Abstract: An electrical connector assembly comprising a housing having an interior chamber defining at least one lead frame plane, and identical sets of non-identical lead frame elements. The lead frame plane has a reference point. The lead frame elements are mounted in the interior chamber and aligned within at least one lead frame plane. The lead frame elements are adjustable along the lead frame plane between multiple levels with respect to the reference point. The multiple mating levels of the lead frame elements are created from only one lead frame. The mating levels are selected by the individual lead frame elements being positioned with respect to the reference point. The electrical connector also comprises N lead frame elements, each of which is adjustable between M mating levels to form X lead frame configurations, wherein X=MN.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly comprising a housing having an interior chamber defining at least one lead frame plane, and identical sets of non-identical lead frame elements. The lead frame plane has a reference point. The lead frame elements are mounted in the interior chamber and aligned within at least one lead frame plane. The lead frame elements are adjustable along the lead frame plane between multiple levels with respect to the reference point. The multiple mating levels of the lead frame elements are created from only one lead frame. The mating levels are selected by the individual lead frame elements being positioned with respect to the reference point. The electrical connector also comprises N lead frame elements, each of which is adjustable between M mating levels to form X lead frame configurations, wherein X=MN.

Abstract: An electrical connector is provided for joining circuit boards oriented at an angle to, and closely proximate to, one another. The connector includes a header having a bottom wall. The bottom wall includes a lower face configured to adjoin a first circuit board and an upper face with a plate contact. The plate contact is configured to electrically communicate through the bottom wall with the first circuit board. The connector includes a receptacle having a rear wall configured to adjoin a second circuit board and a receptacle channel that receives a receptacle contact configured to electrically communicate through the rear wall with the second circuit board. The receptacle channel opens onto front and lower faces of the receptacle to define front and lower slots in the front and lower faces, respectively. The plate contact is inserted through the front and lower slots when the header and receptacle are joined.

Abstract: A man overboard rescue system including a rescue line trailing from a vessel and a sea anchor pack mounted adjacent the stern of the vessel. A victim tugs on the trailing line to release a sea anchor attached to the other end of the line which causes the victim to be towed back to the vessel due to differential drag between the sea anchor and victim. The line is reeved through a one way pulley to assure the victim is towed back to the vessel. Various victim safety harnesses and alarm signal arrangements in conjunction with the system are disclosed. A spooler or storage packs may be provided for stowage of line. A line latch or brake prevents the accidental deployment of the sea anchor in heavy seas. An otherwise conventional line launcher is used when trailing a line from the vessel is impractical.

Abstract: A pair of clutch-brake units each include a housing confining a cooling oil and rotatably supporting an input shaft and an aligned output shaft with interfitting clutch plates and discs for connecting the aligned shafts and interfitting brake plates and discs for connecting the output shaft to the housing. Each housing also encloses an axially movable non-rotating actuating piston for selectively engaging the clutch and brake plates and discs, and the input shafts of the clutch-brake units are driven continuously by a common electric motor. The output shaft of one clutch-brake unit is connected by a first drive mechanism to raise and lower or reciprocate a vertical shaft supporting a head member which carries a transfer arm, and the output shaft of the other clutch-brake unit is connected by a second drive mechanism to oscillate the vertical shaft, head member and transfer arm.

Abstract: A trailing unit is pivotally supported by a tractor or leading unit at the front and a sub-chassis at the rear. Pivoting of the sub-chassis is controlled in accordance with turning of the leading unit so that the angle between sub-chassis and trailing unit is equal and opposite to the angle between leading unit and trailing unit. Power is communicated between leading unit and sub-chassis by a front shaft on the leading unit, a rear shaft on the sub-chassis, and an intermediate shaft connected to them by universal joints at positions equidistant from the pivot axes of the leading unit and sub-chassis.

Abstract: A device for melting butter provides a support member which is detachably secured to a pop-up type toaster and in turn detachably supports a butter melting ladle such that heat rising from the toaster can be utilized to melt the butter.

Abstract: An improved system for processing data from an incremental or other type of positional encoder in which positional data for a plurality of axes is computed relative to two or more independent reference locations. The invention allows display of "absolute" position of the encoder or "relative" position of the encoder with respect to independently settable datum points.