Patents by Inventor William T. McDonald

William T. McDonald 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: 20120217300
    Abstract: A portable system for facilitating inclined shooting of projectile weapons comprises a ranging system, an inclinometer and a processor. The ranging system measures a line-of sight range distance from a vantage point to a target that is elevated or depressed relative to the vantage point, and the inclinometer measures an inclination angle of a line of sight between the vantage point and the target. Based on information from the rangefinder and inclinometer, the processor determines a predicted altitude-compensated inclined shooting (ACIS) trajectory at the line-of sight range distance for a preselected projectile. The ACIS trajectory is based on a bullet path height correction between a bullet path height at a first altitude and a bullet path height at a second altitude, a range distance of the target from the vantage point, and selected meteorological atmospheric information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: Bitterroot Advanced Ballistics Research, LLC
    Inventors: William T. McDonald, Ted C. Almgren
  • Publication number: 20120124884
    Abstract: A portable system for facilitating inclined shooting of projectile weapons comprises a ranging system, an inclinometer and a processor. The ranging system measures a line-of sight range distance from a vantage point to a target that is elevated or depressed relative to the vantage point, and the inclinometer measures an inclination angle of a line of sight between the vantage point and the target. Based on information from the rangefinder and inclinometer, the processor determines a predicted altitude-compensated inclined shooting (ACIS) trajectory at the line-of sight range distance for a preselected projectile. The ACIS trajectory is based on a bullet path height correction between a bullet path height at a first altitude and a bullet path height at a second altitude, a range distance of the target from the vantage point, and selected meteorological atmospheric information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: William T. McDonald, Ted C. Almgren
  • Publication number: 20120053878
    Abstract: An automatic optical sighting system generates at least one adjustment for an adjustable optical system based on at least one detected condition, an appropriate dynamic model of a projectile in flight, and a solution of the equations of motion in flight, so that the projectile will have a trajectory between an origin and a selected target that helps the projectile to hit the target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Inventors: Bernard T. Windauer, William T. McDonald, Ted C. Almgren
  • Publication number: 20110162250
    Abstract: An automatic optical sighting system generates at least one adjustment for an adjustable optical system based on at least one detected condition, an appropriate dynamic model of a projectile in flight, and a solution of the equations of motion in flight, so that the projectile will have a trajectory between an origin and a selected target that helps the projectile to hit the target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Inventors: Bernard T. Windauer, William T. McDonald, Ted C. Almgren
  • Publication number: 20020021782
    Abstract: An x-ray optical assembly for increasing the intensity of a formed x-ray beam. The optical assembly includes a capillary type optical device and an x-ray reflective mirror device configured and aligned to provide a desirable x-ray crystallography beam. An x-ray beam from an x-ray source enters the individual capillaries of the capillary optical device, where the exit beam intensity is increased. The beam exits the capillary optical device at a particular convergent or divergent angle, and is directed into the mirror device. The mirror device either focuses or collimates the beam to have a small convergent or divergent angle suitable for the sample being analyzed. The mirror device can be any suitable device known in the art, such as a grazing incidence flat mirror device, a grazing incidence bent mirror device, a grazing incidence shaped mirror device or a graded multilayer mirror device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2001
    Publication date: February 21, 2002
    Inventor: William T. McDonald