Abstract: A braking device is described for an elevator having a governor that actuates above a tripping speed for braking an elevator car or counterweight that is guided on a vertical guide rail. The braking device includes a unitary safety housing attached to the elevator car or counterweight and at least partially surrounding the guide rail. The safety housing is expandable and has opposite, facing wedge guides on opposite sides of the guide rail. A pair of wedges are included, each being received between the guide rail and one of the wedge guides. An actuator is linked with a governor and the wedges for driving the wedges into the safety housing, forcing the safety housing to expand and produce a clamping force on the guide rail, in response to actuation of the governor.

Abstract: A cylindrical golf tee carrier and dispenser which permits carrying a quantity of tees without accidental loss, while providing for easy removal of tees, one at a time, through an elastomeric dispensing end, and an attaching member mounted thereto for attaching the golf accessory to a golf bag.

Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing plastic fasteners having a cross bar at the end of a filament from fastener stock. The apparatus includes a gun shaped casing made of plastic. A hollow needle having an inlet opening and an outlet opening is mounted on the casing. A guide groove is formed on the casing for receiving the fastener stock, the guide groove being in communication with the inlet opening in the hollow needle and being at an angle with the hollow needle. The apparatus also includes an ejector rod for pushing the cross bar of a fastener fed into the hollow needle out through the outlet opening of the needle. The guide groove in the casing includes a front wall that is bevelled. The front wall includes a bottom edge which is bevelled. The corner formed by the front wall of the groove and a sidewall of the casing is also bevelled. The three bevels minimize the likelihood that the cross bar of the fastener will jam as it passes from the guide groove into the hollow needle.

Abstract: A vending system includes a central service center connectable over phone lines to a plurality of multi-functional vending machines for audio/video and high speed data exchanges, as well as voice exchanges between customers and a service center operator. Each vending machine includes the capability of playing music video and other audio/video presentations in predetermined order or in preferential order in response to on-site and off-site customer selections and vending customer-selected products from inventor storage, such as debit cards, CDs, tape cassette tapes and players, batteries, etc. Each vending machine also includes a printer for printing and dispensing to customers receipts, tickets, facsimile documents, etc.

Abstract: The present invention resides in an elevator mechanism comprising a base plate defining the bottom wall of a chamber disposed above the base plate. The base plate has a top surface and a bottom surface with an opening therein communicating between the top and bottom surfaces. A first drive is disposed below the base plate for linear movement parallel to a first given direction. A carriage is connected for movement to the first drive and carries a lift tube extended upwards from the carriage along the given direction and through the opening in the base plate. The lift tube including a coaxially disposed rotary shaft therewithin. A second drive having an output is provided and is supported on the carriage parallel to the given direction and spaced from the rotary shaft in a side-by-side orientation. A coupling is also provided for drivingly connecting the output of the second drive to the rotary shaft.

Abstract: A drive unit (1,41,51) for a self-propelled elevator car (30) which travels along a pair of guide rails (27) is connected with a car-supporting structure (16) by rocker arms (15) and contact pressure springs (29). An electric motor (2,3,26,31) is coaxial with a wheel shaft (8) which extends therethrough and has a pair of drive wheels (10) mounted at the ends thereof. The motor housing (31) is connected to the axle tubes (11) by releasably attached motor flanges (12). The motor (2,3,26,31) drives the wheel axle (8) in rotation through a speed-reducing planetary gear (33) and a brake (32,34) which prevents rotation of the wheel axle (8) can be released selectively. An auxiliary drive (35,36,37) mounted on the motor (2,3,26,31) selectively rotates the wheel axle (8) in response to a power failure.

Abstract: Wet towelette dispensers are provided which include a roll of moistened, flushable towelettes, each of which is readily separable along perforated lines from a remaining portion of the towelette roll. The towelettes are designed to have a high enough wet strength to be useful for hygienic applications. The roll is disposed in a sealable housing which has a slotted opening therein for permitting the removal of one more of the towelettes from the dispenser in a manner similar to the way dry toilet paper is typically dispensed.

Abstract: A system for dispensing medicaments such as pills and capsules includes a plurality of medicament dispensing cells, a manipulator arm for moving to a cell and receiving medicament dispensed therefrom into a vial, and a controller for controlling the operation of the manipulator arm. In one embodiment of the invention, each cell includes indicia thereon such as a bar code indicating the medicament contained therein and the system includes an indicia reader such as a bar code reader attached to the manipulator arm. When the system receives dispensing instructions such as a prescription to be filled, the controller moves the manipulator arm to a selected cell location of a cell having the medicament to be dispensed, as indicated by cell data included in the controller memory. The indicia reader reads the indicia on the cell at the selected location and the controller determines whether the medicament indicated by the indicia matches the medicament of the prescription.

Abstract: A lift truck having a mast structure for supporting a liftable implement, a pair of lift cylinders for lifting the implement, and a mast support for supporting the mast structure on a front axle of a vehicle body. The mast structure includes a pair of masts extending substantially vertically and a cross beam for connecting the lower ends of the masts. The mast support includes a pair of support bodies fixed to one of the masts and the cross beam at a first fastened section. The mast support further includes a pair of brackets, each bracket being fixed to one of the support bodies at a second fastened section and connected to the front axle. Each cylinder is located adjacent to a corresponding one of the brackets and is located behind the corresponding one of the masts. The structure allows for simplified manufacture.

Abstract: A method for separating two species of particles present in raw feedstock includes electrically charging at least one of the species of particles being separated. Next is the subjecting of the particles to both centrifugal and electrostatic forces. This is done in a manner so as to provide an additive effect and thereby achieve enhanced separation of the two particle species. An apparatus for processing the raw feedstock in accordance with the method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A sheet dispenser including a housing, and a stack of dispensable sheets. A front wall of housing has edges that define a slot through which an end portion of the top sheet on the stack projects. That front wall normally projects above the top surface of the stack of sheets to position that end portion of the top sheet in a position projecting above an outer surface of the front wall where it can be easily grasped to withdraw the top sheet from the housing. At least a portion of the front wall is of flexible material so that it can be resiliently bent to lie along the top surface of the stack and thereby reduce the thickness of the dispenser when, for example, it is positioned on one of the pages of a book, magazine, personal organizer or the like that is closed.

Abstract: A pad comprising a plurality of flexible sheets in a stack, and padding means for releasably adhering parts of the major surfaces of adjacent sheets in the stack together to maintain the sheets in the stack. That padding means is provided in that at least some of said sheets having patterns of coadhesive coated on their major surfaces, which patterns of coadhesive are adhered to patterns of coadhesive on adjacent sheets in the stack and releasably adhere parts of the major surfaces of adjacent sheets in the stack together in surface to surface relationship until the patterns of coadhesive are peeled apart.

Abstract: A lift arrangement is mounted adjacent the doorway of a vehicle. The arrangement includes a first electrically powered screw jack mounted to the frame of the vehicle adjacent one side of the doorway and a second electrically powered screw jack mounted to the frame of the vehicle adjacent the other side of the doorway. A first support bracket is positioned adjacent the lower end of the first jack. A second support bracket is positioned adjacent the lower end of the second jack. A platform has a pair of connecting portions disposed adjacent opposite ends of the platform. Each connecting portion engages one of the brackets to support the platform in a generally horizontal manner. The first and second jacks are simultaneously activated by a single switch to lower and raise the platform between a position adjacent the ground surface and an elevated position.

Abstract: A screw-type lift having a ratchet lifting nut assembly providing for the safe lowering of a load while preventing additional lifting of the load upon failure of a lifting nut is disclosed. The ratchet lifting nut assembly includes a lifting nut and an auxiliary nut threadably engaging a lifting screw and a wear gap separating the lifting nut from the auxiliary nut. A ratchet portion is supported on the auxiliary nut and is aligned for engagement with a pawl supported on the lifting nut. During a normal mode of operation, the lifting nut supports the entire weight of a load and the ratchet portion and pawl cooperate to restrain rotational movement of the auxiliary nut relative to the lifting nut. A failure mode of operation is defined when the lifting nut is excessively worn in that it can no longer safely support the load. In this mode, the wear gap is eliminated wherein the auxiliary nut is supported on the lifting nut and the load is supported solely by the auxiliary nut.

Abstract: An industrial truck having a lifting slide which is moveable up and down on a lifting framework is disclosed. The lifting framework is fixed to at least one vertical load chain by at least one chain connecting piece. The load chain is at least partly guided in a chain guide which has an opening on at least one side. With this arrangement, the load supporting chain does not damage or soil other components of the industrial truck when travelling over irregularities in the ground.

Abstract: A dispensing machine for dispensing items of hot food comprises a freezer compartment for storing the items to be dispensed, a heating compartment, a dispensing location and a transport mechanism for receiving items from the freezer compartment, via the heating compartment, to the dispensing location. The transport mechanism has a flexible transport web to which the items to be dispensed are secured. Driving means advance the web from the freezer compartment to the dispensing location. The web has code markings on it indicating the positions of the food items on the web. A code reader reads the code markings, to control the driving means for advancing the web.

Abstract: The general purpose of the device described herein, the Smart Automatic Medication Dispenser, is to aid medical patients who must consume several types of medications several times a day for long periods of time. Often, due to daily diversions, it can be difficult for a patient to keep a running record of the amount of medications and the times at which they must be administered. The specific purpose of this computer controlled dispenser device is to provide a convenient vehicle and means by which properly proportioned medication doses are housed and automatically delivered to the patient in single complete doses. This user friendly and expandable dispenser will deliver medication in the proper chronological order and at the precisely correct/prescribed daily time intervals for a nominal period of one full week. Included in this device are comprehensive patient alerting capabilities, including familiar voices, all coordinated with medication delivery.

Abstract: A lead frame magazine fastening structure used with, for instance, a semiconductor bonding machine including raising-and-lowering shafts passing through a magazine setting plate of an elevator device and a positioning assembly comprising pins and a vacuum suction pad provided in the magazine setting plate. A lead frame magazine for accommodating lead frames in a stacked fashion is comprised of a bottom plate and vertical side bars along with a magazine supporting plate placed on the bottom plate and is placed on the magazine setting plate of the elevator device. When the elevator device is actuated, the raising-and-lowering shafts raise only the magazine supporting plate on which the lead frames are placed while the bottom plate of the magazine is held on the magazine setting plate of the elevator device by the positioning assembly.

Abstract: A floor conveyor vehicle, particularly a stacker, has a brake device and an adjustable floor panel guided in the vertical direction by way of a device and is held in several working positions by a locking device. The floor panel is guided in the vertical direction by a lifting frame on a column arranged on one side of the vehicle. The floor panel is constructed as an operating plate for a parking brake and, with a pedal plate for a service brake, is swivellably linked to the lifting frame on axes.

Abstract: A spring to operate a merchandise dispenser used for storing and dispensing a plurality of like items of merchandise. The dispenser utilizes a metal spring having indicia imprinted or engraved thereon to provide both a biasing force to the merchandise and inventory information. A method is provided for producing a metal spring having indicia printed in ink or paint.