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).

  • Patent number: 5655319
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1997
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5297748
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5279474
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1994
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5209416
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5189253
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5154366
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1992
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5143319
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5125590
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1992
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5123608
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5116451
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5074490
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1991
    Assignees: Texas Instruments Incorporated, Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Charles B. Muse, Kenneth K. Colson, Jack R. Markle, George W. LeCompte, Patrick A. Whipps
  • Patent number: 5067665
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Gregory LoStracco, George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5044573
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1991
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5040744
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1991
    Assignee: Highes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 5039218
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1991
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Ronald B. Chesler, George W. Lecompte, Vincent L. Jones
  • Patent number: 5014930
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1991
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 4961545
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 9, 1990
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 4957344
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1990
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: Ronald B. Chesler, George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 4953803
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 4, 1990
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte
  • Patent number: 4925125
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: George W. LeCompte