Patent ID: 7893803

Claim:
A coupling device for elements of a compressed gas system comprising: a first component and a second component, said second component being releasably securable to said first component; said first component further including a first field emission structure; and said second component further including a second field emission structure where said second component is operably secured to said first component when said first and said second field emission structures are located proximate to one another and have a certain alignment with respect to one another, and where each of said first and second field emission structures include an array of field emission sources each having positions and polarities relating to a desired spatial force function that corresponds to a relative alignment of said first and second field emission structures within a field domain, said spatial force function being in accordance with a code, said code corresponding to a code modulo of said first array of field emission sources and a complementary code modulo of said second array of field emission sources, said code defining a peak spatial force corresponding to substantial alignment of said code modulo of said first array of field emission sources with said complementary code modulo of said second array of field emission sources, said code also defining a plurality of off peak spatial forces corresponding to a plurality of different misalignments of said code modulo of said first array of field emission sources and said complementary code modulo of said second array of field emission sources, said plurality of off peak spatial forces having a largest off peak spatial force, said largest off peak spatial force being less than half of said peak spatial force.