Abstract: Apparatus for securing a denture plate in position is disclosed. The illustrated and preferred embodiment incorporates a vacuum pump which has the exterior form and shape of a tooth embedded in a denture plate. The tooth incorporates a reciprocally operated pump. The pump pulls air from an exposed, lower indention or chamber. This chamber is connected via multiple passages to similar chambers around the denture, all of the chambers collectively open to the gum of the wearer. As air is evacuated from the chambers, a vacuum is formed. The vacuum increases holding power of the denture against the gum.

Abstract: A row-crop harvester has a frame displaceable in a predetermined travel direction and formed with a plurality of forwardly open throats each provided with a respective conveyor chain each in turn spanned over a respective drive sprocket. Each such drive sprocket is carried on a respective drive shaft having a drive gear that meshes with the drive gears of the conveyor chains to each side. Each drive shaft with its respective sprocket and gear are together mounted in a respective housing bolted to the frame of the harvester and having a mounting flange whose outer periphery corresponds to the pitch circle of the respective drive gear. A main gear meshing with one of the drive gears rotates all of these drive gears simultaneously, and each conveyor chain has a stretch exposed in a respective throat of the machine which is opposite the stretch of the flanking chains for backward advance of cut crop.

Abstract: This machine adapted to move on the ground and designed for harvesting in-line crops comprises a frame mounted on wheels and a pair of endless conveyors disposed on either side of the in-line plants to be harvested; the conveyors are movable at a linear velocity substantially equal to that of the machine in operation, and consist each of substantially vertical front and rear runs, of a substantially horizontal bottom run and of a top run; each conveyor consists of a series of transverse buckets and the buckets of the two conveyors have matching end walls for clamping the plants therebetween, the upper run of each conveyor diverging from each other to permit the passage of said plants through the machine.

Abstract: The invention relates to a harvesting machine. A harvesting machine is disclosed in which a tunnel defining member is supported on a mobile structure such that when the mobile structure is moved through the vineyard, the tunnel defining member passes over a row of vine stocks. Mounted within each tunnel defining member are a plurality of thresher members, or beaters, which have extending vertically spaced flexible bush engaging rods. These rods selectively engage the vines in a directed motion to harvest the fruit from the fruit bearing stocks. Means, in the form of a transversely oscillating flexible lateral deflecting lining, are used to direct the harvested fruit in a predetermined direction. Selective placement of the thresher members results in separation of said harvested crop according to the aging of the crop.

Abstract: A toy has an elongate body dimensioned to be held in the hand. A whistle or reed responsive to the passing of air to produce a sound is positioned at at least one end of the elongate body. Throwing the body through the air produces a sound.

Abstract: Sign standard comprising two oppositely formed front legs interconnected at their upper ends with a rearwardly disposable third leg through the use of an arcuate joiner means. Each of the two front legs includes a minor upper section which is laterally, angularly disposed with respect to a major lower section. The arcuate joiner means is fixedly attached to the upper end portion of the third leg from which leg said joiner means extend laterally in opposite directions and extend through transverse openings provided in the upper portions of the two front legs. The two front legs and the arcuate joiner means cooperate together to permit the sign standard to assume an open position wherein the lower ends of all three legs are spaced apart relative to each other and to assume a closed position wherein the three legs are in closely adjacent, aligned relationship. Furthermore, means are provided for supporting a diamond shaped sign mounted on the two front legs.

Abstract: A mower and grass collector, the mower having a closure over its discharge port for opening and closing the port in accordance with the mounting of the grass collector on the mower housing, the closure being spring biased to a closed position and being swingable forwardly and downwardly in the housing by operating means carried by the collector and intrudable into the housing through the port to press open the closure upon mounting of the collector on the mower housing.

Abstract: A magnetic device for retaining a dental prosthesis on a jawbone. Magnetic material is solidly fastened in a support adjustably movable in a frame rigidly fixed to the prosthesis for interacting with magnetic material seated in a cavity in the jawbone. A threaded eccentric gear and a rack cooperate with pinions accessible from outside the frame, for respectively adjusting the relative positions of the magnetic materials axially and laterally.

Abstract: A haymaking machine comprising drums rotating about substantially vertical axes and driving thin flexible skirt-like elements of rubber or the like with or without stiffeners or control devices. The skirt-like elements may be attached to the drums or to an endless belt which laps the drums, and these elements may be of various shapes and be with or withut edge spikes or other projections. In operation these elements follow the ground contours and lift and entrain the cut fodder.

Abstract: Apparatus for cutting, de-rooting and harvesting of aquatic weed growth is disclosed. The apparatus is of modular construction for ease of land transportation and includes a cutting and de-rooting head assembly which is carried by extensible framing for proper positioning on the bed of a river or lake. The head assembly has weed severing means and scrubbing, polishing means in the form of vortex generators and may include lake bed scarifying means to assist in de-rooting weed growth. Cut weeds and weed fragments are contained in a vertically extensible curtain containment chamber from which they are loaded into a trailing hopper.

Abstract: A flexible endless conveyor for a combine harvester comprises a number of side-by-side elastomeric belts having a plurality of molded cleats on the surface of the belt, aligned in rows orthogonal with respect to the length of the belt, and interspaced by openings in the base of the belt between adjacent cleats of a row. Crop gathering tines are mounted in the openings and are carried by a rod positioned within bores molded into the cleats on an axis in line with the row of cleats across the width of the belt.

Abstract: A rake machine has two rake wheels that are driven to rotate about upwardly extending axes. Each member has a rim and groups of tines are pivoted to the rim. The tines can be pivoted from lower, crop working positions to raised, inoperative positions. A respective tine engaging device on a holder can be set to intersect the tines during rotation thereof and displace same upwardly against spring bias. A latch engages each of the inoperatively positioned tine groups until centrifugal force overcomes the resistance and the tines pivot outwardly and downwardly into operative positions. The devices of the rake wheels are linked to a lever which can displace the devices to protective positions for the tines. The rake wheels are displaceably mounted along the length of a transverse beam and the beam is linked to a coupling trestle by a parallelogram linkage that can be set to reposition the rake members.

Abstract: A crop harvesting apparatus particularly suited for harvesting of tree-borne crops. Each of a plurality of crop-severing rods has its first end rotatably connected to a support plate so that the rods extend substantially perpendicular to the plate. Each crop-severing rod includes a shaft member and a cover member. Each cover member has a substantially circular cross-section of undulant diameter. Preferably, the maximum undulant diameter of each rod is adjacent the minimum undulant diameter of adjacent rods. The rods are thrust among crop-bearing foliage and rotated to remove the crops from the foliage. In one embodiment a crop catcher is provided, including a flexible body member, capable of assuming a rolled position, adjacent the apparatus, and an extended position overlying an area of ground to catch crops severed from crop-bearing foliage by the crop-severing rods.

Abstract: A disc mower which is silent in operation and simple to maintain. The mower comprises a casing (1) on top of which is mounted at least one pair of rotatable cutter discs (8) driven by a belt transmission (9) housed within the casing (1). The casing (1) has a base portion (3) and an upper portion (2) hingedly connected together along one edge and releasably secured together by a plurality of skids (33-37) which in use are contactable with the ground to support the mower.

Abstract: Orthodontic biassing devices including various means for preventing screw actuators from becoming disengaged from the body member in which it is cooperatively threadably engaged. The disengagement preventing means may include means directly associated with the screws, and/or stabilizing and retaining rod-like members which are slideably engaged with at least one of the body members of the biassing device. Further disclosed is a means for preventing screws of biassing devices from being backed into the body members due to external pressures applied thereto.

Abstract: A feeder for livestock and the like is disclosed. The feeder has a feed receiver body for receiving and storing a flow of feed from a conveyor. A drop tube means extends from the feed conveyor into the feed receiver body, and includes at least one wall mounted for vertical motion relative to a fixed wall. When the moveable wall is in a raised position, that moveable wall and the fixed wall define a vertically oriented opening through which feed can pass from the drop tube into the receiver body. By adjusting the position of the moveable wall, the amount of feed collected in the receiver can be correspondingly changed. When a stopper valve member is drawn away from a discharge opening, the feed pile collected in the receiver body is discharged from the receiver for livestock consumption. A stopper actuator includes a flexible member connected to the stopper valve, and a rotatable windup device connected to the flexible member.

Abstract: A row-crop harvester has a frame displaceable along the ground and formed with a plurality of forwardly opening throats at each of which is provided an endless conveyor chain spanned over a drive sprocket and an idler sprocket. A fluid cylinder mounted on the frame is provided for each of the idler sprockets so that when this cylinder is pressurized it can urge the respective idler sprocket away from the respective drive sprocket and tension the respective conveyor chain. A pressure-responsive switch is connected to each of the fluid cylinders and to a magnetic clutch between the drive for the chopper and drive sprockets for the harvester. When the pressure drops suddenly in any of the cylinders, as happens when a chain breaks, his pressure-responsive switch will respond and open the clutch to shut down the harvester.

Abstract: An apparatus for mechanized harvesting of grass clippings comprises a vehicle with a T-shaped hydraulically driven extension platform for cutting and recovering grass clippings. The extension platform has a central arm with a lateral arm at the end thereof. A plurality of horizontally disposed reel-type scissor mower heads are mounted on the front and rear sides of the lateral arm, the outlets of the mower heads being directed into a horizontal trough within the lateral arm. The mower heads are operative to cut the grass and to throw the clippings into the trough. Within the trough are provided endless chains on pulleys to which are mounted spaced paddles which are operative to accumulate the grass clippings toward a central opening to a central trough within the central arm. Within the central trough are provided a plurality of endless chains and pulleys to which are mounted spaced paddles.

Abstract: A support system and height control mechanism for a flexible floating cutterbar to be used on a crop harvesting machine. The support system includes counterbalancing shoe support springs that are easily adjustable to regulate the lifting pressure for the cutterbar head by the use of a conventional tool. The height control mechanism is especially useful for the header of a machine having a flexible floating cutterbar mounted on the header where a cutterbar can follow the contour of the land wherein the highest point along the cutterbar is sensed and will control the height adjustment for the header. Sensor fingers along the bar back of the cutterbar are connected through a lost motion connection to a control for adjusting the height of the cutterbar in accordance with the contour of the land being harvested.

Abstract: The harvesting of grapes from vines grown on a horizontal trellis-supported wire wherein the wire and fruit-bearing portions of the vine which are secured to the wire are directly held and uniformly shaken along the length of the wire with no shaking energy being directly imparted to the vine trunks or to the foliage canopy over the fruit-bearing portions of the vines and with minimal disturbance of the canopy.