Patents by Inventor Patriok E. Frye

Patriok E. Frye 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: 6735946
    Abstract: A solar power system is provided for converting sunlight into electricity. The solar power system utilizes a mirror to focus the sunlight into a cavity of an absorption chamber. The cavity includes heat conducting shoes which absorb the solar energy reflected by the mirror and conduct the thermal energy to a plurality of a free piston Stirling converters mounted to the absorption chamber. The Stirling converter converts the thermal energy into electrical energy. The solar power system of the present invention reduces costs of typical solar power systems by using a plurality of free piston Stirling converters of a size small enough to allow the use of a simple monolithic heater head which is simple and inexpensive to fabricate and does not require complex external tubular heat exchangers. The free piston Stirling converter does not require a crankshaft or contacting seals and thereby is reliable and low maintenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: William D. Otting, Patriok E. Frye