Patents by Inventor Julie M. L'Heureux

Julie M. L'Heureux 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: 5293895
    Abstract: In a liquid storage tank 10 for use on a spacecraft, a transfer apparatus 15 (comprising gathering vanes 33, an elongate array of fins 32, and a sponge structure formed from panels 31) functions to transfer liquid from the inner surface of the tank 10 to the vicinity of an outlet line 40. A screen 23 is disposed between the panels 31 and the outlet line 40. When wetted with liquid, the screen 23 prevents gas and/or vapor in the tank 10 from passing to the outlet line 40. A perforated plate 22 disposed between the screen 23 and the outlet line 40 causes liquid to pass from the tank 10 to the outlet line 40 in a regular and generally unbroken flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Assignee: Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
    Inventors: R. K. Grove, Ronald W. King, Julie M. L'Heureux
  • Patent number: 5279323
    Abstract: In a liquid storage tank 10 for use on a spacecraft, a transfer apparatus 15 (comprising gathering vanes 33, an elongate array of fins 32, and a sponge structure formed from panels 31) functions to transfer liquid from the inner surface of the tank 10 to the vicinity of an outlet line 40. A screen 23 is disposed between the panels 31 and the outlet line 40. When wetted with liquid, the screen 23 prevents gas and/or vapor in the tank 10 from passing to the outlet line 40. A perforated plate 22 disposed between the screen 23 and the outlet line 40 causes liquid to pass from the tank 10 to the outlet line 40 in a regular and generally unbroken flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1994
    Assignee: Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
    Inventors: R. K. Grove, Ronald W. King, Julie M. L'Heureux
  • Patent number: 5263329
    Abstract: In a tank 10 for cryogenic liquid to be used in a low-gravity environment (e.g., on a space vehicle), a liquid transfer apparatus 15 (which comprises an elongate array of fins 32 and a sponge structure formed from panels 31) functions to transfer cryogenic liquid from the interior of the tank 10 to a bowl structure 20 defining a reservoir region adjacent an outlet of the tank 10. A perforated plate 22 disposed between the sponge structure and the outlet of the tank 10 causes cryogenic liquid to pass through the outlet into an outlet line 40 in a regular and generally unbroken flow. To prevent any substantial amount of heat transfer into the reservoir region of the tank 10, the bowl structure 20 is separated from the inner surface of the tank 10 by a capillary distance in order to provide a thermally insulating space therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1993
    Assignee: Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
    Inventors: R. K. Grove, Ronald W. King, Julie M. L'Heureux