Patents by Inventor Frederick W. Howard

Frederick W. Howard 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).

  • Enveloping gripper
    Patent number: 4592581
    Abstract: A remotely controllable gripper for picking up and setting down objects of various shapes and sizes, comprising a plurality of gripper arms which can be drawn together to enfold the object, by a continuous snare line attached to a support plate and engaged, via a parallel thrust plate, with each of the arms. The snare is tightened by increasing the separation of the thrust plate from the support plate by the operation of an interjacent bellows actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1986
    Assignee: The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
    Inventors: Frederick W. Howard, Keith T. Strong