Abstract: A bracket means for supporting at least one heater rod disposed within an open - front housing of an electric radiant heater assembly comprises at least one bracket having an elongate, generally flat, planar brace portion having clip means at opposite ends for removable engagement with the housing. At least one integral support arm located intermediate the ends of the brace portion and disposed normal thereto is provided with an arcuate surface which serves as a seat for the heater rod. The bracket is insertable into the housing through the open front and rotatable to bring the arcuate portion into supporting engagement with the rod and the clips into engagement with the housing. The brace portion is made of a nickel - chrome alloy having spring like characteristics at elevated temperatures.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for producing nails in polished and clean form comprising means to carry out the steps of providing a continuous flow of nails from a source, subjecting the nails to a vibratory separating mechanism to remove unwanted particles of matter, cleaning the nails by moving same through a vibratory trough while spraying cleaning solution over the nails, and polishing and drying the nails by moving same through a vibratory trough filled with a drying and polishing media while heating the mix within the trough.

Abstract: A housing for electronic equipment includes a bottom cabinet and an upper compartment mounted thereon with the cover of the compartment including a front panel having operating buttons and/or other control features located thereon. The rear walls of the upper compartment and bottom cabinet form a common member for both sections of the apparatus. The upper compartment has a cover which includes the front panel and which cover is hinged at its upper rear corner to the upper edge of the common rear panel or closure member so as to be upwardly and rearwardly tiltable to expose the interior of the upper compartment. The common rear wall or closure member is also pivoted adjacent its bottom end on the lower cabinet so as to be rearwardly and downwardly tiltable to expose from the rear the interiors of the upper compartment and lower cabinet.

Abstract: An electric resistance heating element for use in appliances such as dishwashers includes a mounting grommet having a resilient body portion sized to be forcibly urged through an aperture formed in a bulkhead of the appliance. A neck portion formed integral with the resilient body portion has an axial extent substantially equal to the thickness of the bulkhead receiving the grommet and a width to substantially fill the aperture. A head portion formed integral with the neck portion overlies the aperture on the side opposite that of the resilient body portion. A passage is formed axially through the body portion, neck portion and head portion to receive the end of a heating element therethrough. A flared tubular ferrule or conical tubular ferrule is provided at the end of the body portion to receive sealing cement for permanently securing the mounting grommet to the heating element inserted therethrough.

Abstract: A retractable handle assembly for an equipment housing includes a generally U-shaped handle. The side members of the handle are slidably mounted to the housing by means of guide pins which ride in elongated slots on mounting blocks attached to the housing. A communicating slot on the mounting block allows the handle when fully extended to pivot about the guide pins away from an underlying surface so as to be more easily grasped. When retracted the handle is flush with the side panels of the housing.

Abstract: A drive system for a centrifugal liquid processing apparatus or the like wherein a rotor assembly having a container for receiving a liquid to be processed by centrifugation is rotatably mounted on a rotor drive assembly, which in turn is rotatably mounted to a stationary base. Liquid communication is maintained with the container during rotation of the rotor by means of a flexible umbilical cable which extends from the container to a location external to the apparatus by way of a passageway provided in the support shaft of the rotor assembly and a guide sleeve carried on and rotatably mounted to the rotor drive assembly. The rotor assembly is rotatably driven in the same direction as the rotor drive assembly with a speed ratio of 2:1 and the guide sleeve is rotatably driven in the opposite direction with a speed equal to that of the rotor drive assembly to prevent the umbilical cable from becoming twisted during operation of the apparatus.

Abstract: Two gases are fed to a mixing valve having two outlets, and the proportions of the two gases, at each of the said outlets, is varied inversely in accordance with the position of a moveable portion of the mixing valve. If the back pressure at the two outlets is equal, and if the supply pressure of the two gases is equal, the proportioning of the two gases will be accurately determined by the adjustment of the valve. Thus, in an automatically controlled system requiring the presence of gases in time-variable proportions, proper proportioning can be achieved by the use of a mechanical valve, without the necessity of a gas testing analyzer and a feedback system for controlling an ordinary mixture proportioning valve.

Abstract: A conductivity monitoring system including a temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of a fluid and also providing a temperature compensated conductivity signal. Electronic circuitry is provided for detecting and indicating the inoperability of the temperature sensor.

Abstract: An improved nephelometer for immunochemical complex assay measures forward light scatter in samples. The angle of forward scatter, about 30.degree., is small enough to result in a large amount of forward scatter from the immunochemical complex particles which are to be assayed, whose size is of the order of the wave length of the light used in the optical system. Forward scattering from smaller particles, such as from molecules of buffer, antibody and serum, is constant during the course of a test, and is compensated for by the use of subtraction circuits which are readily and semiautomatically adjusted to subtract proper values, in accordance with the readings taken on standard or "blank" samples of buffer, antibody and serum. Forward scattering from large particles, such as dust, is variable, and results in fluctuating signals, which are electrically processed to ignore the spurious peaks. The results of a test are displayed on a digital read out meter.

Abstract: A system for compensating for magnetic disturbances caused by the rotating stirrer magnet of a photometer sample cuvette on the photomultiplier tube of the photometer. To obtain the required compensation, a companion similar magnet is located coplanar with and adjacent to the main stirrer magnet and is counter-rotated synchronously with the main magnet in opposite magnetic phase therewith. The two counter-rotating magnets are physically located symmetrically with respect to the photomultiplier tube so that their magnetic effects on the electron flow of the photomultiplier tube cancel each other out. The companion magnet may be the stirrer magnet associated with a reference cuvette mounted in side-by-side relation to the sample cuvette. The counter-rotating magnets may be gearingly coupled together and may be mounted coaxially with respective ejection plungers associated with the cuvettes.

Abstract: A spectrofluorometer providing wavelength correction by means of an arbitrary function generator driven by a wavelength scanning element of the spectrofluorometer. The arbitrary function generator may be driven by the emission scanning monochromator to derive a wavelength-dependent voltage signal which is combined with the measure photomultiplier output to thereby provide a base-line compensated resultant output signal. Alternatively, the arbitrary function generator may be driven by the excitation scanning monochromator to derive a wavelength-dependent voltage signal which is combined with the output of a reference photomultiplier tube receiving part of the output of the excitation monochromator to derive an excitation-corrected reference signal which is in turn combined with the measure photomultiplier tube output signal to thereby provide an energy-corrected resultant output signal.

Abstract: A conductivity monitoring system which includes at least three electrodes disposed within a housing of a conductivity cell, into and through which a fluid to be monitored is caused to flow. One of the electrodes is a common electrode and is positioned closer to one of the other two electrodes. The conductivity is measured between the wide spaced pair of electrodes and between the closer spaced pair of electrodes, with the difference being taken as the actual conductivity. With this arrangement, changes in the conductivity as a result of foreign matter collecting on the electrodes and the housing over a period of time are compensated for, since the difference in the conductivity between the two pairs of electrodes remain the same, even though the conductivity between each respective pair may change.

Abstract: A collapsible container comprising substantially identical, oppositely disposed top and bottom panels, each having at least three edges, a pair of side wall panels for each of these edges, each pair comprising upper and lower panels having edges hingedly connected to the top and bottom panels respectively along associated edges thereof, the upper and lower panels being hingedly interjointed along interconnection edges thereof and being adjacently disposed outwardly of the top and bottom panels when the container is collapsed. The container further comprises tube means disposed along the interconnection edges, and a string disposed within said tube means, whereby drawing the string serves to erect the container by retracting the side wall panels inwardly to vertically separate the top and bottom panels. Alternatively, a rigid frame or other suitable means may be used in place of the tube and draw string.

Abstract: A method and means for suppressing ozone generated by high pressure xenon arc lamps and similar luminous discharge arc lamps of a type normally generating ozone. The ozone-generating lamp is enclosed in a gas-tight housing having a quartz or sapphire light emission window able to transmit light including ultraviolet. The housing has metal cover plates on its various sides acting as heat sinks, each of which has a large number of external heat-radiating fins. Clearance is provided inside the housing sufficient to cause the ozone formed by short wavelengths to be broken down by thermal contact with the lamp and to be thus converted into stable O.sub.2. The heat generated by the lamp in the housing is transferred to the walls of the housing and is dissipated by the external heat-radiating fins. The inner surfaces of the cover plates are blackened to absorb waste light.

Abstract: A combination tool of the plier type which includes a screwdriving blade at one plier jaw point and wrench means presenting a smooth pressing surface at the end of both of the arms connected to the screw-driving blade. The other arm of the plier may be held at a right angle and serves as a lever arm when the tool is used for driving or loosening screws. The wrench means may be a pair of coaxially aligned different sized box wrenches formed unitarily, or a unitarily formed pair of open wrenches opening to the side and may be formed at the ends of each plier arm to provide four different sized wrenches.