Patents by Inventor William F. McGee

William F. McGee 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).

  • Publication number: 20240119397
    Abstract: A system including a landing location where a drone at least one of delivers and acquires a parcel, and a homing device to interact with the drone to guide the drone to the landing location independent of interaction from another source. The homing device guides the drone during the landing phase of a flight plan. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2023
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Inventors: Emmett Farris, William F. McGee, II
  • Patent number: 11854108
    Abstract: A system including a landing location where a drone at least one of delivers and acquires a parcel, and a homing device to interact with the drone to guide the drone to the landing location independent of interaction from another source. The homing device guides the drone during the landing phase of a flight plan. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Inventors: Emmett Farris, William F. McGee, II
  • Publication number: 20210049722
    Abstract: A system including a landing location where a drone at least one of delivers and acquires a parcel, and a homing device to interact with the drone to guide the drone to the landing location independent of interaction from another source. The homing device guides the drone during the landing phase of a flight plan. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Inventors: Emmett Farris, William F. McGee, II
  • Publication number: 20190180400
    Abstract: A system including a landing location where a drone at least one of delivers and acquires a parcel, and a homing device to interact with the drone to guide the drone to the landing location independent of interaction from another source. The homing device guides the drone during the landing phase of a flight plan. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Emmett Farris, William F. McGee
  • Patent number: 10163177
    Abstract: A system including a landing location where a drone at least one of delivers and acquires a parcel, and a homing device to interact with the drone to guide the drone to the landing location independent of interaction from another source. The homing device guides the drone during the landing phase of a flight plan. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Inventors: Emmett Farris, William F. McGee, II
  • Publication number: 20160033966
    Abstract: A system including a landing location where a drone at least one of delivers and acquires a parcel, and a homing device to interact with the drone to guide the drone to the landing location independent of interaction from another source. The homing device guides the drone during the landing phase of a flight plan. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Inventors: Emmett Farris, William F. McGee, II
  • Patent number: 5471031
    Abstract: A method and apparati are presented for non-chamber root side purging in fusion welding of oxygen reactive metals which require that the molten weld zone and local solid areas of the weld seam remaining at high temperatures be shielded from normal atmosphere to prevent degradation of the welded area. The apparatus provides an inert atmosphere to the root side of a weld joint through a porous medium whereby the jet-like thrust of the plasma arc actually draws the continuously supplied inert atmosphere into the path of the molten or high temperature solid weld zone. The porous medium is configured so it can be placed at the borders of the weld seam and substantially parallel to the seam without restricting the view of the root side of the seam. The inert gas is dispersed evenly through the porous media and across the weld seam, at the point of arc penetration and in front of and behind the arc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 28, 1995
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: J. R. Dailey, William F. McGee, Daniel J. Rybicki
  • Patent number: 5399831
    Abstract: A plasma arc welding torch wherein a first plasma gas is directed through the body of the welding torch and out of the body across the tip of a welding electrode disposed at the forward end of the body. A second plasma gas is disposed for flow through a longitudinal bore in the electrode. The second plasm gas enters one end of the electrode and exits the electrode at the tip thereof for coacting with the electric welding arc to produce the desired weld. A shield gas is directed through the torch body for circulating around the head of the torch adjacent the electrode tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1995
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: William F. McGee, Daniel J. Rybicki, Douglas J. Waldron
  • Patent number: 5362938
    Abstract: A plasma arc welding torch wherein a plasma gas is directed through the body of the welding torch and out of the body across the tip of the welding electrode disposed at the forward end of the body. The plasma gas is provided with a vortexing motion prior to exiting the body by a vortex motion imparting member which is mounted in an orifice housing member and carried in the forward portion of the torch body. The orifice housing member is provided with an orifice of an predetermined diameter through which the electric arc and the plasma gas exits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: William F. McGee, Daniel J. Rybicki
  • Patent number: 5329089
    Abstract: A welding torch for plasma arc welding apparatus has a transparent shield cup disposed about the constricting nozzle, the cup including a small outwardly extending polished lip. A guide tube extends externally of the torch and has a free end adjacent the lip. First and second optical fiber bundle assemblies are supported within the guide tube. Light from a strobe light is transmitted along one of the assemblies to the free end and through the lip onto the weld site. A lens is positioned in the guide tube adjacent the second assembly and focuses images of the weld site onto the end of the fiber bundle of the second assembly and these images are transmitted along the second assembly to a video camera so that the weld site may be viewed continuously for monitoring the welding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: William F. McGee, Daniel J. Rybicki
  • Patent number: 5302804
    Abstract: A welding torch for plasma arc welding apparatus has an inert gas applied circumferentially about the arc column externally of the constricting nozzle so as to apply a constricting force on the arc after it has exited the nozzle orifice and downstream of the auxiliary shielding gas. The constricting inert gas is supplied to a plenum chamber about the body of the torch and exits through a series of circumferentially disposed orifices in an annular wall forming a closure at the forward end of the constricting gas plenum chamber. The constricting force of the circumferential gas flow about the arc concentrates and focuses the arc column into a more narrow and dense column of energy after exiting the nozzle orifice so that the arc better retains its energy density prior to contacting the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: William F. McGee, Daniel J. Rybicki
  • Patent number: 4472800
    Abstract: A receive circuit for binary signals in time compression multiplexing systems mitigates effects of the local data decay tail and zero line wander by means of a sample-and-hold circuit, having a fast attack and a decay time constant equal to a combination of the transmission line, and dc blocking device time constants followed by a subtracting difference amplifier. Power feed of the line via dc blocking capacitors is thus possible. Also higher receiver gain is possible when sampling switch is left on during local data transmission without receiver instability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1984
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: Marvin Krym, William F. McGee
  • Patent number: 4326109
    Abstract: A one-way receiving path is connected to the input side of a first phase-shift network which produces signals in phase quadrature at its output side, which is connected to the input side of a second phase-shift network which is conjugate to the first and whose output side is connected to a one-way transmitting path. A two-way transmission path and a balancing impedance are connected to the junction between the phase-shift networks. The arrangement provides a balanced or unbalanced hybrid circuit. Each phase-shift network can comprise a symmetrical polyphase network with cascaded network sections for handling voice frequency signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1980
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1982
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: William F. McGee, Wasfy B. Mikhael