All The Claims

1. A combined manure fork and air blower, directed to conservation of bedding material in cleaning of livestock environments, comprising:
a tined portion of the fork in an open configuration with a substantially flat main floor region of which a major portion is made solid and a minor portion extends forward therefrom as a row of tines;
a handle attached to and extending from said tined portion;
at least one fan-type air blower, attached to said handle near said tined portion, made and arranged to generate a sufficient flow of air directed in a manner to blow loose livestock bedding material off said tined portion, thus enabling a worker, manipulating the tined portion in a conventional manner for cleaning the livestock environments, to blow off and recycle the bedding material;
said air blower comprising an electric motor, cylindrical in shape, having a rotational central shaft, and a fan having a plurality of fan blades affixed onto a hub secured onto the central shaft of said electric motor, the fan blades extending radially substantially beyond an outer diameter extent of said electric motor;
a tubular inner sleeve closely surrounding and attached to said electric motor;
a tubular outer shell, co-axially surrounding said motor, made, arranged and dimensioned internally to provide working clearance around said fan and to provide an annular passageway for air-flow associated therewith;
sleeve-to-shell spacer means made and arranged to locate and support said inner sleeve co-axially relative to said outer shell in a manner that allows the air-flow through the annular passageway; and
handle-mounting means made and arranged to attach said tubular outer shell to said handle in a location selected to direct the air-flow onto said tined portion in an optimal manner to remove bedding material.
2. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 1 wherein said motor is oriented so as to be located between said fan and said tined portion, and the blades of said fan are pitched so as to direct air-flow in a direction toward said tined portion.
3. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 2 further comprising a protective grill, located at an air-flow inlet end plane of said outer shell adjacent to said fan, made and arranged to allow air-flow into said outer shell while preventing access by human fingers.
4. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 3 wherein said fan is located on said central shaft of said motor at an end region thereof that faces away from said tined portion, such that airflow from said fan flows through said tubular outer shell, past said motor and thence onto the main floor region of said tined portion.
5. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 2 further comprising a pair of air-flow deflecting plates, located at an air-flow outlet end plane of said outer shell facing said tined portion, configured in an aerodynamically shape and oriented at an angle so as to direct portions of the air-flow from said outer shell onto said tined portion in directions that diverge sideways toward two opposite sides of said tined portion for enhanced action by blowing bedding materials off sideways from the tined portion.
6. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 5 wherein said pair of air-flow deflecting plates are mounted onto an annular flange made and arranged to fit over an outer shell end region proximal to said tined portion.
7. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 2 wherein said sleeve-to-shell spacer means comprises a plurality of spacer vanes, extending radially between outer surfaces of said inner sleeve and inner surfaces of said outer shell in a generally longitudinal axial direction.
8. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 7 comprising four of said spacer vanes disposed radially 90 degrees apart in a polar array.
9. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 7 wherein each of said spacer vanes is located at a predetermined uniform angle of rotation, relative to a central axis of said outer shell, chosen so as to impart a spiral component into the air-flow pattern with an associated centrifugal effect that tends to diverge the air-flow pattern for enhanced action, blowing bedding materials off sideways from the tined portion.
10. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 2 wherein:
said inner sleeve, said spacer means, said outer shell and said handle-mounting means are molded together integrally of plastic as a single part; and
said handle-mounting means comprises a tubular handle sleeve, made and arranged to fit around said handle and to be fastened thereto, adjoined to said outer shell by a radial strut plate that is configured in a wedge shape so as to provide a predetermined offset angle between central axes of said outer shell and said handle for purposes of optimal air flow direction onto said tined portion.
11. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 1 further comprising an onboard battery power supply providing electrical power to the motor.
12. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 11 wherein said onboard battery power supply is a rechargeable battery pack attached and connected by adaptor means located at an end of said handle opposite the end thereof attached to said tined portion.
13. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 12 wherein said adaptor means comprises a molded plastic combined hand grip and plug-in battery pack holderconnector fitted onto said handle and providing mounting for an on-off switch and providing connector means for readily disconnecting and removing the battery pack from the handle for recharging purposes.
14. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 1 further comprising a manually operable on-off switch, mounted in a predetermined location along said handle, made and arranged to permit a user to conveniently control operation of the motor.
15. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 1 wherein:
said air blower comprises a blower housing having a tubular inner sleeve, a tubular outer shell co-axially surrounding the inner sleeve providing therebetween an annular passageway for air-flow, a plurality of spacer vanes constituting said sleeve-to-shell spacer means, extending radially between outer surfaces of said inner sleeve and inner surfaces of said outer shell in a generally longitudinal axial direction so as to not impede the air-flow but oriented at a slight angle to impart a spiral air-flow pattern, a cylindrical shaped electric motor secured in the inner sleeve, the blades of said fan being pitched so as to direct air-flow onto said tined portion; and
said air blower further comprises a pair of air-flow deflecting plates, located at an air-flow outlet end plane of said outer shell facing said tined portion, configured in an aerodynamically shape and angularly oriented so as to direct portions of the air-flow from said outer shell onto said tined portion in directions that diverge sideways toward two opposite sides of said tined portion for enhanced action by blowing bedding materials off sideways from the main floor region of the tined portion.
16. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 15 wherein said spacer vanes are located at a predetermined uniform angle of rotation, relative to a central axis of said outer shell, chosen so as to impart a spiral component into the air-flow pattern with an associated centrifugal effect that tends to diverge the air-flow pattern for enhanced action, blowing bedding materials off sideways from the tined portion.
17. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 16 wherein:
said inner sleeve, said spacer vanes, said outer shell and said handle-mounting means are molded together integrally of plastic as a single part;
said handle-mounting means comprises a tubular handle sleeve, made and arranged to fit around said handle and to be fastened thereto, adjoined to said outer shell by a pair of strut plates that are each configured in a wedge shape so as to provide a predetermined offset angle between central axes of said outer shell and said handle for purposes of optimal air flow direction onto said tined portion.
18. The combined manure fork and air blower as defined in claim 17 further comprising:
a handgrip, fitted onto an end of said handle opposite the end thereof attached to said tined portion, configured with a battery attachment panel made and arranged to provide battery support and electrical connection;
an onboard rechargeable battery, for providing electrical power to the motor, removably attached to the battery attachment panel; and
a momentary type on-off switch, mounted on said handgrip, made and arranged to permit a user to conveniently finger-control operation of the motor.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A fuel supply apparatus comprising:
a lid unit fitted in a tank opening of a fuel tank, the lid unit having a fuel discharge passage portion through which to discharge fuel inside the fuel tank to an outside thereof and a guide tube portion disposed to extend in a direction inward of the fuel tank;
a fuel pump body having a filter-integrated pump in which a fuel pump and a fuel filter are integrally formed and a fuel reservoir having a bottom capable of coming into abutment with a bottom side of the fuel tank, the filter-integrated pump being integrally accommodated in the fuel reservoir, the fuel inside the fuel tank being transferred under pressure to an internal combustion engine via the fuel discharge passage portion;
a sliding tube portion disposed to extend from the fuel pump body toward the tank opening and expansibly fitted onto the guide tube portion;
an air-tight member disposed in a sliding portion between the guide tube portion and the sliding tube portion; and
a pressure regulator secured to the fuel pump body and operative to regulate a pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel discharge passage portion to a predetermined pressure,
the fuel pump body being operative to travel according to variations in depth of the bottom side of the fuel tank by making use of relative expanding and shortening movements between the guide tube portion and the sliding tube portion, by an urging force generated on the basis of a pressure regulated by the pressure regulator.
2. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fuel discharged from the fuel filter is supplied to the fuel discharge passage portion via a storage chamber formed by the guide tube portion and the sliding tube portion, a pressure inside the storage chamber being regulated to a predetermined value by the pressure regulator.
3. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fuel discharged from the fuel filter is supplied from an outlet of the fuel filter directly to the fuel discharge passage portion via a connecting member, a pressure at the outlet of the fuel filter being regulated to a predetermined value by the pressure regulator.
4. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the connecting member is formed in any of coiled, S-like and zigzag shapes.
5. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein excess fuel remaining after the pressure has been regulated by the pressure regulator is supplied via the pressure regulator to a storage chamber formed by the guide tube portion and the sliding tube portion, and a valve mechanism portion is provided in the storage chamber to detect a predetermined pressure inside the storage chamber, and to cause the excess fuel inside the storage chamber to flow into the fuel reservoir.
6. A fuel supply apparatus comprising:
a lid unit fitted in a tank opening of a fuel tank and having a fuel discharge passage portion through which to discharge fuel inside the fuel tank to an outside thereof;
a fuel pump body having a filter-integrated pump in which a fuel pump and a fuel filter are integrally formed and a fuel reservoir having a bottom capable of coming into abutment with a bottom side of the fuel tank, the filter-integrated pump being integrally accommodated in the fuel reservoir, the fuel inside the fuel tank being transferred under pressure to an internal combustion engine via the fuel discharge passage portion;
a pressure regulator secured to the fuel pump body and operative to regulate a pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel discharge passage portion to a predetermined pressure;
a flexible connecting member through which to supply the fuel discharged from the fuel filter from an outlet of the fuel filter directly to the fuel discharge passage portion; and
a cavity portion which is provided in a bottom portion of the fuel tank and into which a bottom portion of the fuel pump body is fitted, the cavity portion serving to guide vertical movements of the fuel pump body,
the fuel pump body being operative to travel according to variations in depth of the bottom side of the fuel tank by making use of the guide cavity portion, by an urging force generated on the basis of a pressure regulated by the pressure regulator.
7. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the fuel pump is removably integrally held in a filter case having a cylindrical shape by pump holding members provided on the fuel pump to engage, respectively, with first engaging portions arranged in a peripheral portion of the filter case, with the fuel pump inserted in a hollow portion of the filter case.
8. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the filter-integrated pump is removably integrally held in the fuel reservoir by second engaging portions.
9. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the bottom of the fuel reservoir has an umbrella-shaped check valve which enables the fuel inside the fuel tank to flow into the fuel reservoir and disables the fuel inside the fuel reservoir from flowing out therefrom.
10. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 6, wherein excess fuel remaining after the pressure has been regulated by the pressure regulator is made to flow into the fuel reservoir.
11. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the fuel reservoir has an inflow hole which is closed by an umbrella portion of the check valve and a holding hole in which a grip portion of the check valve is insertedly held through a cut-out portion of the holding hole.
12. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the air-tight member is made of a molded rubber product having a plurality of stacked lip-shaped portions.
13. A fuel supply apparatus according to claim 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of shock absorbing members are respectively provided at the bottom of the fuel reservoir at locations where the plurality of shock absorbing members are placed in abutment with the tank bottom of the fuel tank.

1. A method of producing a molded article comprising the steps of:
a. positioning an insert within a first mold;
b. filling the first mold with a first material to form a lost core assembly, wherein the insert is molded in to the lost core assembly;
c. inserting the lost core assembly into a second mold;
d. filling the second mold with a second material to form a plastic article containing the lost core assembly and completely covering an outer surface of the insert with the second material; and
e. removing the first material to form a cavity including the insert, wherein the insert defines a portion of a surface of the cavity.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step e) further comprises submerging the plastic article with the lost core assembly into a liquid having a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the first material, and less than the melting temperature of the second material.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step d) further comprises defining a surface of the cavity with an outer surface of the lost core assembly.
4. The method of claim 1,wherein said step b) further comprises securing the insert with said first material within the lost core assembly.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step c) further comprises transferring the insert from said first mold to said second mold as part of the lost core assembly.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step a) further comprises positioning at least two inserts within the first mold in a desired position.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of maintaining the desired position of each insert during said steps b, c and d within said lost core assembly.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising retaining the desired position of the inserts during said step c) within said plastic article.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the insert defines a portion of a surface of the cavity.
10. The method of claim 1, including a plurality of inserts defining specific features of the cavity of the plastic article.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said first material is a metal alloy.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein said first material is of a lower melting temperature than said second material.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein said second material comprises plastic.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein said insert comprises a bearing race for supporting a rotating component.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein said plastic article comprises an outboard assembly.
16. A method of fabricating an outboard assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
a) positioning a plurality of inserts within a first mold;
b) filling said first mold with a first material to form a lost core assembly, wherein the insert is molded into the lost core assembly;
c) transferring said lost core assembly from said first mold to a second mold;
d) filling said second mold with a second material to form the outboard assembly containing the lost core assembly, wherein an outer surface of the plurality of inserts is completely covered by the second material;
e) removing said first material from said outboard assembly and retaining the plurality of inserts within the outboard assembly.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein said step c) further comprises submerging the plastic article with the lost core assembly into a liquid having a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the first material, and less than the melting temperature of the second material.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the inserts are support structures for rotating members within the completed outboard assembly.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the inserts include securing features cooperating with the outboard assembly to retain the inserts in a desired position.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a transformer to transform a message from a first format to a second format; and
a switch to switch the transformed message to a selected processing node.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a transforming switch.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a message director coupled to the transformer and the switch, the message director to make a switching decision for the message based upon application data in the message, and then to output the switching decision to the switch.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transformer selects a transformation template to transform the message based on one or more of the following in the message matching a predetermined pattern or value:
an address andor port number in the message;
a request line or an identification of an application to process a portion of the message;
a root element or a root tag or other information that describes the content of the message;
a validation template or a reference to a validation template;
one or more XML tags; and
business transaction information.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the validation template comprises either a Document Type Definition (DTD) or a schema.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is a transforming switch coupled between a network and a plurality of servers or processing nodes.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transformer transforms the message from a first XML format to a second XML format.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transformer transforms the message from one or more of the following:
HTML to XML;
XML to HTML;
XML to EDI;
EDI to XML;
XML to ASCII flat file;
ASCII flat file to XML;
ASCII flat file to EDI; and
EDI to ASCII flat file.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a security accelerator to encrypt andor decrypt messages.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a validator coupled to the transformer to validate received messages based on one or more validation templates.
11. An apparatus comprising:
a validator to validate messages based on one or more validation templates;
a transformer coupled to the validator to transform the message from a first format to a second format;
a switch coupled to the transformer to switch or output the transformed message to a selected processing node or server.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 and further comprising a security accelerator coupled to the validator to encrypt andor decrypt messages.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the validator comprises a validator coupled to the security accelerator to validate messages based on one or more validation templates, the validation templates provided either within the message or retrieved from an external location based on a reference to the validation template provided in the message.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the validator validates a message and then removes validation instructions in the message andor adds to the message an indication that the message has been validated.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the validator passes at least a portion of the validation instructions to the transformer.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the portion of validation instructions comprises a reference to a validation template.
17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the transformer transforms the message based on a first portion of the message that matches a first predetermined pattern or value, and the switch switches the message to a selected processing node or server based on a second portion of the message that matches a second predetermined pattern or value.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first portion of the message and the second portion of the message each may comprise one or more of:
an address andor port number in the message;
a request line or an identification of an application to process a portion of the message;
a root element or a root tag or other information that describes the content of the message;
a validation template or a reference to a validation template;
one or more XML tags; and
business transaction information.
19. The apparatus of clam 17 wherein the second portion comprises a second portion of the message before the message is transformed.
20. The apparatus of clam 17 wherein the second portion comprises a second portion of the message after the message is transformed.
21. A method comprising:
receiving a message;
determining if a transformation should be performed on the message;
performing the following if the transform should be performed:
identifying a transform template to be used to transform the message; and
transforming the message from a first format to a second format using the identified transform template; and

switching the message to a selected server or processing node.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein identifying a transform is based upon a first portion of the message, while the switching is based upon second portion of the message.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein the first portion of the message comprises one or more of the following:
an address andor port number in the message;
a request line or an identification of an application to process a portion of the message;
a root element or a root tag or other information that describes the content of the message;
a validation template or a reference to a validation template;
one or more XML tags; and
business transaction information.
24. The method of claim 22 wherein the second portion of the message comprises one or more of the following:
an address andor port number in the message;
a request line or an identification of an application to process a portion of the message;
a root element or a root tag or other information that describes the content of the message;
a validation template or a reference to a validation template;
one or more XML tags; and
business transaction information.
25. A method comprising:
receiving a message;
determining if a transformation should be performed on the message;
performing the following if the transform should be performed:
identifying a transform template to be used to transform the message, the identifying based upon a root element or a root tag or other information that describes the content of the message, andor a validation template or a reference to a validation template;
transforming the message from a first format to a second format using the identified transform template; and

switching the message to a selected server or processing node.
26. The method of claim 25 and further comprising validating the received message.
27. The method of claim 26 and wherein the validating comprises either removing validation instructions from the message andor adding an indication that the message has been pre-validated.
28. The method of claim 25 wherein the switching comprises switching the message to a selected server or processing node based on tags andor business transaction information within the message.
29. An apparatus comprising a media having instructions thereon, the instructions resulting in the following when executed:
receiving a message;
determining if the message should be transformed;
performing the following if the message should be transformed:
identifying a transform template to be used to transform the message; and
transforming the message from a first format to a second format using the identified transform template; and

switch the message to a selected server or processing node.
30. An apparatus coupled to a network and one or more processing nodes, the apparatus to receive a message, to transform the message from a first format to a second format, and to output the message.
31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the apparatus comprises a transforming switch comprising:
a validator to validate messages;
a transformer coupled to the validator to selectively transform messages; and
a switch coupled to the transformer to switch or output the messages.
32. An apparatus coupled to a first processing node and a second processing node, the apparatus to receive a message from the first processing node via a first connection, to transform the message from a first format to a second format, to send the transformed message to the second processing node via a second connection.
33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the apparatus comprises:
a validator to validate messages;
a transformer coupled to the validator to selectively transform messages; and
a switch coupled to the transformer to switch or output the messages.
34. A method comprising:
receiving a request message at a first processing node;
generating a response message;
outputting the response message;
transforming the message from a first data format to a second data format;
sending the transformed response message to a second processing node.
35. A method comprising:
sending a first message from a first processing node to a transforming switch;
transforming the first message from a first format to a second format;
sending the transformed first message from the transforming switch to a second processing node;
generating a second message in response to the first message;
sending the second message from the second processing node to the transforming switch;
transforming the second message from the second format to the first format; and
sending the transformed second message to the first processing node.
36. A method comprising:
sending a first message from a first processing node to a transforming switch;
transforming the first message from a first format to a second format;
sending the transformed first message from the transforming switch to a second processing node;
generating a second message in response to the first message;
sending the second message from the second processing node to the transforming switch;
transforming the second message from the third format to a fourth format; and
sending the transformed second message to the first processing node.
37. The method of claim 36 wherein the second format is the same as the third format, and the fourth format is the same as the first format.