material which comprises a disk or turret rotatably mounted on a stationary frame and a plurality of mandrels rotatably mounted to the disk, each mandrel being indexable to each of a take-up position, a waiting position and a removal position through selective rotation of the disk, the improvement which comprises a source of compressed air connected to the frame adjacent the removal position, a separate vacuum tube apparatus connected to the frame adjacent the waiting position and being axially movable toward and away from the waiting mandrel, a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum tube apparatus for creating a vacuum in the vacuum tube apparatus, the mandrels each comprising a longitudinal bore extending from an open end thereof and a plurality of radial nozzles communicating with the longitudinal bore, wherein the vacuum tube apparatus is selectively movable into contact with the open end of the waiting mandrel so that the vacuum is communicated through the nozzles to there

Abstract: In combination with a web winding machine comprising a spindle for winding up a web of material having a leading edge and an apparatus for transporting the web to the spindle, an air horn proximate the spindle having an arm, a first air tube connected to a forward portion of the arm and a second air tube connected to the arm rearward of the first air tube, wherein the arm comprises an inner surface generally conforming to the spindle and a plurality of apertures extending between each of the first and second air tubes and the inner surface; and wherein the first and second air tubes are connected with a source of air, whereby the air is directed through the apertures to force the leading edge up off of the conveyor belt and against the spindle.

Abstract: A gate valve adapted for stem back seating has a stem and bonnet assembly with a rotatable bearing ring to which the stem is releasably fixed during normal gate opening and closing operations. During back seating, the stem is released from the bearing ring and the bearing ring is fixed to the bonnet cap, enabling low torque back seating by rotation of the stem relative to the bearing ring and bonnet cap.

Abstract: A high resolution article handling system serves as an article discriminator or identifier by creating an object silhouette. The objects are singulated on a conveyor and scanned by a linear array of CCD units (2048 pixels per inch) at a scan rate of 10 MHz. Pixel transitions corresponding to object edge points are converted to a single count value from a counter which is synchronized with the scanner. A microprocessor with a first in, first out buffer memory needs only a capacity to handle the count value rather than all data from the pixels. Article orientation is corrected in response to signal generated by determining the count value difference between a reference value and a work article value at only the scan slice windows at equally spaced positions along the article length where differences have been predetermined to be a maximum.

Abstract: A radially locked subsea housing includes a low pressure housing having upper and lower radial lock regions, each of which regions includes a radial interference surface that is between vertical to only slightly tapered in orientation. A high pressure housing also has upper and lower radial lock regions, each of which regions includes a radial interference surface that is slightly greater in radial diameter than the corresponding interference surface of the low pressure housing. The interference surfaces of the upper and lower radial lock regions form upper and lower interference fits, respectively, between the high pressure and low pressure housings when the housings are assembled subsea.

Abstract: An electromagnetic exciter for use in powering vibratory equipment includes a plurality of deflectable elastomeric springs in a configuration that allows the spring system to achieve a vertical non-linear spring rate increase beneficial in dual mass electromagnetic feeder and conveyor systems.

Abstract: A fluid handling installation for selectively connecting any one of a plurality of inlet conduits to any one of a plurality of outlet conduits includes a frame supported manifold configuration of a plurality of perpendicular conduits and corresponding connection modules that can be selectively operated to connect inlet and outlet conduits.

Abstract: In an apparatus for making plastic bags or the like from a continuous film of material comprising a sealing drum having at least one seal bar for imparting transverse seals to the film at regularly spaced intervals and a perforator having a rotatable perforator blade for imparting transverse perforations to the film at regularly spaced intervals, the film comprising print marks appearing thereon at regularly spaced intervals, an apparatus and method are disclosed for tracking the positions of each print mark and each perforation and comparing the difference between these positions to a desired difference and thereafter adjusting the angular position of the perforator blade until the difference between the positions of each print mark and each perforation is equal to the desired difference to thereby maintain a desired spacing between each print mark and each perforation.

Abstract: An electromechanical exciter for use in driving a vibratory conveyor includes a non-linear spring system which provides an increase in spring force as the stroke of the electromagnet increases.

Abstract: A subsea wellhead tieback connector actuated solely by axial motion to achieve connection to and disconnection from the wellhead. The connector includes interconnected inner and outer bodies, a split lock ring surrounding the inner body, and an energizing mandrel for non-rotary axial movement to expand the lock ring into engagement with a wellhead component.