Abstract: A winding machine for winding an elongated strip on a core mounted on an axle to form a roll thereon has a support frame and an axle to receive a core on which elongated strip is to be rolled. The support frame has two tranversely spaced parallel side members having tracks supporting opposite end portions of the axle and along which the axle is movable from a winding position to an unloading position, and a driven roller at the winding position to engage elongated strip wound on a core on the axle to rotate the core and wind further strip thereon. The axle with strip wound on the core is moved along the tracks from the winding position to the unloading position. At the unloading position, one end of the axle is held by one side member in a generally horizontal attitude.

Abstract: An angioplasty catheter is disclosed having an elongate main body defining guide wire and fluid supply lumens and terminating at a distal end in a tapered tip. The fluid supply lumen is closed at the tip and the guide wire lumen extends to the tip for receiving a Seldinger wire to guide the catheter during insertion procedures. The main body defines a side opening meeting the supply lumen near the tip and a balloon is sealed to the main body near the tip and contains the side opening. The balloon has a membrane of inelastic material having a defined shape when inflated by fluid pressure applied through the supply lumen, and an elastic sheath covering the membrane.

Abstract: A new orthodontic bracket has a mesial-distal extending labially-open arch wire slot that in gingival-occlusal cross section is curved at its lingual face about a mesial distal axis and has its gingival and occlusial faces which usually are straight smoothly joining the lingual face and extending away from one another to form a slot opening of greater gingival-occlusial dimension. A spring retainer member embraces the gingival, occlusial and labial faces and is movable between a slot open position and a slot closed position, in the latter of which it opposes any protrusion of an arch wire out of the slot caused by misalignment between the slot and the arch wire The retainer is held in the slot closed position by latches which permit a small movement of the retainer away from the fully slot closed position, but which oppose such movement by spring and cam action.

Abstract: A mold oscillator for a continuous casting machine comprises at least two tensile elements disposed so as to always remain in tension. The tensile elements lie on respective radii extending from the radius of curvature of the casting radius and are anchored to a fixed external frame. The oscillating drive is in the form of a cam which moves the follower pivoted at one end. A transfer element between the follower and the mold transmits the oscillation to the mold and the oscillation stroke is varied by means changing the distance of the cam from the pivoted end of the follower.

Abstract: A dispenser is provided for liquids, the dispenser having a container and an outlet at a predetermined first level. The pressure in the container can be varied and a reservoir receives liquid from the outlet. A discharge passageway extends upwardly from the first level and terminates at a discharge opening at a second level, and an air relief opening is provided above the first level. The relief opening is no lower than the second level so that liquid displaced from the container flows into the reservoir and out of the passageway while air is trapped in the reservoir above the first level. Consequently any gradual increase in temperature will cause air from the reservoir to be displaced through the air relief opening to minimize the risk of temperature driven dispensing. The passageway is defined by the combination of a cup-shaped base and a sleeve within the base.

Abstract: An infusion catheter is provided having a main body including a continuous generally round cross-section about a longitudinal axis. The body has proximal and distal ends. A tip section has a round cross-section and is smaller in cross-section than the main body and ends in a tip. The tip section is attached to the distal end of the main body at a transition portion which tapers smoothly from the main body to the tip section. The main body and tip section define a primary lumen extending from the proximal end of the body to the tip and the lumen is continuous. This lumen has a longitudinal axis offset from that of the main body and the main body further includes a pair of side-by-side secondary lumens terminating at respective side openings in the main body. A first of these openings is adjacent the transition portion and the second is spaced from the transition portion. Plug material is provided in the main body between said second opening and the transition portion.

Abstract: The invention provides a roll-up door for operation with a pre-tensioned balancer and having fastening apparatus comprising a cable with fasteners, one on each end, and which is coupled to the door at first and second positions spaced substantially equally from respective sides of the door. The balancer has a clip located centrally with respect to the first and second positions so that as the cable is positioned on the balancer during initial installation, the cable can adjust in the clip so that the lengths of the cable from the balancer to the door are equalized. The cable is wound onto the balancer as the door is opened. This winding creates sufficient friction between the cables and the balancer to lock the cables to the balancer so that the cables effectively retain their equal lengths during use.

Abstract: A practice ice hockey puck is provided for indicating, in relative terms, the energy of impact when the puck is driven into a solid object. The puck has a cylindrical case extending about a central axis and defining an axially extending well containing a housing which in turn contains an indicator arranged to move angularly against frictional restraint. A driver is coupled to the indicator so that on impact, the energy in the driver is transferred to the indicator to move the indicator angularly relative to the housing against the frictional restraint. The degree of angular movement of the indicator relative to the housing is recorded on a scale thereby showing the user in relative terms the energy of impact.

Abstract: A flexible transverse-L cross-section support structure is capable of being mounted around curved edges of, for example, window frames, bed-head frames and table tops. The structure is specially suitable to receive one component of a flexible two component loop and hook fastening system which it is required will remain in a flat plane while the other arm of the support is bent in a curved plane. The first arm which carries the tape on its outer face is provided on its inner face, preferably about midway along its length, with a short relatively thick third arm extending parallel to the second arm to form a channel between them. It is now possible to bend a support so that the second surface is curved without unacceptable bending or buckling of the first arm and the supported tape out of the original flat plane.

Abstract: The flexible starter bar has a body which comprises a flexible substantially planar spine on one side, a series of blocks attached to the spine on the other side, and in a top portion thereof adjacent a head for the starter bar, a plurality of block supports disposed between adjacent pairs of blocks adapted to protrude from one block of a pair so as to lie in abutting and supporting relationship with the other block of the pair, thereby increasing the effective length of the operatively outer side of the starter bar body so that the starter bar may assume a curved configuration and be self-supporting. The block supports in the top portion of the starter bar are retractable to shorten the effective length of the starter bar body on the operatively outer side so that the starter bar may resume a straight configuration. The bottom portion of the starter bar is without any block supports and is supported in the curved configuration by a strand guide and support rolls.

Abstract: An artificial under water fish lure, comprising an elongated body, having a cross section of two body plates rising in proportional lengths symmetrically about a line of juncture. The body decreasing in cross sectional size forwardly comprising a head portion, and rearwards. A thin substantially flat head plate affixed on the forward portion of the body. Apertured means at the forward head portion; and whereby when normally drawn horizontally through the water at the end of fish line, the lure will attract fish regularly into striking, by exposing interior and exterior surfaces of the body plates, the majority of the interior surface hidden intermittently by the exterior surface, as the lure wobbles through the water.

Abstract: A multiple lumen catheter is described having a flexible elongate body extending about a longitudinal axis and having a distal end with a tapered tip, a proximal end, an outer wall and a septum extending between spaced points on the outer wall. The outer wall and the septum define extraction and return lumens extending from the proximal end to the tapered tip where the outer wall and the septum converge to close off the lumens. The outer wall also define respective extraction and return apertures for fluid communication between the lumens and the tube exterior. A portion of the septum defines a third lumen extending along the longitudinal axis of the body from the proximal end to the distal end and terminating at the tip in an aperture. This third lumen is useful to receive a Seldinger wire for insertion and can be used also for intravenous infusion of liquid medicaments.Methods of manufacture are also described.

Abstract: The starter bar has a free end portion which is flexible for storage and a substantially rigid portion at the end which plugs the mold. The starter bar is constructed in discrete blocks secured to one side of a planar spine provided in segments and arranged end to end. Adjustable spacers in the form of tapered blocks are disposed between the blocks of the bar to allow the starter bar to be self-supporting in a curved configuration corresponding to the casting path. A more flexible spine in the end portion of the starter bar allows the starter bar to be curved to a tighter radius than that of the casting path while the blocks fan out in an unsupported configuration. A storage ramp is provided to support the flexible end in the stored position.

Abstract: A machine for sorting packages having individual bar code identifications. The packages are received at an induction station and an induction conveyor moves the packages up to a gate which is driven by an actuator to allow individual packages to pass through the gate at predetermined intervals. The packages are driven by a transport mechanism along a slider bed having trap doors moveable between an elevated position in alignment with the slider bed and a lowered position providing openings in the slider bed for the packages to fall from the slider bed. The transport mechanism includes individual pushers to move over the slider bed spaced from one another by the predetermined interval so that each pusher receives a respective one of the packages from the induction conveyor and pushes that package along the slider bed.

Abstract: A dual lumen catheter, for insertion into a vein of a patient for use in haemodialysis treatments, having first and second portions defining a shorter intake lumen and a longer return lumen. The intake lumen is closed at its end and receives blood through at least one opening in the side wall of the catheter and the second lumen includes the second portion which is of smaller cross-section than the first portion. Also described is a catheter having an intake lumen and a return lumen in which the return lumen has a tip of different stiffness from the main body of the catheter, the intake lumen being closed at its end and receiving fluid through an opening in the side wall of the catheter.

Abstract: A winding machine for winding a continuous strip of then sheet material, such as paper, metal or plastics, on to a succession of axle mounted cores has the axle engaged in a pair of arms that move the axle with a full roll to an unloading position at which one end is engaged by a retainer that holds the axle horizontal when support is removed from the other end. In one embodiment the axle is swung outwards until the other end is sufficiently clear of the support frame for the core and roll to be slid off the axle to a floor mounted receptor, such as a wheeled dolly. In another embodiment a part of the side frame plate of sufficient size is hinged to the rest of the plate and is moved out of the way to permit this sliding removal of the core and roll and mounting of a new core for the next roll.

Abstract: A bag closing machine has a pair of endless belts mounted in a housing and having adjacent runs extending along a passage in the housing. The belts are driven to cause bags to be conveyed successively between the runs along the passage. A heating station adjacent the passage is operable to heat sealing areas of the bags to activate heat sealable material in a bag closing manner. The heating station has at least one pair of nozzles, one nozzle of each pair being on one side of the passage and the other nozzle of each pair being on the opposite side of the passage, the nozzles being directed towards the sealing area of a bag passing the heating station. Hot air is supplied to the nozzles to cause hot air to be emitted from the nozzles and impinge on the sealing area of a bag to activate the heat sealable material in a bag closing manner. When no bag is passing the heating station, hot air from the nozzles is removed to a location remote from the drive belts.

Abstract: An elastomeric traction ribbon spring for use in orthodontic procedures consists of a thin and narrow ribbon of substantially constant thickness and width along the length of its operative portion, which is provided with a centrally disposed row of relatively small relatively closely spaced holes extending through its thickness dimension. The tension applied between two anchor points is adjusted by choice of the holes engaged at these points. A specific example is 0.9 mm (0.035in) wide and 0.3 mm (0.012in) thick with holes of 0.2 mm (0.008in) diameter spaced 0.58 mm (0.023in) apart center to center. Each hole may have at the underface a funnel-shaped recess that facilitates mounting of the ribbon on its anchor point; a method of forming such holes is provided using an apertured die and a concentric pointed punch. The spring may be supplied in a long length from which the required amount is cut.