1. A fuel tank system for a vehicle comprising:
a first fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape;
a second fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape, wherein said second fuel tank is inverted with respect to said first fuel tank, the respective first portions of said first fuel tank and said second fuel tank substantially adjacent one another, and the second portion of said first fuel tank is positioned laterally away from the second portion of said second fuel tank; and a vehicle suspension system, wherein said first fuel tank and said second fuel tank are disposed intermediate said vehicle suspension system.
2. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a third fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape, wherein said first fuel tank, said second fuel tank, and said third fuel tank are alternatingly disposed with said second fuel tank and said third fuel tank offset from said first fuel tank and the respective first portions of said first fuel tank, said second fuel tank, and said third fuel tank substantially adjacent one another and the respective second portions of said second fuel tank and said third fuel tank are laterally away from the second portion of said first fuel tank.
3. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the compressed fuel is a liquid.
4. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the compressed fuel is a compressed gas.
5. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the compressed fuel is hydrogen.
6. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the outer walls are formed from one of a plastic, a composite material, and a metal.
7. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 1, further including a bulkhead adapted to militate against the forward movement of said first fuel tank and said second fuel tank.
8. A fuel tank system for a vehicle comprising:
a first fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape;
a second fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape, wherein said second fuel tank is inverted with respect to said first fuel tank, the respective first portions of said first fuel tank and said second fuel tank substantially adjacent one another, and the second portion of said first fuel tank is positioned laterally away from the second portion of said second fuel tank;
a bulkhead adapted to militate against the forward movement of said first fuel tank and said second fuel tank; and a vehicle suspension system, wherein said first fuel tank and said second fuel tank are disposed intermediate said vehicle suspension system.
9. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 8, wherein the compressed fuel is one of a compressed liquid and a compressed gas.
10. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 8, wherein the compressed fuel is compressed hydrogen.
11. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 8, further comprising a third fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape, wherein said first fuel tank, said second fuel tank, and said third fuel tank are alternatingly disposed with said second fuel tank and said third fuel tank offset from said first fuel tank and the respective first portions of said first fuel tank, said second fuel tank, and said third fuel tank substantially adjacent one another and the respective second portions of said second fuel tank and said third fuel tank are laterally away from the second portion of said first fuel tank.
12. The fuel tank system for a vehicle of claim 11, wherein said first fuel tank is disposed between said second fuel tank and said third fuel tank and such that the first portion of said first fuel tank is positioned between the first portion of said second fuel tank and the first portion of said third fuel tank and the second portion of said first fuel tank is positioned laterally away from the second portion of said second fuel tank and said third fuel tank.
13. A fuel cell propulsion system for a vehicle comprising:
a fuel cell system including a plurality of fuel cell plates;
a first fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape;
a second fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape, wherein said second fuel tank is inverted with respect to said first fuel tank, the respective first portions of said first fuel tank and said second fuel tank substantially adjacent one another, and the second portion of said first fuel tank is positioned laterally away from the second portion of said second fuel tank;
a third fuel tank having an outer wall forming a cavity for housing a compressed fuel, a first portion adjacent a first end having a first volume, and a second portion adjacent a second end having a second volume greater than the volume of the first portion to form a substantially conical shape, wherein said second fuel tank is inverted with respect to said first fuel tank and said third fuel tank, the respective first portions of said first fuel tank, said second fuel tank, and said third fuel tank substantially adjacent one another and the respective second portions of said second fuel tank and said third fuel tank are laterally away from the second portion of said first fuel tank; and a vehicle suspension system, wherein said first fuel tank, said second fuel tank, and said third fuel tank are disposed intermediate said vehicle suspension system.
14. The fuel cell propulsion system for a vehicle of claim 13, wherein the compressed fuel is one of a compressed liquid and a compressed gas.
15. The fuel cell propulsion system for a vehicle of claim 13, further including a bulkhead adapted to militate against the forward movement of said first fuel tank, said second fuel tank, and said third fuel tank.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for provisioning services to packets sourced from a number of client customer devices, the method comprising:
a) accepting a packet sourced from one of a number of client customer devices;
b) determining a packet type of the packet accepted;
c) responsive to a determination that the packet type of the packet accepted is not an address resolution protocol packet, replacing at least a part of a layer 2 header, generated by the source client customer device, with a unique bit string that is independent of any contents of the packet;
d) determining whether or not the packet is entitled to access a particular service using at least a portion of the unique bit string; and
e) if it is determined that the packet is entitled to access the particular service, then routing the packet, otherwise denying the packet access to the particular service.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string represents one of a number of logical interfaces.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string corresponds to a virtual private network-organizational universal identifier.
4. A method for providing various quality of service levels to packets sourced from a number of client customer devices, the method comprising:
a) accepting a packet sourced from one or a number of client customer devices;
b) determining a packet type of the packet accepted;
c) responsive to a determination that the packet type of the packet accepted is not an address resolution protocol packet, replacing at least a part of a layer 2 header, generated by the source client customer device, with a unique bit string that is independent of any contents of the packet;
d) determining a service level to which the packet is entitled using the unique bit string; and
e) forwarding the packet to a particular one of a plurality of queues associated with the service level determined.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string represents one of a number of logical interfaces.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string corresponds to a virtual private network-organizational universal identifier.
7. A method for monitoring packets sourced from a group of client customer devices defining a subset of client customer devices, each of the packets having at least a part of a layer 2 header, generated by the source client customer device, replaced with a unique bit string, the method comprising:
a) determining whether or not the packet belongs to the group of client customer, devices using at least a portion of the unique bit string; and
b) if it is determined that the packet does belong to the group of client customer devices, then
i) copying the packet to generate a duplicate packet, and
ii) forwarding the duplicate packet to a monitoring facility, wherein the monitoring facility monitors at least one of (A) service provided to a group of customers, and (B) security.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string represents one of a number of logical interfaces.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string corresponds to a virtual private network-organizational universal identifier.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string represents a logical port identifier including a geographic location identifier and a physical unit identifier.
11. The method of claim 4 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string represents a logical port identifier including a geographic location identifier and a physical unit identifier.
12. The method of claim 7 wherein the unique bit string is independent of a layer 2 destination address.
13. The method of claim 7 wherein at least a portion of the unique bit string represents a logical port identifier including a geographic location identifier and a physical unit identifier.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining whether or not the packet is entitled to access a particular service using at least a portion of the unique bit string is a separate determination from determining whether or not the packet can be forwarded.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet is routed only if it is determined that the packet is entitled to access the particular service.
16. The method of claim 4 wherein the service level is a quality of service level.
17. The method of claim 4 wherein the service level is a quality of service level represented by a plurality of bits.