Patents by Inventor Janet S. Knapp

Janet S. Knapp 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: 4617796
    Abstract: The combination of a pulsed rocket engine 12 and a sleeve valve 10 coupled to the engine output and receiving in its internal chamber 16 the gas generated by the engine 12. The sleeve valve 10 has a movable sleeve 24 with ports 26, 28 therethrough surrounding the wall 18 of the chamber 16, the wall 18 having ports 38, 40 which axially align with the sleeve ports 26, 28 in the valve's open position to allow rapid discharge of the contents of the chamber 16. The sleeve is ordinarily biased to a closed, or non-aligned, position for the ports by a spring 32. When the gas pressure in the chamber 16 reaches a predetermined amount, a pressure sensor 54 commands a gas source to send pressurized gas into the valve 10 to force the sleeve 24 into its open position against the bias of the spring 32, thereby aligning the ports 26, 28 and 38, 40 and allowing rapid discharge of the gas from the sleeve-valve chamber 16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1985
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1986
    Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
    Inventors: Janet S. Knapp, Jerry L. Hillman