Tennant Company

Honeywell G.m.b.h.

Thomas Peter Mathews

James B Dockendorff

Steven L Boomgaarden

Gregory J Engel

Archie A Weidner

David P Curry

Michael H Lenzmeier

Eric T Axelson

Charles J Sorbo

A street sweeper system is used typically in a motorized vehicle. The sweeper utilizes a cylindrical brush rotating about an axis that is typically perpendicular to the vehicle's direction of motion. A conveyor belt catches debris thrown forwards and upward by the brush and moves the debris to a hopper. A conveyor lip is mounted on a lower edge of the conveyor to improve sweeping performance. The conveyor lip covers a space between the lower edge of the conveyor and the ground. The lip's lower edge is angled towards the brush to deflect debris back towards the brush to recirculate the debris.

Conveyor lip for motorized street sweeper

Disclosed herein is a fluid level float switch and protective boot therefore. The boot is adapted to engage a detent portion of the float switch in a secure watertight fashion. The boot is adapted to flexibly accommodate movement of the float within the boot in response to changes in the liquid level in the reservoir in one embodiment or to engage contacts in another. The boot has a wall engaging portion for providing watertight engagement with an interior wall of the reservoir. The boot has an accordion shaped stem portion to facilitate insertion of the float switch into the boot and to flexibly accommodate movement of the float within the boot in one embodiment, or a rigid portion attached to the flexible portion in another embodiment.

Float switch with protective boot

A vacuum trash collection vehicle includes a debris container and a source of vacuum, both mounted on the vehicle. There is a hose connected at one end to the debris container and the source of vacuum is applied thereto. The opposite end of the hose is open to form a collection nozzle. A boom supports the hose during use as a debris collection device. There is a driver accessible control for moving the hose and nozzle which includes an elongated tubular assembly, pivotally mounted at its upper end to the boom and movably mounted at its lower end to the collection nozzle. There is an operator's handle, having multiple hand-gripping areas, mounted on the tubular assembly and movable relative thereto during use of the debris collection hose.

Hand control for manipulating vacuum pickup hose

A two-stage release self-righting mechanism and method employ a pair of primary and secondary releasable holder assemblies which respective hold upper and middle portions of leaf spring arms in a stowed position against the side wall of a load such as a submunition launcher tube. The primary holder assembly is released first which permits release of a portion of the energy stored by the spring legs, causing them to partially extend from the stowed position to a partially deployed position and partially erect the submunition. Then, a short time later, the secondary holder assembly is released, permitting release of the remaining energy stored by the spring legs, causing them to fully extend to a fully deployed position and complete the erecting of the submunition.

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Plymouth, MN, United States of America

Thomas Peter Mathews