Other

United Technologies Corporation

Z Keepers, LLC

David C Smith

Russell G Meyerand, Jr

John A Benda

Gary E Palma

Paul R Blaszuk

Clyde O Brown

Melvin P Williams

Michael C Fowler

Kurt E Oughstun

Albert Braig

Michael D Mitchell

Alfred J Bannister

A clamping device for mounting a sink to a counter includes a clamp having a clamp body and a binding spring of a flat-profile, bending type ('bending spring'), a binding lip for insertion through a first slot in the bottom surface of the countertop adjacent to the sink, the clamp and binding lip connected to the clamp body and extending away therefrom at least partially over an edge of the sink, and a clamp screw for insertion through a first opening in the clamp body and against a flange of the sink. The clamp screw may be covered by a screw cap, and a solid portion of the binding spring may be disposed between the clamp screw and the sink flange, or an opening in the binding spring may permit the clamp screw to press directly against the sink flange.

Sink clamp and methods

Sink clamp

A device for holding objects such as key rings, security cameras, and the like to the corner of a pair of walls. The device is a mount having a pair of bodies each having magnets and attachment features. The device also includes connectors which can be used to connect mounts together and object supports which can be attached in multiple ways.

Magnetic mount

A clamping device for mounting a sink to a counter includes a clamp having a clamp body and a binding spring, a binding lip for insertion through a first slot in the bottom surface of the countertop adjacent to the sink, the clamp and binding lip connected to the clamp body and extending away therefrom at least partially over an edge of the sink, and a clamp screw for insertion through a first opening in the clamp body and against a solid portion of the binding spring interposed between the clamp screw and the edge of the sink.

Apparatus and method for measuring fluid velocity in a conduit or in open space comprises providing a laser which sends a beam through the fluid, measuring how the beam deflects due to the effect of transverse-moving fluid on the beam, and calculating velocity based on the deflection. The laser beam is one which causes thermal blooming within the fluid and that causes the beam to deflect as a function of the velocity of the fluid. The beam deflection is directly or indirectly measured, for example by looking at the movement of a beam spot on a target, or by sensing the change in intensity of the beam at a target.

Laser system for measuring fluid velocity

Measurement of the deviation of a laser beam from a straight line, where the laser beam is of a type which causes thermal blooming, is used to determine the integrated effect which wind will have on an article traveling through airspace, for example, to enable an adjustment in the aim point of the article. The invention includes correcting the aim point of a gun firing a projectile, correcting the flight path of an aircraft, and correcting the path of a watercraft. The invention includes a method and means for measuring the flow of fluid in a conduit or as a free mass, for purposes other than adjusting the path of a projectile or the like.

Laser system for measuring motion of a gas and for aiming an object

An apparatus for retaining at least one sheet against a back surface is disclosed herein. In at least one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a wedge member, a roller member, a biasing member, and a release mechanism. The roller member is moveable between a first position where the roller surface contacts the wedge member and a second position where the roller surface is separated from the wedge member. The biasing member biases the roller member toward the first position. The release mechanism is connected to the roller member and moveable between a clamp position and a release position. The release mechanism moves the roller member from the first position to the second position when the release mechanism is moved from the clamp position to the release position.

Apparatus for retaining sheets against a back surface

Buried land mines, which are triggered by pressure, particularly anti-personnel mines which are triggered by the pressure of a person's foot, are destroyed by impinging laser beam pulses on the surface of the soil. With appropriately chosen beam parameters, a laser supported detonation is created in the atmosphere above the soil by each beam pulse impingement. That results in a blast wave within the soil, the pressure of which causes a mine trigger to explode the mine. A multiplicity of beam pulses are impinged on the soil surface in location- and time-coordination, to create a multiplicity of blast waves which provide pressure-time profiles within the shallow depth of the soil, sufficient to trigger mine types that are configured to resist triggering from a single detonation, whether induced by laser or chemical means.

Counter-mining using laser induced pressure wave

The output of a high power pulsed or CW laser (), which may be mounted on a vehicle () is reflected from a convex mirror () to a concave mirror () that is displaced radially outward on a rotating structure () from the convex mirror by at least two beam diameters so that each pulse emanates from a position around a circle which is displaced from adjacent pulses by at least the diameter of the beam, thereby to minimize thermal blooming, or the position of a CW output laser beam is slewed. Directing the beams so that all of them will converge at a target area which is a given range from the apparatus is achieved by moving the convex mirror axially in response to range control signals provided through brushes () and slip rings (). The rotating structure () including the laser waveguide () is journaled by bearings () for rotation by a gear in response to a pinion () and gear reduction () driven by a motor ().

Minimizing high power laser thermal blooming in the atmosphere

In heating and cooling apparatus, molecules of working gas are excited by light irradiation and thereby cooled as the gas flows through a mirrored cooling cell. In a closed loop embodiment, the gas then flows by means of a fan or compressor to a first heat exchanger where heat from the matter being cooled is transferred to the gas; and, then to a second heat exchanger where heat is transferred from the gas to a heat sink. The apparatus may be used either like a heat pump or air conditioner. In an open-end cooling apparatus embodiment, the gas flows from the cooling cell, through the first heat exchanger, and to atmosphere. The light source may be a 10.6 micron laser; or a 9-11 micron electric arc, a hot filament or the Sun. Working gases comprise N and C0 ; exhaust gases of engines or fuel cells; and gases which comprise different molecular composition gases or different isotopic species of the same molecular composition gas.

Kinetic cooling and heating

A lens array ( ) has a plurality of frusto-spherical convex lenses ( ), formed in an optical entry surface ( ) and an optical exit surface ( ), focusing light rays ( ) near the center between each lens pair ( ) in an area ( ) where the laser energy is focused sufficiently to induce vaporization resulting in aerosol breakdown which will absorb 99% or more of the laser energy, and thereby protect high gains optical equipment or eyes from optical damage.

Short pulse laser protection fly's eye lens

A lens includes a medium which absorbs laser radiation that may be harmful to the eye or other high gain optics raising its temperature and thereby changing its index of refraction, adjacent to a medium which does not absorb that radiation thereby providing a spatially fluctuating variation in total phase change, which causes interference and thermal blooming that disperses the radiation sufficiently to lower the intensity at the retinal spot (or optics to be protected) below that which would cause damage. Or, reflective surfaces on absorbing material have the same effect. Volumes which absorb or reflect laser radiation of a given band of frequencies are interspersed with volumes which do not absorb or reflect laser radiation of that given band of frequencies; the second volumes may be non-absorbing and non-reflecting, or may absorb laser radiation of a second band of frequencies. The fluctuation in absorption is small compared to total absorption, thereby to provide elements of radiation having different phases but sufficiently similar intensities. Two (or more) layers of absorbers provide protection from four (or more) bands of frequencies. Lead glass is used, for increased change in index as a function of temperature; and absorbing polycarbonate plastic is used for a lens substrate.

High dispersion, laser protection lens

A confined gaseous mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen is irradiated with a carbon dioxide laser which excites a significant portion of the gas to vibrational energy levels, thereby reducing the translational energy and therefore the temperature of the gas. The gas is adiabatically compressed, and then allowed to relax so that the temperature of the compressed gas increases. The high temperature, compressed gas is then expanded through a turbine or in a cylinder which drives an external device, such as vehicle propulsion apparatus or an electric generator, thereby to perform work. The process may occur in engines having one or more closed cylinders, or in turbocompressors.

Engines driven by laser kinetic cooling

A lens system for protecting high gain optical systems (eyes or equipment) from high intensity laser radiation includes a second mirror disposed on an exit lens, a first mirror formed by half silvering the inner surface of a focusing entry lens, and a medium such as sugar water containing aerosol particles of three-micron carbon, which induces ionization that will absorb the incoming laser radiation. One binocular embodiment uses the foregoing medium; a second binocular embodiment uses a solid lens material laden with aerosol particles.

Growing community of inventors

Glastonbury, CT, United States of America

David C Smith