1461103250-df39f271-4e13-42b9-a5db-177c9b7e0256

1. A pallet for use in transporting packaged goods, comprising:
a front side wall, a right side wall, a rear side wall and a left side wall, the pallet having a central longitudinal axis running from the left side wall to the right side wall;
a base configured to support the packaged goods,
the base being joined to each of the front side wall, right side wall, rear side wall, and left side wall such that each side wall is orthogonal to the base,
the base including an upper surface and a lower surface,
the upper surface being substantially planar, and
the lower surface including a first set of ribs substantially perpendicular and adjacent to the central longitudinal axis of the pallet, wherein the first set of ribs includes a plurality of substantially V-shaped ribs, and further wherein

each of the substantially V-shaped ribs forms an inverted V-shaped angle; and

a plurality of pairs of stacking feet configured to support the base of the pallet, wherein each stacking foot in each pair of stacking feet is substantially equidistant from the central longitudinal axis of the pallet, wherein, each rib in the first set of ribs is configured to join a respective pair of stacking feet together to substantially inhibit the respective pair of stacking feet from spreading when the pallet rests upon the stacking feet, and wherein each stacking foot has a plurality of interior ribs disposed on an interior thereof and configured to support a bottom of an upper nested like pallet, at least one of said interior ribs in at least one of the stacking feet having a top that is vertically higher than the top of an adjacent interior rib, each of the plurality of interior ribs being configured such that outer walls of the stacking feet of the upper nested pallet do not come into contact with inner walls of the stacking feet of the lower pallet.
2. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein for each pair of stacking feet,
a first stacking foot is located on a first side of the central longitudinal axis, and
a second stacking foot is located on a second side of the central longitudinal axis, and wherein,
the first stacking foot and the second stacking foot are each located substantially equi-distant from the central longitudinal axis of the pallet.
3. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein the V-shaped angle formed by each of the substantially V-shaped ribs measures between about 70\xb0 and about 110\xb0.
4. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein the V-shaped angle formed by each of the substantially V-shaped ribs measures between about 80\xb0 and about 100\xb0.
5. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein the V-shaped angle formed by each of the substantially V-shaped ribs measures about 90\xb0.
6. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pairs of stacking feet comprises three pairs of stacking feet.
7. The pallet according to claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of handles configured to enable a user to grasp the pallet, wherein each of the handles is positioned on the base, and wherein each of the plurality of handles includes a opening through the base of the pallet.
8. The pallet according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of handles comprises:
a left side wall handle located adjacent to the left side wall and wherein
the left side wall handle is substantially symmetrically placed about the central longitudinal axis;

a right side wall handle located adjacent to the right side wall and wherein
the right side wall handle is substantially symmetrically placed about the central longitudinal axis;

a pair of front side wall handles located adjacent to the front side wall; and
a pair of rear side wall handles located adjacent to the rear side wall, wherein,
each handle in each of the pair of front side wall handles and rear side wall handles are located substantially equidistant from an orthogonal longitudinal axis, wherein,
the orthogonal longitudinal axis is substantially perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis, and is substantially equidistant from the left side wall and the right side wall.
9. The pallet according to claim 8, wherein, each of the left side wall handles and the right side wall handles comprises:
a plurality of handle strengthening ribs configured to strengthen the left side wall and right side wall respectively, wherein each of the plurality of handle strengthening ribs are located on an outer wall of the side walls.
10. The pallet according to claim 8, wherein each of the left side wall handles and right side wall handle handles comprises:
a plurality of finger recesses located on the left side wall and right side wall, respectively.
11. The pallet according to claim 1, further comprising:
a left ledge located on the upper surface of the base over the left side wall; and
a right ledge located on the upper surface of the base over the right side wall, wherein, the right ledge and the left ledge are configured to substantially prevent one or more of the packaged goods from sliding off the pallet.
12. The pallet according to claim 11, wherein each of the left ledge and the right ledge comprises:
a raised portion of the upper surface of the base in a semi-circular shape with a radius between about 0.120 and about 0.6 inches.
13. The pallet according to claim 11, wherein each of the left ledge and the right ledge comprises:
a raised portion of the upper surface of the base in a semi-circular shape with a radius of about 0.5 inches.
14. The pallet according to claim 1, further comprising:
one or more recesses located on the upper surface of the base; and
a tacky material positioned within the one or more recesses, wherein
the tacky material is configured to substantially prevent one or more of the packaged goods from sliding off the pallet.
15. A pallet for use in transporting packaged goods, comprising:
a front side wall, a right side wall, a rear side wall and a left side wall, the pallet having a central longitudinal axis running from the left side wall to the right side wall;
a base configured to support the packaged goods,
the base being joined to each of the front side wall, right side wall, rear side wall, and left side wall such that each side wall is orthogonal to the base,
the base including an upper surface and a lower surface,
the upper surface being substantially planar, and
the lower surface including a first set of ribs substantially perpendicular and adjacent to the central longitudinal axis of the pallet; and
a plurality of pairs of stacking feet configured to support the base of the pallet, wherein
a first pair of stacking feet are located adjacent the left side wall,
a second pair of stacking feet are located adjacent the right side wall, and
a third pair of stacking feet are located between the first pair of stacking feet and second pair of stacking feet, and wherein
each of the stacking feet in the first pair of stacking feet includes a substantially horizontal floor portion and an angled portion originating from the substantially horizontal floor portion, and wherein,
the angled portion is formed at an angle in the range of about 10\xb0 to about 20\xb0 with respect to a plane of the substantially horizontal portion of the first pair of stacking feet, such that a plane of the angled portion of the first pair of stacking feet intersects a plane of the base of the pallet, and further wherein

each of the stacking feet in the second pair of stacking feet includes a substantially horizontal floor portion and an angled portion originating from the substantially horizontal floor portion, wherein,
the angled portion is formed at an angle in the range of about 10\xb0 to about 20\xb0 with respect to a plane of the substantially horizontal portion of the second pair of stacking feet, such that a plane of the angled portion of the second pair of stacking feet intersects a plane of the base of the pallet, and further wherein,

the angled portions of each of the first pair of stacking feet and second stacking feet are configured to enable the pallet to be transported over an inclined ramp without substantially interfering with the inclined ramp, and

a right side wall handle located adjacent to the right side wall and wherein
the right side wall handle is substantially symmetrically placed about the central longitudinal axis;

a pair of front side wall handles located adjacent to the front side wall; and
a pair of rear side wall handles located adjacent to the rear side wall, wherein,
each handle in each of the pair of front side wall handles and rear side wall handles are located substantially equidistant from an orthogonal longitudinal axis, wherein,
the orthogonal longitudinal axis is substantially perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis, and is substantially equidistant from the left side wall and the right side wall.
19. The pallet according to claim 18, wherein, each of the left side wall handles and the right side wall handles comprises:
a plurality of handle strengthening ribs configured to strengthen the left side wall and right side wall respectively, wherein each of the plurality of handle strengthening ribs are located on an outer wall of the side walls.
20. The pallet according to claim 18, wherein each of the left side wall handles and right side wall handle handles comprises:
a plurality of finger recesses located on the left side wall and right side wall, respectively.
21. The pallet according to claim 15, further comprising:
a left ledge located on the upper surface of the base over the left side wall; and
a right ledge located on the upper surface of the base over the right side wall, wherein, the right ledge and the left ledge are configured to substantially prevent one or more of the packaged goods from sliding off the pallet.
22. The pallet according to claim 21, wherein each of the left ledge and the right ledge comprises:
a raised portion of the upper surface of the base in a semi-circular shape with a radius between about 0.120 and about 0.6 inches.
23. The pallet according to claim 21, wherein each of the left ledge and the right ledge comprises:
a raised portion of the upper surface of the base in a semi-circular shape with a radius of about 0.5 inches.
24. The pallet according to claim 15, further comprising:
one or more recesses located on the upper surface of the base; and
a tacky material positioned within the one or more recesses, wherein
the tacky material is configured to substantially prevent one or more of the packaged goods from sliding off the pallet.
25. A pallet for use in transporting packaged goods, comprising:
a front side wall, a right side wall, a rear side wall and a left side wall, the pallet having a central longitudinal axis running from the left side wall to the right side wall;
a base configured to support the packaged goods,
the base being joined to each of the front side wall, right side wall, rear side wall, and left side wall such that each side wall is orthogonal to the base,
the base including an upper surface and a lower surface,
the upper surface being substantially planar, and
the lower surface including a first set of ribs substantially perpendicular and adjacent to the central longitudinal axis of the pallet; and

a plurality of pairs of stacking feet configured to support the base of the pallet, wherein
each stacking foot in each pair of stacking feet is substantially equidistant from the central longitudinal axis of the pallet, thereby forming a set of front side wall stacking feet and a set of rear side wall stacking feet, and further wherein,
the set of front side wall stacking feet are located at a predetermined distance from the front side wall, and
the set of rear side wall stacking feet are located at a predetermined distance from the rear side wall, such that
a first tine from a lifting device can be located adjacent the set of front side wall stacking feet, and
a second tine from a lifting device can be located adjacent the set of rear side wall stacking feet, such that
each of the first tine and the second tine is substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the pallet, thereby further enabling the pallet to be lifted by the first and second tines, and
wherein each stacking foot has a plurality of interior ribs disposed on an interior thereof and configured to support a bottom of an upper nested like pallet, at least one of said interior ribs in at least one of the stacking feet having a top that is vertically higher than the top of an adjacent interior rib, each of the plurality of interior ribs being configured such that outer walls of the stacking feet of the upper nested pallet do not come into contact with inner walls of the stacking feet of the lower pallet.
26. The pallet according to claim 25, further comprising:
a plurality of handles configured to enable a user to grasp the pallet, wherein each of the handles is positioned on the base, and wherein each of the plurality of handles includes a opening through the base of the pallet.
27. The pallet according to claim 26, wherein the plurality of handles comprises:
a left side wall handle located adjacent to the left side wall and wherein
the left side wall handle is substantially symmetrically placed about the central longitudinal axis;

a right side wall handle located adjacent to the right side wall and wherein
the right side wall handle is substantially symmetrically placed about the central longitudinal axis;

a plurality of pairs of stacking feet configured to support the base of the pallet, wherein
each stacking foot in each pair of stacking feet is substantially equidistant from the central longitudinal axis of the pallet, and further wherein,
the base including an upper surface and a lower surface,
the upper surface being substantially planar, and
the lower surface including
a first set of ribs substantially perpendicular and adjacent to the central longitudinal axis of the pallet,
a second set of ribs located within an area defined by an outer perimeter of the plurality of pairs of stacking feet but not where the first set of ribs are located, and
a third set of ribs located outside the area of the first and second set of ribs, wherein

each of the ribs of the first and second set of ribs are taller than each of the ribs of the third set of ribs, and

a right side wall handle located adjacent to the right side wall and wherein
the right side wall handle is substantially symmetrically placed about the central longitudinal axis;

the pallet having a central longitudinal axis running between the left side wall and the right side wall, and wherein
each of the plurality of stacking feet is substantially equidistant from the central longitudinal axis, and wherein
the plurality of stacking feet includes
a first pair of stacking feet located adjacent to the left side wall of the pallet, and
a second pair of stacking feet located adjacent the right side wall, and wherein,

each stacking foot of the first and second pair of stacking feet includes an angled portion, and

wherein each stacking foot has a plurality of interior ribs disposed on an interior thereof and configured to support a bottom of an upper nested like pallet, at least one of said interior ribs in at least one of the stacking feet having a top that is vertically higher than the top of an adjacent interior rib, each of the plurality of interior ribs being configured such that outer walls of the stacking feet of the upper nested pallet do not come into contact with inner walls of the stacking feet of said pallet, the method comprising:
loading the packaged goods onto the pallet;
stacking an upper pallet onto said pallet such that the outer walls of the stacking feet of the upper pallet do not come into contact with the inner walls of the stacking feet of said pallet;
positioning a first tine of a lifting mechanism adjacent to the left side wall and substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis and positioning a second tine of a lifting mechanism adjacent to the right side wall and substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis;
lifting the loaded pallet using the lifting mechanism; and
transporting the lifted loaded pallet from a first area to a second area by traversing an inclined ramp between the first and second areas, wherein
the angled portions of the respective stacking feet enable the pallet to traverse the ramp in a substantially unimpeded manner.
44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the first area comprises a parking lot and the second area comprises one of a sidewalk and an interior floor of a retail store.
45. The method according to claim 43, wherein the step of positioning further comprises:
positioning the first tine of the lifting mechanism adjacent to an outer wall of each of the plurality of stacking feet located adjacent to the left side wall; and
positioning the second tine of the lifting mechanism adjacent to an outer wall of each of the plurality of stacking feet located adjacent to the right side wall.
46. The method according to claim 43, wherein the step of loading further comprises:
wrapping a material around the loaded pallet such that the pallet and the packed goods are held substantially together by the wrapped material.
47. The method according to claim 46, wherein the wrapping material is a plastic material that shrinks when exposed to elevated temperatures.
48. The method according to claim 43, further comprising;
strapping the packaged goods loaded onto the pallet with a strap that is attached to the pallet jack.
49. The method according to claim 48 wherein the strap is a retractable strap.
50. A pallet for use in transporting packaged goods, comprising:
a front side wall, a right side wall, a rear side wall and a left side wall, the pallet having a central longitudinal axis running from the left side wall to the right side wall;
a base,
the base being joined to each of the front side wall, right side wall, rear side wall, and left side wall such that each side wall is orthogonal to the base,
the base including an upper surface and a lower surface,
the upper surface being substantially planar, and
the lower surface including a first set of ribs substantially perpendicular and adjacent to the central longitudinal axis of the pallet; and
a plurality of pairs of stacking feet configured to support the base of the pallet, wherein
each stacking foot in each pair of stacking feet is substantially equidistant from the central longitudinal axis of the pallet, and further wherein,
each rib in the first set of ribs is configured to join a respective pair of stacking feet together to substantially inhibit the respective pair of stacking feet from spreading when the pallet rests upon the stacking feet, and
wherein each stacking foot has a plurality of interior ribs disposed on an interior thereof and configured to support a bottom of an upper nested like pallet, at least one of said interior ribs in at least one of the stacking feet having a top that is vertically higher than the top of an adjacent interior rib, each of the plurality of interior ribs being configured such that outer walls of the stacking feet of the upper nested pallet do not come into contact with inner walls of the stacking feet of the lower pallet.
51. The pallet according to claim 50, wherein the pallet is configured to be placed in a retail environment.
52. The pallet according to claim 50, wherein the pallet is configured to be placed in a manufacturing environment.

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 system comprising:
a differential vector sensor including a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a three-dimensional array, none of the plurality of antenna elements being configured as a loop antenna element, each of the plurality of antenna elements being configured to provide a sensor output signal in response to an incident electromagnetic field having predetermined characteristics; and
a processing circuit coupled to the sensor, the processing circuit being configured to obtain a directional vector to a source of the incident electromagnetic field from the plurality of sensor output signals, the sensor output signals corresponding to a plurality of field components of the incident electromagnetic field at a point, the plurality of field components including differential values, the plurality of field components providing at least nine (9) degrees of freedom (DOFs).
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to obtain a plurality of summation signals and a plurality of difference signals from the sensor output signals, and wherein the sensor output signals, the plurality of summation signals and the plurality of difference signals correspond to a plurality of field components of the incident electromagnetic field.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of summation signals and the plurality of difference signals are combined to obtain differential components of the electric field corresponding to the incident electromagnetic field.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processing circuit uses the differential components of the electric field to determine the magnetic field components of the incident electromagnetic field.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the processing circuit uses the plurality of summation signals and the plurality of difference signals to obtain second differential components of the electric field.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor output signals includes twelve (12) sensor output signals.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of field components provide twelve (12) DOFs.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of antenna elements include a plurality of dipole antenna elements.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of dipole antenna elements includes a plurality of crossed dipole antenna elements or a plurality of bow-tie dipole antenna elements.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional array is configured as an array of antenna elements disposed in a volume characterized by a Cartesian coordinate system having three orthogonal axes including an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis, the array of antenna elements further comprising:
a first antenna pair including a first antenna subarray substantially disposed in a first plane formed by the x-axis and the z-axis and a second antenna subarray substantially parallel to the first antenna subarray, the first antenna subarray and the second antenna subarray being separated by a predetermined distance along the y-axis;
a second antenna pair including a third antenna subarray substantially disposed in a second plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis and a fourth antenna subarray disposed substantially parallel to the third antenna subarray, the third antenna subarray and the fourth antenna subarray being separated by a predetermined distance along the x-axis; and
a third antenna pair including a fifth antenna subarray substantially disposed in a third plane formed by the x-axis and the y-axis and a sixth antenna subarray substantially parallel to the fifth antenna subarray, the fifth antenna subarray and the sixth antenna subarray being separated by a predetermined distance along the z-axis.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the predetermined distance along the y-axis, the predetermined distance along the x-axis and the predetermined distance along the z-axis are substantially equal.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein the array of antenna elements is a cubic array of antenna elements including six sides, each of the six sides of the cubic array including an antenna subarray.
13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first antenna pair includes a first pair of crossed dipole antennas and the second antenna pair includes a second pair of crossed dipole antennas, and wherein the third antenna pair includes a third pair of crossed dipole antennas and the fourth antenna pair includes a fourth pair of crossed dipole antennas, and wherein the fifth antenna pair includes a fifth pair of crossed dipole antennas and the sixth antenna pair includes a sixth pair of crossed dipole antennas.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first antenna pair includes a first pair of bow-tie dipole antennas and the second antenna pair includes a second pair of bow-tie dipole antennas, and wherein the third antenna pair includes a third pair of bow-tie dipole antennas and the fourth antenna pair includes a fourth pair of bow-tie dipole antennas, and wherein the fifth antenna pair includes a fifth pair of bow-tie dipole antennas and the sixth antenna pair includes a sixth pair of bow-tie dipole antennas.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor output signals correspond to electric field components of the incident electromagnetic field.
16. A system comprising:
a differential vector sensor including a plurality of dipole antenna elements arranged in a three-dimensional array, the three-dimensional array of dipole antenna elements including six sensor array side portions, each of the plurality of dipole antenna elements being configured to provide a sensor output signal in response to an incident electromagnetic field having predetermined characteristics; and
a processing circuit coupled to the differential vector sensor, the processing circuit being configured to obtain a directional vector to a source of the incident electromagnetic field from the plurality of sensor output signals, the sensor output signals corresponding to a plurality of field components of the incident electromagnetic field at a point, the plurality of field components including differential values, the plurality of field components providing at least nine (9) degrees of freedom (DOFs).
17. The system of claim 16, the processing circuit being configured to obtain a plurality of summation signals and a plurality of difference signals from the sensor output signals, the sensor output signals, the plurality of summation signals and the plurality of difference signals corresponding to a plurality of field components of the incident electromagnetic field, the processing circuit being configured to use the plurality of summation signals and the plurality of difference signals to obtain the differential values of the electric field corresponding to the incident electromagnetic field.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor output signals includes twelve (12) sensor output signals.
19. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of field components provide twelve (12) DOFs.
20. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor output signals correspond to electric field components, the electric field components and first and second partial differential components of the electric field providing twelve (12) DOFs.
21. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of dipole antenna elements are selected from a group of dipole antenna elements that includes crossed dipole antenna elements or bow-tie dipole antenna elements.
22. A system comprising:
a differential vector sensor including a plurality of dipole antenna elements arranged in a three-dimensional array, each of the plurality of dipole antenna elements being configured to provide a sensor output signal in response to an incident electromagnetic field having predetermined characteristics, the three dimensional array being disposed in a volume characterized by a Cartesian coordinate system having three orthogonal axes including an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis, the sensor further comprising,
a first antenna pair including a first antenna subarray substantially disposed in a first plane formed by the x-axis and the z-axis and a second antenna subarray substantially parallel to the first antenna subarray, the first antenna subarray and the second antenna subarray being separated by a predetermined distance along the y-axis,
a second antenna pair including a third antenna subarray substantially disposed in a second plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis and a fourth antenna subarray disposed substantially parallel to the first antenna subarray, the third antenna subarray and the fourth antenna subarray being separated by a predetermined distance along the x-axis, and
a third antenna pair including a fifth antenna subarray substantially disposed in a third plane formed by the x-axis and the y-axis and a sixth antenna subarray substantially parallel to the fifth antenna subarray, the fifth antenna subarray and the sixth antenna subarray being separated by a predetermined distance along the z-axis; and

a processing circuit coupled to the sensor, the processing circuit being configured to obtain a plurality of summation signals and a plurality of difference signals from the sensor output signals, the sensor output signals, the plurality of summation signals and the plurality of difference signals corresponding to a plurality of field components of the incident electromagnetic field, the processing circuit being configured to use the plurality of summation signals and the plurality of difference signals to obtain differential components of the electric field corresponding to the incident electromagnetic field.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of antenna elements include a plurality of dipole antenna elements, the plurality of dipole antenna elements being selected from a group of dipole antenna elements that includes crossed dipole antenna elements and bow-tie dipole antenna elements.
24. The system of claim 22, wherein the sensor output signals includes twelve (12) sensor output signals.
25. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of field components provide twelve (12) DOFs.