Patents by Inventor Geoffrey William Marks

Geoffrey William Marks 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).

  • Solar heat powered deployable structure
    Patent number: 7759664
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present method may comprise: heating up at least one structural element beyond a change state temperature thereof; changing the configuration of the structural element from an extended configuration to a reduced size configuration; cooling the structural element to below the change state temperature thereof; covering the structural element with a thermal protection device; removing the thermal protection device to expose the structural element to heat radiation; and heating, via the heat radiation, at least a portion of the structural element to thereby cause the structural element to change from the reduced size configuration to the extended configuration. In one embodiment each of the structural elements is formed from a thin elastic memory composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Geoffrey William Marks, James Trevor Renshall
  • Solar heat powered deployable structure
    Publication number: 20080164428
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present method may comprise: heating up at least one structural element beyond a change state temperature thereof; changing the configuration of the structural element from an extended configuration to a reduced size configuration; cooling the structural element to below the change state temperature thereof; covering the structural element with a thermal protection device; removing the thermal protection device to expose the structural element to heat radiation; and heating, via the heat radiation, at least a portion of the structural element to thereby cause the structural element to change from the reduced size configuration to the extended configuration. In one embodiment each of the structural elements is formed from a thin elastic memory composite material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Publication date: July 10, 2008
    Inventors: Geoffrey William Marks, James Trevor Renshall