Patents by Inventor William O. Purcell

William O. Purcell 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: 4492166
    Abstract: A submunition having an infrared detector disposed in a nose portion thereof, the detector having a narrow angularly-displaced field of view, and vanes for causing the submunition to rotate at an essentially constant rate while in flight, thus to cause the infrared detector to scan a target area and to detect the presence of a target having a selected higher temperature than the background infrared radiation. The submunition includes a small explosive charge sheet disposed on its outer surface and concentrated in one area, and firing pulse generation means for firing the charge. When the infrared detector scans past a detectable target within the target area, it produces a detection signal that triggers a firing pulse from the firing pulse generation means, thereby firing the explosive charge to create a lateral impulse or offset of the submunition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1985
    Assignee: Martin Marietta Corporation
    Inventor: William O. Purcell