Abstract: An ejection seat includes a headrest that, upon initiation of the ejection seat, moves forward to support the pilot's head in a tilted-forward position. By holding the crewmember's head in a tilted-forward position, windblast forces are controlled to prevent the helmet from pulling upward and backward on the crewmember's head. The headrest may include a pair of struts that extend forward around the sides of the crewmember's helmet to support the crewmember's head against flailing from the windblast. A flexible panel extending between the struts and the headrest panel may also be included to further support the crewmember's head against windblast flailing.

Abstract: A equipment support for aircraft and the like comprises a base to which a lower link, an intermediate link, and a equipment platform are attached. The lower link rotates horizontally about the base. The intermediate link rotates horizontally about the end of the lower link and the equipment platform rotates horizontally about the end of the intermediate link. This arrangement gives the equipment platform the ability to assume an infinite number of lateral positions and 360 degrees of rotation. The equipment support is locked in position by means of locking pins that engage corresponding metering plates adjacent the support bearings. The locking pins are released by a common linkage that sequentially releases the equipment platform rotation lock then simultaneously releases the rotation locks of the intermediate and lower links.

Abstract: An ejection seat having pitch, roll, and yaw control provided by three separate rocket motors where each rocket motor has a fixed nozzle and the entire rocket motor is rotated about a single axis corresponding to the minimum principal moment of inertia of the rocket. Actuation for each rocket motor is by means of a hydraulic rack and pinion actuator. Power for the hydraulic actuators is provided by a unique hydro-pneumatic amplifier that converts stored gas energy into pressurized hydraulic fluid. The high pressure hydraulic fluid is directed through conventional servo valves into the appropriate actuators to provide main, roll, pitch, and yaw thrust as required to achieve upright orientation and vertical flight.

Abstract: An ejection seat includes a headrest that, upon initiation of the ejection seat, moves forward to support the pilot's head in a tilted-forward position. By holding the crewmember's head in a tilted-forward position, windblast forces are controlled to prevent the helmet from pulling upward and backward on the crewmember's head. The headrest may include a pair of struts that extend forward around the sides of the crewmember's helmet to support the crewmember's head against flailing from the windblast. A flexible panel extending between the struts and the headrest panel may also be included to further support the crewmember's head against windblast flailing.

Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting the position of a seat comprises a rack and a clock nut that grips the rack. The rack comprises a threaded rod, while the clock nut comprises a short cylindrical body that is drilled and threaded along its diameter with internal threads corresponding to the thread diameter and pitch of the rack. Circumferential reliefs are then formed in the threaded bore to enable the clock nut to be “clocked” from a position in which the threads of the clock nut engage the threads of the rack to a second position in which the threads of the clock nut disengage the threads of the rack. A pair of linkages are provided to rotate the clock nut between the engaged and disengaged positions and to transmit loads from the clock nut.

Abstract: A support for aircraft seats and other equipment has a lower support link that sweeps out a lateral arc. The lower support link supports a platform that may have a conventional linear track. The linear track provides fore/aft movement substantially orthogonal to a line tangent to the center of the lateral arc. A pilot link is attached to the platform to form a parallelogram linkage that maintains the equipment platform in a rotationally fixed attitude as the lower support link sweeps out its lateral arc.

Abstract: A floor track fitting for securing seating or other equipment to a section of aircraft floor track consists of a pair of substantially U-shaped cleat members and a captive bolt. The cleat members are inserted back-to-back through the holes in the floor track. Once the cleat members are in place, a cover is placed over the cleat members so that the captive bolt passes through the top of the cover. The inside of the cover has a pair of integral spaces that force the cleat members outward against the sides of the track channel holes so that the undercut portion of the cleat members locks onto the underside of the floor track. As the bolt is tightened it presses down on the cover and simultaneously draws the cleat members upward against the underside of the floor track to clamp the floor track firmly between the cleat members and the cover.

Abstract: A equipment support for aircraft and the like comprises a base to which a lower link, an intermediate link, and a equipment platform are attached. The lower link rotates horizontally about the base. The intermediate link rotates horizontally about the end of the lower link and the equipment platform rotates horizontally about the end of the intermediate link. This arrangement gives the equipment platform the ability to assume an infinite number of lateral positions and 360 degrees of rotation. The equipment support is locked in position by means of locking pins that engage corresponding metering plates adjacent the support bearings. The locking pins are released by a common linkage that sequentially releases the equipment platform rotation lock then simultaneously releases the rotation locks of the intermediate and lower links.

Abstract: A floor track fitting for securing seating or other equipment to a section of aircraft floor track consists of a pair of substantially U-shaped cleat members and a captive bolt. The cleat members are inserted back-to-back through the holes in the floor track. Once the cleat members are in place, a cover is placed over the cleat members so that the captive bolt passes through the top of the cover. The inside of the cover has a pair of integral spaces that force the cleat members outward against the sides of the track channel holes so that the undercut portion of the cleat members locks onto the underside of the floor track. As the bolt is tightened it presses down on the cover and simultaneously draws the cleat members upward against the underside of the floor track to clamp the floor track firmly between the cleat members and the cover.

Abstract: A device for rotating a first structure relative to a second structure has a rotatable shaft for attachment to the first structure. A first cylinder is coaxially attached to the rotatable shaft, and has a plurality of bearing constraining apertures for holding a plurality of bearings. A hollow fixed member for attachment to the second structure has a coaxially attached second cylinder outside of the first cylinder. The second cylinder has a plurality of bearing seats on its inside wall for selectively receiving the bearings. The number of bearing constraining apertures is different from the number of bearing seats, so that the bearings are harmonically aligned by the constraining apertures to be movable to within the bearing seats only at selected progressive locations. A handle is coaxially and rotatably mounted to the fixed member, and carries a cam inside the first and second cylinders.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stacking brick in packages suitable for shipping or handling is disclosed. Such package is provided with two spaced voids adapted to receive the fork of a lift mechanism for handling the package. Arrays of rows of superposed pairs of brick are received at a setdown position and are conveyed to a transfer position where they are assembled in grids for stacking. A void row grid is formed by removing as a unit the upper layer of selected rows of brick to form a first void and such upper layer is subsequently inserted between adjacent superposed pairs of brick at another location to form a grid having a full lower layer and an upper layer having spaced voids therein. The void row grid is transferred to the stack by gripping the lower full layer thereof.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for dehacking and stacking brick or the like is disclosed for automatically removing arrays of brick from a hack and for producing stacks of arrays suitable for packaging. A gripper transfer grips full arrays of brick resting on the kiln car and deposits such arrays on one of two compacting tables. While resting on the tables, the arrays are compacted to ensure lengthwise and lateral abutting alignment of the brick in the arrays. The brick are subsequently transferred after compacting directly to a stacking elevator on which the stack is formed. One compacting table is utilized to produce void rows and operates to withdraw compacted arrays from the stacking location so that brick can be removed to produce the required voids. The array with void rows is then returned to the stacking station for transfer to the stacking elevator at appropriate times in the machine cycle.

Abstract: A trailerable utility crane having a compound articulated mast to provide variable working configurations and foldable on itself to provide a relatively compact storage configuration as well as an extended length sufficient to load and unload a tow vehicle. Transport wheels for road travel are carried by the mast in a manner that allows the base of the crane to be lowered to the ground automatically with extension of the mast. The mast is supported for azimuthal movement on the base and outriggers for stabilizing the base are safety-interlocked with the azimuthal support.

Abstract: A single pivot connection for a legrest of a vehicle seat and the like includes a shaft extending from a bracket attached to the seat and an arm bracket attached to the legrest and pivotally supported upon the shaft. The arm bracket has a cylindrical portion and there is a hub on the end of the cylindrical portion with a circumferentially extending notch therein which receives a key formed in an annular member rotatably positioned upon the hub. A gear mounted on the shaft is engageable with a pawl and there is a braking disc between the end of the cylindrical portion and gear such that the application of a predetermined force on the legrest will pivot the legrest with respect to the seat. The pawl engages the gear as the legrest pivots to a horizontal position and pivoting beyond the horizontal to the vertical up position causes cam surfaces on the annular member to disengage the pawl from the gear so that the legrest is free for pivotal movement.

Abstract: A stacker blender for bricks is disclosed in which a plurality of pallets move progressively down an inclined conveyor and are progressively positioned in a series of course receiving positions. The angle of inclination of the conveyor is arranged so that, after indexing, the uppermost course of a stack on each pallet is positioned at a predetermined horizontally aligned level to receive a subsequent course. A gripper transfer simultaneously grips a plurality of courses from a supply conveyor and transfers a course to each stack at each stacking location. Because each partial stack has one more course than the preceding partial stack the courses transferred during a given transfer operation appear at different levels in the different stacks. This assures complete blending. A void course is transferred at a predetermined location during each cycle so a simplified void course forming system is utilized.

Abstract: This tie down for seat cushions, such as single and multiple mounted type vehicle seat cushions resides in tabs swivelly attached to the opposing sides of the seat cushions and depending downwardly therefrom with the apertures being formed therein adjacent the free ends thereof. Upstanding hooks having bent ears thereon are anchored in the seat frames adjacent the side and center arm rest frames whereby cushions horizontally supported by the seat frames may be detached therefrom and rotated or reversed and reattached to and restrained by the hooks so as to present a clean or unworn seating surface when desired.

Abstract: A device for mounting chairs relative to the floor mounting tracks or rails in railroad dining cars and aircarft and the like so as to permit sliding movement of the chairs but restrains them from being dislodged and upset in the event of accidents or sudden stops. This device includes a bracket anchored to a floor rail and spanning & clampingly engaging the lower leg portions of a chair so that the latter may slide fore and aft relative to the bracket and rail and yet be restrained against other movements.

Abstract: A multiple dolly system for transporting large loads in which individual dollies are simultaneously power-steered through a fluid linkage steering control. Castered wheels of the dollies are steered by fluid power actuators having appropriate ones of their working chambers connected in parallel circuit arrangements, wherein ground reaction forces on the castered steerable wheels are equalized by the tendency of the parallel fluid circuits and actuator chambers to reach a balanced minimum pressure, and whereby the wheels, seeking a path of least resistance, are self-synchronizing in their steering displacements.