Abstract: Apparatus for coupling a pushboat to a barge having a notch in its stern for receiving the bow of pushboat. The pushboat has three coupler units, two on the opposite sides and one at the bow end, each of which has an extensible and retractable connecting pin. The side connecting pin has hemi-spherical part at its outer end part which comes into tight contact with the similar hemi-spherical part of the holes in side socket on the side wall of the notch when it is extended out and inserted into the hole for connection. The bow connecting pin has wedge-shaped end which engages with the teeth of the center rack located in the barge's centerline at the deepest point of the notch when it is extended out for connection. The motions of connecting pins are remotely controlled from a control panel located in the navigation bridge.

Abstract: Apparatus for coupling a pushboat to a barge having a notch in its stern for receiving the bow of pushboat. The pushboat has three coupler units, two on the opposite sides and one at the bow end, each of which h an extensible and retractable connecting pin. The side connecting pin has hemi-spherical part at its outer end part which comes into tight contact with the similar hemi-spherical part of the holes in side socket on the side wall of the notch when it is extended out and inserted into the hole for connection. The bow connecting pin has wedge-shaped end which engages with the teeth of the center rack located in the barge's centerline at the deepest point of the notch when it is extended out for connection. The motions of connecting pins are remotely controlled from a control panel located in the navigation bridge.

Abstract: A computer interconnect system uses packet data transmission over serial links connecting nodes of a network. The serial links provide simultaneous dual paths for transmit/receive. An adapter couples a CPU or the like at a node to the serial link. The adapter includes a packet memory for temporarily storing transmit packets and receive packets, along with a port processor for executing the protocol. The packet memory includes two zones in which the received packets are stored interchangably. Packets of data are transferred between the system bus of the CPU and the packet memory by a pair of data movers, one for read and one for write. The packet memory is accessed upon demand by the serial link, the port processor and the data movers, using interleaved cycles. The order of buffering the received packets in the two zones is recorded in a file or silo, and when the packets are transferred to the CPU the packets are accessed by referring to this silo so the order of receipt is maintained.

Abstract: Apparatus for coupling a tug boat to a barge having a notch in its stern. Coupling units mounted on the opposite sides of the tug have extensible and retractable rams which carry toothed heads into and out of toothed channels on the opposite sides of the stern notch. Each ram is extended and retracted by an actuator screw driven by low and high speed electric motors. A lock nut can be tightened on the screw to prevent it from rotating relative to the ram. The rams are controlled from a control panel located in the wheel house of the tug.