Abstract: An auger type dredge head may be mounted on a dredge ladder in a selected angular position with respect to the ladder axis, for sweeping or fore and aft operation, and a selected angular position may be set and maintained with respect to the dredge barge. The head has movable shrouds on opposite sides of the auger, the shrouds carrying doors which open automatically to eject matter too large to be accommodated by the dredge suction pipe. The shrouds have sloping fins on their inner faces to aid in the movement of dredged material to a centrally located suction pipe inlet.

Abstract: A shredder for sheets of paper and the like in which a pair of rotatable cutters are used to shred the paper, the cutters being located in a housing which has at least one pair of opposed surfaces, which are remote from the paper entrance to and exit from the shredder, spaced apart by less than 15 cm, whereby the housing can be held between the fingers and thumb of one hand and so can be portable. Preferably the weight of the paper shredder is less than 1.5 kg.

Abstract: A concrete or like articulated mattress for protection of seabed installations comprises a plurality of concrete elements (31, 32, 33, 34, 35) articulated together, the mattress having a relatively thick central block (33) from which its thickness tapers through side blocks (31, 32, 34, 35) to side edges (36, 37). In the central block (33) a tunnel (60) is provided to accomodate a seabed installation such as a pipeline to be protected. Prior to installation on a seabed, the side blocks (31, 32, 34, 35) may be folded over and stored on the top of the central block (33).

Abstract: An electronic braking system (EBS) for a towing vehicle which provides for trailer service brake pressure supply via an additional EBS sub-system, and wherein, in order to speed up the application of trailer braking, the electrical signal representing the driver's braking demand is processed to generate an additional pressure pre-pulse of predetermined amplitude to pressurise the trailer braking circuit in advance of the proportional pressure setting determined by the driver. The pre-pulse is made up of two parts, a preset fixed duration pulse followed without break by a variable duration continuation pulse. The variable duration of the variable duration pulse is determined primarily by the rate of increase of the driver's demand signal.

Abstract: For measuring the rotational speed of a wheel is an antilocking protected vehicle brake system a rotational speed sensor is provided in which in accordance with the rotational speed of the wheel signals are electromagnetically induced which have an amplitude and frequency which increase regularly with the rotational speed. When due to error sources the amplitude of the induced signal does not increase with the frequency of the signal a rotational speed measured value is determined by means of the measured amplitude, i.e. not on the basis of the measured frequency. To avoid erroneous measuring signals it may likewise be provided that when the amplitude of the signal does not increase with its frequency the last measured value of the frequency of the induced signal at which the amplitude still increased with the frequency is used to determine the speed of rotation.

Abstract: A trailer braking system for a towing vehicle has a trailer braking valve (26) is fed with a pressurized air supply which is modulated by the opening of the valve, as controlled by a first control pressure regulated by a trailer braking controller (24) in accordance with braking demand signals, to produce a trailer braking pressure. In order that a trailer braking pressure may be generated even if the above trailer braking valve control fails, the valve is supplied with a second control pressure independently of the first, and which is also capable of operating the trailer braking valve (26). In a preferred embodiment, the second control pressure is supplied from a braking line of the towing vehicle, such that the "back up" control pressure is a function of the towing vehicle braking.

Abstract: A removable lace-in fastener for an item of footwear comprises fastener means such as a sliding clasp fastener, openable and closeable along a longitudinally extending line and a pair of bendable, longitudinally extending strips of plastics material. Each strip has a plurality of integrally moulded eyelets provided along a first outer longitudinal edge thereof. Each strip is attached along a second longitudinal edge thereof to a free outer edge of the fastener means. The fastener may be attached into a boot or other item of footwear by lacing connecting some of the eyelets with conventional eyelets in the boot.

Abstract: This invention relates to a liquid pharmaceutical preparation for topical use on the skin of patients, said preparation containing indomethacin as active ingredient and dimethylisosorbide and isopropanol as excipients.The preparation according to the invention allows an easy and precise local administration by external application on the skin of a solution of indomethacin in the excipients.

Abstract: A first control valve which is normally open connects a master cylinder connection to a wheel cylinder connection. A second control valve which is normally closed connects the wheel cylinder connection to a storing chamber for returning brake fluid and to an inlet passage of a return pump when it is in open position. The return pump communicates through an output passage with a damping chamber. The damping chamber is arranged in a valve receptacle for the first control valve, and the storing compartment is arranged in a valve receptacle for the second control valve.

Abstract: A method of controlling the brake pressure in an antilock vehicle brake system in which rotational velocities of the vehicle wheels are measured and the brake pressure is modulated in dependence upon the retardation and the slip of a wheel on exceeding threshold values provides that for each braked wheel the difference between the vehicle reference velocity and a wheel reference velocity is determined for adjusting the length of the pressure maintaining or pressure diminishing phase in dependence upon the difference.

Abstract: A method of controlling the brake pressure in an anti-lock vehicle braking system provides for determining the deviation of a control magnitude, such as the slip or retardation of a wheel, from a given rated value Sw in the course of a control cycle. A threshold value which is decisive for the pressure decrease at a wheel subject to the risk of becoming locked is changed for the next successive control cycle in response to the amount of the deviation of the control magnitude from the rated value.

Abstract: A valve block (10) includes fluid passages (12), valves (14), and connections (30,32,34) for fluid operated devices. Electromagnets (36) are attached to the valve block (10) for actuating the valves (14). A hood (40) covering the electromagnets (36) is placed on the valve block (10). An external plug group (42) is arranged at the hood (40) and comprises plugs (44) which are accessible from outside and serve for connection to sensors and the like. A second plug group (46) including plugs (48) is arranged within the hood (40), the plugs thereof being connected to the plugs (44) of the external plug group (42). A third plug group (50) including plugs (52) is arranged at the valve block (10), the plugs thereof being adapted for connection to the plugs (48) of the second plug group (46) by donning of the hood (40). The electromagnets (36) are connected to the plugs (52) of the third plug group (50) by a conductor arrangement (56). The hood (40) encloses a space (53) in which electronic components are received.

Abstract: The last for making boots and shoes comprises a main body portion (1) and a detachable toe portion (2). The two are held together during lasting by means of a peg (3) engaging in a hole (4) in the toe portion. When the last is to be removed from the shoe, only the main body portion (1) is removed, the toe portion (2) remaining in place. This enables shoes of complex toe shapes to be made.

Abstract: Directional control of a shield excavator is automatically carried out merely by inputting a direction of rotational moment to which the excavator is directed and a magnitude of the moment.

Abstract: A dual computer cross-checking system includes a control computer for controlling a process in accordance with input data and a monitoring computer. The two computers are interconnected to exchange check data on a cyclic basis, each computer carrying out a number of processing operations on the received check data before transmitting the data thus processed to the other computer. In addition, each computer checks the received check data against an expected value. An error condition is detected if the result of at least one of these comparisons is found to be incorrect.

Abstract: An alarm system which signals to the driver a first alarm whenever he opens a vehicle door and the selector lever of an automatic transmission is not in its full park position. The system signals to the driver and also to persons external to the vehicle a second different alarm whenever, in addition, the driver leaves his seat and the selector lever is not in its full park position or the parking pawl fails to properly engage the parking gear even though the selector lever is in its proper park position. A manual switch may be operated to selectively disconnect the alarms, with an automatic operator being provided to close this switch should it accidently be left in its open condition.

Abstract: A lens or lens system for use in reading optical data has as one component a pickup lens having finite or infinite conjugates. The pickup lens is biaspheric where the surfaces may have spherical, paraboloidal or general conic base curves and higher order correction terms up to 40th order when required. Various methods of making such a lens of plastics material are also disclosed.

Abstract: A split head hammer including a head (4) from one end of which a replaceable hammer shaft (2) projects, comprising two head parts (4A, 4B) which can be connected to grip a pair of striking pieces (11) and the shaft (2), the shaft being sunk fully within the head. The head grips the shaft at a plurality of circumferentially-shaped positions (70). Striking pieces suitable also for use in other designs of hammer e.g. solid head and having a rearward extension (46) of smaller section than the open end (21) of the socket can be retained in the socket by plastic flow and/or by a separate retainer, preferably an annular metal washer (50, 60) usefully toroidal (60). Not only the striking pieces (11) but also the shaft (2) can be simply replaced by the user, notwithstanding that the hammer is suited to heavy-duty use.

Abstract: A glove to be worn by one who habitually sucks one or more the the digits (thumb or finger) of the hand has a tubular part which encloses the sucked digits(s) and which has on its external surface adjacent its outer end the representation of a human figure having a face and a hat the brim of which is formed by a flange which extends outwardly from the tubular part.

Abstract: A system for inflating e.g. a pair of lumbar support bags of a vehicle seat comprises two pumps each connected to a respective bag and controlled by a common electronic control system. The control system causes each bag to be inflated over a period of between 1 and 10 minutes, the inflation of one bag taking place while the other bag is deflated and vice versa to produce alternating pressure zones in the lumbar region. Inflation of each bag is produced by a multiplicity of individual spaced apart energizations of the associated pump. The duration and spacing of the energizations is variable to produce the desired complete inflation of a bag within the required period. In the preferred embodiment the duration of each energization is preset during manufacture of the system but the spacing of the energizations is under the control of the user of the seat to vary the duration of the inflate/deflate cycle.