Abstract: A striker plate for protecting the bottom surface of an underground storage tank from damage caused by the impact of an object thereon. The striker plate is formed by a plurality of slats having a resilient strip crossing the slats to which the slats are mounted to align the slats in side-by-side fashion and to bias the slats to a first position in which the plate is flat for application to the bottom surface of an under ground storage tank. A pivot is adapted for mounting to a setting tool so that the slats can be rolled into a cylinder for insertion through the filler pipe of the storage tank and then pivoted for application to the bottom surface of the tank and a releasable mount on the plate is provided for removing the pivot from the plate once the plate is applied to the bottom of the tank.

Abstract: There is disclosed an article for restraining movement of objects in a dishwasher rack including a heat resistant, elastic net, which, when secured across the top opening of the rack, remains substantially flat over objects not exceeding the height of the rack and has openings to permit it to receive and to conform to the sides of other objects whose height does exceed that of the rack.

Abstract: An improved rubber stock with a unique carbon black system including mismatched pairs of furnace blacks with fumed silica and a silane coupler has been developed. The carbon black system includes a mixture of large and small particles with high and low structure carbon black pairs. The carbon black system compounded with polar and nonpolar rubber provides products with a range of desirable characteristics using only two carbon blacks.

Abstract: A glare reducing coating for reflective-transmissive surfaces such as the glass screen of a television or CRT including a resin binder, plasticizer, solvent, and flatting agent. The resin binder is nitrocellulose or an acrylic resin or a mixture of nitrocellulose and acrylic resin, and the particular plasticizer used depends upon the choice of resin binder. Preferred plasticizers are polyesters, phthlates, and alkyds, the amount of plasticizer utilized being determined by the degree of flexibility desired for the dried coating. Silica is the preferred flatting agent, and any of a large number of common organic solvents are utilized.

Abstract: A shaker rod constructed in two parts of different rigidities for a harvester is disclosed. The first part, in plan, includes a hook shaped region, so that it is generally the shape of a head of a shepherd's crook with a handle which is curved. The second and more rigid part is generally straight and is joined to the hook shaped end of the first part. This forms a generally continuous U-shaped end of the first part. The end of the shaker rod are mountable to shaker posts or shaker frames of a harvester which creates movement in the shaker rod when the harvester is used.

Abstract: A device for uprighting containers from a position with their axis horizontal to a position with their axis vertical comprises a circular plate (3) fixed to the end of a shaft (5) of horizontal axis by a support structure (4) arranged to undergo stepwise rotations of 180.degree. in synchronism with a container feed line (1); two parallel shafts (14, 15) symmetrically arranged about a diameter of the plate (3) and each carrying, at that end facing away from the plate, a receptacle (18) for seizing the containers, said shafts being connected mechanically such as to undergo equal rotations in the same direction, and carrying the receptacles (18) thereon with their axes mutually perpendicular; and a fixed positive-acting cam (25) within which there engages the end of a rocker arm (23) pivoted on the plate (3), its opposite end rotating one of the shafts (14 or 15) by a mechanism comprising a connecting rod-crank unit (21, 22).

Abstract: There is disclosed wellhead apparatus in which a pipe string is suspended within the bore of a housing and the annular space between the bore and the outer wall of the pipe string or a mandrel-type hanger from which the pipe string is suspended is closed by a seal assembly. The seal assembly is lowered into the annular space on a tool so as to close the same as seal rings carried about the outer and inner sides of the body are energized into sealing engagement with the bore of the housing and the outer wall.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in transmitting torque between a first part rotatable about a fixed axis and a second part rotatable in a circular path about the axis, and which includes a torque bar having its ends connected to ends of the parts by universal joints.

Abstract: A brace for external fixation of long bone fractures which includes "I"-shaped member and cross-shaped elongate members, both of which are curved along a longitudinal axis to fit around the limb and which interlap to provide circumferential support. The two-piece, curved configuration concentrates the load applied to the limb over a smaller surface area and is, therefore, more effective at immobilizing the fractured bone while allowing access to the skin for wound management, surgery, and hygiene without removing the brace. The configuration also makes possible the adjustment of the brace at three independent points to provide for improved fit over a wider variety of sizes and shapes of limbs than previously available.

Abstract: The fatigue life of the tube section of a joint of drill pipe is increased by locating a stress relief groove in the weld necks of the tool joints adjacent the welds.

Abstract: There are disclosed an apparatus for and method of electronically balancing a machine for extracting fluids out of a load of liquid absorbent goods received in a rotatable drum by detecting the magnitude and location of the imbalanced load and injecting a balancing fluid into hollow balancing compartments, located within the drum, until the magnitude of the imbalanced load reaches a permissible level.

Abstract: An anti-theft ball assembly for a ball and socket hitch is disclosed where the mounting bolt and retaining nut that clamp the ball assembly to a tow bar are covered by a cup-shaped cover that combines with the socket to prevent access to the mounting bolt and mounting nut.

Abstract: A sorting machine for separating substandard items from a continuous stream of products is disclosed wherein the ejector that removes the detected substandard items includes an ejector finger of monolithic structure and homogeneous material and an actuator. The ejector finger includes a base fixedly attached with respect to the product stream, a contactor normally withdrawn from the product stream when standard products are in the stream and for entering the product stream to eject a detected substandard item, and a hinge of reduced dimension connecting the ejector finger base to the ejector finger contactor. The hinge is biased to normally withdraw the ejector finger contactor from the product stream. The actuator flexes the ejector hinge to move the ejector contactor so that it enters the product stream for ejecting each detected substandard item. The monolithic structure and homogeneous material are resistant to wear from environmental conditions.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for bagging ice cubes produced by a plurality of cubers with only one bagger when the cubers are stacked side-by-side with the ice produced by each cuber falling into one of two hoppers. The ice is moved from each hopper alternately to the bagger. There each batch of ice cubes is dropped into a bag, the bag sealed, and moved to a storage bin positioned below the bagger. The bags have a short side and a long side with the long side having holes to allow the bags to be supported by horizontal parallel rods extending through the holes. A platen is moved against the short side of a plurality of bags hanging from a first set of parallel rods extending through the holes in the long side of the bags. The air pressure between the platen and the short side of the bag is reduced to cause ambient atmospheric pressure to hold the short side of the outside bag against the platen.

Abstract: A fence frame is disclosed that preferably comprises galvanized steel posts that provide an accessible flat surface or surfaces parallel with the surface of the transverse railings and through which are applied holding bolts for securing the post to adjoining ends of railing sections. The posts include at least one strengthening vertical bend. One post structure employs a tubular post support joined to the fence railing sections using a tubing-clamp-and-rail-hanger combination that allows the tubing surface to be firmly held by a piece that integrally has suitable flat-sided structures for attaching to the adjacent railing sections. Corner posts employing the same basic structure as the in-line posts or specifically designed posts are provided. The fence frame comprised of posts and railings are suitable for receiving a fence covering made up of aluminum sheet panels, plastic panels, wood pickets, plastic pickets, metal rods or other coverings of choice.

Abstract: A dynamic trip level setting apparatus is described for changing the comparison ratio with which products are optically sorted using first and second reflectance color values. The reflectance ratio for each image sorted is supplied to a RAM to update the RAM's memory. The dynamic values in the RAM are periodically employed to update a color sensitivity factor supplied to a battery-backed RAM. The battery-backed RAM value is employed in a logic device employing an algorithm and produces a variable output against which the ratio of "breaker" products (neither above a first color acceptance level nor below a second color reject level) is compared to produce a reject signal when the comparison results in an output indicating reject is appropriate.

Abstract: Emergency breathing equipment intended to provide short term life support by ducting breathable gas from a small capacity source to a user via a restricted flow path that allows only limited flow rates so as to prevent hyperventilation and wastage of breathable gas is characterised by a demand valve having the poppet controlled by a demand pressure-sensing diaphragm to control an inhalation flow path, the diaphragm also controlling an exhalation flow path so as to switch the user between said flow paths by opening one and closing the other, as it moves between two positions under the influence of demand pressure. The equipment is also characterised by a reactive pressure regulator for the breathable gas and having its delivery pressure switchable by a trigger element that in an installed position unloads the reaction member so as to provide zero delivery pressure, withdrawal of the trigger element allowing the reaction load to operate to set a fixed positive delivery pressure.

Abstract: There is disclosed subsea well equipment in Which an inner wellhead housing is lowered into and landed in the bore of an outer wellhead housing in order to install an inner casing string suspended from the inner housing within an outer casing string to which the outer housing is connected. The inner housing is locked down in the bore of the outer housing by a locking part on the inner housing which is forced into a locking recess in the bore in order to preload the connection between the housings. An assembly releasably connectable to the inner housing is provided for lowering the inner housing in the landed position and then locking it down within the bore of the housing in response to manipulation of a pipe string from which the assembly is suspended.

Abstract: There is disclosed a butterfly valve having a body forming a continuation of the flowway in which it is installed, bearing housings mounted on the body to connect with side openings from the flowway, a stem rotatable in the bearing housings and extending into the flowway, and a disc rotatable with the stem within the flowway. The periphery of the disc is spaced from the flowway and engages stops about the flowway when the disc is transverse to the flowway. The inner ends of the bearing housings extend into annular recesses in the ends of the disc, and wear-resistant sleeves are received over the inner ends of the bearing housings to span the gaps between the disc and flowway adjacent the ends of the stops.

Abstract: An apparatus and method have been developed for protecting a hose or other utility conduit from damage caused by traffic crossing over such conduits. Substantially rectangular ramp units with covered conduit channels are interlocked to form an elongate safety ramp with a channel running the length of the ramp for receiving a conduit. The ramp units are interlocked to form a linear or branched safety ramp.