Abstract: A manufacturing process for making aircraft engine parts utilizes reusable reconfigurable smart memory polymer mandrel tooling, low temperature metal deposition, and composite part lay-up with resin coated conformable braided carbon fiber sleeves, to fabricate both metal internal engine parts and non-metal external parts for turbine engines.

Abstract: A system and method for forecasting the sales of a new item, i.e., one with no historical sales data, is presented. Two matrices are presented, a feature matrix and a sales matrix. The matrices are divided into training matrices and prediction matrices. The training matrices are decomposed, then regression analysis is performed to determine the weight of various columns of the training feature matrix. Thereafter, the weights could be used on the training prediction matrix to predict sales. The sales predictions can be used to order SKUs for a retailer or distributor. Other embodiments are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: A preform for fabricating a wheel rim and a method of making a preform is provided. The preform includes a main section and at least one secondary section, each section being formed from composite materials, such as triaxially braided composite material that includes fibers oriented in at least three directions. The main section forms at least part of a lateral section of the preform and the secondary section forms at least part of a radial portion of the preform, the radial portion of the preform being generally perpendicular to the lateral section of the preform. The preform is fabricated from a plurality of composite layers, at least some being custom composite layers having a plurality of axial fibers interwoven intermittently with substantially consistent first and second sets of biased fibers. In some embodiments, the preform is initially fabricated in an intermediate configuration prior to being moved to a final configuration.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are neural networks for generating target classifications for an object from a set of input sequences. Each input sequence includes a respective input at each of multiple time steps, and each input sequence corresponds to a different sensing subsystem of multiple sensing subsystems. For each time step in the multiple time steps and for each input sequence in the set of input sequences, a respective feature representation is generated for the input sequence by processing the respective input from the input sequence at the time step using a respective encoder recurrent neural network (RNN) subsystem for the sensing subsystem that corresponds to the input sequence. For each time step in at least a subset of the multiple time steps, the respective feature representations are processed using a classification neural network subsystem to select a respective target classification for the object at the time step.

Abstract: The present invention concerns virtual reality viewers for use with touchscreen enabled mobile devices. The virtual reality viewer comprises: a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device within an interior of the housing; and an input mechanism that is accessible from an exterior of the housing and that is moveable within the interior between a first position and an extended position, wherein a surface of the input mechanism is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the extended position. The disclosed systems and methods facilitate receiving user inputs on the exterior of the housing and providing the user inputs to the touchscreen within the housing using the electro-mechanical input mechanism. Accordingly, the viewer can be used with a variety of smartphones without requiring magnetic switches or a wireless/cable connection between the input device and the smartphone.

Abstract: A modular stator includes a first stator module and a second stator module. The first stator module includes a plurality of first coil end regions and a plurality of first junctions. The second stator module includes a plurality of second coil end regions and a plurality of second junctions. The first stator module and the second stator module are joined at the plurality of first junctions and the plurality of second junctions.

Abstract: The present invention provides an injection molded primer insert for polymer ammunition comprising: a top surface opposite a bottom surface; a primer flash hole aperture positioned in the top surface extending through to the bottom surface; a substantially cylindrical coupling element extending away from the bottom surface forming an interior surface inside the substantially cylindrical coupling element and an exterior surface; a primer recess in the top surface that extends toward the bottom surface, a primer flash aperture positioned in the primer recess to extend through the bottom surface, and a flange that extends circumferentially about an outer edge of the top surface, wherein the flange is adapted to receive a polymer overmolding.

Abstract: A laser tag gaming system is provided comprising a plurality of laser tag gaming apparatuses. Each laser tag gaming apparatus has a laser tag gun and a laser tag target, which can be wirelessly paired to one another. Gaming functionality can only be achieved upon receipt of a successful pair condition at a pairing circuit of each of the laser tag gun and laser tag target, which is lost if either of the laser tag gun and laser tag target is deactivated. This reduces the chances of players cheating by resetting their laser tag target.

Abstract: The systems, devices, and methods described herein relate to modulo GRIN optical design concepts. The modulo GRIN optical design may include optical devices including may include one or more gradient portions. These optical devices may include an index of refraction with a profile that gradually transitions along an axis of the optical devices with areas of abrupt change. The profile of this index of refraction may provide a shorter focal length than possible using conventional GRIN index of refraction profiles.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide entertainment gaming systems and methods comprising, among other things, a real world non-random number outcome generator machine and an entertainment gaming machine wherein the non-random outcome from the real world non-random number generator machine is processed into an entertainment gaming machine outcome. The entertainment gaming system and method of embodiments of the invention may be configured to collect non-random number based outcome from a real-world event and transmitting it to the entertainment gaming machine. The non-random number outcome from the real-world is processed into an entertainment gaming machine outcome event by the entertaining game machine processor or by the central server.

Abstract: The present invention concerns virtual reality viewers for use with touchscreen enabled mobile devices. The virtual reality viewer comprises: a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device within interior of the housing; and an input mechanism that is accessible from an exterior of the housing and that is moveable within the interior between a first position and an extended position, wherein a surface of the input mechanism is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the position. The disclosed systems and methods facilitate receiving user inputs on the exterior of the housing and providing the user inputs to the touchscreen within the housing using the electro-mechanical input mechanism. Accordingly, the viewer can be used with a variety of smartphones without requiring switches or a wireless/cable connection between the input device and the smartphone.

Abstract: A method of freeze-drying comprising rapidly freezing either liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide in and around a material having pores at a rate of at least 0.2° C./min to limit the size of crystals formed from the carbon dioxide so as to avoid the formation of gas bubbles and damage to the pores and exposure of the material to gas-liquid interfaces. During freezing a solid layer primarily of solid carbon dioxide is formed on and surrounding the material by transferring heat with a cryogenic liquid circulating about the material. This solid layer protects the material from gas-liquid interfaces and surface tension before decreasing pressure about the material by venting carbon dioxide.