Abstract: An appliance heat isolation system for attachment to a vent hood has a mounting support with an upper mounting flange and a pair of curtain mounting rails that support the top side of a heat isolation curtain is disclosed. The curtain has front, back, right, left, top, and bottom sides. The upper mounting flange can be attached to the vent hood using screws, or chemically or mechanically adhered. There can be J-shaped channels at the ends of the inner and outer curtain mounting rails that the curtain mounting means engage. The curtain sides have flexible support members. The heat isolation curtain has an upper and lower panel of opaque washable fire resistant material and a middle panel of clear washable fire resistant material.

Abstract: A biomass stove includes a housing enclosing a firebox that defines a ceiling portion opposite a bottom, a firepot disposed within the firebox, an air intake assembly coupled to the firebox, and at least one duct disposed entirely inside the firebox and extending between the ceiling portion of the firebox and the air intake assembly. The duct(s) provide a heat exchanging flow path for ambient air entering the air intake assembly, where the ambient air is heated within the duct(s) prior to exiting through the ceiling portion of the biomass stove.

Abstract: A cigarette lighter has a removable fuel cartridge with a reservoir for holding flammable liquid fuel, a valve for controlling the flow of fuel into and from the reservoir, an ignition actuator for causing ignition of the fuel, a nozzle for causing the ignited fuel to form a lighting flame, and a valve actuator that cooperates with the ignition actuator to open the valve as the ignition actuator is actuated. The reservoir has a transparent portion which is aligned with a window in the lighter housing to allow external observation of the fuel level in the reservoir. The transparent portion includes indicia for gauging the amount of fuel. The indicia is structurally contoured to provide means for engaging the reservoir to remove the fuel cartridge from the lighter.

Abstract: In the case of a housing seal (3, 3′) for cable through-duct apertures that can be inserted into receptacles (2, 2′) for the cable through-duct apertures, whereby housing seal (3, 3′) has at least two sealing areas (7, 7′or 9, 9′) with different sealing contours and can be inserted into receptacles (2, 2′) in different directions as desired, a low overall height and the use of the housing seal with the same shape for the inlet and outlet apertures of a housing are possible even when asymmetrically profiled cables are used if two sealing areas (7, 7′or 9, 9′) are provided on adjacent sides of housing seal (3, 3′), whereby one side points in the direction of the cable through-duct.

Abstract: In a metal to metal face seal assembly, a metal ring seal has a J-shaped cross-section with the hook portion of the ring seal forming an annular notch which receives and restrains a resilient load ring.

Abstract: A rod scraper for hydraulic cylinders and the like is disclosed which includes an elastomeric ring member having an inner surface defining a central aperture adapted for receiving a rod for axial movement relative thereto, the inner surface including a scraper portion having an inner most circumferential lip positioned adjacent one end of the elastomeric seal member for scraping the rod, the elastomeric ring member further having a curved outer surface portion generally axially coextensive with the scraper portion, and a metallic backing ring affixed in overlaying relation to at least a substantial portion of the curved outer surface portion of the elastomeric ring member, the backing ring being resiliently biased against the curved outer surface portion to urge the lip of the elastomeric ring member against the rod and sufficiently flexible to allow some radial movement of the rod while maintaining the lip in circumferential contact with the rod.