Patents by Inventor Stephen Eldred Walters

Stephen Eldred Walters 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).

  • System and method for assembling aircraft components
    Patent number: 8914979
    Abstract: A system and method for assembling a 360-degree section of an aircraft fuselage or nacelle by properly positioning a plurality of assembly panels relative to a machine datum representing an assembly-level datum schema, drilling full-sized holes proximate to a second skin edge of the panels with the machine, net-trimming a second edge of the panels with the machine, then using the full-sized holes proximate to the second skin edges as alignment features to properly orient and attach pairs of the panels together proximate to first skin edges, opposite of the second skin edges with an auxiliary machine, forming panel pairs. Control systems may be installed into the panel pairs separately and independently, then the panel pairs may be joined together, aligning the full-sized holes proximate to the second edges, and inserting fasteners through the aligned full-sized holes proximate to the second skin edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Spirit AcroSystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Kenyon Venskus, Troy Lynn Wampler, Stephen Eldred Walters, Clark Ray Miller, Michael Arthur Champa, Edwin H. Fenn, David Scott Anderson
  • SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS
    Publication number: 20130019446
    Abstract: A system and method for assembling a 360-degree section of an aircraft fuselage or nacelle by properly positioning a plurality of assembly panels relative to a machine datum representing an assembly-level datum schema, drilling full-sized holes proximate to a second skin edge of the panels with the machine, net-trimming a second edge of the panels with the machine, then using the full-sized holes proximate to the second skin edges as alignment features to properly orient and attach pairs of the panels together proximate to first skin edges, opposite of the second skin edges with an auxiliary machine, forming panel pairs. Control systems may be installed into the panel pairs separately and independently, then the panel pairs may be joined together, aligning the full-sized holes proximate to the second edges, and inserting fasteners through the aligned full-sized holes proximate to the second skin edges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Mark Kenyon Venskus, Troy Lynn Wampler, Stephen Eldred Walters, Clark Ray Miller, Michael Arthur Champa, Edwin H. Fenn, David Scott Anderson