Abstract: An electromagnetically-driven punch press having adjustable anti-skid supports for the ball bearings and ball cages of the ball-bearing bushings which carry the movable tool for preventing downward skidding of these balls and their cages when the moving tool punches down against the work material. Adjustable resilient cushioning arrests tool travel for minimizing "tool whip" and tool wear at the end of the work stroke.

Abstract: An electromagnetically-driven punch press has an electromagnetic drive thrust motor comprising a fan-cooled solenoid winding and movable armature mounted in elevated location for isolating the magnetic circuit from the tooling to avoid tool magnetization and isolating winding heat from tooling for stabilizing tool dimensions. Stroke length, "open" height and "shut" height are conveniently adjustable; and tool performance is optimized by adjusting armature-thrust versus travel. Four-way access to tooling enables convenient material feeding and handling, including multi-direction or multi-layer feed. Scrap pieces are freely downwardly ejected. Multiple electromagnetic drives are mountable side-by-side at the same elevation, or they are stackable at multiple levels for increased power or for tailoring force-versus-distance relative to materials being worked. Materials-handling and/or tool-handling robots or pneumatic actuators can be installed on an elevated platform.

Abstract: A punch press is oriented horizontally with the first and second opposed tools being mounted on first and second members both of which are movable horizontally. These motion members are driven with rapid acceleration toward each other for impacting the fast-moving first and second tools simultaneously against opposite sides of material to be formed between the tools. The two opposed motion members are arranged for the momentum of the first tool with its associated moving parts at the instant of impact be equal to the momentum of the second tool with its associated moving parts so that equal and opposite impulses resulting from momentum cancel each other out. As a result of this opposed motion with momentum-balanced-at-impact, very little energy or work is wastefully lost into the platform on which the punch press is supported and only an insignificant or very modest amount of mechanical shock and vibrations are induced into t he platform.

Abstract: The activating method and system control multiple electrically-energized machine tools in a factory, such as electromagnetic punch presses, spot welders, elevator motors or other large motors, etc. for preventing simultaneous actuation for avoiding power surges, thus avoiding peaking of electrical loading on factory facilities. Adequate available electrical power is assured at the instant of actuation of each tool. Each tool has a microprocessor-controlled energizing switch with sensors indicating when the tool is "ready" to be actuated (fired). The microprocessor controllers are connected in a permission-signal-passing ring. The permission signal being passed is a low voltage signal of positive or negative polarity. A prime controller always passes a signal of opposite polarity from that most recently received. Each other controller always passes a signal of the same polarity as most recently received.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for reducing undesired transmission of acoustic energy from a loudspeaker cabinet into the structure of a building in which the loudspeaker is located, and also for reducing the undesired acoustical feedback from the loudspeaker into the turntable assembly. A high-Q resonant external suspension apparatus is positioned beneath the cabinet of the turntable or the cabinet of the loudspeaker. This suspension apparatus includes compression springs having a predetermined taper and a very high-Q which are arranged to provide resonance in all three directions (X, Y and Z axes). The mass of the supported structure and the spring constant of the tapered springs are proportioned to provide a resonant frequency in the range from approximately 3 to 6.5 Hertz with approximately 4 Hertz being shown as the presently preferred value.

Abstract: A remote control arrangement for a communication system which transmits intelligence occurring within a band of frequencies f.sub.b between first and second remotely located stations is described. The remote control arrangement which is adapted to activate an element at the first station comprises an encoder located at the second station and a decoder located at the first station. The encoder provides a control signal of selectively adjustable frequency f.sub.e and period T.sub.e. The decoder includes means for detecting a control signal of corresponding frequency f.sub.e and period T.sub.e and for discriminating against signals of differing frequency and period.

Abstract: A telephone answering device which uses a magnetic recording tape to play back previously recorded messages and to record the caller's message. The device is switched into the record mode by a prerecorded tone on the magnetic recording tape.