Patents by Inventor William A. Engblom

William A. Engblom 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: 8931727
    Abstract: A platform including two winged aircraft are tethered during flight by a single tether near their respective centers of gravity. The tether is windable about a reel, so that a distance between the aircraft can be changed during flight. The aircraft contain avionics configured to enable autonomous flight using natural wind gradients. One aircraft imposes aerodynamic forces on the other, through the tether, while flying at an altitude where wind speed is significantly different than wind speed at an altitude of the other aircraft. The two aircraft cruise back and forth within a maximum distance from a station on the ground. Cruise conditions are established using an iterative computer algorithm which utilizes flight measurements. The aircraft communicate information between each other, and the ground, and contain a payload which performs a useful function at high altitudes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Inventor: William A. Engblom
  • Publication number: 20120232721
    Abstract: A platform including two winged aircraft are tethered during flight by a single tether near their respective centers of gravity. The tether is windable about a reel, so that a distance between the aircraft can be changed during flight. The aircraft contain avionics configured to enable autonomous flight using natural wind gradients. One aircraft imposes aerodynamic forces on the other, through the tether, while flying at an altitude where wind speed is significantly different than wind speed at an altitude of the other aircraft. The two aircraft cruise back and forth within a maximum distance from a station on the ground. Cruise conditions are established using an iterative computer algorithm which utilizes flight measurements. The aircraft communicate information between each other, and the ground, and contain a payload which performs a useful function at high altitudes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Inventor: William A. Engblom