Abstract: A subsurface well safety valve having a curved flapper closure member and method making. The curved flapper has a concave sealing surface coacting with a valve seat. A flow tube has a lower end contoured to the flapper sealing surface. A flapper can be made out of a tubular member in which the inside has been honed providing a flapper with a concave surface which forms a sealing surface.

Abstract: The blade assembly comprises a circular rotor body with an axial bore for attachment to a motor shaft of a lawn mower and a plurality of spaced cutting elements are attachable adjacent the rim of the body. The rotor body has a plurality of radially elongated passageways near the rim wherein cutting elements, formed as hook members, are positioned. The cutting elements have a radially extending leg for cutting grass and are generally pivotable when so mounted. The passageways are formed with respect to the dimensions of the cutting element to allow limited movement in the vertical direction. Another plurality of passageways are circular in shape and are formed very close to the rotary body rim to allow for greater vertical movement of the cutting elements installed therein to enhance its passage over uncuttable obstacles encountered in operation and thereby reduce the damage done to the cutting element.

Abstract: For preventing very small amplitude vibrations of the rod in a tensioner during high speed movement of a belt to be tensioned by the tensioner, a tube which is connected to a plunger which moves together with the rod is overlapped with a stationary member so as to define an annular clearance therebetween in an operating chamber of the tensioner. By filling an operating fluid in the clearance, shear strain is generated upon high speed movement of the plunger, which resists movement of the plunger.

Abstract: A mower-mounted grass catcher and reel lawn mower assembly and method of making same. The catcher has two spaced-apart bores which receive two pins on the mower for mounting the catcher in a cantilever manner and on the mower. The bores are strengthened and are located in the opposite sides of the catcher which also has two handles for maneuvering the catcher. The upper panel and the lower panel of the catcher, adjacent the opening for the clippings, are reinforced with ribbing. The catcher is molded for extra-strength in the area defining the bores.

Abstract: A ducted cover grass collection system for a lawn mower includes a hopper with a front end having an inlet, a rear end having an outlet and an open upper end, a deflector hood located at the front end to partially cover the open upper end, and a lid covering the remainder of the open upper end, the lid having a duct open at a front end and having a rear end in communication with the outlet so that a flow of clippings and air is introduced through the inlet and projected generally horizontally toward the rear end of the hopper, so that the clippings settle to the bottom of the hopper, after which the air is directed back toward the deflector hood, through the duct and is discharged via the outlet. An air flow indicator located in the hopper lid pivots when the air flow in the duct decreases, signaling that the hopper is filled with clippings.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pad which supports a utility access conduit in a roadway and permits relative movement between the conduit and the roadway without damaging the seal between them and which supports vehicular traffic for a time comparable to the life of the roadway itself, without the occurrence of any dipping in the vicinity of the access conduit. This is accomplished with a rectangular block of rubber or similar compressibly resilient elastomeric material which has an opening passing through it that snugly engages the access conduit. The invention also relates to a method for installing the pad in either a new or existing roadway.

Abstract: A motorized rotary cement trowel is provided with a detachable trowel blade with a detachable trailing edge having a variety of forms of trailing-edge configurations and optional quick-disconnect means for attachment of the detachable trailing edge to the cement-trowel blade.

Abstract: A dock leveler is provided having an automatically actuated barrier for preventing accidental runoff of material handling equipment from a loading dock. The leveler includes a ramp pivotally mounted on the loading dock for selected movement from a stored position wherein the exposed upper surface of the ramp is level with the platform surface of the dock. A lip is hingedly connected to the front edge portion of the ramp and when in a depending first position supports the ramp in the stored position. When in the first position, a portion of the lip protrudes above the plane of the ramp upper surface and forms a vehicle barrier. Upon the ramp being actuated from the stored position to a raised position, the lip automatically slides relative to the ramp to a depending second position whereby no portion of the lip forms a protruding vehicle barrier.

Abstract: An improved dry bridge kit, composed of individual bridge bays of cross-sectional U-shape and of a cross-sectionally H-shaped traversing beam, the improvement comprising that the bridge bays are composed of a central part and of two side parts, the side parts containing hollow parallelipipedic track ways, and being foldable for transport underneath the central part. When launching the bridge, first the traversing beam is assembled and launched and then the individual bridge segments are coupled together and moved over the tranversing beam. The traversing beam remains as a bridge support element.

Abstract: A mining apparatus for the mechanized breaking-down of mineral raw materials, particularly coal, in underground mining operation includes at least one endless chain and chain wheels for the endless chain. A main drived is provided for one of the chain wheels and an auxiliary drive is provided for the other chain wheel. The main drive and the auxiliary drive each has a transmission unit including main transmission stage, initial transmission stage, coupling and drive motor. A superposed motor in the form of a controllable electric motor having small power acts in connection with a worm gear transmission on the superposed input of the superposed transmission unit. Synchronous running of the main drive and the auxiliary drive or the drive motors thereof is achieved by a unilateral drive control. This results in a uniform power and load input independently of the wear of the chain and chain wheels.

Abstract: A tool for breaking, cutting, and working solid materials includes a rearwardly extending shaft adapted to be inserted into the bore of a holder. The shaft includes an annular groove located adjacent a rearmost end thereof. A cylindrical clip is mounted on the shaft for retaining the tool within the holder. The clip includes a longitudinal slot extending longitudinally completely therethrough. A rear free end of the clip is inwardly bent into the groove of the shaft to oppose longitudinal forward movement of the shaft relative to the clip.

Abstract: A tool for scribing lines in soft concrete in which the line can be impressed by a standing operator. Guides are provided on the tool to assure a proper angle of the scribed line. A grooving tool can then follow the scribed line without added guide because the line will be located and all rough aggregate in the concrete will have been moved out of the path of the grooving tool.

Abstract: A compaction roller includes improved cleat assemblies which employ readily removable wear caps. One style of cleat assembly employs means inhibiting twisting of the cap unit about vertical and horizontal axes relative to a support base.

Abstract: A rotary grain screener is disclosed in which the primary grain-advancing flighting is mounted on the internal surface of the rotary screener drum and an inner auger is mounted on a central axial drive shaft to advance the grain forward in the drum at a greater rate than is accomplished by the flighting on the internal surface of the drum. The screener drum is supported on the central drive shaft which has a support bearing on the input auger housing and the drum is further provided at the input end with two annular bearing plates which are attached to the end plate of the drum and have a close fit around the input auger housing for closure and support purposes. A single motive power source drives the drive assembly which operates both the input auger and the screener drum.

Abstract: A vehicular trafficway or roadway barrier or space barrier for controlling access to the same. The apparatus is installed below the parking space or roadway and includes a retractable barrier which blocks the space being protected when erected and permits access when retracted. The apparatus herein referred to as Scopelock is an entirely self-contained unit which may be operated from normal electrical service or a battery. The entire unit is designed to be unlocked and removed from a casing that is permanently fixed into the ground. Spaceage material protects the unit from moisture. Scopelock can be operated by remote control or coin boxes or keys as desired. Typically, when in place, Scopelock prevents access to vehicular parking spaces while at the same time, capable of providing parking security by limiting the space between Scopelock and other barriers positioned around the vehicles, thereby providing security from theft of the vehicle.

Abstract: An asparagus spear selection and picking unit for a harvester of green asparagus has at least one pair of tynes which are mounted adjacent to, but spaced apart from, each other. The adjacent edges of the tynes are shaped to provide a tapered channel leading to the nip of a pair of soft conveyors mounted adjacent to each other and extending upwards at an acute angle relative to the horizontal. The height of the pair of tynes above ground level is adjustable. When a growing asparagus spear has a height sufficient for its tip to be guided into the nip of the soft conveyors by the tynes, its top is gripped by the soft conveyors. Shortly after being gripped by the soft conveyors, the tip of the spear activates a sensor (a microswitch or an electro-optical device) to generate a signal which activates a cutter to cut the spear at or near its base.

Abstract: A grid plate includes a top side having a non-slip surface having openings to permit the growth of grass. At two sides which are arranged at an angle with respect to one another, the grid plate is provided with step-shaped lateral side walls. An abutment is molded into the vertical stepped wall, this abutment being formed by wall apertures placed into the step-shaped lateral side wall. A horizontal stepped side is used for supporting the side edges which project beyond the ribbing of the bottom side. At the lateral edge, plug-in connections are molded on, which, in the manner of hinges, lock into the wall apertures of an adjacent grid plate. The lateral edge has hooks which point downward and which, during the hinge movement, when the grid plates are emplaced, engage behind the wall of the wall apertures.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for smoothing epoxy flooring material utilizes a weighted chassis to the bottom of which are mounted two planar blades in angular adjustable manner. A handle mounted pivotally to the top of the chassis may be brought forward to tilt the chassis, bringing normally elevated wheels into ground contact for transporting the apparatus in blade floor noncontacting positions.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and apparatus useful primarily in the presplitting and blast removal of earth formations, the improvements according to the invention involving the use of inflatable devices suspended in boreholes used in shattering earth formations. The inflatable devices of the invention can be of various shapes and are provided with valves to allow a fluid such as air to be pumped into each device on placement of the device at a desired location in a borehole. The inflatable devices are preferably formed of a flexible, polymeric material which allows a desired degree of stretching to cause plugging of a borehole. The "plug" formed by an inflatable device of the invention allows loading of explosives into a borehole in order to produce desired blast results according to the several methods of the invention.

Abstract: An endless work fabric having a loop seam construction and a method of manufacture thereof is disclosed, wherein the fabric is used as a papermaker felt, a papermaker dryer fabric, a forming wire, or filter fabric. An endless belt formed of a preselected material preferably having longitudinally extending yarns included therein is collapsed upon itself to form folded ends that are stripped to expose end loops. The loops as formed in the ends of the fabric are intermeshed to define a transversely extending channel through which a pintle member is extended for joining the two ends of the folded fabric to define the endless work fabric. An alternate construction includes forming the fabric of nonwoven materials and interconnecting the ends of the collapsed fabric by a hinge-like construction through which a pintle member is extended.