Abstract: A detachable seat mounted audio-visual entertainment system. The system has locally storable, selectable, and updatable content. The passenger in-flight entertainment device terminal has passenger selectable controls, a video display, an audio output, storage media such as a magnetic or “hard disk”, and a payment interface device such as a card swipe, all located in a seat which has been wired with power, local network, and audio wiring. A local, transport vehicle mounted local host computer provides supports the local network, and may be used to collect revenue slips resulting from passenger input to the payment interface device. Revenue slips may be posted to a remote server during a trip segment via satellite or direct radio frequency communication to receiving facilities providing connection to the internet, or alternately collected and posted batchwise.

Abstract: Proppants for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells are coated with a polyurea-type coating. In a preferred embodiment, the polyurea-type coating is formed by contacting a polymeric isocyanate with an amount of water and a blowing catalyst at a rate and quantity sufficient to generate a reactive amine in situ on the outer surface of the proppant which thereby reacts with unconverted polymeric isocyanate to form a thin polyurea-type surface coating that is substantially solid and lacks foam or substantial porosity. Alternatively, the polyurea-type can be produced by selecting reactive amine compounds and isocyanates to develop the coated proppant. The coated proppants retain the discrete, free-flowing character of the original core solids but with the beneficial effects of the polyurea-type coating of the present invention.

Abstract: Temperature switchable adhesives formed by combining a pressure sensitive adhesive, which does not exhibit temperature switchable properties, with a crystallizable oil are described. These temperature switchable adhesives exhibit a sharp reduction in peel strength when the temperature is raised above the switching temperature. The adhesive properties of these adhesives may be readily tuned by adjusting the ratio of the elastomer, tackifier, and the crystallizable oil, and by choosing different crystallizable oils. The temperature switchable adhesives have use in medical, consumer, and industrial applications.

Abstract: Polyimide resin compositions that contain an aromatic polyimide, graphite, and acicular titanium dioxide are found to exhibit high thermal oxidative stability. Such compositions are especially useful in molded articles that are exposed to high temperatures, such as bushings, bearings, and seal rings that are used in aerospace, transportation, and materials handling applications.

Abstract: An apparatus for laminating a fabric material to a part broadly comprises a vacuum table, a cutting element, a plurality of pinch rollers, and a plurality of compaction rollers. The vacuum table receives the fabric material from a supply spool and retains the material while the cutting element cuts scrap material from the sides of the fabric material. The pinch rollers receive the fabric material after the scrap material has been cut and are configured to stretch the fabric material from a center line outward toward the edges of the material. The compaction rollers receive the fabric material from the pinch rollers and are configured to press the fabric material against a surface of the part.

Abstract: Proppants for use in fractured or gravel packed/frac packed oil and gas wells are provided with a contaminant removal component to remove one or more of the contaminants found in subterranean water/hydrocarbon from a production well. The water/hydrocarbon cleaning proppant solids may be used as discrete particles in a proppant formulation, as a coating on proppant solids in pores of a porous proppant solid or as part of the proppant's internal structure. The contaminant removal component removes contaminants, especially dissolved contaminants, in the subterranean water or hydrocarbon before the water/hydrocarbon leaves the well. For those contaminant removal components that can be regenerated, such as ion exchange resins, a measured quantity of an acidic regeneration solution can be injected into the fractured stratum for regeneration and recovered when the well resumes production.

Abstract: Proppants for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells have a polymeric coating that is strengthened with reinforcing particulates that are reactive with, or chemically bonded to, the polymeric proppant coating. Preferably, these particulates are added into the coating during the coating process. In one embodiment, functionalized particulates are used that become grafted into the polymer of the proppant coating through the chemical functionality imparted to the particulates. If non-functionalized particulates are used, a coupling agent is preferably added to enhance the bond strength between the added particulates and the polymeric matrix of the proppant coating.

Abstract: Embodiments enable secure zero-touch remote provisioning/management of a computer system. A computer system is shipped to end customers with its remote management controller enabled but not provisioned. During automatic testing, for example, provisioning authentication data is embedded into the remote management controller. The computer system vendor harvests the provisioning authentication data or derivative data therefrom from the remote management controller and stores it in a database. Upon sale of the computer system, the computer system vendor provides to the end-customer the harvested data of the computer system's remote management controller. The end-customer can then remotely authenticate a remote provisioning/management console to the remote management controller.

Abstract: A security method for in-flight entertainment device (IFED) rentals having self-contained, audiovisual presentations is disclosed. A self-contained IFED has internal storage configured to contain current releases of movies and other audiovisual presentations. The method provides layers of security including unique bit stream encoding format, watermarking, camera artifacts, file encryption, hard drive encryption, input-output encryption and physically unique connectors, and tamper resistant casing the self-contained IFEDs.

Abstract: A detachable seat mounted audio-visual entertainment system. The system has locally storable, selectable, and updatable content. The passenger in-flight entertainment device terminal has passenger selectable controls, a video display, an audio output, storage media such as a magnetic or “hard disk”, and a payment interface device such as a card swipe, all located in a seat which has been wired with power, local network, and audio wiring. A local, transport vehicle mounted local host computer provides supports the local network, and may be used to collect revenue slips resulting from passenger input to the payment interface device. Revenue slips may be posted to a remote server during a trip segment via satellite or direct radio frequency communication to receiving facilities providing connection to the internet, or alternately collected and posted batch-wise.

Abstract: A compact animal waste collector and method thereof is provided. The collector includes a planar base having a first side and a second side. A plurality of walls is affixed perpendicularly to the base. A substantially planar first cover is hinged to at least one of the plurality of walls, the first cover forming an interior compartment proximate to the first side of the base and movable between at least a first position and a second position. A bag is removably located within the collector and lining the interior compartment, the bag having an opening edge inverted about an exterior of the collector. A storage compartment is formed on the second side of the base and enclosable by the plurality of walls and a substantially planar second cover hinged to at least one of the plurality of walls. The storage compartment may house a replacement bag.

Abstract: Polyimide resin compositions that contain an end-capped rigid aromatic polyimide, graphite and, optionally, a filler selected from sepiolite, attapulgite, kaolinite, or a mixture thereof, are found to exhibit low wear at high temperatures. Such compositions are especially useful in molded articles that are exposed to wear conditions at high temperatures such as aircraft engine parts.

Abstract: Solid proppants are coated in a process that includes the steps of: (a) coating free-flowing proppant solids with a first component of either a polyol or an isocyanate in mixer; (b) adding a second component of either an isocyanate or a polyol that is different from the first component at a controlled rate or volume sufficient to form a polyurethane coating on the proppant solids; and (c) adding water at a rate and volume sufficient to retain the free-flowing characteristics of the proppant solids.

Abstract: Polyimide resin compositions that contain an aromatic polyimide, graphite, and acicular titanium dioxide are found to exhibit high thermal oxidative stability. Such compositions are especially useful in molded articles that are exposed to high temperatures, such as bushings, bearings, and seal rings that are used in aerospace, transportation, and materials handling applications.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are temperature switchable adhesive assemblies, which maintain tack above and below the switching temperature. The temperature switchable adhesive assemblies comprise a backing, a first adhesive layer comprising a temperature switchable pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on the backing, and a second adhesive layer comprising a non-switchable pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on the first adhesive layer. The temperature switchable adhesive assemblies have use in medical, consumer, and industrial applications.

Abstract: A detachable seat mounted audio-visual entertainment system. The system has locally storable, selectable, and updatable content. The passenger in-flight entertainment device terminal has passenger selectable controls, a video display, an audio output, storage media such as a magnetic or “hard disc”, and a payment interface device such as a card swipe, all located in a seat which has been wired with power, local network, and audio wiring. A local, transport vehicle mounted local host computer provides supports the local network, and may be used to collect revenue slips resulting from passenger input to the payment interface device. Revenue slips may be posted to a remote server during a trip segment via satellite or direct radio frequency communication to receiving facilities providing connection to the internet, or alternately collected and posted batch wise.

Abstract: A security method for in-flight entertainment device (IFED) rentals having self-contained audiovisual presentations is disclosed. A self-contained IFED has internal storage configured to contain current releases of movies and other audiovisual presentations. The method provides layers of security including a unique bit stream encoding format, watermarking, camera artifacts, file encryption, hard drive encryption, input-output encryption, physically unique connectors, and a tamper-resistant casing for the self-contained IFEDs.

Abstract: Solid proppants are coated with a coating that exhibits the handling characteristics of a pre-cured coating while also exhibiting the ability to form particle-to-particle bonds at the elevated temperatures and pressures within a wellbore. The coating includes a substantially homogeneous mixture of (i) at least one isocyanate component having at least 2 isocyanate groups, and (ii) a curing agent comprising a monofunctional alcohol, amine or amide. The coating process can be performed with short cycle times, e.g., less than about 4 minutes, and still produce a dry, free-flowing, coated proppant that exhibits low dust characteristics during pneumatic handling but also proppant consolidation downhole for reduced washout and good conductivity. Such proppants also form good unconfined compressive strength without use of an bond activator, are substantially unaffected in bond formation characteristics under downhole conditions despite prior heat exposure, and are resistant to leaching with hot water.

Abstract: Proppants for use in fractured or gravel packed/frac packed oil and gas wells are provided with a contaminant removal component to remove one or more of the contaminants found in subterranean water/hydrocarbon from a production well. The water/hydrocarbon cleaning proppant solids may be used as discrete particles in a proppant formulation, as a coating on proppant solids in pores of a porous proppant solid or as part of the proppant's internal structure. The contaminant removal component removes contaminants, especially dissolved contaminants, in the subterranean water or hydrocarbon before the water/hydrocarbon leaves the well. For those contaminant removal components that can be regenerated, such as ion exchange resins, a measured quantity of an acidic regeneration solution can be injected into the fractured stratum for regeneration and recovered when the well resumes production.

Abstract: Polyimide resin compositions that contain an aromatic polyimide, graphite and a sepiolite filler, or a mixture of a sepiolite filler and a kaolin filler, are found to exhibit low wear and high thermal oxidative stability. Such compositions are especially useful in molded articles that are exposed to wear conditions at high temperatures such as aircraft engine parts.