Patents by Inventor Geoffrey Richard Williams

Geoffrey Richard Williams 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: 11772806
    Abstract: An aircraft engine nacelle for coupling to a wing of an aircraft is disclosed having a fore end, and an aft end that is immoveable relative to the fore end. The aft end includes a major axis Mj and a minor axis Mi, and the nacelle is configured such the minor axis Mi is closer to vertical V than the major axis Mj when the nacelle is coupled to the wing and the aircraft is stationary on the ground. An aircraft system and an aircraft are disclosed each including the aircraft engine nacelle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Geoffrey Richard Williams, Ross Salisbury, Antony Peacock
  • Publication number: 20210316871
    Abstract: An aircraft engine nacelle for coupling to a wing of an aircraft is disclosed having a fore end, and an aft end that is immoveable relative to the fore end. The aft end includes a major axis Mj and a minor axis Mi, and the nacelle is configured such the minor axis Mi is closer to vertical V than the major axis Mj when the nacelle is coupled to the wing and the aircraft is stationary on the ground. An aircraft system and an aircraft are disclosed each including the aircraft engine nacelle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventors: Geoffrey Richard WILLIAMS, Ross SALISBURY, Antony PEACOCK
  • Publication number: 20200130807
    Abstract: An elongate primary structural element 200, such as a spar or rib, for a primary structure 22 of an aircraft aerodynamic structure 20, such as a wing. The primary structural element 200 has a shear web 210 comprising a twist 211 about a longitudinal axis of the shear web 210 so that a face 220 of at least a portion of the shear web 210 is non-planar when the shear web 210 is free from a torque applied about the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Antony PEACOCK, Ross SALISBURY, Geoffrey Richard WILLIAMS, Daren HEALY
  • Patent number: 10597140
    Abstract: A method of configuring a wing tip device (7) on an aircraft (1), including: undertaking ground-based operations at an airport with the wing tip device (7) in a ground configuration, in which the span of the aircraft is within an airport compatibility limit, moving the wing tip device (7) to a take-off configuration in which the wing tip device (7) is moved away from the ground configuration such that the span of the aircraft is increased and such that the wing tip device (7) has a first lift coefficient; taking-off with the wing tip device (7) in the take-off configuration; moving the wing tip device from the take-off configuration to a flight configuration, in which the wing tip device has a second lift coefficient, the second lift coefficient being lower than the first lift coefficient. The lift coefficient may be changed by adjusting the sweep of the wing tip device (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventors: Robert Ian Thompson, Geoffrey Richard Williams, Nicholas Livings, Kevin Nicholls
  • Patent number: 10427777
    Abstract: An aerofoil shaped body includes a plurality of longitudinal spars, an upper aerofoil cover, and a lower aerofoil cover. The spars and the covers are made of composite laminate material. One of the spars is integrally formed with one of the covers to form a spar-cover such that the composite laminate material of the spar extends continuously into the cover through a fold region created between the spar and the cover. The fold region has a fold axis extending substantially in the longitudinal direction, and the fold axis projected onto two orthogonal planes has curvature in both those planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventor: Geoffrey Richard Williams
  • Patent number: 10336440
    Abstract: A winglet 3 has an inner end 5 and an outer 7. The winglet 3 has a varying radius of curvature (R) which:(i) decreases along the winglet over a first distanced1; (ii) remains constant over a second distanced2; and (iii) increases along the winglet 3 over a third distance d3. The sum of the first and third distances (d1+d3) is greater than the second distance (d2). The radius of curvature may vary according to the equation R=k1/dn. The parameter n may be equal to 1, such that the curvature follows an Euler spiral.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited
    Inventor: Geoffrey Richard Williams
  • Publication number: 20170369151
    Abstract: A method of configuring a wing tip device (7) on an aircraft (1), including: undertaking ground-based operations at an airport with the wing tip device (7) in a ground configuration, in which the span of the aircraft is within an airport compatibility limit, moving the wing tip device (7) to a take-off configuration in which the wing tip device (7) is moved away from the ground configuration such that the span of the aircraft is increased and such that the wing tip device (7) has a first lift coefficient; taking-off with the wing tip device (7) in the take-off configuration; moving the wing tip device from the take-off configuration to a flight configuration, in which the wing tip device has a second lift coefficient, the second lift coefficient being lower than the first lift coefficient. The lift coefficient may be changed by adjusting the sweep of the wing tip device (7).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: Robert Ian THOMPSON, Geoffrey Richard WILLIAMS, Nicholas LIVINGS, Kevin NICHOLLS
  • Publication number: 20170334541
    Abstract: An aerofoil shaped body includes a plurality of longitudinal spars, an upper aerofoil cover, and a lower aerofoil cover. The spars and the covers are made of composite laminate material. One of the spars is integrally formed with one of the covers to form a spar-cover such that the composite laminate material of the spar extends continuously into the cover through a fold region created between the spar and the cover. The fold region has a fold axis extending substantially in the longitudinal direction, and the fold axis projected onto two orthogonal planes has curvature in both those planes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Inventor: Geoffrey Richard WILLIAMS
  • Publication number: 20160340029
    Abstract: A winglet 3 has an inner end 5 and an outer 7. The winglet 3 has a varying radius of curvature (R) which: (i) decreases along the winglet over a first distance d1; (ii) remains constant over a second distance d2; and (iii) increases along the winglet 3 over a third distance d3. The sum of the first and third distances (d1+d3) is greater than the second distance (d2). The radius of curvature may vary according to the equation R=k1/dn. The parameter n may be equal to 1, such that the curvature follows an Euler spiral.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2015
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventor: Geoffrey Richard Williams