Patents by Inventor John A. Meschberger
John A. Meschberger 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: 11852104Abstract: A propulsion system includes multiple solid rocket motors that are activated by a single initiator. The rocket motors act in parallel, providing thrust in a single direction. The initiator activates an ignition charge that is in or operatively coupled to a plenum that transports hot gasses from the ignition charge to the rockets to be ignited. The plenum may be an annular plenum, which may be located in an annular manifold. The plenum may be an unchoked plenum, allowing flow of hot gasses without choking. The plenum may be lined with an insulator material. A cover may be used to cover the plenum, and also to receive the rocket motors. The rocket motors may be solid-fuel rocket motors. The individual rocket motors may have separate ignition booster charges coupled to the plenum, which are ignited by the ignition charge and which in turn ignite the propellant grains.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2021Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Jacob Pinello-Benavides, John Meschberger, Stephen Moore, Edward Little, III
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Patent number: 11846252Abstract: A power generation system includes a manifold having multiple plenums, capable of receiving multiple solid rocket motors. Initiators are coupled to the manifold, and are operatively coupled to respective of the plenums, to selectively fire different groups of the rocket motors coupled to respective of the plenums. The rocket motors act in parallel, to provide thrust in a single direction. The initiators may activate ignition charges that are in the plenums. The plenums may be annular plenums, which may be located in an annular manifold. The plenums may be lined with an insulator material. A cover may be used to cover the plenums, and also to receive the rocket motors. The rocket motors may be solid-fuel rocket motors, with propellant grains and nozzles. The individual rocket motors may have separate ignition booster charges coupled to the plenum, which are ignited by the ignition charge.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2021Date of Patent: December 19, 2023Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Edward Little, III, Bryce Chanes, Jacob Pinello-Benavides, John Meschberger
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Patent number: 11732677Abstract: A rocket booster has an annular shape, with a casing defining an annular space therewithin, and a solid rocket fuel in the annular spacing. The rocket booster also includes one or more nozzle pieces, mechanically coupled to the casing, that define one or more nozzles at the aft side of the rocket booster. The rocket booster may be mechanically coupled to an object protruding from the back of a fuselage of a flight vehicle, such as a missile. For example, the rocket booster may be placed around an aft turbojet nozzle of the flight vehicle. This allows the rocket booster to be used in situations where primary propulsion must be running both before and after (and perhaps during) the firing of the rocket booster.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2021Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Ryan Starkey, Dario N. Altamirano, John Meschberger
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Patent number: 11643997Abstract: A propulsion system includes multiple solid rocket motors that are activated by a single initiator. The rocket motors act in parallel, providing thrust in a single direction. The initiator activates an ignition charge that is in or operatively coupled to a non-annular plenum that transports hot gasses from the ignition charge to the rockets to be ignited. The plenum may be an unchoked plenum, allowing flow of hot gasses without choking. The plenum may be lined with an insulator material. A cover may be used to cover the plenum, and also to receive the rocket motors. The rocket motors may be solid-fuel rocket motors, with propellant grains and nozzles. The individual rocket motors may have separate ignition booster charges coupled to the plenum, which are ignited by the ignition charge and which in turn ignite the propellant grains.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2021Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Jacob Pinello-Benavides, John Meschberger, Stephen Moore, Edward Little, III
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Publication number: 20230072320Abstract: A power generation system includes a manifold having multiple plenums, capable of receiving multiple solid rocket motors. Initiators are coupled to the manifold, and are operatively coupled to respective of the plenums, to selectively fire different groups of the rocket motors coupled to respective of the plenums. The rocket motors act in parallel, to provide thrust in a single direction. The initiators may activate ignition charges that are in the plenums. The plenums may be annular plenums, which may be located in an annular manifold. The plenums may be lined with an insulator material. A cover may be used to cover the plenums, and also to receive the rocket motors. The rocket motors may be solid-fuel rocket motors, with propellant grains and nozzles. The individual rocket motors may have separate ignition booster charges coupled to the plenum, which are ignited by the ignition charge.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2021Publication date: March 9, 2023Inventors: Edward Little, III, Bryce Chanes, Jacob Pinello-Benavides, John Meschberger
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Publication number: 20230071915Abstract: A propulsion system includes multiple solid rocket motors that are activated by a single initiator. The rocket motors act in parallel, providing thrust in a single direction. The initiator activates an ignition charge that is in or operatively coupled to a non-annular plenum that transports hot gasses from the ignition charge to the rockets to be ignited. The plenum may be an unchoked plenum, allowing flow of hot gasses without choking. The plenum may be lined with an insulator material. A cover may be used to cover the plenum, and also to receive the rocket motors. The rocket motors may be solid-fuel rocket motors, with propellant grains and nozzles. The individual rocket motors may have separate ignition booster charges coupled to the plenum, which are ignited by the ignition charge and which in turn ignite the propellant grains.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2021Publication date: March 9, 2023Inventors: Jacob Pinello-Benavides, John Meschberger, Stephen Moore, Edward Little, III
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Publication number: 20230073547Abstract: A propulsion system includes multiple solid rocket motors that are activated by a single initiator. The rocket motors act in parallel, providing thrust in a single direction. The initiator activates an ignition charge that is in or operatively coupled to a plenum that transports hot gasses from the ignition charge to the rockets to be ignited. The plenum may be an annular plenum, which may be located in an annular manifold. The plenum may be an unchoked plenum, allowing flow of hot gasses without choking. The plenum may be lined with an insulator material. A cover may be used to cover the plenum, and also to receive the rocket motors. The rocket motors may be solid-fuel rocket motors. The individual rocket motors may have separate ignition booster charges coupled to the plenum, which are ignited by the ignition charge and which in turn ignite the propellant grains.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2021Publication date: March 9, 2023Inventors: Jacob Pinello-Benavides, John Meschberger, Stephen Moore, Edward Little, III
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Patent number: 11499505Abstract: A flight test system uses a flight termination destruct charge that is configured to overpressurize a pressure vessel in a rocket motor to terminate thrust. The flight termination destruct charge is an electroexplosive detonator arranged on a final burn surface of a propellant contained in the pressure chamber. In a multi-pulse rocket motor, one of the pulses is ignited by the activation of the detonator. The activated detonator is configured to ignite the propellant grain without venting of the gas resulting from the burning of the propellant. Due to the burning of the propellant, the surface area in the pressure vessel is increased which causes increased pressure in the pressure vessel until a critical pressure is reached. When the critical pressure is reached, the rocket motor casing structural capabilities are exceeded. The overpressurized rocket motor casing then ruptures and thrust of the rocket motor is terminated.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2020Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Adam I. Lefcourt, John A. Meschberger
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Publication number: 20220268240Abstract: A rocket booster has an annular shape, with a casing defining an annular space therewithin, and a solid rocket fuel in the annular spacing. The rocket booster also includes one or more nozzle pieces, mechanically coupled to the casing, that define one or more nozzles at the aft side of the rocket booster. The rocket booster may be mechanically coupled to an object protruding from the back of a fuselage of a flight vehicle, such as a missile. For example, the rocket booster may be placed around an aft turbojet nozzle of the flight vehicle. This allows the rocket booster to be used in situations where primary propulsion must be running both before and after (and perhaps during) the firing of the rocket booster.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2021Publication date: August 25, 2022Inventors: Ryan Starkey, Dario N. Altamirano, John Meschberger
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Publication number: 20210381468Abstract: A flight test system uses a flight termination destruct charge that is configured to overpressurize a pressure vessel in a rocket motor to terminate thrust. The flight termination destruct charge is an electroexplosive detonator arranged on a final burn surface of a propellant contained in the pressure chamber. In a multi-pulse rocket motor, one of the pulses is ignited by the activation of the detonator. The activated detonator is configured to ignite the propellant grain without venting of the gas resulting from the burning of the propellant. Due to the burning of the propellant, the surface area in the pressure vessel is increased which causes increased pressure in the pressure vessel until a critical pressure is reached. When the critical pressure is reached, the rocket motor casing structural capabilities are exceeded. The overpressurized rocket motor casing then ruptures and thrust of the rocket motor is terminated.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2020Publication date: December 9, 2021Inventors: Adam I. Lefcourt, John A. Meschberger
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Patent number: 11047340Abstract: A multi-pulse propulsion system for a launch vehicle includes a multi-pulse rocket motor module, a launchable payload module, and a safety module that is electromechanically coupled to the multi-pulse rocket motor module and the payload module. The safety module includes at two sensors for detecting at least one environmental characteristic and/or event that is common to both the multi-pulse rocket motor module and the payload module, such that the safety module is configured to activate the multi-pulse rocket motor module and the payload module in response to the detected environmental characteristic and/or event.Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 2019Date of Patent: June 29, 2021Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Adam I. Lefcourt, John A. Meschberger
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Publication number: 20210071621Abstract: A multi-pulse propulsion system for a launch vehicle includes a multi-pulse rocket motor module, a launchable payload module, and a safety module that is electromechanically coupled to the multi-pulse rocket motor module and the payload module. The safety module includes at two sensors for detecting at least one environmental characteristic and/or event that is common to both the multi-pulse rocket motor module and the payload module, such that the safety module is configured to activate the multi-pulse rocket motor module and the payload module in response to the detected environmental characteristic and/or event.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2019Publication date: March 11, 2021Inventors: Adam I. Lefcourt, John A. Meschberger