Famous Patents
William F. Semple, a dentist, was awarded the first US Patent on chewing gum in 1869. His recipe contained powdered chalk.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7337743 | High lift authority marine control system A control surface system for a marine vehicle is provided. The control surface system includes a control member having at least two control portions fixedly connected at a predetermined spacing from each other. The control portions each have opposed surfaces, with t... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7262394 | Mortar shell ring tail and associated method There is provided a ring tail for a ballistic projectile and an associated method that facilitate maneuverability of the ballistic projectile. The ring tail comprises a ring member having a generally cylindrical wall and at least one rod joined to an aft section of ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7148416 | Undersea vehicle An undersea vehicle having both low emitted noise and low reflectivity is provided. The undersea vehicle has a hollow cylindrical hull with all components, sensors, electronics, motors, and other internal components with the exception of the propellers, located with... | 12/12/2006 |
| 6934217 | Countermeasure threat emulator and method A system and method is disclosed for a countermeasure threat emulator (CME) provided in a tubular housing that may be launched from a submarine or ship. The CME electronics include a CPU board for running software, communicating with a computer external to the housi... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6736685 | Stowable integrated motor propulsor fins A control surface system is particularly well suited to provide improved control for undersea vehicles having integrated motor propulsors (IMP). The control surface system is deployable beyond lateral peripheral dimensions of the IMP and undersea vehicle. A pluralit... | 05/18/2004 |
| 6651004 | Guidance system A method and apparatus for directing a pursuing vehicle, such as a torpedo, on an intercept trajectory from a launching vehicle to a target vehicle with evasion capabilities. The guidance system bases a solution on vectors on a first Cartesian coordinate ... | 11/18/2003 |
| 6622647 | Active noise cancellation for a torpedo seeker head A noise cancellation system and method for use with a seeker head of a marine vessel are provided according to the invention. The seeker head employs one or more hydrophones that generate one or more output signals. The noise cancellation system includes ... | 09/23/2003 |
| 6259974 | Automated ballistic constant determination A method for the automated generation of ballistic constants for use in a trajectory control system. The potential trajectory of a pursuing vehicle is divided into a plurality of multiple sequential phases wherein each phase is characterized by a pluralit... | 07/10/2001 |
| 5824946 | Underwater search angle selection system and method of special utility with surface contacts A search angle selection system generates a search angle for a torpedo in sponse to a number of inputs. Initially, the system bounds the region to be insonified. The system determines the search angle which best insonifies the region from the surface down... | 10/20/1998 |
| 5819676 | Underwater acoustic search angle selection system and method of special utility with submerged contacts A search angle selection system determines acoustic homing beam offset ans to be used by a torpedo from a group of target depth conditions in response to given environmental, tactical, target and weapon information. The system optimally bounds the region... | 10/13/1998 |
| 5708232 | Highly maneuverable underwater vehicle A system of articulation units is inserted between sections of a standard lindrical underwater vehicle, such as a torpedo, to provide a highly maneuverable vehicle. Each articulation unit consists of two bulkheads connected by a spherical joint which allo... | 01/13/1998 |
| 5661259 | Variable shape control fin assembly for water vehicles A control fin assembly for a water vehicle includes a multiplicity of fins onnected together and grouped in an array mounted on the vehicle. A portion of the array is of a shape-memory material responsive to heat to assume selected shapes different from th... | 08/26/1997 |
| 5551365 | Water vehicle and a directional control means therefor There is presented in combination, a water vehicle and a directional cont means therefor. The water vehicle includes at least a portion thereof which is underwater during travel of the vehicle through water. The directional control means comprises a plur... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5551363 | Underwater vehicle and a combination directional control and cable interconnect means There is presented an assembly comprising an underwater vehicle and a comation directional control and cable interconnect means therefor. The underwater vehicle remains underwater during travel of the vehicle through water. The directional control and ca... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5551364 | Underwater vehicle and combination directional control and cable interconnect device There is presented an assembly comprising an underwater vehicle and a comation directional control and cable interconnect device therefor. The underwater vehicle remains underwater during travel of the vehicle through water. The directional control and c... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5549065 | Water vehicle and a directional control device therefor There is presented in combination, a water vehicle and a directional cont device therefor. The water vehicle includes at least a portion thereof which is underwater during travel of the vehicle through water. The directional control device comprises a si... | 08/27/1996 |
| 4740887 | Method and system for improving the operational reliability of electronic systems formed of subsystems which perform different functions A method and system for improving the reliability of an electronic system formed of subsystems which perform different functions. The electronic system is analyzed to determine which of the subsystems is most likely to cause a system failure and these sub... | 04/26/1988 |
| 4732100 | Actuation system for torpedo control surfaces An interior actuation system for controlling an exterior control surface of a torpedo or the like which has an afterbody with radial inlet vanes defining inlet liquid passages to the propellers of the torpedo. A linear actuator is mounted in the afterbody... | 03/22/1988 |
| 4601251 | Arrangement for orienting rockets moving in liquids The horizontal orientation of a rocket moving in a liquid is achieved by an arrangement in which a magnet is attached to the rocket body. The axis of the rocket and the magnetic axis of the magnet form an azimuthal angle , which determines the dire... | 07/22/1986 |
| 4579298 | Directional control device for airborne or seaborne missiles A missile for airborne and seaborne use in which directional control about a flight axis comprises a nose (2) deflectable angularly in relation to the flight axis of the body (1) of the missile to form steering means by changing the fluid flow involve ove... | 04/01/1986 |
| 4429652 | Ultrasonic excitation of underwater torpedoes for enhancing maneuverability, speed and targeting accuracy For enhancing the maneuverability, speed, survivalbility, and targeting accuracy of a torpedo moving below the surface of a body of water, ultrasonic vibrations are set-up at the exterior of the torpedo hull, using controlled piezoelectric crystals to gen... | 02/07/1984 |
| 4392443 | Electro-pneumatic hydraulic control systems Propulsion means of undersea vehicle comprises a pair of counter-rotating w speed impellers driven from a spider shaft rotating at relatively high speed. The reduction is accomplished by a variable speed reducing and torque transmitting device which allow... | 07/12/1983 |
| 4391474 | Thrust shaft seal with slidably mounted bearing sleeve A seal for a thrust shaft in a body wherein the body has a bore and a counterbore, the bottom of the counterbore providing a shoulder for the thrust force of the shaft. The seal includes a bearing sleeve which is slidably mounted on the shaft, the bearing... | 07/05/1983 |
| 4360348 | Underwater vehicle porting system Propulsion apparatus for an undersea vehicle comprises a pair of counter-ating low speed impellers driven from a spider shaft rotating at relatively high speed. The reduction is accomplished by a variable speed reducing and torque transmitting device whi... | 11/23/1982 |
| 4323025 | Torpedo steering control system 1. In a homing torpedo, in combination: means for providing a target search hase of torpedo operation wherein said torpedo is controlled to change depth between predetermined search floor and search ceiling depths and simultaneously controlled to circle in... | 04/06/1982 |
| 4306512 | Homing torpedo system In an echo-ranging homing torpedo having means for normally transmitting rch pulses at a predetermined repetition rate, and having a receiver wherein detection of target echo signals, during listening intervals between search pulse transmission instants,... | 12/22/1981 |
| 4255799 | Underwater-target direction-finding apparatus 1. In an underwater-target direction-finding apparatus of echo-ranging ty in combination: receiver means, including a network tunable to resonance at echo signal frequency, for deriving, from received echo signals, command signals carrying echo-source di... | 03/10/1981 |
| 4239012 | Homing torpedo control apparatus 2. In an echo-ranging torpedo wherein spurious and true-target echo signals ay be received in the listening periods between repetitive search-pulse transmission instants, in combination: a receiver operative to convert received echo signals to steering com... | 12/16/1980 |
| 4218985 | Steering and stabilization apparatus for torpedo A torpedo operable submerged in water is provided with a pair of vane members mounted on opposite sides of the body thereof in recesses provided therefor. Each vane member includes a mounting section disposed in a recess and a long outwardly flared sectio... | 08/26/1980 |
| 4206508 | Electric test set for acoustic torpedo homing systems In a device for testing torpedo acoustic homing systems the combination crising: first means for providing a plurality of output voltages having substantially equal amplitudes and adjustable predetermined relative phase relationships adapted for connecti... | 06/03/1980 |
| 4203163 | Target-detection and location system 6. In a target-detection and location system adaptable for the navigation an acoustic torpedo, having a first and a second alternating voltage signal emanating from the acoustic detection portion of said torpedo, the combination comprising: a phase-shift... | 05/13/1980 |
| 4198016 | Floating canard with geared tab A floating canard with geared tab to stabilize a missile as soon as the mile nose exits the launch tube when the center of pressure is forward of or close to the center of gravity. A freely pivotable canard has a geared tab hinged at its trailing edge. A... | 04/15/1980 |
| 4192246 | Laminar flow quiet torpedo nose An acoustic homing torpedo which has an acoustic window and a nose section with the window-torpedo shell interface being positioned at a location aft of the acoustic transducers in the nose so as to minimize unwanted flow noise.... | 03/11/1980 |
| 4192245 | Guiding means for self-propelled torpedoes 1. In a torpedo control system the combination comprising: a tuned transdr element for projecting compressional waves of a substantially fixed frequency and having an amplitude-modulated output signal; first means for receiving said amplitude-modulated o... | 03/11/1980 |
| 4185326 | Minehunting vehicle with a built-in search pattern 1. In a self-propelled elongated underwater vehicle having a rudder and dng fins adapted to execute a search pattern about an acoustic marker on the ocean floor and adapted to release an explosive charge carried thereby under the control of a mine sensin... | 01/22/1980 |
| 4129086 | Method and means for the acoustical steering of submarine torpedoes A torpedo has an acoustical system for detecting targets and directing the torpedo toward the target. An electric motor drives a cam that operates a switching arrangement that alternately changes the torpedo motor speed between fast and slow speeds. Upon ... | 12/12/1978 |
| 4113204 | Auxiliary control of vehicle direction An auxiliary aerodynamic or hydrodynamic control assembly is provided for a vehicle, such as a guided missile, travelling in a fluid medium, which assembly comprises a number of, say three, control surfaces each carried at the inner end of an arm that is ... | 09/12/1978 |
| 3938456 | Automatic steering system for a torpedo In an automatic steering system for directing a moving body, said system ng provided with reversibly-motorized depth steering gear including two motor reversing circuits, one, upon energization, setting said gear for climb and another, upon energization,... | 02/17/1976 |
