Abstract: A cable shielding tape is produced by laminating a single layer of an insulating material film which may be plastic to a conducting layer which may be of metallic foil with one edge of the conducting layer offset laterally with respect to said insulating layer, leaving a foil free edge portion of the insulating layer along one edge of the tape. This can be manufactured by laying the insulating layer tapes in a shingled formation, laminating a web of foil over the tapes and then separating the tapes each with a partial covering of the foil. The conducting layer and insulating layer are coterminous at the opposite edge and both are folded back with the conducting layer outermost.

Abstract: A hydraulically actuated door for a large opening of a building comprises a door formed in two parts divided by a horizontal hinge line so that a lower part can fold up under the upper part in an open position of the door. The upper part carries two flanges one at each side which project outwardly from the front face of the door. A ram extends from the base of a door post upwardly to the flange so that an upward force from the ram pivots the door about a horizontal hinge line at the top of the door to an open position in which the door extends outwardly from the horizontal hinge line. A level mechanism including a push rod pushes the lower portion of the door in a folding action around the center hinge line of the door up under the upper portion of the door into the folded position.

Abstract: A straw spreader for the rear straw discharge of a combine comprises a frame mounted on ground wheels together with a pair of hitch arms which extend forwardly from the frame on either side of the rear portion of the combine for attachment to the combine frame structure. The separate frame can thus move up and down relative to the rear of the combine and maintains a pair of spreader spinners on the frame at a predetermined height relative to the ground. Guide surfaces collect the material from the chopper at the rear of the combine and direct it onto the spinners for a spreading action. The low height of the spreading action reduces dust emission and enhances spreading consistency. An accumulator can be provided between the spreader and the discharge in the rear of the combine to allow the amount of straw spread to be varied relative to the amount collected at any particular point on the field.

Abstract: In a conventional combine harvester which includes straw walkers which move in an orbital path so as to lift and move straw rearwardly along the straw walkers there is provided an improved attachment device including a surface which is inclined from a front edge upwardly and rearwardly to a rear edge at a position elevated above the saw-toothed side edge of the straw walker and at least one supplementary saw-toothed element positioned at the surface and having a saw-toothed upper edge for lifting straw over the surface and along the remainder of the straw walker. The attachment improves the separation action of the straw walkers and causes more grain to escape from the straw at the attachment with the grain then sliding downwardly and forwardly from the surface through perforations in the straw walker for collection on the conventional shoe.

Abstract: A skeg protector is mounted on the leading edge of the skeg of a boat motor. The protector is in the form of a channel of stainless steel fitted on the skeg with the base of the channel spaced forwardly of the leading edge of the skeg. A rubber strip extends along the inside of the channel. To mount the protector on the skeg, elongate, horizontal slots are formed in the channel flanges and holes are drilled through the skeg in line with the slots. Dome head machine screws and nuts are fastened through the slots and the bores of the skeg. These slots allow the skeg protector to yield somewhat on impact with a submerged object.

Abstract: A cleaning process is provided for window blinds of the type comprising vertical strips of fabric which are supported at an upper end so as to lie in parallel planes which are rotatable. The process includes a carrying frame for attachment to the lower end of the strips by which the strips are maintained in their proper parallel condition during detachment, washing, rinsing, drying and reattachment. After detachment the strips are immersed in a bath of cleaning liquid which flows longitudinally of the strips from the carrying frame to trailing end of the strips. Rinsing is carried in a similar bath. Drying is carried out by passing the strips between parallel runs of an absorbent fabric.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing ridges on snow covered fields are described. A row of snow is severed from the snow cover and elevated to provide a trench in the snow cover. The row is then deflected to one side of the trench and deposited on the undisturbed snow covering beside the trench. This produces a wind barrier on the snow covered field, reducing wind erosion of the snow cover. In preferred embodiments, two spaced trenches are cut and the rows of snow removed from them are placed on the undisturbed ridge of snow between them. In the apparatus, the rows of snow are severed, elevated and deposited by a support plate carried on two runners. The support plate floats on the undisturbed center ridge of snow. The two rows are deflected to side by side positions for deposit on top of the undisturbed center ridge by a pair of adjustable deflector plates. The two runners are supported on adjustable skis so that depth control is possible.

Abstract: A pumping system for a heavy oil and sand slurry from a downhole location to the ground surface includes a conventional screw type pump having a rotor and stator. At the bottom of the stator at the inlet thereto is mounted an attachment including a sleeve having a number of slots in the side surface into which the material feeds. Inside the sleeve is mounted a shaft having an auger flight along part of its length. A coupling at the upper end of the shaft connects to the lower end of the rotor and can be engaged and released by rotation of the rotor. The auger flight assists in forming the materials including any excess sand into a suitable slurry for feeding to the inlet of the pump. The auger feeds the material more effectively to the inlet thus maximizing efficiency of the pump. The device thus avoids sand blockages which are common problems in pumping systems of this type.

Abstract: A feeder for animals particularly pigs includes a trough having a front wall, a base and a rear wall. A shelf is positioned over the rear wall so as to project forwardly from the rear wall. A hopper deposits feed onto the shelf so that the animal can eat from the shelf or brush the feed into the trough. The shelf is separate from the rear wall so that it can be raised and lowered relative to the rear wall leaving a space underneath the shelf and at the top of the rear wall. The trough can then be cleaned by injection of a liquid spray which cleans out the crevices of the trough and jets the material up the rear wall and under the shelf to be discharged through the floor. The feeder can therefore be easily cleaned while it remains in a stationary position in the pen.

Abstract: A cover for a truck box consists of three side by side panel sections hinged together to pivot between a closed position extending across the top of the truck box and an open position arranged face to face and generally vertically along the side of the box. Movement of the panel segments is controlled by a linkage mounted on the underside of the panel segments. The linkage may be driven by an actuator.

Abstract: A dustless sander has a sanding body with a flat front face. Two exhaust openings open into the back face of the sanding body. Each is associated with a series of vacuum passages that radiate from the exhaust opening. Inlet openings through the front face communicate with the exhaust openings and the vacuum passages. The inlet openings communicating directly with the exhaust openings are smaller in diameter than the inlet openings communicating with the vacuum passages. The sander is equipped with a sanding pad consisting of several layers of fibreglass screen secured together by a bonding material around the edge. This is laid over the front face of the sander and is held in place by an open mesh abrasive sheet clamped to the sander. A hollow handle communicated with the exhaust openings and is connected, through a flexible hose and a rotary joint, to a vacuum source, such as shop vacuum.

Abstract: A snow plow member is attached to selected ones of the shanks of a cultivator frame by inserting the leading edges of the sweep at the lower end of the shank into slots formed on the rear surface of the snow plow member. A leading edge of the snow plow member follows the C-shaped curvature of the shank. The shank is clamped to the underside of the snow plow member. With such snow plow members attached to selected ones of the cultivator shanks, the snow plow members can be used to form furrows in the snow which acts to trap additional snow and to prevent the snow from being stripped from the field. The resultant increased accumulations of snow provide additional moisture retention for the field.

Abstract: A deep banding knife of the type comprising a bar of metal twisted so that an edge of the bar faces forwardly to define a cutting leading edge and including a material supply duct running down behind the bar for depositing material such as fertilizer into the furrow cut by the knife is modified by the addition of a transverse rod extending through the bar so as to be supported thereby. The rod is of a relatively short extent so that it is supported wholly by and independent of adjacent banding knives. The rod can be attached by a screw threaded coupling arrangement in which one cantilever part of the rod is threaded into a hole in the knife with a second part of the rod screwed onto a male portion extending from the first rod through the knife.

Abstract: A keyboard for use with typewriters, computers, work processors or the like has two components, one operated by each hand. One of the components includes a small array of keys used for typing in characters. The other component has a number of keys for re-mapping the character input keys. Each of the mapping keys assigns a different set of characters or functions to the character keys, so that all alphabetic, numeric and punctuation characters, computer functions and controls and word processing commands can all be entered using a single small array of keys with minimum finger movement.

Abstract: A self cleaning screen particularly for an engine cooling system comprises a housing having a screen front wall and a rear wall in which there is provided a circular opening. The housing is divided by divider plates connecting between the front and rear walls and extending outwardly from the circular opening to outer side edges of the housing. A baffle is mounted at the center of the opening and is rotatable by a fin or an electric motor. The baffle includes a triangular front plate for closing off a part of the screen aligned with the opening together with a side plate portion which closes off the area defined between the divider plates. As the baffle rotates therefore a portion of the screen extending radially from the centre of the opening to the side edge is closed off so that air does not flow through that area allowing filter debris to fall from the screen.

Abstract: A flexible header for a combine or swather includes a pair of wing sections which can flex relative to a central section. Each wing section carries a draper canvas for transporting a cut crop inwardly toward the central section. Beneath the inner ends of the drapers is mounted a further draper for transporting the crop rearwardly through an opening in the central frame into the feeder housing of the combine. Above the central draper is mounted a roller member having a central paddle portion and auger portions outside of the central portion for confining and directing the crop in cooperation with the central draper into the feeder housing. The pivot axis of each wing portion is inclined inwardly and forwardly so that the axes intersect at the sickle knife. This arrangement allows the manufacture of a large width flexible combine header.

Abstract: An agricultural sprayer of the injection type has a charging circuit for generating a pressurized circulating flow of fluid additive. This is supplied to the inlet of a metering pump of the variable stroke piston type. This allows the pump to operate at optimum volumetric efficiency throughout a wide range of pump speeds, for agricultural chemicals of all common viscosities and at all temperatures normally encountered. The speed of the metering pump can thus be controlled to control the amount of chemical injected into the water being sprayed.

Abstract: A vertically situated head exchanger is mounted externally of a building and insulated relative to the ambient air. Fan units are situated within the building preferably between adjacent joists and in the basement and in alignment with the connections to the heat exchanger. One fan unit draws fresh air from outside the building, through the heat exchanger and into the building. Another fan unit draws exhaust air from the building and passes this through the heat exchanger thus giving up heat to the cool incoming air and is then exhausted externally of the building. A controlled duct may draw warm air from the building and pass it through the heat exchanger to defrost same when necessary.