Patents by Inventor James F. Swale

James F. Swale 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: 4657210
    Abstract: An improved system and method for ejecting and stabilizing a satellite/perigee stage assembly from a shuttle or orbiter type craft in space where the satellite includes gyros aligned parallel to three orthogonal axes, a computer, and spin and attitude control thrusters is described. The method comprises the steps of orienting the shuttle such that the perigee motor is pointing in the desired firing attitude, initializing said gyros and initializing the attitude determination algorithm in the spacecraft's computer, ejecting the spacecraft/perigee stage assembly without spin, after ejecting, slowly spinning the assembly about a desired spin axis, damping the assembly's nutation and precessing the assembly to the initial attitude while slowly spinning, and when at the initial attitude, spinning up the assembly for perigee motor firing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Carl H. Hubert, Paul A. Miller, Thomas J. Furia, Ludwig Muhlfelder, George E. Schmidt, Jr., James F. Swale