Abstract: An elevated transit system has a pair of spaced apart guideways for supporting a vehicle. The guideways are supported on vertical columns above the ground. An emergency walkway extends between the guideways The walkway has a plurality of apertures to allow the passage of sunlight to the ground below.

Abstract: A transport system has a pair of laterally spaced apart guideways, each of the guideways having an upward facing track. A vehicle has supports on each side that engage the tracks. A pair of conductor rails are mounted to a shroud extending over the track. Each of the conductor rails has an engaging surface that faces generally laterally from the other. A follower assembly mounted to the vehicle raises into engagement with the rails. The follower assembly has brushes that engage the rails in sliding contact to receive power for the vehicle. The follower assembly is also connected to the steering mechanism of the device for steering the vehicle.

Abstract: A method for using a three-dimensional, woven preform to assemble two components. The woven preform is infused with an adhesive, and at least one surface of the preform is bonded to at least one surface of one of the components using the adhesive within the preform. The other of the components is attached to the preform, and this may occur with fasteners after the adhesive is cured or by bonding the second component to the preform with the adhesive. Use of an adhesive, instead of a resin, creates a stronger joint, especially with fiber-reinforcement of the adhesive. The thickness of the compressible, three-dimensional weave provides for a larger dimensional tolerance at each bond line.

Abstract: A feed mechanism sheet material sequentially on demand to a take-up mechanism of processing machinery. The feed mechanism has a feed table with a gate. Sheets may be stacked against the gate, which allows only the lowermost sheet to pass therebeneath. Rollers within the surface of the rotatably driven to advance the lowermost sheet beneath the gate to the take-up mechanism. A restraining device prevents freewheeling over run of the rollers. The sheets may be longer in length than the circumference of a tool-carrying roll set used to process the sheet. The difference is accommodated by transferring sheet feed through the nip between the tool set and a separate servo-controlled drive upstream of the nip.

Abstract: An animal collar has a band with an inner layer and an outer layer. A pair of screws extend through and protrude from the outer layer for securing to a control unit that supplies an electrical signal upon the occurrence of a selected event. A pair of conductive leads extends from the screws in opposite directions between the inner and outer layers. A threaded receptacle is located at the electrode end of each lead. An electrode extends through a hole in the inner layer and engages the threaded receptacle.

Abstract: A concrete fencing system uses a pair of end posts to support a pair of rails, which support a plurality of panels. The end posts and rails have rectangular cross-sections. Each end post has a blind hole and a notch, and each rail has a longitudinal slot. One section of the fencing system is constructed by setting a pair of the end posts in the ground. A lower rail is mounted between the lower ends of the end posts in their blind holes with its slot facing upward. An upper rail is mounted between the upper ends of the end posts in their notches with its slot facing downward. A set of the panels are placed between the end posts and seated in the slots of the rails to form a wall. No additional mechanical fasteners are required to join any of these components.

Abstract: A tool is used for installing a string of casing in a well. The casing is supported by a casing hanger that lands on a landing shoulder of the wellhead assembly. A running mechanism is releasably secured to the casing hanger for landing the casing hanger and setting a casing hanger seal. A profile is formed in the wellhead assembly above the landing shoulder. The tool includes a body having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion being secured to the running mechanism. A mandrel is mounted to the body for axial movement relative to the body, the mandrel having a threaded upper end for securing to a running string of conduit. A cam surface is formed on the mandrel. A plurality of dogs are mounted to the upper portion of the body in sliding engagement with the cam surface for movement in response to axial movement of the mandrel into engagement with the profile. While in the engaged position, the dogs resist upward movement of the casing hanger during cementing of the string of casing.

Abstract: A first passageway (17) provides a first fluid flow path, in a well between a first zone (9) and a, common region (26). A second passageway (23), outside the first passageway (17), provides a second fluid flow path; between the second zone (10) and the common region (26). The first passageway (17) is provided with a first flow controller (25), for controlling the flow of fluid between the first zone (9) and the common region (26). The second passageway (23) is provided with a second flow controller (28), for controlling the flow of fluid between the second zone (10) and the common region (26).

Abstract: A hard disk drive has an enclosure with disk construction members and is characterized by covering the enclosure with an electrically conductive sheet. The electrically conductive sheet protects the drive regardless of which direction an ESD charge is applied. The electrically conductive sheet does not permit ESD to pass through the disk construction members stored in the enclosure. Therefore, it is possible to form a structure in which a GMR head or the like in an enclosure is not damaged due to ESD even if the enclosure is handled by a general end user. Moreover, the present invention relates to an electrically conductive sheet for covering at least both principal planes of the enclosure of a hard disk drive constituted as described above. Other modes of the invention include at least both principal planes of an enclosure being covered by the electrically conductive sheet in such a way that both sheets on both principal planes are electrically connected.

Abstract: A method is provided for using a woven preform having a base and at least one leg extending from the base. The preform is used to assemble first and second composite laminate components formed from tape or fabric and a resin matrix. Z-pins are inserted into the first component prior to its being cured, forming a stubble extending above a surface of the first component. The uncured preform is placed on the surface of the first component, the stubble extending into the preform. The cured second component is attached to the preform. Over-wrap plies are optionally placed on the outer surfaces of preform. Adhesive is optionally placed between the preform and the first and second components. A vacuum bag and tooling are used while curing the preform to adhere the legs of the preform to the second component and the base of the preform to the first component.

Abstract: There is disclosed an electrostatically charged filter material comprising a blend of polyester fibers and electrostatically chargeable fibers of at least one other kind.

Abstract: A crimping tool has a handle lever portion and a crimp portion with a press and a base housing. The base housing has a placement location with a recessed surface for engaging a jack and a recessed region for a cable. The base housing also has lateral regions that have frictionally engaging surface portions for clamping to wire ends. The press has a plunger and a housing with terminating blades for shearing excess wire from the cable when the tool engages a twisted pair cable to a jack. The blades cut the wires and the excess wire is discarded. The press and the base housing then disengage and the jack is removed from the tool with the cable in communication with the electrical contacts of the jack.

Abstract: A method is provided of smoothing the perturbations on a surface, in particular the surface of a magnetic head slider, the method comprising several steps. At least one air-bearing surface to be smoothed is exposed to an ion species generated from a defined source to form a beam of incident radiation. The beam has a linear axis emanating from the source and thus forms an angle of incident radiation with respect to the surface to be smoothed. The at least one surface is smoothed by exposing the surface(s) to be smoothed to the beam of incident radiation, where the angle of incident radiation is less than 90° relative to a vertical axis drawn perpendicular to the surface to be smoothed. To make a corrosion resistant magnetic head slider, the method further comprises coating the smoothed surface with a layer of amorphous carbon.

Abstract: A frame is used to land on a base and soft land a connector receptacle on the end of a flowline to a mandrel protruding from the base. After the frame lands on the base, the frame and the receptacle are pushed toward the base, which causes frame latching members to latch the frame to the base. The frame holds the base and the receptacle is still above the mandrel. The frame and receptacle are pushed further towards the base and the connector receptacle abuts the mandrel. The connector receptacle moves relative to the frame as the frame is pushed closer to the base, which causes an actuator on the frame to move dogs on the receptacle to engage the mandrel and lock the receptacle to the mandrel. The frame can move away from the mandrel and continue to be latched to the base while disengaging the receptacle from the mandrel.

Abstract: A method of deploying a subsea line utilizes a subsea deployment unit. A drum wrapped with the line is mounted to the unit. The unit is lowered on a cable into the sea from a surface vessel. An ROV is lowered on an umbilical into the sea and brought into engagement with the unit. The ROV provides thrust and guidance to move the unit along a desired path above the sea floor. The ROV also supplies power to the motor of the unit to cause the drum to rotate and deploy the line from the drum. The ROV disengages from the unit and connects the ends of the line to subsea components.

Abstract: A tool lands a flowline connector on a base and soft land the connector to a mandrel. After the tool lands on the base, the tool locks to the base and then pushes the connector the mandrel until it abuts locks to the member. The tool has at least one ring assembly with a number of dogs per ring assembly. Each dog moves in unison with a follower relative to a cam ring in a slot. The movement along the slot moves the dogs radially and circumferentially relative to the cam ring. An actuator moves a follower ring that slides relative to the cam ring which moves the follower. Each dog remains in contact with the cam ring after moving radially inward because of protuberances on each dog that slide from a recess as the dog moves circumferentially and radially inward.

Abstract: A dressing block for dressing or finishing a work surface has an abrasive surface with abrasive parallel ribs. The ribs of the dressing block are for slidingly engaging a work surface having a pattern of protuberances separated by intersecting recesses. The abrasive surface of the ribs and the grooves between the ribs slidingly engage the protuberances and the recesses to dress the work surface. The user slides the dressing block relative to the work surface in a first direction to engage a first set of the recesses. The user then slides the dressing block in a second direction to engage the second set of recesses.