An attachment that is configured for attachment to an arm of a piece of construction equipment. The attachment includes a pair of grapple mechanisms mounted on a main beam. Each grapple mechanism includes opposing grab arms mounted to a grab arm housing. The grab arm housings of the grapple mechanisms are each individually adjustable separate from one another relative to the main beam in one or more directions generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the main beam. The attachment can fine adjust the positions of the pipe ends relative to one another until the ends align with each other, at which point the pipe ends can be welded or otherwise secured to each other while being held in position by the grapple mechanisms.

A lifting device is disclosed in which tong arms are coupled to parallel laminated horizontal spine members that slide in opposition to each other via input of force from the tong arms. The horizontal spine members are coupled to load-engaging feet to transfer the force of the tong members to a given load. The horizontal spine members include teeth or the like along a horizontal axis for engagement and indexing of the load-engaging feet.

A system stacking and retrieving a crab pot onboard a vessel includes a crane having an end and operable to position the end at a plurality of locations on or near a vessel's deck, and an end effector at the end of the crane, operable to hold a crab pot. The crane is used to grab a crab pot stored on the deck and position the pot on a pot launcher, or to grab a pot on the pot launcher and position the pot on the vessel's deck to secure the pot onboard. The system also includes a connector operable to couple a crab pot with another crab pot, and a controller operable to direct the movement of the crane to position the end of the crane at a plurality of locations on or near a vessel's deck. With the system's controller the crane may be automatically controlled and directed without requiring a deckhand to manually direct the crane to the correct position on the vessel's deck. And, with the connector each crab pot may be secured to an adjacent crab pot during storage of the pots without the need of a deckhand. Thus, the system makes a once very dangerous job for deckhands on a crabbing vessel much safer.

A rod and casing handler according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a boom mount that is configured to be coupled to a boom. A clamp mounting structure is coupled to the boom mount and has a central portion, a first arm, and a second arm, where each arm extends from the central portion. A first clamp is coupled to the first arm and includes a first set of actuatable tongs and a first removable saddle plate. A second clamp is coupled to the second arm, and it includes a second set of actuatable tongs and a second removable saddle plate. The first removable saddle plate has a first arcuate surface sized and shaped to correspond to a cylindrical body having a first diameter, and the second saddle plate has a second arcuate surface sized and shaped to correspond to a cylindrical body having a second diameter, the first and second arcuate surfaces are disposed to hold the first cylindrical body in coaxial alignment with the second cylindrical body.

An attachment is described that is configured for attachment to an arm of a piece of heavy construction equipment. The attachment is configured to rotate a section of pipe during break out (i.e. disconnection or disassembly) from another section of pipe and/or make up (i.e. connection or assembly) with another section of pipe. The attachment is configured to break the joint or torque the joint to a predetermined torque value, unthread or thread pipe, and lift the pipe under the power of the heavy construction equipment.

A lifting and support device comprises a first yoke having a first support arm that defining a first wedge slot above the first support arm and a second yoke pivotally coupled to the first yoke having a second support arm inwardly extending toward and laterally spaced from the first support arm and defining a second wedge slot above the second support arm. The first and second wedge slots are substantially aligned when the first and second yokes are in a closed position. A wedge is configured for insertion within the first and second wedge slots when the first and second wedge slots are substantially aligned to hold a structure between the wedge and the first and second support arms of the first and second yokes in order to support a structure relative to the lifting and support device.

Fast, volume, and secure information exchange is important in enhancing the efficiency of a communication network at Internet era. Video sharing in online meeting is an important part of information exchanging between people in business and in daily personal life. Video sharing between two or more user devices through a server on the Internet usually will consume tremendous network bandwidth and computing power. Therefore, there is needs to enhance the efficiency for the video sharing. With the supporting of posting and un-posting operations and the dynamic workspace technology introduced in this invention, a server here can centrally coordinate the dynamic secure video sharing between two or more devices while avoiding itself being a bottleneck for the video sharing. In addition, there is need for enhancing security for the online meeting. The method of effectively tracking activities for meeting participants during the online meeting disclosed in this invention can enhance the security for the online meeting.

A tank car lifting apparatus is provided. The lifting apparatus can include a spreader beam, a first arm rotatably connected to the spreader beam, a second arm rotatably connected to the spreader beam, and a synchronizing linkage to synchronize movement of the first arm and the second arm such that the first arm and the second arm move at the same time.

A rod and casing handler according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a boom mount that is configured to be coupled to a boom. A clamp mounting structure is coupled to the boom mount and has a central portion, a first arm, and a second arm, where each arm extends from the central portion. A first clamp is coupled to the first arm and includes a first set of actuatable tongs and a first removable saddle plate. A second clamp is coupled to the second arm, and it includes a second set of actuatable tongs and a second removable saddle plate. The first removable saddle plate has a first arcuate surface sized and shaped to correspond to a cylindrical body having a first diameter, and the second saddle plate has a second arcuate surface sized and shaped to correspond to a cylindrical body having a second diameter.

An attachment that incorporates a vacuum mechanism along with one or more grab arm assemblies. The vacuum mechanism and each grab arm assembly are configured to hold an object at the same time. In other embodiments, the object can be held solely by the vacuum mechanism or solely by the grab arms. In case of failure of the vacuum mechanism, for example a loss of suction or vacuum power or the vacuum is not properly centered on the object, the grab arm assembly acts as a back-up lifting mechanism to hold the object so that the object is not dropped. In addition, the grab arm assembly permits the attachment to hold the object in orientations, such as vertical, that are not possible using the vacuum mechanism by itself.