Patents by Inventor Howard Lee Huddleston, JR.
Howard Lee Huddleston, JR. 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).
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Patent number: 11146758Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may perform a surveillance action at a property of an authorized party. The property may be defined by a geo-fence, which may be a virtual perimeter or boundary around a real-world geographic area. The UAV may image the property to generate surveillance images, and the surveillance images may include image data of objects inside the geo-fence and image data of objects outside the geo-fence. While gathering surveillance images, or after the surveillance images have been gathered, the geo-fence information may be used to obscure or remove image data referring to objects outside the geo-fence. Geo-clipped surveillance images may be generated by physically constraining a sensor of the UAV, by performing pre-image capture processing, or post-image capture processing. Geo-clipped surveillance images may be limited to authorized property, so privacy is ensured for private persons and property.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2020Date of Patent: October 12, 2021Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Kalidas Yeturu, Howard Lee Huddleston, Jr.
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Publication number: 20210309346Abstract: Aerial vehicles may be operated with discrete sets of propellers, which may be selected for a specific purpose or on a specific basis. The discrete sets of propellers may be operated separately or in tandem with one another, and at varying power levels. For example, a set of propellers may be selected to optimize the thrust, lift, maneuverability or efficiency of an aerial vehicle based on a position or other operational characteristic of the aerial vehicle, or an environmental condition encountered by the aerial vehicle. At least one of the propellers may be statically or dynamically imbalanced, such that the propeller emits a predetermined sound during operation. A balanced propeller may be specifically modified to cause the aerial vehicle to emit the predetermined sound by changing one or more parameters of the balanced propeller and causing the balanced propeller to be statically or dynamically imbalanced.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2021Publication date: October 7, 2021Inventors: Howard Lee Huddleston, JR., Brian C. Beckman, Allan Ko
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Patent number: 10872304Abstract: Systems and methods for pre-flight fabrication and/or assembly of various configurations of aerial vehicles are described. Operations of various configurations of aerial vehicles may be analyzed using models based on various inputs, which inputs may be related to routes, environments, vehicles, components, or other factors. A particular configuration may be selected for a selected route and associated task based at least in part on a desired optimization parameter. Then, the particular configuration of the aerial vehicle may be fabricated and/or assembled to complete the associated task via the selected route.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2017Date of Patent: December 22, 2020Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Shmuel Eisenmann, Howard Lee Huddleston, Jr., Christopher Andrew Keisner
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Patent number: 10757376Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may perform a surveillance action at a property of an authorized party. The property may be defined by a geo-fence, which may be a virtual perimeter or boundary around a real-world geographic area. The UAV may image the property to generate surveillance images, and the surveillance images may include image data of objects inside the geo-fence and image data of objects outside the geo-fence. While gathering surveillance images, or after the surveillance images have been gathered, the geo-fence information may be used to obscure or remove image data referring to objects outside the geo-fence. Geo-clipped surveillance images may be generated by physically constraining a sensor of the UAV, by performing pre-image capture processing, or post-image capture processing. Geo-clipped surveillance images may be limited to authorized property, so privacy is ensured for private persons and property.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2019Date of Patent: August 25, 2020Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Kalidas Yeturu, Howard Lee Huddleston, Jr.
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Publication number: 20190185139Abstract: Aerial vehicles may be operated with discrete sets of propellers, which may be selected for a specific purpose or on a specific basis. The discrete sets of propellers may be operated separately or in tandem with one another, and at varying power levels. For example, a set of propellers may be selected to optimize the thrust, lift, maneuverability or efficiency of an aerial vehicle based on a position or other operational characteristic of the aerial vehicle, or an environmental condition encountered by the aerial vehicle. At least one of the propellers may be statically or dynamically imbalanced, such that the propeller emits a predetermined sound during operation. A balanced propeller may be specifically modified to cause the aerial vehicle to emit the predetermined sound by changing one or more parameters of the balanced propeller and causing the balanced propeller to be statically or dynamically imbalanced.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2019Publication date: June 20, 2019Inventors: Howard Lee Huddleston, JR., Brian C. Beckman, Allan Ko
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Patent number: 10313638Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may perform a surveillance action at a property of an authorized party. The property may be defined by a geo-fence, which may be a virtual perimeter or boundary around a real-world geographic area. The UAV may image the property to generate surveillance images, and the surveillance images may include image data of objects inside the geo-fence and image data of objects outside the geo-fence. While gathering surveillance images, or after the surveillance images have been gathered, the geo-fence information may be used to obscure or remove image data referring to objects outside the geo-fence. Geo-clipped surveillance images may be generated by physically constraining a sensor of the UAV, by performing pre-image capture processing, or post-image capture processing. Geo-clipped surveillance images may be limited to authorized property, so privacy is ensured for private persons and property.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2015Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Kalidas Yeturu, Howard Lee Huddleston, Jr.
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Patent number: 10232931Abstract: Aerial vehicles may be operated with discrete sets of propellers, which may be selected for a specific purpose or on a specific basis. The discrete sets of propellers may be operated separately or in tandem with one another, and at varying power levels. For example, a set of propellers may be selected to optimize the thrust, lift, maneuverability or efficiency of an aerial vehicle based on a position or other operational characteristic of the aerial vehicle, or an environmental condition encountered by the aerial vehicle. At least one of the propellers may be statically or dynamically imbalanced, such that the propeller emits a predetermined sound during operation. A balanced propeller may be specifically modified to cause the aerial vehicle to emit the predetermined sound by changing one or more parameters of the balanced propeller and causing the balanced propeller to be statically or dynamically imbalanced.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2015Date of Patent: March 19, 2019Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Howard Lee Huddleston, Jr., Brian C. Beckman, Allan Ko
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Publication number: 20170174316Abstract: Aerial vehicles may be operated with discrete sets of propellers, which may be selected for a specific purpose or on a specific basis. The discrete sets of propellers may be operated separately or in tandem with one another, and at varying power levels. For example, a set of propellers may be selected to optimize the thrust, lift, maneuverability or efficiency of an aerial vehicle based on a position or other operational characteristic of the aerial vehicle, or an environmental condition encountered by the aerial vehicle. At least one of the propellers may be statically or dynamically imbalanced, such that the propeller emits a predetermined sound during operation. A balanced propeller may be specifically modified to cause the aerial vehicle to emit the predetermined sound by changing one or more parameters of the balanced propeller and causing the balanced propeller to be statically or dynamically imbalanced.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2015Publication date: June 22, 2017Inventors: Howard Lee Huddleston, JR., Brian C. Beckman, Allan Ko