Abstract: Process and product for manufacturing continuous fiber reinforced sheets and shapes. A pressurized extrusion process consisting of a paired and edge enclosing doctor blades that remove feed material from a pair of pinch rolls and contain such in an optimally heated environment and which provides suitable hot dies and enables extrusion of continuous reinforcements, cores or threads to be contained in the extrudite.Hopper feedable plastic pellets containing reinforcing fibers which are longer than the largest pellet dimension are disclosed. The fibers in an elongated web of fiber reinforced plastic are caused to be wrinkled or folded prior to cutting the web into pellets. One form of apparatus includes a set of conveyor rollers for moving the web, with later rollers moving more slowly than the input rollers, in conjunction with a crowding doctor blade which forces the web with a creping action from the input rollers.

Abstract: A granular fertilizer which provides plant assimilatable nutrients by both hydrolysis and bacterial activity, and which includes biological growth promoting nutrients. The fertilizer is made by blending and pelletizing an aggregate of conventional fertilizing materials, biological food source materials and at least one hydrophilic material which expands upon wetting and becomes porous and wick-like upon heating to drive off absorbed water. In its dry state, the hydrophilic material wicks up applied liquid biological inoculum which remains dormant until dispensed and exposed to adequate heat and moisture.

Abstract: Rest room partition mounting brackets are formed from two of four possible extruded bracket halves which may be joined in pairs to form any of twelve different brackets for mounting rest room separating panels. The bracket halves are extrusions of generally uniform cross-sectional configuration, but have periodic screw-accepting holes and opposed periodic notches which notches are alignable with one another to form central mounting screw accepting apertures. By selecting two of four possible bracket halves, each of three different bracket configurations may be created. A simple U-shaped bracket, a U-shaped bracket with one outboard ear, or a U-shaped bracket with two outboard ears.

Abstract: An orthopedic brace for spinal applications is formed from a plurality of relatively rigid hollowed-out parallelepiped portions adjacent pairs of which are joined along a relatively thin web of flexible material common to the two portions to provide pivotal motion between the two adjacent portions. Relative pivotal movement between the two adjacent portions is selectively restricted by an elongated threaded rod which is pivotably affixed at one end to one of the parallelepiped portions and extends through a portion of the other parallelepiped portion with a nut threadedly engaging the rod for adjustment therealong to selectively pull the other parallelepiped portion angularly toward the one parallelepiped portion. The nut engages a resilient washer to provide a limited yielding between the portions. The number of such portions joined together is arbitrary.

Abstract: Improvements in coil placing tooling of the type employed to insert prewound coils in the slots of dynamoelectric machine stator cores which tooling has an annular collet for maintaining wedge guides axially and radially in position, and the wedge guides in turn maintain blades radially in position are disclosed. The blades are readily removable and replaceable by releasing the collet for limited displacement relative to the blades, moving the collet to a position where selected wedge guides are freed axially and radially, removing certain of the selected wedge guides, and subsequently removing certain of the blades associated with the removed wedge guides. Improvements in reversible blades for such coil placing tooling are also disclosed. Certain ones of the blades comprise an elongated blade of generally uniform cross-sectional configuration with a transverse support dowel receiving hole near each end.

Abstract: A material transfer arrangement having a pair of generally cylindrical adjacent rolls which are counter-rotatable about their respective cylindrical axes and which define therebetween a nip between which material passes is disclosed. There is a corresponding pair of spaced apart doctor blades, each in close proximity to a corresponding one of the rolls so that material may be conveyed between the roll nip and the space between the doctor blades. In one form, the nip passes material to the space between the doctor blades and that space has a downstream restriction which causes the material to compress in an accordion-like way forming a corrugated material web. In another form, the doctor blades function to deliver thermoplastic extrudate to the nip between the rolls to form elongated sheets or webs of plastic material of improved uniformity.

Abstract: A clamp for supporting a bicycle is formed of two like halves joined by a single central bolt. The clamp halves are urged apart by a single central spring surrounding the bolt. Each half of the clamp has a pair of concave cylindrical segments, one for receiving a tubular member of a bicycle and the other for receiving a tubular portion of a bicycle support rack. Each cylindrical segment is lined with a resilient protective material to prevent damage to the bicycle frame as well as to insure a firm grip on the tubular members and allow the clamp to accommodate a range of tubular diameters.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for the production of hopper feedable thermoplastic pellets having zones or compartments which contain physically separated reactants which react only after being melt-mixed, as in a screw type extruder, reciproscrew injection machine, or similar device which heat forms pellets into a larger mass. This new class of thermoplastic molding materials relies mainly on the relatively slow reaction kinetics of contained large molecule molding materials to provide a time interval after melt-mixing of zoned pelletized reactants in an extruder barrel or injection molding machine. During this time period, the thermoplastic molding material is easily filled into injection molds. As the reaction progresses, the material becomes more viscous and such flow is difficult or impossible. The involved reactions may continue after demolding at room temperature during a post molding cure, or appliance service generated heat may cause post molding cure.

Abstract: A lockable hinge mechanism includes a hinge member and a pair of elongated tubular members with respective ends pivotably joined to the hinge member for movement of the tubular members between generally parallel and collinear relative positions. In one embodiment, a single hollow cylindrical cuff at least partially surrounds the hinge member and is coaxially rotatable relative to the tubular members through a range of about 180 degrees and precludes relative movement of the tubular members from the collinear position to the parallel position when in one location and allows relative movement of the tubular members from the collinear position to the parallel position in another location. The cuff cooperates with an abutment near said respective ends of the tubular members and has opposed semicylindrical extensions for engaging the abutments. The hinge member also has a pair of opposed semicylindrical end portion for engaging the abutments.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a coat with an integral hood wherein the front portion of the hood contains a rolled-up face mask integral with the hood. In a preferred form, the hood has an interior pocket which stores the face mask when not in use. The face mask has an upper edge sewn to the hood interior and a lower edge having VELCRO strips which cooperate with mating velcro strips in the lower interior of the hood to hold the mask in a lowered position covering the wearer's face.

Abstract: A high speed scanning radio has conventional RF amplifier, a mixer, a frequency synthesizer for the generation of local oscillator signals, an IF amplifier, a demodulator, and an audio output stage. The receiver includes a memory for storing a plurality of frequency codes corresponding to respective radio channels and a scan control for reading those codes, two for each channel, into the frequency synthesizer. A linear combination of each pair of distinct frequency codes is utilized to generate a local oscillator signal. Utilization of fractional N frequency synthesis is also disclosed.

Abstract: An orthopedic brace is formed from at least two relatively rigid hollowed-out parallelepiped portions joined along a relatively thin web of flexible material common to the two portions to provide pivotal motion between the two portions. Relative pivotal movement between the two portions is selectively restricted by an elongated threaded rod which is pivotably affixed at one end to one of the parallelepiped portions and extends through a portion of the other parallelepiped portion with a nut threadedly engaging the rod for adjustment therealong to selectively pull the other parallelepiped portion angularly toward the one parallelepiped portion. The number of such portions joined together is somewhat arbitrary. In the preferred knee brace form, there are four parallelepiped portions each joined to another to form a pair by a relatively thin web and each pair having a threaded rod and nut for selectively restricting pivotal movement between the portions of the pair.

Abstract: A method of forming a collar backed doubly upset tubing end includes positioning the collar on the tube, gripping the tube in a die and finally positioning the collar coplanar with the die and with a preferred length of tube extending axially beyond the coplanar collar and die faces. The tube end is axially impacted by a frustoconical punch forcing the tube end axially toward the collar while allowing a tube portion intermediate the tube end and the collar to expand radially outwardly. The tube end is then axially impacted for a second and final time with a recessed flat punch to flatten the tube end. Apparatus for performing the method as well as the product produced thereby are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system for full duplex real time two-way voice and data communication between a pair of computer terminal locations is disclosed. Analog voice signals are converted to digital form at one terminal location and those digital signals are interleaved with other digital information for transmission to the other terminal location. A value for the number of bytes, in a data packet is first established, and then values for the number of bytes and the location dedicated to the transmission of voice information, control information, and data transmission within such fixed size data packets is established. Thereafter, a sequence of data packets with synchronization bytes in the voice byte locations is transmitted from each computer terminal location and received by the other of the terminal location. Upon receipt thereof, an acknowledgement of the receipt is transmitted back to the originating location to indicate the establishment of synchronization between the two locations.