Patents by Inventor Christopher Edward Foskey
Christopher Edward Foskey 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: 11753167Abstract: An embodiment is a system including an external passenger seating unit comprising at least one seat; and a translation mechanism for translating the external passenger seating unit between a first position in which the external passenger seating unit is stowed in a payload bay of an aircraft and a second position in which the external passenger seating unit is deployed external to the aircraft for accommodating at least one passenger.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2020Date of Patent: September 12, 2023Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.Inventor: Christopher Edward Foskey
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Patent number: 11718396Abstract: Embodiments are directed to systems and methods for deploying an outboard rotor blade of proprotor pylon to act as an extended lifting surface. Blade control actuators may provide primary rotor flight control as well as providing fold linkage actuation when fold locks are disengaged. During cruise flight, the blade control actuator may provide feathering inputs to the extended rotor blade, wherein the amplitude and frequency of feathering inputs are tuned to mitigate undesirable wing and fuselage dynamic modes thereby enhancing aircraft stability. The deployed rotor blades also improve the total lifting area of the aircraft, which may increase aircraft range and efficiency.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2019Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Jeffrey Mark Bosworth
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Patent number: 11623742Abstract: An elastomeric bearing assembly has a housing, a centrifugal force bearing axially captured relative to the housing, and a sliding cap disposed between the housing and the centrifugal force bearing.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2019Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Andrew Ryan Maresh, Christopher Edward Foskey
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Patent number: 11603191Abstract: A stowable lift rotor is coupled to an airframe of a VTOL aircraft. The VTOL aircraft is convertible between a VTOL flight mode and a forward flight mode. The stowable lift rotor includes a lift arm. The proximal end of the lift arm is coupled to the airframe of the VTOL aircraft. The stowable lift rotor also includes a rotor assembly including rotor blades coupled to the distal end of the lift arm. The lift arm is movable between various positions including an extended position in the VTOL flight mode, a stowed position in the forward flight mode and intermediate positions therebetween such that the distance between the rotor assembly and the airframe is greater in the extended position than in the stowed position.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2021Date of Patent: March 14, 2023Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Robert Roe
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Publication number: 20230056974Abstract: A stowable lift rotor is coupled to an airframe of a VTOL aircraft. The VTOL aircraft is convertible between a VTOL flight mode and a forward flight mode. The stowable lift rotor includes a lift arm. The proximal end of the lift arm is coupled to the airframe of the VTOL aircraft. The stowable lift rotor also includes a rotor assembly including rotor blades coupled to the distal end of the lift arm. The lift arm is movable between various positions including an extended position in the VTOL flight mode, a stowed position in the forward flight mode and intermediate positions therebetween such that the distance between the rotor assembly and the airframe is greater in the extended position than in the stowed position.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2021Publication date: February 23, 2023Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Robert Roe
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Patent number: 11498672Abstract: An exemplary clamp system for securing a proprotor blade in a stowed position includes a clamp having a pair of opposing pads operable between an open position to receive a portion of a proprotor blade between the pair of opposing pads and a closed position to grip the portion of the proprotor blade with the pair of opposing pads and a rotary actuator in connection with the clamp to operate the clamp between the open and the closed position.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2019Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventor: Christopher Edward Foskey
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Patent number: 11440652Abstract: Embodiments are directed to systems and methods for creating a tubular composite structure. In one embodiment, a device comprises multiple layers of cured composite fabric bonded together to form a tubular composite structure, wherein alternating groups of the multiple layers comprise on-axis fabric and off-axis fabric. The tubular composite structure may form a spar for an aerodynamic component. The composite fabric may comprise one or more of carbon, fiberglass, or other composite materials, or a combination of materials. One or more stacks of the fabric wrap completely around the tubular composite structure, and other stacks of fabric may not wrap completely around the tubular composite structure.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2018Date of Patent: September 13, 2022Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Jared Mark Paulson, Michael Christopher Burnett, Mark Mays
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Publication number: 20220169389Abstract: An embodiment is a system including an external passenger seating unit comprising at least one seat; and a translation mechanism for translating the external passenger seating unit between a first position in which the external passenger seating unit is stowed in a payload bay of an aircraft and a second position in which the external passenger seating unit is deployed external to the aircraft for accommodating at least one passenger.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 4, 2020Publication date: June 2, 2022Inventor: Christopher Edward Foskey
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Patent number: 11325719Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a selectable drive system that allows a rotor gearbox to send torque to a proprotor assembly and/or through a multiplier planetary gear set to a pylon-mounted ducted fan thrust unit. The rotor drive system may be a stop-fold system in which rotor blades can be folded when not rotating. This allows a normally idle lift engine to provide additional aircraft thrust during cruise where an aircraft is typically using only a dedicated thrust engine for high speed flight. An inline engage/disengage actuator or “shift fork” on the rotor gearbox is used to select the torque-output direction. The multiplier planetary gear set increases the output RPM that is received from the rotor gearbox and that is applied to the thrust fan unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2020Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Colton Gilliland
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Patent number: 11279464Abstract: An aircraft includes a pylon rotatable relative to a wing, a proprotor assembly carried by the pylon, the proprotor assembly have a proprotor blade that is foldable to a stowed position extending substantially parallel to the pylon, and a fluidic clamp positioned with the pylon and configured to grip the proprotor blade when in the stowed position, the fluidic clamp including a first inflatable bladder positioned on a first side of an opening for receiving a portion of a proprotor blade and a pressurized fluid source in fluid connection with the first inflatable bladder.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2019Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Troy Cyril Schank
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Patent number: 11242158Abstract: A rotor assembly for use in an aircraft comprising has a rotor hub, a spinner structure comprising a spinner opening, and a rotor blade received through the spinner opening. The rotor blade has a rotor root located proximate to the rotor hub. The rotor assembly also has a motive fairing face that at least partially rests along the rotor hub.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2019Date of Patent: February 8, 2022Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Chyau-Song Tzeng
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Patent number: 11214362Abstract: An advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes an airframe and a pylon assembly subject to vibration. The pylon assembly includes a dual rotor system having coaxially disposed top and bottom rotor assemblies that counter rotate relative to one another. The advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes a vibration isolation system including at least one pylon link coupled to the airframe and the pylon assembly. The pylon link includes a Liquid Inertia Vibration Eliminator unit operable to reduce transmission of the pylon assembly vibration to the airframe. The advancing blade concept rotorcraft includes active force generators adjacent to the pylon assembly. The active force generators include a first active force generator producing a force in a first direction and a second active force generator producing a force in a second direction to counteract multidirectional oscillations of the pylon assembly, thereby reducing vibration of the advancing blade concept rotorcraft.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2019Date of Patent: January 4, 2022Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Frank Bradley Stamps, Michael Reaugh Smith
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Publication number: 20210253233Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a selectable drive system that allows a rotor gearbox to send torque to a proprotor assembly and/or through a multiplier planetary gear set to a pylon-mounted ducted fan thrust unit. The rotor drive system may be a stop-fold system in which rotor blades can be folded when not rotating. This allows a normally idle lift engine to provide additional aircraft thrust during cruise where an aircraft is typically using only a dedicated thrust engine for high speed flight. An inline engage/disengage actuator or “shift fork” on the rotor gearbox is used to select the torque-output direction. The multiplier planetary gear set increases the output RPM that is received from the rotor gearbox and that is applied to the thrust fan unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2020Publication date: August 19, 2021Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Colton Gilliland
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Patent number: 11059566Abstract: An exemplary proprotor blade assembly includes a structural skin extending spanwise from a root to a tip and along a chord from leading edge to a trailing edge and a structural core positioned inside of the structural skin, the structural skin comprising hex-shaped structures oriented normal to the structural skin.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2019Date of Patent: July 13, 2021Assignee: Bell Textron Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward Foskey, Andrew Maresh
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Patent number: 11052993Abstract: An exemplary spring-loaded link for an aircraft including a spring interposed between a first and a second rod, the spring, when compressed, urging the first rod and the second rod away from each other.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2019Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: Bell Textron Inc.Inventors: Kyle Thomas Cravener, Christopher Edward Foskey, Andrew Maresh
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Publication number: 20210107624Abstract: An exemplary spring-loaded link for an aircraft including a spring interposed between a first and a second rod, the spring, when compressed, urging the first rod and the second rod away from each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 11, 2019Publication date: April 15, 2021Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.Inventors: Kyle Thomas CRAVENER, Christopher Edward FOSKEY, Andrew MARESH
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Publication number: 20210101672Abstract: An exemplary proprotor blade assembly includes a structural skin extending spanwise from a root to a tip and along a chord from leading edge to a trailing edge and a structural core positioned inside of the structural skin, the structural skin comprising hex-shaped structures oriented normal to the structural skin.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 2, 2019Publication date: April 8, 2021Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward FOSKEY, Andrew MARESH
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Publication number: 20210094683Abstract: An exemplary clamp system for securing a proprotor blade in a stowed position includes a clamp having a pair of opposing pads operable between an open position to receive a portion of a proprotor blade between the pair of opposing pads and a closed position to grip the portion of the proprotor blade with the pair of opposing pads and a rotary actuator in connection with the clamp to operate the clamp between the open and the closed position.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2019Publication date: April 1, 2021Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.Inventor: Christopher Edward FOSKEY
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Publication number: 20210078695Abstract: An exemplary aircraft includes a pylon rotatable relative to a wing, a proprotor assembly carried by the pylon, the proprotor assembly have a proprotor blade that is foldable to a stowed position extending substantially parallel to the pylon, and a fluidic clamp positioned with the pylon and configured to grip the proprotor blade when in the stowed position, the fluidic clamp including a first inflatable bladder positioned on a first side of an opening for receiving a portion of a proprotor blade and a pressurized fluid source in fluid connection with the first inflatable bladder.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2019Publication date: March 18, 2021Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.Inventors: Christopher Edward FOSKEY, Troy Cyril SCHANK
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Patent number: 10882611Abstract: Systems and methods of operating a tiltrotor aircraft include providing the tiltrotor with a plurality of rotatable pylon assemblies. Each pylon assembly includes a rotor system having a plurality of rotor blades operatively coupled to a rotor mast and selectively rotatable in response to rotation of the rotor mast, a swashplate assembly operatively coupled to the plurality of rotor blades, a plurality of swashplate actuators operatively coupled to the swashplate assembly and selectively extendable and retractable to control the position and the orientation of the swashplate assembly, and a swashplate augmenting system. The swashplate augmenting system is selectively operable to cause axial translation of the swashplate actuators and swashplate assembly to augment the travel of the swashplate actuators in order to fold the plurality of rotor blades for operating the tiltrotor aircraft in an airplane forward flight mode.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2018Date of Patent: January 5, 2021Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventor: Christopher Edward Foskey