Abstract: A door opening of an operator cab for a construction machine is enlarged so that protrusion of the door beyond a turning radius can be avoided when the door is fully opened and so that the operator cab can have a wide indoor space. Therefore, a side wall (2a) of the operator cab (2) at an opposite side to a boom of a working-machine installed on a swivel base (1) is formed to have an outer convex surface, including the door; rails (4, 5 and 6) are provided on the side wall (2a) of the operator cab (2); the door (3) is provided with rollers (7, 8 and 9) which are always engaged with the rails to slide the door for easy opening and closing operation, and the position of the door (3) when the door is locked fully open is set to be within a range of turning radius (R) of the swivel base (1) along the outer surface of side wall (2a) of the operator cab (2).

Abstract: An advanced, lightweight composite roofing shingle specifically designed to prevent hail damage and high wind uplift. The inventive laminate includes a conventional random fiberglass mat (20) used for shingle stability, sandwiched by an upper ply of Kevlar fabric (28) selected for high impact resistance, and a bottom ply of E-glass fabric (24) or similar type oriented for exceptional bending resistance. The fibrous materials are saturated or coated, and bonded with a suitable matrix such as roofing asphalt. Design flexibility, inherent in the novel roofing shingle concept, allows the material properties to be optimized for cost and performance based on weather requirements in various geographical regions of the country.

Abstract: A geared steering system, which is capable of actuating rightside and leftside driving mechanisms to ensure efficient operation of a crawler vehicle, has a geared steering device (30) and a control system. The geared steering device (30) has one power input shaft (31), leftside and rightside steering brakes (38L, 38R) and leftside and rightside direct-coupled clutches (36, 44), one turn clutch (46), three planet gear trains (40, 43, 48), leftside and rightside power output shafts (32L, 32R) coupled to leftside and rightside steering brake hubs (34L, 34R), and a hydraulic turning motor (83) coupled to the turn clutch (46) with gears.

Abstract: A plasma torch can produce a uniform and intense swirl in the operating gas, and as a result further stabilize the output of the plasma jet, which results in good cutting quality, so as to extend the life of consumables or the like. This is achieved when jet ports (3) from which operating gas G is ejected are positioned such that in a transverse cross-section (2A) of a swirler (50) including the jet ports (3), a relationship between a diameter D of a swirler chamber and a minimum distance (d) from a line (2b), which is tangent to the diameter D of the swirler chamber and parallel to a projected line (3c) of an axis (3b) of the jet hole (3a), to the side end (2c), of the side of the jet port (3) adjacent to the tangential line (2b), is represented by 0<d/D.ltoreq.0.03.

Abstract: A reversible skirt suitable for cheerleading is disclosed which provides for active movement of the wearer, and desirable movement and visual effects of the skirt during wearing. Preferably, the skirt is constructed of 8-20 panels which are each sewn only partially along their length to adjoining panels. Alternatively, a skirt can be made from at least one panel into which slits are cut to form a visual effect of pleats. Different colors can be used for each side of the skirt and the alternate color is partially visible when either skirt is worn for increased visual variety.

Abstract: An amusement ride (10) is provided which includes a trailer (12) to make the ride portable. A park ride (10') is also disclosed for permanent installation at an amusement park or similar facility. In the portable ride (10), the tower (14) is moved by a double acting hydraulic cylinder (26) along the trailer from the transport position to a position where it is hingeably mounted to the trailer (12) by a hinge support (32). The double acting hydraulic cylinder (26) is also used to lift the tower to the erected position once the tower assembly is hinged to hinge support 32. In both the portable ride (10) and park ride (10'), the tower includes a lower section (16) and an upper section (18). A hydraulic cylinder lifts the upper section relative to the lower section. Cables (46) extend between a gondola and the lower section and are guided on pulleys over the upper end of the upper section. As the upper section moves vertically, the gondola will move vertically at about twice the velocity of the upper section.

Abstract: A hydraulic circuit (10) is disclosed for use in controlling a horizontal boring machine which requires hydraulic fluid under pressure for rotating a drill bit or backreamer through a rotation circuit and hydraulic fluid under pressure for thrusting the drill bit or backreamer within the bore hole through a thrust circuit. Pressures from both the thrust circuit and control circuit are combined through restrictors in a mixing zone or area (26). The control port of a diversion valve (32) is connected to mixing zone (26). When the combined pressure in the mixing zone exceeds the adjustable spring bias on the diversion valve, the diversion valve will open, diverting fluid from the thrust circuit to a low pressure zone. This will cause a reduction in the pressure in the rotation circuit as well. The reduction of both pressures will reduce the combined pressure in the mixing zone (26), causing the diversion valve to close and the pressures to increase.

Abstract: A garment indicia strip and method for size labeling a pair of folded pants. A strip of flexible material has indicia repeatedly printed along a first major surface thereof. The indica are printed using symbols having a height no greater than the width of an edge of said folded pants. A second major surface of the strip has a pressure sensitive adhesive material bonded thereto. In use, the second surface of the strip is affixed to a pair of pants at a predetermined position whereby sizing information of the pants can be determined by reading the strip when the pants are folded.

Abstract: A refuse derived fuel (RDF) pellet having about 11% or more particulate calcium hydroxide which is utilized in a combustionable mixture. The pellets are used in a particulate fuel bring a mixture of 10% or more, on a heat equivalent basis, of the RDF pellet which contains calcium hydroxide as a binder, with 50% or more, on a heat equivalent basis, of a sulphur containing coal. Combustion of the mixture is effective to produce an effluent gas from the combustion zone having a reduced SO.sub.2 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of effluent gas from similar combustion materials not containing the calcium hydroxide.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for passive tracking and guidance in missile systems is disclosed. The system is utilized in conjunction with a target acquisition system such as a scanning infrared detection system. The target and missile are sensed and the measured displacement therebetween is utilized in conjunction with calculated nominal trajectory data to generate guidance control signals. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the guidance control signals are transmitted to a receiver on the missile utilizing a radar frequency transmitter.

Abstract: A fluid heater, capable of having a high energy density structure with an increased radiation receiving area, facilitating maintenance services and preventing intrusion of contamination substances, comprises a transparent internal pipe (11) which is open-ended at both ends and is positioned within an external pipe (12) of a fluid heating pipe unit (1). The fluid heating pipe unit (1) is provided with a fluid inlet (31) and a fluid outlet (32). The adjacent ends of the external pipe (12) and internal pipe (11) are connected to each other and sealed, and an electrical radiant heater (2) is arranged within the internal pipe (11) with a space (7) left therebetween. The ends of the electric heater (2) are removably supported by positioning members (91, 92). An inwardly directed radiation reflecting surface (12b) and/or a radiation absorbing material (12c) can be provided as part of the external tube (12).

Abstract: A hydraulic pilot valve consisting of a pair of pressure-reducing valves, wherein a stopper which can freely adjust maximum control inputs of operating levers (23, 24) of the hydraulic pilot valve is provided to make maximum pilot pressures output from the pair of pressure-reducing valves freely adjustable. Furthermore, in the hydraulic pilot valve, a stopper member for limiting a maximum control input of an operating lever is fixed to the operating levers (23, 24), so that an operating force during a maximum operation of an operating lever is received by the stopper member. Furthermore, in the hydraulic pilot valve, an erroneous operation due to vibrations and the like is prevented by a damper mechanism (50) interposed between a lever fixed to each of the operating levers (23, 24) and a main body (1) of the valve.

Abstract: A geared steering device (30) selectively operates rightside and leftside driving mechanisms (2,3) of a crawler vehicle (1) for more efficient operation of the crawler vehicle. The geared steering device (30) comprises a power input drive element (33) for inputting a driving power from a prime mover (7), rightside and leftside steering brakes (38R, 38L), rightside and leftside direct-coupled clutches (36, 44), a turn clutch (46), three arrays of planet gear trains (40, 43 and 48), and power output shafts (32R, 32L) coupled to right and leftside steering brake hubs (34R, 34L). A control unit compares an actual steering ratio of a geared steering device (30) with a designated steering ratio, outputs control signals to respective solenoid valves for controlling the direct-coupled clutches, the turn clutch or a steering brake so as to cause the actual steering ratio to approximate the designated steering ratio.

Abstract: A land mobile radio communication system has a plurality of cell sites, each of which typically has a plurality of repeaters. The over-the-air radio communications between the cell site repeaters and the mobile radios in the system include both a voice component and a data component. The data component is carried as low-frequency subaudible information. Communication channels are provided between the radio users at each site as well as between users at different sites and between mobile radio users and the public telephone network. Within a cell site, the transmitted and received communications are digitized and passed through serial buses in a time multiplex fashion. The digitized voice is transferred between time slots to provide the required switching function. The system includes operational software to provide direct inward dial telephone number recognition, automatic voice prompts for a user entering a new cell, call priority override, fraud control for radio fleets and a dynamic control channel.

Abstract: An erosion control block of octagonal shape, having a pair of arms extending from a peripheral side edge thereof, and a pair of cavities formed in the block with openings to the peripheral side edge. The block interlocks with other similar blocks and provides an effective interlocked matrix of such blocks. The arms have enlarged ends that loosely fit within the cavities, thereby allowing rotation about a vertical axis of one block with regard to another block. When two blocks are interlocked and rotated to the fullest extent, peripheral edges of the blocks abut, thereby placing a radial tension strain on the neck of the arm, rather than a lateral strain, thereby reducing the possibility of breakage of the arms.

Abstract: A twin-scrape dozer, capable of maintaining a satisfactory balance during earth loading, of loading a larger quantity of earth, of efficiently conveying earth even over a soft ground, and of adjusting the rate at which earth is scattered, has a crawler type tractor (1, 1A) equipped with a traveling mechanism, a front earth loading and ejecting device (10, 50), and a rear earth loading and ejecting device (30, 70). The traveling mechanism has track frames (2, 2A) at right and left sides of the vehicle (1, 1A), track shoes (5, 5A) and drive units (6, 6A). The earth loading and ejecting devices are provided at the front and rear parts of the vehicle (1, 1A), and are installed to be vertically movable with lift cylinders (13, 33, 56, 78). Each of the earth loading and ejecting devices is provided with a scraper (21, 34, 53, 75) and a bowl member (14, 41, 61, 81) pivotably connected together by pivot pins (22, 42, 62, 83).

Abstract: A unique fiber optic network with shunting routing devices strategically placed on the fiber optic matrix. These shunting devices divert the packeted information through the network to the intended subscriber. Emergency back-up and alternative routes are provided for in the system.