Patents by Inventor Whitcomb T. Ratcliff

Whitcomb T. Ratcliff 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).

  • Spacecraft solar array biasing and tensioning system
    Patent number: 11958638
    Abstract: A solar array system associated with a spacecraft includes a solar array blanket portion moveable from a stowed configuration into a deployed configuration, an extendable frame coupled to the spacecraft and the blanket portion and moveable from at least a collapsed configuration into an extended configuration to move the solar array blanket portion from the stowed configuration into the deployed configuration, and at least one biasing member extending across an exterior portion of a first hinge assembly that is configured to bias at least a portion of the extendable frame into the deployed configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Whitcomb T. Ratcliff, Joseph Fitzgerald