Abstract: A stirring apparatus includes a motive device, such as a motor, fixedly mounted on a support brace adapted to extend across the open top portion of a container. A paddle is connected releasably to a connector, which, in turn, is driven rotatably by the motive device. The paddle extends into the interior of the container for revolving about its axis for stirring the contents thereof. The support brace includes a device to enable the length of the brace to be adjusted longitudinally so that the brace can fit over different size container openings, and has devices for securing it releasably to the container. A plurality of different size interchangeable paddles are provided and each one is adapted to be connected removably to the motive means so that the paddles can be interchanged readily and can be cleaned easily.

Abstract: A cable laying apparatus is provided for use with agricultural tractors equipped with a rear, three-point, hydraulically operated hitch. The apparatus comprises a supporting frame for lifting, carrying and unwinding heavy spools of wire, particularly barbed wire for laying fences and the like. The supporting frame is formed of a plurality of pieces of hollow, square steel tubing. A rear piece of tubing is to be supported cross-wise at the rear end of the tractor and has a pair of brackets thereon positioned to be supported on two of the supports of the three-point hitch. A pair of square tubular members are supported on the rear piece of tubing and extend rearwardly therefrom. A cross-piece of square tubing extends cross-wise of the rearwardly extending members through square holes therein. The cross-wise member has a pair of brackets supported thereon for connection to the third support of the three-point hitch.

Abstract: Apparatus for loading rolls of sheet material wound on cores into automatic wrapping machines wherein spindles are employed to support the rolls on overhead bearings for unwinding comprising a support upon which one end of the roll of sheet material to be loaded onto the bearings can be lifted and slid thereonto below the bearings, a hinge support mounting one of the bearings so that it can be moved from its operative position in alignment with the other bearing to an out-of-the-way position, and whereupon the ends of the roll spindle are centered over the bearings and the lift is retracted to lower the roll onto the aligned bearings.

Abstract: This invention provides an improved method and apparatus for controlling the tension in a tensionally fragile web of material being pulled by a constant speed processing machine from either one of a pair of supply rolls. A first festooning roller effects the control of the web tension during the normal operation of the machine. During the splicing of the web from one supply roll to another, the tension in the web would tend to dramatically increase. This tendency is offset by a second festooning roller engageable with the web and shiftable in a web tension decreasing direction only upon the occurrence of web tensions substantially in excess of the normal tension range. Means are provided to restrict the rate of return movement of the second festooning roller to that which falls within the control limits of the first festooning roller, thus eliminating any tendency to accelerate the new supply roll to a speed above the desired machine operating speed.

Abstract: The method of and device for controlling the roll exchanging operation in an unrolling device includes the provision of a set of control numbers computed from the counted number of revolutions of the old roll and from the length of the withdrawn web prior to the initiation of the roll exchanging operation; the control numbers are computed from two intervals of the measured web length, from corresponding intervals of the counted number of revolutions, from the thickness of the web, from the feeding speed of the web, from the time constents of the control elements of the roll exchanging device, from the length of the adhesive leading edge of the new roll, from the desired length of the residual trailing end portion of the old web and from the diameter of the supporting central reel; computed control numbers are stored and compared in a comparator with the actual number of revolutions of the old roll whereby the coincidence of the actual number with the stored number generates in a control unit a control signal

Abstract: Apparatus for guiding tape is disclosed wherein the tape is guided over a gaseous cushion at a guiding surface mounted relative to a reference surface with means urging the tape along the guiding surface against the reference surface. In one embodiment the urging means is the provision of the guiding surface and the reference surface positioned at a slight angle, in the range of from 5' to 30' and preferably 10' from normal so that the surfaces are positioned at an acute angle. The guide member can have the outside surface of an inverted frustum of a cone. In addition the guide member may include at least one sidewall of a vacuum column. Instead of the provision of a slight angle to urge the tape against the reference surface the apparatus can be constructed to provide a gaseous cushion between the guiding surface and the tape thicker at a location remote from the reference surface than adjacent to the reference surface.

Abstract: A frictional tensioning device for use in dispensing a continuous spool of ribbon or tape material under a uniform tension, regardless of the changing diameter of the spool. The device comprises a mounting pin secured to a fixed structure or base plate, the pin extending upwardly through an intermediate resilient base member having a sheet member of very low friction defining a layer disposed on the outer surface of the resilient base member, on which is positioned a thin flexible plate interposed between the frictional sheet member and the spool of tape material, so as to allow the spool and the flexible plate to rotate together about the pin under a controlled compressionable force provided by a spring-biased hub member mounted to the pin and held in the central core of the spool by a nut and a spring, thus establishing a means to apply the required compression on a given type of tape or ribbon being dispensed therefrom.

Abstract: A split-type injector for flexible drill tubing includes a pressure cylinder connected to linkage which maintains an adjustable pressure of the injection dies upon the tubing passing therethrough. The individual dies on the endless chain are constructed to grip components and tubing of different diameters which passes therethrough and also by means of a relief valve in the pressure system, to widen and close up as different diameter components or tubing pass therethrough. For example if a component such as a coupling is encountered, the halves of the injector move apart to allow it to pass yet at the same time maintain a similar contact upon the coupling and also to maintain similar pressure upon the coupling. When the component has passed, the halves close up and maintain the same pressure and substantial contact area upon the tubing as before.

Abstract: A process for adding water to a concrete mix wherein, after addition of an initial quantity of water to bring a particular concrete mix to or close to a so-called zero consistency, the set point consistency is reached by the one-shot addition of the balance of the water determined from stored empirical and interpolated data based upon measuring consistency and water addition values. The method has the advantage that the establishment of a zero value consistency by the addition of water to the dry mix or a mix of unknown moisture content permits the consistency measurement at this point to be easily carried out by indirect electrical techniques.

Abstract: This apparatus is an automatic winder of roofing material utilizing hydraulic power to operate pull rollers at increased speed; to operate a knife and anvil with greatly reduced shock and noise; to enable a high speed mandrel to be loaded and unloaded more accurately and more rapidly while minimizing misfeed occurences; to provide for automatic shutdown in case of malfunction, to isolate the sheet material from all but the pull rollers and the mandrel while the winding operation is in progress; and provide a sound reducing hydraulic reservoir within the frame of the machine to absorb shocks and noise. Accommodation for minimum flexing of the sheet material is provided.This invention is directed to an automatic hydraulic roll winder, and more particularly, to an apparatus for automatically winding, measuring, cutting, and removing web materials using hydraulic power.

Abstract: Recoiler mechanism including a core plate having a main body and complementary peripheral portions integral with the body and forming with the body, a surface about which material may be coiled, the portions terminating in adjacent free ends, and provisions intermediate the free ends to effect initial expansion and subsequent collapsing of at least part of the portions to enable removal of the material coiled about the surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a cassette for roll films, in particular for miniature films, consisting of a cylindrical container as the film storage chamber, a film exit slot formed thereon and a film spool whereby at least one edge of the cylindrical container is turned inwards to increase the impermeability to light, the slot comprises strips bent downwards at its lateral ends to define the width of the slot and at least one closure element is formed onto the cassette container overlapping the deformed container edge and laterally closing the cassette slot.

Abstract: A matrix of thin, deformable component elements is advanced by a mechanism so that at least the most immediate element of the matrix is maintained registered and non-deformed during translation. The mechanism includes a circumferentially faceted wheel, with teeth protruding radially from the facets for engaging holes in the matrix and indexing the matrix when the wheel is rotated. A rectangular plate pivoted about one end and arranged to rotate with the wheel has a surface which engages one facet of the wheel parallel thereto. The plate clamps the matrix between the plate and wheel precluding relative motion of that element with the wheel during rotation of said wheel and precluding deformation of the elements during such rotation or translation.

Abstract: There is provided apparatus in the form of a chuck that is adapted for winding a plurality of strips of material on narrow cores with the build-up of strip windings being regulated by an adjustment of pressurized air or fluid into a resilient tube in the chuck. The chuck includes a plurality of movable leaves and fixed separators carried on an inner core. The leaves are retained against excessive outward movement by cooperative longitudinal edge retaining means provided on and by the fixed separators. The resilient tube is carried in a groove formed in the inner support member and this tube supports and moves a plurality of saddle members each of which carries at least one drive member.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for automatically loading tape cartridges with supply tape. By this invention one tape cartridge can be wound with supply tape while simultaneously a second tape cartridge is prepared for loading with supply tape. The invention also relates to a novel shift block assembly for supporting, aligning, cutting and splicing two separate lengths of tape simultaneously. In another aspect of the invention a novel feeding assembly for controllably feeding tape cartridges to the winding position of the apparatus is disclosed.

Abstract: There is disclosed web feeding apparatus and method for feeding a web from a web roll to a utilization device. The paying out of the web from the web roll into a U-shaped buffer loop is assisted by a pair of cooperating feed rolls which engage the web along the buffer loop. When the loop decreases to a certain extent, a sensing member causes the feed rolls to rotate to pay additional web material out of the web roll until the loop has increased to a certain extent. The web material extends from the buffer loop over the web roll and is guided to the utilization device, for example, a printer. The feed rolls can be caused to rotate when a manually engageable lever is moved in one direction. Alternatively the feed rolls can be seperated and caused to rotate when the member is moved in the opposite direction. The apparatus also includes a reel assembly having a reel for handling web rolls having a variety of different widths.

Abstract: A sleeve for use in the treatment of textile threads and yarns including dying having a shell wherein the shell comprises peripherally extending spaced apart rings which are elastically yielding in the axial direction of the shell and spaced-apart webs which are elastically yielding in the axial direction of the shell, connecting the rings, the axially consecutive webs being laterally offset relative to each other whereby when the rings and webs are yielding, the rings become serpentine and the webs become bowed, at least selected ones of the webs being adapted to bow in a selected common direction generally circumferential with respect to the sleeve to ensure substantially uniform displacement of the sleeve members, thus to provide a sleeve having minimum restriction for passage of dye and which sleeve is substantially rigid in yielded or non-yielded state.

Abstract: An elongated sheet transport and guidance system including a drive roller mounted for rotation on a frame and adapted to engage and frictionally drive the sheet along its longitudinal axis and a pinch roller engaging the drive roller and mounted for rotation on an axis parallel thereto, the pinch and drive rollers being arranged to straddle and exert a pressure on that portion of the sheet passing therebetween. Also included in the system is a first means for inducing a first pressure level between the pinch and drive rollers in a region adjacent one longitudinal edge of the traveling sheet and a second means for inducing a second pressure level between the pinch and drive rollers in a region adjacent the opposite longitudinal edge of the sheet. In response to the output of a sensing means that senses lateral displacement of the traveling sheet, a control mechanism varies the difference between the first and second pressure levels.

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatus for automatically splicing a stand-by belt to the end of the belt or coil which is running out. In the prior art devices, there is a free transverse strip of the run-out coil which remains after the splicing has occurred. In accordance with the invention, the stand-by belt is spliced and the transverse strip is cut off so as to provide a continuous belt with no free end.

Abstract: An apparatus for heating liquids, in particular foodstuffs and luxury foodstuffs, for the purpose of pasteurizing, sterilizing and the like of the aforesaid foodstuffs. The apparatus consists of a rotor which is rotatable in a hollow sleeve part of a housing. An annular clearance space is provided between the internal surface of the hollow sleeve part and the exterior surface of the rotor. The liquid to be treated is fed into the clearance space at one end and discharged at a location spaced from the aforesaid one end of the rotor. The peripheral surface of the rotor on at least one end adjacent the location whereat the liquid is introduced into the clearance space is provided with a conveyor thread.