Patents by Inventor Erick Robert Ratzer

Erick Robert Ratzer 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: 6109199
    Abstract: A capture and alignment mechanism which locks a deployable body to a sheave assembly. The sheave assembly is connected to a carriage which rides on a boom positioned above the deck of a ship and extends over the ship's st. The mechanism includes a capture body having a conical shaped inner surface and a pair of capture pins positioned 180 degrees apart near the bottom of the capture body. A cable is terminated by a cable termination assembly which couples the deployable body to one end of the cable, while the other end of the cable is wrapped around a winch. The termination assembly includes a termination cone having an outer surface which aligns with the conical shaped inner surface of the capture body when the deployable body is hoisted upward to the capture and alignment mechanism. The capture pins are moved to an open position by a pneumatic cylinder allowing the termination cone to align with the inner surface of the capture body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Adam Wallach, Erick Robert Ratzer