Abstract: A grounding clamp uses a spring driving a piston mounted movable jaw as a safety lockout. The movable jaw and a fixed jaw, which may include teeth, form a conductor clamp. The ground clamp mounts on the end of a hot stick to provide for electrically insulated remote operation of the ground clamp by a lineman holding the hot stick and pulling on, or releasing, a lever arm on the hot stick. The system provides increased safety for the lineman as the spring providing the spring loading of the clamp has a high spring force to overcome, thus providing the lockout. The lever arm on the hot stick tool provides mechanical advantage to overcome the spring force and thus release the lockout. The lineman cannot usefully operate the ground clamp manually without the hot stick due to spring force lockout.

Abstract: A grounding clamp includes a safety lock-out which locks the operation of the clamp in the absence of a cooperating hot-stick. The lock-out employs a clutch which prevents the translation of the clamping members relative to one another until the clutch is disengaged. The cooperating hot-stick is required for the disengagement of the clutch.

Abstract: A temporary insulated conductor guard structure is mountable on an electrical insulator. The electrical insulator is mounted on the distal end of a crane or truck boom. The conductor guard structure includes a U-shaped frame having a horizontal elongate beam and a pair of stub arms upwardly extending from opposite ends of the beam. Elongate rigid, electrically conductive rollers are rotatably mounted to each of the stub arms and the beam so as to form an electrically conductive rolling surface extending around the interior of the U-shaped frame for rotationally supporting sagging electrical conductors thereon.

Abstract: Systems and methods enable most valuable players (MVPs) of a gameplay session to play a bonus gameplay session where other players (non-MVP players) participate as player-spectators in online video games and, through a collective voting mechanism or through active interaction, determine the occurrence of certain events or contents of the bonus gameplay in real time. In this manner, non-MVP players are able to directly affect the course of the bonus gameplay.

Abstract: A remotely controlled unmanned aerial device for use in proximity or in contact with high voltage powerlines, includes an unmanned aerial vehicle and an electrically conductive shield forming part of or operatively coupled to so as to encapsulate the unmanned aerial vehicle. When in the presence of a high voltage powerline, the unmanned aerial vehicle either when bonded-on or within the corresponding magnetic fields of the powerline, so as to transfer the powerline potential in whole or in part to the unmanned aerial vehicle, electrically energizes the conductive shield around the unmanned aerial vehicle while leaving components of the unmanned aerial vehicle within the shield substantially electrically unaffected by the voltage potential.

Abstract: Systems and methods enable most valuable players (MVPs) of a gameplay session to play a bonus gameplay session where other players (non-MVP players) participate as player-spectators in online video games and, through a collective voting mechanism or through active interaction, determine the occurrence of certain events or contents of the bonus gameplay in real time. In this manner, non-MVP players are able to directly affect the course of the bonus gameplay.

Abstract: The invention is a system comprising a wire cage crustacean trap coupled to a remotely controlled subsystem operative to receive a control-coded acoustic signal and thereupon open an electrically controlled pneumatic valve allowing gas under pressure to be conveyed to a deflated bladder, such that the bladder inflates and brings the system to the surface. Backup systems will cause the valve to open when a preprogrammed time duration has elapsed and/or when a water leak is detected inside the remotely controlled subsystems water-tight container.

Abstract: An implosion shield of ballistic fabric adapted to mount so as to surround an implosion sleeve or dead-end on a power line. The implosion shield may be wrapped or formed as an envelope or tent including one piece and folded around the implosion sleeve or dead-end and secured with fasteners. A method of installing the implosion cover may include installing an implosion sleeve or dead-end on a power line, and then installing the implosion shield around the implosion sleeve or dead-end, by wrapping the implosion shield around the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by securing an envelope implosion shield over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by draping the shield over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, or by mounting the shield on a frame over the implosion sleeve or dead-end, then detonating the implosion sleeve or dead-end. The implosion shield attenuates shock, pressure and sound waves from the detonation.

Abstract: A system for lifting a sub-conductor bundle having a plurality of spaced-apart sub-conductors comprises a single point lifter base and an accessory mounted onto a free end of a support. The support is electrically insulated and comprises one or two tiers of elongate insulators extending away from the base. The base is for mounting the support onto a distal end of a boom. The accessory has at least one wire cage mounted on a cart, the cart mounted on an arcuate track and adapted for free translation along the inner side of the track between first and second ends of the track. The wire cage is in a first orientation when the cart is positioned at the first end of the track, and in a second orientation when the cart is positioned at the second end of the track, the first and second orientations perpendicular to one another.

Abstract: The invention is a system comprising a wire cage trap and wire-cage enclosed lifting subsystem. The two systems are attached and submerged together. When ready to be retrieved, a sound control signal is conveyed to the system. The sound control signal is converted to an electric control signal, which enables inflation of a buoyancy bladder and bringing the wire-cage trap and wire-cage lifting subsystems to the surface. The invention may comprise sensors in the lifting system which can provide information about valve on-off state, gas pressure, depth and location. That information is converted from electric to sound signals and generated through the water.

Abstract: A bundle lifter for lifting a sub-conductor bundle having a plurality of spaced-apart sub-conductors, includes a base platform adapted for rotational mounting onto a single point conductor lifter, four sub-conductor wire cages mounted on the platform to support a sub-conductor thereon, each wire cage adapted to releasably hold a single sub-conductor and to swivel relative to the platform, wherein when the wire cages are positioned under the sub-conductor bundle, the wire cages are swivelled to align their corresponding rollers with a corresponding sub-conductor for rolling support of the sub-conductor on the roller as the bundle lifter is elevated on the support upwards from under the sub-conductor bundle to simultaneously pick each sub-conductor in the bundle into its wire cage for translation of the bundle from an original position to a new position spaced apart from the original position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to invert a robotic arm, includes an angling adaptor and swing arm. The angling adaptor includes a truck or crane boom head adaptor and a hinge coupler. The swing arm extends downwardly from the angling adaptor and may include a boom adaptor arm and a jib. The lower end of the swing arm is mounted to the main beam of the robotic arm. The hinge coupler mounts to the upper end of the crane or truck boom. The robotic arm is mounted on the swing arm so as to downwardly orient the insulators on the robotic arm. A lowermost end of each insulator is adapted for releasably holding an electrical bypass which may include a bus bar and electrical cable jumpers.

Abstract: An anti-rotation device is provided for stringing a cable or wire while reducing a twisting moment of the cable or wire as it is strung. The device includes a tow component, having multiple tow sections pivotally connectable end-to-end. A plurality of insulated weighted tail components are suspended so as to hang from the tow component. Each of the insulated tail components include weighted tail sections releasably connectable end-to-end to one another. At least one electrically insulated tail section is provided in each insulated tail component between the tow component and the weighted tail sections. The tail components are constrained to only articulate relative to the tow component in the single plane of bending of the tow component.

Abstract: A method for operating an artificial neuron and an apparatus for performing the method are provided. The artificial neuron may calculate a change amount of an activation based on an input signal received via an input synapse, determine whether an event occurs in response to the calculated change amount of the activation, and transmit, to an output synapse, an output signal that corresponds to the event in response to an occurrence of the event.

Abstract: A method for operating an artificial neuron and an apparatus for performing the method are provided. The artificial neuron may calculate a change amount of an activation based on an input signal received via an input synapse, determine whether an event occurs in response to the calculated change amount of the activation, and transmit, to an output synapse, an output signal that corresponds to the event in response to an occurrence of the event.

Abstract: An electrical isolator includes a flexible non-electrically conductive membrane and an inelastic flexible dielectric member journalled in the membrane and extending from the first end of the membrane to the second end of the membrane. First and second couplings are mounted to the ends of the dielectric member. The ends of the membrane are mated in sealed engagement with the couplings so as to fluidically seal the ends of the membrane and the dielectric member within the membrane. The membrane is filled with a dielectric fluid so as to displace any air in the membrane and the dielectric member. The couplings are adapted to couple to objects at opposite ends of the electrical isolator.

Abstract: A conductor lifter adapted to be mounted to a tower for temporarily supporting an energized conductor comprises a support arm having a base end and an opposite cantilevered end and a crank arm pivotally mounted on the cantilevered end, the crank arm having lower and upper crank arms. A first actuator is coupled to the support arm, and an elongate member is mounted to, so as to extend between, the upper crank arm and a first driver of the first actuator so as to rotate the crank arm about the pivotal coupling when the first actuator is actuated. A lower end of the lower crank arm is selectively elevatable by a second actuator relative to the upper crank arm so as to elevate a conductor when held by a conductor retainer on an insulator mounted to the lower crank arm. A method for using the conductor lifter is also provided.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for generating a graph neural network (GNN) model based on an entity-entity graph. The entity-entity graph comprising a plurality of entity nodes in which each entity node is connected to one or more entity nodes of the plurality of entity nodes by one or more corresponding relationship edges. The method comprising: generating an embedding based on data representative of the entity-entity graph for the GNN model, wherein the embedding comprises an attention weight assigned to each relationship edge of the entity-entity graph; and updating weights of the GNN model including the attention weights by minimising a loss function associated with at least the embedding; wherein the attention weights indicate the relevancy of each relationship edge between entity nodes of the entity-entity graph. The entity-entity graph may be filtered based on the attention weights of a trained GNN model.

Abstract: A method for operating an artificial neuron and an apparatus for performing the method are provided. The artificial neuron may calculate a change amount of an activation based on an input signal received via an input synapse, determine whether an event occurs in response to the calculated change amount of the activation, and transmit, to an output synapse, an output signal that corresponds to the event in response to an occurrence of the event.

Abstract: A grounding clamp includes a safety lock-out which locks the operation of the clamp in the absence of a cooperating hot-stick. The lock-out employs a clutch which prevents the translation of the clamping members relative to one another until the clutch is disengaged. The cooperating hot-stick is required for the disengagement of the clutch.