Ultrafab, Inc.

Other

Torvec, Inc.

Robert C Horton

Thongdy Chanthabane

Grant E Wylie

Keith E Gleasman

Vernon E Gleasman

Warren R Alexander

James V Albanese

Alan J DeMello

A pile article is provided having a band of textile material, and a plurality of fiber loops defining a pile having sides from ends extending longitudinally along the band. The band is ultrasonically welded to the ends and a portion of the sides of the pile, and is sufficiently wide to support the sides of the pile substantially upright. An interior textile strip may optionally extend longitudinally within the pile at the ends of the pile and within a portion of the pile sides.

Textile backed pile article and method for making same

Pile weatherstripping, which is clad with a wrapping of a film () of flexible material, has one or more rows () of pile () on a backing () in side-by-side relationship. The wrapping film material conforms to the outside surface of the row () of pile so as to define a bulb or bulbs which are completely filled with pile. Single row () pile weatherstripping is made by wrapping the pile () with the film material () after first ultrasonically welding the film material along one edge thereof to the backing () under the pile. Then, the film material () may be bent around the pile as it moves through a guide (). The film material () is then attached along the opposite edge to the backing thereof so as to completely enclose and clad the row () of weatherstripping. The film material may be wrapped around one row () of two adjacent rows () of pile () and attached to the backing (), leaving the other row () unclad. The film material () may be wrapped separately around adjacent rows and attached to the backing () to provide two clad rows () of weatherstripping. By selection of the porosity of the film material () and the density of the pile (), weatherstripping having desired compressibility and air and water infiltration control properties may be produced.

Wrapped pile weatherstripping and methods of making same

A steer-drive for vehicles primarily operated in fluids (e.g., boats and planes) interposes respective left and right orbital gear drives into the vehicle drivetrain between the engine/transmission or/speed-reducer and the vehicle's respective port and starboard propulsion elements. The orbital drive units comprise only an input gear and an output gear interconnected by at least one orbiting cluster gear that is supported in a rotating housing and also meshes only with the input and output gears. The orbital units are designed so that (a) when rotation of the housing is prevented, driving torque is transferred at speed ratios selected to be as close to 1:1 as is practical, and (b) when steering torque causes rotation of the housing, the steering torque is added or subtracted from the driving torque. Steering torque is applied simultaneously in equal and opposite directions to the orbital units, causing the vehicle's respective propulsion element on one side of the vehicle to speed up and the vehicle's respective propulsion element on the other side of the vehicle to slow down at the same rate.

Steer-drive for boats and planes

An extendable-bristle brush having a hollow, tubular handle containing a folded bundle of fibers, the free ends of the fibers extending from an open end of the handle as bristles. The bundle is formed by folding a half-bundle of fibers about a hooked drawpiece and drawing the fold of the bundle into the handle so that both ends of each fiber protrude from the same end of the tubular handle to form the bristles of the brush. Folding of the bundle creates a bulge in the bundle which is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the tubular handle. Drawing the bundle into the handle compresses the bulge, resulting in a holding force which frictionally locks the bundle within the handle. The bundle may be advanced by pulling out the exposed bristles. As the bundle is repeatedly pulled out and cut off for additional uses, the holding force does not change significantly with shortening of the bundle or the handle. The handle is preferably resilient and may be corrugated into a bellows, the perstaltic extension and contraction of which can expose new bristles. The bellows also permit the handle to be bent so that the brush may be used in awkward situations. A plurality of individual brushes may be ganged to provide a larger brush.

Brush having extendable bristles and method for making such a brush

A single wire or molded plastic or metal peg board hook which is inexpensive and easy to install, and which securely attaches to a standard peg board by means of spring-tension and a barbed protrusion which precludes slipping.

Peg board hook with barbed protrusion

A weatherstrip having a backing member and a pair of rows of pile of different height above said backing strip. A flexible fin is disposed between said rows and has a height equal or slightly greater than the height of the higher row. When sash members, such as those of a horizontal sliding window move into closing relationship, the fin bends causing bending of the higher row forming a seal between the sash members while the row of lower height is not substantially compressed and provides a springlike force opposing the mechanism which holds the sliding sash.

Weatherstrip

Yarn of thermoplastic material is wound on a traveling endless band. Backing strips of thermoplastic material are continuously fed along the edges of the band and are ultrasonically welded to the yarn. Thereafter the yarn is slit along opposite sides of the band to provide a pair of continuous pile weatherstrips. The weatherstrips resulting are thus continuously made at high speed and at low cost.

Pile weatherstripping

A weatherstrip has a backing strip on which is attached two longitudinal rows of pile. An air infiltration membrane is secured near one end to the backing strip and is supported in upright position between the two rows of pile. When the weatherstrip is disposed in sealing engagement with a closure member, such as a window or door, it provides controlled air infiltration therethrough without increased stiffness which would make movement of the closure member, as in opening or closing the window or door, difficult.

Growing community of inventors

Canandaigua, NY, United States of America

Robert C Horton