Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Determining balance or center of gravity
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-01
2001-08-14
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Determining balance or center of gravity
C701S014000, C244S118100, C244S118200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06275769
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to weight and balance calculators and particularly weight and balance calculators for small aircraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Airplanes fly because of a balance of four forces, lift, gravity, drag and thrust. Part of task of balancing these forces is knowing the center of gravity of a given aircraft. The center of gravity (CG) of an aircraft changes depending on the load in the aircraft and its location within the aircraft. Thus, a fully loaded plane of passengers and baggage has a different CG as passengers deplane and as luggage is unloaded. This occurs at every stop. Under flight rules, pilots must now keep track of the CG at all stops for a given flight. While sophisticated devices exist for weighing commercial jets for CG calculations, these systems are too expensive and cumbersome for pilots of small aircraft. Although the CG calculation can be made at the small plane's base of operations, it is not so easily calculated at remote terminal airports.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention is a device that allows pilots to calculate the CG of an aircraft by simply entering the load weights for different areas of an airplane. The device is a hand-held computer that displays the aircraft floor plan with passenger and baggage compartments shown on the pad. The floor plan can be changed for different aircraft. Next to each section of the plane is a button that, when pressed, allows a pilot to enter data for that section. As the pilot adds weight to each section, the computer can calculate the CG for the loaded aircraft. The computer can provide the total weight, CG and other data related to the plane. The device can provide a printout of the data for use as a manifest or for other documentation purposes. In one embodiment, the device is the size and shape of a clipboard. A portion of the device has a slot to accept a floor plan chart that has a chip embedded in it that contains the data for that particular floor plan. The chart is inserted into the device, which connects the chip to the computer. Once installed, the computer calculates the CG and other information for that particular airplane. The pilot can change the floor plan chart for whatever plane he is flying. In a second embodiment, the floor plan chart is fixed. In this embodiment, the device is stored on an airplane that matches the particular floor plan. A pilot assigned to that aircraft takes the device from that plane and makes the calculations in the normal manner. When the flight is over, the pilot retrieves the printout from the device and leaves the device in the plane.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3584503 (1971-06-01), Senour
patent: 4446524 (1984-05-01), Wendt
patent: 4502555 (1985-03-01), Gower
patent: 4639872 (1987-01-01), McHale et al.
patent: 4831538 (1989-05-01), Cucchiari et al.
patent: 4935885 (1990-06-01), McHale et al.
patent: WO 91/14931 (1991-10-01), None
Arthur Gertrude
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
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