Patents by Inventor Nicholas Brophy

Nicholas Brophy 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).

  • Dust removal in deep space environment
    Patent number: 11866203
    Abstract: Systems and methods to remove dust from an extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) worn by an astronaut in a deep space environment involve one or more ionic shower units installed external to an interior volume of a facility. Each ionic shower unit releases positively charged ions and negatively charged ions in a specified direction to neutralize the dust and generate neutralized dust. The interior volume of the facility is defined by an interior hatch that is separated from an exterior hatch by an airlock. One or more collection units is installed external to the interior volume. Each collection unit traps the neutralized dust to prevent the dust from entering the interior volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Julie Strickland, Nicholas Brophy
  • DUST REMOVAL IN DEEP SPACE ENVIRONMENT
    Publication number: 20220106061
    Abstract: Systems and methods to remove dust from an extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) worn by an astronaut in a deep space environment involve one or more ionic shower units installed external to an interior volume of a facility. Each ionic shower unit releases positively charged ions and negatively charged ions in a specified direction to neutralize the dust and generate neutralized dust. The interior volume of the facility is defined by an interior hatch that is separated from an exterior hatch by an airlock. One or more collection units is installed external to the interior volume. Each collection unit traps the neutralized dust to prevent the dust from entering the interior volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Julie Strickland, Nicholas Brophy