Patents Examined by Christopher P. Ellis
  • Patent number: 11273911
    Abstract: An electric power tethering system for an aircraft having a vertical takeoff and landing flight mode including a takeoff phase and/or a hover phase includes a surface power source and a power tether having a surface end configured to couple to the surface power source and an aircraft end configured to couple to the aircraft. The power tether is configured to transmit power from the surface power source to the aircraft in the takeoff phase and/or the hover phase. The power tether is detachable to decouple the surface power source from the aircraft in response to a power tether release event during flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventors: Albert G. Brand, Scott David Poster
  • Patent number: 11272696
    Abstract: A fishing rod vibration system, including a mounting platform, a batter powered electronics system mounted on the mounting platform and including a motor controller and a user interface operably and electrically coupled to the motor controller, as well as a vibrator selectively and detachably coupled to the electronics system for receiving output signals from the motor controller. The vibrator includes a housing enclosing an electric motor, and vibrator mounting elements enable attachment of the vibrator to a fishing rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lucas Russell, Alexander Jackson Russell
  • Patent number: 11266135
    Abstract: A fish oil scent trail dispenser system to create a scent trail to a user's bait when fishing in fresh water and salt water. A kit containing one or more scent dispensers includes a fill tube that can be used to insert the user's favorite scent into the scent dispenser quickly and easily. The scent dispenser includes a main container with a refillable reservoir and a thin dispenser tube. An attachment tube is bound to the main container by a wrapper. The scent dispenser system includes an attachment line with a clip on each end to attach the system to the main fishing line, and a bumper bead to control the position of the scent dispenser on the attachment line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Inventor: Ruben Mirabal
  • Patent number: 11252946
    Abstract: An improved fishing lure which comprises a main body which has a baitwell. A body bore extends through the main body and is sized so as to permit a desired gauge of fishing line to pass therethrough while still having sufficient clearance, between an exterior surface of the fishing line and an inwardly facing surface of the body bore, to permit a desired flow of water through the bore and into the baitwell. A removable cover releasably seals an open end of the baitwell. The removable cover has a baitwell bore which is sized so as to permit the desired gauge of fishing line to pass therethrough while still having a sufficient clearance, between the exterior surface of the desired gauge of the fishing line and an inwardly facing surface of the baitwell bore, to permit a desired flow of water and bait therethrough into a surrounding environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: ODIN LURE, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Sundstrom
  • Patent number: 11235883
    Abstract: A restraint may include a longitudinal body having a first end and a second end. The restraint may also include a plurality of engagement features distributed between the first end and the second end. A dimension of at least one of the longitudinal body and the plurality of engagement features may vary along at least a portion of a length of the longitudinal body. The restraint may further include a head disposed at the first end of the longitudinal body. The head may define an aperture and may include a pawl that configured to individually engage the plurality of engagement features. The dimension may vary incrementally or continuously along at least the portion of the length of the longitudinal body from the first end to the second end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Goodrich Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy C. Haynes, Daniel Bahena
  • Patent number: 11234422
    Abstract: The movable tail on a fishing lure having a flexible caudal stalk basically comprises a pair of laterally opposing sides, a plurality of fin rays, upper and lower lobes, laterally projecting central drafts and upper and lower lips, and a rear surface. The fin rays extend rearwardly from the caudal stalk on each of the opposing sides of the tail. The upper and lower lobes are disposed rearwardly of the fin rays. The central drafts are disposed rearwardly of the fin rays on the opposing sides of the tail. The upper lips extend between the central draft and the upper lobe on the opposing sides, and the lower lips extend between the central drafts and the lower lobe on the opposing sides. The rear surface extends over an area defined by the upper and lower lobes, the central drafts, and the upper and lower lips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Koppers Fishing and Tackle Corporation
    Inventors: Grant Koppers, Victor Cook, Tobias Wiegand, Brad Van Reenen
  • Patent number: 11229192
    Abstract: Fishing lures are disclosed herein. One fishing lure, includes a body having a front portion and a back portion wherein the front and back portion are constructed and arranged such that at least one of the portions can move with respect to the other portion and an electromagnetic field generation system having a magnet and a coil of conductive wire wherein the wire has a contact at each end of the coil and wherein the magnet and the coil are separated from each other such that the magnet is located in either the front portion or back portion and the coil is located in the portion not containing the magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Inventor: Timothy J. Swanson
  • Patent number: 11230391
    Abstract: A control system for a tethered aerostat is provided, where at least one rotational and at least one translational degree of freedom are controlled to setpoints through the variation of tether lengths by an actuator system. The term tether includes a single tether, a tether group or a sub section of tether controlled by an individual actuator. Accurate rotational and translational control is essential for the successful operation of an aerostat under several applications, including surveillance, weather monitoring, communications, and power generation. For a given use case, the controller can be constructed and arranged to manage the tradeoff between several key performance characteristics, such as transient performance, steady-state pointing accuracy, tether tension regulation, and power generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Altaeros Energies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher R. Vermillion, Benjamin William Glass, Andrew D. Goessling
  • Patent number: 11230363
    Abstract: A system and method for transformation of motor transportation vehicle for ground and air transport, motor transportation vehicle are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Inventor: Stefan Klein
  • Patent number: 11225325
    Abstract: Embodiments of a payload delivery and drop device for an unmanned aerial vehicle, and method of its use are described herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a moveable collar defining a lumen having a centerline, and a rigid bar that has a first portion and a second portion different from the first portion. The first portion of the rigid bar has a centerline and the second portion of the rigid bar has a centerline different from the centerline of the first portion. The second portion of the rigid bar is disposed within the lumen of the collar when the rigid bar is in a first position. The centerline of the first portion of the rigid bar is substantially non-parallel to the centerline of the lumen of the moveable collar when the rigid bar is in the first position. The centerline of the second portion of the rigid bar is substantially non-parallel to the centerline of the lumen when the rigid bar is in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: DRONEUP, LLC
    Inventor: John W. Evans, II
  • Patent number: 11220335
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle system includes a ground station, a tether assembly coupled to the ground station, and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle having a quick release mechanism selectively coupled to the tether assembly to restrain movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The quick release mechanism is electrically actuatable to decouple the tether assembly from the unmanned aerial vehicle for enabling the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly freely.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: EASY AERIAL INC.
    Inventors: Jason Felder, Omri Dayan, Ido Gur
  • Patent number: 11219196
    Abstract: A lure 10 includes the arm member 1 and the charm member 3. The arm member 1 includes a first arm part 11 having an elongated shape and a second arm part 12 connected to an end part of the first arm part 11 and extending in a direction not parallel to the first arm part 11. The charm member 3 is connected to the first arm part 11 via the connecting part 5. The charm member 3 is connected to the first arm part 11 to be rotatable around an axial center R1 connecting the connecting part and a center of the charm member 3 and to allow a rotation amount of the charm member to be regulated within a predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: DUEL CO., INC.
    Inventor: Eric Eun-Ha Choi
  • Patent number: 11219197
    Abstract: A fishing lure having a cylindrical housing forming a cavity or chamber. The front end or wall of the housing is provided with one or more inlet ports as well as a bore for threading a fishing line therethrough. A rear wall has a bore in register with the bore in the front wall. There is an outlet from the chamber for the egress of water from the chamber. Rotatably mounted in the cavity formed by the housing is a rotor which has one or more surfaces with a concave-like surface, the rotor being turned by the action of the water passing through the housing and impinging on the concave-like surface as the lure is pulled through the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Inventor: Perry Forrester
  • Patent number: 11208206
    Abstract: An aircraft for fixed pitch lift includes a fuselage, a plurality of flight components attached to the fuselage, wherein the plurality of flight components further comprises at least a lift propulsor component, wherein the lift propulsor component comprises a plurality of blades configured at a fixed angle of attack, and a pusher component, wherein the pusher component is configured to produce a forward thrust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventors: Joshua E Auerbach, Andrew Giroux, Chris Townsend, Timothy Gerard Richter, Matthew John Sheppard
  • Patent number: 11198516
    Abstract: A system for controlling aircraft movement includes a frame extending across a width of a runway. The system includes an attachment mechanism coupled to the frame and configured to be releasably connected to a portion of an aircraft. The system includes a conveying system configured to, with the aircraft coupled to the frame during take-off of the aircraft, accelerate the aircraft. The conveying system is further configured to, during landing of the aircraft, decelerate the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Brett M. Hoffstadt, William A. Harkness, Royal E. Meservy
  • Patent number: 11191262
    Abstract: A waterfowl decoy may include a decoy body for flotation, a submersible keel projecting from the body and a keel rocker to rock the keel to form ripples in water about the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Clinton Decoy Co., LTD.
    Inventors: John Brian Priest, Joe G. Box
  • Patent number: 11186364
    Abstract: An information processing method includes the following steps performed using a processor: obtaining first region information indicating a first region; obtaining first position information indicating the position of an unmanned aerial vehicle tethered to a mobile tethering body using a tether; determining, using the first region information and the first position information, a first destination which is a destination of the mobile tethering body; and moving the mobile tethering body to the first destination. The first destination is a position located at least a predetermined distance from a point which is on the boundary of the first region and located the shortest distance from the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, in the direction from the point on the boundary of the first region to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazunobu Konishi, Stephen William John, Kazuo Inoue, Katsuhiko Asai
  • Patent number: 11180263
    Abstract: An example charging station for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the charging station generally including a nest and a charging device. The nest includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion defines an upper opening sized and shaped to receive a landing apparatus of the UAV, and a diameter of the nest reduces from a first diameter at the upper opening to a second diameter at the lower portion. The charging device is mounted in the nest, and includes a first contact pad and a second contact pad. The charging device is configured to apply a voltage differential across the first contact pad and the second contact pad such that the charging station is operable to charge a power supply of the UAV via the landing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Workhorse Group Inc.
    Inventors: Jay Ratajczak, Wei Wei, Haonan Zhang, Thaddeus Bort, Scott Wilson
  • Patent number: 11179989
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a vertical take-off and landing triphibian flight vehicle, which can travel in land, water and air. The triphibian vehicle is based on the structure of an ordinary electric automobile. Its airscrew module is stored in the front and rear spaces of the triphibian vehicle body. The triphibian vehicle has land mode, air mode, water mode. These three modes are achieved by the positional changes of the airscrew module. The triphibian vehicle does not require the runway, which can take off and landing vertically. Its self-powered power supply provides the unlimited power to the triphibian vehicle itself, eliminating the need for charging, and no mileage restrictions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Inventor: Yanjun Che
  • Patent number: 11174016
    Abstract: A compound rotorcraft comprises a fuselage, a rotor coupled to the fuselage and a wing mounted to the fuselage. The rotorcraft further comprising a first outboard propeller, a first inboard propeller, a second outboard propeller, and a second inboard propeller. The first outboard propeller having a propeller body and propeller blades, the body mounted to a first wing-half at a first incidence angle. The first inboard propeller having a propeller body and propeller blades, the body mounted to the first wing-half between the first outboard propeller and the fuselage at a second incidence angle. The second outboard propeller having a propeller body and propeller blades, the body mounted to a second wing-half at a third incidence angle. The second inboard propeller comprising a propeller body and propeller blades, the body mounted to a second wing-half between the second outboard propeller in the fuselage at a fourth incidence angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: JAUNT AIR MOBILITY, LLC
    Inventors: Jay W. Carter, Jr., Jeffrey R. Lewis, Martin Peryea