Abstract: A helical blade is provided for a mixing or conveying apparatus which can be used for heating or cooling or in general effecting a thermal treatment such as drying, evaporating calcining or crystallizing a product fed to the apparatus. The blade comprises a pair of pressed ring shaped discs welded together. One disc is shaped with its inner margin curved into or nearly into the axial direction, and the other disc is welded to it at its inner and outer margins. The blade may be welded directly to a shaft, mounted freely thereon or welded to blocks on the shaft to provided spaces between the flights of the blade and the shaft.

Abstract: A coal mining machine intended to be used in a pit having a long-walled pit face and having a mechanism in which two cutting drums are attached to the main ranging arm of a ranging drum shearer through a sub-ranging arm and the position of said cutting drums is defined by the cooperation of said main- and sub-ranging arms.

Abstract: Automated method of retrieving and replacing tote pans wherein the handle of the pan is engaged by a retractor comprising a computer controlled warehousing stacker system. A given tote pan is retrieved from storage onto an elevated platform of the stacker and displaced by the stacker to a picking station. The tote pan is automatically removed from the elevated platform of the stacker to a selected location at the picking station where some or all of the contents of the tote pan are removed. The methods provide for removing from any predetermined storage bin location on either side of a storage aisle any such tote pan, removal to a selected site at the picking station and replacement of the tote pan at the same or at another storage bin location.

Abstract: A self-advancing support for use in the pit of coal or metal mine designed to support the pit roof after the mining operation by a shearer and having a mechanism for enabling the self-advancing support to be moved without using such means as a truck and a lift, said mechanism being housed within the self-advancing support and/or detached therefrom.

Abstract: Spring means integrated as a unit for ready association with the rocker and base elements of a chair by the attachment of the unit in situ for operational use, securement to the base and/or rocker elements being obtained without the use of screws or bolts by stops on the spring retainers comprising axially-aligned horizontally-disposed extensions which extend outwardly beyond the walls of an opening in the rocker base or rocking component through which the rocker spring unit passes thereby precluding unwanted displacement of the unit away from the rocker and base elements as the chair is rocked.

Abstract: A process for the gasification of coal and other carbonaceous materials in which solid particulate carbonaceous material is dried without pyrolysis or oxidation by direct contact with a fluent stream of hot synthesis gas product. The dried carbonaceous material is separated from the moist synthesis gas, water is removed from the moist gas and converted to steam, and the steam is mixed with oxygen bearing gas and reacted with the dried carbonaceous material to produce synthesis gas and an ash residue. The oxygen and steam mixture is heated by direct contact with the ash residue, while the hot synthesis gas is utilized to dry the incoming particulate carbonaceous material. Synthesis gas containing hydrogen and carbon oxides is recovered from the process.

Abstract: A lowback reclining chair with a concealed headrest positionable in close adjacency to a room wall when in upright sitting position and yet so structured as to allow ready assumption of any of a variety of reclined positions of occupancy without physical contact of any element thereof with the same room wall, the chair envisioning a combination of kinematically related components comprising a base, a chassis movable relative to the base, and a body-support movable between sitting and reclining positions relative to the chassis with concurrent movements of a legrest and a headrest each between retracted and extended positions respectively, a main drive link connecting between the body-support and base for propelling the chassis relative to the base forwardly and progressively away from the wall as the body-support is moved from upright sitting position to progressive positions of reclination while the body support is concurrently moved rearwardly relative to the chassis but yet away from the room wall, and for

Abstract: In order to guide a plurality of landing craft between, for example, a water-borne location and a shoreline, a first VOR-type transmitter is provided at the water-borne location, and a second VOR transmitter is located on shore. In a debarking operation, vessels beginning at substantially the same water-borne location and heading toward substantially the same shore location at the same time are directed to follow respectively different first radials from the first transmitter and second radials from the second transmitter. In this manner, both reliable guidance for a plurality of vessels and collision avoidance are achieved.

Abstract: A reclining chair positionable in close adjacency to a room wall in an upright sitting position and allowing ready assumption of any of a variety of reclining positions without physical contact of any chair component with that room wall. The chair envisions a fixed base, a chassis movable linearly relative to the base, and a body-support movable between the sitting/retracted and reclining/extended positions relative to the chassis, a first system of links operatively connecting between the base and chassis and body-support for effecting linear movement of the chassis relative to the base, and a second system of links connecting between the first system of links and the base and chassis and body-support unit for effecting reclining movement of the body-supporting unit relative to the chassis, said base, chassis, body-support and systems of links constituting kinematically speaking, but a single mechanism.