Abstract: A cart comprises a base frame, driver for extending an operational stroke of a hydraulic jack and transferring this movement into an up and down motion, a pair of elevating rods simultaneously lifted of lowered by movement of the driver, a pair of supporting frames for operably supporting the elevating rods by virtue of guide rollers, and a holder fixed to the elevating rods for lifting and lowering the component supply unit, wherein a multi purpose space is formed surrounded by the driver, the elevating rods, and the holder. By using a positioning mechanism containing a structure where a positioning pin of a fixing device fits into a V-shaped slot formed on a component supply unit side, a component supply unit may be positioned in two different directions by pushing the component supply unit in a single direction.

Abstract: A spill shield assembly for a refuse collection vehicle includes a slide panel assembly comprising a front slide panel and a rear slide panel. The assembly is applicable to vehicles having a refuse collection compartment, a refuse storage compartment and a packer ram assembly having a packer face plate. One of the front and rear slide panels of the spill shield assembly is adapted to slide over the other between an extended position in which the slide panels have no more than a small amount of overlap and are disposed generally horizontally when the packer face plate is in a rearward position and a retracted position in which the slide panels are significantly overlapped and are disposed at an angle so as to direct any material falling thereon into the collection compartment when the packer face plate is in a forward position.

Abstract: Interconnectible screen assemblies for vibratory separators or shale shakers and methods for manipulating such screen assemblies which, in certain aspects, include a first screen assembly and a second screen assembly positioning at least a portion of the first screen assembly with respect to screen assembly holding apparatus, connecting a second screen assembly to the first screen assembly, and moving the first screen assembly and the second screen assembly together with respect to the screen assembly holding apparatus.

Abstract: A palm mechanism for a high-speed robot hand has a fixed-side articulated finger unit that projects forward from an upper side of a vertically positioned palm plate, and moveable-side articulated finger units disposed on both sides thereof. The left and right articulated finger units are capable of turning along two short sides of the rectangular palm plate from upper end positions on the palm mechanism. The articulated finger units are capable of bending up and down about joint portions thereof. A variety of operations, including gripping, picking, and throwing, can be performed rapidly and reliably by controlling relative positions of the three articulated finger units and controlling bending operations of the articulated finger units.

Abstract: A method and system for encapsulating mail containers delivered to a building so as to prevent possible contaminants in the mail containers from contaminating the building. An opening is provided on a building wall that substantially separates indoor air circulation from the outdoor air for receiving the mail containers. A plastic tube having a closed end and an open end is used to encapsulate the mail containers. The open end is securely attached to the opening in the wall for receiving the mail containers into the tube, while preventing air circulation outside the building from entering the opening. A sealing device is used to seal the plastic tube for keeping the mail containers in separate sealed sections. A severing device is used to separate the sealed sections in the encapsulated packages so that the encapsulated packages can be tested for the possible contaminants.

Abstract: A cargo transportation system comprising secure (fully closeable and lockable), sealable, stackable, trackable, universal, auto-latching “pallet boxes” that may be used in two main ways: 1) secured to the undercarriage transverse I-beams of over-the-road semi-trailers by means of loading alignment and hanger assemblies that provide positive locking-in-place; and 2) stackable, up to three or more high, inside the trailer bodies. The inventive pallet boxes are designed to be secured by auto-latching hanger assemblies that are retrofittable on individual types of semi-trailer undercarriages, both US and metric (European, Central and South American, and Asian) standard dimensions. The pallet boxes include vertical sidewall load-bearing channel members permitting stacking fully-loaded pallet boxes three or more high. The pallet boxes may be refrigerated, insulated, or atmospherically controlled, e.g., chargeable with preservative, security or disinfecting gases, during shipping.

Abstract: A sheet supply apparatus includes a sheet supply tray for stacking a sheet, and an auxiliary tray movable between a support position where the auxiliary tray supports a portion of the sheet stacked on the sheet supply tray and a storage position where the auxiliary tray overlaps the sheet supply tray. A sheet supply device supplies the sheet stacked on the sheet supply tray. A sheet detection device is mounted on the auxiliary tray for detecting the sheet stacked on the sheet supply tray, and a tray position detection device detects a position of the auxiliary tray between the support position and the storage position. An identifying device identifies a length of the sheet in a sheet supply direction based on detection results of the sheet detection device and the tray detection device.

Abstract: Cable supported hook apparatus provides a U-shaped upward facing opening for transporting a truss. A cam pivotably mounted opposite the opening has a serrated edge opposite a handle. A slot in the opening permits a spring to urge the cam from a released orientation to an engaged orientation with the serrated edge extending through the slot. In the released orientation, a knob retractable spring driven pin extension can extend through a hole in the cam and secure it in place. In use, the handle is first used to rotate the cam to the released and secured orientation. After engagement with the truss, the extension is retracted by the knob which permits the cam to engage the truss. After transportation a release cable rotates the cam to the released and secured orientation to free the truss.

Abstract: After a roll supply carriage housing rolls in a light-shielded case is coupled to a film manufacturing apparatus, shutters are opened, and a roll retainer shaft and a roll loading shaft are connected to each other. A motor in a roll transferring apparatus is energized to transfer one of the rolls into the roll transferring apparatus. Then, a rotary table is turned to supply the transferred roll to a given region in the film manufacturing apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a vacuum end effector having workpiece supports that work in conjunction with distorted workpiece surfaces. In one embodiment, each workpiece support has the ability to gimbal and conform the workpiece surface in contact with an outer edge of the support. Each workpiece support preferably provides a knife-like contact edge to minimize the contact area between the support and the workpiece while still providing an effective vacuum area to hold the wafer securely on the support.

Abstract: A bag for carrying boxes-shaped objects, preferably pizza boxes (15, 16), includes a rectangular bottom wall portion (1) side wall portions (3, 5) attached to the base wall portion (1) and handles (7) at opposite side wall portions (3). It is significant for the bag that two of the side wall portions (3, 5) constitute main side wall portions (3) that are opposite each other and extend along an entire edge of the bottom wall portion (1), and that at least two of the side wall portions constitute partial side wall portions (5) that extend only along a part of an edge of the bottom wall portion (1).

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for positioning a plurality of cassettes within an automated printing plate handler. In a plate handler, a plurality of cassettes each contain a supply of printing plates for delivery to an automatic plate-recording device. The apparatus includes a separate support table for supporting each of the plurality of cassettes within the plate handler and an elevator device for moving each of the support tables along a vertical axis of the automated plate handler. The automated plate handler is configured to automatically position a selected cassette in a first position to facilitate removal of the cassette from the handler. The plate handler further includes a platform, which substantially forms an extension of the support table supporting the selected cassette in the first position. The platform provides a second position, at which the selected cassette is to be one of, loaded or unloaded.

Abstract: An apparatus for modifying a traveling position of a paper web in a paper web processing machine is provided. The apparatus is capable of easily attaching a detection means; requiring no operation of the paper web processing machine to determine an accurately adjusted position for attachment; and extremely easily setting a desired size of a tolerable deviation range of a practical position of a side edge to an originally expected position of the side edge when the sheet travels. The apparatus includes a traveling position modification means for modifying a position of a side edge of a paper web traveling toward a processing section in a paper web processing machine; a detection means for detecting the position of the side edge of the paper web; and a control means connected to the modification means and the detection means for controlling the modification means based on a value detected at the detection means.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed including a first device which includes a first stick having a first tip, a second device which includes a second stick having a second tip, and a third device which includes a first hollow tube in which a spring is located. The first and second devices may be connected to the third device so that the first and second sticks can pivot with respect to the third device. In a rest state, the spring causes the first stick to be separated from the second stick so that the first tip and the second tip do not contact each other. The first stick and the second stick can be pressed together into a compressed state, so that the first and second sticks pivot with respect to the third device, the spring is compressed by the first and second devices, and the first and second tips come into contact with each other.

Abstract: A high speed device and method for transporting work pieces from one container to another is disclosed. This high speed device utilizes a rotary wheel having a number of pick heads located along the circumference of the rotary wheel. These pick heads are utilized to lift work pieces from a container. The rotary wheel then rotates to position the next pick heads over the next workpiece which it then picks up. Once all work pieces in a container are picked up they may then be deposited in a similar manner in a receiving container. This device and method reduces the time involved in moving work pieces and reduces the cost of manufacturing.

Abstract: A device for hooking, dragging, or gaffing a game or marine animal. The device comprises a substantially triangular hook member having an opening and a sharp end for hooking the animal. When dragging the animal, the device distributes the weight to ground requiring little or no lifting.

Abstract: When a conventional semiconductor container opening/closing apparatus opens a lid of a semiconductor container, foreign particles enter into the container from outside through a gap between the container and a wall surface of the container opening/closing apparatus and adhere to a wafer in the container. A method is provided to reduce the number of foreign particles adhering to the wafer by preventing foreign particles from entering into the container at the time of opening the container by the opening/closing apparatus. To achieve this, a velocity-differential pressure ratio obtained by dividing the maximum velocity at the time of opening the lid of the container in a vertical direction to an opening of the container, by the differential pressure between the inside pressure and the outside pressure of said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, is set to be 0.06 ((m/s) Pa) or less.

Abstract: A scoop expandable into a configuration including a handle section attached to a bellows section. The bellows section includes a plurality of slant wall sections and thin wall sections attached between adjacent slant wall sections defining peaks and valleys between adjacent slant wall sections, and a center bottom section attached to an adjacent slant wall section. A height dimension of the scoop in an unexpanded state ranges from about 2.5 to about 12.5 millimeters. The scoop is suitable for use in packaging granulated materials under high speed, high pressure, or space-limited packaging conditions.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and a support device for a wafer transfer process which has a first vertical, second horizontal and third compound angled surfaces, as well as a pair of sidewalls all contiguously connected to one another. The third surface has at least two angled receiving surfaces whereby one of such angled receiving surfaces has a small angle of incline for initially receiving and delivering a wafer. The other angled receiving surface has a steep angle of incline for effectively receiving, holding and transporting a semiconductor wafer by increasing an effective coefficient of friction of the wafer to provide a secure resting point for such wafer during a transfer process while simultaneously increasing the speed thereof. Furthermore, a hole may be provided in the support device for attaching the support device, or a plurality of support devices having holes, to an end-effector.

Abstract: A slide pack container housing a plurality of piled slide packs has a cut-off portion. The cut-off portion has a width slightly larger than the width of a slide contained in each slide pack. As a sucker of a package take-out apparatus draws one of the slide packs from the slide pack container through the cut-off portion, a sealed portion of the slide pack interfering with the edge of the cut-off portion is folded inward so that the slide pack is successfully taken out. The sucker transfers the slide pack to a separated unwrapping apparatus. The sucker releases the slide pack when the front edge of the slide pack is caught between paired rollers of the unwrapping apparatus. After a cutter makes a slit on the slide pack, the paired rollers transfer only a wrapping sheet to separate the wrapping sheet from the slide wrapped therewith.