Other

The Mitre Corporation

International Business Machines Corporation

Robert P Latham

Peruvemba S Balasubramanian

Edwin C Grazier

John David Henke

Martin J Myers

A deployable platform is disposed at a side of the hull of a marine vessel and is movable between a raised position in which the platform is substantially vertically oriented, and a first lowered position in which the platform is in a horizontal orientation. Further, at least a portion of the platform can be lowered to a second lower position that is below the first lowered position. In the second lowered position the platform will normally be submerged when the vessel is afloat in water. In the raised position the platform forms a portion of the side of the hull and acts to exclude water from entering the vessel.

Hydraulic marine vessel door assembly

Method, systems, and techniques for determining the age of an underground space are provided. In some embodiments, determining the age of an underground space comprises taking soil samples from a plurality of surface locations within a second underground space, analyzing the soil samples from the plurality of surface locations to determine an amount of a chemical compound for each soil sample, and determining an age of the second underground space using one or more relationships based on amounts of the chemical compound measured in a plurality of soil samples taken over a period of time in a first underground space and a baseline amount of the chemical compound at one or more locations remote from both the first underground space and the second underground space.

Determining the age of a tunnel

A hydraulic boat lift assembly will raise and lower a boat cradle remotely, and will securely lock the cradle in an uppermost storage position. The lift as provided with a manual mechanism for unlocking the cradle from its uppermost storage position for operation when the hydraulic system is not available. The lift has a support frame that is mountable on the outside of the transom of a boat with hydraulic connections to a hydraulic system and controls within the boat. A lift mechanism connected to the support frame raises and lowers a cradle that supports a small boat or tender. The lift mechanism includes one or more hydraulic lift cylinders. In a retracted position of the lift cylinder, the cradle is elevated above the water in a storage position when the boat is under way. To ensure security of the tender, the lift mechanism employs a lock cylinder that prevents inadvertent motion of the lift cylinder from the retracted position by mechanical and hydraulic mechanisms. The lock cylinder must be deliberately unlocked by the hydraulic system before the lift cylinder will lower the cradle. A manual unlock mechanism is provided for use when the hydraulic system is unavailable and the tender must be launched.

Hydraulic boat lift

A marine outboard motor has a rotary bearing on the vertical drive shaft intermediate its ends. This bearing is mounted in a housing that joins the power head to the lower unit. The bearing prevents failure that may occur when the shaft has an unbalance that causes bowing and whipping of the shaft at certain speeds. The bearing is supplied with water from a water pump in the lower unit.

Outboard motor shaft support

A bracket for connecting steering mechanisms and or tie bars to a marine propulsion outdrive that fastens to the outside of the upper and rear cover plates of the outdrive using threaded fasteners that replace fasteners that originally secured the top and rear cover plates. The cover plates do not need to be removed to install the bracket. The bracket is secured by both horizontal and vertical threaded fasteners for greater strength.

Bracket connecting outdrive to steering and/or tie bar

A hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly is provided with an outer sleeve attached to the piston rod. The outer wall of the cylinder has a smooth wall with a circular cross section concentric with the inner bore of the cylinder. The outer sleeve has a smooth inner bore with a circular cross section concentric with the cylinder. The outer sleeve is arranged to slide along the outer wall of the cylinder to provide a sliding linear bearing that resists lateral loads that would otherwise be taken up by the piston and piston rod at their contacts with the cylinder. The sleeve distributes the lateral load over a greater surface area and supports the forces with a stronger structure than conventional assemblies. The sleeve, cylinder and piston have concentric circular cross sections to permit rotation about the central axis without binding. The sleeve has a lubricous plastic lining to enhance sliding contact with the outer wall of the cylinder.

Hydraulic cylinder with lateral support

A remote control box for actuating push-pull cables is arranged for use with different number s of cables, using different numbers of the same, modular components. A housing includes two stationary side members with one or more modular intermediate assemblies supported between the side members. One side member and each intermediate assembly includes a suppport element with connections for one or two control cable sheaths and a control disc rotatably supported on the support element. The control disc is provided with connections for one or two control cable cores and a handle with knob for manually rotating the disc and thereby pushing or pulling the core relative to the stationary sheath. Sheath connections on the support elements and core connections on the control discs are connectable at a variety of positions to accommodate cables entering at a variety of angles to the control box, and for both pushing and pulling simultaneously for use as a relay station.

Push-pull cable control actuator assembly

A compact, integral hydraulic power assembly is provided for mounting above the flywheel of an outboard marine engine. The hydraulic pump couples in coaxial alignment with the crankshaft of the engine. The hydraulic pump is surrounded by an annular hydraulic fluid reservoir with a cooling element having a channel for flowing cooling water to cool the hydraulic fluid. A special rigid coupling between the pump shaft and the flywheel/crankshaft and a resilient coupling of the reservoir housing to the engine ensures correct alignment without adjustment.

Hydraulic power system for outboard motor

A steering plate attaches to an outboard motor without disturbing the joint between engine mounting and driveshaft housing. The attachment fastens to the motor at the sides and rear in two parallel horizontal planes and a vertical plane for rigidity to resist forces in diverse directions.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States of America

Robert P Latham