Abstract: A crank assembly for displacing a load includes a motor and a displacement arm assembly. The motor includes a rotatable output shaft that defines a rotation axis. The displacement arm assembly includes a swingable crank arm and a support roller bearing. The swingable crank arm is coupled to the output shaft to swing about the rotation axis when the output shaft rotates. The swingable crank arm defines a pivot end adjacent the rotation axis and an opposite displacement end. The support roller bearing is rotatably supported on the swingable crank arm proximate the displacement end. The support roller bearing is configured to engage the load. The support roller bearing defines a bearing axis, which is substantially parallel to and offset from the rotation axis.

Abstract: A rotor is provided for use in an electric motor. The rotor includes a shaft assembly rotatable about an axis. The rotor also includes a plurality of magnets arranged arcuately about the shaft assembly, and a plurality of pole segments arranged arcuately about the shaft assembly. The pole segments alternate with the magnets, such that each of the magnets is at least in part interposed between adjacent pole segments. The pole segments interlock with the coupling element.

Abstract: A blower motor assembly includes a blower wheel and a motor. The blower wheel includes an integrally formed hub. The motor includes a shaft rotatable about an axis. The hub presents a radially inner hub surface that at least in part defines a hub opening. The inner hub surface defines an inner cross-sectional dimension. The shaft is axially received within the hub opening, such that the blower wheel is supported by the shaft for rotational movement. The shaft includes a toothed region defining a plurality of arcuately spaced apart teeth. Each of the teeth includes a cutting edge. The teeth present an outer cross-sectional dimension that is great than the inner cross-sectional dimension of the inner hub surface, such that the cutting edges of the teeth cut a plurality of grooves in the inner hub surface as the shaft is axially received in the hub opening.

Abstract: A blower motor assembly includes a blower wheel and a motor. The blower wheel includes an integrally formed hub. The motor includes a shaft rotatable about an axis. The hub presents a radially inner hub surface that at least in part defines a hub opening. The inner hub surface defines an inner cross-sectional dimension. The shaft is axially received within the hub opening, such that the blower wheel is supported by the shaft for rotational movement. The shaft includes a toothed region defining a plurality of arcuately spaced apart teeth. Each of the teeth includes a cutting edge. The teeth present an outer cross-sectional dimension that is great than the inner cross-sectional dimension of the inner hub surface, such that the cutting edges of the teeth cut a plurality of grooves in the inner hub surface as the shaft is axially received in the hub opening.

Abstract: A blower motor assembly includes a blower wheel and a motor. The blower wheel includes an integrally formed hub. The motor includes a shaft rotatable about an axis. The hub presents a radially inner hub surface that at least in part defines a hub opening. The inner hub surface defines an inner cross-sectional dimension. The shaft is axially received within the hub opening, such that the blower wheel is supported by the shaft for rotational movement. The shaft includes a toothed region defining a plurality of arcuately spaced apart teeth. Each of the teeth includes a cutting edge. The teeth present an outer cross-sectional dimension that is great than the inner cross-sectional dimension of the inner hub surface, such that the cutting edges of the teeth cut a plurality of grooves in the inner hub surface as the shaft is axially received in the hub opening.

Abstract: A rotor is provided for use in an electric motor. The rotor includes a shaft assembly rotatable about an axis. The rotor also includes a plurality of magnets arranged arcuately about the shaft assembly, and a plurality of pole segments arranged arcuately about the shaft assembly. The pole segments alternate with the magnets, such that each of the magnets is at least in part interposed between adjacent pole segments. The pole segments interlock with the coupling element.

Abstract: A blower motor assembly includes a blower wheel and a motor. The blower wheel includes an integrally formed hub. The motor includes a shaft rotatable about an axis. The hub presents a radially inner hub surface that at least in part defines a hub opening. The inner hub surface defines an inner cross-sectional dimension. The shaft is axially received within the hub opening, such that the blower wheel is supported by the shaft for rotational movement. The shaft includes a toothed region defining a plurality of arcuately spaced apart teeth. Each of the teeth includes a cutting edge. The teeth present an outer cross-sectional dimension that is great than the inner cross-sectional dimension of the inner hub surface, such that the cutting edges of the teeth cut a plurality of grooves in the inner hub surface as the shaft is axially received in the hub opening.

Abstract: A rotor is provided for use in an electric motor. The rotor includes a shaft assembly rotatable about an axis, a plurality of magnets arranged arcuately about the shaft assembly, and a plurality of pole segments arranged arcuately about the shaft assembly. The pole segments alternate with the magnets, such that each of the magnets is at least in part interposed between adjacent pole segments. The pole segments are magnetically isolated from each other. Furthermore, the shaft assembly is electrically isolated from the pole segments.

Abstract: An adjustable spring grounding pin for grounding separate parts of an electrical device, for example end shields and a stator of an electric motor, automatically adjusts its circumferential dimension to provide a tight grounding fit between aligned holes of different interior diameters in the end shields and the stator of the device as the grounding pin is driven into the aligned holes.

Abstract: A contact center system and method employing a plurality of agent workstations, and which includes a queuing component, capable of receiving contacts of different media-types, such as telephone calls, e-mails, facsimiles, web chat, voice over internet protocol, and so on, and maintaining the different media types contacts in a common queue while awaiting routing to the agent workstations. The system further comprises a routing component which routes the queued contacts to the agents based on criteria of the contacts, criteria of the agents, or both. A media changing component of the system is capable of changing a media-type of any of the media-type contacts to generate a changed media-type contact, while the queuing component is capable of entering the changed media-type contact in the common queue, and the routing component is capable of routting the queued changed media-type contact to at least one of the workstations.

Abstract: A mounting clip that attaches a circuit component to an electrical device attenuates vibration of the circuit component as the electrical device is operated. The mounting clip is designed for a thermo-protector of an electric motor and removably attaches the thermo-protector to a switch housing of the electric motor. The thermo-protector is connected in the circuit of the electric motor and wiring of the electric motor that communicates with the thermo-protector is attached to the mounting clip. The mounting clip is provided with a spring mechanism that engages an abutment provided on the switch housing and biases the mounting clip and the attached thermo-protector and thermo-protector wiring away from the switch housing and thereby attenuates vibration of the thermo-protector and its wiring.

Abstract: A switch for an electric motor which inhibits vibratory noise during operation of the motor. The switch includes a housing with a wall, an electrical terminal, and a flexible switch arm. A control lever is engageable with the switch arm to actuate movement of the switch arm between positions engaging or disengaging the electrical terminal. A cantilevered spring urges movement of the lever toward a generally stationary position against the wall of the housing to inhibit vibration of the lever during operation of the motor. The spring is attached to the switch arm.

Abstract: A centrifugal actuator of an electric motor is modified to reduce noise produced by torque pulses of the motor. The centrifugal actuator comprises a damper sleeve that is mounted in a tight friction fit on the motor shaft. The main body of the centrifugal actuator is mounted on the damper sleeve by a friction fit which permits limited rotational movement of the actuator main body relative to the actuator damper sleeve. In addition, pairs of tabs are provided on both the actuator main body and the actuator damper sleeve and are positioned in circumferentially overlapping relationships whereby engagement of the main body and damper sleeve tabs provides a positive driving connection between the main body and damper sleeve.

Abstract: A mounting clip that attaches a circuit component to an electrical device attenuates vibration of the circuit component as the electrical device is operated. The mounting clip is designed for a thermo-protector of an electric motor and removably attaches the thermo-protector to a switch housing of the electric motor. The thermo-protector is connected in the circuit of the electric motor and wiring of the electric motor that communicates with the thermo-protector is attached to the mounting clip. The mounting clip is provided with a spring mechanism that engages an abutment provided on the switch housing and biases the mounting clip and the attached thermo-protector and thermo-protector wiring away from the switch housing and thereby attenuates vibration of the thermo-protector and its wiring.

Abstract: A mounting clip that attaches a circuit component to an electrical device attenuates vibration of the circuit component as the electrical device is operated. The mounting clip is designed for a thermo-protector of an electric motor and removably attaches the thermo-protector to a switch housing of the electric motor. The thermo-protector is connected in the circuit of the electric motor and wiring of the electric motor that communicates with the thermo-protector is attached to the mounting clip. The mounting clip is provided with a pair of resilient, J-shaped fingers and the component wiring is pressed between the fingers and the mounting clip to restrain movement of the wiring relative to the component.

Abstract: An improved sealant applicator having a nozzle, a mixer, and a mixer hydraulic motor for dispensing an elastomeric sealant formed by mixing a first component and a second component. A first and a second component conduit are connected to the mixer for delivering the first and the second components to the mixer and a first and a second hydraulic conduit cooperate in delivering hydraulic fluid to the mixer hydraulic motor. The first and the second component conduits and the first and the second hydraulic conduits are retained within a flexible conduit which cooperates to maintain a close proximity between the conduits so heat from the hydraulic conduits heats the components flowing through the component conduits. The various components of the sealant applicator are supported on or connected to a frame and the frame is rollingly supported on wheels. The sealant applicator includes means for rotatingly driving the wheels in a forward and a rearward direction for drivingly moving the frame.

Abstract: A molten metal feed tip for a continuous caster for aluminum or the like is made by forming a slurry of refractory fibers in an aqueous solution containing a dispersion of colloidal silica. Liquid is extracted from the slurry to form a flexible felt blanket of refractory fibers which is then compressed in a closed die cavity having the desired geometry of one moiety of the molten metal feed tip. The felt blanket is heated in the closed die cavity to a sufficient temperature to extract water from solution remaining in the blanket to form one rigid moiety of the feed tip. Two such moieties are assembled to form a feed tip having a molten metal feed gap therebetween. The feed tip tapers towards the downstream edges which are compressed to a higher density than the upstream portion of the feed tip. The downstream edges have a greater thermal conductivity than the thermal conductivity of the upstream portion.

Abstract: A molten metal feed tip for a continuous caster for aluminum or the like is made by forming a slurry of refractory fibers in an aqueous solution containing a dispersion of colloidal silica. Liquid is extracted from the slurry to form a flexible felt blanket of refractory fibers which is then compressed in a closed die cavity having the desired geometry of one moiety of the molten metal feed tip. The felt blanket is heated in the closed die cavity to a sufficient temperature to extract water from solution remaining in the blanket to form one rigid moiety of the feed tip. Two such moieties are assembled to form a feed tip having a molten metal feed gap therebetween. The feed tip tapers towards the downstream edges which are compressed to a higher density than the upstream portion of the feed tip. The downstream edges have a greater thermal conductivity than the thermal conductivity of the upstream portion.