Abstract: To enable legal twenty-four hour national flag display, to permit night display of vehicle-mounted school and team flags, and to do either with minimal increase in night sky light pollution, I mount a light source immediately adjacent a flag and direct the light essentially directly toward the flag, rather than upwardly into the sky. Preferably, the light source is provided within a transparent portion of the flag-mounting pole, and is ideally focused directly toward the flag by a reflector which is adapted to shift positions with changes in flag positions due to directional changes of air flow across the flag.

Abstract: A bird feeder is provided with a metallic perforate trough bottom that is supported on its underside on ledges consisting of a plastic material on which water tends to bead rather than sheet, and which material is essentially self-lubricating and thereby non-caking and non-sticking. In its preferred form, the bottom is a screen that is slidable horizontally on the ledges. Preferably, the material is ultra-violet ray resistant and is therefore capable of long life in the outdoors, maintaining its desired characteristics for a considerable period. The end goal is to provide easy and quick feeder cleaning capabilities, especially in sub-freezing temperatures. The design prevents moisture-absorbent wooden elements of the feeder from coming into contact with screen.

Abstract: A tie system for the bed of a pick-up truck or an article-receiving tray has elongated coplanar corrugated ribs, with selected ribs or portions of ribs having spaced holes or openings extending horizontally therethrough for enabling hook-ended elastic tie downs to anchor objects that are being transported. Provision is made to avoid communication through the holes from one side of the system or tray to the other, thus rendering it leak-proof. The strength, minimal friction during loading, cleanability and water impermeability characteristics of the liner are retained, while adding the desirable feature of being able to selectively anchor objects of any shape and size in any location on the bed.

Abstract: A media folder or book binder provided with a rotor having elastic bands stretched between pins on its opposite ends has mounting brackets which are mechanically fastened to the spine of the folder. The brackets have trunnions facing inwardly toward the opposite ends of the rotor to journal the rotor. An important aspect of the invention is that each bracket is provided with a shroud which inhibits or prevents bands from disengaging with their supporting pins as a folded sheet is removed from or installed on the rotor under a strand of the band. In effect, winding-up of the bands during relative lateral movement of a sheet still occurs, but the adverse twisting affect of enabling the bands to slip off pins is prevented. The folder has straps fixed thereto and preferably formed integrally therewith at opposite ends of the folder's spine. These straps interact with latches on the mounting brackets to firmly hold the brackets in place mechanically.

Abstract: Animal manure is removed from a bedding material consisting of compacted and compressed pelletized sawdust particles or granules of relatively uniform size by a pellet fork specifically designed to enable the pellets or particles to sift through the tines of the fork while retaining all but the tiniest particles of manure atop the tines for disposal. The pellet fork is uniquely and specifically designed to provide an improved sifting function not previously possible with other bedding materials except when using a mechanized sifter, resulting in substantial material and labor cost savings, longer life and easier maintenance of bedding, reduction of cleaning time per stall, improved cleanliness of stalls and attendant improved health of the animals. The volume of waste and bedding removed from a horse stall during cleaning may reduce a manure pile as much as 70% compared to conventional use of straw.

Abstract: A decorative liquid globe is provided with an electric motor and pump unit for recirculating liquid within the globe. The unit can be located entirely below the liquid chamber and have only an inlet tube or passage and an outlet tube or passage interconnecting the unit with the liquid chamber. Alternatively, providing that the unit can be properly housed in a self-contained combination motor and pump unit, it may be completely immersed in liquid and the pump inlet and outlet effect the recirculation. In this latter construction, electrical wires can pass through and be effectively permanently sealed with a wall of the chamber in a manner that avoids the potential of electrical shorting. In neither instance is there any requirement of moving parts such as shafts passing through a wall of the chamber, and the leakage potential of the prior art globes is eliminated.

Abstract: An environmentally-safe heat-reactive curable melt adhesive in fine crystalline powder form is mixed with any of a large variety of compatible particulate materials and heated to a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time during which the powder liquifies and cross links. The preliminary mixture can be accomplished by gentle tumbling, and in the process, the powder crystals cling to the particles. Upon subsequent cooling, the powder adhesive cross link bonds the particles to each other and/or to each other and to a supporting member or surface. Application of pressure at the time of heating is particularly useful where the end product has some thickness. A grinding wheel can be made by sifting the dry mixture through a soft non-woven pad until its interstices are essentially filled. The pad is then placed under pressure during the heating process.

Abstract: A method of producing individual personal-sized bars of soap with a water-resistant supporting medium being provided integral with each bar for enabling its suspension for air drying after each use. The preferred method incorporates an intermittent feeding technique whereby a portion of the medium protrudes beyond one end of a soap bar. An alternative method incorporates a feeding technique resulting in soap bars wherein the medium and the soap material of each bar are the same length. A hole is provided either through the medium alone in the preferred method, or through both the soap and the medium in the alternative method. The method may include the additional step of providing a soap-compatible adhesive to opposite sides of the supporting medium.

Abstract: Two embodiments of a swing-down type fire extinguisher are disclosed. In one embodiment, a single unit can extinguish either or both of two fires on a stove having front and back burners. This is accomplished by dispensing fire suppressant material toward both burners in the initial motion of swinging down upon activation by a fire and continuing with a pendulum action designed to distribute material to both the front burner and a back burner aligned in the direction of swinging. In a second embodiment, a single unit is provided for each burner. It is operated in two stages, first to respond to a fire or flame by unlatching the extinguisher to release from a horizontal inoperative or “at rest” position and enabling it to swing down to a fire extinguishing position directly over the pan with the burning grease.

Abstract: A sturdy, portable, relatively light weight ramp is provided for assisting an animal in inclined walking between two different levels. The ramp comprises two relatively narrow alignable ramp sections which are centrally hinged and designed to cause their edges adjacent the hinging to firmly abut and be interlocked. The ramp is transportable in a compact first condition in which it is folded at the hinge with the undersides of the two sections in a parallel, back-to-back folded state. When used to support an animal, it is unfolded and the two hinged sections are aligned and firmly locked in an aligned second animal-supporting condition. The hinge and locking interconnection are relatively closely toleranced so as to provide a stable linearly-extending ramp capable of supporting heavy large as well as light small pets.

Abstract: A one-piece plastic molded baffle has a plurality of vanes extending lengthwise of a shaft to which it is to be attached. A central hub has a lengthwise opening therethrough and a slot communicating the opening to the exterior of the hub between two adjacent vanes. A pair of baffles diametrically opposite the slot are squeezed together with one hand to expand the slot and thereby enable the baffle to be easily placed on or removed from the shaft of a golf club. The material of which the baffle is made has high memory retention, allowing the opening to be sized to firmly fit all standard shaft diameters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stripping a volatile compound from waste water comprises creating a high velocity spray of air and stream of water at a first inlet to a first expansion chamber to volatize the compound, recombining the water and air flow through a second and successive expansion chambers and recreating a spray at each such chamber, whereby additional volatile compounds are released from the water at each stage to steadily reduce the contamination of the water. The decontaminated water and volatile compound-laden air are separately collected after exiting the last expansion chamber.

Abstract: A golf club carrier having opposing sides supporting clubs horizontally on clips has a first condition resting on the ground with its legs spread and only feet of the unit contacting the ground, and a second horizontally-collapsed condition which is assumed as soon as the carrier is lifted from the ground. The golfer can carry the unit with an arm hanging freely at his or her side with little or no concern of the carrier contacting his or her legs or trousers while walking. An actuator extending below the rest of the unit comes into contact with the ground when next stopping to take a golf shot, and this actuator automatically spreads the legs to open the unit as its legs contact and are supported on the ground.

Abstract: A cornice board has a base panel made of a relatively stiff foam material such as polystyrene. Padding and fabric cover the face side of the panel. The back side has a pair of brackets attached thereto and those brackets are affixed to a supporting surface, which in the case of a window cornice, would be a wall. Soft decorative objects such as dolls, landscaping, flowers, toys, etc. are easily attached in any location on the face side of the panel by means of special pins. Each bracket is of a simple two-piece construction that is separable and slidably justable to enable separate attachment of the bracket halves to the wall and panel back.

Abstract: A drag conveyor for particulate material is provided with an upwardly-curved bend section for conveying the material with paddles mounted on a continuous chain from a first level to a second, higher level. The paddles are provided with angled portions on opposite sides thereof which, together with the bottom of the trough of the conveyor and correspondingly angled portions of the conveyor above the trough, confine the paddles while traveling through the bend section. The angled portions of the paddles constitute a bearing surface in cooperation with the angled portions of the conveyor in the inside curvature of the bend section to maintain chain tension and keep the paddles in self-cleaning contact with the trough bottom.

Abstract: A simple, inexpensive container that may be a canister similar to an aerosol spray can is fixedly or pivotally mounted in inverted fashion above a cooking burner. The canister contains a particulate fire suppressant material and has a closable, downwardly-facing opening directed at the burner. A fusible or meltable material maintains a cap that covers the opening in the closed condition at all times except when a flame results from ignition of fat in a pan on the cooking burner. Upon reaching a temperature of 220 degrees F. or above, the fusible material quickly melts, enabling the cap to open, and the fire suppressant material cascades by gravity into the pan and fat, causing it to be extinguished in a matter of seconds. The cap may be guided on a member having a stop at its lower end to capture the cap and prevent it from splashing into the fat upon ejection. Alternatively, the cap may be hinged to the container and be held in place at the hinge once the container is opened.

Abstract: A bicycle has separate chain-and-sprocket drive mechanisms for the front and rear wheels. The front wheel drive includes a cross shaft and a pair of crank arms at the ends of the cross shaft, both of which crank arms extend in the same radial direction from the cross shaft. The cross shaft and crank arms serve the dual function of enabling steering the bicycle similarly to conventional handlebars and also driving the chain-and-sprocket mechanism for the front wheel. At the ends of the crank arms, a pair of outwardly-directed diametrically-opposed axles form bearing surfaces for a pair of freely rotatable hand grips. A drive sprocket on the cross shaft is rotated by cranking the hand grips in a continuous 360 degree rotary motion, and through the chain, driving a driven sprocket associated with the front wheel.

Abstract: A drag conveyor consists of a uniquely-configured trough and correspondingly-shaped outer edges of chain-driven paddles which enable the trough construction to provide physical support for a return of the chain. The cross-sectional shape of the trough further restricts the paddles from tending toward lifting above the trough bottom and climbing or twisting as they carry material toward the outlet end of the conveyor. The paddle shape results in a self-cleaning conveyor, even enabling handling of materials heretofore not feasible with conventional U-shaped trough conveyors. Elimination of obstructing idler sprockets and cross shafts of the prior art enables a productivity increase of as much as 15% for the same designated size of conveyor.