Abstract: The present invention relates to all terrain vehicles having at least a pair of laterally spaced apart seating surfaces.

Abstract: A method is provided that reduces time to dock an electric taxi drive system-driven aircraft parking in a parallel orientation at an airport terminal. Passenger loading bridges are pre-positioned to substantially align with forward and rear doors of the aircraft. Pre-positioned passenger loading bridges extend from the terminal to locations that align with terminal-facing forward and rear doors when electric taxi systems maneuver the aircraft into the parallel parking orientation. The passenger loading bridge connected to a rear door may be pre-positioned at a height above the ramp surface above or below the height of the aircraft's horizontal stabilizer or below the height of the wing to enhance safety and further reduce connection and passenger transfer time. Connection of the pre-positioned passenger loading bridges with the aircraft doors should require only minimal adjustment before passenger transfer between the aircraft and terminal may begin.

Abstract: The present invention relates to all terrain vehicles having at least a pair of laterally spaced apart seating surfaces.

Abstract: Polymeric coated optical elements are described herein, which exhibit good optical properties, e.g., low attenuation. Some such coated optical elements comprise an optical element (e.g., an optical fiber) having an outer surface and a thermoplastic polymeric tight buffer coating on at least a portion of the outer surface of the optical element, wherein the polymer-coated optical element exhibits a first attenuation at room temperature of plus or minus about 50% the attenuation of a comparable optical element with no thermoplastic polymeric tight buffer coating thereon, and a second attenuation at room temperature after thermal cycling to a temperature of at least 170° C. that is about 2 times the first attenuation or less.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a file system with object versioning support are provided. Rather than adding object records for each version of an object to a chapter database, in one example, the chapter database may be limited to a single object record for a given object including: (i) a name of the object; (ii) an object file handle containing information regarding a file containing data of a current version of multiple versions of the object; and (iii) a version table file handle containing information regarding a file containing a version table. In this manner, enumeration of objects associated with a given chapter may be performed more efficiently and prior versions of objects may be maintained separately within the version table without causing disproportionate growth of object records and without increasing the search depth with objects that are not referenced by the search at issue.

Abstract: A method for designing and operating aircraft nose landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi systems to move aircraft during ground travel. Electric taxi system components are engineered and sized to produce optimal ground travel torque to move aircraft during the majority of aircraft ground travel and are operated in conjunction with the aircraft steering to turn the nose wheels to an effective angle that moves the aircraft during pushback and in breakaway situations. The nose landing gear wheels are turned to an effective angle and the electric taxi systems are operated simultaneously to get the aircraft moving. After breaking away, the aircraft is driven with electric taxi systems at the optimal ground travel torque in a forward or reverse direction with the nose wheels parallel or in a desired ground travel direction with the nose wheels steered in the desired direction of ground travel.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and data structures for providing a file system with object versioning support are provided. Rather than adding object records for each version of an object to a chapter record, in one example, the chapter record may be limited to a single object record for the object including: (i) an object name of the object; (ii) an object file handle identifying an index of a file containing data of a current version of the multiple versions of the object; and (iii) a version table file handle identifying an index of a file containing a version table. In this manner, enumeration of objects associated with a given chapter may be performed more efficiently and prior versions of objects may be maintained within the version table without disproportionate growth of chapter records and without increasing the search depth with objects that are not referenced by the search at issue.

Abstract: Polymeric coated optical elements are described herein, which exhibit good optical properties, e.g., low attenuation. Some such coated optical elements comprise an optical element (e.g., an optical fiber) having an outer surface and a thermoplastic polymeric tight buffer coating on at least a portion of the outer surface of the optical element, wherein the polymer-coated optical element exhibits a first attenuation at room temperature of plus or minus about 50% the attenuation of a comparable optical element with no thermoplastic polymeric tight buffer coating thereon, and a second attenuation at room temperature after thermal cycling to a temperature of at least 170° C. that is about 2 times the first attenuation or less.

Abstract: A hydropower system comprised of prefabricated modules. The system includes an assembly having a first plurality of modules forming a first vertical stack and a second plurality of modules forming a second vertical stack. Each of the vertical stacks also includes at least one of: a first plurality of horizontal seals between the first plurality of modules, and a second plurality of horizontal seals between the second plurality of modules. Each of the vertical stacks further includes a plurality of vertical seals installed between the first plurality of modules and the second plurality of modules.

Abstract: Polymeric coated optical elements are described herein, which exhibit good optical properties, e.g., low attenuation. Some such coated optical elements comprise an optical element (e.g., an optical fiber) having an outer surface and a thermoplastic polymeric tight buffer coating on at least a portion of the outer surface of the optical element, wherein the polymer-coated optical element exhibits a first attenuation at room temperature of plus or minus about 50% the attenuation of a comparable optical element with no thermoplastic polymeric tight buffer coating thereon, and a second attenuation at room temperature after thermal cycling to a temperature of at least 170° C. that is about 2 times the first attenuation or less.

Abstract: Packaging may include a front box having a cavity to receive a product, a rear box coupled to the front box in a closed position, and a floating band to be slid around the front box and the rear box, thereby maintaining the front and rear box in a closed configuration. The band may be positioned with features such as folded protrusions with corresponding folded protrusions provided on the front box or the rear box.

Abstract: A monitoring system and method are provided to monitor ground movement of aircraft driven with electric taxi drive systems and movement of ground service vehicles and equipment and personnel within airport ramp areas. Monitor and sensor devices, including those that are intelligent and employ scanning technology to generate image, positional, and other data may be mounted in locations on aircraft, ground service vehicles and equipment, passenger loading bridges, an airport terminal, and other ramp locations to generate a constant stream of data as the aircraft moves into, within, and out of an airport ramp area. The data stream is transmitted to an artificial intelligence-based processing system to identify and communicate possible safety hazards to multiple locations so that the aircraft's ground travel or a ground vehicle's travel may be altered to avoid identified safety hazards and to avoid collisions.

Abstract: A system is provided that guides aircraft driven with landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems without reliance on airport ground personnel to park the aircraft parallel to an airport terminal with connections to multiple passenger loading bridges, automatically docks the aircraft, and connects the multiple loading bridges to multiple forward and rear doors. Cooperative on-aircraft monitoring systems, airport docking systems, loading bridge and terminal monitoring systems, and processors are integrated to use real time information and guide the aircraft to safely maneuver into and automatically dock in a parallel orientation at a parking location with multiple aircraft forward and rear doors connected to multiple loading bridges. The system may automatically undock the aircraft and retract the loading bridges and guide the electric taxi drive system-driven aircraft out of the parking location without reliance on airport ground personnel.

Abstract: A method of power quality monitoring includes: capturing a power quality event; determining that the captured power quality event is one of a voltage sag, a swell or an interruption; in response to determining the captured power quality event is one of the voltage sag, the swell or the interruption, selecting a pre-event interval and a post-event interval; comparing a pre-event load level and a post-event load level; and detecting a load loss based on a result of the comparison.

Abstract: An earphone tethering system may include first and second wireless earphones. Each wireless earphone may include a housing, a bud portion, and an earhook configured to wrap over and around a user's ear when in use, the earhook having an earhook tip that terminates a distal end of the earhook. A tethering strap may be included and releasably coupled to the respective earhook tips. The tethering strap may include a strap body, first and second tips formed from a stretchable material and having a receiving portion configured to receive and retain one of the first or second earhook tips, and first and second tethering elements configured to releasably couple the first and second tips such that the tethering strap is configured to be closed around a user's neck when the earhook is not wrapped around a user's ear.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and data structures for providing a file system with object versioning support are provided. Rather than adding object records for each version of an object to a chapter record, in one example, the chapter record may be limited to a single object record for the object including: (i) an object name of the object; (ii) an object file handle identifying an index of a file containing data of a current version of the multiple versions of the object; and (iii) a version table file handle identifying an index of a file containing a version table. In this manner, enumeration of objects associated with a given chapter may be performed more efficiently and prior versions of objects may be maintained within the version table without disproportionate growth of chapter records and without increasing the search depth with objects that are not referenced by the search at issue.

Abstract: A system and method are provided that direct a real time global view with images of an aircraft's entire exterior environment from an external monitoring system located on an aircraft equipped with landing gear wheel-mounted electric taxi drive systems powering ground travel to an integrated head-up display worn by a pilot driving the aircraft with the electric taxi drive systems within an airport ramp area. The real time global view and images produced by the monitoring system are communicated to the integrated head-up display in the form of an actual picture of the ramp area environment exterior to the aircraft viewable by the pilot with the head-up display in real time as the pilot maneuvers the aircraft within the ramp area with the electric taxi systems. The pilot can change the images viewed in the head-up display by changing head position.

Abstract: A monitoring system and method are provided for real time monitoring of flaps, landing gears, or tail skids to determine safe taxi, takeoff, and flight readiness. Monitoring units, including scanning LiDAR devices combined with cameras or sensors, mounted in aircraft exterior locations produce a stream of meshed data that is securely transmitted to a processing system to generate a real time visual display of the flaps, landing gears, or tail skid for communication to aircraft pilots to ensure safe aircraft taxi, takeoff, and flight readiness. Actual flap position alignment with optimal flap setting, proper retraction and extension positions of landing gears, and tail skid condition is ensured. Safety of aircraft taxi, takeoff and flight and airport operations are improved when the present system and method are used to prevent incidents related to misaligned flaps and improperly positioned landing gears or tail skids.

Abstract: Packaging may include a front box having a cavity to receive a product, a rear box coupled to the front box in a closed position, and a floating band to be slid around the front box and the rear box, thereby maintaining the front and rear box in a closed configuration. The band may be positioned with features such as folded protrusions with corresponding folded protrusions provided on the front box or the rear box.

Abstract: An electronic control system for a power burner system for use with a heating appliance includes a burner tube, a gas valve for providing gas to the burner tube, an electronic control and a variable speed combustion air blower for mixing air with the gas provided to the burner tube. The electronic control system further includes a control in communication with the gas valve and the combustion air blower. The control may also be in communication with various other devices of an appliance, such as a variable speed air-circulating fan, a variable speed exhaust fan, or various sensors associated with the heating appliance. The control modulates the gas valve and the combustion air blower to maintain substantially stoichiometric conditions of the gas and air provided to the burner tube and as a function of signals from at least one of the devices. In one embodiment, the burner system may be used in a conveyor oven.