Patents Examined by Joshua J Michener
  • Patent number: 11685512
    Abstract: A lift-changing mechanism is configured to change generated by a wing of an aircraft and includes a slit and an opening and closing member. The slit extends in a wingspan direction inside the wing and forms openings on the lower surface of the wing and on the upper surface of the wing respectively. A part of airflow below the lower surface is allowed to flow toward the upper surface through the slit. The opening and closing member is configured to open and close the slit. When the opening and closing member opens the slit, lift generated on the wing is decreased compared with when the slit is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Wataru Kobayashi, Hirotaka Hayashi, Mizuki Nakamura, Masafumi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11684061
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an insect repellant device. The device includes a repellant for repelling insects and a motor for driving the repellant. A coupler is provided for coupling the motor to a bottle. Advantageously, the coupler may be coupled to an existing bottle, such as a wine bottle, on a crowded table thereby occupying no additional room on the table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: SHOOAWAY PTY LTD
    Inventors: Andrew Smith, Arthur Kassos, Robert Ayala, Stuart Roebig, Andrew Burg
  • Patent number: 11684021
    Abstract: A hydroponic plant production apparatus comprising: a hollow grow tube with a slot formed in the front face of the grow tube, and a matrix media insert composed of two halves, where the media is insertable into the grow tube, allowing plants to be inserted and grown between the two halves of the matrix media insert in the grow tube. Methods for use of a hollow grow tube with a slot formed in the front face of the grow tube, and a matrix media insert composed of two halves, where the media is insertable into the grow tube, allowing plants to be inserted and grown between the two halves of the matrix media insert in the grow tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: University of Wyoming
    Inventor: Nathaniel R. Storey
  • Patent number: 11685502
    Abstract: A replaceable web structure for an aircraft frame is described and includes a plurality of structural members fabricated from a first type of material, the replaceable web structure comprising a plurality of web members fabricated from thin sheets of a second type of material, wherein each of the web members is fastened to a web frame of one of the structural members to replace a web portion of the one of the structural members; wherein the second type of material is stronger than the first type of material such that one of the sheets of the second type of material is lighter weight than a sheet of equal strength of the first type of material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Joseph Richard Carpenter, Jr., Timothy Brian Carr, Nicholas Hou, William Anthony Amante
  • Patent number: 11684056
    Abstract: The tackle box and live bait well comprises a tackle box, a live bait well, an air supply, and a lighting system. The tackle box, the live bait well, the air supply, and the lighting system may be contained within a housing that may be carried by a user. The tackle box may be operable to store tackle. As non-limiting examples, the tackle may comprise hooks, sinkers, bobbers, swivels, and/or fishing line. The live bait well may be a container for carrying live bait in water. The air supply may keep the water in the live bait well oxygenated. The lighting system may provide illumination when the tackle box and live bait well is used in dim lighting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Inventors: Adam Bailey, Plutarco Castellanos
  • Patent number: 11684022
    Abstract: A pick-and-plant head for planting plant cuttings in a cultivation medium. The pick-and-plant head is provided with a grasper including opposed grasping surfaces for grasping a portion of a cutting between them and with an abutment that abuts a cutting. The grasper and abutment are moveable relative to one another and are arranged so that during release of a cutting from the grasper the abutment passes between the opposed grasping surfaces and the cutting is abutted by the abutment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: IG Specials B.V.
    Inventor: Wim Van Der El
  • Patent number: 11684038
    Abstract: A sensor assembly on a swine-activated self-feeder allows monitoring or tracking of individual animal feeding activity, thereby allowing corrective action to be taken in instances of under-feeding or over-feeding by an animal. The sensor assembly includes a sensor on the feed dispenser and, with a printed circuit board to generate a signal corresponding to activation of the dispenser by an animal. The signal can be sent to a computer or website which generates reports on the individual animal's feeding activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Inventor: Dave Klocke
  • Patent number: 11678645
    Abstract: The present invention is to a tightening or cinching harness that reversibly tightens (cinches) and relaxes as the lead is pulled and relaxed by an owner or by the animal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Inventors: Michael Leung, Ruixi Chen
  • Patent number: 11679879
    Abstract: A payload elevator system and method are disclosed, configured for providing a plurality of alternative payload elevator configurations, each payload elevator configuration being configured for transporting a payload module. A composite air vehicle configuration is also provided, including a respective payload elevator configuration, the payload elevator configuration being defined by and provided by the payload elevator system, and also including at least one payload module reversibly engaged to the payload elevator configuration via a corresponding engagement and release system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD.
    Inventors: Ehud Baharav, Nir Tel Oren
  • Patent number: 11679880
    Abstract: A seating arrangement for a vehicle cabin includes a first group having a number of seats and a second group having a number of seats. Each group extends laterally adjacent to each other along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle cabin. The first group having twice as many seats as the second group with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle cabin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: ADIENT AEROSPACE, LLC
    Inventors: Sahng Seok Lee, Zhao Jin
  • Patent number: 11679861
    Abstract: An assembly having a pylon with an upper spar and four lateral scoops, a wing with a skin, longitudinal spars and fittings, and, for each lateral scoop, two fastening assemblies, wherein the skin and the fitting each have a first bore and wherein the upper spar and the lateral scoop each have a second bore, wherein each fastening assembly has a screw passing through the first and the second bores, a nut, two eccentric rings, threaded onto one another and onto the screw, and a system for stopping the eccentric rings rotating. The assembly makes it possible to dispense with the use of the spigots while also ensuring the reaction of the shear forces contained in the XY plane by the bolts on account of the reduced tolerances between the various bores, the external and internal surfaces of the eccentric rings and the plain zones of the screws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventors: Paolo Messina, Olivier Pautis
  • Patent number: 11672242
    Abstract: A system comprises a rod holder, an input device, a driving device, and a controller. The rod holder holds one or more fishing rods. The driving device is coupled to drive the rod holder. The controller controls the driving device to move the rod holder based on stored rod movement information, based on a random generated movement sequence, or based on real time user input. In operation, the input device receives rod movement information that indicates at least one characteristic of rod movement, including position, timing, direction, angle, or speed. During recording of a jigging sequence, the controller stores rod movement information as stored rod movement information. During replaying of a jigging sequence, the controller controls the rod holder based on the stored rod movement information. The sequence is repeated until the user stops the replaying. The system is optionally controlled to perform a random jigging sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Inventors: Ray Guosheng Zhu, Kevin P. Zhu
  • Patent number: 11673667
    Abstract: To reduce strain and mitigate fatigue in an aircraft's airframe, some example dynamic load-sharing systems provide the aircraft with multiple tension devices that share the weight of a load hanging from the aircraft. In some examples, the tension devices are installed in the aircraft's cabin space to protect the surrounding airframe by transmitting a portion of the load's weight directly from the floor to the ceiling of the aircraft. In some examples, the portion of the weight transmitted by the tension devices is proportional to the load's total weight. In some examples, the tension devices are piston/cylinder devices that are interconnected by a manifold to distribute the load equally among the tension devices. Some examples of dynamic load-sharing system include a pressure relief valve and/or an accumulator that limits the maximum load applied to each tension device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Inventor: Travis G. Storro
  • Patent number: 11673654
    Abstract: An aircraft control system 100 operably connected to a landing gear and a landing gear bay door of an aircraft 400. The system includes: a user interface 10 to receive manual inputs of first and second requests and a landing gear controller 20 configured to: receive a first indication indicative of user-operation of the user interface to input the first request, and to initiate movement of the landing gear bay door from a closed position to an open position on the basis of the first indication without initiating movement of the landing gear between an extended position and a retracted position; and receive a second indication indicative of user-operation of the user interface to input the second request, and to initiate movement of the landing gear between the extended position and the retracted position on the basis of the second indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED
    Inventors: Sean Kerr, David Marles
  • Patent number: 11673695
    Abstract: Provided herein are various improvements to launch vehicle payload systems, such as employed to launch and deploy secondary payloads into orbit. In one example, a system includes a fairing configured to encase a payload within an envelope of a primary fairing of a launch vehicle, and a mount system configured to adapt a mounting port for the payload to a mounting port associated with the launch vehicle. The system also includes a fairing door configured to be commanded open for deployment of the payload after the primary fairing has open.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: James Eric Kline
  • Patent number: 11673661
    Abstract: A propulsion system of an aircraft has at least one unducted fan and at least one ducted fan, the at least one unducted fan and the at least one ducted fan being powered by an electric power source and rotatable between a vertical thrust position and a forward thrust position, and a controller configured to distribute electrical power between the at least one unducted fan and the at least one ducted fan. During a first mode when the at least one unducted fan and the at least one ducted fan are in the vertical thrust position, the controller is configured to distribute the electrical power between the plurality of unducted fans and the plurality of ducted fans such that the at least one unducted fan is a primary source of thrust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Randy M. Vondrell, Matthew Ryan Polakowski, Kurt David Murrow, Glenn Crabtree, Darek Tomasz Zatorski
  • Patent number: 11672241
    Abstract: An adaptor for securing an equipment to a fishing reel is disclosed. The adaptor includes a plate having a first opening configured to receive a male fastener of a fastening assembly to be mounted onto the fishing reel, and a second opening configured to receive the equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignees: Shimano Components (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., Shimano, Inc.
    Inventors: Chun Wee Chew, Kenji Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11673671
    Abstract: A passenger furniture device for a passenger seat provided within a vehicle cabin, in particular an aircraft cabin, including at least a base element having at least an upper utility surface for a passenger, a removable section element which is mounted to one side of the base element, and a simple latch mechanism. In particular, the latch mechanism may be a simple plug-in and clip device. The latch mechanism is an easy to handle releasable attachment and fixation device to release the removable section from the base element, particularly only by crew and service members of the aircraft. The latch mechanism is provided on the base element and the section element such that the section element is detachably mounted to the base element via the latch mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: ADIENT AEROSPACE, LLC
    Inventors: Gary Lee Senechal, William Trystan Parry
  • Patent number: 11668127
    Abstract: An aircraft door mechanism includes an aircraft structure (14) delimiting an opening (24); an aircraft door (26) movable between a position closing off the opening (24) and a released position of the opening (24); and a guide system (28) for moving the door (26) between the closed off and released positions. The guide system (28) includes a main rail (46) that is fixed relative to the structure and a main carriage (48) mechanically connected to the door (26) and able to slide on the main rail (46) during the movement between said closed off and released positions. The main rail (46) is positioned between the door (26) and the structure during at least part of the movement of the door (26) between said closed off and released positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: DASSAULT AVIATION
    Inventor: Patrick Chambers
  • Patent number: 11661213
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for mounting a thruster onto a vehicle. A thruster mounting structure may comprise a first, second, and third rotational joint, a boom, and thruster pallet, and a thruster attached to the thruster pallet. The first rotational joint may be attached to the vehicle and configured to rotate in a first axis. The first rotational joint may be connected to the boom and configured to pivot the boom about the first axis. The boom may be connected to the second rotational joint, which is connected to the third rotational joint and configured to rotate the third rotational joint in the first axis. The third rotational joint may be connected to the thruster pallet and configured to pivot the thruster pallet in a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Glogowski, Philip Austin, Dominick Bruno, Andre Lentati