Abstract: A seawall element and installation apparatus therefor, the seawall element including an elongated plastic tubular member having a uniform hollow elliptic or oval-shaped cross section and open at each end thereof. The tubular member has a cylindrically-shaped male portion and cavity interlocking arrangement for interlocking two side by side tubular members together by slidable overlapping substantially watertight engagement lengthwise of one tubular member to another. A seawall structure includes a plurality of these seawall tubular members positioned side by side in self-locking engagement to form a row and supported by being supportively embedded into the earth. An elongated cast concrete reinforcing cap extends along and interconnects an upper end portion of each of the seawall tubular members and extends monolithically into each of the tubular member upon deployment. An apparatus for water jetting each tubular member into bottom ground is also disclosed.

Abstract: A boat lift apparatus connectable to a tubular piling to form a piling assembly embeddable into a bottom of a body of water. The apparatus includes a gearbox with a first worm gear arrangement driven by a motor output shaft and a second worm gear arrangement oriented orthogonally to the first worm gear arrangement within the gearbox. The second worm gear arrangement includes a support shaft which may drive a cable drum which is rotational driven from the second support shaft to withdraw and extend a length of cable therefrom to raise and lower a boat.

Abstract: A sea wall anchored into ground in proximity to a body of water comprising a plurality of elongated tubular members arranged in upright side by side relation one to another forming a sea wall section, a lower portion of each tubular member embedded into, and receiving support from, the ground along an edge of the body of water and method of installation thereof. An elongated generally horizontal rebar-reinforced concrete cap extends along, and rigidly interconnects together, each upper end portion of each of the tubular members. The cap is cast formed in place after the tubular members are installed. Each tubular member is preferably rebar-reinforced and substantially filled with a cured aggregate reinforcement. A layer of filter cloth is held in place by fill dirt placed against the land or dry side of the sea wall to substantially prevent fill dirt placed against the dry side of tubular members from washing into the body of water between adjacent tubular members.

Abstract: A tubular piling driving apparatus and a method of securing a tubular piling into the bottom of a body of water using the apparatus. The apparatus is pressurized fluid-actuated, preferably pneumatic, and is positionable substantially within an upper end of a tubular piling to be secured into the bottom. The weight of the entire apparatus acts upon the upper end of the piling through a collar fitted onto the upper piling end. One or more additional weights are supported at the upper end of the axially movable shaft of the apparatus which increase both downward static and inertia forces transmitted through the collar to effect piling installation as the shaft repeatedly raises and drops the weights against the upper end of the tubular piling through the collar.

Abstract: A combination boat lift apparatus and piling securable to the bottom of a body of water. The boat lift apparatus includes an elongated upright outer tubular member preferably of p.v.c. tubing which has its lower end portion secured into the bottom and filled with concrete or like curable strengthening material. A drive motor is operably mounted within an upper portion near an upper end of the outer tubular member operably connected to a moveable plate mounted for slidable translation within the upper portion. An elongated longitudinally extending slot is formed through a wall of the outer tubular member for receiving a connecting portion of a boat support which is dependently connected to the moveable plate. An inner tubular member may also be provided and is preferred for added strength. The entire arrangement provides a long-lived piling structure which protectively houses the drive equipment for boat lift and support.

Abstract: A collection, storage and dispensing system (10 or 30) for shopping carts (E) including an elongated tubular conduit sized to allow a shopping cart (E) to rollably pass therethrough. The conduit includes a novel upright or a sloped first end section (38 or 14) defining an entrance opening (16 or 36) through which shopping carts (E) enter the system (10 or 30), a generally horizontal mid section (12, 32 or 52), and a sloping or an upright second end section (18 or 38) which defines an exit opening (20 or 40) through which shopping carts (E) exit the system (10 or 30). The mid section (12 or 32) is preferably buried below grade, but may also be elevated above a parking lot surface of a store for vehicles to drive beneath. A floor (62) is provided within the conduit (52) atop which shopping carts (E) roll.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of preparing stacks of individual wet, dripless disposable towels ready for sealed packing. The apparatus includes a creel for rollably supporting a plurality of continuous rolls of disposable towel stock material formed of non-woven cotton cloth and the like. The apparatus in step sequence includes a guide for merging each length of towel stock material together and edgewise aligned after being drawn from each roll to form a web. The web is then drawn through a flood box whereinto a suitable washing and/or dermicidal liquid is pumped to completely saturate the web to produce a liquid saturated web portion. A squeeze roller arrangement positioned immediately adjacent the flood box removes some of the liquid from the saturated wet portion to produce a wet, dripless web portion which uniformly contains a preselected liquid content, depending upon preselected tensioning of the rollers. A collecting tank positioned below the flood box and the squeeze rollers collects excess liquid.

Abstract: A sailboat davit connectable into the ground adjacent a seawall, water's edge or other like supportive objects for lifting and lowering a small sailboat. The device includes an elongated upright support member having a radially outwardly extending boom connected at one end to the upper end of the upright support member. A generally horizontal spreader beam is connected at a mid-point thereof to the distal end of the boom so that the spreader beam extends in either direction preferably from a plane generally defined by the upright support member and the boom. A flexible cable and pulley arrangement, winch-activated, is provided having a flexible cable downwardly extending over a pulley at each end of the spreader beam, each end of each cable being connectable to the sailboat hull whereupon the sailboat is lifted and lowered in response to winch activation.

Abstract: A liquid level and temperature sensing device for monitoring and measuring the level of liquid stored within a tank or reservoir comprising control circuitry to generate and transmit digital level interrogation pulses and a transducer to receive sonic level return signals corresponding to the digital level interrogation pulses and generate corresponding digital level signals and logic circuitry to measure the time lapse between corresponding digital level interrogation pulses and the corresponding digital level signals and a lower sensing probe including an inner conductor coupled to the control circuity to receive the digital level interrogation pulses and a float to float on the liquid within the tank or reservoir including a magnet movable tube to interact with the electromagnetic field generated in the inner conductor by the digital level interrogation pulses to generate the corresponding sonic level return pulses transmitted to the transducer to generate the corresponding digital level signal whereby the

Abstract: A cast-formed bi-metallic worm assembly of a mechanical screw press for expressing liquids from fibrous materials and a method of manufacture therefor and the product produced by the method. The worm assembly is rotatably driven by the press drive shaft and includes an outer flight body having an integral outwardly extending helical flight formed of a relatively brittle, wear-resistant homogeneous cast material and an inner hub tightly fitted and substantially fully mated within, and coextensive with, the outer flight body. The inner hub, cast formed of a more ductile, tougher homogeneous material, includes a hollow cylindrical interior surface structured for slidable engagement around and in driving connection with the drive shaft. The inner hub and outer flight body are securely engaged one to another by cast forming the outer flight body around the precast inner hub.

Abstract: A cast-formed bi-metallic worm assembly of a mechanical screw press for expressing liquids from fibrous materials and a method of manufacture therefor. The worm assembly is rotatably driven by the press drive shaft and includes an outer flight body having an integral outwardly extending helical flight formed of a relatively brittle, wear-resistant homogeneous cast material and an inner hub tightly fitted and substantially fully mated within, and coextensive with, the outer flight body. The inner hub, cast formed of a more ductile, tougher homogeneous material, includes a hollow cylindrical interior surface structured for slidable engagement around and in driving connection with the drive shaft. The inner hub and outer flight body are securely engaged one to another by a very thin layer of bonded brazing compound over substantially the entire mating surface therebetween. The method of manufacturing helps insure very close mating surface contact to enhance the strength of brazing.

Abstract: A cast-formed bi-metallic worm in a mechanical screw press for expressing liquids from fibrous materials and a method of manufacture thereof. The worm is rotatably driven by the presses drive shaft and includes a body adapted to slidably engage around and be driven by the drive shaft and a flight extending radially outward from within the body. The body is formed of a ductal homogeneous cast material while the flight, which may be continuous or split, is cast formed of a harder homogeneous material so as to mechanically engage within and be rotatably driven by the body. The worm may also include a wear resistant cast-formed shell around the periphery of the body formed of either the same material as the flight or another hard wear resistant material.

Abstract: A drainage system for expressing liquids and fluids from fibrous materials. The system includes a plurality of spaced apart compression elements each retained in juxaposition one to another so as to have a fluid escape slot between each adjacent compression element. Each compression element has a longitudinal passageway therethrough each having an inlet and an outlet which is inwardly tapered toward its outlet. The combination of passageways through each compression element forms a compression conduit whose inlet and outlet generally functionally coincide with the intake and exit, respectively, of the drainage system. The fibrous material to be expressed is introduced into the system's intake under pressure, the fibrous material being compressed as it is forcably urged through each tapered passageway, the expressed fluids exiting the compression conduit radially outwardly through fluid escape slots.

Abstract: A drainage system for expressing liquids and fluids from fibrous materials. The system includes a plurality of spaced apart compression elements each retained in juxaposition one to another so as to have a fluid escape slot between each adjacent compression element. Each compression element has a longitudinal passageway therethrough each having an inlet and an outlet which is inwardly tapered toward its outlet. The combination of passageways through each compression element forms a compression conduit whose inlet and outlet generally functionally coincide with the intake and exit, respectively, of the drainage system. The fibrous material to be expressed is introduced into the system's intake under pressure, the fibrous material being compressed as it is forcably urged through each tapered passageway, the expressed fluids exiting the compression conduit radially outwardly through fluid escape slots.

Abstract: A reusable grid system and method for in place cast forming a monolithic roof covering for a sloped roof, the roof covering having the stepped and segmented appearance of a tiled roof. The grid system includes a plurality of horizontally disposed dam bars and transversly disposed fixed and movable spacer bars therebetween which, when removably assembled atop a sloped roof, are adapted to retain monolithic poured and scraped plastic uncured concrete or the like so as to have an exposed surface which substantially duplicates a conventional tile roof after curing and removal of the grid system. The cured roof covering is thus monolithic from one eave to peak to the other eave and may include foam-filled cavities for thermal insulation and weight reduction, longitudinal segmented elastomer-filled expansion joints, formed eaves with gutter connecting means and molded edges. The grid system may also include a movable spacer bar assembly, as well as means for forming the valley between two adjacent roof sections.

Abstract: A roof shingle laying machine having a drum mounted for rotation in a frame and adapted to be manually rolled transversly across a slooped roof for laying and securing shingles in row fashion atop the roof. The shingles are automatically placed in proper position for nailing or stapling as the machine is rolled across the roof and the operator positions shingles atop the drum. At the end of each row, this machine may be automatically laterally indexed on the roof, repositioned up the slope of the roof for laying the next adjacent row of shingles. This invention may also include staplers for automatically nailing the shingles in place, as well as a guide for assisting the user in properly directing and rolling the machine even when the roof has non-parallel eave and peak margins. A tray for supporting a stack of shingles and tensioned shingle retaining means for holding shingles against the drum prior to deposit on the roof are also provided.

Abstract: An improved system and method for increasing the operational efficiency of screw-type presses which express or compress fluids from fibrous material. These improvements generally include improved means for compressing the fibrous material at its interface with both the hollow main shaft and the cylindrical outer housing of the press. Improved split worms having improved attaching means for each worm flight to the main shaft and collar therearound also contribute to improved efficiency. Further included is an improved means for draining the expressed fluids from the compression chamber radially inward into the hollow main shaft and radially outwardly through the outer housing wall of the compression chamber. In addition to improved radially outward drainage, improved wedge-shaped screen bars in the cylindrical outer housing walls eliminate the need for breaker bars which are otherwise necessary to reduce the spiraling effect of this fibrous material during compression.

Abstract: A reusable grid system and method for in place cast forming a monolithic roof covering for a sloped roof, the roof covering having the stepped and segmented appearance of a tiled roof. The grid system includes a plurality of horizontally disposed dam bars and transversly disposed spacer bars which, when removably assembled atop a sloped roof, are adapted to retain monolithic poured and scraped plastic uncured concrete or the like so as to have an exposed surface which substantially duplicates a conventional tile roof after curing and removal of the grid system. The cured roof covering is monolithic from one eave to peak to the other eave and may include foam-filled cavities for thermal insulation and weight reduction, longitudinal segmented elastomer-filled expansion joints, formed eaves with gutter connecting means and molded edges.

Abstract: An improved crimper assembly for use in making crimped filter materials is disclosed. The improved features of the assembly include an insulated central heater block which incorporates a steam entrance housing. Also provided are side plate bearing blocks which are insulated from the heater block. Other features include means for precision alignment and interchangeability of components.

Abstract: An improved crimper assembly for use in making crimped filter materials is disclosed. The improved features of the assembly include an insulated central heater block which incorporates a steam entrance housing. An anti-stuffing tube is provided in order to minimize the occasional wrapping of the crimper wheels by a rod of the filter material. Also provided are side plate bearing blocks which are insulated from the heater block. Other features include means for precision alignment and interchangeability of components.