[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5034-5036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2184]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Grant of Exclusive, or Partially Exclusive Licenses

AGENCY: Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
announces the general availability of exclusive, or partially exclusive 
licenses under the following patents. Any license granted shall comply 
with 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR part 404.

Patent No: 5,657,601
    Title: Method and Apparatus for Micro Modeling the Sediment 
Transport Characteristics of a River
Issue Date: 08/15/97

Patent No: 5,657,601
Title: Multiple Sensor Fish Surrogate for Acoustic and Hydraulic Data 
Collection
Issue Date: 10/07/97

Patent No: 5,683,344
Title: Method for Solidification and Stabilization of Soils 
Contaminated with Heavy Metals and Organic Compounds Including 
Explosive Compounds
Issue Date: 11/04/97

Patent No: 5,702,203
Title: Floating ``V'' Shaped Breakwater
Issue Date: 12/30/97

Patent No: 5,702,651
Title: Use of Oriented Tabular Aggregate in Manufacture of High-
Flexural-Strength Concrete
Issue Date: 12/30/97

Patent No: 5,706,018
Title: Multi-Band Variable, High-Frequency Antenna
Issue Date: 01/06/98

Patent No: 5,796,679
Title: Doppler Velocimeter for Monitoring Groundwater Flow
Issue Date: 08/18/98

Patent No: 5,804,721
Title: Capacitor for Water Leak Detection in Roofing Structures
Issue Date: 09/08/98

Patent No: 5,815,064
Title: Snow Temperature and Depth Probe
Issue Date: 09/29/98

Patent No: 5,813,340
Title: Roof Moisture Sensing System and Method for Determining Presence 
of Moisture in a Roof Structure
Issue Date: 10/06/98

Patent No: 5,828,220
Title: Method and System Utilizing Radio Frequency for Testing The 
Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of an Electromagnetically 
Shielded Enclosure
Issue Date: 10/27/98
Patent No: 5,835,025
Title: Portable Battery Operated Power Managed Event Recorder and 
Interrogator System
Issue Date: 11/10/98
Patent No: 5,841,289
Title: System and Method for Detecting Accretion of Frazil Ice on the 
Underwater Grating
Issue Date: 11/24/98

ADDRESSES: Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity, Office of 
Counsel, 7701 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22315-3860.

DATES: Applications for an exclusive or partially exclusive license may 
be submitted at any time from the date of this notice. However, no 
exclusive or partially exclusive license shall be granted until 90 days 
from the date of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia L. Howland (703) 428-6672 or 
Alease J. Berry, (703) 428-8160.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USP 5,653,592 Apparatus for modeling the 
sediment transport characteristics of a selected section of a river or 
the like includes an elevated inclined platform adapted to receive and 
insert representing a scaled model of the section of river to be 
studied and a water source for delivering water containing a simulated 
sediment to the model. As the water flows over the model, the sediment 
is transported so as to simulate the sedimentary characteristics of the 
modeled portion of the river. The apparatus is provided with a function 
generator which allows the water to be delivered to the model in 
accordance with a specified hydrograph and is also provided with a 
sliding digital micrometer survey system which allow accurate survey to 
be taken at selected increments along the model. Method for modeling 
the sediment transport characteristics of a river is also described.
    USP 5,657,601 An apparatus for assembling two cement board stay-in-
place form panels for making concrete-filled walls that is cost-
effective and forms a uniform precise composite wall construction. The 
assembly includes a coextensive corrugated spacer panels are secured in 
place with a notched tie rod that penetrates the spacer and both wall 
panels, this assembly allows for rapid form installation. The spacer 
panel has two embodiments, viz. (i) a preformed rigid corrugated panel 
and (ii) a flattened unassembled panel with precut fold lines that are 
folded at the building site and then secured with a dowel-rod bracing 
component. The apparatus preferably uses fiber-glass-reinforced cement 
board for the say-in place forms. The final composite wall construction 
typically is made up of 4 feet wide by 8 feet high by 6.5-inch thick 
composite wall sections. The form walls use standard 4 feet by 8 feet 
by half-inch thick concrete or cement bard. Assembly of composite wall 
form requires erecting the corrugated spacer panel first and then 
attaching two form panels to the spacer panel's corrugations thereby 
forming a series of vertical compartments that are then filled with 
concrete of foam concrete with proper reinforcement.
    USP 5,575,555 The apparatus of the invention are multiple fish 
surrogates that each have a plurality of piezoelectric and triaxial 
accelerometer sensors for emulating sensory organs of a particular 
fish. The multiple fish surrogates are immersed in flowing water 
intakes of a hydraulic structure such as: Intakes, intake bypasses, and 
diversion structures: Or also natural geological formation such as 
riffles, shoal areas, and pools. The invention is used for acquisition 
of acoustic and fluid dynamic data in or near these hydraulic 
structures and natural formations. To accomplish this, multiple sensors 
in multiple fish-shaped physical enclosures are deployed at same time 
to describe a fish's aquatic

[[Page 5035]]

environment at locations such as in proximity to a dam's intake. Since 
such an intake exhibits turbulent and high energy flow fields that 
cannot be characterized by a single sensor, many sensor bodies are 
required for a complete characterization of the environment. Similar 
deployment of the multiple sensor fish bodies can be made in complex 
natural channels to describe their acoustic fields and hydrodynamic 
fields. Such data are correlated with fish behavior for the purpose of 
developing methods of diverting fish from such areas of danger of a 
water intake or to attract them to a water bypass entrance system.
    USP 5,683,344 A method for solidification and stabilization of 
soils contaminated with heavy metals and organic compounds removable by 
activated carbon includes the steps of placing a selected weight of the 
contaminated soil in a vessel, adding water to the contaminated soil in 
the vessel, mixing the soil, water and carbon in the vessel, adding 
cement and fly ash to the soil, water, carbon, cement and fly ash in 
the vessel and pouring the mixture of soil, water carbon, cement and 
fly ash into a mold and curing the mixture therein.
    USP 5,702,203 The present invention pertains to a floating 
breakwater structure in the shape ``V''. This breakwater design allows 
for a wide range of wave periods, unlike previous floating breakwater. 
The construction of the instant invention is that of a suspended 
curtain which deflects and redirects the waves that are incident 
thereto rather than absorb or reflect incoming wave energy. This design 
results in a substantially smaller structure with reduced mooring 
loads. Moreover, the floating breakwater of the instant invention 
allows for fast deployment that can be either shipped in sections and 
assembled on site or assembled in sheltered waters and towed to a site 
for deployment. The breakwater of the instant invention is intended for 
temporary coastal operations such as military force projection and 
sustainment, dredging, coastal civil construction and repair, oil spill 
recovery, and search/rescue relief missions.
    USP 5,702,651 High-flexural-strength concrete is produced by mixing 
wet hydraulic cement-sand mixture with coarse, flat, tabular aggregate, 
pouring the resulting mixture into a form in a shallow layer, vibrating 
the form containing the mixture, thereby orienting the coarse aggregate 
particles, pouring another shallow layer of the mixture into the form, 
again vibrating the form, and repeating these processes until the form 
has been filled to the desired level. The mixture then is allowed to 
cure. Cast-in-place items are prepared by placing thin layers or lifts 
of oriented, tabular-aggregate concrete into conventional forms and 
vibrating each lift using flat-plate vibrators.
    USP 5,706,018 A multi-band, variable, high-frequency antenna 
comprises a pair of transmission lines for conveyance of signal from 
and to a transceiver, and a pair of braided copper conductor and 
elements, each in electrical communication at a proximal end thereof 
with one of the transmission lines. Each of the braided copper 
conductor elements is mounted on a nonconductive support cord, the 
braided copper conductor elements being expandable and retractable 
along the support cords on which the conductor elements are mounted. A 
cord lock is proximate a distal end of each of the conductor elements 
for releasable locking the distal end of the conductor element at a 
selected position on the support cord on which the conductor elements, 
and locking the cord locks is operative to lock the conductor elements 
in place on the support cords selectively fix a length of each of the 
conductor elements.
    USP 5,796,679 Groundwater velocity and direction of flow are 
determined by insertion in a borehole below the water table of a sound 
source and plurality of sound sensors. A periodic sound signal is 
emitted by the sound source. Which is submerged in groundwater at the 
bottom of the borehole. The sound signals are sensed by the sound 
sensors, which are also submerged in the water in the vicinity of the 
sound source. Owing to the Doppler effect there is a shift in the 
frequency of the sound signal observed by the different sound sensors. 
The differences in frequency are determined by pulse counters and used 
to compute the components of groundwater velocity along north-south and 
east-west axes. The velocity of groundwater flow and its direction are 
determined by vector addition of the groundwater velocity components. 
These computational processes are carried out by an appropriately 
programmed microprocessor.
    USP 5,804,721 A pair of mental plates having a space therebetween 
are surrounded by a flexible enclosure which is waterproof and which is 
filled with a dry gas. A pair of electrical conductors connected to the 
plates extend through and are water-tight sealed to the enclosure. A 
water-deformable element which expands in the presence of moisture is 
disposed around the enclosure, and a rigid housing having holes 
therethrough is disposed around the water-deformable element so that 
moisture passing through the holes into the water-deformable element 
causes it to expand to move the enclosure and at least one plate so as 
to reduce the space between the plates to change the capacitance of the 
capacitor.
    USP 5,804,721 A pair of metal plates having a space therebetween 
are surrounded by a flexible enclosure which is waterproof and which is 
filled with a dry gas. A pair of electrical conductors connected to the 
plates extended through and are water-tight sealed to the enclosure. A 
water-deformable element which expands in the presence of moisture is 
disposed around the enclosure, and a rigid housing having holes 
therethrough is disposed around the water-deformable element so that 
moisture passing through the holes into the water-deformable element 
causes it to expand to move the enclosure and at least one plate so as 
to reduce the space between the plates to change the capacitance of the 
capacitor.
    USP 5,815,064 A temperature and depth probe for accurate 
temperature measurements in snow contains a temperature sensing element 
such as a thermistor placed in a protective cap affixed to the end of a 
hollow carbon fiber tube. Wires connected to the output terminals of 
the temperature sensing element pass through the hollow tube to the 
input terminal of a temperature indicating instrument. The depth of 
insertion of the probe into the snow is read from depth markings on the 
side of the hollow tube.
    USP 5,818,340 A roof moisture sensing system includes (1) a radio 
frequency pulse transmitter, (2) a moisture sensor disposed on a roof, 
and (3) a radio receiver adapted to monitor resonance of the moisture 
sensor activated by a pulse transmitted by the pulse transmitter. The 
receiver is adapted to analyze the resonance of the sensor to determine 
the presence of moisture in the sensor. The transmitter and the 
receiver can be remote from the sensor and the roof.
    USP 5,828,220 A system and method for continuously monitoring the 
shielding effectiveness of an electromagnetically shielded enclosure is 
disclosed including an RF transmitter positioned remote from the 
shielded enclosure. RF signals received by both an enclosure receiver 
positioned inside of the enclosure and simultaneously by a reference 
receiver having its antenna positioned outside of the shielded 
enclosure. These two received signals are mixed so as to produce IF 
signals which are subsequently forwarded to a

[[Page 5036]]

synchronous detector which determines the ratio of the two signal 
levels by comparing their strengths. This ratio is indicative of the 
enclosure's electromagnetic shielding effectiveness. If the 
effectiveness drops below a predetermined or threshold limit, such is 
determined by a comparator position within the enclosure and an alarm 
may be sounded so as to indicate that the shield is failing. 
Accordingly, the effectiveness of the electromagnetic shield may be 
monitored twenty-four hours a day. It is also noted that the remotely 
positioned transmitter may be that of an existing radio station 
according to certain embodiments of this invention.
    USP 5,835,025 A data acquisition apparatus that includes a recorder 
device of an event's time and date signified by the opening of an 
external trigger switching circuit in combination with a complimentary 
interrogator device for collecting data from the recorder device. The 
recorder device's components comprise a battery powered source with a 
power regulator, a processor, a dip-switch identifier, a programmable 
read only memory, a timing/control subcircuit interface that connects 
to the external trigger switching circuit. The interrogator device is 
portable and has multiple functional capabilities. This interrogator 
comprise a regulated battery power source, a processor, a programmable 
ROM, an event storage RAM, a clock/calender subcircuit, an optional 
liquid crystal display and an input/output interface port to 
communicate with the recorder device.
    USP 5,841,289 A system for detecting accretion of frazil ice on 
underwater grating comprises a pair of parallel electrically conductive 
bars mounted side-by-side, for disposition beneath a water surface and 
spaced from but proximate an underwater intake grating. The system 
further includes a coaxial transmission line connected at a first end 
to the pair of bars for extension from the bars upwardly above the 
water surface, and a time domain reflectometer disposed above the water 
surface for generating electromagnetic pulses and having a second end 
of the transmission line fixed thereto. The transmission line 
facilitates propagation of the pulses to the bars for further travel 
time in the bars and to compute changes in the round trip travel time, 
from which can be determined absence, presence, and build-up of frazil 
ice on the bars providing an indication of same on the grating. The 
invention further contemplates a method for detecting accretion of 
frazil ice on underwater gratings, utilizing the above-described 
system.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-2184 Filed 2-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-92-P