Patents by Inventor Clifford F. MCKENZIE

Clifford F. MCKENZIE 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).

  • Terrain traversing device having a wheel with microhooks
    Patent number: 8789629
    Abstract: A terrain traversing device includes an annular rotor element with a plurality of co-planar microspine hooks arranged on the periphery of the annular rotor element. Each microspine hook has an independently flexible suspension configuration that permits the microspine hook to initially engage an irregularity in a terrain surface at a preset initial engagement angle and subsequently engage the irregularity with a continuously varying engagement angle when the annular rotor element is rotated for urging the terrain traversing device to traverse a terrain surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Aaron Parness, Clifford F. McKenzie
  • TERRAIN TRAVERSING DEVICE HAVING A WHEEL WITH MICROHOOKS
    Publication number: 20130062134
    Abstract: A terrain traversing device includes an annular rotor element with a plurality of co-planar microspine hooks arranged on the periphery of the annular rotor element. Each microspine hook has an independently flexible suspension configuration that permits the microspine hook to initially engage an irregularity in a terrain surface at a preset initial engagement angle and subsequently engage the irregularity with a continuously varying engagement angle when the annular rotor element is rotated for urging the terrain traversing device to traverse a terrain surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Inventors: Aaron PARNESS, Clifford F. MCKENZIE