Abstract: A thermally efficient integrated greenhouse system in which thermally insulated walls support an arcuate transparent roof having the configuration of an arc of a quarter-circle with the long axis of the structure oriented in an east-west direction with the inner surface of the north wall reflective. A thermal barrier made up of a plurality of interconnected tubes of metalized plastic is provided with means for inflating the tubes to extend the barrier along a chord of the arcuate roof and with means for exhausting the tubes to retract the barrier. Solar panels along the south side of the greenhouse supply heat to a heat storage medium contained in a bin in the greenhouse. When heat is called for, a plenum in the bin above the heat storage medium is pressurized to lift the bin lid.

Abstract: A knitting machine comprises a needle cylinder, stitch-forming knitting needles, displaceable selector elements for initiating specific knitting operations, springs which bias the selector elements into a first position, mechanical control means which transfer the selector elements into a second position contrary to their biasing and electromagnetic selector means which comprise at least one activatable magnetic pole for holding the selector elements in their second position. The displaceable selector elements have a stop edge which cooperates in the second position with a counterstop edge stationary relative to the movement of the selector element. When the stop edge engages on the counterstop edge, the selector elements are located at such a small distance from the electromagnetic selector means, hereby forming an air gap, that their magnetic force is still sufficient to hold the selector elements in their second position.

Abstract: A progressive addition lens constructed on the bipolar principle in accordance with a power law having a steeper slope or gradient in the regions adjacent to the poles than in the middle region thereof between the poles.

Abstract: Apparatus for measuring the thickness of a moving web of material in which a ferromagnetic core carrying a winding and a ferromagnetic disc are disposed on opposite sides of the web at constant distances therefrom with at least one of said distances being maintained by a servomechanism including an optical distance measuring device whereby the inductance of said coil is a measure of the thickness of the web.

Abstract: A process for making gelatine films, in particular sheet gelatine, from powdered gelatine includes the following steps: The powdered gelatine with the addition of water is plasticized by the application of shearing forces at an elevated pressure and an elevated temperature, the plasticized mass is pressed in the form of a film through a slotted die, the film is drawn off the slotted die under tension and the taut film is dried.

Abstract: Apparatus for counting compact discs stacked on a spindle with outer portions of adjacent discs normally separated by gaps formed by central bosses of the discs in which the stack is moved vertically through the space between transmitting optics which produce a pair of vertically spaced beams having a space therebetween equal to the distance between a pair of adjacent gaps of the stack and receiving optics including a detector which produces pulses in response to radiation from said beams which transverse the gaps. The time between a pair of successive pulses is measured and the second pulse of the pair is counted as two pulses when the measured time exceeds a predetermined time. The apparatus is arranged to operate with either of two types of spindles.

Abstract: Apparatus for accurately determining the width of a traveling document in which respective groups of LEDs are disposed along a line extending transversely of the path of document travel inwardly from points spaced by a distance greater than the maximum document width. The groups of LEDs and respective strip photodiodes associated therewith are disposed on opposite sides of the path so that a document travelling along the path partially blocks respective LEDs of said groups. The LEDs are sequentially energized one by one from one end of the group to the other. The completely unblocked energized LEDs are counted and the percent blocked of the partially blocked LED is determined to permit an accurate width measurement to be calculated.

Abstract: A bar-shaped device for generating electrical charges by corona discharges comprises a high voltage cable surrounded by an insulating casing, extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device and adapted to be connected to a high voltage source, a plurality of needle electrodes connected to high voltage via the high voltage cable and arranged in at least one row along the longitudinal axis of the device, an insulating member accommodating the high voltage cable and the needle electrodes and an outer sheath surrounding the insulating member and having a longitudinal slot, wherein the needle electrodes penetrate the longitudinal slot and the edges of the longitudinal slot form counterelectrodes for the needle electrodes. The outer sheath consists of plastic and has grooves at the edges of its longitudinal slot parallel to the row of needle electrodes. A metal stranded wire provided with a casing made of pliable plastic is inserted into each of these grooves as counterelectrode.

Abstract: A reverse filter centrifugal machine has a self-contained, rotatably mounted basket (7) in a housing (1), provided with radial filtrate passages (11) and capable of receiving an overpressure or a negative pressure, as well as a lid (19) that closes the free front side of the basket. The basket and the lid are axially movable with respect to one another. A feed opening for the suspension to be filtered is arranged in the lid and a feed pipe (21) is sealingly inserted through the feed opening. The feed pipe (21) is rotatably mounted around its longitudinal axis and can be rotated together with the basket (7) around this axis.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a coil for a transformer and in particular a high voltage transformer in which the starting end of a wire with a bondable thermoplastic sheet is electrically conductively connected to an axially slit sleeve of non-magnetic metal which sleeve is placed on a rotary winding tool to form an essentially cylindrical wire winding directly on the sleeve with the end faces of the sleeve extending beyond the winding. Heat is applied to the winding to bond the individual turns to each other. One end of the sleeve carrying the winding is placed on the bottom of a casting mold and the end of the wire remote from the starting end is connected to a terminal. A casting compound is introduced into the mold to anchor the connecting terminal. The outside of the casting compound is provided with an electrically conductive casing which is electrically connected to the sleeve.

Abstract: Rotary shears for dividing sheet steel strips for sheet steel panels into several bands including a machine frame, two blade shafts rotatably mounted in a machine frame at an adjustable distance apart and at least one of which is driven, roller blades which can be positioned axially on the blade shafts, a manipulator which can slide on the machine frame parallel to the blade shafts and which positions the roller blades axially on the blade shafts and releasable clamps for clamping the roller blades on the blade shafts in predetermined positions. All roller blades can be positioned on the blade shafts individually and independently of each other by the manipulator and can be clamped on the blade shafts individually and independently of each other by the clamps.

Abstract: A sleeve filter centrifuge comprising a drum rotatably mounted in a housing and having radial filtrate passages, an invertable filter cloth covering the filtrate passages, a cover closing one end face of the drum, a feed opening for the suspension to be filtered provided in the cover, a feed pipe passing through the feed opening, and a safety device preventing the drum being opened by the cover being detached from it for as long as the drum is rotating ar a rotational speed higher than a critical rotational speed, above which any opening of the drum would be dangerous, the drum and the cover being axially displaceable relative to one another by means of a rotatably driven hollow shaft and a support shaft telescopically reciprocating therein in order to invert the filter cloth.

Abstract: A web rewet moisture actuator in which a plurality of air atomizing nozzles at spaced locations along a boom extending across the web are supplied with air under pressure by an air manifold on the boom and are supplied with water from a water manifold on the boom through respective proportional valve assemblies which permit flows therethrough in proportion to the magnitudes of control signals applied to the assemblies. A unit located downstream of the boom obtains a moisture profile across the web from which location and control signals are derived and fed to the valve assemblies to control the liquid flow through the valve assemblies in proportion to the magnitudes of the control signals.

Abstract: A progressive power lens series in which the surface of each lens body has first and second vision portions which differ in power in accordance with a power curve which lies entirely in the y-z plane of a Cartesian coordinate system and which is the umbilical portion of the principal meridian of the progressive surface with the curvature of the surface in at least one of said vision portions spreading away from the power curve in accordance with a spreading function defined by the intersection of nested non-bipolar conic sections or nested hyperbolic cosines with the x-y plane of the coordinate system.

Abstract: A sleeve filter centrifuge comprises a drum with radial filtrate passages (12) which is rotatably mounted in a housing (1), a sleeve filter cloth (15) which covers the filtrate passages, a lid (18) which closes the front of the drum and has a filling opening for suspensions to be filtered, and a filling pipe (19) which penetrates the filling opening. In order to turn up the filter cloth, the drum and the lid can be displaced axially relative to each other by means of a hollow shaft (3) driven in rotation and a support shaft (9) which telescopes in and out of said hollow shaft. A threaded spindle (34) is arranged on the support shaft (9) and a nut (33,36) is engaged with the threaded spindle (34). Either the threaded spindle (34) or the nut (33,36) can be driven in rotation by a motor (44) in such a manner that the support shaft (9) telescopes in and out of the hollow shaft (3) in function of the rotational speed of the threaded spindle (34) or nut relative to the rotational speed of the hollow shaft (3).

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for forming a butt splice between an expiring web and a new web in which both webs are concomitantly cut at a location upstream of a lap splice formed between the webs and a length of splicing tape is applied at the location to form the butt splice. After the butt splice is formed, the new web leading portion which is severed during the cutting operation is stripped from the expiring web. Preferably a stiffener strip is adhered to the expiring web with a breakaway adhesive and to the new web with a firm adhesive during the formation of the lap splice to facilitate the subsequent stripping operation.

Abstract: An optical filter for absorbing neodymium YAG-doubled laser radiation at 532 nanometers, comprising a polymeric matrix of transparent polycarbonate containing platinum deuteroporphyrin IX dimethyl ester, has an optical density of 1.8 at 532 nm while having a photopic luminous visible transmission of 53.8%. Optionally, the filter may contain other additives for absorption at other laser wavelengths, such as vanadyl tetra-4-tert-butylphthalocyanine for absorption of ruby laser radiation at 694 nanometers and tris(p-diethylaminophenyl)aminium hexafluoroantimonate for absorption of neodymium YAG laser radiation at 1064 nanometers.