Patents by Inventor Jennifer Blair Herron

Jennifer Blair Herron 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).

  • Toroidal propulsion and steering system
    Patent number: 7387179
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a body having a torus skin with inner and outer layers, and a drive system configured to propel the apparatus by moving the inner layer relative to the outer layer. The active skin propulsion system allows movement and steering of a device. A drive system includes a plurality of drive segments coupled together so that the skin engaging unit of the drive segment frictionally moves the inner layer of the torus skin relative to the outer layer of the torus skin. As a result of the relative skin motion and contact with the surface by the outer layer of the torus skin, the body is propelled and may be steered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
    Inventors: David Jerry Anhalt, Jennifer Blair Herron
  • Toroidal propulsion and steering system
    Patent number: 7235046
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a body having a torus skin with inner and outer layers, and a drive system configured to propel the apparatus by moving the inner layer relative to the outer layer. The active skin propulsion system allows movement and steering of a device. A drive system includes a plurality of drive segments coupled together so that the skin engaging unit of the drive segment frictionally moves the inner layer of the torus skin relative to the outer layer of the torus skin. As a result of the relative skin motion and contact with the surface by the outer layer of the torus skin, the body is propelled and may be steered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
    Inventors: David Jerry Anhalt, Jennifer Blair Herron
  • Toroidal propulsion and steering system
    Patent number: 7044245
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a body having a torus skin with inner and outer layers, and a drive system configured to propel the apparatus by moving the inner layer relative to the outer layer. The active skin propulsion system allows movement and steering of a device. A drive system includes a plurality of drive segments coupled together so that the skin engaging unit of the drive segment frictionally moves the inner layer of the torus skin relative to the outer layer of the torus skin. As a result of the relative skin motion and contact with the surface by the outer layer of the torus skin, the body is propelled and may be steered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
    Inventors: David Jerry Anhalt, Jennifer Blair Herron