Patents by Inventor James William Groves

James William Groves 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).

  • Publication number: 20240017857
    Abstract: Embodiments of a recovery and deployment pylon for recovering and launching/relaunching a target aircraft that can include a housing configured to be coupled with an aircraft, a motorized winch, a towline coupled with the winch and configured to be paid out and reeled in using the winch, a fitting coupled with the towline, and a first latching mechanism configured to selectively engage with a first lug of the target aircraft when the target aircraft is in a first position relative to the recovery and deployment pylon. The target aircraft can be in the first position when the target aircraft is within a predetermined proximity of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Allwein, Roy Hultenius, James William Groves, Arthur Siemens, Sebastian Kaser, Elijah Abelovski, Celestino Morales
  • Patent number: 11820531
    Abstract: Features for in-flight recovery of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A towline may be deployed by a host aircraft in-flight to recover an in-flight target UAV. The towline or portion thereof may be oriented nearly vertical. The towline may have a fitting thereon. A capture mechanism on the target UAV may have one or more deployable flaps that engage with the near vertical towline and fitting. The flaps may stow to secure the target aircraft to the towline and fitting. The host aircraft may then retract the towline to pull in the target UAV to the host aircraft using a hoist system having a winch. A latching system located in a pylon of the host aircraft, which may be under a wing, may have a towline connector that engages with and secures the target UAV. The host aircraft may have multiple hoist systems for deployment and/or recovery of multiple target UAV's.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Allwein, James William Groves, Kevin David Koller, Ryan Bylard, Roy Hultenius
  • Publication number: 20230150691
    Abstract: Features for in-flight recovery of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A towline may be deployed by a host aircraft in-flight to recover an in-flight target UAV. The towline or portion thereof may be oriented nearly vertical. The towline may have a fitting thereon. A capture mechanism on the target UAV may have one or more deployable flaps that engage with the near vertical towline and fitting. The flaps may stow to secure the target aircraft to the towline and fitting. The host aircraft may then retract the towline to pull in the target UAV to the host aircraft using a hoist system having a winch. A latching system located in a pylon of the host aircraft, which may be under a wing, may have a towline connector that engages with and secures the target UAV. The host aircraft may have multiple hoist systems for deployment and/or recovery of multiple target UAV's.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Allwein, James William Groves, Kevin David Koller, Ryan Bylard, Roy Hultenius