Abstract: A mop having a sponge mop pad is effective for cleaning in a hospital for avoidance of internal infection. In a conventional sponge mop, for washing off dust and dirt sticking to the mop after used for the cleaning, spring force has been used for folding the sponge mop pad at the middle position thereof to squeeze off the water contained in the mop by compression force. This requires a large force and workers, especially women workers, had a difficulty in the cleaning work. In the present invention, the mop having the sponge mop pad comprises a projection and the mop squeezer comprises an insert member into which the projection is inserted. By the principle of lever, the sponge mop pad is easily squeezed by homogenous compression force and predetermined water content of the mop, after squeezed, can be realized.

Abstract: A wick-based emanation device for dispensing a volatile liquid is disclosed. The dispensing device includes a housing and a fan mounted in the housing for generating an air stream used for dispersing the volatile liquid. Walls of the housing form an enclosure for mounting the fan and for receiving an exposed portion of the wick therein. A retention structure is provided for coupling the wick to the housing and securing the wick in the air stream generated by the fan. The volatile liquid migrates along the wick from the reservoir to the exterior of the container where it is evaporated from the surface of the wick by forced airflow generated by a motorized fan mounted in the housing. The wick is formed to have a width dimension W which does not exceed 1.2 times a dimension R of a blade of the fan extending from the fan axis of rotation to an edge of the fan blade farthest from the axis of rotation.

Abstract: A simplified Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) sample preparation apparatus and method of using a PCR sample preparation for both liquid and dry samples. A portable apparatus comprising a handle removably attached to a wand assembly. The handle includes a cover and a swab with an absorbent material. The wand assembly includes a buffer container for a buffer that is ruptured by a spike when the holder is inserted into the wand assembly. The apparatus may include a waste container removably attached to a tube comprising a plunger, a safety clip to prevent the plunger from depressing, and a port for introduction of a liquid sample. A filter on the waste container collects a specimen of the liquid sample for preparation as described above.

Abstract: A shoe cleaning apparatus for use with a vehicle includes a brush assembly having at least one brush unit thereon. A mounting arm includes a first end extending from the brush assembly and a second end selectively coupled to a hitch receiver of the vehicle in an installed position. The mounting arm further includes a hinge for moving the brush assembly between an operating position and a storage position. The mounting arm includes an upper portion coupled to the hitch receiver and a lower portion laterally offset from the upper portion toward a ground surface. The lower portion is coupled to the brush assembly. The hinge is disposed on the lower portion of the mounting arm. A stepped portion extends perpendicularly between the upper portion and the lower portion. The brush assembly rotates from a substantially parallel relationship with the ground surface in the operating position to an upright position substantially perpendicular to the ground surface in the storage position.

Abstract: A rail scraper is provided and includes a mounting plate attachable to the front of a dump truck transfer dump body, an extender attached to said plate, and a scraper attached to said extender that can be raised and lowered by said extender. A rail scraper can further be provided with a second extender attached to said plate, and a second scraper attached to said second extender. An extender for a rail scraper can be a pneumatic cylinder with an extension arm. A rail scraper can further be provided with an air valve, an air reservoir tank, and tubing connecting said tank, valve, and cylinder.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for naturally recycling poultry carcasses for use as a nutritional supplement, the apparatus generally consists of four modules: an enzymatic digest medium mixing assembly that self adjusts for pH; a mobile grinding assembly mounted on a truck trailer; a digesting and emulsifying assembly which includes a heated tank and separator; and a drying system. Carcasses are loaded into the grinder, and the ground carcasses are pumped into a storage tank with the enzymatic digest medium to produce a protein soluble mixture. The particle size of this mixture is then further reduced, and transported to a centralized and stationary processing plant for digesting and emulsifying. The remaining emulsified proteins are then dried. The resulting pellet-like pieces are uniformly sized for packaging.

Abstract: Disclosed is a holding device including: a telescopic handle having axially opposed front and rear ends and constructed of at least two separate shafts, of which a front-side separate shaft axially fits within a rear-side separate shaft being a hollow cylinder; and a support member provided at the front end of the telescopic handle for attachment of a cleaning wiper. The front-side separate shaft has an axially extending elastic arm and an engaging projection provided at a leading end of the elastic arm, while the rear-side separate shaft has a through-hole passing through a cylinder wall thereof, in which the engaging projection engages when the front-side separate shaft projects from the rear-side separate shaft by a predetermined length. Pressing the engaging projection, which engages in the through-hole, from outside the rear-side separate shaft permits release of the engaging projection from the through-hole.

Abstract: A brush for a car wash has radial arrays of fingers cut from flat sheets of closed cell foam. The finger arrays are stacked atop each other with interposed spacer discs, bonded together to form sections of the brush. A top brush has a center section core formed by the spacer discs of a larger diameter than two smaller core diameter ends to provide a larger diameter center section core caused to roll when encountering a vehicle surface to pass over the some without damage, and smaller core diameter end sections able to accommodate antennas with less bending. The fingers of the scrubbing section of the brush are short, no longer than and are held sufficiently stiffly to support the brush on the side rails of pickup cargo beds at a high enough height as to avoid finger contact with the cargo bed bottom surfaces.

Abstract: The invention concerns a pig scraper for cleaning the inside wall of a coating agent conduit. The pig scraper includes a body insertable in the conduit and at least one sealing lip that seals against the inside wall of the conduit and extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body. A space is defined between the sealing lip and the body to form a pocket for enhancing the sealing of the sealing lip with respect to the conduit. The length of the sealing lip substantially prevents the lip from folding over on itself in response to a change in the direction of movement of the pig scraper in the conduit.

Abstract: A buffing and polishing ball made of a compressible polymeric foam material is formed by slitting a body of foam material in a substantially uncompressed state (1) from an outside surface of the body in a direction generally perpendicular to the rotational axis and (2) on circumferentially spaced planes that extend generally radially from the outside surface of the body to define a plurality of foam fingers. A fastening system is used to compress and hold a center portion of the foam body in a direction along the rotational axis such that the uncompressed outer ends of the finger assume a generally spherical ball.

Abstract: An electric toothbrush includes a casing having a handle and a neck extending from the handle. A motor is situated within the handle and has an output shaft with an eccentric cam on it. A tuft block is located at a remote end of the neck. A rocker arm extends longitudinally within the neck and has a proximal end driven by the cam, and a distal end driving the tuft block. A resilient bushing is sealed within the neck and intermediate-portion of the rocker arm extends through it in sealed manner to allow pivoting of the rocker arm across the bushing.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a matrix reactor for reactions in which low-molecular and high-molecular reactants are involved wherein the reactor space VR contains a matrix and comprises a reaction compartment and a supply compartment, wherein the matrix is composed of a porous material which can take up low-molecular reactants and wherein the exclusion volume V0 of the matrix is available as the reaction compartment and the matrix volume VM of the matrix is available as the supply compartment. The matrix reactor can be used for enzymatic processes, in particular for a coupled in vitro transcription/translation reaction to produce proteins.

Abstract: A means by which to adjust the angle of a handle. The device is comprised of two components. The body, made of a semi rigid material having a shape that is capable of being inserted into a typical paint brush ferrule. From this section, a “U” shaped component having a cylindrical cross section, and having a width of the attaching section. The handle of this design is composed of a suitable material having a varying thickness along its length. The handle having a section that partially encircles the “U” shaped component. The handle component has a hook at one end of one of the legs that receives the end of the other leg. This locks the handle in place on the “U” shaped component. When unlocked, the handle is capable of being moved along the length of the “U” shape to achieve the desired angle.

Abstract: A method and a device are described for manufacturing of a toothbrush from a starting-material which comprises a handle that runs into a neck part which divides into two equal and diverging arms/head parts, in which the bristle-carrying surface (bottom surfaces) of the head parts is approximately in a plane which runs parallel to the main axis of the toothbrush and head, and in which bristle which extend approximately vertically out from the surface is inserted and is of approximately equal of different lengths.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for an aseptic fluidic interface between bioprocess systems is provided. The apparatus includes an inlet valve, adapted for automatic control, that is coupled to a biofluid source site. A sampling conduit extends from the inlet valve to an outlet valve. The outlet valve is adapted for automatic control and is coupled to a biofluid process site. A trap is at the sampling conduit. A waste valve, adapted for automatic control, is located at a waste conduit extending from the sampling conduit to a waste site. Also included is a wash fluid source that is coupled to at least one of the inlet or outlet valves. In the method, the sample is automatically directed to the biofluid process site by opening the outlet valve, and closing the waste valve Also included is isolating the biofluid sites by closing the inlet and outlet valves, and opening the waste valve to drain biofluid from the trap to the waste site.

Abstract: An automatic swimming pool cleaning robot is disclosed, comprising a body, a suction head, an unstable valve, a suction pipe having an upper end, a recuperating filter connected to the upper end, and a venturi injector, wherein the unstable valve is activated to activate the robot. The robot combines the advantages of vacuum-fed robots and pressure-fed robots.

Abstract: An improved grill brush for cleaning grill grates and a cleaning system including a grill grate specifically adapted for use with the disclosed grill brush includes a head portion and a handle portion. A plurality of metallic bristles is mounted to and extends from at least one surface of the head. Some of the bristles are made of a first metal and others of the bristles are made of a second metal. In one embodiment, one metal is stiffer than the other metal, the stiffer bristles are shorter than the more flexible bristles, and the bristles are arranged so as to form rows of short, stiff bristles parallel to rows of long, flexible bristles. In this embodiment, the length and configuration of the bristles is generally specified for the grill grate with which the brush is intended to be used to facilitate cleaning the top and side portions of the grill grate. In another embodiment, the bristles are fabricated of at least two different materials and are of the same length.

Abstract: An appliance for applying a lotion, such as a sunscreen, to the skin includes a housing, from which a soft pad extends, and a elongated handle. The pad, which includes a flat application surface, is rotated by a motor in the handle about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the flat application surface. The surface of the pad may be formed of a porous material or of a solid elastomeric material having a texture providing spaces for holding lotion.

Abstract: The invention relates to a toothbrush that is produced by AFT and has a head part and at least one carrier element connected thereto. A front surface of the head part is formed by the top surfaces of the at least one carrier element and has a non-planar three-dimensional configuration, or is capable of assuming such a configuration during intended use. The invention also relates to a process for producing such a toothbrush.

Abstract: A liquid germicide is measured; the measured liquid germicide is injected into hollows of concave articles (1); the more or less of volume of the liquid germicide is discriminated from the injected liquid germicide; only concave articles (1) which each have a proper volume of the liquid germicide attached thereto are stored into a storage (6); thereafter the storage is closed, and the concave articles are left to stand in the closed storage for a prescribed period of time. Since the liquid germicide is injected into the hollow of the concave article (1) after measuring, and the more or less of volume of volume of the solution is discriminated from the injected liquid germicide as described above, it is possible to attach a proper amount of liquid germicide to concave article (1) such as vessel or preform, and hence to accomplish efficient sterilization in the storage (6), without the risk of the defective sterilization.