Patents by Inventor George W. LeCompte
George W. LeCompte 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: 5655319Abstract: A perpetual calendar 1 which is set by folding back portions at the right and left sides of a month panel 2. Day-of-the-week designators 7 appear on a separate heading panel 3 above the seven displayed columns of date boxes 9. The user makes event entries 8 in the date box 9 marked with the appropriate date number 10. The date for each, month has thirteen columns of date boxes 9 marked with a redundantly extended array of date numbers 10. Date numbers 10 on each month panel 2 begin at the top of the middle column. The month panel 2 is folded back on scored lines between the columns so that only the appropriate seven columns are displayed. Hidden behind the heading panel 3 are year number markings 21 indicating the creases for each year. The month panel 2 for each month is identified by a month label 18 placed at the bottom of the center column so as to always be displayed. Because of redundancy in the date number array, event entries 8 must be duplicated unless they fall in the center column.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 1995Date of Patent: August 12, 1997Inventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5297748Abstract: In apparatus for winding a filament (12) onto a bobbin (16), a free arm follower (32, 64) with guide pulleys (46, 48, 76, 78) is provided for both the bobbin (16) and filament supply spool (14). The free arm followers swing in respective arcs parallel to the longitudinal axes of the supply spool (14) and bobbin (16) to produce consistent and uniform filament winding. A quadrature sensor (90) determines the number of actual windings laid down in each layer which are compared (94) with predetermined winding number and if the numbers do not coincide, a stop for flaw circuit (102) stops the spindle motors (28, 82) to enable winding flaw correction. A layer counter (104) energizes a lead angle driver (106) to provide correct winding lead on changing winding direction with each new layer.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 1993Date of Patent: March 29, 1994Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5279474Abstract: Method and apparatus for making a filament winding amenable to inside payout and having squared-off ends providing optimal volumetric efficiency. The filament crossovers are distributed so as to reduce crossover stacking in one or a few places which can interfere with winding and payout from the finished winding. A base wire layer is wrapped onto a mandrel over which a guide is nestingly wound with adjacent guide wire turns spaced apart. The filament first layer is wound nesting in the guide wire spaces, and subsequent filament layers accordingly formed. Each crossing filament turn has an advance in a crossing region substantially aligned with a crossover region in the underlying layer and which in one embodiment is one-half the winding pitch.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 1993Date of Patent: January 18, 1994Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5209416Abstract: Method and apparatus for making a filament winding amenable to inside payout and having squared-off ends providing optimal volumetric efficiency. The filament crossovers are distributed so as to reduce crossover stacking in one or a few places which can interfere with winding and payout from the finished winding. A base wire layer is wrapped onto a mandrel over which a guide is nestingly wound with adjacent guide wire turns spaced apart. The filament first layer is wound nesting in the guide wire spaces, and subsequent filament layers accordingly formed. Each crossing filament turn has an advance in a crossing region substantially aligned with a crossover region in the underlying layer and which in one embodiment is one-half the winding pitch.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 1992Date of Patent: May 11, 1993Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5189253Abstract: A filament dispenser (18) for a missile data link has a bobbin with end flanges (24, 26) fixedly mounted to the missile (86). A shroud (30) is spaced opposite the filament pack for frictionally engaging a ballooning filament (30) during dispensing to reduce ballooning amplitude. A second version passes the dispensed filament back through an opening (38) in the bobbin for reverse dispensing. A third version is similar to the first version and, in addition, on leaving the bobbin filament (48) passes through a relatively small diameter ring (52). In a fourth version, similar to the second version, the filament (80) passes through a constraining ring (82) located within the bobbin opening (38). In a final version the filament dispensed from a pack (92) passes around a curved end flange (90) then back over a curved surface (106) and through an opening (102) forming two balloons (109, 110) and helix elimination.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 1990Date of Patent: February 23, 1993Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5154366Abstract: Method and apparatus for making a filament winding amenable to inside payout and having squared-off ends providing optimal volumetric efficiency. The filament crossovers are distributed so as to reduce crossover stacking in one or a few places which can interfere with winding and payout from the finished winding. A base wire layer is wrapped onto a mandrel over which a guide is nestingly wound with adjacent guide wire turns spaced apart. The filament first layer is wound nesting in the guide wire spaces, and subsequent filament layers accordingly formed. Each crossing filament turn has an advance in a crossing region substantially aligned with a crossover region in the underlying layer and which in one embodiment is one-half the winding pitch.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 1991Date of Patent: October 13, 1992Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5143319Abstract: A length of filament (32), wire or optical fiber, is wound into a pack (30) on a cylindrical drum (44) located within an open-ended housing (38). The housing is mounted within a missile (26) with the housing open end (38) facing aft. An undersized front wall (48) fits over the enclosure open end leaving a circular gap or space (50) through which the filament is dispensed. An outer end portion of the filament is reinforced (42) both mechanically and thermally to allow dispensing through outer regions of the missile rocket plume. The walls defining the circular gap (50) brake the filament dispensing to a predetermined maximum speed.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 1991Date of Patent: September 1, 1992Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5125590Abstract: A hollow winding bobbin base (18) is constructed of a material having a relatively low thermal coefficient of expansion (e.g., quartz) and has a pair of flanges (32) slidably located on the ends. A metal tube (24) is received within the base (18) and has annular springs (40) on its ends urging the flanges (32) toward each other. An elastomer baselayer (30) is fitted onto the outer surface of the base (18).Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 1991Date of Patent: June 30, 1992Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5123608Abstract: An optical fiber (24) is removed from a wound pack (26) by applying an annular stream of pressurized air or other fluid against one or more filament loops previously taken from the pack. The annular stream is produced by passing pressurized air from a source (33) along a conduit (32) having a diverging tapered portion (35) within which a tapered plug (36) is located in spaced relation forming an annular nozzle (37). Filament (24) removed from the pack (26) is stacked on a tapered catcher (38).Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 1991Date of Patent: June 23, 1992Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5116451Abstract: According to the invention, a method and system of injecting material into a wound filament items such as a fiber optic canister is provided. The method is useful with a canister which, when dry wound, has at least one channel formed therein.In one aspect, the method includes the step of injecting adhesive into the channel to impregnate the canister with adhesive. In another aspect, the method includes the additional step of discharging adhesive from a second channel to remove excess adhesive from the canister. The method may also include the step of circulating air through the two channels to purge excess adhesive and solvent.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 1990Date of Patent: May 26, 1992Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5074490Abstract: An infrared tracker for tracking a carrier in clutter comprises a pyrotechnically heated emitter, a beam concentrator, and a blanking means all of which are mounted on the carrier, and a command link, a thermal detector, a display signal storage means, a display, and a comparator all of which are located remotely to the carrier, said command link operative to provide an emitter start-up signal and a blanking command signal, said emitter and blanking means operative in response to the command signals sent to the carrier when there is clutter present that might be confused with the carrier, respectively, to actuate the emitter and blanking means, said display storage means operative to store a first video frame of the carrier while the emitter is blanked out, and said comparator for ocmparing the first video frame without the emitter to a subsequent video frame including the emitter to distinguish between the clutter is being substantially canceled.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 1991Date of Patent: December 24, 1991Assignees: Texas Instruments Incorporated, Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventors: Charles B. Muse, Kenneth K. Colson, Jack R. Markle, George W. LeCompte, Patrick A. Whipps
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Patent number: 5067665Abstract: A winding form baselayer (20) has a flexible insulative substrate (22) on which a plurality of parallel spaced apart filament cable guides (24) are located. Optionally, the guides (24) can be formed by depositing a metal layer and etching out spaces (W) between the guides or plating the individual guides. A wound pack (28) is produced by winding a first filament layer (26) into the spaces (W) with subsequent layers wound over the first layer in conventional manner. In an alternate version, the filament cable guides (52) are etched into the top side of a metal sheet and the opposite side is etched into a diagonally arranged set of struts (56) which provide lateral resiliency for the entire baselayer (46).Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 1990Date of Patent: November 26, 1991Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventors: Gregory LoStracco, George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5044573Abstract: A filament (18) dispenser for on board use in an airborne vehicle (10) in which a cylindrical bobbin (20) is rotatively mounted within the vehicle (10) with the axis of rotation normal to the vehicle longitudinal axis. A brake (48) prevents the bobbin (20) from exceeding predetermined rotational speed limits that would cause filament lift-off. A protective covering (44) is placed on a prescribed filament end portion length as reinforcement against startup tension damage to the filament (18).Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 1989Date of Patent: September 3, 1991Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5040744Abstract: A filament (20) for use as a data link is wound on the tapered aft fairing (22) of a missile (10) in a manner so as to form a tapered wound pack (24) conforming generally to the aft fairing. An outer length of the filament is enclosed within a protective covering forming a leader (26). When the missile is launched from a moving mother vehicle (36), a further length of the filament is wound onto a dispenser aboard the mother vehicle (36) and a drogue (30) connected to the leader (26) is released with the leader and filament during dispensing.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 1990Date of Patent: August 20, 1991Assignee: Highes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 5039218Abstract: The optical characteristics of an optical fiber (28) are studied by simultaneously introducing multiple small-radius bends into a short length of the optical fiber (28). Since there is a small loss of light associated with each bend, those losses are added and made easier to measure and analyze when multiple bends are used. The optical fiber (28) is wound over a mandrel (10, 50) that is shaped to include at least two simulated peel location bends of the optical fiber (28) wound onto the mandrel (10, 50), and, preferably, four or more simulated peel location bends per turn of optical fiber (28) around the mandrel (10, 50).Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 1990Date of Patent: August 13, 1991Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventors: Ronald B. Chesler, George W. Lecompte, Vincent L. Jones
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Patent number: 5014930Abstract: A filament (20) for use as a data link is wound on the tapered aft fairing (22) of a missile (10) in a manner so as to form a tapered wound pack (24) conforming generally to the aft fairing. An outer length of the filament is enclosed within a protective covering forming a leader (26). When the missile is launched from a moving mother vehicle (36), a further length of the filament is wound onto a dispenser aboard the mother vehicle (36) and a drogue (30) connected to the leader (26) is released with the leader and filament during dispensing.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 1989Date of Patent: May 14, 1991Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 4961545Abstract: A deep nested filament winding includes a groove formed in a winding spool. The groove is disposed to provide an overall winding pitch about equal to the diameter of the filament multiplied by the square root of three (3).Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 1989Date of Patent: October 9, 1990Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 4957344Abstract: An optical fiber is joined, preferably with an ultraviolet curable adhesive, to a strip of a flexible support material such as a plastic tape to form an optical fiber assembly. The assembly is wound onto a bobbin to form an optical fiber canister, which is then paid out upon demand. The optical fiber assembly requires little or no adhesive to hold it in place on the bobbin, as the support material of each turn aids in holding the adjacent turns in place, with the result that the bend radius during payout is increased.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 1989Date of Patent: September 18, 1990Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventors: Ronald B. Chesler, George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 4953803Abstract: A filament winding apparatus has a bobbin slidably, but non-rotatably, received on a tube mounted to a base. A cylindrical case has an internal circumferential groove with gear teeth which mesh with an orbiting cylindrical bail. A base mounted sun gear located within the case meshes with bail gear teeth driving it along both a circular path and about itself as an axis. A filament to be wound passes through an eyelet axially mounted to the case, through the bail and secured to the bobbin. Rotation of the sun gear winds the filament onto the bobbin while not subjecting the filament to sharp bending stresses, and during which frictional engagement is distributed over extended eyelet, bail and filament surfaces.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 1989Date of Patent: September 4, 1990Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte
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Patent number: 4925125Abstract: This invention relates to a technique for forming filament windings which are designed to enable filament (52) to be paid out at a high rate used particularly for guided missile systems using a filament as a data link. Numerous prior art techniques exist which have disadvantages such as difficulty in winding, poor coil stability, and high drag associated with paying out of the filaments. Additionally, some of the prior art techniques do not result in a densely packed coil, thus requiring larger size spools and compromising the packaging efficiency of the overall system. In accordance with this invention, a "deep nested" filament coil winding (80, 94, 102) is provided. By providing a pitch distance of approximately the filament diameter times the square root of 3, and advancing the coils in two equal steps as the turns wrap around the coil spool, a highly densely packed coil is provided which can be wound against a single flange (84, 104) or a pair of separated flanges (84, 86).Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 1988Date of Patent: May 15, 1990Assignee: Hughes Aircraft CompanyInventor: George W. LeCompte