Other

Sci Systems, Inc.

Sanmina-sci Corporation

Sanmina Corporation

Building Materials Investment Corporation

Energy Research Corporation

Sci Industries, Inc.

David R Porter

Drake L Koch

Ralph Barry Johnson

Arthur H Werkheiser

Walter T Castleberry

Max Edward Klein

Jack Driller

William Henriksen

Russell R Chapman

James J Galipeau

George C Chandler

John M Cobb

David E Lloyd

Scott Nowatzki

Denby Snell

Dave Fancher

William J Oxford

Greg Zimmerman

David DeRogatis

Harold E Ewing

Steve Kiso

Robert Benjamin Conger

Scott Rega

Aspects of the present disclosure are related unmanned aerial vehicles tethered to ground stations with an expendable airborne fiber-optic link. The tethers may be fiber-optic cables that can be used as a communications conduit between a ground station and a UAV for providing vehicle positioning/control information to the UAV as well as transmitting a large amount of information/data to the UAV. As the information being transmitted between to the UAV the ground station is critical, fiber-optic cables provide the bandwidth and transmission capabilities required with the added benefit of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI) immunity, making this an ideal solution for these applications.

Expendable airborne fiber optic link

A pet grooming tool for grooming a furry pet. The pet grooming tool includes a handle portion and multiple pet engageable portions. The handle portion has a head portion, and each pet engageable portion is secured to the head portion. Each of the pet engageable portions comprises a plurality of teeth arranged in a row and a plurality of edge segments with a gap between each adjacent pair of teeth.

Pet grooming tool with multiple pet engageable portions

A bicycle saddle includes a seat bladder fastened to a base frame. The seat bladder has one or more cavities that include an internal channel along a portion of the seat bladder's centerline that blocks the flow of fluid from side-to-side along the length of the internal channel. A rear fluid channel allows fluid to flow from side-to-side as the rider's weight shifts from side-to-side during the pedaling cycle. Fluid also flows from side-to-side where the pommel portion flows into the wider seating portion of the set bladder by moving around the forward end of the longitudinal channel. The perimeter of the seat bladder overhangs the perimeter of the base frame by a variable amount throughout the perimeter of the base frame.

Bicycle saddle that balances sitting force

Bicycle saddle

In one aspect, an optical media converter is provided for use within aircraft data networks. In one example, the optical media converter converts electrical doublet signals to optical Manchester signals, and vice versa. In an illustrative example, the optical media converter includes a receiver circuit coupled to a fiber optic port for receiving a Manchester-encoded input signal using an edge-coupled filter that filters out signals not associated with edges within the time-varying input signal Manchester signal. The optical media converter also provides, for example, for high common mode rejection and includes logic to correct for bit-width skew. The optical media converter is well-suited for use in converting doublet signals generated by a serial interface module of a line replaceable unit of an ARINC 629-compatible system into optical Manchester signals for transmission over a fiber optic bus system interconnected by a star coupler.

Optical media converter with edge-coupled filtering

An integrated rockably released leverage snap fastening system may be removably fastened to the male snap to hold at least one item such as a tarpaulin in place to a boat or the like. To facilitate unfastening, male snap and rockable lever snap assembly cooperatively combine to create a class 1 lever system which may permit a user to rockably release the snap while reducing risk of damage to the tarpaulin. Various embodiments are discussed.

Integrated rockably released leverage snap fastening system

Fasteners, and related methods, for securing deck boards to a support joist are disclosed. In one embodiment, the fastener comprises a base portion and a cap portion on the base portion. In some embodiments, the base portion includes an opening formed therethrough for receiving a securing device, and legs extending from an upper surface of the base portion and between edges of adjacent deck boards to define a spacing between the adjacent deck boards. The cap portion can include an opening for receiving the securing device therethrough to secure the fastener to the support joist. In addition, the cap portion may include legs extending around the base portion and comprising teeth extending therefrom that bite into grooves formed in the edges of the adjacent deck boards when the securing device secures the fastener to the support joist, thereby securing the deck boards to the support joist.

Hidden decking fastener and related method of fastening deck boards

The high-altitude balloon has a skin made of nearly evacuated electrostatically inflated cells which provide thermal insulation to minimize heat loss from the gas in the balloon, while transmitting heat from the sun to heat the gas. The lower surface of the balloon is reflective to microwave or laser beams. A stable array of the balloons is maintained at a high altitude and is used to facilitate communications in a world-wide communications system. Ascent of the balloon is well controlled and weight is minimized by starting with lighter-than-air gases in liquid form, releasing a lifting gas into the craft, and then using the empty containers to store the remaining gas when the balloon is aloft.

Method and apparatus for stratospheric and space structures

Stratospheric balloon utilizing electrostatic inflation of walls

Fiber-optic cable is dispensed underwater into a trench from a vehicle moving along the bed of the body of water. The cable is wound on a stationary spool and dispensed over the end of the spool by a rotary arm driven by a motor controlled to maintain a desired tension in the cable. The cable has a fiber optic core, metal wires wound around the core, and a tensioned laminate of copper tape adhered to plastic tape wound around the wires.

Cable dispenser and method

A system of reflectors is used to form beam-expanding and collimating electro-optic transducer devices, including radiation sources and/or detectors. Preferably, the reflector system is of the Cassegrainian or Ritchey-Chretien type. Radiation such as light signals can be conducted to or from the transducers by fiber-optic cables. Alignment of optical conductors or 'cores' of the fiber-optic cables or the reflector system with a transducer is provided by coupling a magnetic member to the conductor or reflector system and applying a controllable magnetic field from outside of the device to provide alignment, and then fixing the components in place by the use of means such as light-curable epoxy resin.

Electro-optical transducer with multi-reflector beam-expanding and collimating input/output device

A multiple-reflector collimator and beam spreader is aligned with a source point by visual means, in addition to or instead of an electrical detector, in order to avoid the need to send a signal through the system to a detector in order to align the components.

Visual alignment of multiple-reflector collimation system

The cable has a fiber optic core, metal wires wound around the core, and a laminate of copper tape adhered to plastic tape wound around the wires under tension.

Fiber optic cable

Device and method for controlling a towed vehicle such as a bomb damage detector towed on a tether cord behind the bomb. The towed vehicle is ejected from the bomb at a selected release point in its trajectory. A tether cord is wound on a spool and dispensed from the spool longitudinally. The payout of tether cord is braked by a brake using the wrapping of the cord around a curved guide to increase the braking force supplied by an electric brake. The vehicle can be completely released from the cord prior to the bomb explosion to increase the viewing time without increasing the length of the cord. A vehicle towed by an aircraft can be recovered by use of a winch in the aircraft and anchoring the tether at the winch. A portion of the tether cord can be covered with a fire-resistant covering to protect it from the hot exhausts of jet or rocket engines on the aircraft.

Growing community of inventors

Huntsville, AL, United States of America

David R Porter