Abstract: This light aircraft crash avoidance system performs what previous such systems perform, but with much less system weight, much less cost and much less expenditure of electrical energy. In this system, air enters openings or windows in front of concentric tubing and leaves through openings facing vertically downward, thus giving lift to an aircraft's wing, where needed. Unlike other designs, this one requires no high-pressure air tanks to provide high pressure, high-velocity air to air valves. The valves depend upon the forward motion of the aircraft to provide high velocity air and lift. Two different prime movers are suggested for rotating the outer tubing for opening or closing the air valve, one being a d.c. motor and the other a rotary solenoid, as the simpler one to implement. The proposed design is for making any needed corrections to the aircraft's roll angle and for providing buoyancy to the entire aircraft when making a landing.

Abstract: Bodily-injury protective garments with enclosures have been described, particularly for children and the vulnerable elderly. Children have been portrayed wearing injury protective goggles, and inflatable garments for the neck, breast, hips, knees and wrists. To reduce the bulkiness of some of the larger garments, such as the one around one's hips, an inner tube with high pressure fluid is introduced. This inner tube is susceptible to breakage and its high pressure fluid discharged when intense pressure or bending is exerted upon it, such as would occur when one falls upon the garment. An alternate technique of its fracturing and discharging fluid, is to provide a check valve at the tube's outlet neck, so when high pressure is exerted upon the check valve's exterior, its high pressure fluid would be discharged into the garment's enclosure, inflating it further, for further bodily protection from injury.

Abstract: Air bags in vehicles, upon exploding when a collision occurs, can injure one's face and head. To avoid such bodily injury to a motorist, one or more soft pillow of the proper size are attached to the top of the steering wheel. The pillows, with rip-resistant, fire and water resistant enclosures, may be removably attached to the steering wheel by means of either velcro or snap-on fasteners. Such pillows for bodily-injury protection may be attached to other passenger-injury, vulnerable locations of a vehicle, removably fastened. In the event of a collision with an object, now the soft pillows attached to plastic cover will strike the person first instead of the air bag's solid plastic cover. The top of a soft pillow, with perhaps an elastic, expandable puncture-resistant enclosure, could be ornately, colorfully, pleasingly decorated with flowers, birds, butterflies, berries. A pillow may be attached to a steering wheel without an air bag, using the illustrated and described straps for fastening.

Abstract: Injury protective clothing for children and the elderly would help protect them from injury of the neck, breast area, upper and lower back, knees and ankles. The clothing consists of inflated and energy-absorption annular, moisture-proof, non-inflammable rip-resistant closures placed around injury-susceptible areas of the body. The protective clothing could be decorative with stars, stripes, flowers, birds, butterflies, animals, rings, diamond shapes, hearts and whatever else would be appealing to children and the elderly. Persons of all ages could wear the protective gear, but this application targets those most vulnerable to injury,—children because of their being so active, climbing trees, fences, ladders, and jumping off high places, and the elderly. Children take chances more than adults would. Some enclosures are 360° circular and others have elastic bands to allow the enclosure to stretch more easily to clothe oneself with the garment.

Abstract: Air bags in vehicles, upon exploding when a collision occurs, can injure one's face and head. To avoid such bodily injury to a motorist, a soft pillow of the proper size is attached to the top of the steering wheel. The pillow, with a rip-resistant, fire and water resistant enclosure, may be removably attached to the steering wheel by means of either velcro or snap-on fasteners. Such pillows for bodily-injury protection may be attached to other passenger injury, vulnerable locations of a vehicle, removably fastened. In the event of a collision with an object, now the soft pillow will strike the person first instead of the air bag's plastic cover. The top of the soft pillow, with perhaps an elastic, expandable puncture-resistant enclosure, could be ornately, colorfully, pleasingly decorated with flowers, birds, butterflies, berries. The pillow may be attached to a steering wheel without an air bag, using the illustrated straps.

Abstract: Injury protective clothing for children and the elderly would help protect them from injury of the neck, breast area, upper and lower back, knees and ankles. The clothing consists of either inflated or energy-absorption annular, moisture-proof, non-inflammable closures placed around injury-susceptible areas of the body. The protective clothing could be decorative with stars, stripes, flowers, birds, butterflies, animals, rings, diamond shapes, hearts and whatever else would be appealing to children and the elderly. Persons of all ages could wear the protective gear, but this application targets those most vulnerable to injury,—children because of their being so active, climbing trees, fences, ladders, and jumping off high places. Children take chances more than adults would. The protective accessory includes injury protection within the vehicle.

Abstract: This is an advanced simplified system for avoiding light aircraft crashes, using rate-of-turn sensors, solenoid-operated air valves and electrical circuits with relays. The sensors and air valves provide the needed corrections to an aircraft's pitch and roll angles to prevent it from going out of control. When needed, all valves blast out high velocity air to provide lift, thus preventing the aircraft from crashing upon landing. The system does not require air compressors and air tanks. In this simplified system, the inlets of the valves receive high velocity air from the aircraft's flight motion through the atmosphere. The more air valves installed on the wings of the aircraft the more lift produced. This system can continue to provide the needed lift and altitude corrections while the aircraft is in flight, the faster the flight, the greater the system's ability to make corrections, when needed, to avoid an aircraft crash.

Abstract: This application describes a technique for reducing or preventing the impact force between two small boats or between a small boat and a large boat about to collide. The technique involves the blast of high pressure water from one of the boats against the other to push it aside. The water blasts would be directed against the hull of the threatening boat. A distance sensor can automatically initiate the water blasts by sensing the closeness between the two boats. For manual operation of the water blasts, a switch can be closed at any time that one so wishes, to avoid the collision. One or more adjustable nozzles on water outlets, operated remotely in different directions, enable the boat's pilot to direct the blasts where they would be most effective in averting a collision. Thus, the three options for the boat's captain are: 1. Manually switching on motor-driven pumps to blast water out of fixed nozzles, 2. remotely, angularly positioning nozzles from side to side or up and down, 3.

Abstract: This is a relatively simple system for avoiding light aircraft crashes, using rate-of-turn sensors, high pressure air tanks, solenoid-operated air valves and an air compressor. The rate-of-turn sensors are described in Gabriel's previous patent application, filed Dec. 23, 1999, as well as the interconnected circuitry required to operate the air valves, when needed, to make corrections to an aircraft, possibly out of control. This system includes an air compressor to replenish air used in air tanks, when air valves blast off to make a correction in the aircraft's altitude, so this system can continue to provide the needed buoyancy and altitude corrections until the aircraft is able to land safely. The compressor is provided with controls so that whenever a tank loses some of its air pressure, the compressor operates to force air into the air-depleted tank.

Abstract: A relatively simple system for avoiding light aircraft crashes, using rate-of-turn sensors, high pressure air containers and solenoid-operated air valves. The rate-of-turn sensors, when magnitude of turns exceed the predetermined values, close one or more relays, which then cause solenoids to operate to open air valves, allowing high pressure air to blast out to prevent misbehavior of the aircraft, such as excessive roll or pitch axis turning, while also providing buoyancy to the aircraft so that the aircraft does not lose altitude rapidly. This aircraft crash avoidance system operates automatically, without any need for pilot input. However, the pilot has the ability and option to disengage any or all portions of the crash avoidance system.

Abstract: This apparatus is a tongs-like, load-lifting device for automatically loading and unloading objects and liquids, comprising two elongated numbers pivoted at a selected distance from the apparatus' top with a main pivot pin. Its lower portions are essentially vertical, and may have perforations, to hold in place either a retrieved object or liquids, when pivoted, hemispheric buckets are included. Two hammerheads, mounted at ends of horizontal bars, located on apparatus' upper portions, are provided with magnets to either attract or repel each other. One head may have an electromagnet and the other a permanent magnet, or both heads may have electromagnets. The bottoms of apparatus' lower portions have pivoted extensions to help support the load. The two extensions are held up by either springs or stretchable bands, so their ends would not injure a person. The extensions are pushed down by the person or the object entering the apparatus.

Abstract: This is a ?relatively! simple load lifting apparatus, tongs-like in appearance, with a larger lower portion for grabbing loads of various sizes. It has two embracing halves, pivoted at a selected distance from the apparatus' top. ?Its lower portions tend to be vertical to enable it to hold a containerized load in place, as in previous Gabriel's U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,538.! It is designed to safely and reliably hold a person between its lower portions without injuring one who may be wounded ?on the battlefield or in the ocean!. Sensors are added to enable it to sense the distance of the apparatus' lower portions from the load. When in range of the load, its lower portions automatically separate to straddle the load ?without making contact with it!. When the flexible fingers, extending inward from the bottom of each lower portion, touch a platform surface or terrain, then a motorized gearing may cause the lower portions to come together.

Abstract: This apparatus is a simple, automatically-actuated load-lifting device, forceps-like in appearance, pivoted at a selected distance from the device's top. Its lower portions are vertical to enable it to hold a containerized load in place. This improvement reduces the work load of the pilot of a hovering helicopter, from which the apparatus is suspended, in locating and scooping up the load. The apparatus includes sensors for sensing the distance of the apparatus from the load, and when within range, automatically separating its lower portions, while the apparatus is in mid-air, so they will straddle the load's container. To assist the pilot in this endeavor, a miniature camera is also located on the apparatus over-seeing the area beneath, with the CRT monitor in the helicopter cockpit. Schemes are introduced for back-up positive load retention of the load, and for reliable scooping up of the load, using magnets for repulsion and attraction and a geared motor, remotely or automatically controlled.

Abstract: Precision hover is necessary when one must position a load precisely on the deck of a ship. Manual precision hover is possible under very light wind gust conditions and a calm sea. The techniques described here are directed to those special windy days when a mission must be accomplished. The technique is to unload a containerized cargo onto a platform kept level regardless of the rolling motions of the ship. The platform is a resilient net of the proper strength to absorb the cargo's impact upon its contact with the net. During night operations under adverse weather conditions it is desirable to remove the cargo from the hoisting mechanism manually unaided. This is accomplished by an automatic sling detachment device. Usually the container will approach the net at an angle. This is desirable, enabling one or two of the devices to detach themselves first and permitting the reduction in loading upon the helicopter to be less abrupt.

Abstract: Under high wind gust conditions, a containerized load is subject to swaying as it is being hoisted or lowered onto a loading platform. A ductwork arrangement is proposed in which the wind gust itself provides the energy to help maintain the load in a horizontal, level position. This achievement is accomplished in two ways. First, the wind gust hits an array of very light spring-loaded hinged doors specially mounted to deflect the air upward, thus partially alleviating some of its impact. Second, the air, which passes through the door openings, is guided to follow a central overhead duct along with other air from the wind gust to the load's opposite side. The central overhead duct is specially designed to assist in guiding the air to the load's opposite side. A bulged door at each end of the central duct helps direct the air smoothly downward into a depending duct portion to make impact on the load's opposite side.