Abstract: A tennis court ball retainer having a horizontally extending ball gutter along the tennis court back wall which has an upwardly facing channel dimensioned to receive and retain tennis balls. An upright flexible upper backdrop curtain coextends directly above and along the ball gutter for engaging tennis balls striking the upper curtain, thereby dampening the tennis ball impact and directing the engaged tennis balls to fall into the ball gutter for retention. A tennis court floor surface ball retainer is also provided and coextends with and under the ball gutter. The ball gutter extends a uniform distance above the tennis court floor surface and includes an upright flexible lower backdrop curtain coextending below and along the ball gutter for engaging and trapping tennis balls striking this lower curtain by rolling or skidding on the tennis court floor surface.

Abstract: A flux is described for making borate phosphors with a discrete particle morphology. The flux is comprised of a salt of barium, sodium, potassium, or a combination thereof. The discrete particle morphology permits the borate phosphors to be used directly without deagglomeration.

Abstract: A flux is described for making borate phosphors with a discrete particle morphology. The flux is comprised of a salt of barium, sodium, potassium, or a combination thereof. The discrete particle morphology permits the borate phosphors to be used directly without deagglomeration.

Abstract: A stir-in fluorescent lamp phosphor is coated with a 1:1 ratio of latex polymer and fumed silica. The polymer-coated fluorescent lamp phosphor exhibits improved dispersability and wettability in aqueous and organic binder media which are used to apply fluorescent lamp phosphors to the inside walls of a fluorescent lamp envelope.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for pigmenting and coating a silver activated zinc sulfide phosphor and for imparting stir-in capabilities to the phosphor. The process comprises deagglomerating the phosphor, forming an aqueous slurry of phosphor particles, pigment particles, a binding agent which can be latex polymers or copolymers, the binding agent having a glass transition temperature of greater than about 20.degree. C. and a silica-based compound to produce a silica based coating on the phosphor particles, and agitating the slurry, separating the solids from the resulting liquor, and drying the solids at a temperature above the Minimum Film Formation Temperature of the latex to produce the phosphor particles wherein the pigment particles are bonded to them and wherein the pigmented phosphor particles are coated with the silica-based coating. The process comprises also pigmenting the phosphor and imparting stir-in capabilities thereto by the process as described above without adding the coating agent to the slurry.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for binding pigment particles to phosphor particles which involves forming an aqueous slurry of phosphor particles, pigment particles, and a binding agent which can be latex polymers or copolymers, the binding agent having a glass transition temperature of greater than about 20.degree. C. and agitating the slurry, separating the solids from the resulting liquor, and drying the solids at a temperature above the Minimum Film Formation Temperature of the latex to produce the phosphor particles wherein the pigment particles are bonded to them.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for bonding pigment particles to phosphor particles. The process involves forming a relatively uniform blend of a phosphor, one or more pigments, colloidal silicon dioxide, and water, with the amount of water in the blend being no greater than about 10% by weight, and heating the blend at a temperature of at least about 150.degree. C. to produce a pigmented phosphor having an overcoating of silicon dioxide.

Abstract: An article is disclosed which is made of silicon nitride based material consisting essentially of in percent by weight about 6% yttrium oxide and the balance silicon nitride. The article has open porosity of from about 37% by volume at which level the strength of the article is about 15 ksi to about 10% by volume open porosity at which level the strength of the article is about 72 ksi.The article can have within its open porosity a lubricating material.

Abstract: A silicon nitride based cutting tool is disclosed consisting essentially of in percent by weight about 5% aluminum oxide, about 6% yttrium oxide, from about 1.5% to about 5.5% silicon dioxide, and the balance silicon nitride, and having a density of at least about 99% of the theoretical density.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying low-rank coals, such as lignite, where the coal is passed through a sealed vessel in a plurality of heated fluidized beds, with fluidization effected by superheated steam flowing countercurrent to the coal flow. A composite steam is exhausted from the sealed vessel and passed to a vessel where water is sprayed therein to cool the same and remove occluded solids. A first portion of the steam is then reheated and returned to the sealed vessel as fluidizing steam, while a second portion of the steam is heated and passed through heat exchange tubes in the sealed vessel to heat the fluidizing coal, with the second portion, after passage through the heat exchange tubes discharged from the system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying of low-rank coals, such as lignite, where the coal is passed through a sealed vessel in a plurality of heated fluidized beds with fluidization effected by superheated steam flowing counter-current to the flow of coal. A composite steam is exhausted from the sealed vessel, partially condensed, to remove an amount of water about equal to that removed from the coal, and the steam reheated and recycled to the sealed vessel. The heating of the fluidized beds is by means of heat exchange tubes passing through the beds, with a fluid, such as methanol, heated for flow through the tubes, collected and in a cooled state used in the partial condenser, and then compressed to reheat the same for reuse in the heat exchange tubes.

Abstract: Low-rank coals, such as lignite, are dried by evaporating interstitial water therefrom in a superheated steam flow countercurrently passed through a sealed rotary cylindrical vessel. A composite steam discharged from the vessel is partially condensed to remove an amount of water therefrom substantially equal to the amount of water removed from the coal, with a resultant flow of residual steam reheated and returned to the cylindrical vessel for further drying of low-rank coal.

Abstract: A multi-cylinder compressor 10 particularly useful in connection with northern climate heat pumps and in which different capacities are available in accordance with reversing motor 16 rotation is provided with an eccentric cam 38 on a crank pin 34 under a fraction of the connecting rods, and arranged for rotation upon the crank pin between opposite positions 180.degree. apart so that with cam rotation on the crank pin such that the crank throw is at its normal maximum value all pistons pump at full capacity, and with rotation of the crank shaft in the opposite direction the cam moves to a circumferential position on the crank pin such that the overall crank throw is zero. Pistons 24 whose connecting rods 30 ride on a crank pin 36 without a cam pump their normal rate with either crank rotational direction. Thus a small clearance volume is provided for any piston that moves when in either capacity mode of operation.

Abstract: In the manufacture of sintered silicon nitride articles by hot isostatic pressing, silicon nitride preforms are assembled in a stack with spacers between the preforms. The stack is completely enveloped in refractory metal foil and then encapsulated within a single capsule for the pressing operation.

Abstract: In the manufacture of sintered silicon nitride articles by hot isostatic pressing, silicon nitride preforms are assembled in a stack with spacers between the preforms. A plurality of such stacks are inserted in a glass tube closed at one end. The glass is melted around each stack to encapsulate each stack in a single sealed capsule.

Abstract: In the manufacture of sintered silicon nitride articles by hot isostatic pressing, multiple silicon nitride parts are encapsulated within a single capsule for the pressing operation. Suitable spacers placed between the parts ease separation thereof after sintering.

Abstract: A manual shift transmission having multiple input and output portions is provided with a control having input and output shift rails. A laterally movable control shaft extends axially through cutouts in respective shift rails and carries cams adapted to cooperate with cam follower surfaces on corresponding cutouts to effect rectilinear movement of the shift rails upon rotation of the control shaft. The cams are arranged on the shaft so that the shaft may be positioned to place respective cams in register with the input and output shift rails while all other cams are out of register with the rail cutouts. The shift movement of respective output and input shift rails is overlapped during the rotation of the control shaft to decrease the throw of the shift lever. The control shaft is spring biased to provide variable resistance in response to movement of a control lever to enable the operator to determine his position in the shift pattern of the transmission.

Abstract: A blue emitting La Mg aluminate phosphor activated by Eu and having a multiphase structure, exhibits improved brightness over prior art single phase compositions, and also exhibits high maintenance, making such phosphor useful either alone or in combination with other phosphors in fluorescent lamps.

Abstract: Ce-substituted alkaline earth magnetoplumbite aluminate phosphors containing 15 to 50 mole percent of cations (exclusive of Al) as Ce exhibit intense relatively narrow band emissions between 320 and 350 nanometers, making such phosphors especially useful in applications such as therapeutic or cosmetic skin treatments, or the stimulation of chemical reactions.

Abstract: In combination with a transmission having both multiple input and output portions, each of which contains a plurality of speed change gears, is a manual shift control system having pluralities of both input and output shift rails that are adapted to cooperate with input and output cam shafts that extend through shift rail input and output cam shaft cutouts, with one or both cam shafts having at least one one-way cam which may be in combination with one or both of a two-way cam and an interlock cam, said one-way and two-way cams being adapted to cooperate with one-way and two-way cam follower surfaces, respectively, to effect bidirectional and unidirectional movement of the respective shift rails upon oscillation of the cam shafts, with the cam follower surfaces also being adapted to alternately cooperate with the interlock cams to arrest all but the selected ones of the input and output shift rails against axial movement. Details of actuating means and mechanical interlock means are also set forth.