Abstract: A seat platform for industrial and agricultural vehicles capable of supporting a seat for forward and rearward movement characterized by low cost and ease of assembly of a seat mount plate with a base plate wherein linear tracks defined on the seat mount plate cooperate with linear guides formed on the base plate.

Abstract: A reversible clamping member for use in a rotisserie grill having spaced end plates and a plurality of adjacent rods therebetween in a cradle formation connected at their ends to the plates. One pair of adjacent rods are spaced to define an opening for the passage of food into the interior of the cradle. The reversible clamping member has a pair of main rods intersecting each other and connected thereto at a center area of each main rod. Both main rods have slight bends in their center areas for closer positioning to the food located in the interior of the cradle. One of the main rods has a U-shaped member secured at each end, wherein one of the U-shaped member has legs perpendicularly extending from its center portion and the other U-shaped member has legs angularly extending from its center portion. A sleeve is removeably mounted at one end to one of the main rods, and the sleeve is removeably mounted at the other end to one of the adjacent rods of the grill.

Abstract: An anchor for securing an end of a vehicle tie-down member to a wire grid floor of a vehicle transporter distributes the tension load from the tiedown member over a plurality of the wires making up the grid. The anchor has a base plate with six integrally formed grid engagement members arranged in three pairs. A fitting is disposed on the upper surface of the base plate for connection with the end of the tie-down member and is rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to the base place. The anchor is placed on the top of the wire grid floor such that the grid engagement members pass through six adjacent openings in the grid and the distal ends of the members project generally in the direction in which the tie-down member is to extend when attached to the vehicle, and the tie-down member is tightened to urge the grid engagement members tightly into engagement with the wires of the grid.

Abstract: The load transducer for measuring forces and/or moments on a rotatable member. In one embodiment, the transducer includes an inner ring member attachable to a wheel hub and an outer ring member attachable to a wheel rim. At least one and, preferably, a plurality of beams unitarily extend between the inner and outer ring members and are circumferentially spaced apart. Each beam is formed of a stem and a perpendicular crossleg. Wells are formed in the exterior surfaces of the stem and the crossleg for mounting a strain gage in a force or moment measurement orientation. Additional strain gages may be mounted on the exterior sidewalls of each stem. The strain gages are inter-connected in a bridge configuration for measuring forces and moments exerted on the wheel. Bores formed in the stem and the crossleg provide a passage for the conductors from each strain gage to an electrical connector mounted between the inner and outer ring members.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for solving a programming problem using genetic programming techniques. A fitness function measures the relative superiority of a first solution with respect to a second solution. The genetic programming system creates multiple program gene strings containing graph reduction operators. Each program gene string represents a potential solution to the programming problem being solved. Input data is applied to each program gene string to generate a solution for each gene string. Each program gene string is evaluated by comparing the solution to the fitness function. The program gene strings are evolved based on the evaluation of their fitness. The gene strings are repeatedly evolved until a termination criteria has been satisfied.

Abstract: A damper pressure control apparatus for a hydraulic rock drill is automatically adjustable of damper pressure to be applied to a damping piston depending upon a thrust of a rock drill body and makes damping function and floating function effective even when thrust of hydraulic rock drill is varied. The damper control apparatus is thus provides a damper pressure control for controlling the damper pressure (DPpr) to be applied to a damping piston (16, 17) from a hydraulic pressure source (21) based on the frontward thrust (F1) acting on the hydraulic rock drill body 1.

Abstract: The invention relates to an instrument panel for motor vehicles, made of a thermoplastic material and providing an invisible cover for an airbag system which, as seen from the inside of the motor vehicle, is positioned behind the instrument panel (rear side). The instrument panel is characterized in that it has a weakened section on the rear side which defines an opening area in the instrument panel for the airbag and fully surrounds said opening area, and in that it has an ejection channel for the airbag fixed to it. The opening area in the instrument panel designed for the airbag is connected with the ejection channel by means ofa polymer hinge. Both the ejection channel and the polymer hinge are fixed at least to the opening area of the instrument panel designed for the air bag by means of a welded material. The instrument panel, ejection channel and polymer hinge are made ofa thermoplastic material having the same polymer basis but flexibilized in different ways.

Abstract: A brush guard is attachable to a vehicle frame rail or a vehicle bumper mounting bracket by means of mounting members, each having a mounting surface mountable between the bumper mounting bracket and the bumper frame rail mounting bracket. Each mounting member includes a crush surface positioned in the same spatial relationship from a vehicle mounted sensor crush surface as the original crush surface of a bumper mounting bracket. The brush guard is mounted on the vehicle independent and free of the bumper and is disposed in a position so that the brush guard does not extend forwardly of the frontmost surface of the bumper. In one aspect, the mounting members are pivotally connected to the vehicle to allow pivotal movement of the brush guard during a front-end vehicle collision. A pair of optional outriggers are releasably secure to the outer lateral ends of the brush guard and the vehicle bumper.

Abstract: An adaptor which may be secured to the lower end of a lower limb prosthesis which would allow the lower limb prosthesis to be secured to an ankle joint or prosthetic foot with a mechanical locking or anchoring type of fixation. What is provided is the lower limb prosthesis which would include an upper socket portion for receiving the stump of the wearer, a limb portion which extends from the socket portion down to approximately the ankle portion of the wearer, and an adaptor portion. The adaptor portion would further include a triangulated base portion which would mate with the lower end of the prosthetic limb. There would be further included a second barb portion extending from the base portion, which would define an area between the barb portion extending from the base portion, so that when the adaptor is fabricated onto the limb through either a lamination process or a drape molding process, the adaptor is secured more tightly against the limb during the fabrication process.

Abstract: A conveyor system for transporting elongate articles along a conveying surface to a workstation. The conveying surface forms an endless path having an upper conveying path and a lower return path. The conveying surface has article holders fixedly connected on the conveying surface for holding the elongated articles on the conveying surface with longitudinally extending sides of the article essentially extending outwardly from the conveying surface. A gripping device is positioned adjacent the conveying surface and pivots about an axis for unloading and loading the article to and from the conveying surface in a single pivotal motion. A first article holder type includes a pair of arcuate portions positioned to form a discontinuous cylindrical configuration having open areas between each end of the arcuate portions and an upper lip for receiving a complementary groove in the elongate article.

Abstract: A “dry” diving snorkel having an elongated body and separate air inlet and exhaust passages defined in the body. The snorkel body is of an arcuate configuration and the lower side of the body upper end faces downwardly during normal use. Air inlet and exhaust ports are defined in the snorkel body upper end lower side in side-by-side relationship, and a diaphragm valve is located within each port biased toward a normally closed condition. The mouthpiece at the body lower end includes a water drain valve, and a strap clamp is molded into the body configuration.

Abstract: A safety barrier positionable across a path for deterring rolling objects from passing beyond the barrier includes an elongate hollow member having open lateral ends. The elongate hollow member includes a base for positioning on a surface and an upwardly extending wall having an arcuate concave surface for hindering rolling objects from passing beyond the barrier.

Abstract: A load restraining barrier for use in a motor vehicle, suspended between the passenger compartment and the trunk compartment. The barrier includes a barrier body having a front, a back, a top, a bottom, and two sides, the front facing the trunk compartment, the back facing the passenger compartment, the top adjacent the package tray, the bottom adjacent the vehicle's bottom wall, and the two sides adjacent the vehicle's two side walls. A substantially horizontal reinforcing member extends between the two sides and is located at or below a midpoint between the top and the bottom. The barrier body is attached to the vehicle's package tray, and is releasably attached to at least one of the bottom wall and the side walls. When the barrier is installed at the trunk forward end, cargo in the trunk compartment is restrained from entering the passenger compartment under predetermined frontal crash conditions.

Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle door which, in a known manner, is comprised of a door outer panel (5), a door inner panel (1), a movable window pane (12), a module support (4) having accompanying functional elements, and an inner lining (3). The module support and the functional elements supported by the module support are located in the interior door space formed between the door inner panel and the inner lining.

Abstract: A fixture for guiding drills for forming holes to receive fasteners for affixing a machinery mount anchor in position. Such fasteners are usually obliquely related to the vertical and the drill guide fixture is firmly supported upon the machinery mount anchor base and includes drill guides angularly related to the vertical to permit fastener holes to be accurately drilled in the support surface in alignment with the anchor base fastener openings. Threaded retainers and angle producing elements permit the drill fixture to be temporarily firmly positioned on the machinery mounting base during drilling.

Abstract: A method for damping vibration of a substrate comprises the step of applying a liquid material onto the substrate in an ambient environment, wherein, after application to the substrate, the material cures substantially instantaneously in the ambient environment. The damping composition usable therefor comprises a resin component and an isocyanate component. The resin component includes a polymer(s) for imparting tensile strength, hardness and flexibility; an optional chain extender(s) for imparting tensile strength, weatherability, flexibility, adhesion to specific substrates, and hardness; and an optional filler for imparting hardness, flexibility, and specific noise, vibration and harshness blocking characteristics to the after-application, cured surface. The isocyanate component of the composition includes an isocyanate quasi-prepolymer(s) based on a uretonimine modified MDI and a high molecular weight polyether polyol having an isocyanate equivalent content of 15.

Abstract: This invention provides a pressure control valve 20 including a valve plug 30 facing a seat As at a relief port A that communicates with a pressure circuit 46, and a spring 32 pressing the valve plug 30 against the seat, and when the fluid pressure in the pressure circuit surpasses the force of the spring 32 for the valve plug, the pressure control valve discharges part of the fluid to keep the interior of the pressure circuit at a specified setting pressure. In the pressure control valve, at one end of the spring for the valve plug which is remote from the valve plug there is provided a pilot piston 40 freely movable in the expansion and compression direction of the spring for the valve plug. There is also provided a spring for adjustment 38c urging the pilot piston 40 toward the valve plug side. The pilot piston 40 is so structured as to move in a direction of going away from the valve plug when supplied with a pilot fluid under a specified pressure Ppi.

Abstract: In a sliding door for a vehicle having an opening in at least one side thereof, the sliding door is connected to the vehicle for non-linear movement along a fixed path between an open position and a closed position with respect to the opening. The fixed path is defined by an upper guide track, a lower guide track, and an intermediate guide track. Each elongate guide track has an identical generally C-shaped cross-section with an elongate slot opening through a lower surface. At least one guide member is engagable within each track for guiding the sliding door while moving in either direction between the open position and the closed position with respect to the opening in the vehicle. Preferably, at least one load bearing roller is provided on each door mounting bracket, or at least two load bearing rollers are provided on two of the three door mounting brackets.