Patents by Inventor Ralph David Hooper
Ralph David Hooper 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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Publication number: 20230250602Abstract: A dock shock absorption device includes a frame and one or more energy dissipative elements. The frame is attached to a dock with the frame enclosing a pylon. The one or more energy dissipative elements attach to the frame and are equal to or less than 1 inch from the pylon.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 9, 2022Publication date: August 10, 2023Applicant: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVYInventors: Ralph David Hooper, Taylor Doolittle, William Abbot Chambers
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Patent number: 11535345Abstract: An apparatus and method transports, launches, and recovers an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) on a boat. A pair of support rails secures the UUV to the boat during the transport across a body of water on the boat. The support rails support the UUV in sliding movement along the support rails during the launch from the boat into the body of water and during the recovery from the body of water onto the boat. A ramp is deployed that extends the support rails into the body of water through a stern of the boat. The ramp includes a pair of alignment rails for aligning the UUV with the support rails during the recovery. A winch pulls the UUV out of the body of water during the recovery, with the winch pulling the UUV into the alignment rails and then onto the support rails in the boat.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2021Date of Patent: December 27, 2022Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Ralph David Hooper, Jeffery Towns Gilchrist, William A. Chambers, Taylor R. Doolittle
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Publication number: 20220258841Abstract: An apparatus and method transports, launches, and recovers an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) on a boat. A pair of support rails secures the UUV to the boat during the transport across a body of water on the boat. The support rails support the UUV in sliding movement along the support rails during the launch from the boat into the body of water and during the recovery from the body of water onto the boat. A ramp is deployed that extends the support rails into the body of water through a stern of the boat. The ramp includes a pair of alignment rails for aligning the UUV with the support rails during the recovery. A winch pulls the UUV out of the body of water during the recovery, with the winch pulling the UUV into the alignment rails and then onto the support rails in the boat.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2021Publication date: August 18, 2022Inventors: Ralph David Hooper, Jeffery Towns Gilchrist, William A. Chambers, Taylor R. Doolittle
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Patent number: 10538191Abstract: An apparatus for removing and/or installing a side guide of a trailer-mounted boat capture system for guiding a boat onto the trailer, the apparatus comprising: an outboard post pivotally attached to an upper support rail of the side guide; two inboard posts, each pivotally attached to the side guide proximal to where the side guide is attached to the trailer via first pins, wherein each inboard post includes a manual leveling jack; an attachment point on the side guide suitable for attaching a winch cable from a boat held in the boat capture system; and second pins attaching the side guide to the trailer such that when the first pins are removed the side guide is free to pivot around the second pins from an upright position towards a support surface.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2017Date of Patent: January 21, 2020Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Ralph David Hooper, William A. Chambers
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Patent number: 10436241Abstract: A snap-hook, including a hook and a dual-direction latch pivotally attached to the hook by a latch pin. The dual-direction latch blocks an opening to the hook's throat when held in a neutral position by a latch spring having a first spring force and a lever-return spring having a second spring force. The dual-direction latch is configured to move into the throat by overcoming the first spring force and to move out of the throat by overcoming the second spring force. The dual-direction latch comprises a spring guard attached to the dual-direction latch so as to shield the lever-return spring from coming into contact with one or both of an object disposed within a throat of the hook and an inner edge of the hook throat.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2018Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: United States Government as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Ralph David Hooper, William A. Chambers, James Benjamin Penney
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Patent number: 10434888Abstract: A vehicle charging station comprising: a container comprising an upper portion having an air duct, and a lower portion comprising a support structure, a smoke detector, a fire-suppressant inlet, and a charging/communications junction, wherein the upper portion is configured to mate with the lower portion to form a weather-tight enclosure around a vehicle, and wherein removal of the upper portion allows for loading/unloading of the vehicle into/out of the lower portion; and a resource control unit (RCU) comprising a processor, an environmental control unit (ECU), a fire-suppressant control manifold, and a charger, wherein the ECU is operatively coupled to the air duct, the fire-suppressant control manifold is operatively coupled to the fire-suppressant inlet, the charger is electrically coupled to the charging/communications junction, and the processor is communicatively coupled to the smoke detector, the charging/communications junction, the ECU, the charger, and the fire-suppressant control manifold.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2017Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Ralph David Hooper, Jeffery Towns Gilchrist, William A. Chambers, Bradley Joseph Easterwood, Brett Paul Lassus, Paul Michael Collins, Samuel Thomas Edwards, Terry Lance Silas, Marc Ludwig Roth, Harry Lynn Barker, Steven Dustin Bennett
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Publication number: 20190264729Abstract: A snap-hook, including a hook and a dual-direction latch pivotally attached to the hook by a latch pin. The dual-direction latch blocks an opening to the hook's throat when held in a neutral position by a latch spring having a first spring force and a lever-return spring having a second spring force. The dual-direction latch is configured to move into the throat by overcoming the first spring force and to move out of the throat by overcoming the second spring force. The dual-direction latch comprises a spring guard attached to the dual-direction latch so as to shield the lever-return spring from coming into contact with one or both of an object disposed within a throat of the hook and an inner edge of the hook throat.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2018Publication date: August 29, 2019Inventors: Ralph David Hooper, William A. Chambers, James Benjamin Penney
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Patent number: 10232761Abstract: An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) transport cart comprising: a wheeled frame including vertical posts, a front end, and a rear end; a UUV cradle adjustably clamped to the vertical posts such that the UUV cradle is vertically adjustable with respect to the frame; a U-shaped handle pivotally attached to the front end of the frame such that the U-shaped handle pivots up and down around a first axis, wherein the U-shaped handle includes a handle spring that acts between the U-shaped handle and the frame so as to bias the U-shaped handle toward an upward orientation; side handles pivotally attached to the UUV cradle such that the side handles pivot up and down around side axes that are perpendicular to the first axis; and a hand brake affixed to the U-shaped handle and configured to provide active brake control of the wheeled frame.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2018Date of Patent: March 19, 2019Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Ralph David Hooper, William A. Chambers, Jeffery Towns Gilchrist
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Publication number: 20180370373Abstract: A vehicle charging station comprising: a container comprising an upper portion having an air duct, and a lower portion comprising a support structure, a smoke detector, a fire-suppressant inlet, and a charging/communications junction, wherein the upper portion is configured to mate with the lower portion to form a weather-tight enclosure around a vehicle, and wherein removal of the upper portion allows for loading/unloading of the vehicle into/out of the lower portion; and a resource control unit (RCU) comprising a processor, an environmental control unit (ECU), a fire-suppressant control manifold, and a charger, wherein the ECU is operatively coupled to the air duct, the fire-suppressant control manifold is operatively coupled to the fire-suppressant inlet, the charger is electrically coupled to the charging/communications junction, and the processor is communicatively coupled to the smoke detector, the charging/communications junction, the ECU, the charger, and the fire-suppressant control manifold.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2017Publication date: December 27, 2018Inventors: Ralph David Hooper, Jeffery Towns Gilchrist, William A. Chambers, Bradley Joseph Easterwood, Brett Paul Lassus, Paul Michael Collins, Samuel Thomas Edwards, Terry Lance Silas, Marc Ludwig Roth, Harry Lynn Barker, Steven Dustin Bennett
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Publication number: 20180265113Abstract: An unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) transport cart comprising: a wheeled frame including vertical posts, a front end, and a rear end; a UUV cradle adjustably clamped to the vertical posts such that the UUV cradle is vertically adjustable with respect to the frame; a U-shaped handle pivotally attached to the front end of the frame such that the U-shaped handle pivots up and down around a first axis, wherein the U-shaped handle includes a handle spring that acts between the U-shaped handle and the frame so as to bias the U-shaped handle toward an upward orientation; side handles pivotally attached to the UUV cradle such that the side handles pivot up and down around side axes that are perpendicular to the first axis; and a hand brake affixed to the U-shaped handle and configured to provide active brake control of the wheeled frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2018Publication date: September 20, 2018Inventors: Ralph David Hooper, William A. Chambers, Jeffery Towns Gilchrist
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Publication number: 20180264986Abstract: An apparatus for removing and/or installing a side guide of a trailer-mounted boat capture system for guiding a boat onto the trailer, the apparatus comprising: an outboard post pivotally attached to an upper support rail of the side guide; two inboard posts, each pivotally attached to the side guide proximal to where the side guide is attached to the trailer via first pins, wherein each inboard post includes a manual leveling jack; an attachment point on the side guide suitable for attaching a winch cable from a boat held in the boat capture system; and second pins attaching the side guide to the trailer such that when the first pins are removed the side guide is free to pivot around the second pins from an upright position towards a support surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2017Publication date: September 20, 2018Inventors: Ralph David Hooper, William A. Chambers
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Patent number: 10069214Abstract: A constrained diameter phased array antenna system involving at least one dielectric superstrate, a generally cylindrical arrangement of antennas in a generally circular array, the arrangement proximate to the at least one dielectric superstrate, and at least one phase shifter coupled with the arrangement in an orientation corresponding to at least one scanning plane, whereby a communication range is increasable.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2016Date of Patent: September 4, 2018Assignee: The United States of America as represented by Secretary of the NavyInventors: Ralph David Hooper, Christopher Joseph Meagher, Jia-Chi Chieh
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Patent number: 9994430Abstract: A snap-hook comprising: a hook-shaped body having a throat opening and a shank end, wherein the hook-shaped body includes a primary aperture located at the shank end suitable for attaching a primary line and a secondary aperture located approximately opposite the throat opening suitable for attaching a secondary line; and a dual-direction latch pivotally attached to the hook-shaped body such that the dual-direction latch spans the throat opening when in a neutral position and is capable of pivoting into and out of the throat of the hook-shaped body, wherein the dual-direction latch comprises a bent wire having two free ends, each end inserted in a different hole of two holes in the hook-shaped body that are non-axially-aligned resulting in a spring force that biases the dual-direction latch toward the neutral position and resists pivotal movement of the dual-direction latch both into and out of the throat.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2018Date of Patent: June 12, 2018Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the NavyInventors: Ralph David Hooper, Jeffery Towns Gilchrist, William A. Chambers, James Benjamin Penney