Abstract: An aircraft ski for attachment to the axle of the ground wheel of the aircraft includes a pair of rams moving the ski upwardly and downwardly from a retracted position to a deployed position. On each side of the ski is provided a respective lever which is connected to the axle and extends therefrom rearwardly to a rear end of the ski. Intermediate the length of the lever is provided a cross torque tube which prevents twisting movement of the ski as it is deployed. At a rear end of each of the levers is provided a cross shaft which is attached to the rear end so that the cross shaft is rotated as the lever moves with the deployment of the ski. The cross shaft is attached to a rear restraint cable which is thus paid out and drawn in respectively by the movement of the ski between the deployed and retracted positions. A front restraint cable extends from a forward end of the ski to the aircraft.

Abstract: A hydraulic concrete pile cutter includes a blade with a beveled cutting edge extending across most of one edge. The blade confronts an anvil plate for supporting the pile on the side opposite the blade. The single blade is driven through a concrete pile and against the anvil to shear the concrete matrix of the pile and to sever the reinforcement strands.

Abstract: A header for a combine harvester includes gauge wheels which can be converted from a normal gauge position to a transport position in which the header is wholly supported by the gauge wheels and towed longitudinally of its length. One of the gauge wheels is a single wheel which moves inwardly toward the centre of gravity in the transport position. The other of the wheels is a walking beam system in the working position and forms a transverse axle in the transport position. Each of the gauge wheels is mounted upon a bracket which can pivot about a horizontal axis from a raised spring biased gauge position to a vertically depending position allowing rotation of the wheel about a vertical axis on the bracket. The header therefore can be transported without the necessity for a separate trailer system.

Abstract: A rotary mower of the type used for mowing shallow angle furrows has a wing lift mechanism that will lift both wings simultaneously to a common height but permits both wings to follow the contours of the ground when the ground angle exceeds the preset angle of the mower.

Abstract: An aerodynamic drag reduction fairing is mounted on a substantially vertical rear surface of a vehicle. The fairing body comprises a generally inverted U-shaped member with a transverse top portion and a pair of depending legs upon the top and sides respectively of the rear surface. The body has a surface which is contiguous with the outside surface of the vehicle at the top and sides and then converges in a curve shape inwardly and rearwardly to a trailing edge spaced rearwardly of the rear surface. The spacing of the trailing edge from the rear surface is greater at the top than at the bottom of the sides legs. From the trailing edge the body extends back to the rear surface to form a hollow interior inside the top portion and the legs. This can be inflated so that the body can be formed from a flexible fabric.

Abstract: An electronic game apparatus for playing a card game and particularly the card game cribbage includes a central unit and a plurality of player units separate from but attached to the central unit for communication therewith. The central unit can store indicia relating to the set of cards of the conventional nature and can transfer those cards to different display areas on the main board and on the playing units. Each player can operate transfer buttons on the player unit which act to transfer selected ones from the cards indicated on his player unit to the required location on the main board for the playing of the game cribbage. The main unit calculates the score and enters this on a conventional cribbage scoreboard.

Abstract: A motorized wheel assembly is provided for a wheelchair in which there is a seat for receiving the occupant attached to a vertical shaft with a single central wheel mounted at the bottom of the shaft for rotation about a horizontal axis transverse to the chair and defining a direction of forward movement of the wheel forwardly of the chair. On the shaft is carried a battery and control unit for supplying power to the drive motor of the, wheel mounted on the hub of the wheel. An outrigger frame includes a sleeve slidable on the shaft and a plurality of arms extending outwardly from the sleeve each arm carrying a castor wheel to prevent toppling of the device. Steering is achieved by the feet of the user applied to the outrigger frame to rotate the chair and the drivewheel about a vertical axis.

Abstract: A collapsible stair lift is operable between an upper floor level and a lower floor level. The lift has a set of collapsing steps that lower from their normal in use condition to a position in which the treads of the various steps are flush with the lower floor. A platform is located at the top of the stairs and lowers from the top of the stairs to a position flush with the stair treads. The unit is particularly useful in domestic environments where space is limited.

Abstract: An adjustable door frame has adjustable width jambs and header. Each of the frame elements consists of two elongated components held together with interengaging rails and channels on the two components. In use, the frame elements are adjusted to the desired width and are locked in place with self tapping screws through the rails and channels. This allows the elements to be installed in a door opening in the same way as a fixed width door frame and without the use of screws through the door casing.

Abstract: A straw and chaff chopping and discharge arrangement is attached to a rear discharge opening of a combine harvester. The discharge apparatus includes a horizontal hub member transverse to the combine and carrying upon it a plurality of blade members arranged in radial planes along the length of the hub member. Each blade member includes a support plate lying in a radial plane together with a transverse blade surface which is inclined so that it extends outwardly and forwardly to generate a high velocity of air rotating with the chopping assembly around the axis. A housing is shaped with a stripping edge at the discharge opening to cause the rotating air and chopped material to be expelled through the discharge opening upwardly and rearwardly from the housing. The material can be spread across the ground up to a width equal to the swath from which the crop has been cut to provide even spreading of the material across the ground.

Abstract: A centrifuge bowl of the type having a shell including a peripheral wall and a cast inner liner attached to the inside surface of the peripheral wall is modified by the provision of a plurality of punched channel portions which extend inwardly into the bowl from peripheral wall to define a U-shaped channel with severed ends. During the casting process the casting plastics material extends into the recess behind each channel portion and thus when set forms an insert portion which anchors the liner to the channel portion and thus to the peripheral wall. Openings for the entry of fluidizing water are then drilled through the insert portion from the outside of the shell through one end of the channel portion and through the liner into the interior of the bowl.

Abstract: A set of bag carrying saddles replace the leaf springs of conventional walking beam assemblies and operate in conjunction with a pair of linear stabilizing arms and shock absorbers thereby giving a traction distribution of approximately 25% per wheel. The use of walking beams in conjunction with shock absorbers gives a suspension system particularly suitable for extremely rough terrain because it operates on an approximate 2:1 ratio with the air bags. The saddles include vertical side plates having diagonal forwardly and upwardly extending front portions pivotally mounted to each chassis member of the vehicle and which are also pivotally connected to the walking beams intermediate the ends of the beams. Air bags operatively extend between the saddles and the chassis members.

Abstract: A dual voltage direct current permanent magnet brushless motor operated by sequential and alternate pulses to two rows of stator coils radially and equally positioned in the stato assembly to interact with two rows of permanent magnets equally spaced on the rotor. All the permanent magnets in one row are poled opposite to all the permanent magnets in the other row and total one less than the number of stator coils in each row. The reversal of poles of one row of permanent magnets on the rotor, along with the equal and opposite voltage permits the back electromotive force from a de-energizing stator coil in the first row to feed energy to the next stator coil positioned on the opposite site of the rotor (and vice versa) which interact with the reverse poled permanent magnet to produce only useful torque. Additional energy will be drawn from the battery as required to maintain the speed and torque requirement of the motor.

Abstract: A syringe carrier comprising an elongate member with a plurality of bores thereon for retaining the capped needles of syringes is described. The elongate member is capable of holding a number of syringes and corresponding indicia for each syringe. The syringes are retained within inclined bores on the member, which allows for the easy removal and replacement of the syringe needle, without the need to hold the syringe cap with one's hand. The device can safely carry a number of syringes, as well as allow for the safe removal and insertion of the needle from the syringe cap.

Abstract: A walker frame of the type including four legs which extend into contact with the ground and support an upper handgrip portion is modified by the provision of a skid member attached to at least the rear legs for engagement with the ground. The skid member includes a portion of a flat strip material manufactured from a high density plastic material with the front edge of the skid member turned upwardly to allow ready sliding over various surfaces. The flat strip is attached to the lower leg by an insert member which expands in the hollow interior at the lower end of the leg by screws passing through the skid member from the underside into the leg.

Abstract: A centrifugal separator of the type comprising a bowl having a base and a peripheral wall surrounding a vertical axis about which the bowl rotates and a jacket having a base plate under the base of the bowl and a sleeve surrounding the peripheral wall includes a central bottom discharge for the concentrate. The bowl is mounted on the shaft with a hub connecting the shaft to the base plate of the jacket. Water is supplied through the shaft and through a pair of ducts passing through the hub and into the area of the base of the bowl. The discharge also extends through the hub through a pair of ducts which diverge from the central discharge opening outwardly and downwardly into a collection chamber. The discharge duct portions through the hub are angularly offset from the water supply duct portions through the hub so that both can be formed in the hub.

Abstract: A conventional mattress construction which includes a series of interconnected BONNEL type coil springs together with top and bottom covering layers of fabric and padding is modified by the insertion into some of the coils of a circular cylindrical core member formed from foam which has a length greater than the length of the spring so that ends of the core member project outwardly beyond the end of the springs into engagement with the padding on the top and bottom surfaces of the mattress. The core member has a diameter which is a friction fit with the inside diameter of the intermediate turns of the spring. The core members are provided preferably in the center third of the mattress to increase stiffness in that area and to reduce vibrations being transmitted from one occupant to a second occupant.