Abstract: Apparatus for pressing vertical arrangements of units that are stored in an elongate container with a front, plural sides, and a cavity includes a mechanism coupled to the front and extending toward the rear of such container and including opposing arms. Each arm is located adjacent a corresponding, opposing side of such container, with the mechanism being actuable to move the arms toward each other a preselected distance as a way of pressing a first arrangement of subunits. The apparatus preferably includes a submechanism actuable with the arms to move inwardly toward the cavity a preselected distance as a way of pressing arrangements of subunits, i.e. loaded subunits, that have already been pressed by the mechanism.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stacking golf balls in an aesthetically pleasing manner includes the use of a invertible form having a cavity therein. By placing golf balls within the cavity, the form may be inverted and the balls therein allowed to assume a stacked configuration atop a supporting base, which can be maintained after the form is lifted upwardly and away from the stack/base combination.

Abstract: A printing plate stand and an apparatus for positioning the printing plate stand are provided. The printing plate stand is movable and supplies printing plates to a printing plate transfer apparatus. The positioning apparatus includes, at a bottom surface of the printing plate stand, a pair of fixed wheels, movable only forward and backward, free wheels, movable in multi-directions, and leg portions which are located at vicinities of the free wheels and which can project downward further than the free wheels.

Abstract: A vehicle which can execute both vehicle-speed based auto-cruising control and vehicle-interval distance based auto-cruising control has a single operation knob having a SET switch, a RESUME switch, and a COAST switch. In order to allow the single operation knob to set both a target vehicle speed and a target vehicle-interval distance, when the SET switch is operated during the vehicle-speed based auto-cruising control, a vehicle speed at the time of the operation or at the end of the switch operation is set to be the target vehicle speed; when the SET switch is operated during vehicle-interval distance based auto-cruising control, a vehicle-interval distance at the time of the operation or at the end of the switch operation is set to be the target vehicle-interval distance.

Abstract: An apparatus for singling cards, such as check cards, identity cards and the like, which consists of a magazine for storing the cards in a stack, a removing device and a retaining device. The cards are disposed in the magazine rotated at a defined angle from one another, resulting in protruding surfaces between two successive cards. For singling, the uppermost card is lifted off in an axis perpendicular to the card surface by means of a removing device. The card following the uppermost card is held back in the magazine by means of a retaining device, the retaining device acting on the protruding surface of the following card.

Abstract: An electronic-component supplying cartridge is provided which includes a movable and an immovable jumping-out-preventing member and is free from jumping of electronic components out of electronic-component accommodating pockets, changing of posture of the components, or standing-up of the components due to suction. A shutter 210 is attached to a cover 82 fixed to a cartridge frame, such that the shutter 210 is movable relative to the cover 82 in the tape feeding direction. The shutter 210 includes a connection portion 214 having a groove 222 opening at a downstream-side end thereof as seen in the feeding direction, and a pair of movable jumping-out-preventing strips 228. When the shutter 210 is moved to a second position thereof, the strips 228 are received in receiving recesses 200, respectively. When a component carrier tape is fed, the shutter 210 is moved to a first position thereof where the strips 228 cover a component accommodating pocket fed to an electronic-component picking-up position.

Abstract: A device for laying on and stacking off cut stacks of sheets of material for the purpose of constructing overall stacks. The device includes a counter that travels vertically up and down and horizontally in and out, a mechanism that lays the cut stack onto the counter, and a mechanism that secures the cut stack as the counter travels out in order to stack off the cut stacks. The front of the counter tapers in. The counter has a forward section and a rear section for accommodating the cut stack. The forward section pivots on the rear section and can be pivoted between two limiting positions by applying a force such that in one position the surfaces of the two sections constitute a horizontal plane and in the other position the surface of the forward section slopes down from that of the rear section. Such a device is compact and ensures ideal laying on and stacking off of the cut stack.

Abstract: Apparatus for removing plate-shaped objects (CDs) from a stack, the apparatus having a gripper mechanism, a stack magazine with a vertically arranged shaft that passes through the central openings (O) of the plate-shaped objects of the stack, and a lifting mechanism for the stack. To achieve a compact device structure with a low physical height and secure, simple removal and handling of plate-shaped objects, such as annular disks or information media in the form of compact disks or floppy disks in an automatic environment, the shaft has at its top end an upwardly tapering region, and a mechanism for displacing plate-shaped objects (CD), lifted into this region, in the horizontal direction against the shaft are arranged in such a way that a topmost object of the stack, displaced horizontally, can be gripped by means of the gripper mechanism. In addition, the gripper mechanism and the lifting mechanism are arranged vertically displaceably alongside the stack magazine.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for inserting workpieces such as electrical components into a workpiece holder. The apparatus includes a housing with push pins mounted on a press plate for engaging and inserting the workpieces into receptacles in the workpiece holder. The pins are mounted in such a manner that if the entire housing is pushed downward in the direction of the exposed pin shafts and perpendicular to the plane of the bottom surface of the press plate, and if a given pin shaft encounters a restrictive force greater than or equal to a predetermined safe resistance, that pin shaft will be allowed to travel upward vertically through the plate frame. This escape release feature thus has the effect of a vertical "clutch," preventing damage to the pins, the loading plates, and the components whenever the pin shaft encounters excessive resistance.

Abstract: Cars are loaded individually onto pallets at assembly plants and remain on the pallets until they reach dealers. Most of the palleted cars are transported in specially equipped, closed rail cars from each assembly plant to a main distribution center where they are unloaded, allocated to either satellite distribution centers or to dealers, and reloaded for transport ultimately to the dealers, often via a satellite distribution center. The same pallets can be used to transport the cars in highway trailers and standard intermodal cargo containers. The cars remain on the pallets, are never driven, and are protected from weather and vandalism from the time they leave the plant until they reach the dealers' lots.

Abstract: A tiltable dual beds trailer includes a main frame with a floor thereon and a pair of rear frames having removable floors thereon and being hingedly attached at a medial portion thereof to the rear end of the main frame such that the rear frames are essentially balanced upon the main frame. The floors on the rear frames can be easily removed to allow the user convenient access under any machines or vehicles loaded on the rear frames. The tiltable dual beds trailers also has a pair of gate/ramps hingedly attached to the front end of the main frame to allow an object or objects to be off-loaded from the front of the trailer.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for sorting, counting and dispensing tokens such as coins used in games in which its driven member is composed of a driving block and a turntable set on a spindle of an electric motor so that a simple assembly can be achieved. The turntable is operated within the limitation of a ledge of a hopper so that threading connections can be omitted and the turntable will not separate from the hopper during operation. Furthermore, the improved apparatus has a stop lever mounted on the holder for preventing the tokens from falling from the delivery passages back to the turntable. The turntable is designed with a plurality of flanges extending integrally and upwardly from the surface thereof. The flanges are spaced and arranged to form a plurality of channels therebetween so that fingers of a block of the holder can extend into the channels to smoothly deliver the tokens.

Abstract: A building and method and apparatus for making a building at a job-site location is disclosed. The roof, side walls and end walls are made of similar skin and frame panels that are roll-formed on the job site, cut to length, have holes formed therein and are crimped to form bends in the roof and side wall panels to form interfitting portions at the corner of the roof and side walls. The panels are placed on a framing jig and seamed at connecting flanges and gussets are secured at inside corners to form a roof and side wall building section. These building sections may be a single skin panel and frame panel or multiples thereof. A multiple of two is shown. A roof truss may be fastened to the roof section for wider buildings. The framing jig is adjustable in size and shape to form buildings of different heights and widths. The framing jig shown is lifted by actuating hydraulic cylinders and a formed building section is seamed to a previously raised building section.

Abstract: An elongated metal frame structure for connecting a large elongated container to a vehicle employed in transporting the container. The frame comprises a plurality of aluminum alloy tubes connected together at certain corners of the frame by corner assemblies. The assemblies comprise a "standard" cast iron or steel fitting and at least one steel member connected to one face of the fitting. The exterior surfaces of each steel member are coated with materials that are effective in electrically separating the steel member from an aluminum tube of the frame when the corner assemblies and aluminum tubes are assembled together. The size of the steel members in cross section with the materials applied to the surfaces of the steel member is such that the steel member can slip into the end of the aluminum tube located at a corner of the frame.

Abstract: Bulk material is unloaded with a bucket conveyor from a ship floating in a body of water by first positioning the ship in the body of water between a stationary land-fixed location and a float spaced transversely therefrom. An outer intake end of a pivotal bulk conveyor on the float is supported at a fixed height above the body of water adjacent the ship and an opposite inner outlet end of the pivotal bulk conveyor at a fixed height above the stationary location. The pivotal bulk conveyor is swung about a horizontal axis to maintain the heights constant as the level of the body of water changes so that as the water level changes the angle of the pivotal bulk conveyor to the horizontal changes. The bulk material is picked out of the ship with the bucket conveyor, is then passed to the pivotal bulk conveyor and fed along the pivotal bulk conveyor to the outlet end thereof.

Abstract: A sheet dispensing mechanism employs an open bottom sheet dispenser positioned beside a molding device, molding articles which are cyclically ejected and driven vertically downwardly along an article ejection path, with the bottom sheet shingling out against an oblique baffle. A pair of rotatable indexing rollers with a high coefficient friction member on the periphery of each roller penetrate the open bottom of the dispenser to press the single sheets against the baffle, thereby allowing the indexing rollers to frictionally drive only the end sheet in the direction of the path. A spring biased articulated nip roller assembly downstream of the dispenser accelerates the indexed sheet to intersect the ejection path of the article simultaneously with ejection of the article. A proximity switch senses the arrival of the food portion at the article ejection station to initiate one cycle rotation of the indexing rollers to index the bottom-most sheet of the stack.

Abstract: Method and device for taking up articles. The apparatus or device comprises a vehicle running on tracks and mounted to the vehicle are a tilting member, a receiving table and an intermediate storage portion, with the tilting member tilting an article to be picked up, the receiving table entering the gap therebelow, holding same, retracting same, and transferring same to the intermediate storage portion, with the apparatus being actuated such that the tilting member can already start tilting a next article while the receiving table is still busy with a previous article, and the intermediate storage portion can be operated independently from the receiving table, this making it possible to manipulate several articles simultaneously and to thereby increase the pick-up rate.

Abstract: A ramp section for a load platform has one or two elongate rectangular stop plates pivotally mounted in the ramp section adjacent a rear edge of the load surface of the platform. Each stop plate is coaxially fitted with a pawl having an angularly spaced apart pair of lobes. A detent member is pivotally mounted on the ramp section rearwardly adjacent to the pawl and biased into operative alignment therewith for selectively engaging one or the other of the lobes to hold the stop plate in either a retracted position or a stop position. The detent has a foot-operable pedal portion. The stop plate is normally biased into an erect stop position so that initial depression of the pedal effects raising of the stop plate from retracted position to a latched erect position. Upon subsequent depression of the pedal, the other foot of the user is used to force the stop plate into retracted position whereupon release of the pedal effects latching of the stop plate in retracted position.

Abstract: A tire stacking apparatus includes a base frame with a carriage pivotally mounted on the frame for selective movement between a horizontal loading position and a vertical stacking position. The carriage includes a pair of parallel support members connected to a rotatable axle, and a pair of legs connected to the axle generally perpendicularly to the support members, the leg members and support members connected for rotation on the axle to pivot between the loading and stacking positions. The support members and leg members are spaced apart a distance to support tires therebetween such that a row of vertically oriented tires resting on the support members will be formed in a vertical stack on the carriage leg members when the carriage is pivoted to the stacking position. A cylinder with an extensible plunger rod is operably connected between the base frame and a lever arm connected to the axle to selectively pivot the carriage between the loading and stacking position.

Abstract: The tire lift mechanism has a cable and a drive tube which includes an outer tube portion and an inner tube portion. The outer tube portion is telescopically mounted upon the inner tube portion. The drive tube is adapted to be selectively rotated to cause the cable to be raised and lowered thereby raising or lowering the spare tire. The lift mechanism also includes a driven shaft having an axis of rotation and structure for raising and lowering the cable. The driven shaft is selectively driven by the drive tube through a pivot coupling interposed therebetween. The pivot coupling has a pair of inner and outer tubular coupling members. The inner coupling member has an axially extending bore for receiving the axially extending driven shaft. The inner coupling member and the driven shaft extend into the interior of the inner tube portion. The outer coupling member is mounted on the exterior of the inner tube portion.