Abstract: An intrinsically hinged structural member is disclosed which can easily be bent, rolled or folded in one direction while exhibiting high resistance to bending, rolling or folding in the opposite direction. The general form of the structural member comprises a continuous side wall, a plurality of inner walls and a segmented outer wall. The inner walls confining cavities extending through the member. The slits in the segment outer wall define confronting faces which when forced together under stress exhibit a high resistance to any further bending or folding of the segment wall. Preferably, the confronting faces are complementary; the complementary faces which comprise male and female portions may periodically alternate from one side of the slit to the other to provide further resistance to torsional stress.

Abstract: A roof panel juncture securely couples in a water sealed, abutting manner facing edges of adjacent, generally planar roof panels along the pitch of the roof. Each panel includes an upper sheet metal facing, a lower vinyl covered wood facing, and a core of rigid foam insulation sandwiched therebetween. The lateral edges of the panel's upper sheet metal facing are each provided with a 90.degree. upturned portion, the upper end portion of which is further bent downward at an acute angle toward the plane of the sheet metal facing to form a hook and drip-edge. The adjacent upturned facing edge portions of abutting panels are adapted to receive in sliding engagement along the lengths thereof a generally concave, elongated, linear roof batten which maintains adjacent roof panel edges in tight-fitting engagement so as to form a water-tight seal therebetween. The adjacent lateral edges of the lower facings of each of the roof panels are adapted to receive a ceiling batten therebetween along the length of the panels.

Abstract: A roof shingle is provided with upper and lower edges adapted for resilient interlocking with the corresponding lower and upper edges of further such shingles arranged in adjacent rows in a roof construction. The end edges are also provided with lip and slot arrangements to facilitate end-to-end interlocking. One end of each shingle has a projecting tab for nailing to the building, such tab being hidden beneath an adjacent shingle in the finished construction.

Abstract: A fire protective system and method for a support structure such as a truss having top and bottom chord members, web members extending between the top and bottom chord members and connector plates for connecting the respective ends of the web members to the top and bottom chord members. Fire protection is provided by an elongated metal member having a base portion and a pair of flanges projecting upwardly from the base portion to form a channel. The bottom chord member is received within the channel so that the flanges extend at least partially upwardly along respective opposite sides of the bottom chord member and are in contact therewith. The web members are preferably comprised of V-shaped metal webs having a central toothed connector plate, a pair of elongated arms diverging outwardly from the central connector plate and a pair of toothed connector plates integrally formed on respective ends of the arms opposite the central connector plate.

Abstract: Building construction supported by the ground, having a floor, sidewalls mounted upon the floor and a roof supported by the sidewalls and the floor. A plurality of spaced apart inflatable flexible elements are provided which are disposed between the floor and the ground. Adjustable linkages anchor the floor to the ground and serve to urge the floor toward the inflatable flexible elements to provide a stable and relatively level support for the floor as well as the sidewalls and roof.

Abstract: Rain gutter supports are provided, whereby leaves, needles, dirt and other debris, are dumped out of conventional rain gutters, by pivoting these rain gutters, upon the initial application of force by hand held tools at ground level, whereby respective spring like holding clips are cleared of the outside top edge of a rain gutter, allowing the rain gutter to be pivoted about a hinge supported lower inside corner.

Abstract: A protected membrane roof system is provided comprising a roof deck having a waterproof membrane thereon with panels of foam plastic resin insulation on said membrane. Two layers of fabric, each layer of which repels approximately 60% of water reaching its upper surface, are placed over the insulation. Stone ballast lies on top of the fabric to retain it and protect it against ultraviolet solar radiation.

Abstract: An access door for an air conditioning duct or the like has a circular frame intended to be rotated into a circular opening in the duct wall. The frame has an inwardly extending circular shoulder against which abuts a removable circular door held in place by latch means engaging within a circular groove formed in the frame.

Abstract: A gutter for the roof structure of a building has a plurality of vertically-extending slotted openings interspersed between a respective plurality of comb teeth for diverting the rain water off the roof and into the conduit by a capillary attraction of the water molecules, as the leaves, twigs and other foreign matter washes off the roof. The width of the slotted openings is relatively narrow and the comb teeth are relatively rigid, so that birds, vermin and small animals cannot enter into the conduit for nesting therein. As a result, clogging of the gutter is prevented; cleaning of the gutter is substantially obviated; and the gutter is substantially maintenance free and relatively unaffected by the formation of snow or ice on the roof. Moreover, the gutter is made economically from a single piece which is punched, bent and formed; and the gutter may be easily installed by homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, and semi-skilled craftsmen.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fluid friction clutch which comprises an input shaft, a primary disk connected to the shaft, and a secondary drive part, i.e., the clutch housing. The primary disk rotates in a work chamber arranged in the clutch housing and includes a reserve chamber in its interior. A fluid stream, which circulates between the work chamber on the secondary side and the reserve chamber on the primary side, is controlled via a valve attached to the primary disk. The valve is actuated via a tappet arranged coaxially in the input shaft. The orifice of the valve is arranged on the end face of the primary disk, and the associated valve closure element is located in the interior of the reserve chamber. An overflow orifice is present on the circumference of the primary disk in conjunction with a baffle, whereby pumping of the fluid from the work chamber into the reserve chamber is achieved. This fluid friction clutch is used, preferably, as the fan drive means for a radiator in motor vehicles.

Abstract: Presented is a personal time capsule for the preservation of artifacts over a period of hundreds of years. Constructed of non corrosive high strength materials. A body containing the cavity for storage is hermetically and water tight sealed with an inner sealing member, O-rings a gasket and a cover cap which is threaded to the body. A bolt is used to secure the inner sealing member and the cover cap.

Abstract: A building structure is formed using four by eight foot plywood panels as raw material because of their ready availability. Hexagonal pyramids are formed by first cutting a panel diagonally to form two right triangles. These two right triangles are joined to form a triangular section having a height equal to its base. Six such sections are joined to form the hexagonal pyramids. Pentagonal pyramids are formed by cutting the panels using the eight foot lengths as the dimension of the hypotenuse. Each panel can produce two triangles and they are combined to form an equilateral triangular section. Five of these sections are combined to form each pentagonal pyramid. Reinforcement pyramids are joined in the interior of each pyramid. These are similar to the pyramids they reinforce, but of one half the size. The pyramids are combined using them as substitutes for the plane hexagonal and pentagonal surfaces of regular and semi-regular polyhedrons.

Abstract: An overrunning roller clutch with a double row of rollers has an increased load bearing capacity, substantially equivalent to that of a clutch having a single row of rollers of double the length, but without the end loading problems that could occur from single, longer rollers. The clutch uses specially designed unitary energizing springs with resilient elements located by a base of the spring, in cooperation with the cage, so as to act independently on each roller of each pair.

Abstract: A skylight assembly for installation in an opening in the pitched roof of a building, comprising a window hinged at one end with respect to the roof, and a rubbery flashing member for maintaining a water-tight seal between the window and roof. The flashing member includes a planar portion for attachment to the roof, beneath the shingles, in an area adjacent to the opening, a portion for attachment to each side of the window, and a gusset portion between each attachment portion and the planar portion. The gusset portion expands and contracts as the window is opened and closed, respectively. All the portions of the flashing member are integrally formed at one piece. The gussets may be accordian-folded and may taper toward the hinged end of the window. The attachment portions of the flashing may be sandwiched between the window pane and window frame to serve as a gasket between those parts of the window.

Abstract: An interlocking mullion or window jamb of variable or adjustable angularity for use in bow or bay windows. The construction can be used with metal, plastic or wood windows.

Abstract: A suspended ceiling, made up of a perfect framework of simple sheets, which from the esthetic and useful latticework covering the ceilings; these are long rectangular plastic or metal strips, with transversal semigrooves, spaced at modular dimensions and which enable the crossed assembly of the sheets themselves, thus forming the latticework; this latticework can be more or less dense, according to the distance between the semi-grooves. With this formation of the latticework, in the contour sheets of each covered surface there is a lengthwise series of small holes, through which the suspension hook rods are inserted. These rods are simple cylindrical wires with curved ends, like hooks, and with a bend in their longitudinal half, to ensure better suspension assembly between the latticework and the upper frame or contour support section.

Abstract: An electromagnetic coupling device comprises a shaft member made of a non-magnetic material having a low frictional resistance, a yoke mounted on the shaft member so as to be capable of relatively rotating to the shaft member, an exciting coil held in the yoke, a first coupling body mounted on the shaft member so as to be incapable of relatively rotating, and a second coupling body mounted on the shaft member so as to be capable of relatively rotating to the shaft member and controlled to be connected to the first coupling body by actuating the exciting coil.

Abstract: An eyelet assembly comprising a plastic eyelet body including a hollow cylindrical portion and a flange formed on the upper end of the cylindrical portion and a plastic seat plate including a center hole in which the cylindrical portion of the eyelet body is fitted is disclosed. The eyelet body includes a plurality of vertically spaced arcuate projections of a predetermined thickness formed on the external peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. The seat plate includes an engaging portion formed along the inner peripheral edge of the center hole for engaging the projections of the eyelet body. Each of the arcuate projections extends by an angular distance which is less than a quarter of the circumference of the cylindrical portion and the arcuate projections at vertically adjacent levels are staggered horizontally so that they do not vertically overlap each other when viewed from the front side of the eyelet body.

Abstract: The invention relates to a spring mattress of which the body is formed by spaced apart rows of springs connected by elastically deformable members. The latter enable the body to bend along transverse lines of break located between the rows of springs, with the result that the mattress is so flexible as to be adapted for use on an articulated bedstead or slatted framework.

Abstract: Panel joining means that include a pair of identical elongated edge connectors secured along one edge of each panel to be joined and a bridge for attachment between the connectors. The edge connectors are cut from a single extrusion, are positioned to face each other, and are dimensioned so they can be secured to the panel before the finish lamina is applied by rollers or presses. The bridge is an extrusion that is symmetrical in cross section. It has continuous flanges along each side that register with complementary flanges on the connectors to complete positioning of the panels for joining. Changing configuration of only the bridge web will change the angle between adjoining panels.