Patents by Inventor George H. Purcell, Jr.

George H. Purcell, Jr. 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: 4990922
    Abstract: This is a system for measuring ocean surface currents from an airborne platform. A radar system having two spaced antennas wherein one antenna is driven and return signals from the ocean surface are detected by both antennas is employed to get raw ocean current data which is saved for later processing. There are a pair of GPS systems including a first antenna carried by the platform at a first location and a second antenna carried by the platform at a second location displaced from the first antenna for determining the position of the antennas from signals from orbiting GPS navigational satellites. This data is also saved for later processing. The saved data is subsequently processed by a ground-based computer system to determine the position, orientation, and velocity of the platform as well as to derive measurements of currents on the ocean surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 5, 1991
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Lawrence E. Young, Jeffrey M. Srinivasan, Thomas K. Meehan, Timothy N. Munson, George H. Purcell, Jr., Jess B. Thomas, Courtney B. Duncan