Patents by Inventor Thomas E. Alston

Thomas E. Alston 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: 7883049
    Abstract: An arcuate or semi-circumferential shield in the shape of a visor that is adapted to be secured to an external surface of a nozzle housing of a jet nozzle to attenuate jet noise generated by the jet nozzle. The shield may be fixedly secured to the nozzle housing or movably supported so that it can be moved between retracted and deployed positions. When used as a fixedly mounted component, or when positioned in its deployed position, a downstream edge of the shield extends past a downstream edge of the nozzle housing and the shield is spaced apart from an outer surface of the nozzle housing to form a channel therebetween. The shield is preferably orientated at approximately a bottom dead center of the nozzle housing. The shield operates to attenuate jet installation noise, and particularly jet installation noise experienced during the takeoff phase of flight of a jet aircraft, as well as to reduce jet installation noise that would otherwise propagate forwardly toward the cockpit of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Eric H. Nesbitt, Mark Yee, Ronen Elkoby, Leonard J. Hebert, Thomas E. Alston
  • Publication number: 20080264718
    Abstract: An arcuate or semi-circumferential shield in the shape of a visor that is adapted to be secured to an external surface of a nozzle housing of a jet nozzle to attenuate jet noise generated by the jet nozzle. The shield may be fixedly secured to the nozzle housing or movably supported so that it can be moved between retracted and deployed positions. When used as a fixedly mounted component, or when positioned in its deployed position, a downstream edge of the shield extends past a downstream edge of the nozzle housing and the shield is spaced apart from an outer surface of the nozzle housing to form a channel therebetween. The shield is preferably orientated at approximately a bottom dead center of the nozzle housing. The shield operates to attenuate jet installation noise, and particularly jet installation noise experienced during the takeoff phase of flight of a jet aircraft, as well as to reduce jet installation noise that would otherwise propagate forwardly toward the cockpit of the aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: Eric H. Nesbitt, Mark Yee, Ronen Elkoby, Leonard J. Hebert, Thomas E. Alston