Abstract: A highway/railroad crossing detection and warning system which uses sets of Doppler radar transmitters and receivers to detect the approach of a train coming from either direction toward a highway crossing. The Doppler radar sets are located an extended distance from the crossing with each set detecting movement toward and away from its location. Presence detectors are located at the crossing and sense moving or stationary trains. All detector devices transmit signals to warning equipment to provide aural and visual indications to approaching motorists or work crews.

Abstract: A saddle correcting device consisting of 4 protective shields placed over the shoulders and loins of an equine to protect areas of movement often damaged by the rigid structure of a saddle. The shields are placed upon, or within, a pair of connected aprons, under the saddle against the horse. The shields are molded to the general shape of the equine anatomy they are to protect and slotted to induce flexing in areas necessary to utilize the upward bending actions of the shoulders and downward and inward pressures of the saddletree bars. By harnessing these opposing forces, the shields act to keep the corrector device in place, while concurrently holding the saddle rearward of the rotating scapulas. The area of weight distribution is increased under the shields only in the areas of most damage to the musculature of the animal by the typical saddletree. The closeness of the rider to the horse is enhanced because little padding is needed under the saddle.

Abstract: A lighting system and exemplary array is particularly adapted for use with large wall-mounted objects, such as paintings, sculptures and other art objects. The lighting system provides a substantially uniform amount of illumination over the entire length and breadth of the art object. A lighting array is mounted directly above the art object and spaced outwardly from the plane of the object by several inches or more. The array consists of a housing containing a plurality of lighting elements. Each lighting element is arrayed linearly so that, with appropriate reflectors, lenses, attenuators, and/or diffusers, each lights a portion of the art object. The desired effect is that all areas of the art object are equally illuminated. Alternately, the lighting elements can be selected for intensity such that the array may have elements of different intensity directed at the different areas of the art object.

Abstract: A production line for the manufacture of strips of vinyl siding comprises an extruder extruding a strip of hot plastic material, such as vinyl. Next, an embosser supplies a decorative pattern to the heated strip. A cooling apparatus receives the heated strip and immerses the strip in a water bath to lower the temperature to a selected temperature range. The material, now reduced in temperature, is then passed to a former having dies creating joining runs in the cooled, embossed siding strip. Finally the strip runs through a final cooling tank which chills the strip to harden the joining runs created by the former. The cooling apparatus consists of a water bath tank with entry and exit guides for the strip, which are mounted above the level of the water in the water bath tank.

Abstract: Disposable and semi-disposable cleaning devices use lengths of folded and nonfolded non-woven fiber material interlaid with paper or waste fabric strips or ribbons or any other type of material. These fabrics are an alternative to yarn in the manufacture of inexpensive, disposable and semi-disposable products including mopheads, mats, drop sheets, furniture covers for movers, carpet protectors, cleaning wipes, mopheads, diapers, incontinence mats and the like. A particular embodiment is disclosed wherein a mop swab is made from the disclosed yarn substitute to provide a mop which is priced to discard after one time or several times use depending upon the type of material used in the construction process. The mop swab is formed from the elongate yarn substitute by wrapping about spaced arms and bunched to form a head attachable to a mop fixture. Tail ends may be looped or cut. Wipes may be made from the yarn substitute by forming a wrap and placing the wrap within a case-like cover.

Abstract: A tailgate for a load carrying body, such as a dump trailer, is selectively openable to various positions, including left opening, right opening, swing up and swing down. Variable opening positions maximize flexibility for the owner/operator. A left or right swing opening is enable by removeable and storable hinge pins. An up or down opening is enable by latches, which are openable and operate as hinges when closed.

Abstract: A mop fixture for receiving and holding a mop head has a hood of resilient polymeric material which is attachable to a mop handle. A mop retaining bar has opposite ends terminating in down turned hook portions and snaps into spaced end walls of the hood. A mop head with depending opposite strand bunches is centered by the mop retaining bar so that the center of the mop head is retained within the hood. The mop retaining bar is removable to accommodate thicker or thinner mop heads.

Abstract: A bag placer magazine such as for feeding flat pleated paper or plastic bags to a bag filling apparatus. The bag magazine accommodates flat pleated bags stacked horizontally on a moveable conveyor platform which circulates around the stacked bags. Bags are removed one at a time from the bottom of the stack. Vacuum operated grippers are sequenced to extend upwardly through sequentially moved openings in the circulating conveyor and pull down an end of the bottom bag and then strip the bottom bag from the stack. The bag falls below the circulating conveyor to a deposit platform where it is indexed to a precise position and then routed to a bag filler station. The bag stack is replenished from the top while bags are being stripped from the bottom so that there is no interruption of the production line process.

Abstract: A mop fixture for receiving and holding a mop head has a hood of resilient polymeric material which is attachable to a mop handle. A mop retaining bar has opposite ends terminating in down turned hook portions and snaps into spaced end walls of the hood. A mop head with depending opposite strand bunches is centered by the mop retaining bar so that the center of the mop head is retained within the hood.

Abstract: A mop head uses a ribbon of non-woven absorbent synthetic material folded lengthwise in multiple thicknesses. The ribbon is formed into a coiled wrapping which is collapsed centrally to provide opposite arms and a center of double thickness with top and bottom layers. A center strip of binder material extends longitudinally in this position between the top and bottom layers. Spaced rows of stitching secure the center strip to the top and bottom layers.

Abstract: A method of uniformly or substantially uniformly heating at least one surface of a substrate, comprises the steps of supporting a substrate, generating a heated air flow, directing the heated air flow to heat a strip of a first surface of the substrate, and moving the flow path of the heated air in a direction transverse to the direction in which the heated air flow impinges on the substrate until the temperature of the whole or substantially the whole first surface of the substrate has been uniformly or substantially uniformly raised. Apparatus for performing this method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A trailer hitch alignment hitch system uses height adjustable stanchions with length adjustable arms terminating in mirrors. The stanchions are respectively connectible to a tow vehicle and a trailer and placed so that the mirror is aligned vertically over the hitch connection component of the tow vehicle and the trailer and adjusted so that the respective mirrors are at different heights. The tow vehicle operator backs the tow vehicle until the mirrors visually indicate vertical alignment by one mirror coming into place below the other mirror and obstructing the view of the hitch component.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a tilt bed trailer which includes a frame platform with transport wheels. A V-shaped draw tongue has rearwardly diverging draw arms which terminate in sleeve ends that are spaced the width of the frame platform. Hinge connections extend between the frame platform and the draw tongue with each hinge connection including left and right hinge supports extending downwardly below the frame platform and the side rails with a hinge rod extending therebetween. The draw arm sleeve ends are sleeved on the hinge rods so that the draw tongue swings vertically relative to the frame platform. An extensible member such as a hydraulic ram extends longitudinally angularly between the platform front end and the front portion of the draw tongue so that upon extension the frame platform tilts upwardly and rearwardly about the transport wheels to lower the frame platform rear end to the ground for ease of loading.

Abstract: A rotary forging and quenching apparatus and method forms and rapidly cools an axial-symmetric object from a spin formable material. The process uses a preheated billet which is clamped between opposed fixture mandrels which have a circumferential die shape and with quench solution channels running through the fixtures. The mandrels are spun and at least one contour roller of a mating circumferential die shape is brought into bearing contact against the billet in order to spin-form the material into the desired die shape. The mandrel and peripheral margin of the spinning billet are flooded with a quench solution coolant while being spin formed. This process streamlines the manufacturing of wheels or other axial-symmetric parts like cylinders, hemispheres, cones, etc. Typically, parts that require heat treatment, like aluminum alloys, will benefit from this process. The process minimizes the distortion encountered in heat treatment and eliminates the need to add extra material to ensure final dimensions.

Abstract: A pedal board assembly for receiving a plurality of musical sound effect generators generally comprises a box-like receptacle with a removable lid. The receptacle contains a top tier of flat, fixed pitch panels including a power supply and an audio circuit interface. A middle tier is of a fixed, tilted pitch and a lower tier is of selectively flat or tilted pitch mode, the tilted pitch mode matching the pitch of the middle tier so that large sound effect generators may be placed across to span both the middle tier and the lower tier.

Abstract: A fixture and method for use in dental training is disclosed which assists a student in learning how to determine the position of a root canal apex. The fixture and method include a tooth having a root canal and root apex with an electrically-conductive medium set around the root and root apex and securing the tooth in a fixture. An alternative embodiment uses first and second conductive mediums wherein the first medium is set around the root and root apex. The tooth is set into a fixture containing a second electrically-conductive medium. An electronic apical position locator is connected to an endodontic reamer and to the electrically-conductive medium in the fixture so that when the reamer is advanced through the root canal to the root apex, the electronic locator so indicates. Some locators are sufficiently sophisticated to indicate the distance of the reamer tip from the apex. In others an electrical circuit is closed causing the apical position locator to so indicate.

Abstract: An electrical contact interface consists of a probe formed by a pair of oppositely extending plungers each having a contact tip, an inner shoulder and a rearwardly extending shaft terminating in a lug end. A coil spring is sleeved about the opposed plungers and is positioned between the opposite inner shoulders with the shafts extending toward each other and in constant sliding engagement with each other through the lug ends. The lug ends abut each other at an extreme travel relation of the plungers and prevent mutual disengagement of the plungers from within the coil spring. The probe is mounted in a fixture or other intermediate structure for positioning between circuit contacts. The probe finds particular use in applications requiring robust design and in which electrical contact must be maintained.