Patents by Inventor Daniel M. Simunovic

Daniel M. Simunovic has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11939081
    Abstract: End effectors and systems may capture, release, and/or create a mating engagement between the end effector and a target object. Said end effectors are tolerant of positional and rotational misalignment of the target object, and include a plurality of roller wheels, one or more of which is arranged in a non-parallel plane with respect to one or more other roller wheels. A first roller wheel configured to rotate in a first plane, a second roller wheel configured to rotate in a second plane, and a third roller wheel configured to rotate in a third plane may be arranged such that the end effector is configured to engage a passive receptacle of the target object, to capture the target object. Rotating the roller wheels in the opposite direction may cause the target object to be released or launched, by urging the passive receptacle off of or away from the roller wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: James J. Troy, Daniel M. Simunovic, Gary E. Georgeson, Joseph Lawrence Hafenrichter