Patents by Inventor Benjamin Michael Hekman

Benjamin Michael Hekman 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).

  • Spacecraft servicing devices and related assemblies, systems, and methods
    Patent number: 11685554
    Abstract: Spacecraft servicing devices or pods and related methods may include a body configured to be deployed from a host spacecraft at a location adjacent a target spacecraft and at least one spacecraft servicing component configured to perform at least one servicing operation on the target spacecraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: James Garret Nicholson, Daniel Carl Treachler, Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, James Dulin Reavill, Benjamin Michael Hekman, Robert Bryan Sullivan, Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Mark Lieberbaum, Michael Joseph Glogowski, William A. Llorens, Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow, Peter Michael Cipollo
  • SPACECRAFT SERVICING DEVICES AND RELATED ASSEMBLIES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS
    Publication number: 20230058379
    Abstract: Spacecraft servicing devices or pods and related methods may be configured to be deployed from a carrier spacecraft and include at least one spacecraft servicing component configured to perform at least one servicing operation on the target spacecraft. The spacecraft servicing devices may be configured to be transported from an initial orbit to another orbit after the spacecraft servicing device is deployed from the carrier spacecraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Inventors: James Garret Nicholson, Daniel Carl Treachler, Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, James Dulin Reavill, Benjamin Michael Hekman, Robert Bryan Sullivan, Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Mark Lieberbaum, Michael Joseph Glogowski, William A. Llorens, Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow
  • Spacecraft servicing pods configured to perform servicing operations on target spacecraft and related devices, assemblies, systems, and methods
    Patent number: 11492148
    Abstract: Spacecraft servicing devices or pods and related methods may be configured to be deployed from a carrier spacecraft and include at least one spacecraft servicing component configured to perform at least one servicing operation on the target spacecraft. The spacecraft servicing devices may be configured to be transported from an initial orbit to another orbit after the spacecraft servicing device is deployed from the carrier spacecraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: James Garret Nicholson, Daniel Carl Treachler, Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, James Dulin Reavill, Benjamin Michael Hekman, Robert Bryan Sullivan, Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Mark Lieberbaum, Michael Joseph Glogowski, William A. Llorens, Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow
  • SPACECRAFT SERVICING DEVICES AND RELATED ASSEMBLIES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS
    Publication number: 20210253277
    Abstract: Spacecraft servicing devices or pods and related methods may include a body configured to be deployed from a host spacecraft at a location adjacent a target spacecraft and at least one spacecraft servicing component configured to perform at least one servicing operation on the target spacecraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Inventors: James Garret Nicholson, Daniel Carl Treachler, Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, James Dulin Reavill, Benjamin Michael Hekman, Robert Bryan Sullivan, Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Mark Lieberbaum, Michael Joseph Glogowski, William A. Llorens, Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow, Peter Michael Cipollo
  • Spacecraft servicing devices and related assemblies, systems, and methods
    Patent number: 10850869
    Abstract: Spacecraft servicing devices or pods and related methods may include a body configured to be deployed from a host spacecraft at a location adjacent a target spacecraft and at least one spacecraft servicing component configured to perform at least one servicing operation on the target spacecraft. The servicing device may include a communication device configured to receive data relating to the target spacecraft from a location remote from the spacecraft servicing device. The servicing device may include a coupling mechanism comprising at least one movable coupling configured to rotate the body relative to the target spacecraft when the spacecraft servicing pod is coupled to the target spacecraft. The at least one spacecraft servicing component may include at least one propulsion device positioned on a boom arm extending away from the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: James Garret Nicholson, Daniel Carl Treachler, Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, James Dulin Reavill, Benjamin Michael Hekman, Robert Bryan Sullivan, Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Mark Lieberbaum, Michael Joseph Glogowski, William A. Llorens, Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow, Peter Michael Cipollo
  • SPACECRAFT SERVICING DEVICES AND RELATED ASSEMBLIES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS
    Publication number: 20200223568
    Abstract: Spacecraft servicing devices or pods and related methods may be configured to be deployed from a carrier spacecraft and include at least one spacecraft servicing component configured to perform at least one servicing operation on the target spacecraft. The spacecraft servicing devices may be configured to be transported from an initial orbit to another orbit after the spacecraft servicing device is deployed from the carrier spacecraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: James Garret Nicholson, Daniel Carl Treachler, Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, James Dulin Reavill, Benjamin Michael Hekman, Robert Bryan Sullivan, Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Mark Lieberbaum, Michael Joseph Glogowski, William A. Llorens, Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow
  • SPACECRAFT SERVICING DEVICES AND RELATED ASSEMBLIES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS
    Publication number: 20190023422
    Abstract: Spacecraft servicing devices or pods and related methods may include a body configured to be deployed from a host spacecraft at a location adjacent a target spacecraft and at least one spacecraft servicing component configured to perform at least one servicing operation on the target spacecraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: James Garret Nicholson, Daniel Carl Treachler, Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, James Dulin Reavill, Benjamin Michael Hekman, Robert Bryan Sullivan, Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Mark Lieberbaum, Michael Joseph Glogowski, William A. Llorens, Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow, Peter Michael Cipollo