Abstract: Movement of an elevator cab drive sheave is controlled by a disc brake/load weighing assembly which is operably connected to the output shaft and sheave of the elevator drive machine. The disc brake assembly acts as the operating brake for normal operation of the elevator, and can also serve as an upward or downward safety brake. The brake assembly can be retrofitted onto an existing elevator system, and its operation is not affected by any gear degradation in the machine drive gears. The brake when it is set acts to impart movement to a torque arm which is operably connected to a load cell mounted on the machine bedplate. The load imparted to the load cell is proportional to the weight of the cab and its occupants. The load cell is connected to the elevator controller and imparts a load signal to the controller each time the cab stops.

Abstract: The balustrade of an escalator or moving walkway is mounted on a conveyor truss via a plurality of anchor brackets which are welded to the truss at spaced apart locations thereon. Template brackets are secured to each anchor bracket to define the location of the balustrade clamps. The balustrade clamps employ a pivoting wedging action to lock the balustrade in place in its support channel. The assembly can be easily erected in the field and readily serviced.

Abstract: An electronic control or touch button, with no moving button parts and operated by sound absorption, including in a first embodiment (FIG. 1) a cylindrical, metal, outer casing (1) of comparable diameter to standard buttons. The casing holds a glass, ball-shaped button (2) serving as a sound transmitting medium, the exposed side of which serves as the button touch surface (3). Behind the ball-shaped button is a printed circuit board (4), carrying on it an integrated circuit (IC; 5), an ultrasound transducer (6), and a series of light emitting diodes (LED; 7). In operation the transducer routinely sends sound (or ultrasound) waves into the glass ball and then receives back the echoes of its transmission--in sonar fashion. If skin or other material comes into contact with the touch surface, some of the sound will be absorbed by the material, and the reduced echoes detected by the IC, which is analyzing the echoes. When the echoes are so reduced (compare upper and lower wave form traces in FIG.

Abstract: The step chain rollers for an escalator or moving walkway are provided with an annular elastomeric tread mounted on the rim of the roller. The roller rim is formed with a recess or groove which receives the tread. The main body of the roller is metal, and the side edges of the roller contact a side part of the escalator roller track as the roller moves along the track. Lateral guidance for the step chain is thus provided. By recessing the tread in the roller rim, an increase in the metal-to-metal side contact zone between the roller and track is provided resulting in longer roller lift. The sides of the tread are preferably offset from the sides of the roller recess to allow crack-free expansion of the tread to occur.

Abstract: Quantification of blood plasma fibrinogen content is made in a sample of anticoagulated whole blood contained in a sampling tube. The tube is a transparent centrifuge tube which contains a sample constituent layer-elongating float. The blood sample is centrifuged in the tube containing the float, and various cell constituent measurements are made. The centrifuged sample is then heated and recentrifuged to cause the precipitated fibrinogen to layer out on top of the float remote from the buffy coat band in the plasma layer. The thickness of the fibrinogen band is then measured, whereby quantification of the fibrinogen content of the blood sample can be made by a precalibrated instrument.

Abstract: The handrail drive utilizes one or more pairs of drive chain sprockets and idler sprockets which form a nip over which the drive chain moves. The drive chain and idler sprockets are mounted on rotating drive shafts which in turn are eccentrically mounted in rotatable bushings. The drive rollers will automatically tighten on the handrail as friction increases between the rollers and handrail due to increased resistance to movement of the handrail. The rotatable bushings on each drive sprocket and its associated idler sprocket are connected together to ensure that chain tension equalizes between each drive and idler sprocket so that no drive chain slack will occur.

Abstract: A centrifugally operated clamping device for clamping a reversible blade insert in a planing tool ensures positive engagement between the clamp and the blade. The clamping device includes a clamping wedge which has an inverted T-shaped cross-section and is positioned in a similarly configured groove in the tool. The wedge is biased relative to the bottom of the groove so that the clamp will be easily disconnected from the blade.

Abstract: The temperature of the end cells in a fuel cell stack is controlled by means of auxiliary coolant plates. Outwardly of the end cells in the fuel cell stack there are disposed thermal and electrical insulating plates, and outwardly of the insulating plates there are disposed metal pressure plates. The temperature of the end cells of the stack is controlled by means of auxiliary coolant plates which are connected to the main coolant circulation lines and which are sandwiched between the insulating plates and the pressure plates at each end of the stack. In this way, the outer surface of the insulating plates is kept at substantially the same temperature as the inner surface thereof thus minimizing heat loss across the insulating plates from the end cells in the stack.

Abstract: The escalator handrail guide rail assembly includes a metal base which can be snap fitted onto a glass escalator or walkway balustrade. A low friction plastic strip is fitted onto the top of the base for contact with the handrail, and a metal reinforcing piece is snap fitted onto the base over the plastic strip to hold the latter in place, and to reinforce the plastic strip. The reinforcing piece is formed from two identical interleaved strips which can be attached to and detached from the base without the use of any tools more specialized than a rubber mallet and without the use of separate fasteners such as screws, bolts, or the like.

Abstract: Blood constituents are separated by centrifugation in a transparent tube which contains a float for physically elongating certain of the constituents. The centrifuged sample in the tube is positioned on a layer measuring device with which red cell and buffy coat constituent band heights can be measured in ambient light. The buffy coat constituent measurements are made under optical magnification. The measuring device has a mathematically derived red cell layer nomogram printed thereon, and a separate scale for measuring buffy coat constituent bands. Conversion tables are provided for converting the measured buffy coat constituent band lengths into constituent cell counts. The measuring device includes tube-engaging portions for properly positioning the tube during the measurements, and the red cell scale automatically compensates for the presence of the float and densification of red cells needed for proper banding.

Abstract: A moving handrail on an escalator or the like is driven by pairs of rollers which form a nip through which the handrail moves. The rollers are eccentrically mounted so as to automatically tighten the nip in response to resistance to movement of the handrail. The roller or rollers which contact the underside of the handrail are rotatably driven by power sprockets, while the roller or rollers contacting the outer or exposed surface of the handrail are idler rollers which are not rotated by the power sprockets so as to lessen scuffing of the exposed surface of the handrail by the rollers.

Abstract: Blood samples are drawn from patients in capillary tubes from skin sticks. When drawn, the capillary tubes for individual patients are placed in a single larger specimen carrier tube which can then be labeled with a specialized specimen label printed at bedside, or elsewhere, when the samples are drawn. The larger carrier tube has a closure cap which includes an internal layer of putty which is used to seal an end of the capillary tubes for each individual patient, thereby eliminating the possibility of cross contamination of one patient's blood sample with another's when the capillary tubes are plugged. The specimen tube also has an internal separator which will prevent the capillary tubes from touching each other to limit breakage of the capillary tubes during handling.

Abstract: The device is applicable to elevator telescopic two-speed doors, using either two panels with opening towards one side or else using four panels with opening in the center, the rolling device being foreseen to be mounted on a single track as a sliding guide. The rolling device includes a case which encloses rollers and counter rollers which roll along the track. The case is formed from two parts connected together and to a bracket on the door by a pair of fasteners. The fasteners form the axles of the rollers. The track can be circular in section and the rollers can be linear ball bearings.

Abstract: A linear drive unit (52), comprising(a) a housing (54) in which a driving motor (58) is accommodated;(b) a driven rod (64) adapted to be driven in linear manner and having a hollow portion (104) which partly extends over the housing (54) and is supported on the outer circumference of the housing (54) in axially slidable manner;(c) a conversion drive (62) which is in driving connection with the motor (58) and the driven rod (64) and converts rotational movement into linear movement of the driven rod (64);(d) a drive body (92) which belongs to the conversion drive (62) and is adapted to be driven by the motor in rotating manner and which is provided on its outer circumference with a circumferential groove profile (160) and with teeth (162);(e) a pluralityy of axially extending revolving members (166) which are rotatable about their own axes and which each have a circumferential groove profile (172) as well as teeth (174);(f) engagement of the groove profiles (172) of the revolving members (166) at a radially in

Abstract: An escalator or moving walkway handrail is driven by a pair of linear belts which engage opposite sides of the handrail along the return path of travel thereof. The belt that engages the underside of the handrail is a powered drive belt, and the belt that engages the upper-side of the handrail is a pressure or reaction belt. Both belts are held against the handrail by a set of biased pressure rollers which urge the reaction belt against the handrail. The belts serve to convert line contact with the pressure rollers into area contact with the handrail thereby spreading out the driving forces acting upon the handrail.

Abstract: The underside of an escalator or moving walkway handrail is continuously cleaned by an assembly which includes rotating brushes associated with a vacuum nozzle which removes loosened debris from the handrail. The brushes are preferably driven so as to rotate in opposite directions to sweep debris toward the vacuum nozzle. The vacuum nozzle empties into a container which can be periodically emptied during normal servicing of the escalator or walkway.

Abstract: An elevator cab assembly is provided with a rail guidance system which provides a substantially vibration-free ride despite uneven passenger loading. The guidance system includes side-to-side and front-to-back rail guide rollers which are adjustably mounted on the cab frame. The rail guide rollers are pivotally mounted on links which are spring-biased toward the guide rail blades. Stops are provided on the links to limit the extent of permissible pivotal movement of the rollers away from the guide rail blades. Actuators are connected to the link springs to selectively increase the spring pressure acting on the links when the pivot stops are engaged as a result of uneven passenger loading in the cab. The actuators ensure that the roller links do not ride against the stops, thereby ensuring a continuous spring biased engagement between the guide rollers and the guide rail blades, and a substantially vibration-free ride.

Abstract: Magnet wire is insulated with a paper insulation sheet which is longitudinally wrapped onto the wire. The paper sheet is precoated on one side with a layer of resinous adhesive dielectric material such as a thermoplastic polyester. The outside surface of the paper sheet has the resinous coating applied thereto and solidified prior to the time that the paper is wrapped onto the wire. Just prior to applying the paper to the wire, an edge of the resin coating is heated sufficiently to locally remelt the resin. The remelted edge is then overlapped by the opposite edge as the coated paper is wrapped onto the wire, whereby the edges of the insulation sheet are adhered together. The wrapped wire is then passed through one or more heated dies in order to remelt the entire resin coating, which remelted coating is then drawn back over the exterior of the paper layer. The wrapped wire is then passed through a water quench bath.

Abstract: A stator member of a linear motor type elevator system is mounted in the elevator hoistway so as to permit vibrational movement of the stator to occur. The stator mounts permit rotational movement of the stator and also apply a longitudinal tensioning force to the stator. The tensioning force is supplied by a spring which absorbs vibrations of the stator.