Abstract: The reciprocating and oscillating winding spindle of a stator winding machine is rotatable through 180° to enable a stator winding and lead terminating method and apparatus for automatically winding a 2-pole stator having two pole pieces each with a coil wire wound from the same, single strand of wire. A cross-over wire segment between the two stator coils extends through the bore of the stator and is trapped against an inside wall of the stator by a cross-over wire retaining member. A stator coil lead terminating apparatus is capable of complex manipulations of stator coil lead wires at a winding station. Stator coil lead wires can be looped about wire guide posts on a stator core in the course of forming coil lead terminations, and the posts can be protected against bending or breaking by looping pins that partly receive the posts.

Abstract: A blender blade assembly has a lower blade and an upper blade, each having a planar center section and curved outer blade sections. The blades extend in the same longitudinal direction so that the upper blade sections are above the lower blade sections. The blade sections are so curved that ingredients in the path of rotating blades are funneled between them. Such funneling can create a tendency for the ingredients to form a swirling mass which rotates with the blade assembly and detracts from the efficiency of the blade assembly. Therefore, the curved blade sections of the upper blade extend at an upward angle sufficient to avoid the creation of a swirling mass of ingredients that rotates with the blade assembly.

Abstract: A toaster having an electronic circuit including a chip-on-board ASIC that controls the operation of toaster heating elements and an electromagnet to which relatively high voltage is applied to hold an armature carried by a bread carriage and toaster-operating assembly. The armature is freely suspended from a bread carriage and toaster-operating assembly and accurately guided onto the electromagnet when the bread carriage is lowered. The toaster has a one-piece main frame that includes both a base frame plate and a rear frame plate. Several economies are obtained by virtue the construction of the toaster. A one-piece control support member is mounted on the base frame plate that supports both mechanical and electronic assemblies for controlling the operation of the toaster in predetermined relative positions.

Abstract: A cutlery center including a support block having at least one knife blade-receiving cavity and a battery charging stand for an electric knife affixed to the support block.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for motor testing wherein performance characteristics are determined for motors exhibiting linear operating characteristic curves without making contact with shafts of the motors during testing. More particularly, a motor to be tested is operated in one direction to a no-load speed and then reversed with current and speed measurements being made during this testing period. A full load or stall point or points and a no-load point or points are determined from the measurements so that linear speed versus torque and/or current versus torque motor characteristic curves can be generated for the motor. Multiple voltages can be applied to determine a family of characteristic curves for the motor.

Abstract: A coupon dispensing and containing device for use as a sweepstake's box that includes an outer box having at least one coupon-dispensing opening and at least one inner box affixed within the outer box, each of the at least one inner boxes containing coupons and having a coupon-exit opening aligned with a coupon-dispensing opening in the outer box.

Abstract: A cooking appliance having an upper cooking unit pivotally mounted on a lower cooking unit for rotation substantially about a horizontal axis into three different positions, a first position in which the upper cooking unit is on top of the lower cooking unit to form a contact grill, a second position in which the upper cooking unit is substantially horizontally oriented with and parallel to the lower cooking unit to form therewith a double grooved griddle, and a third, generally upright, position intermediate the first and second positions to provide access to the lower cooking plate when the appliance is being used as a contact grill.

Abstract: A ball storage and dispensing device comprises a one-piece, hollow, cylindrical storage tube for storing balls. The tube has an internal diameter over substantially its entire length which is greater than the diameter of any of the balls to be stored. The lower end of the tube has a bottom opening which is smaller than the internal diameter of the rest of the tube and of a size and shape to prevent balls stored in said tube from falling downwardly out of the tube. In addition, the lower end of the tube has a ball-dispensing aperture spaced above the bottom opening, and the bottom opening is sufficiently large to permit an individual to insert a finger upwardly through the bottom opening and push a ball at the bottom of the tube upwardly and outwardly through the ball-dispensing aperture. The restriction in the size of the bottom opening is obtained by indenting the wall of the tube.

Abstract: A steam iron including a soleplate, a steam chamber having an upper surface portion with a water inlet opening, a water reservoir having a bottom surface portion with a water outlet opening and a valve assembly for directing controlled amounts of water from the reservoir into the steam chamber. The valve assembly including a valve port member having a body formed of a matrix of material with a bore and hollow bypass conduit. The upwardly-facing surface of the valving portion including an opening for the hollow bypass conduit. The hollow bypass conduit having a lower end open along an inside wall portion of the valving portion of the bore, a valve element extending into the bore, rotatable about an axis for controlling the flow of water through the valving portion. The valving portion including first and second barriers such that rotation of the valving element allows the user to allow or prevent water from flowing to the steam chamber.

Abstract: A toaster oven has a sheet metal chassis and plastic, cool-wall support walls which support the chassis. Both a pivotally-mounted bottom panel and a slidable crumb tray may be provided. Parts of the chassis are connected together without the use of fasteners or welds by twist tabs. A sheet metal top panel and, optionally, a plastic top panel extend over the top of the chassis. One of the support walls has a pair of locking pins and the plastic top wall has a forwardly-facing hook engaged with one of said locking pins and a rearwardly-facing hook engaged with the other of said locking pins. Support pads on the inner faces of the plastic support walls may cooperate with mounting members for supporting the toaster oven on the bottom of a kitchen cabinet. A control compartment beside the oven chamber houses electrical controls including a heat sensing thermistor mounted in a porcelain tube held against the wall that separates the control compartment from the oven chamber.

Abstract: A household electric appliance has three basic components, a griddle, a skillet which can be placed on the griddle to be heated thereby when the griddle is not otherwise in use, and a skillet lid which can be placed atop the skillet. The appliance can be compactly assembled for storage by changing the manner in which the components are stacked. When compactly assembled for storage, the three basic components can be clamped together and stored on edge to conserve lateral storage space. Two types of clamps are described, a resilient strap clamp and a wire rod clip. Operation of the appliance is controlled by a thermostat and a heating control panel is provided that has two sets of indicia, one for use when the griddle is used by itself and one for use when the skillet is used.