Method and apparatus for retrieving a hovering aircraft

Aeronautics and astronautics – Retarding and restraining devices – Friction brakes

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C244S11000H, C244S11000H, C244S11000H

Reexamination Certificate

active

07954758

ABSTRACT:
For retrieval of a hovering aircraft, a cable, bar, or similar fixture is suspended in an approximately horizontal orientation across the retrieval area between two well-separated supports. The aircraft slowly flies into this fixture, which then slides along the aircraft in a direction approximately parallel with the aircraft's thrust line. This leads to the aircraft becoming fastened to the fixture by an interceptor or aircraft capturer which in alternative embodiments are respectively on the aircraft or the fixture or both. Thrust is then reduced, and the aircraft comes to rest hanging from the fixture for subsequent removal. Retrieval is thus accomplished with simple and economical apparatus, light and unobtrusive elements on the aircraft, low risk of damage, and only moderate piloting accuracy.

REFERENCES:
patent: 968339 (1910-08-01), Geraldson
patent: 1144505 (1915-06-01), Steffan
patent: 1383595 (1921-07-01), Black
patent: 1499472 (1924-07-01), Pratt
patent: 1716670 (1929-06-01), Sperry
patent: 1731091 (1929-10-01), Belleville
patent: 1748663 (1930-02-01), Tucker
patent: 1836010 (1931-12-01), Audrain
patent: 2435197 (1948-02-01), Brodie
patent: 2448209 (1948-08-01), Boyer et al.
patent: 2488050 (1949-11-01), Brodie
patent: 2552115 (1951-05-01), Replogle
patent: 4123020 (1978-10-01), Korsak
patent: 4147317 (1979-04-01), Mayhew et al.
patent: 4311290 (1982-01-01), Koper
patent: 4680962 (1987-07-01), Durbin
patent: 4753400 (1988-06-01), Reuter et al.
patent: 4790497 (1988-12-01), Yoffe
patent: 4842222 (1989-06-01), Baird
patent: 5039034 (1991-08-01), Burgess et al.
patent: 5042750 (1991-08-01), Winter
patent: 5054717 (1991-10-01), Taylor
patent: 5092540 (1992-03-01), Burgess et al.
patent: 5687930 (1997-11-01), Wagner et al.
patent: 5799900 (1998-09-01), McDonnell
patent: 6264140 (2001-07-01), McGreer et al.
patent: 6824102 (2004-11-01), Haggard
patent: 6874729 (2005-04-01), McDonnell
patent: 6961018 (2005-11-01), Heppe et al.
patent: 7097137 (2006-08-01), McDonnell
patent: 7104495 (2006-09-01), McGeer
patent: 7140575 (2006-11-01), McGeer et al.
patent: 7143976 (2006-12-01), Snediker et al.
patent: 7219856 (2007-05-01), Watts et al.
patent: 7264204 (2007-09-01), Portmann
patent: 7410125 (2008-08-01), Steele
patent: 7510145 (2009-03-01), Snediker
patent: 2004/0256519 (2004-12-01), Ellis et al.
patent: 2006/0065780 (2006-03-01), Rednikov
patent: 2006/0175466 (2006-08-01), Snediker et al.
patent: 2006/0249623 (2006-11-01), Steele
patent: 2007/0051849 (2007-03-01), Watts et al.
patent: 2007/0158498 (2007-07-01), Snediker
patent: 2011/0024559 (2011-02-01), McGeer et al.
patent: 781808 (1968-04-01), None
patent: 839101 (1970-04-01), None
patent: 0472613 (1992-04-01), None
Written Opinion dated Mar. 5, 2009 for corresponding PCT Application No. PCT/US2007/076276.
International Search Report (PCT/US2007/076276) dated Sep. 22, 2008.
A miniature powerplant for very small, very long range autonomous aircraft, S.P. Hendrickson and T. McGeer, Final Report under U.S. DoE contract No. DE-FG03-96ER82187, Sep. 1999, (23 pp.).
Aerosonde hazard estimation, T. McGeer, 1994, (6 pp).
Aerosonde Pacific reconnaissance: ready when you are!, T. McGeer, Pacific Northwest Weather Workshop, Mar. 2005, (15 pp).
An Airspeed Vector Sensor for V/STOL Aircraft, E. J. Durbin and T. McGeer,Journal of Aircraft, vol. 19 No. 6, Jun. 1982, (7 pp).
Autonomous Aerosondes for Economical Atmospheric Soundings Anywhere on the Globe, G. J. Holland, T. McGeer and H.H. Youngre,Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol. 73 No. 12, Dec. 1992 (12 pp).
Automated Launch, Recovery, and Refueling for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, K. Mullens et al., 2004 (11 pp).
Laima: The First Atlantic Crossing by Unmanned Aircraft, T. McGeer, Feb. 1999, (25 pp).
Quantitative Risk Management as a Regulatory Approach to Civil UAVs, T. McGeer, L. Newcombe, and J. Vagners, International Workshop on UAV Certification, Jun. 1999, (11 pp).
Regulatory Issues Involving Long-Range Weather Observation by Aerosonde Autonomous Aircraft, T. McGeer, Oct. 1998, (8 pp).
Wide-Scale Use of Long-Range Miniature Aerosondes Over the World's Oceans, T. McGeer and J. Vagners, 1999, (25 pp).
The Beartrap—A Canadian Invention, Crowsnest Magazine, vol. 17, No. 3 and 4 [online], Mar.-Apr. 1965, [retrieved on Sep. 14, 2007]. Retrieved from the Internet at <URL: http://www.readyayeready.com/timeline/1960s/beartrap/index.htm>.
Safety, Economy, Reliability and Regulatory Policy for Unmanned Aircraft, T. McGeer, Mar. 2007 (9 pages).

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Method and apparatus for retrieving a hovering aircraft does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Method and apparatus for retrieving a hovering aircraft, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and apparatus for retrieving a hovering aircraft will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2721177

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.