Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a sheet-like article such as a wafer between a first horizontal passage defining a first plane and a second horizontal passage defining a second plane at a different level from said first plane comprising a carriage vertically movable between said first and second planes for transferring said sheet-like article between said first and second horizontal passages.

Abstract: A heavy duty chock, for use in preventing the movement of wheeled vehicles, particularly commercial or military aircraft, is triangular, preferably equitriangular in cross-section, has a longitudinal axis, and is divided transverse to its longitudinal axis into a number of triangular sections. The clock has an end section at each end thereof and a number of central sections located between the end sections. Each central section defines at least one space extending longitudinally therethrough. The end and central sections are formed from an elastomeric material which is a synthetic rubber, a natural rubber or a mixture thereof. The chock comprises clamping member, such as a flared hollow pipe, for holding the sections with adjacent triangular faces in tight abutment, and an interlock, such as co-operating abutments and recesses, for preventing relative rotational movement between adjacent sections about the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A hand operated hydraulic bicycle brake includes a brake pad holding unit which is actuated by a rolling diaphragm. A flexible fluid line couples a master cylinder located on the handlebars of the bicycle to the rolling diaphragm which controls a slave cylinder located adjacent to the rim of the front wheel of the bicycle. Actuation of the slave cylinder forces the brake pad into contact with the rim, and further actuation of the master cylinder causes the unit to pivot to bring a second brake pad into contact with the wheel rim.

Abstract: A vehicle suspension strut in which an internal elastomer sleeve is used as an air/oil separator bladder. Air pressure introduced to the chamber formed by the sleeve will expand the sleeve creating a pressure in the hydraulic fluid which acts on the area differential of the piston to create an adjustable lifting force for vehicle height control. Also as the strut works going into jounce, shock absorber oil displaced by the rod is taken up by the air volume trapped inside of the air sleeve. A main suspension spring is mounted to and around the reservoir tube of the strut which may be steerable.

Abstract: A stack of sheets arranged in an input stacker pass through a nip formed by cooperating feed rollers and stripper assemblies, which serve to separate sheets and feed them one at a time toward an acceleration assembly comprised of acceleration roller and cooperating idler means to form a gap between adjacent sheets for counting the sheets. The accelerated sheets are then fed into an output stacker. Belts couple drive from the accelerating drive rollers to accelerating driven rollers rotatable about an axis coaxial with the feed rollers and also cooperate with stationary guides to cause the sheets to experience some acceleration prior to reaching the acceleration nips. Resilient members cooperate with the feed roller to halt a sheet, in the event of an abrupt halt during normal operation to prevent the sheet from advancing to the acceleration nip.

Abstract: A sheet inserting guide for engaging a flexible sheet material with sheet transfer device comprising a base plate, and a restriction plate spaced from the base plate to define a sheet insertion port therebetween at an end adjacent said sheet transfer device. The restriction plate defines at least an inwardly tapered side edge at the other end thereof away from said sheet transfer device, the portion of said restriction plate defining said tapered side edge preferably being bent outwardly at an angle relative to said base plate.

Abstract: The inertial brake corrector comprises a body (1) closed by a cover (7), with a stepped piston (10) incorporating a tubular extension part (13) extending in a direction opposite the outlet chamber (20) and interacting on the inside by sliding in a leak-proof manner with a central projection of reduced diameter (14) of the cover (7), which extends in the body and which delimits, together with the tubular extension part of the piston, an inlet chamber (21) in which is located an inertial shut-off member (24), of which the retention and guide structure forming a slope (27") is advantageously fixed to the stepped piston (10).

Abstract: A modulator preset circuit for an aircraft antiskid system is disclosed which operates to preset the modulator to a value proportional to aircraft velocity in order to reduce maximum available braking pressure to a greater degree for higher velocities than for lower velocities of the aircraft. This modulator preset circuit is enabled automatically at the start of a landing in order to ensure that the modulator is properly preset prior to the initiation of any braking activity. In alternate forms, the preset circuit can be enabled at all times. By presetting the modulator in this way initial skid activity immediately after aircraft touchdown is markedly reduced, thereby increasing braking efficiency and reducing tire wear.

Abstract: A disk brake in which the brake is assembled with the thickness of the available wear portions of a first group of disks being different from the thickness of the available wear portions of a second group of disks. After a predetermined number of brake applications, the first group of disks is replaced by a third group of disks. At the time of replacement, the thickness of the available wear portions of the third group of disks is greater than the thickness of the available wear portions of the second group of disks so that after another predetermined number of brake applications the second group of disks may be replaced by another group of disks. By maintaining disks of different thicknesses of the available wear portions, the piston travel is reduced and the size and weight of the brake may be reduced while at the same time the heat sink mass of the worn disks is not reduced excessively and worn brake operating temperatures are lowered.

Abstract: Single sheet feeding from a stack is provided by placing the stack onto flat bars defining a stack bottom and being part of a pivotable frame. That frame includes holddown fingers engaging the top sheet at its front edges, and, two separating rollers are provided laterally offset and at a higher level; the rollers are reversibly driven to pull the top sheet out from under the fingers, and upon reversing the rollers slide that sheet towards a platen drum being selectively drivingly coupled to the separating rollers.

Abstract: A disc brake in which a caliper body (3) is movable relative to a support (2) in the direction of the axis of the disc so as to locate itself on the disc. For this purpose the disc brake includes guide means (6) between the caliper body (3) and the support (2) including a pin (16) fixed to the support about which the caliper body is rotatable as well as two stop shoulders (27, 28) provided in the support and engageable with the caliper body to retain it angularly between them. Dual purpose gudgeon pin bolts (39,42 and 40, 43) not only exert a gripping force on the caliper body but also cooperate with end hook portions (41) of the respective pads on opposite sides of the disc to retain the pads in the caliper body against drag from braking.

Abstract: One pair of emergency drag brake units are at each end of a vehicle. Each unit comprises a leg member with a serrate-toothed, ground-engageable foot telescopically movable in a support member carried by the frame. An elastic member is shown in one embodiment urging the leg downwardly to maintain pressure on the ground. Hydraulic jacks move the feet to braking positions engaging the ground while the axes of the leg members at each end of the vehicle are inclined toward the other end of the vehicle at an acute angle of 15.degree. or more relative to the vertical, thereby automatically enabling the so-inclined legs at the trailing end of a skidding vehicle to exert a greater frictional drag than the oppositely inclined legs at the leading end regardless of the vehicle's forwardly or rearwardly skidding orientation, and stopping it in a straight line. In one embodiment, the jacks swing the support members about pivots.

Abstract: In an anti-skid braking apparatus for vehicles of the type having a fluid-pressure control valve arranged between a master cylinder and a wheel cylinder for controlling the brake fluid pressure within the wheel cylinder, when it is detected that the vehicle stops, the fluid-pressure control valve is controlled so as to assume a pressure-maintaining mode and a pressure-increasing mode alternately for a predetermined period of time as long as the brake pedal is continuously depressed. As a result, the pressure of the fluid increases stepwise preventing the occurrence of uncomfortable kickback at the brake pedal.

Abstract: A hydraulic-elastomeric mount is disclosed having a multi-function diaphragm that in addition to forming a secondary chamber also serves to provide amplitude control and multiple sealing.

Abstract: A paper feeder is described, of the type which includes a cylindrical platen (16) and multiple pressure rollers (18,20) that press paper between themselves and the platen, which is of simple and inexpensive construction. The paper feeder includes a shaft (34) of square cross-section, a group of leaf springs (30) with inner ends mounted on the shaft and outer ends lying under the platen, and a group of roller assemblies (38) mounted on the outer ends of the leaf springs. The inner end of each leaf spring has tabs (40,42) on opposite sides, which are bent down at substantially right angles and which have square slots (46) for closely receiving the square shaft. The group of perhaps five leaf springs are mounted on the shaft with their tabs abutting one another, and with grip rings on opposite ends of the shaft to hold the springs in place.

Abstract: An hydraulic actuator comprising a pair of oppositely acting hydraulic pistons working in a bore incorporates an automatic slack adjuster assembly which is housed in aligned bores in the pistons and acts as a strut to determine the relative retracted positions of the pistons. The adjuster assembly comprises a clamp member movable with the piston, and an adjuster member, the members including interengaging parts which co-operate with each other to form a releasable detent, in combination with a spring ring for biassing the interengaging parts into engagement, and the piston and the clamp member are provided with interengaging inclined faces to provide a wedge action and enhance the engagement of the interengaging parts when the bore is pressurized, and a stop loaded by a spring is provided in the bore with which the adjuster member is adapted to co-operate when movement of that member in a brake-applying direction exceeds a distance sufficient to take up the braking clearances.

Abstract: A bicycle wheel rim brake having an actuating element which can be rotated against spring force is actuated via of a traction cable in such a way that a sliding member supporting a brake lining is displaced in a straight line at right angles to the rim. The axis of rotation of the actuating element coincides with the axis of displacement of the sliding member or lies parallel thereto. A control surface which is inclined relative to this axis of rotation is connected to the sliding member. The sliding member, the brake lining, and the actuating element are supported by a bearing housing which is retained by a bayonet catch in a recess in the wheel fork in such a way that the maintaining of the rim brake is extremely simple.

Abstract: A sliding caliper disc brake including an anchor bracket adapted to be mounted in a fixed relation to a motor vehicle, the anchor bracket having a pair of facing slideways arranged substantially parallel to the axis of a disc with which the brake is to be used, inboard and outboard friction pads adapted to be brought into frictional contact with opposite faces of the disc, each pad being attached to a backing plate and each backing plate terminating at each end in an abutment portion slidable in one of said slideways and a caliper housing including at its inboard end a cylinder in which a piston is slidable, the piston being attached to the backing plate of the inboard pad, a bridge portion extending outwardly and having at its outboard end, attachment means attached to the backing plate of the outboard friction pad, the arrangement being such that on operation of the brakes, sliding motion of the backing plates is guided by the slideways on the anchor plate, wherein the shape of the slideways and the abutmen

Abstract: An improved hydrostatically compressed elastomeric spring in which an inner metal core buried in the elastomer contained in a flattened and bent tube constitutes a heating resistor for the elastomer to control its expansion and the compression of the spring under the effects of a static load. The spring is useful in shock absorbing devices.

Abstract: The present invention is constituted by a device which acts, simultaneously, as an accumulation member for pacts of signatures (15) and as a device for conveying these latter to subsequent working stages. The device comprises a structure (20) supporting at least one pair of shafts (1,2), disposed horizontally and provided each with a pair of sprockets (3,4; 5,6), over which pass special conveyor chains (7,8) constituted by articulated links (9) capable of rotating about articulation pins (10) and some of the pins (10) supporting pairs of pulleys (11,12), suitably spaced, and disposed on the same side or, alternatively, on opposite sides of the chain itself. The pulleys (11,12) have a diameter such that they project above the links (9) and longitudinally adjacent pairs of pulleys (11,12) carry belts (16) which also project above the chain links (9) to provide a support surface on which the signatures can rest.