Patents by Inventor Randy D. Curry

Randy D. Curry 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).

  • Publication number: 20130057151
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to methods and devices for generating electron dense air plasmas at atmospheric pressures. In particular, this disclosure relate to self-contained toroidal air plasmas. Methods and apparatuses have been developed for generating atmospheric toroidal air plasmas. The air plasmas are self-confining, can be projected, and do not require additional support equipment once formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: THE CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
    Inventor: Randy D. Curry
  • Publication number: 20120245016
    Abstract: The present invention relates to composite materials with a high dielectric constant and high dielectric strength and to methods of producing the composite materials. The composite materials have high dielectric constants at a range of high frequencies and possess robust mechanical properties and strengths, such that they may be machined to a variety of configurations. The composite materials also have high dielectric strengths for operation in high power and high energy density systems. In one embodiment, the composite material is composed of a trimodal distribution of ceramic particles, including barium titanate, barium strontium titanate (BST), or combinations thereof and a polymer binder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: THE CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
    Inventors: Randy D. Curry, Kevin O'Connor
  • Patent number: 7987068
    Abstract: A method and system for mitigating the effectiveness of IEDs are disclosed. The method can include detecting IEDs by sensing the presence of a non-linear electronic component of an IED. The presence of a non-linear electronic component of the IED can be detected by illuminating the device with a high power microwave signal containing a plurality of radio frequencies of electromagnetic radiation and receiving sum and/or difference frequency components that are produced by interaction of the illuminating signals with a non-linear IED component and subsequently re-radiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignees: The Boeing Company, The University of Missouri
    Inventors: Eugene M. Schultz, Randy D. Curry, Richard A. Niksch
  • Publication number: 20090182525
    Abstract: A method and system for mitigating the effectiveness of IEDs are disclosed. The method can include detecting IEDs by sensing the presence of a non-linear electronic component of an IED. The presence of a non-linear electronic component of the IED can be detected by illuminating the device with a high power microwave signal containing a plurality of radio frequencies of electromagnetic radiation and receiving sum and/or difference frequency components that are produced by interaction of the illuminating signals with a non-linear IED component and subsequently re-radiated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Inventors: Eugene M. Schultz, Randy D. Curry, Richard A. Curry
  • Patent number: 7512511
    Abstract: A method and system for mitigating the effectiveness of IEDs are disclosed. The method can include detecting IEDs by sensing the presence of a non-linear electronic component of an IED. The presence of a non-linear electronic component of the IED can be detected by illuminating the device with a high power microwave signal containing a plurality of radio frequencies of electromagnetic radiation and receiving sum and/or difference frequency components that are produced by interaction of the illuminating signals with a non-linear IED component and subsequently re-radiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Eugene M. Schultz, Randy D. Curry, Richard A. Niksch
  • Patent number: 7390984
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for switching high power at high repetition rates. The apparatus is preferably a switch utilizing a pressurized flowing dielectric. The pressurized dielectric suppresses growth of dielectric breakdown byproducts, such as large bubbles and breakdown contamination, enabling lower dielectric flow rates to remove the byproducts. In addition to the advantage of lower flow rates, and thus smaller and lighter pumping means, the switch can switch high energies (up to megajoules) at fast repetition rates, up to thousands of pulses per second. The switch is preferably triggered to reduce jitter. The switch can also be used to remove water from oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignees: Alpha-Omega Power Technologies Ltd. Co., The Curators of the University of Missouri, The Boeing Company
    Inventors: William Ray Cravey, Randy D. Curry, Kenneth Fox McDonald, Glenn A. Anderson, Richard Sears
  • Patent number: 7312412
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for switching high power at high repetition rates. The apparatus is preferably a switch utilizing a pressurized flowing dielectric. The pressurized dielectric suppresses growth of dielectric breakdown byproducts, such as large bubbles and breakdown contamination, enabling lower dielectric flow rates to remove the byproducts. In addition to the advantage of lower flow rates, and thus smaller and lighter pumping means, the switch can switch high energies (up to megajoules) at fast repetition rates, up to thousands of pulses per second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignees: Alpha-Omega Power Technologies, The Curators of the University of Missouri, The Boeing Company
    Inventors: William Ray Cravey, Randy D. Curry, Kenneth Fox McDonald, Glenn A. Anderson
  • Patent number: 5311566
    Abstract: Organically contaminated earth-bound material is treated in-situ by positioning one or more x-ray converters in chambers formed in an earth and/or water site containing such earth-bound material and irradiating the contaminated material in-situ adjacent to each chamber with x-radiation from the x-ray converter to decompose the organic compounds. A high energy electron beam from a electron beam source is directed to the x-ray converter to produce the x-radiation. The electron beam source, such as a linear induction accelerator or an RF linear accelerator may be positioned either within the chamber near the x-ray converter or above ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1994
    Assignee: The Titan Corporation
    Inventors: Randy D. Curry, John R. Bayless
  • Patent number: 5188177
    Abstract: A well-head pipe of a leaking oil well is sealed by radial application of a high-energy magnetic pulse to the well-head pipe to thereby plastically deform the metal of the pipe casing and form the metal into a seal that caps the well-head pipe without cracking the pipe. A system for sealing an oil-well-head pipe having a metal casing includes an electromagnet dimensioned for placement around an exposed portion of the well-head pipe, with the electromagnet being disposed to radially apply a magnetic field to the pipe when the electromagnet is placed around the exposed portion of the pipe; and a capacitor bank and a transmission line for providing a high-energy current pulse to the electromagnet to cause the electromagnet to radially apply a high-energy magnetic pulse to the pipe to plastically deform the metal of the pipe casing and form the metal into a seal that caps the well-head pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: The Titan Corporation
    Inventor: Randy D. Curry