Patents by Inventor Richard David Fleeter

Richard David Fleeter 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: 6928916
    Abstract: The present invention resides in an infrared identification system for identifying military vehicles as friendly or hostile. The infrared identification system includes a seed introduction system, in each friendly vehicle, that introduces trace quantities of a particular seed formulation into the vehicle's exhaust. An infrared detection system, also in each friendly vehicle, detects the spectrally-discrete thermal emissions of the seed formulation to identify those vehicles having the thermal emissions as friendly. The infrared identification system provides rapid and positive friend or foe identification of land, sea and air vehicles at long ranges without being jammed, intercepted or mimicked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventors: Arvel Benjamin Witte, Arthur Karl Williams, Richard David Fleeter
  • Publication number: 20040149913
    Abstract: The present invention resides in an infrared identification system for identifying military vehicles as friendly or hostile. The infrared identification system includes a seed introduction system, in each friendly vehicle, that introduces trace quantities of a particular seed formulation into the vehicle's exhaust. An infrared detection system, also in each friendly vehicle, detects the spectrally-discrete thermal emissions of the seed formulation to identify those vehicles having the thermal emissions as friendly. The infrared identification system provides rapid and positive friend or foe identification of land, sea and air vehicles at long ranges without being jammed, intercepted or mimicked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2004
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Inventors: Arvel Benjamin Witte, Arthur Karl Williams, Richard David Fleeter
  • Patent number: 6698330
    Abstract: The present invention resides in an infrared identification system for identifying military vehicles as friendly or hostile. The infrared identification system includes a seed introduction system, in each friendly vehicle, that introduces trace quantities of a particular seed formulation into the vehicle's exhaust. An infrared detection system, also in each friendly vehicle, detects the spectrally-discrete thermal emissions of the seed formulation to identify those vehicles having the thermal emissions as friendly. The infrared identification system provides rapid and positive friend or foe identification of land, sea and air vehicles at long ranges without being jammed, intercepted or mimicked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventors: Arvel Benjamin Witte, Arthur Karl Williams, Richard David Fleeter
  • Patent number: 6317029
    Abstract: The in situ remote sensing system of this invention includes a plurality of sensors that are distributed about an area of interest, and a satellite communications system that receives communications signals from these sensors. The satellite communications system determines the location of each sensor at the time that the sensor transmits its communications signal, thereby facilitating the mapping of the value of the sensed parameter about the area of interest. In a preferred embodiment, the satellite communications system transmits a trigger signal to the sensors that are within the satellite antenna's field of view, and the sensors transmit only in response to the trigger signal. The sensors may be conventional active transmitters or passive transponders that receive their operating energy from a received trigger signal. The sensing devices within the sensor may also provide the operating energy for the sensor using, for example, photocells, piezoelectrics, and thermocouples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: AeroAstro, LLC
    Inventor: Richard David Fleeter