Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090250597 | OPTICAL FIBER ASSEMBLY WRAPPED ACROSS ROLL-NOD GIMBAL AXES IN A DIRCM SYSTEM - A control mechanism pins an optical fiber assembly on and off gimbal and between gimbals to route the assembly from an off-gimbal optical source across the gimbal axis/axes to an on-gimbal optical element so that the fiber assembly moves with the rotation of the gimbals. To accommodate a relatively large range of motion, the control mechanism is suitably configured to route the fiber assembly in a “U-shaped” loop with one end pinned off-gimbal in a stationary guide track and the other end pinned on-gimbal point in a rotating guide track so that the loose fiber assembly is constrained in the concentric tracks on and off gimbal. As the gimbal rotates, the loop seats onto one guiding track and peels off of the other guiding track while always maintaining its U shape. To accommodate a relatively small range of motion in other gimbal configurations, the control mechanism is suitably configured to pin one end of the fiber assembly off-gimbal and pass the fiber assembly directly over the gimbal where it is pinned on the other side of the gimbal. In a multi-gimbal pointer, the fiber assembly preferably exhibits different mechanical stresses as it crosses the different gimbals. | 10-08-2009 |
20110005238 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DEWAR AND COLD SHIELD ASSEMBLIES - A Dewar apparatus includes a focal plane array (FPA) component coupled to an FPA carrier, and a cold bridge coupled to the FPA carrier. A cold shield is aligned with the optical axis and coupled to the cold bridge (e.g., via a direct-metal bond), and at least one cryostat enclosure is similarly coupled to the cold bridge such that it has an axis that is noncollinear with the optical axis. | 01-13-2011 |
20110084195 | OFF-AXIS REFLECTIVE TRANSMIT TELESCOPE FOR A DIRECTED INFRARED COUNTERMEASURES (DIRCM) SYSTEM - An off-axis reflective transmit telescope for a DIRCM system is mounted on the gimbal along a transmit-axis offset laterally from the optical axis of the receive telescope but nominally aligned with the line-of-sight of the receive telescope to transmit a laser beam. The telescope comprises an optical port optically coupled to a laser to receive and direct the laser beam away from the dome and a reflective optical assembly that reflects the laser beam through the dome. The reflective optical assembly comprises an off-axis mirror segment and a second optical element that together precompensate the laser beam for dome aberrations induced by the lateral offset of the transmit telescope's transmit axis from the optical axis. The off-axis mirror segment comprises a segment of a parent mirror having an aspheric curvature (e.g. parabolic, elliptical or higher-order asphere) about an axis of symmetry. The segment is offset so that it is not centered on the axis of symmetry of the parent mirror. The use of the off-axis mirror segment allows the optical port and any folding mirror to be positioned so that they do not obscure the reflected laser beam. The second optical element may be a segment of a dome corrector parent lens, a prism or a refractive lens formed on the front surface of the off-axis minor segment. | 04-14-2011 |
20110268453 | OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER BUILT-IN TEST (BIT) - An optical transceiver is provided with a light pipe that intercepts, offsets and redirects a portion of the collimated transmit beam to create a virtual object in the receiver field-of-view to perform the BIT. The light pipe comprises an input face and first reflective surface in the transmitter FOV to intercept a portion of the beam along a first axis and re-direct the beam, a second reflective surface and output face in the receiver FOV that re-directs the portion of the beam along a second axis towards the receiver to create the virtual object in the receiver FOV and an optical channel that guides the redirected portion of the beam from the first reflective surface to the second reflective surface to offset the second axis from the first axis. The same detector used during normal operation of the transceiver is used to perform the BIT, which may include a simple “on/off” test or a radiometry test. The light pipe may be designed with an acceptance FOV that preserves collimation, which facilitates a measurement of alignment error between the transmit beam and receiver. | 11-03-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090222733 | Zoning of Devices in a Storage Area Network with LUN Masking/Mapping - Host port information is pulled directly from the switch before zoning is performed and is organized by chassis as an assist for mapping and masking an entire chassis. A graphical user interface allows a user to select storage by chassis to map and to select servers by chassis to map. The user then applies that mapping such that all servers selected are mapped to all storage selected. The user may repeat this mapping for another set of storage and servers. In a mixed environment, an icon may be shown in the graphical user interface to represent the mix. When the LUN mapping/masking is done, the LUN mapping/masking may be provided to the SAN manager to perform zoning. The LUN mapping/masking defines which host ports see which storage ports. | 09-03-2009 |
20090231350 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DISPLAYING A PHYSICAL VIEW OF A DEVICE - An apparatus and methods are disclosed for displaying a physical view of a monitored device. The apparatus for displaying a physical view of a device is provided with a plurality of modules configured to functionally execute the steps of displaying a physical representation of a device, generating a plurality of grid lines in association with a predetermined portion of the physical representation of the device, and displaying an icon configured to convey information regarding a status of the device, wherein the icon is displayed within an area defined by the plurality of grid lines. These modules in the described embodiments include a rendering module, a grid module, and a status module. | 09-17-2009 |
20120271645 | AUTOMATED REPLACEMENT PART ORDERING BASED ON SERVICE THRESHOLDS - Embodiments of the invention relate to the automatic ordering of replacement parts in product servicing. One aspect of the invention concerns a service system including multiple components, a service initiator for identifying a component in the system that has failed or does not operate according to a service threshold, and determining whether the identified component needs a replacement part based on the service threshold. The service system automatically orders a replacement part if the replacement part is needed and notifies a user of the part order. The service threshold may be dynamically adjusted. | 10-25-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100292996 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT - The apparatus and methods disclosed herein provide a convenient and efficient computer-based process methodology for identifying and qualifying people for different solutions and outcomes and enrolling and/or registering people in appropriate programs as they are identified. The most preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise one or more structured computerized databases comprising: a set of outcomes, each with a corresponding set of appropriately-expressed eligibility requirements; a set of applications or forms and their corresponding necessary and unique named data elements, or variables, which may or may not relate to the aforementioned set of outcomes; a set of questions corresponding to the set of variables, each question relating to one or more variables; a set of question scripts corresponding to the set of questions, with one script per question; a set of question help prompt scripts corresponding to the set of questions, with one help prompt per question; a set of interview constructs that semantically relate sets of questions; and a subject definition comprised of named locations used to store variables and their corresponding values. Given the database and elements described above, the most preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise a system that performs: eligibility determination; data acquisition; and forms or application completion using collected data elements. | 11-18-2010 |
20140279059 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED CLIENT COMMUNICATION - The most preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise a system and a method for managing and implementing customer/client retention-related communication activities with a high degree of flexibility and customization, making the present invention particularly well-suited for use in disparate business environments, as well as government and non-profit environments. Deployed over the Internet, the present invention provides a mechanism for multi-tiered organizations to control and manage the types of communications used by company personnel for customer contact, including marketing and similar campaigns for cross-selling, as well as customer loyalty and retention purposes. The most preferred embodiments of the present invention are designed to automate communications and interactions between various industry organizations/sales agents and their customers and/or prospects, including in-process contacts with customers and partners, while also offering data analytics, flexible reporting, custom marketing campaigns/activities, relationship building tools, communication effectiveness reporting and enhanced levels of management control and oversight. | 09-18-2014 |