Abstract: Several courses of random width, low-grade tapered wood shingles are stacked in an elongated trough with the butts of shingles of adjacent courses disposed at opposite sides of the trough to form a substantially continuous stacked shingle lay-up. A cutoff saw consecutively cuts loose packs of shingles from an end portion of the lay-up. After each pack-cutting operation, the lay-up is shifted lengthwise of the trough to a position for the saw to cut another pack from the lay-up. Each severed pack is banded about its center to form a bundle, moved lengthwise partway through a gang saw to form a set of parallel kerfs spaced apart uniformly widthwise of the bundle and extending from an end of the bundle almost up to the band and then turned end-for-end and moved lengthwise partway through the gang saw to form another set of kerfs extending from the other end of the bundle almost up to the band. The kerfs of the two sets of kerfs are in registration.

Abstract: A water speed sensor suspended from a fishing boat at the depth fishing gear is being trolled actuates an underwater transducer to transmit a sonic signal detected by an underwater transducer mounted on the boat. The output of the transmitter transducer is fed to an averaging detector circuit which triggers a display of the average speed over a predetermined period of the speed sensed by the speed sensor relative to surrounding water at the trolling depth.

Abstract: Improvements in a doorstop mechanism include a swivel bar mounted on a doorjamb to swing between a position in the path of the door to block its opening and a position retracted out of the path of door-opening movement. The stop bar can be held in door-blocking position by engagement of a rib-and-groove latch. The stop bar can be moved into latch-engaged position by swinging of a keeper to move cooperating cylindrical or edgewise cams relatively which movement shifts the stop bar into latched position in opposition to the force of a latch-releasing spring. The improvements include strengthening the doorstop mechanism and adding members to make it more difficult to break down the door by force such as kicking it and modifications to permit parts to be reversed for use with doors which open to the right away from one (right-hand doors) and which open to the left away from one (left-hand doors).

Abstract: In a speed reducer, a reaction sun is fixed to a frame and an output sun is coaxial with the reaction sun. An idler carrier assembly, rotatable about the common axis of the two suns, carries a planet shaft supporting a reaction planet and an output planet for conjoint rotation and in radial alignment, respectively, with the reaction sun and the output sun. Rotation of the idler carrier assembly effects orbiting of the planet shaft and its planets about the common axis of the suns. Endless loop force-transmitting elements connect corresponding suns and planets. Rotary input power is applied to the planet shaft effecting conjoint rotation of the planets and orbiting of the planets about the suns' axis. The epicyclic motion of the output planet effects rotation of the output sun.

Abstract: A heat pipe includes an elongated, heat conductive shell containing heat transfer fluid which is vaporizable and condensable, and cooling means within the shell to condense the heat transfer fluid from the vapor form to the liquid form and thereby to cool the shell to approximately the same temperature throughout its length. The cooling means can include a conduit or conduits running longitudinally inside the shell of the heat pipe and carrying a circulating coolant which can be a liquid or a gas. The substantially uniform cool surface temperature of the heat pipe adapts it for use as an efficient solar energy collector with the circulating coolant serving as a heat extracting medium. Alternatively, a row of photovoltaic cells may be mounted on the uniformly cool heat pipe shell and an elongated lens used to refract solar rays to impinge concentrated or high intensity solar energy onto the targets of such cells.

Abstract: A declustering component breaks clusters of oysters into individual oysters and an opening component separates oyster half shells thereby exposing the meat of the oysters. The declustering component includes a rotatable drum having a feed opening for oyster clusters and slots which permit only single oysters to leave the drum. The opening component includes mechanical means for disconnecting the oyster half shells by applying opposed shearing forces adjacent to the shell joint.

Abstract: Raw, unblanched potato strips suitable for French frying are heated principally by circulation of hot air to dry their surfaces, and simultaneously to cook the strips partially and to dehydrate the strips partially. The strips are then frozen and stored in frozen condition until they are to be finally deep fat fried ready for consumption.

Abstract: In a modular wall and floor structure, the edges of wall panels have upwardly directed hooks pivoted for swinging between retracted positions and positions projecting outwardly from their opposite vertical edges. Short lengths of multisided hollow extrusion have a downwardly opening longitudinal slot in each side which slots receive the panel hooks of adjacent panels in projected positions for connecting such panels to form an exhibit array. Adjacent ends of overhead beams are connected to each other and to the upper ends of the panels by downwardly directed beam hooks received in upper longitudinal slots in the lengths of extrusion. The lower portions of the connected or unconnected panels can be clamped between modular floor components.

Abstract: The longitudinal sides of rectangular wood roofing shakes are stepped providing transversely extending shoulders facing the shake tips and dividing each shake into a narrower tip portion and a wider butt portion. In application, rectangular fillers are located between the tip portions of adjacent shakes with the butts of such fillers tightly abutting the shake shoulders. The width of each filler is substantially greater than the combined depths of the shake shoulders it abuts such that the adjacent longitudinal sides of the butt portions of the shakes are spaced apart a substantial distance.

Abstract: A foot-plate for a ski-binding is intended for arrangement at a distance above the surface of a ski and carries the parts of the binding to grip the sole of a ski-boot at front and rear. The foot-plate is connectable to the ski by resilient members to be oscillatory in all directions in its own plane, and also preferably perpendicularly to the surface of the ski. The resilient members may take the form of inserts or bearers, and the foot-plate is advantageously recessed and in each of the recesses there is arranged a resilient member having an aperture for a connecting screw to pass therethrough. These resilient members at the front and rear sections of the foot-plate may have different degrees of resilience.

Abstract: A rectangular cardboard sheet has two parallel longitudinal scores, each spaced inward of a longitudinal sheet edge, and two lateral parallel scores, each spaced inward of a lateral sheet edge, forming a rectangular sheet central portion and rectangular bendable margins. The width of the sheet central portion is substantially the same as the distance between adjacent floor or ceiling joists of a building structure. The longitudinal sheet margins have several transverse slots dividing such margins into rows of separate tabs. Tabs at opposite sides of the sheet can be secured to adjacent joists such that the sheet central portion bridges between the joists, parallel to and spaced from the building structure ceiling or floor, for holding a layer of blowable insulation material against the ceiling or floor.

Abstract: A method of making wood shingle sidewall panels by assembling a lay-up having one layer of high-grade tapered wood shingles with a staggered butt edge, an intermediate layer of veneer and an opposite layer of low-grade wood shingles with an even butt edge and tapered opposite to the taper of the high-grade wood shingles; bonding the layers of the veneer; severing the panel blank so formed along a line located generally centrally between its opposite edges, thereby forming two sidewall panel blanks of a width approximately one-half the length of the shingles, one panel blank having staggered shingle butts and the other panel blank having even shingle butts; and thereafter cutting the panel blanks to length.

Abstract: A solar energy collector is mounted for adjustable azimuth rotation about a vertical axis and adjustable elevation tilting about a horizontal axis for pointing toward the sun. The collector is driven for rotation about the vertical axis and for tilting about the horizontal axis by drive mechanism controlled by the angle of incidence of the sun's rays to the collector when the insolation is above a predetermined intensity. When the insolation is below such predetermined value, the drive mechanism is controlled by a stored computerized program. Control responsive to the sun's rays is effected by at least one light sensitive photoelectric cell. Preferably one pair of cells is arranged in a horiziontal axis and another pair is arranged in a plane perpendiuclar to such horizontal axis. The photoelectric cells are buried in shield tubes to shield the cells from stray light. However, the outer end of the tubes are canted to increase the field from which direct rays from the sun will activate the photoelectric cells.

Abstract: Noise perceived below a turbofan is reduced by providing a thicker fan flow below the turbofan primary exhaust flow than is present in conventional turbofans having generally circular and concentric fan and exhaust flows. To thicken the fan flow, the exhaust nozzle is offset upward in the fan nozzle, or the exhaust nozzle discharge end is canted to offset the exhaust flow upward, or the exhaust nozzle is flattened to a generally rectangular or an elliptical shape having a major horizontal axis. In any of these cases, the thickness of the fan flow below the primary exhaust flow is increased and less noise is perceived below the turbofan than if circular concentric fan and exhaust flows were produced. In one embodiment a noise-suppressing thickened fan flow is used in combination with a conventional noise-suppressing multilobe or multitube mixing nozzle to further reduce noise perceived below the turbofan.

Abstract: An eyepiece has an upper edge fittable into the upper portion of the eye socket to deter displacement by water force and a lower portion overlying and generally conforming to the cheekbone to absorb diving shock and to limit inward movement. A cushion seal wider than the upper edge and partially bonded to it cushions the eyepiece fit. A head strap lug projects upwardly and rearwardly from the eyepiece so that the head strap connected to it urges the eyepiece upper edge up under the upper portion of the eye socket. The transversely curved front lens is inclined forwardly and downwardly to promote forward visibility during swimming and the side lens is substantially flat to improve peripheral vision and is faired into the curved front lens.

Abstract: An artificial tooth has embedded therein a mortise lock including a housing set into the tooth and accommodating a bolt member which is slidable to protrude from the interior of the housing to engage into a recess in a keeper which is fixed firmly to the jaw bone of a patient. The mortise lock includes an elastic ring which is movable with the bolt and engages a collar in the end of the housing when the lock is in unlocked position, to prevent the bolt from being removed from the housing. The collar is detachable to enable removal of the bolt for replacement of the elastic ring.

Abstract: A discharge nozzle of a jet engine has lobes, tubes or deflectors for promoting mixing of the engine discharge flow with ambient air to reduce jet noise. By providing the lobes, tubes or deflectors at only the upper portion of the discharge nozzle, jet noise perceived below the engine is reduced substantially without shifting the noise spectrum to include a higher proportion of piercing and irritating high frequency noise components. Additionally, in a turbofan, the fan or secondary flow is discharged below the primary exhaust flow to further reduce noise perceived below the turbofan.