Abstract: A soft, loosely compacted mat of fibers is continuously formed atop a traveling conveyor. The fibers are deposited on top of the screen from an air-fiber flow within a suitably sized conduit having the same width as the desired width of the mat. A fiberizer is upstream from the mat-laying station and serves to fiberize sheets of incoming fiber. A plurality of sheets can be fiberized and as they are fiberized, the flow is entrained with air with differential pressures throughout the flow path from the fiberizing station to the conduit and mat-laying station. The structure of the fiberizer allows fiber sheets to be fiberized and then directs the fibers toward an adjustable diverging portion of the fiberizer shell from where the air-fiber mixture flows toward the mat-laying station. Variable mat widths can be formed by varying the conduit width and by varying the lateral dimension of the diverging portion of the fiberizer shell.

Abstract: Bearing assembly for a wheel primarily for use in casters produced under high production conditions. The bearing is characterized by the provision of a solid shaft with staked ends in association with a resilient seal all arranged for producing a bearing capable of inexpensive manufacture under high production conditions, but also a bearing having close tolerances and thereby capable of long and accurate operation.

Abstract: A tow opening apparatus for opening tow of chemical filaments wherein a plurality of opening disks each with the interior peripheral surface formed with a plurality of small ridges and valleys and a plurality of opening disks each with the peripheral surface formed with a plurality of ridges and valleys are alternately disposed and vertically spaced apart from each other by a suitable distance, and tow filaments are brought into alternate contact with the interior peripheral surfaces of the opening rings and the peripheral surfaces of the opening disks whereby said filaments are opened and oriented in parallel relationship.

Abstract: The method of applying a finish to a tow of filaments, wherein the tow is advanced along a path through a housing having at least two bends in opposite direction to each other and passing a liquid containing a finish along the walls of the housing to the inside corners of the bends. The stream of liquid has a sufficiently high velocity that it clings in layers to the walls of the housing to the inside corners thereof, the bends being sufficiently great that the stream will separate from the walls of the housing and pass through the tow at a high velocity.

Abstract: A method for minimizing the accumulation of static charges on fibers resulting from the dry-fiberization of pulp lap sheets includes the steps of: (1) directing a plurality of the pulp lap sheets into a stacked condition; (2) directing the stack of sheets in a downstream direction to a fiberizing device for separating the fibers from the stack; and (3) applying an antistatic chemical to less than all of the sheets in the stack upstream of the fiberizing device.

Abstract: Cotton on a rick is placed upon a slab adjacent to the gin. A feeder unit having a plurality of drums advances against the rick to move the cotton from the rick onto conveyors to feed the cotton gin. The feeder unit is reversible, so that as soon as a rick is finished in the first direction, it may be reversed to feed against a rick in another direction. The height of the unit is adjustable. Doors close behind the last of the rick to prevent the cotton from scattering, and extending panels on the door contain the cotton along the slab.

Abstract: The method of annealing a tow of acrylonitrile-containing filaments, wherein the tow is advanced along a path through a housing under tension less than the shrinking tension of the tow, the path having at least two bends in opposite directions to each other, and passing steam along the walls of the housing to the inside corners of the bends, the steam having a sufficient velocity that it clings in layers to the walls of the housing to the inside corners thereof, the bends being sufficiently great that the steam will separate from the walls of the housing and pass through the tow at a tow-forwarding velocity at the inside corners.

Abstract: In a drawing frame having a fibre-control system composed by two confrontingly and superposedly mounted closed-lap belts, the improvement consisting in that the upper-belt driving cylinder has a barrel-like sleeve of an elastomeric material of an appropriate hardness mounted thereon, so as to improve the fibre tow control and to adapt said cylinder to the processing requirements of tows or webs of variable bulk. It is preferred that the barrel-like sleeve is thinner at the middle section than at the end sections.

Abstract: A series of latex rubber gloves for medical use in which a limited number of sizes comfortably fit a major portion of the general population. The glove sizes are positioned against the hand size distribution of the general population so the glove sizes are spaced further apart relative to palm circumference, and are spaced closer together relative to hand length. The gloves of this series have a comfortable stretch range of between 4 and 20% at palm circumference, and a comfortable stretch range of 1.5 to 10% relative to hand length.

Abstract: Fibrous materials are processed to produce a homogeneous mass of fibres by using a series of clothed cylinders, the fibrous material having passed from one cylinder to another. The cylinders progressively have coarser teeth, alternate cylinders rotating in different directions and the peripheral speeds of the cylinders are progressively greater. At least one worker roller is arranged tangentially with respect to two adjacent cylinders to work the material by rotating in the same direction as the slower peripheral speed roller. The flow of air is created along the path of travel of the material to cool and assist in transporting the material by encasing the cylinders in fitting cover means.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for attaching the vertical slats of a slatted blind to another element for support, in which an end of each slat is inserted into a cap like member having inwardly directed suspension lugs which support the slat by engagement in holes through the slat which are spaced from but adjacent to the end edge of the slat.

Abstract: Hot working roller reinforced with a working jacket of hard metal or the like, the jacket being prestressed in the direction of the roller axis by a clamping force acting via clamping rings presenting clamping surfaces inclined with respect to the roller axis, with the jacket being separated from the roller body by an annular gap having a height such that during use of the roller the outer surface of the roller body remains out of contact with the inner surface of the jacket over the entire intended operating temperature range of the roller, and the clamping surfaces being inclined in a direction such that the clamping force acting on the jacket presents a radially outwardly directed component.

Abstract: A helmet for use in riding vehicles such as motorcycles, motorbikes, etc. comprises a cap like body made of hard material, a bumping body applied on an inner surface of the cap like body, a number of streamline recesses formed in the bumping body and extending from a forehead portion to a backhead or side portion of the cap like body. When a user wears the helmet, the air stream flows through the recesses from the front openings to the rear openings of the recesses and thus the temperature and humidity inside the helmet are decreased.

Abstract: Rolling and swiveling movements of a caster are simultaneously braked by a movable brake member which extends between the forked legs of the caster and has one end downwardly movable into frictional contact with the tread surface of the caster wheel and another end downwardly movable into frictional contact with an upwardly-facing annular surface on the non-swiveling base of the caster. The brake member is moved to its braking position by a lever-actuated pin concentric with the swivel axis.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for deflocculating a dry suspension of fibers wherein the fibers are introduced into a housing in suspension in air, and are allowed to commence settling by free fall through the housing. An impeller is positioned below the inlet and is in the path of the falling suspension, the impeller being rotated in such a manner that it provides air currents in opposition to the settling tendencies of the suspension. A foraminous forming means is located below the impeller, and cooperates with suction means acting thereon to form a sheet of fibers from the fibers which ultimately settle onto the foraminous forming means. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is included a mechanical vibrating means which is positioned below the impeller and is arranged to apply small amplitude sonic waves at the suspension passing to the forming means thereby additionally enhancing the deflocculation of the fibers in suspension.

Abstract: A coating roller is formed of a cylindrical drum and a replaceable cover. The cover comprises a thin, dimensionally stable, sheet metal substrate upon which is laminated a thick, resilient elastomer layer. The opposite ends of the substrate are provided with springy tongue-like formations which removably fit into and resiliently adjust to opposed, adjacent grooves in the surface of the drum for securing the cover upon the drum. The cover is made by initially forming a flat sheet to the peripheral surface size of the drum, with the tongue-like formations on its opposite ends, and then bending and holding the substrate in a mold having a circular diameter greater than the drum diameter so that the ends of the substrate are widely spaced apart. The elastomer layer is molded upon the substrate and the composite plastic-sheet metal cover is removed from the mold and then applied upon the smaller diameter drum wherein the opposite ends of the substrate are closely adjacent each other.

Abstract: A high energy saving heat exchanger is provided for the hot exhaust gases of a furnace which has a combustion chamber, a burner with electrical controls, a furnace heat exchanger and an exhaust pipe adapted for connection with a stack. The high energy saving heat exchanger includes a housing having an air chamber with an exhaust inlet connected to said furnace exhaust pipe and an exhaust outlet. An exhaust conduit interconnects said housing exhaust outlet and stack. A continuous circuitous tubing is nested within the air chamber of said housing at one end connected to said exhaust inlet and at its other end connected to said exhaust outlet. An exhaust fan is interposed in said exhaust conduit for drawing exhaust gases through said heat exchanger tubing and delivering said gases under pressure to said stack. A hot air duct is interposed between said housing and a floor surface defining an area to be heated and including a hot air register. Heat duct communicates with said air chamber.

Abstract: This invention relates to machines for the manufacture of tampons, the machines having a first set of n pressing dies arranged around a common central axis for pivotal movement together from a separated position for receiving a tampon blank inwardly toward a common axis to a compression position compressing the blank into a shaped tampon and then back to the separated position. Each such first die has generally converging arcuately curved concave and convex surfaces which define therebetween an included angle equal to about 360/n with these curvatures generally mating respectively with the respectively adjacent convex and concave surfaces of other dies on either side to define a narrow arcuately curved gap or slot between the mutually mating surfaces of each adjacent pair of first dies.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for producing very uniform coatings of a desired material on discrete microsized particles by electroless techniques. Agglomeration or bridging of the particles during the deposition process is prevented by imparting a sufficiently random motion to the particles that they are not in contact with each other for a time sufficient for such to occur.

Abstract: An improved swivel assembly for a shopping cart, stroller or the like. The swivel assembly comprises a yoke having a vertically extending opening therethrough into which an end of a cart leg or the like is journaled for rotation of the swivel assembly around the leg. The yoke further has a horizontal opening laterally spaced from the vertical opening for supporting a shaft on which one or more wheels are mounted for rotation. A collar is rigidly secured to the shaft for preventing disengagement of the cart leg from the yoke.