Abstract: A pressure flushing system for use within a toilet tank includes a pressure tank which has a predetermined volume. There is a water outlet for the tank, a water inlet for the tank, and an air inlet for the tank. The air inlet is associated with the water inlet whereby water flowing into the tank draws air into the tank. A portion of the tank is thus occupied by water and a portion is occupied by air, with the air applying pressure to the water. There is a valve within the tank which controls the flow of water from the tank through the outlet. The volume of water within the tank which may flow through the outlet at any one operation of the valve is limited by a dam which is located within the tank and surrounds the outlet.

Abstract: A pressure flushing system for use in a toilet tank includes a housing with a water inlet conduit, an air and water inlet assembly connected to the conduit and to the housing, and a water outlet for the housing. There is a flush valve within the housing for controlling flow of water from the inlet to the housing outlet. The air and water inlet assembly includes a chamber, with a water inlet connected to the chamber, and an outlet connected to the chamber. There is an air inlet accessible to air at atmospheric pressure and a passage between the air inlet and the chamber. A check valve is located in the passage, with the check valve opening in response to a venturi effect caused by water flow through the chamber to draw air into the chamber to mix with water flowing through the chamber and to the outlet. The check valve includes an elastomeric sleeve positioned within the passage and having normally closed flexible lips extending toward the chamber.

Abstract: An injection-moulded plastic child's chamber pot includes a basin part whose wall merges with a seating and supporting part at the top thereof. The front wall part of the basin part slopes obliquely upwards and rearwards in the position of use of the pot. A bottom edge region of an outer wall part, formed integrally with the basin part and the seating and supporting part, and extending downwardly beneath the underside of the basin part, forms a bottom support surface via which the pot is intended to rest on a supporting surface. All pot surfaces define a release angle in relation to the parting direction of two tool halves which form the injection-moulding tool in which the pot is produced and which have a parting plane which coincides with the plane of the support surface and slopes in relation to the normal to the parting direction at an angle corresponding to the angle of inclination of the front wall part plus the release angle of said front wall part.

Abstract: An invention utilizing a conveyor belt to remove debris from a swimming pool filtration system skimmer and deposit it into a waste receptacle. The lower end of the conveyor belt is inserted into the skimmer below the level of the water. As the conveyor belt is rotated, it removes debris from the skimmer to a point outside the skimmer where the conveyor belt deposits it into a receptacle.

Abstract: A molded foot support integrally formed in the wall or corner of a shower assembly, the foot support extending outwardly from the wall or corner at a predetermined height having its edges molded to an arcuate shape and having a non-slip surface for support of the foot.

Abstract: A hand washing device for helping handicapped people with only one hand and people with one hand in a cast wash the free hand. The hand washing device includes a scrubbing member that is adapted to be coupled to a faucet. The scrubbing member is adapted for being rubbed by a hand of a user for cleaning the hand. The scrubbing member has a water reservoir formed inside of it. The water reservoir is in fluid communication with the faucet. The scrubbing member has a plurality of apertures that extend through it and provides openings into the water reservoir of the scrubbing member. The apertures are adapted to permit passage of water through them.

Abstract: A sensor assembly for use with a sink having a faucet hydraulically connected to an electrically operated on/off mechanism for controlling the flow of water from the faucet into the sink. The sensor assembly includes a fiber optic proximity sensor mounted adjacent the sink. The fiber optic proximity sensor directs a visible or infrared ray toward a user's legs, via a transmit fiber, and detects the presence and absence of a user in the immediate vicinity of the sink, via a receive fiber. The senor assembly also includes an adjustable pipe clamp for connecting the sensor assembly to the drain tube of the sink, and a ball-and-socket flexible connector.

Abstract: The present invention provides a wave generating apparatus for generating waves in for example beds, chairs and the like. In one aspect the device includes a motor driven crankshaft to which are attached several longitudinal beams. The beams mounted on the crankshafts are offset with respect to each other in such a way as to produce a phase shift between the beams. Each beam is provided with several links pivotally attached at one end to each beam and the links are spaced apart along each beam by a distance equal to the desired wavelength of the wave being produced. The other ends of each link is attached to a flexible membrane which forms a support surface of the bed or chair. The links from the different beams are interleaved at equal phase intervals so as to produce a travelling wave in the flexible membrane so that a complete wave passes during each full rotation of the crankshaft assembly.

Abstract: A pillow serving as a cervical support has a metal mesh material cover encasing a resilient padding material. The pillow has an annular shape, thus forming a ring-shaped body. The size of the body should be different, and may be varied, depending upon the age and size of the person using it. For example, a child will benefit from a pillow having a smaller size than would a full-sized adult. An object of the present invention is to provide a proper sleeping posture because of the ring shape, which tends to discourage sleeping in a face-down position.

Abstract: A pillow apparatus which is placeable on furniture or on the floor, this includes a top surface, a bottom surface and stuffing material contained therein for forming the soft pillows upon one would wish to rest their head. The pillow apparatus further includes a reversible pocket formed along at least a portion of the pillow, with the pocket extendable between a first tucked in position within the pillow and an extended position out of the pillow.

Abstract: A multi-purpose electrician pliers tool having an elongate body with a forward end and a rearward end and constructed of a first member and a second member pivotally secured together by a pivot pin. The first and second members include forwardly extending and overlapping jaw portions on a forward side of the pivot pin and define therebetween a plurality of opposing and pivotally interengaging locations corresponding to a plurality of different wire fabricating features located on both forward and rearward sides of the pivot pin.

Abstract: This invention provides a system and method for determining a level of liquid to be supplied for a wash cycle operation in a washing machine given a clothes load and clothes type. The liquid level setting is determined by measuring the time to fill the washer basket and the washer tub with a predetermined initial level of liquid, measuring a change in the level of liquid in the tub and basket after soaking for a predetermined time, and applying a fuzzy logic algorithm to the measured values.

Abstract: Methods of detecting a load level in a washing machine include monitoring a rotational speed of a motor of the washing machine for a period of time after the motor has reached an operating speed. In a first method embodying the invention, the number of rotational speed peaks that occur in each of a plurality of speed bands are detected during the period of time. The detected number of speed peaks in each speed band are compared to reference count numbers corresponding to each of the speed bands, and a load level in the washer is determined based on the comparisons. In a second method embodying the invention, the number of times that the rotational speed of the motor exceeds a predetermined speed during a predetermined period of time is detected. The detected number is then compared to reference count numbers, and the load level in the washing machine is determined based on the comparison.

Abstract: In an inventive spin extractor, a speed controller applies a constant voltage to a motor for starting a rotation of a drum. Since the torque on the drum is constant, the drum rotates at a low speed when the laundry is in the form of a large mass and the load on the drum is accordingly large. Every time part or all of the laundry falls beyond the baffles provided on the inner peripheral wall of the drum, the laundry is loosened and scattered, so that the load on the drum decreases. When the laundry is scattered adequately, the torque by the motor overcomes the load of the laundry, and the drum speed rapidly rises. When the speed exceeds the equilibrium speed where the centrifugal force acting on the laundry is equal to gravity, the scattered laundry starts rotating in the state of being pressed on the inner peripheral wall of the drum.

Abstract: A method for construction of footwear includes providing an upper defining a volume for receiving a wearer's foot, the upper having a rearward portion with a peripheral lasting edge; providing an outsole having a forward portion, a rearward portion, a walking surface, and a opposed surface opposite to the walking surface, and a cavity formed in at least the forward portion of the opposed surface of the outsole; the method further includes providing and securing resilient material within the cavity of the outsole, and sewing along a peripheral portion of the outsole, the forward portion of the outsole only to the upper. The sewing step includes stitching a thread through the peripheral portion of the opposed surface of the outsole to the walking surface of the outsole. The peripheral lasting edge portion of the upper is lasted along an edge of a last over an insole tuck temporarily secured to the last, and the rearward portion only of the outsole is secured to the lasted rearward portion of the upper.

Abstract: The invention concerns a cleanable scraper station which is designed as a dispatch/receive station (1;1*) and through which the product or cleaning agent flows. The aim of the invention is to improve the cleanability of the scraper station compared with prior art devices, as measured by increased throughput, and in particular to ensure through cleaning of the entire scraper surface. This is achieved by virtue of the fact that the scraper (9) is positioned with play in all directions when in the through-flow position (II,II*) by means of a controllable second stop (6a;6a*) acting in conjunction with a displaceable first stop (5a,5a*) or by means of the controllable second stop (6a;6a*) acting in conjunction with a coupling cage (50;50*) connected to the displaceable first stop (5a;5a*) and in which the scraper (9) is positively locked, or only by means of the coupling cage (50;50*) connected to the displaceable first stop (5a;5*) and in which the scraper (9) is positively locked.

Abstract: A toothbrush including an elongated handle, a bristle head, a plurality of bristles, and an electronic device. The elongated handle includes a recess suitable for housing an electronic device. The bristle head is connected to the elongated handle. The plurality of bristles are embedded in the bristle head. The electronic device is configured to produce a detectable output sequence after a condition has been satisfied. In one embodiment, the detectable output comprises an audio signal while in an alternative embodiment, the detectable output comprises a visual signal such as light. In one embodiment, the electronic device includes a sequence initiator, a timer, and an output device all coupled to a control unit. The control unit is preferably adapted to initiate the timer upon receiving an initiation signal from the sequence initiator. The control unit is further configured to receive a signal from the timer after a minimum specified duration has expired.

Abstract: A toothbrush is provided with light interactive features, and has a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) molded within its handle. In one embodiment, the toothbrush is molded from a transparent or translucent plastic material and is covered with an opaque covering, except at a plurality of discrete light-emitting points. A reflective layer over the molded body may also be provided. Light is internally reflected along the length of the body to the light-emitting points. The surface of the toothbrush at these points is roughened to emit a softened, diffused light. In another embodiment, a plurality of optic fibers or light pipes are molded in the body of the toothbrush, with their input ends positioned near the light source and their output ends terminating at the light-emitting areas. The body may be molded of an opaque elastomer or rubberized plastic material. A battery and switch may be molded with the LED in the grip end of the toothbrush handle.

Abstract: A tool for cleaning uneven or periodic corrugated surfaces has a head and a handle which is attached in a similar configuration as for a rake or push broom. The head has a cleaning edge which projects a varying distance, the distance varying according to a period configured to mate with the grooves and ridges of the corrugated surface. The cleaning edge may be solid, bristles or a combination of the two. The tool may have plural cleaning edges for cleaning different areas or types of material. The cleaning tool finds particular applicability in cleaning debris from the corrugated floor of a pickup truck bed liner.

Abstract: A tool for scrubbing and washing a dish has a scrubber portion and a washer portion. The scrubber portion has a laterally extending base with a top and a bottom, an upright handle attached to the top of the scrubber base, and a scrubbing element attached to the bottom of the scrubber base. The washer portion also has a laterally extending base with a top and a bottom, an upright handle attached to the top of the washer base, and a washing element attached to the bottom of the washer base. The scrubber handle and the washer are positioned adjacent one another. An elastomeric grip encircles the scrubber and washer handles and retard grease migration up the handles.

Abstract: A kit for aiding in the drying and curling of hair has a plurality of brushes which may be twisted into the hair and allowed to remain for a period of time to set a curl. Each of the brushes has a connector to which a handle can be removably attached such that a single handle can be used with all of the brushes in the kit.

Abstract: A mop with a quick-release connector for connecting a handle to a mop head comprises a female section for attachment to the handle and a male fitting for attachment to the mop head. The male fitting includes a flat thin base portion that is sewn into the mop head. The female section has plurality of receptacles which mate with a similar plurality of bayonet projections in the male section. At least one of the bayonet projections is resiliently flexible and flexes outwardly when the male section is pushed into the female section so as to mate with one another and be securely gripped by an indentation in the female section, providing a positive interlock between the female and male sections. Another of the bayonet projections is a central, rigid, longer bayonet, which acts as a guide when the two sections are connected together.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner with an indicator for indicating when the dust bag for the vacuum cleaner is full. The indicator includes a turbine provided in a suction pipe, so that the turbine causes an amount of electric power to be generated that corresponds to the amount of negative pressure within the suction pipe. As the dust bag begins to fill, the negative pressure in the suction pipe decreases, and the amount of electric power caused by the turbine also decreases. When the amount of electric power caused by the turbine falls below a predetermined value, the indicator display indicates that the bag is full. If the indicator is employed with a dust sensor, the indicator display can be used to show the amount of detected dust until the bag is full and the operation of the sensor is stopped to allow the display to indicate that the bag is full.

Abstract: A wand for cleaning a carpeted stair tread includes a vacuum tube and a plurality of partitions attached thereto. The vacuum tube and the partitions cooperate to define a central channel and a pair of generally enclosed lateral channels. A nozzle bar for dispensing a liquid cleaning material extends through the central channel. The lateral channels extend in side-by-side relationship with the central channel. Each lateral channel is open along the bottom edge thereof to define a vacuum slot. Each of the lateral channels communicates with the vacuum tube through a respective opening formed in the vacuum tube. The wand may also include an elongated operating handle. Preferably the handle is attached to the wand such that the axis of the handle is substantially parallel to the axis of the wand. The wand includes a nose piece having a central channel and a pair of generally enclosed lateral channels that extend side-by-side relationship with the central channel.

Abstract: A vacuum assisted broom for sweeping floors having a sweeping member, preferably in the form of a plurality of stiff bristles, for bi-directional sweeping of the floor. The sweeping member is operatively mounted within a housing member, which housing member partially encloses the sweeping member within its hollow interior such that the bristles depend from the housing member through a first opening. A handle member is securely attached to the housing member and extends upwardly therefrom. The sweeping member has bristles which are extended such that the broom may be used as a conventional broom, and as a vacuum pick-up. An electrical switch is actuated so as to turn on a suction means that is operatively connected to the interior of the housing member, thus to create a partial vacuum, at the first opening of the housing member.

Abstract: A device for collecting and transporting organic material comprises a trailer chassis, collector frame, and collector bag. The trailer chassis has a double tongued hitch for connecting to a tractor and for preventing jackknifing. The collector frame can be folded so as to occupy minimum space when the device is not in use. The collector frame is hingedly connected to the trailer chassis so that the collector bag can be dumped by rotating the collector frame about the hinges. The collector frame is removable from the trailer chassis to make storage easy. The collector bag is constructed preferably from non-breathable fabric and has an exhaust vent in the top of the collector bag.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner with a handle and a floor traveling head. The head has a housing, a rotatable brush and a drive system. The housing has a bottom member with an aperture directly under a transmission belt of the drive system. A removable door is mounted to the bottom member such that a user can access the transmission belt without removing the bottom member.

Abstract: A door lock formed integrally with a motor vehicle door hinge and including a housing, a first bearing ring forming a holding element with a curved running track concentric with a pin axis and a plurality of detent points, a plurality of braking and locking members rotatable about respective axes extending transverse to a hinge pin axis, a spring for biasing the braking and locking members into engagement with the holding element, a second, flat-surface, bearing ring for engaging the bearing and locking members opposite the first bearing ring, and a cage for receiving the braking and locking members, with the cage and the first, holding element-forming, bearing ring being alternatively fixedly connectable with the hinge pin and the one of the first and second hinge halves without a possibility of rotation relatively to the hinge pin and the hinge half, respectively.

Abstract: A handle intended to be used in conjunction with a conventional screwdriver that allows a user to operate on a screw without having to remove and reposition the screwdriver on the screw. The handle comprises a shaft having an elongated cavity disposed therein, wherein the handle of a conventional screwdriver is accommodated within the cavity in a lengthwise orientation. A spring attached to the end of the cavity is longitudinally disposed within the cavity, the spring having a rubber stopper disposed at its end opposite of the end of the cavity. When a screw is to be operated on, a downward normal force is applied to the screw in addition to the rotational force required to turn the screw. The downward force compresses the spring, and the rubber stopper contacts the top of the handle, thereby translating rotational motion of the shaft to the handle of the screwdriver, to the shaft of the screwdriver, and finally to the screw.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for effecting sample-specific cycles for the environmental conditioning of material samples, such as cotton samples, prior to testing; and for the environmental conditioning of testing laboratory space, a sub-space or "oasis zone" within the testing laboratory space and/or a test zone within a testing machine. A sensor measures at least one material property of the sample, such as moisture content of a cotton sample. Based on the material property, a sample-specific conditioning cycle is determined and effected by driving through the sample a gas flow conditioned as to at least one parameter which affects properties of the sample, such as a temperature, relative humidity, and volume per unit time, and all of which are relevant in the case of a cotton sample.

Abstract: A spinning preparation process and device with a mixer (3) for mixing fibers, with a withdrawal apparatus (10) for withdrawing fibers from the mixer (3) and a separating device (4), arranged downstream of the same in the conveying direction of the fibers, for separating foreign matter from the fibers, characterized in that the separating device (4) is arranged immediately downstream of the withdrawal apparatus (10), the fibers are taken from the withdrawal apparatus (10) as a fiber fleece (22) which is spread out transversally to the conveying direction of the fibers and are thus supplied to the separating device (4), and the fiber fleece (22) is examined by the separating device (4) for foreign matter and is substantially cleaned from the same.

Abstract: A drafting frame for a spinning machine has a compaction unit at the downstream end of the drafting path which can be removed and other rollers and belts of the upper and lower arrays can be advanced as required to maintain the length of the paths of the sliver.

Abstract: A spring biased clip is provided for eyeglasses or eyewear to hold the eyewear securely in a fabric pocket when not in use. The fabric engaging end of the clip is normally held in a recess in the side of the temple where it will not inadvertently snag items, and where it will be inconspicuous. The fabric engaging end of the clip moves outward beyond the surface of the temple when the opposite end of the clip is depressed by a finger. In this position, the clip is easily slipped over the fabric edge of a pocket without applying any force to the fabric. This enables the clip to be provided with a strong spring for securely holding the eyewear.

Abstract: A strand adjusting mechanism (5) in a folding clasp (1, 2) for bacelets, this mechanism comprising a buckle (40) mounted pivotally round a transverse rotational shaft (20) at the end of one of the blades (1) of the clasp and a tongue (30) mounted pivotally round the same shaft (20) as the buckle. The tongue and/or the end of the blade have one or more stops (16, 34) limiting the rotation of this tongue between a raised position orthogonal to the end of the blade and a lowered position in the extension of the blade. In addition, the upper cross bar of the buckle has a subjacent front wall (46) capable of abutting against the free end of the tongue.

Abstract: A support strap for hand tools, hand guns and other hand-held implements having a pistol grip-type handle includes an elongated strip of flexible material having a ring attached to a first transverse end of the strip. A first fastener member is attached to the lower surface of the strip, proximate the second transverse end or tip of the strip, and a second fastener member releasably engageable with the first fastener member is attached to the upper surface of the strip. The strap is used by inserting the tip of the strap through the ring to form a first, wrist loop, into which loop the hand is inserted, and the free end pulled with a tension sufficient to tighten the loop to a desired tightness around the wrist of a user. The inner diameter of the loop is preferably slightly less than the width of the strip, thereby frictionally gripping the edges of the strap.

Abstract: A device for deterring theft of an article, including a fragile vial containing a theft deterring substance; a vial carrier structure and a cover structure. The carrier structure includes a weakened region allowing the vial carrier to yield if a force is exerted on the attachment, thereby causing the vial to break due to loads transferred via vial engaging surfaces. The connection between the carrier structure and the cover structure is formed by two or more distinct local connections separated by a central area and located spaced away from the attachment in opposite longitudinal directions of the vial. The proposed device is of a simple cost-effective and light construction while the vial reliably fractures if an unauthorized attempt is made to remove the device.

Abstract: A positive lace zone tension isolation device and method for use with laced footwear including a base, a opposed, pivotable cam for clamping interposed laces against the underlying base and isolating the selected lace tension against migration at that point.

Abstract: An acoustical-electronic component operating with acoustical surface waves, includes a piezoelectric substrate in which an acoustical surface wave is guided and enters into interaction with an electron system disposed on the substrate in the travel path of the acoustical surface wave. The electron system is constructed as an electron channel that is tunable in its electrical conductivity by field effect. A tunable delay line, a resonator and a semiconductor sensor use the component.

Abstract: A spreader for spreading a fabric having upper and lower sides, transversely spaced edges and longitudinally extending tire reenforcing cords spaced laterally across said fabric between said edges preparatory to rubberizing said fabric in a calender, where the fabric moves in a given path to the calender, the spreader comprising a cantilever mounted mandrel having an outer generally cylindrical surface concentric with a rotational axis, with the cylindrical surface having a helical groove having convolutions with a pitch equal to a desired cord distribution laterally of the fabric; a mandrel support structure adjacent one edge of the fabric and having means for rotatably mounting the mandrel in a position transverse of the fabric with said cylindrical surface aligned with the fabric path to be generally tangential to a side of the fabric as the fabric moves in the given path; a first motor on the support structure for rotating the mandrel about the axis at a given rotational speed; a second motor for moving t

Abstract: A metal casket is provided with stabilizing braces at each corner secured to neighboring surfaces of a side panel, end panel and bottom panel to assure and maintain the integrity of the squareness of the casket body, and, consequently, the alignment of the casket lid with the casket body.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of forming fibrous structures by needling processes. A process is provided for achieving a desired Z-fiber distribution in a fibrous structure by controlling transport depth during formation of the fibrous structure in a series of needling passes. Each needling pass generates a portion of Z-fiber bundles that penetrate adjacent fibrous layers, the Z-fiber bundles penetrating only those adjacent fibrous layers that need more Z-fiber bundles to attain a predetermined number of Z-fiber bundles within each fibrous layer.

Abstract: Process for bulk-texturizing and simultaneous interlacing of medium or high-shrinkage multi-filament yarns carried out with a device in which the yarns are made to pass into single or multiple chambers where the yarns come under jets of steam or other gaseous fluid that cause simultaneously their shrinkage, bulk-texturizing and interlacing.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided that increases the efficiency of material handling apparatus, such as those used to trim and form electrical leads on solid state electrical devices. The apparatus includes a plurality of rotatable pulleys, an endless belt capable of retaining devices to be processed that is disposed around the pulleys such that rotation of the pulleys will cause said belt to travel around said pulleys, and a plurality of paired tooling members, each of said paired tooling members having first and second tooling members disposed on opposing sides of the belt and directly opposing so as to cooperate and perform a tooling operation on the leads when reciprocated toward each other along a common axis. In a preferred embodiment, two horizontally oriented pulleys are used to rotate the belt and the first and second tooling member are reciprocated by a common cam and the rotation of the belt and the reciprocation of the tooling members are synchronized.

Abstract: A tool for compressing a torsional spring for clamping a heat sink. The tool includes a base having an aperture extending therein for receiving the torsional spring and the heat sink. A first set of opposing jaws is pivotally coupled with the base for compressing the torsional spring in a vertical direction. A second set of opposing jaws is pivotally coupled with the base for compressing the torsional spring in a horizontal direction.

Abstract: A tool for spreading apart opposed spring biased brake drum shoes adjacent one end to facilitate access to a brake cylinder. The tool includes a pair of fork members having depending prongs mounted on a shaft having screw threads along its length. A first of the fork members is carried in a stationary position relative the length of the shaft while the second of the fork members is carried for driven motion by the screw threads longitudinally of the shaft. In operation the fork members are positioned to be substantially together so that they may be engaged with a projectioning surface of each opposed brake shoe. The shaft is rotated causing the fork members and said brake shoes to be moved in diverging directions a distance sufficient to separate the brake shoes from the cylinder.

Abstract: A rivet setting tool provided with a threaded bolt or drift for engaging a nut of the rivet. The rivet has a thin walled sleeve portion which is to be deformed during setting of the rivet and forms a flange. The rivet setting tool is driven with decreasing force during the working stroke of the rivet setting tool. In a first embodiment, a toggle lever arrangement having a pair of hand levers and a pair of linking levers is used to produce a decreasing force during the working stroke. In a second embodiment, a pneumatic cylinder cooperates with spring means in order to produce a force during the working stroke which is decreasing.

Abstract: Methods of making an inspection fixture to assess the accuracy of a manufactured, bent tube or tube assembly are disclosed. Coordinates of end points, intersection points, and other points of interest of the bent tubular part are provided to a CAD system. The coordinates are connected by a centerline. The centerline is projected onto an X-Y plane and widened. The projected centerline is extruded in the Z direction. The resulting three-dimensional extrusion is unfolded to form a flat pattern for a tube run. The process is repeated until flat patterns for the parts of a tube fixture are created. The resulting flat patterns are provided to a computer-controlled laser cutting machine. The inspection fixture parts are cut by the laser cutting machine and bent to their final shape in accordance with bend angle information generated from the three-dimensional extrusion in the CAD system. The bent parts are assembled on a base plate and welded together to form the inspection fixture.

Abstract: Improved method and apparatus for interlocking hemmed together edges of inner and outer vehicle body panels with an improved interlock joint. The inner panel blank is draw stamped and provided with PLP holes in a stamping press. A plurality of conventional hardware components are then welded to the inner panel. Then interlock holes are formed by a piercing tool moving through the inner panel border from its outboard to its inboard side while the inner panel is held by clamps and PLP pins. The hole piercing punch thus leaves cold worked upset material slightly raised inboard, rather than outboard, around the pierced interlock hole margin. Then the inner panel subassembly is married to the outer panel and transferred to a hemming station and again precisely clamped and positioned by PLP pins, whereupon hemming press gates are operable for hemming the flange lip of the outer panel over the inner panel border.

Abstract: A tool for aligning a striker with a latch for a door on a motor vehicle includes a base member and a striker setter positioned perpendicular to an end of the base member. The tool also includes a suction cup for holding the tool onto the vehicle, and a latch setter extending outwardly from an end of the base member. The alignment tool further includes a striker lead-in at one end of the striker setter for positioning the striker relative to the latch.

Abstract: A rotor for use in a line start permanent magnet motor comprises a rotor core having a shaft and including teeth defining slots; a rotor cage, at least a portion of which extends through the slots; and a layer of composite permanent magnet material at least partially coating the rotor core.