Abstract: A device for testing the compactibility of a sample of granular material is described including a delivery structure with an invertible riddle, a testing structure with a plunger to compress the sample and an encoder to measure the compactibility of the sample, and a specimen tube mounted on a carriage which traverses between the delivery and testing structures. A wiper levels the sample within the specimen tube. The floor of the specimen tube can be raised to eject the sample after testing and the same wiper cleans the raised floor. A control panel activates and coordinates the operation of the device.

Abstract: A coffee maker contains a flexible tube connecting rigid tubes. A coil spring serves to stiffen and support the flexible conduit and to clamp the end of the same conduit to a more rigid tube. There are closely wound clamping turns at the end of the coil spring which perform the clamping function while the rest of the coil spring stiffens and supports the flexible conduit.

Abstract: A two-piece collapsible backrest for use in boats. The backrest's novel design allows it to be adjusted to a variety of widths.

Abstract: A circular plant mobile comprising a plant pot supporting ring and a hanging hoop that are pivotably related to one another and may be locked either in plant supporting position with the ring at right angles to the hoop or in a position in which the ring and the hoop lie in the same plane for storage or shipping, the lock being made more secure because it is secured against unlocking by the presence of the pot within the ring, and pot supporting brackets that may be hung from the ring to further increase support for a pot or to alter its location.

Abstract: A cooking pan having an inner shell and an outer shell between which is an oil filled cavity containing a heating element the inner shell being secured to the outer shell by a rolled beaded edge formed in such a manner that the free edges of the respective inner shell and outer shell are not in contact with one another because the outer margin of the inner shell has been pre-beaded, the outer margin of the outer shell has been folded, and the relationship between the two is such that the folded portion is spaced slightly from the pre-beaded portion. The oil filling hole is provided with a circumferential seat against which an O-ring is urged by a cup-shaped plug for the hole backed by a spring and spring retainer held in position by a handle bracket provided with a spring retainer backing plate so that the oil filling hole plug functions also as a relief valve which is completely concealed beneath the handle.

Abstract: A heavy equipment tire rim is constructed from stock shapes of metal. The base is a right cylinder. Flat radial annular disks are welded to the cylindrical base and support a steel cone having a cone angle of 15 degrees from the surface of the cylinder to support the tire bead. There are two disks for each cone to support the cone at its smallest diameter and at its largest diameter. Additional intermediate disks may be used. In another version bar stock lengths span the diagonal between the base of the outermost annular disk where it meets the cylindrical base and the periphery of the smaller radial disk where it meets the smallest circumference of the cone. The bars are in closely spaced annular series. The tire bead stop is welded to the outer circumference of the cone or to a cylindrical skirt extending the outer circumference of the cone. The stop is made of round, semi-round, or quarter-round stock. The tire bead is retained by an arc which is a quarter of a circle.

Abstract: A flexible body portion covering substantially all of the face below the eyes of a wearer has nose and mouth openings. A flexible skirt affixed to the outer surface of the body portion along a seam which encompasses the nose and mouth openings and also at the tack points forms an air duct which directs expelled air and downwardly. In-turned flaps at the nose opening provide a seal around the wearer's nose. A stiff yet malleable arch affixed to the outer surface of the skirt prevent the mask from resting upon or rubbing against the wearer's nose. Broad lateral cheek rises provide vertical support.

Abstract: A machine for packaging objects such as rolls of paper comprises a direction changing loading wheel to feed objects and groups of objects into closely grouped orientation in the wrapping machine for high speed passage through the machine in a continuous motion generally in a single direction and substantially at a single speed. A wrapper supply mechanism feeds sheets of wrapping material to lie between conveying belts above the article to be wrapped with the leading edge of the wrapper substantially ahead of the article or group of articles to be wrapped. A pair of vacuum wheels alongside the path of the article on axes skewed slightly outwardly from the article path pull the wrapper down in front of the article and allow it to pass underneath as the article passes so that the wrapper becomes wrapped around the top, front and bottom of the articles.

Abstract: A tool holding device for persons with limited hand mobility has complementary tool handles and socket of cylindrical or conical form. The socket is integral with a rotatable part and may have an upper open section above the socket diameter permitting tools to be snapped into rotatable relationship with the socket. The rotatable base for the socket is surrounded by an annular fixed housing, and housing and socket base have complementary facing O-ring grooves above which the housing has a locating flange turned inward over the rotatable socket base. The O-ring locates the parts and provides frictional holding force while allowing snap-out snap-in disassembly for cleaning. A strap through the fixed rim retains the parts in assembly and has hook and loop or other easily fastened fasteners for securing the unit to the hand or other limb of the user.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a ring spring cotter in which the ring portion lies partially over and partially under the straight run of the cotter which extends through the hole in the pin to be secured, and in which a free tail has a ramp which may either overlie or underlie the straight run that extends through the hole to exert tension either to secure the ring or to free it. It is easy to use, secure, and damps vibration of the parts secured by spring pressure on them.

Abstract: An electrical connector of the type which includes a rectangular sleeve folded from a flat blank and a pair of screws penetrating one side of the sleeve to clamp electrical wires against an opposite side of the sleeve is protected against distortion by the provision of a dovetail slot in one side intersecting an edge of that side and the provision of a complementary dovetail on a side of the rectangular connector sleeve which meets the side having the dovetail slot at the edge intersected by the dovetail slot so that the complementary dovetail may be folded into the dovetail slot to resist unfolding. The dovetail slot and complementary dovetail are so oriented that the force of tightening the screws against the electrical wires or other conductors is resisted by the dovetail so that the rectangular sleeve cannot unfold. This allows the screws to develop more clamping force against the electrical conductor making a better, neater and safer connection.

Abstract: A hole sizing tool uses a swaging tap to move material which deforms the sides of a generally cylindrical hole toward the axis of the cylinder and is followed by a portion of the tool having a generally flat flaced helical spiral configuration with the turns increasing in radius as the tool advances but with all portions of the surface of the helical spiral including lines parallel to the axis of the tool whereby only radial forces are exerted by said portion to force the sides of the hole gradually toward a final diameter larger than that left by the tap but smaller than the original dimension. In an alternate form of the tool the flat surfaces of the helical spiral are inclined slightly, so that the edge of such surface nearest the nose of the tap is at a slightly greater radius than the edge of the turn nearest the tool in which the tap is held, to generate a slight axial force tending to pull the tool into the work.

Abstract: Setting tool for setting fasteners by driving a pin into an opening of each fastener, comprising a split collet having a central opening through which the pin is driven, the abutting faces of the collet segments being functionally convex and the leading ends of their exterior surfaces defining outwardly opposed jaws. An O-ring encircling the collet urges the following ends of the collet segments together, thereby urging the jaws apart. A fastener can be inserted over the jaws to locate it for being set by the pin. In the illustrated structure at least a portion of the central opening of the collet is smaller than the shaft of the setting pin, so when the pin is thrust through the collet it spreads the segments apart, thereby more tightly engaging the interior wall of the fastener.