Patents by Inventor Eric A. Ahlstrom
Eric A. Ahlstrom 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: 11794875Abstract: A wheel well fairing for reducing drag on an aircraft fuselage configured with an open wheel well for stowing landing gear of the aircraft. The wheel well fairing includes a Coanda fairing having a convex-shaped lower portion and an upper portion. The upper portion is configured for positioning adjacent an interior vertically-orientated sidewall of the wheel well, and the convex-shaped lower portion has a bottom surface configured to extend substantially parallel to and positioned adjacent with an outer hull surface of the fuselage. The convex-shaped lower portion is curved inwardly within the wheel well between the upper portion and bottom surface. The Coanda fairing is positioned at an aft portion of the wheel well to redirect airflow out of the wheel well in a rearward direction along the bottom hull surface of the fuselage.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2022Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: Aero Design Labs LLCInventor: Eric A. Ahlstrom
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Patent number: 11718386Abstract: A cupola fairing (250) for reducing drag and increasing lift on an aircraft fuselage (210) and wings (220). The fairing includes a housing length extending along a longitudinal axis, and a variable width extending normal to the longitudinal axis. The housing width is variable and defined by a plurality of cross-sectional areas of the cupola fairing. The fairing has a substantially smooth exterior surface that is curved along the length and the variable width of the housing. The housing surface has its longitudinal and transverse curvatures being defined by metrics corresponding to a reference wing root chord of the aircraft (200), a cross-sectional area of the fuselage, a percentage of the cross-sectional area to be covered by the fairing, and positioning of the cupola fairing on the crown portion of the fuselage (210). The housing has a lower surface configured to conform to a shape of the crown at which the cupola fairing (250) is positioned.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2018Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: Aero Design Labs LLCInventor: Eric A. Ahlstrom
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Patent number: 11679870Abstract: A fairing assembly is provided about a duct outlet port, which is not parallel to an exterior surface of a vehicle, so as to turn fluid flow exiting the duct outlet port in a direction of surface fluid flow. The fairing assembly includes an upstream vane fairing to orient the surface flow with the angled duct flow, a downstream Coanda fairing to turn transverse duct flow in the direction of the surface flow, and a pair of vortex generators each of which is positioned at an opposing lateral side of the Coanda fairing and angled towards each other to organize the combined fluid flow downstream of the duct outlet port to thereby minimize recirculation. This fairing assembly about the duct outlet port enhances organized mixing of the duct and surface flows, and thereby reduces duct and surface recirculation, duct restriction, and overall vehicle drag.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2018Date of Patent: June 20, 2023Assignee: Aero Design Labs LLCInventors: Eric A. Ahlstrom, Lee Sanders
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Publication number: 20230119210Abstract: A wheel well fairing for reducing drag on an aircraft fuselage configured with an open wheel well for stowing landing gear of the aircraft. The wheel well fairing includes a Coanda fairing having a convex-shaped lower portion and an upper portion. The upper portion is configured for positioning adjacent an interior vertically-orientated sidewall of the wheel well, and the convex-shaped lower portion has a bottom surface configured to extend substantially parallel to and positioned adjacent with an outer hull surface of the fuselage. The convex-shaped lower portion is curved inwardly within the wheel well between the upper portion and bottom surface. The Coanda fairing is positioned at an aft portion of the wheel well to redirect airflow out of the wheel well in a rearward direction along the bottom hull surface of the fuselage.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 22, 2022Publication date: April 20, 2023Inventor: Eric A. Ahlstrom
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Patent number: 11420724Abstract: A wheel well fairing for reducing drag on an aircraft fuselage configured with an open wheel well for stowing landing gear of the aircraft. The wheel well fairing includes a Coanda fairing having a convex-shaped lower portion and an upper portion. The upper portion is configured for positioning adjacent an interior vertically-orientated sidewall of the wheel well, and the convex-shaped lower portion has a bottom surface configured to extend substantially parallel to and positioned adjacent with an outer hull surface of the fuselage. The convex-shaped lower portion is curved inwardly within the wheel well between the upper portion and bottom surface. The Coanda fairing is positioned at an aft portion of the wheel well to redirect airflow out of the wheel well in a rearward direction along the bottom hull surface of the fuselage.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2019Date of Patent: August 23, 2022Assignee: AERO DESIGN LABS, INC.Inventor: Eric A. Ahlstrom
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Publication number: 20210009256Abstract: A wingtip of a lifting surface of an aeronautical vehicle, the lifting surface having a span, a leading edge, a trailing edge, an upper surface and a lower surface, the wingtip being in a range of five percent to fifteen percent of an end portion of the span of the lifting surface, the wingtip including: an elliptical shape between the leading and trailing edges, the elliptical shape tapering in a direction towards an outer edge of the wing tip, wherein the tapering occurs in a plurality of geometric parameters of the lifting surface including spanwise chord distribution between the leading and trailing edges, spanwise mean camber distribution between the leading including and trailing edges, spanwise maximum thickness between the upper and lower surfaces, and spanwise twist of a mean average of the spanwise chord distribution of the wingtip.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2019Publication date: January 14, 2021Inventor: Eric A. AHLSTROM
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Publication number: 20200407042Abstract: A wheel well fairing for reducing drag on an aircraft fuselage configured with an open wheel well for stowing landing gear of the aircraft. The wheel well fairing includes a Coanda fairing having a convex-shaped lower portion and an upper portion. The upper portion is configured for positioning adjacent an interior vertically-orientated sidewall of the wheel well, and the convex-shaped lower portion has a bottom surface configured to extend substantially parallel to and positioned adjacent with an outer hull surface of the fuselage. The convex-shaped lower portion is curved inwardly within the wheel well between the upper portion and bottom surface. The Coanda fairing is positioned at an aft portion of the wheel well to redirect airflow out of the wheel well in a rearward direction along the bottom hull surface of the fuselage.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 21, 2019Publication date: December 31, 2020Inventor: Eric A. AHLSTROM
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Publication number: 20200407039Abstract: A wing-to-body fairing on an aircraft having a fuselage, wing, and a wing root fairing. The wing-to-body fairing includes forward and trailing edges. The forward edge is configured for positioning adjacent a first predetermined location of an aft portion of the wing root fairing. The trailing edge is configured for positioning adjacent a second predetermined location of the aft portion of the fuselage. A convex-shaped forward portion of the fairing is configured to conform to the aft portion of the wing root fairing at the first predetermined location. A concave-shaped aft portion of the fairing is configured to conform to the aft portion of the fuselage at the second predetermined location. An exterior surface of the wing-to-body fairing is gradient optimized to minimize curvature, where the fairing trailing edge is configured with matching angles and contours as the aft portion of the fuselage at the second location.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2019Publication date: December 31, 2020Inventors: Lee SANDERS, Eric A. AHLSTROM, Mathew David WILSON
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Publication number: 20200331592Abstract: A faking assembly is provided about a duct outlet port, which is not parallel to an exterior surface of a vehicle, so as to turn fluid flow exiting the duct outlet port in a direction of surface fluid flow. The fairing assembly includes an upstream vane fairing to orient the surface flow with the angled duct flow, a downstream Coanda fairing to turn transverse duct flow in the direction of the surface flow, and a pair of vortex generators each of which is positioned at an opposing lateral side of the Coanda fairing and angled towards each other and angled towards each other to organize the combined fluid flow downstream of the duct outlet port to thereby minimize recirculation. This fairing assembly about the duct outlet port enhances organized mixing of the duct and surface flows, and thereby reduces duct and surface recirculation, duct restriction, and overall vehicle drag.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2018Publication date: October 22, 2020Inventors: Eric A. AHLSTROM, Lee SANDERS
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Publication number: 20200255118Abstract: A cupola fairing (250) for reducing drag and increasing lift on an aircraft fuselage (210) and wings (220). The fairing includes a housing length extending along a longitudinal axis, and a variable width extending normal to the longitudinal axis. The housing width is variable and defined by a plurality of cross-sectional areas of the cupola fairing. The fairing has a substantially smooth exterior surface that is curved along the length and the variable width of the housing. The housing surface has its longitudinal and transverse curvatures being defined by metrics corresponding to a reference wing root chord of the aircraft (200), a cross-sectional area of the fuselage, a percentage of the cross-sectional area to be covered by the fairing, and positioning of the cupola fairing on the crown portion of the fuselage (210). The housing has a lower surface configured to conform to a shape of the crown at which the cupola fairing (250) is positioned.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2018Publication date: August 13, 2020Inventor: Eric A. AHLSTROM
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Patent number: 9076020Abstract: An electronic device includes at least one memory unit, a plurality of applications residing on at least one of the memory units and a database residing on at least one of the memory units. The database is configured to store a record specifying a subset of the plurality of applications that are to be inaccessible to a user when in a protected mode of operation. The protected mode is designed for a user (e.g., child or friend borrowing the device) who can potentially use the device with setting that are configured under the primary user's (e.g. parent, device administrator) supervision. The device also includes a user interface through which a primary user and not other users can specify the subset of the plurality of applications to be included in the record. A processor is operatively associated with the memory unit, the database and the user interface.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2011Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Eric Ahlstrom, Jenna Lee
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Publication number: 20120291101Abstract: An electronic device includes at least one memory unit, a plurality of applications residing on at least one of the memory units and a database residing on at least one of the memory units. The database is configured to store a record specifying a subset of the plurality of applications that are to be inaccessible to a user when in a protected mode of operation. The protected mode is designed for a user (e.g., child or friend borrowing the device) who can potentially use the device with setting that are configured under the primary user's (e.g. parent, device administrator) supervision. The device also includes a user interface through which a primary user and not other users can specify the subset of the plurality of applications to be included in the record. A processor is operatively associated with the memory unit, the database and the user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2011Publication date: November 15, 2012Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Eric Ahlstrom, Jenna Lee
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Patent number: 5377300Abstract: A heater for heating processing gases used in semiconductor processing equipment; the heater including a chamber whose walls are heated by a strip heater whereby gases flowing through the chamber are heated by said heated walls.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 1992Date of Patent: December 27, 1994Assignee: Watkins-Johnson CompanyInventors: Craig C. Collins, Eric A. Ahlstrom
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Patent number: D947749Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2018Date of Patent: April 5, 2022Assignee: AERO DESIGN LABS, INC.Inventor: Eric A. Ahlstrom