Abstract: A floor-mounted doorstop comprises a tubular housing having an upper flange which is affixed to the floor, and a closed lower end. A plunger is telescopically received within the bore of the housing, compressing a coil spring which normally drives it to its deployed position; however, the plunger can be depressed with the foot, and a twist of the foot latches it in a retracted position.

Abstract: A machine for straightening anode rods has a portal-like frame through which the rods are transported in succession with the aid of a suspended rail conveyor. Jaws which engage on the sides of the rods are used to squeeze the rods. Beneath the jaws there is a rotatable fork which can engage and entrain with a shaped end piece on the lower end of one of the anode rods. The fork and its rotary drive is raised and lowered and guided for this reciprocal movement. An anode rod can thus be transposed through 90.degree. enabling the jaws to squeeze against all the sides of the rod.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for removing a very open shell (28) from a forming mandrel (76), the mandrel being configured so that when the shell is released from the mandrel, the shell springs to an open form. The apparatus includes a fixture (44) for receiving the shell from the mandrel after the shell has been formed and clamped in place, the fixture comprising a pair of spaced claw elements (308,310) having aligned openings (426) through which the mandrel and the shell can pass with the shell formed and clamped in place on the mandrel, the openings being sized to hold the shell in its open form due to the spring force of the shell, and a support (394) connected between the claw elements for maintaining the alignment of the openings. A universal mount (394,424) for the fixture enables it to be positioned accurately to receive the shell from the mandrel.

Abstract: A tailgate guard apparatus is arranged for securement to the confronting hinge plate walls defining a gate opening between the spaced side walls of a conventional pickup truck bed to effect covering of the various tailgate linkage typically deposed on removal of a conventional tailgate for securement of a gate opening flexible web within the gate opening defined between the spaced hinge plates.

Abstract: The invention provides a baling machine for baling groups of packages containing product into a bale bag. Packages are transported to fall down a chute individually where they are stacked in a group until the group is allowed to fall into a bale bag and into engagement with a moving platform which decelerates the group to minimize impact and resulting bruising. The filled bale bag is then ejected and closed.

Abstract: An apparatus to cap in succession containers transported in serial order on a conveyor belt. The apparatus comprises a cap dispensing station operating in a timed-relationship with the container feed rate to loosely apply on each container a screw-type cap in thread alignment with the threads on the container neck. The cap dispensing station includes a cap relase passage at least partially closed by a resilient lip preventing a cap to travel through the passage under the effect of gravity. A selectively actuatable cap ejector drives the cap out of the passage against the resiliency of the lip, freeing the cap which is deposited on a container underneath. During the cap movement through the passage, the resilient lip frictionally engages the cap, guiding same, to allow precise positioning of the cap on the container. A cap tightening station is provided downstream of the cap dispensing station to rotatably engage the caps loosely applied to the containers to tighten same.

Abstract: An improved hinge for portable multi-panel display systems, wherein the display system is formed by a plurality of individual composite panels having a cellular paperboard core the periphery of which has a relatively rigid, higher-density edging. The edging is adapted to receive either a flexible hinge for linking panels or an edge trim piece to form a finished periphery for a display system. The flexible hinge is a living hinge with two webs having parallel lines of weakness.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for packaging books. The book(s) to be packaged are placed upon a rectangular flat cardboard sheet (11), followed by pulling over the book/books a separate plastic film or paper (17), which is transverse relative to the cardboard sheet and whose ends are fastened to the cardboard sheet to its top surfaces (14) adjacent the long edges thereof, and the ends of said cardboard sheet are folded around an article to be packaged for producing a tubular protective wrapping.

Abstract: A braking and wheel-orienting mechanism for a four-wheeled trolley, which includes a brake cable divided into four strands each of which drives a braking system on one wheel so as to synchronously brake four wheels, and four additional wheel-orienting wires being applied to respectively control the orientations of four wheels.

Abstract: A spring-loaded hinge suitable for eyeglass frames comprises two hollow members with respective bores and comprising at respective ends complementary articulation surfaces. The two bores open at facing orifices and a connecting part accommodated in the two bores passes through these orifices. An enlarged end of the connecting part is abutted against an inside end surface of one of the bores and its other end is coupled to a spring accommodated in the other bore. The spring is prestressed to urge the articulation surfaces against each other through the intermediary of the connecting part.

Abstract: A paint roller pan detachable handle or lifter has been discovered that facilitates convenient and rapid movement of paint roller pans when they are filled or partially filled with paint. The configuration of the handle is such that the paint roller pan can be lifted and carried with one hand without bending over to pick up the pan, thereby reducing the risk of paint spills and speeding the application of paint. The novel handle contains features that engage the rim and bottom of the pan and releasably hold the pan. A rim engaging clamp that is slidably attached to an upright portion of the handle provides means for rapid detachment of the handle from the paint roller pan. In one embodiment of the novel handle of the invention the upper portion of the handle contains a means, such as an arcuate surface, for retaining a paint roller handle such that the paint roller and paint roller pan can be carried together.

Abstract: The machine comprises a central vertical tube and an outer tube guided on the central tube, these tubes being movable according to constant strokes which are appropriately in step with respect to one another. A casing is fixed to the outer tube and has a lower pipe which is parallel to the tube. A lever is pivoted to a ring positionable longitudinally on the outer tube and a rod is guided in the casing and is provided, in a downward position, with a plunger guided inside the pipe. An adjustable-height loading cell is supported on the central tube, and the lever has an end which is operatively associated with the top of the rod. The opposite end of the lever is free and acts on the loading cell.

Abstract: In a method for forming a barrel for a two-piece can, before the step of draw-forming the bottom, a taper portion having an inner diameter gradually decreasing toward the bottom surface is formed on a lower part of the side wall of a flat-bottom barrel, corresponding to the outer circumferential frustoconical portion of the bottom of the final barrel or an upper portion contiguous to the outer circumferential portion, and at the step of draw-forming the bottom, at least an upper part of the taper portion is outwardly expanded by insertion of the cylindrical punch. According to this method, a two-piece can having a bottom having a good appearance, a high pressure-resistant strength and an excellent corrosion resistance can be prepared at a high productivity and with a good operation adaptability.

Abstract: A hanger wheel mount wherein the mounting pin includes an annular land for contacting only a portion of the wheels interior surface. The use of the annular land reduces the pull required to move a door suspended by a hanger bracket. The roller or wheel includes an inturned lip which contacts a portion of the pin adjacent the bracket to reduce wheel wobble.

Abstract: A door closer which comprises a damper having a body case including an arm fixed to a door, a rotational shaft formed in the body case, a pair of chambers filled with high viscous liquids, a pair of rotary blades respectively having passages with check valves on the rotational shaft, the rotary blades being rotated together with a rotational shaft by a sub case fixed with a sub arm against a return spring at the time of opening the door, the door being effected by the resistance force of the high viscous liquid against the closing door, a stationary plate fixed to the body case, an intermediate plate so engages as to be rotatable at a predetermined angle against the return spring, a movable plate so engaged with the sub case as to be rotatable together with the sub case, a plurality of rotary connectors respectively movably engaged with a plurality of through holes on the rotating circumferential line of the intermediate plate, and an angle clutch formed with recesses to be engaged with the rotary connectors

Abstract: The teachings of the present invention include a brake mechanism for a continuously adjustable pivotable character display that does not cover the keyboard of the computer, personal word processor or typewriter, has a relatively small angle of movement and has a relatively short arm length. The brake mechanism comprises a brake pad mounted on the typewriter and a cam located on the pivotable character display such that the display is continuously pivotable between a down position and an upright position. The cam compresses the brake pad as the display is brought towards a down position and the frictional force between the cam and the brake pad is sufficient to hold the display in a desired position between the down position and the upright position. The brake mechanism may include an indentation in the housing of the typewriter such that the brake pad fits into the indentation snugly and is held in place by the walls of the indentation and the friction between the brake pad and the walls of the indentation.

Abstract: A gas feed arrangement for supplying gas into bags in a packaging machine is disclosed. A belt-like film is tubulated by a tube former and, as articles to be packaged are supplied into the tubulated film, both the tubulated film and the articles are transported while being held between a pair of tension conveyors. Double pipes, each consisting of an outer evacuation pipe and an inner gas jet pipe, are inserted into the tubulated film. The locations for evacuation and gas blow by the inner and outer pipes within the film are spaced from each other a distance corresponding to a length of more than one article. Cushion blocks provided in multiplicities on a pair of tension belts exert pressure against the film from opposite sides thereby to eliminate any superfluous space within the film and, at same time, to isolate adjacent articles from each other. Thus, the oxygen present in each bag is efficiently displaced by inert gas fed into the bag, and the required inert gas consumption can be minimized.

Abstract: A caster is provided that is vertically and rigidly coupled to a heavy instrument via a connecting member surrounded by a resilient damper that will flex under horizontal loading. The caster is improved in that the connecting member connects to a vertical load plate having a horizontal extension that provides a moment arm that exceeds any moment arm of the journal axis of the caster, thereby ensuring that minimum vertical preloading of the damper occurs, reducing the tendency to provide harmonic oscillation under vertical loading.

Abstract: Intermediate bearing, for a door, window, or the like, having at least a leaf pivoting about a vertical spindle, is provided with a fixed base integral with the sash-frame, and a movable element inserted at the level of the leaf. The fixed base is provided with an opening into which engages a cataching pin of the movable member. This intermediate bearing additionally includes an adjustable articulation mechanism to change, perpendicularly to the stile of the sash-frame, the catching area between the movable member and the fixed base, in order to adjust the compression force exerted onto the seal arranged in the fillister of the sash-frame of the door, window or the like.

Abstract: In a vehicle sun visor assembly, a bushing apparatus comprising a pair of identical bushing half members is provided as a replacement for worn conventional one-piece sun visor bushings. The half members of the bushing apparatus are designed to be assembled over the end of a sun visor pivot rod and inserted into the hollow cavity of a sun visor mounting member to create a friction connection between the sun visor and the mounting member. The friction connection enables a vehicle operator to adjust the position of the sun visor relative to the mounting member on application of a predetermined torque to the sun visor pivot rod, and enables the mounting member to support the sun visor in its adjusted position when the applied torque is removed.