Abstract: A coating material is applied to drawn lightguide fiber in a manner which substantially prevents the inclusion of bubbles and which causes the fiber to be disposed substantially concentrically within the coating layer. The lightguide fiber is advanced through a continuum of coating material, which extends from a free surface of a reservoir and through first and second dies that are arranged in tandem, at a velocity which causes air to be entrained in the coating material. A pressure gradient is established between portions of the first die adjacent to its exit orifice. The first die communicates with the reservoir and is spaced from the second die to provide a chamber which communicates with a pressurized supply of the coating material.

Abstract: A telecommunication cable, and method of making same, is disclosed comprised of more than five S-Z twisted wire pairs having their twist reversals longitudinally staggered in a repetitive sequence of 1 to N longitudinally spaced positions. The wire pairs are bundled with any adjacent pairs having their twist reversals non-overlapped and staggered by no more than N/2 positions which limits S to Z coupling.

Abstract: The invention relates to an improvement in an electrical telecommunications adapter (20) for coupling the terminating plug of a telephone set to appropriate wires of a 25-pair telephone distribution cable, the adapter comprising a 50-pin connector (21) of which the pins are adapted to be coupled to fixed contacts in turn coupled to such wires, a hood (22) for the connector and a jack (23) disposed in said hood and adapted to receive such plug. The improvement involves a structure for coupling the jack and hood, the structure comprising vertical slots (55) formed in the sidewalls (37) of the hood and corresponding vertical ribs (60) formed on the transversely opposite sides of the jack, such ribs being adapted by resilient spreading and subsequent restoration of sidewalls (37), to enter into such slots and provide a snap-fit between the jack and hood.

Abstract: Paramagnetic articles such as a stem (14) and an armature (17) are placed into mutual coextensive alignment with a gap (19) of a predetermined width between adjacent portions of such articles. To repetitively establish the predetermined gap between successive groups of such articles, a first of such articles is guided tangentially into a magnetic field. A resulting force on such article (14) draws the article against a first stop surface. The article becomes magnetically polarized, such that when the second article, such as the armature (17) is guided into coextensive alignment with the first article, the second article becomes attracted to the first article to be drawn against a stop surface opposite to and spaced from the first stop surface by a dimension equal to the predetermined gap width.

Abstract: A safety scaffold includes a platform (21) for supporting a workman while using jack hammer to remove encrustations (13) from a furnace wall (14). A pair of lanyards (29 and 31) are secured at first ends to a restraint worn by the workman, and at the opposite ends to a trolley (28) riding on a guide rail (27) so as to restrict movement of the workman toward an opening (23) in the platform. A duct system (24) is mounted beneath the platform (21) to exhaust fumes emanating from the furnace (11).

Abstract: A walking beam (20) is supported on and fixedly coupled to a pair of vertical rods (39) slidably received in bushings (41) mounted on a horizontally-movable carriage (40) held stationary in the absence of overriding force by a friction brake (60) coupled through a lost motion coupling (46, 48, 66) with a drive member 32 moved by an actuator 31 to undergo in alternation forward and reverse strokes. The rods (39) are pivotally coupled to the drive member (32) by inclined links (36). The arrangement is adapted to convert each forward and subsequent reverse stroke of the drive member into an up-forward-down-return rectangular movement of the beam (20).

Abstract: A technique for identifying and measuring a first surface area and apparatus for aiding such identification are disclosed. Each incremental portion of said first surface area and at least adjacent portions of surrounding surface areas are illuminated with diffuse light incident through a predetermined sectorial angle related to an anticipated waviness of the surface areas. The first surface area so illuminated is then measured by opto-electronic measuring techniques whereby measuring errors caused by shadow effects due to waviness in the surfaces are minimized by substantially uniform light dispersion within the sectorial angle.

Abstract: A photomask (30) used to form patterns on a resist coated semiconductor wafer is comprised of a transparent baseplate (31) having a thin metallic pattern (32) thereon; a transparent, planar coverplate (33) in intimate contact with the patterned baseplate (31) and an index matching fluid (34) interposed therebetween.

Abstract: The invention relates to the formation of a substantially circular metallic shield (37) about a cable core (32) by wrapping a metallic tape (64) longitudinally about the core with longitudinal edge portions of the tape being overlapped by a forming key (100) to provide a closed seam (38). As the seam is formed, an underlying longitudinal edge portion (48) of the shield is supported while an overlying longitudinal edge portion (45) at the overlap is directed inwardly toward the cable core to preclude its protrusion into a jacket (39) which is subsequently extruded over the shielded cable core. A relatively thin strip (145) of metal attached to an inner surface of the forming key assures formation of the seam before juxtaposing the longitudinal edge portions and the core, and avoids penetration of a priorly formed inner shield by the longitudinal edge of the outer shield to prevent rotation of the inner shield and undesirable alignment of the shield seams.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for trimming an elongated article are disclosed by which the article is notched at longitudinally spaced locations and material spanning adjacent notches trimmed from the article as discrete strips.

Abstract: A n-bit parallel output port of a programmable controller (22) is coupled to a bit expansion circuit (24). A plurality of channel-select bits are decoded by a multiplexer board (26) to select and enable any one of sixteen output channels. A plurality of line-select bits are fed to a memory section (28) to facilitate the selection of any one of a plurality of output lines associated with the enabled channel. The selected output line remains latched in their most recent output state when the selected channel is disabled by the controller (22).

Abstract: A flux filtration system (10) for removing rosin flux from a heat transfer liquid (14). The flux and heat transfer liquid (14) on an article (17) that has been condensation soldered is drained into a pan (13) located within a condensation soldering facility (11). The pan (13) diverts the liquid-flux mixture from a boiling reservoir of the liquid (14) in the lower portion of the facility (11). The liquid-flux mixture drained during a plurality of batch soldering operations is accumulated in a coarse flux filter (21). Periodically the filter (21) outpulses the coarsely filtered material sequentially through a heat exchanger (23), a fine flux filter (24), a preheater (28) and is then returned to the reservoir in the facility (11).

Abstract: An apparatus 10 for growing single crystal semiconductor compounds by the gradient freeze method includes means 40 for reducing radiant heat flow while enhancing axial heat flow in the region of a seed crystal 39 so as to give rise to an inverted solid-liquid interface shape 36 and a desired temperature profile.

Abstract: Contact pads (18) of a device (12) are adapted for bonding components such as contacts of a circuit assembly thereto. At least two of the pads (18) are interconnected with a member (34) containing bonding material. Portions of the member (34) lying adjacent the pads (18) are then removed to form isolated bodies (42) containing bonding material on the pads (18). The member (37) may be of a composite structure containing bonding material associated with a hard element (61). The bodies (42) formed therefrom contain a hard element portion (62) having dimensions which remain substantially unchanged to define a desired minimum distance between respective pads (18) and contacts when they are bonded together.

Abstract: A method of electrolessly plating a substrate having a rubber-modified epoxy surface includes the steps of preheating the substrate and while still warm, sputter etching at least 50A. from its surface. The substrate is then vacuum metalized with an adhesion promoting metal film, coated with a catalytic layer and a metal is electrolessly deposited thereover.

Abstract: A conveyor system includes a number of closely spaced pallets (14) having nested pairs of ears (47,48 and 56,57) mounted on chain pins (33). First rollers (37) are mounted on pins (33) to ride between guide walls (38 and 39) and are engaged by a drive sprocket (12) to move the pallets through a number of work stations (16 to 19). Additional horizontal rollers (63, 71 and 72) are rotatably mounted on the pallets (14) to ride on one of the guide walls (30) and a third guide wall (74). A crowder pin device (81,82) is operated to engage a pallet at a work station to thrust the pallet rollers (37) against the wall (38) to fixedly position the pallet at the work station. Further precise positioning is attained by moving a tapered shot pin (84) into a hole (87) formed in the positioned pallet.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to an oxy-hydrogen torch (10) comprised of a nozzle plate (16) captured between first and second outer members (12 and 14). Each outer member has a plenum (18) which open towards, and is separated by, the plate (16). The nozzle plate (16) has a plurality of spaced grooves (32--32) in one major surface (34) which are arranged in an interleaved relationship with the spaced grooves (36--36) on the opposite surface (38). The grooves (32 and 36) extend from an edge of the plate (16) to the respective plenums (18--18) in the outer members (12 and 14). Oxygen is directed into one plenum (18) and hydrogen urged into the other plenum. The gases pass through the respective grooves (32 and 36) to the surface (46) of the torch (10) for surface mixing and ignition.

Abstract: In the wiring of connector plugs (18) to produce a wire mult, a wire (16) is first positioned in a terminal guide slot (32) on one side of a first connector plug (18) and then offset-dressed about a camming pin (52) of a wire insertion-and-slack forming tool (50) into alignment with a wire strain-relief slot (38) on an opposite side of the plug. Operation of the tool (50) then inserts the wire (16) into a terminal (24) on the one side of the first connector plug (18) and forms slack in the wire between the first connector plug and a second connector plug (18). The tool (50) next inserts the wire (16) into the wire strain-relief slot (38) of the first connector plug (18) and a terminal guide slot (38) on one side of the second connector plug (18) substantially simultaneously. The tool (50) includes dual air cylinders (64 and 66) and respective wire-engaging blades (54 and 56) which operate in sequence to perform the multing operation.

Abstract: An electronic device (10) is attached to a carrier tape (20) by a cluster (22) of leads (12) which are closely spaced relative to each other. The device (10) is detached from tape (20) along with the leads (12) and tape members (28) interconnecting such leads (12) for maintaining the spacings therebetween. The leads (12) are formed with a given configuration while the members (28) are still attached. Such members (28) are then trimmed from the leads (12) to electrically isolate such leads (12) while still maintaining the desired spacings therebetween.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for removing an end cap from a telecommunications cable wherein a circumferential incision and a plurality of longitudinal incisions are made with a wire in segmenting the cap.