Patents by Inventor John N. Monroe

John N. Monroe 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: 7017467
    Abstract: A method of defense against optically guided missiles, said method comprising the steps of: mounting a single-ended laser adjacent the area to be protected emitting electromagnetic radiation at a frequency within the sensitive frequency range of said guided missile, directing said radiation toward an area within which said radiation may be reflected by components of said missile, causing lasing operation of said laser in response to reflection of said radiation by components of said missile, and modulating the output of said laser in response to said lasing operation for misdirecting said guided missile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1965
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: John N. Monroe
  • Patent number: 6885497
    Abstract: A single-ended laser device for locating reflective targets within a given surveillance volume, said apparatus comprising: a body of material excitable to emit electromagnetic radiation at frequencies within a characteristic fluorescence peak, said body having an effective exit aperture; a single retro-reflective member having an optic center and positioned to receive radiation from said body and to redirect said radiation into said surveillance volume through said effective exit aperture of said body, said effective aperture being oppositely disposed on said body from said single member, said single member cooperating with said body to form a field of view within said surveillance volume substantially equal to the solid angle defined by the square of the length of a line joining said optic center of said single member with the center of said effective exit aperture divided into the area of said exit aperture transverse to said line; means for exciting said body to an energy level substantially equal to th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1965
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: John N. Monroe
  • Patent number: 4886347
    Abstract: A range-finding binocular is disclosed which has substantially the external appearance and size of a conventional binocular. In each barrel, a system is provided for obtaining a projected image of a range-mark of circular symmetry which is focused in the focal plane of each eye lens at an accurately placed position near the visual axis of the monocular. The distance between the projected image and the visual axis is carefully controlled in order to provide, in stereovision, a sense of distance to the range-mark image which can be "placed alongside" a target of interest by changing the offset distance in a controlled manner. In one embodiment, the image is obtained by a backlighted reticle whose image passes between a transparent glass range-mark translation plate and a transparent glass adjustment plate, through a lens, and to a gold surfaced mirror for directing the projected image into the conventional path of the field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1989
    Inventor: John N. Monroe
  • Patent number: 4449047
    Abstract: In order to achieve airborne exploration for minerals in which both color and size information is obtained from fluorescing targets, a pulsed ultraviolet source is directed downwardly from the aircraft to a target area, and light from any responsively fluorescing discrete target is passed through receiving optics which includes a plurality of choppers of different fineness. A multiply-chopped signal is passed through a light pipe which includes filters to separate the signal into a plurality of electronic channels according to the respective color components. Signals are further processed by division into a plurality of parallel paths according to chopper frequency and applied to a series of integrators which are specially configured to remove noise from several sources to markedly improve the signal to noise ratio. The data thus obtained is stored, along with time and position information, onto conventional digital recording means for subsequent retrieval and analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1981
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1984
    Assignee: Sunoco Energy Development Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Company, Inc.
    Inventor: John N. Monroe
  • Patent number: 4015258
    Abstract: A gun aiming system having target ranging means, wherein the operator observes the position of backscattered radiation from a bullet or bullets at the target range relative to a simultaneous visually observed target position. A diverged laser beam is reflected back from a special reflector in the rear of the bullet and received in an optical system which produces an image-like indication in an operator's combining glass. A range gating technique images only the bullets at the same range as the target. The resulting real-time display of the target and the bullet in the target plane simultaneously permits the operator to place the direction of fire so that the two images coincide, thus producing a hit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1971
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1977
    Assignee: Northrop Corporation
    Inventors: William W. Smith, John N. Monroe