Abstract: An improved drill bit having a generally cylindrically shaped shank has a reduced diameter rear shank portion forming a central coaxial stem with a rear transverse face comprisingn the butt end of the drill bit. An annular wear reduction ring made of softer material than the shank material and having an outer diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the shank forward of the reduced diameter portion of the shank fits over the stem. The softness of the wear reduction ring protects collets, into which the bit is inserted to and removed, from abrasive wear, thereby extending useful life of the collet.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for making cast dental models having integral dowel pins permitting segments or dies of a model to be attached and re-attached to a base plate in a precise location, by means of holes in the base plate adapted to insertably receive the dowel pins, is disclosed. The apparatus includes a base plate having a generally semi-circular shape, the arcuate outer wall surface of which is modified to have flat walls approximating the shape of a circumscribed polygon. A matrix positioning plate has a polygonal aperture through its thickness dimension adapted to insertably receive the base plate. A negative dental impression is attached to a first, lower surface of the matrix plate, and a transparent transfer plate of the same size and shape as the base plate inserted into the aperture of the matrix plate. Marks are placed at those locations of the transfer plate where dowel pins are desired to engage parts of the dental impression viewed through the transfer plate.

Abstract: A marker buoy adapted to be held in the hand and thrown on the surface of a body of water to mark a location beneath the surface comprises a thin, hollow, water-tight box with a concentric aperture through the thickness dimension of the box. The box is constructed of upper and lower concave shells which are mirror symmetric through the medial transverse plane of the box, where the two shells are bonded to one another. Recesses formed between internal walls within the shells hold a reel assembly have a take-up spool located in the aperture, and a crankshaft fitted with a handle protruding through a side of the box. A flexible cord is attached to the take-up spool and wound around the spool by turning the crankshaft handle. The other end of the cord is attached to an anchor weight.

Abstract: A shipping container for holding a variable number of drill bits immobile, thereby preventing potentially damaging contact of the drill bit points with interior walls of the container has a concave base section hingedly connected to a symmetrically-shaped lid section which is pivotable downwards into contact with the base to form a closed, rectangular box-like enclosure. Rows of cylindrical pins protrude upwards from the upper surface of the bottom wall of the base and are adapted to be insertably received in bores provided into the lower surface of an elongated, slab-shaped drill bit carrier, each row of pins thus holding a separate carrier in a horizontally fixed position relative to the base.

Abstract: A differential for motor vehicles uses a pinion gear attached to a drive shaft to drive a single ring gear attached to a first axle half shaft positioned at right angles to the drive shaft. The axle half shaft is simultaneously fastened to, and coaxially aligned with, the ring gear by means of a disc-shaped centering hub having external splines which simultaneously mesh with adjacent, internally splined cylindrical inner surfaces of the ring gear and a disc-shaped backing plate. Internal splines projecting inward from the inner cylindrical surface of a central coaxial hole through the centering hub mesh with external splines on the cylindrical surface of the axle half shaft.In one embodiment, a second opposing axle half shaft is allowed to free-wheel within the differential case. In a second embodiment, the opposing axle half shaft is slippably driven by the first axle half shaft by means of a clutch coupling the first and second axle half shafts.

Abstract: A tool for attaching a pulling cable to flexible metal conduit having a convolute inner wall surface has a generally cylindrically shaped rear body section having a raised helical rib adapted to threadingly engage the helical inner wall convolutions of a length of conduit. The front body section of the tool has a tapered, bullett-shape tip with a flat front face. A longitudinal disposed slot extending rearward from the front face of the tip is adapted to receive the grommeted end of a fish tape leader or similar pulling cable. Axially aligned holes extending transversely through the two laterally spaced apart from jaw members formed by the slot are provided to receive a securing member such as a screw which passes through the grommet, thereby securing the cable to the tool.

Abstract: A game of skill playable both indoors and outdoors includes two flat circular target boards, the upper surface of which are covered with a deep pile fabric. The game also includes toroidal-shaped throwing rings having a flexible cover and filled loosely with a quantity of small weights such as pebbles. Strips of fabric hook material having an abundance of tiny protruding hooks adapted to engage the pile of the target board covering material are attached to the upper and lower annular surfaces of each throwing ring. When a ring is cast upon a distant target board, the hooks protruding from the ring become entangled with strands of the fabric covering of the target board, adhering the ring to the board. Movement of the weights within the throwing ring produces an oscillation-damping action which minimizes any tendency of the ring to bounce off the target board after impact.

Abstract: An improved self-locking piston for use in ram blowout preventers has a hollow cylindrical outer piston which slidably contains an inner locking piston. The inner locking piston has a tapered, frusto-conically shaped front section with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart, sloping flats formed therein. Apertures provided through the outer wall surface of the main outer piston contain radially slidable driver segments each having a sloping surface complementary to the sloping surface of the flats on the inner piston. Forward motion of the inner piston relative to the outer piston forces the driver segments radially outwards in the apertures. A plurality of locking segments, one each positioned in a groove rearward of and communicating with a separate one of each of the apertures is provided. Each locking segment has a sloping lower front surface adapted to sliding engagement by the sloping upper rear surface of a driver segment.

Abstract: An accessory for use with perforated paper of the type used in electro-mechanical printers having a tractor wheel feed mechanism facilitates inserting the leading edge of a length of paper into the tractor feed mechanism. The paper guide accessory consists of a thin, rectangular sheet of strong, flexible material, preferably made of transparent plastic film such as polyester film, folded over on itself and creased to form a lower, rear half-sheet and a somewhat shorter upper, front half-sheet, thereby forming a pocket between the upper and lower half-sheets. Laterally aligned pairs of circular perforations located near the outer longitudinal edges of the guide, are provided through the thickness dimension of both upper and lower half-sheets. Pairs of perforations are provided at regular longitudinal intervals, and are of the proper size and spacing to register with perforations in paper inserted into the pocket.

Abstract: An improved sealing device for variable bore ram blowout preventers of the type that uses a pair of opposed semi-cylindrical ram blocks to urge a pair of resilient sealing elements into sealing circumferential contact with the circumferential surface of a tubular drill string component includes a generally uniform thickness sealing member having in plan view the shape of a semi-circular arch with co-linear rectangular legs which protrude laterally outwards from opposite base ends of the arch. The sealing device includes two identical sealing members, each of which has a plurality of laterally spaced apart metal inserts molded into a resilient matrix. Each insert has a pair of generally flat and parallel upper and lower plates joined by a pedestal disposed perpendicularly between the plates.

Abstract: A device for maintaining the line of sight of a camera level comprises a hollow cylindrical standard having a plurality of equal-length rigid rods longitudinally slidably contained within said cylinder. Ball-shaped tips on opposite ends of each rod are held within circumferentially spaced-apart sockets in the base of an upper camera support cap, at the upper ends of each rod, and in within similar sockets in the upper surface of a lower base cap. Thus constructed, the upper camera support cap may be moved pivotably with respect to the lower base cap, while maintaining the plane of the upper camera support cap parallel to the lower mounting surface of the base cap.

Abstract: A device for manipulating dental restorations, such as thin, ceramic tooth veneer of the type used in cosmetic bonding to teeth comprises an elongated, pencil-like handle structure having a tip which is releasably attachable to a surface of a veneer, affording convenient means for manipulating the veneer, as for example when bonding the veneer to a patient's tooth. A basic embodiment of the device includes a thin, small flexible circular plate attached transversely to one end of the pencil-like structure and forming the tip of the device. The outer tranverse of the tip plate, which may be flat or concave, is coated with a tacky substance providing sufficient adherence to the surface of a ceramic veneer to permit the veneer to be picked up when the plate is gently placed in contact with the surface of the veneer. The adhesion force of the tacky substance is sufficiently small to permit the tip to be disengaged from the veneer with a slight pulling force, when desired.

Abstract: A tool which can be held and manipulated in one hand, for grasping and pulling steel fish tapes of the type used to pull electrical wires through building walls comprises two identical handle members having flat and parallel front and rear surfaces. Each handle member has a convex inner transverse wall surface, and a notch cut forward from the rear wall surface behind the convex transverse wall surface to a flat longitudinal plane located approximately midway between the front and rear wall surfaces, the notch terminating in an inner transverse wall plane which serves as an anvil plane. Two handle members are pivotably joined by a pivot pin with their bottom longitudinal notch walls in sliding contact, such that a space for receiving a fish tape is provided between each convex inner transverse wall surface of a handle member and the adjacent anvil plane of the other handle member.

Abstract: A hydraulic lift mechanism for raising and lowering heavy loads such as a camper shell above the cargo area of a truck includes a generally planar U-shaped lower base frame attachable to the truck and a substantially identical plan-view shape upper load support frame for attachment to the camper shell or other load. Two identical X-shaped scissors jack-like, lifting structures comprised of two crossbeam members pivotably joined to one another at their centers, and pivotably joined at their forward ends to vertically aligned positions in an upper and lower side frame member, are spread apart by a hydraulic powered cylinder pivotably fastened at one end to a side rail of the base frame and pivotably fastened at the other end to a crossarm, to raise the load support platform.

Abstract: A clocked electronic flip-flop device which uses a novel method of storing digital data that is immune to metastability, regardless of data input level or timing, is disclosed. The method includes first converting the data input level to a stored voltage level which, in turn, is operably disconnected from its input source after the active transition of an external clock signal. In a preferred embodiment, the data input level is combined in an EXCLUSIVE OR circuit with the existing state of the flip-flop device to produce the stored voltage. The stored voltage is processed by a high-speed comparator which causes an internal clock pulse to be generated if and only if the amplitude of the stored voltage level exceeds a predetermined threshold level range. The internal clock pulse, if generated, is then used to toggle a conventional type flip-flop element comprising the output stage of the device into the opposite logic state.

Abstract: An improvement in devices for the thermostatic control of engine coolent comprises a radiator hose with an internally mounted thermostatic valve. In one embodiment of the improved device, a flexible hose has a radially inwardly projecting annular flange on which the radially outwardly projecting annular flange of a conventional thermostatic valve may seat. In another embodiment, the annular flange of a thermostatic valve is modified to permit it to be clamped onto a coil of a helical spring held coaxially within a flexible radiator hose. The improved thermostatic coolant control devices eliminate the requirement for gaskets, gasket cement, and unbolting and bolting metal parts together heretofore required of the replacement of thermostats.

Abstract: An optical filter for use with visual display devices such as cathode ray tubes (CRT's) used with video display terminals (VDT's), television sets and the like enhances the viewability of characters and graphics displayed by increasing the contrast ratio, i.e., relative brightness, between illuminated picture elements (pixels) and un-illuminated pixels. The filter comprises a thin, transparent flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic film adherable to the faceplate of the CRT or other display device by surface adhesion alone. Dyes are incorporated into the plastic film which color the film subtractively complementarily to the emission color of the display, thereby causing reduced light transmittance for wavelengths close to wavelength of peak light emission of the display device.

Abstract: A water inflatable structural module for constructing temporary dikes and related structures includes two identical elongated flattened cylinders sealed at opposite lateral ends to form a sealed, water-tight chamber within a cylinder. The cylinders are joined along a horizontal mid-plane to opposite longitudinal edges of a thin, flexible, elongated, rectangular web. A sealable inlet port in each of the two cylinders permits the cylinders to be inflated with water to form two relatively stiff, parallel, elongated cylinders attached at facing inner mid section lines to the flexible web. In a preferred version of the module the width of the web, and therefore the minimum spacing between the two cylinders with the web flat, is of the proper dimension to make the ratio of minimum spacing to inflated cylinder diameter lie in the approximate range of 1.75 to 1 to 2 to 1.

Abstract: A disposable oral liquid measure/dispenser for administering measured, pre-packaged dosages of liquid medication or food to human or animal patients comprises a one-piece structure made of a flexible thermoplastic, preferably by blow-molding. The container/dispenser has an upper cylindrical neck section for filling with liquid and sealable with a tamper-evident seal. A flexible bellows section extending downwards from the neck section joins a central fluid reservoir section, which is in turn joined at its lower end to a dispensing tube shaped like an inverted U-tube. The outer, outlet leg of the dispensing tube has a cap which is serverable by a scissors when it is desired to dispense the contents. Pushing downward on the upper surface of the sealing cap collapses the bellows, pressurizing the fluid storage reservoir section of the container. This in turn forces fluid upwards into the inner, inlet leg of the dispenser tube, and out the outlet leg into a patient's mouth.

Abstract: An automatic wheel lock-up control apparatus alternately and cyclically applies brake-pedal controlled pressure to the primary and secondary brake lines driving the slave cylinders of a vehicle's wheel brakes when the brake-pedal pressure exceeds a predetermined value. The apparatus includes an elongated cylindrical body having identical halves, one containing a primary valve for removing or applying primary master cylinder pressure to the primary brakes, and the other containing an identical secondary valve for removing or applying secondary master cylinder pressure to the secondary brakes. An eccentric rotated by an electric motor reciprocally drives a pushrod longitudinally within the body of the apparatus to operate the primary and secondary valves in an alternate, push-pull fashion.