ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,576,955, issued on March 17, was assigned to United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy (Washington).

"Mass shifting apparatus and system for inducing a vertical dive in submersible conveyances" was invented by Leif Erik Roth (San Diego).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A mass shifting apparatus and system for inducing a vertical dive in submersible conveyances. Furthermore, an apparatus for inducing a submersible conveyance into a vertical dive, comprising a track, having a proximal end and distal end, defining a slide path wherein the track is fixed to an external surface of a submersible conveyance in alignment...