Patents by Inventor Christopher Eugene Fisher

Christopher Eugene Fisher 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: 20240124124
    Abstract: A motor assembly that includes a motor having a motor casing, a rotatable shaft extending from said motor casing to a shaft length and a hub coupled to said rotatable shaft, the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motor casing and having a channel configured to seat a propeller, when a propeller is present, wherein a bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub results in the circumferential skid surface contacting said motor casing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Emil Ghapgharan, Lane Dalan, Pavel Belik, Christopher Eugene Fisher, Austin Craig Gunder
  • Publication number: 20240059167
    Abstract: A method of migrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas, including: uploading a first plurality of flight missions into a first UAV pod; deploying the UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flight missions; providing first survey data from the UAV to the UAV pod; autonomously migrating the UAV from the first UAV pod to a second UAV pod; receiving a second plurality of flight missions in a second UAV pod; providing the UAV with one of the second plurality of flight missions from the second UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the second plurality of flight missions; and providing a second survey data from the UAV to the second UAV pod; where the autonomous migrating of the UAV to accomplish the first and second survey data happens autonomously and without active human intervention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott, Eric James Aagaard
  • Patent number: 11873074
    Abstract: A motor assembly that includes a motor having a motor casing, a rotatable shaft extending from said motor casing to a shaft length and a hub coupled to said rotatable shaft, the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motor casing and having a channel configured to seat a propeller, when a propeller is present, wherein a bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub results in the circumferential skid surface contacting said motor casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Emil Ghapgharan, Lane Dalan, Pavel Belik, Christopher Eugene Fisher, Austin Craig Gunder
  • Patent number: 11851209
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage and launch system includes a UAV pod having an open position and a closed position, the closed position establishing an interior that is weather resistant to an environment external to the UAV pod and a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV enclosed in the UAV pod so that the UAV pod in the closed position provides a weather resistant interior for the VTOL UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Aero Vironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Patent number: 11840152
    Abstract: A method of migrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas, including: uploading a first plurality of flight missions into a first UAV pod; deploying the UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flight missions; providing first survey data from the UAV to the UAV pod; autonomously migrating the UAV from the first UAV pod to a second UAV pod; receiving a second plurality of flight missions in a second UAV pod; providing the UAV with one of the second plurality of flight missions from the second UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the second plurality of flight missions; and providing a second survey data from the UAV to the second UAV pod; where the autonomous migrating of the UAV to accomplish the first and second survey data happens autonomously and without active human intervention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott, Eric James Aagaard
  • Publication number: 20230365273
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage and launch system, including: a UAV pod having an interior; and a telescoping UAV landing surface disposed in the interior of the UAV pod; where the telescoping UAV landing surface may translate up toward a top opening of the UAV pod, translate down into an interior of the UAV pod, or rotate relative to the UAV pod.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20230312078
    Abstract: An aircraft apparatus is disclosed that has a fuselage boom having proximal and distal ends, a wing coupled to a proximal end of the fuselage boom and at least one transparent stabilizer coupled to a distal end of the fuselage boom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Steven Bradley Chambers, Pavil Belik, Austin Craig Gunder, John Peter Zwaan
  • Publication number: 20230227145
    Abstract: A motor assembly that includes a motor having a motor casing, a rotatable shaft extending from said motor casing to a shaft length and a hub coupled to said rotatable shaft, the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motor casing and having a channel configured to seat a propeller, when a propeller is present, wherein a bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub results in the circumferential skid surface contacting said motor casing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Emil Ghapgharan, Lane Dalan, Pavel Belik, Christopher Eugene Fisher, Austin Craig Gunder
  • Patent number: 11691715
    Abstract: An aircraft apparatus is disclosed that has a fuselage boom having proximal and distal ends, a wing coupled to a proximal end of the fuselage boom and at least one transparent stabilizer coupled to a distal end of the fuselage boom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Steven Bradley Chambers, Pavil Belik, Austin Craig Gunder, John Peter Zwaan
  • Publication number: 20230168675
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for identifying a target aerial vehicle, deploying an interceptor aerial vehicle comprising at least one effector, maneuvering the interceptor aerial vehicle to a position to engage a target aerial vehicle, deploying the at least one effector to intercept the target aerial vehicle, and confirming that the target aerial vehicle has been intercepted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2023
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Michael Franklin Morgan
  • Patent number: 11618549
    Abstract: A motor assembly that includes a motor having a motor casing, a rotatable shaft extending from said motor casing to a shaft length and a hub coupled to said rotatable shaft, the hub having a circumferential skid surface disposed immediately proximal to the motor casing and having a channel configured to seat a propeller, when a propeller is present, wherein a bending moment applied to the shaft through the hub results in the circumferential skid surface contacting said motor casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Emil Ghapgharan, Lane Dalan, Pavel Belik, Christopher Eugene Fisher, Austin Craig Gunder
  • Patent number: 11603218
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage and launch system, including: a UAV pod having an interior; and a telescoping UAV landing surface disposed in the interior of the UAV pod; where the telescoping UAV landing surface may translate up toward a top opening of the UAV pod, translate down into an interior of the UAV pod, or rotate relative to the UAV pod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Patent number: 11579610
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for identifying a target aerial vehicle, deploying an interceptor aerial vehicle comprising at least one effector, maneuvering the interceptor aerial vehicle to a position to engage a target aerial vehicle, deploying the at least one effector to intercept the target aerial vehicle, and confirming that the target aerial vehicle has been intercepted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Michael Franklin Morgan
  • Publication number: 20220185133
    Abstract: A method of migrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas, including: uploading a first plurality of flight missions into a first UAV pod; deploying the UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flight missions; providing first survey data from the UAV to the UAV pod; autonomously migrating the UAV from the first UAV pod to a second UAV pod; receiving a second plurality of flight missions in a second UAV pod; providing the UAV with one of the second plurality of flight missions from the second UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the second plurality of flight missions; and providing a second survey data from the UAV to the second UAV pod; where the autonomous migrating of the UAV to accomplish the first and second survey data happens autonomously and without active human intervention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2022
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott, Eric James Aagaard
  • Patent number: 11254229
    Abstract: A method of migrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas, including: uploading a first plurality of flight missions into a first UAV pod; deploying the UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flight missions; providing first survey data from the UAV to the UAV pod; autonomously migrating the UAV from the first UAV pod to a second UAV pod; receiving a second plurality of flight missions in a second UAV pod; providing the UAV with one of the second plurality of flight missions from the second UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the second plurality of flight missions; and providing a second survey data from the UAV to the second UAV pod; where the autonomous migrating of the UAV to accomplish the first and second survey data happens autonomously and without active human intervention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott, Eric James Aagaard
  • Patent number: 11216015
    Abstract: A method of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation, including: receiving from a customer a first data request, the first data request having: a first geographic coverage area; and a refresh rate for the first geographic coverage area; planning a first plurality of flight missions to accomplish the first data request; uploading flight missions data representing the first plurality of flight missions into a UAV pod; and deploying the UAV pod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20210284355
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage and launch system includes a UAV pod having a UAV pod processor and a UAV selectively enclosed in the UAV pod, the UAV having only two rotors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2020
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20210276732
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage and launch system includes a UAV pod having an open position and a closed position, the closed position establishing an interior that is weather resistant to an environment external to the UAV pod and a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV enclosed in the UAV pod so that the UAV pod in the closed position provides a weather resistant interior for the VTOL UAV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Patent number: 11021266
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage and launch system includes a UAV pod having a UAV pod processor and a UAV selectively enclosed in the UAV pod, the UAV having only two rotors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Patent number: 10850866
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage and launch system includes a UAV pod having an open position and a closed position, the closed position establishing an interior that is weather resistant to an environment external to the UAV pod and a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV enclosed in the UAV pod so that the UAV pod in the closed position provides a weather resistant interior for the VTOL UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott