Patents by Inventor Dennis J. Fitzgerald

Dennis J. Fitzgerald 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).

  • Plasma igniter for internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 4122816
    Abstract: An igniter for the air/fuel mixture used in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine employs a conventional spark to initiate the discharge of a large amount of energy stored in a capacitor. A high current discharge of the energy in the capacitor switched on by a spark discharge produces a plasma and a magnetic field. The resultant combined electromagnetic current and magnetic field force accelerates the plasma deep into the combustion chamber thereby providing an improved ignition of the air/fuel mixture in the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Dennis J. Fitzgerald, Robert R. Breshears