Abstract: A machine gun and associated armament apparatus, including an ammunition box for supplying belted ammunition to the gun, are exteriorly supported on a landing gear sponson tow plate of a helicopter, adjacent a cabin area gunner's window, using a specially designed pintle support structure. The machine gun is horizontally rotatable about a vertical azimuth rotation axis which is forwardly tilted and substantially parallel to the similarly tilted rotor mast axis. The gun's upward firing elevation angle is limited to 1.5 degrees when the gun is pointed forwardly. However, due to the forward tilting of the gun's azimuth rotation axis, its maximum upward firing elevation angle automatically increases as the gun is swung rearwardly, thereby desirably increasing the gun's firing range to the side and rear of the helicopter while at the same time automatically maintaining the bullet path of the forwardly pointed gun safely below the forwardly drooped operational rotor tip path.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for use in conjunction with subterranean well operations. In a described embodiment, an expandable wellbore connector is utilized in interconnecting multiple wellbores in the well. The wellbore connector is expanded into a cavity formed in one wellbore, and then another wellbore is drilled through the wellbore connector. The wellbore connector is sealingly engaged with tubular members in each wellbore.

Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods of using provide convenient and economical forming of an opening through a tubular structure in a subterranean well. In a preferred embodiment, an apparatus has a whipstock wherein a receiver and a cutting device are operatively disposed. The receiver is capable of receiving a predetermined signal from a transmitter disposed within the tubular structure. The cutting device is activated to form the opening through the tubular structure a predetermined time interval after the signal is received.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for completing a wellbore junction. In one embodiment described herein, a lateral wellbore junction is sealed utilizing an apparatus assembled within the well. The apparatus may include multiple housings which are engaged with each other to form a sealed assembly with flow passages extending into the lateral wellbore, and upper and lower portions of a parent wellbore. Associated sealing devices and flexible couplings are also provided.

Abstract: Apparatus for completing a subterranean wellbore and associated methods of using provide relatively uncomplicated and convenient access to a parent wellbore lower portion from a lateral wellbore liner which extends into the parent wellbore above the lower portion. The apparatus is utilized to form an opening through a portion of the liner which overlies the parent wellbore lower portion, thereby providing access thereto. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes a milling guide having an axially extending guide profile formed therein, which guide profile is capable of directing a mill toward the liner portion to form the opening. The milling guide is capable of being anchored in the liner to thereby fix its axial and rotational alignment relative to the liner portion.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided which may be used in completing a wellbore junction. A lateral wellbore junction is sealed utilizing an apparatus assembled within the well. The apparatus may include multiple housings which are engaged with each other to form a sealed assembly with flow passages extending into the lateral wellbore, and upper and lower portions of a parent wellbore. Flexible couplings are provided which facilitate conveyance and positioning of the apparatus in the well.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for completing a wellbore junction. In one embodiment described herein, a lateral wellbore junction is sealed utilizing an apparatus assembled within the well. The apparatus may include multiple housings which are engaged with each other to form a sealed assembly with flow passages extending into the lateral wellbore, and upper and lower portions of a parent wellbore. Associated sealing devices and flexible couplings are also provided.

Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods of using same provide ease of forming an opening through a laterally extending liner to thereby provide access to a portion of a parent wellbore across which the liner extends. In a preferred embodiment, a milling guide has a guide profile formed thereon for directing a cutting tool to contact the liner. The milling guide is cooperatively engageable with an anchor to axially and radially align the guide profile with a portion of the liner which extends across the parent wellbore.

Abstract: A device for providing protection from harmful effects produced when a vehicle is stored with its wiper blades in contact with its windshield. In a preferred embodiment, a device has a wiper arm support portion, an elongated body portion, and a windshield contacting portion. Operative installation of the device between the vehicle's wiper arms and the windshield lifts the wiper blades out of contact with the windshield.

Abstract: A device and associated methods provide protection from harmful effects produced when a vehicle is stored with its wiper blades in contact with its windshield. In a preferred embodiment, a device has a wiper arm support portion, an elongated body portion, and a windshield contacting portion. Operative installation of the device between the vehicle's wiper arms and the windshield lifts the wiper blades out of contact with the windshield.

Abstract: An improved steerable suspension system provides light weight and ease of assembly. In a preferred embodiment, a steerable suspension system has a device attached to opposite ends of a tubular axle. The device includes a number of interconnected plates which cooperate to form an axle seat, and to which a king housing portion is attached.

Abstract: The keyboard portion of a computer has a small toggle switch structure positioned among its keys and reachable by a user while his hands are in the home row typing position. The switch structure is used to selectively switch the computer between typing and cursor control modes. When the computer is switched to its cursor control mode by depressing a stick-like activation portion of the switch structure, a small video camera mounted above the keyboard monitors an observation zone above the keyboard. A cursor control system in which the camera is incorporated detects the presence of the user's hand in a first predetermined configuration within the observation zone, tracks the hand's cursor control movement through the zone, and correspondingly moves the cursor on the computer's display screen. To carry out a cursor "pick" function in conjunction with the repositioned cursor, the user reshapes his hand to a second predetermined configuration.

Abstract: A tower type CPU unit portion of a computer system has a housing with a top side wall in which a spaced series of parallel, elongated support wells are formed. The wells are sized and configured to removably receive relatively small lower edge portions of portable media storage devices, such as compact discs in their protective cases, and support the devices in generally upright positions atop the CPU unit. When the CPU unit is positioned on the floor to one side of the desk upon which the balance of the computer system is placed, the compact discs are conveniently stored in an easily seen, readily accessible and otherwise unused location without requiring a space-consuming storage area on the desktop work area.

Abstract: The elongated body portion of a lap-supportable remote infrared computer keyboard is contoured on its bottom side, by means of a spaced pair of arcuately shaped, generally parallel recesses that extend between front and rear sides of the body, to conform to upper side portions of a seated user's thighs. Positioned in the recesses are spaced series of elongated outwardly projecting parallel ribs which longitudinally extend transversely to the lengths of the recesses and serve to frictionally inhibit front-to-rear shifting of the lap-supported keyboard along the user's thighs. The key member portions of the keyboard are positioned on the top side of the body between left and right end portions thereof. On the top side of one of these end portions is a pointing device, representatively a track ball, and on the top side of the other end portion are a pair of selection buttons.

Abstract: A portable computer is provided with a rotary display screen cursor position control device that includes a rotatably supported disc member that has a radially extending depression formed in an exposed outer side surface thereof. To reposition the display screen cursor, the computer user places a finger in the depression and rotates the disc until the radially outer end of the depression points in a direction corresponding to the desired cursor repositioning movement direction, with the finger being placed at a radial position in the depression corresponding to the cursor repositioning velocity--a radially outer end portion of the depression corresponding to the highest selectable cursor velocity, and a radially inner end portion thereof corresponding to the lowest selectable cursor velocity.

Abstract: A method of determining an object's position and associated apparatus provides positional information in a form that may be conveniently communicated to a computer to calculate the object's position. In a preferred embodiment, representatively incorporated in a computer keyboard, a method of determining an object's position includes forming an optical grid of reflected beacons and detecting an obstruction of the reflected beacons. The preferred embodiment apparatus utilizes a single light source to detect an object's position in two dimensions.

Abstract: A check valve connectable in a refrigerant line is economically fabricated from only four parts--(1) a copper tubing body connectable in the refrigerant line, (2) a nonmetallic shutoff ball, (3) an annular valve seat member having a diametrically opposite pair of leg portions axially projecting from one end thereof, and (4) an annular stop member also having a diametrically opposite pair of leg portions axially projecting from one end thereof, and further having a diametrically opposite pair of axially extending outer side surface grooves formed therein. The seat and stop members are locked together to form a cage structure by axially press-fitting the valve seat member outer leg ends into the stop member grooves in a manner such that the stop member legs underlie and support the seat member legs, with outer ends of the stop member legs facing a conical seating surface of the seat member in an axially spaced relationship therewith.

Abstract: A portable notebook computer has a base housing with a keyboard structure movably supported on its top side. The keyboard structure is movable relative to the base housing between a forwardly disposed, generally horizontal storage and transport orientation and a rearwardly shifted use orientation in which the keyboard structure is upwardly and rearwardly tilted. When the keyboard structure is in its storage and transport orientation a front side portion thereof covers an underlying pointing device, representatively a trackball device. When the keyboard structure is rearwardly shifted to its use orientation it uncovers the pointing device for operation by the computer user. Due to this vertical stacking of the keyboard structure and pointing device, the front-to-rear dimension of the computer base housing may be advantageously reduced. Additionally, due to the rearwardly and upwardly tilted use orientation of the keyboard structure its user operating comfort is enhanced.

Abstract: A computer input device and method of manufacturing same provides multiple input capabilities without utilizing any more space than is required for a single input device. In a preferred embodiment, an input device housing has a keyboard on a top surface and a digitizer on a bottom surface so that the digitizer input function is available to a user without taking up any additional space on a desktop or in a notebook computer.

Abstract: A fuel-fired air heating furnace is provided with NOx reduction apparatus associated with a plurality of combustor tubes forming a portion of the furnace heat exchanger section. Inshot-type fuel burners are spaced apart from and face the open inlet ends of horizontal combustion sections of the combustor tubes. The NOx reduction apparatus includes a plurality of NOx reduction members formed from a metal rod material, and a mounting plate having a row of spaced apart pairs of mounting holes therein. Each NOx reduction member has an elongated, generally U-shaped configuration, with a closed inner end, an open outer end, and a spaced pair of corrugated leg portions extending between such inner and outer ends.