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).

  • Patent number: 9902489
    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 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Steven Bradley Chambers, Pavil Belik, Austin Craig Gunder, John Peter Zwaan
  • Publication number: 20180043987
    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: August 29, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Emil Ghapgharan, Lane Dennis Dalan, Pavel Belik, Christopher Eugene Fisher, Austin Craig Gunder
  • Patent number: 9880563
    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: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Patent number: 9873524
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system including: a rearward facing tang extending from a rear fuselage portion of a VTOL UAV; one or more metallic contacts disposed on an exterior surface of the tang; a UAV pod including a landing surface; and an opening disposed in the landing surface to receive the tang.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Patent number: 9776706
    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: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Emil Ghapgharan, Lane Dennis Dalan, Pavel Belik, Christopher Eugene Fisher, Austin Craig Gunder
  • Publication number: 20170190443
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system including: a rearward facing tang extending from a rear fuselage portion of a VTOL UAV; one or more metallic contacts disposed on an exterior surface of the tang; a UAV pod including a landing surface; and an opening disposed in the landing surface to receive the tang.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20170177006
    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: February 10, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: CHRISTOPHER EUGENE FISHER, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott, Eric James Aagaard
  • Publication number: 20170144776
    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 11, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Patent number: 9650133
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system including: a rearward facing tang extending from a rear fuselage portion of a VTOL UAV; one or more metallic contacts disposed on an exterior surface of the tang; a UAV pod including a landing surface; and an opening disposed in the landing surface to receive the tang.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20170021941
    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: February 10, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20170021923
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system including: a rearward facing tang extending from a rear fuselage portion of a VTOL UAV; one or more metallic contacts disposed on an exterior surface of the tang; a UAV pod including a landing surface; and an opening disposed in the landing surface to receive the tang.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20170023949
    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: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20170021942
    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: February 11, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, William Arden Lott
  • Publication number: 20170021945
    Abstract: Liquid dispensing assemblies including adhesive anchoring assemblies configured to adhere to a support surface external to a device such as a vehicle. An air vehicle includes (a) a fluid adhesive container assembly detachably attached to the air vehicle, wherein the fluid adhesive container assembly comprises: (i) an adhesive container comprising fluid adhesive; and (ii) one or more fibers, wherein the one or more fibers are configured, or a brush of fibers, or a fabric of fibers, is configured to conduct the fluid adhesive and to structurally support an adhesive bond between the one or more fibers and a surface; and (b) means for dispensing the fluid adhesive from the fluid adhesive container, to the one or more fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, John Peter Zwaan, David R. Thompson, Marc L. Schmalzel, Karl R. Klingbiel, Tyson R. Jensen, Pavel Belik, Eric James Aagaard
  • Publication number: 20160214712
    Abstract: A flight control apparatus for fixed-wing aircraft includes a first port wing and first starboard wing, a first port swash plate coupled between a first port rotor and first port electric motor, the first port electric motor coupled to the first port wing, and a first starboard swash plate coupled between a first starboard rotor and first starboard electric motor, the first starboard electric motor coupled to the first starboard wing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2015
    Publication date: July 28, 2016
    Inventors: CHRISTOPHER EUGENE FISHER, JASON SIDHARTHADEV MUKHERJEE, WILLIAM ARDEN LOTT, PAVEL BELIK, BART DEAN HIBBS
  • Publication number: 20150014475
    Abstract: A flight control apparatus for fixed-wing aircraft includes a first port wing and first starboard wing, a first port swash plate coupled between a first port rotor and first port electric motor, the first port electric motor coupled to the first port wing, and a first starboard swash plate coupled between a first starboard rotor and first starboard electric motor, the first starboard electric motor coupled to the first starboard wing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Dana J. Taylor, Phillip T. Tokumaro, Bart Dean Hibbs, William Martin Parks, David Wayne Ganzer, Christopher Eugene Fisher, Jason Sidharthadev Mukherjee, Joseph Frederick King
  • Publication number: 20140314565
    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: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Inventors: Emil Ghapgharan, Lane Dennis Dalan, Pavel Belik, Christopher Eugene Fisher, Austin Craig Gunder
  • Publication number: 20140312169
    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: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Inventors: Christopher Eugene Fisher, Steven Bradley Chambers, Pavil Belik, Austin Craig Gunder, John Peter Zwaan