Quotables
"To place a man in a multi-stage rocket and project him into the controlling gravitational field of the moon where the passengers can make scientific observations, perhaps land alive, and then return to earth--all that constitutes a wild dream worthy of Jules Verne. I am bold enough to say that such a man-made voyage will never occur regardless of all future advances."
Lee deForest, American radio pioneer ; 1957
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8061648 | System for tactical balloon launch and payload return A system is disclosed whereby a sensor, communication device, or other payload may be lofted to an operational altitude and maintained over an area of interest for some time by a relatively inexpensive and disposable buoyant aircraft, then returned intact to its poi... | 11/22/2011 |
| 7356390 | Systems and applications of lighter-than-air (LTA) platforms Innovative new methods in connection with lighter-than-air (LTA) free floating platforms, of facilitating legal transmitter operation, platform flight termination when appropriate, environmentally acceptable landing, and recovery of these devices are provided. The n... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7320529 | Illuminating balloon An illuminating balloon includes an inflatable envelope and a sectional bulb support integrated in the envelope. The sectional bulb support includes a horizontally freely turnable top support to avoid tangling of the bulb support with the envelope during inflating. ... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7287723 | Tethered or free flight blimp with collapsible tail fins A lighter than air blimp which has either an aerodynamically shaped or a round envelope of flexible sheet material, and a plurality of stabilizing fins mounted in a circumferentially spaced apart arrangement about the tail end portion of the envelope. The tail fins ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7287724 | Tether system for balloon ride A tether system for use in a balloon ride having a balloon envelope and a gondola includes a tether connected to the balloon ride to prevent free flight. The system includes structure for offsetting the gondola from the tether so as to enable use of a smaller, light... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7275496 | Balloonsonde launcher An automated balloonsonde launcher and a method for an automated balloonsonde launch are disclosed. The automated balloonsonde launcher, for example, may comprise a collapsible protective cover forming an inner region for receiving a balloon, a gas inlet for receivi... | 10/02/2007 |
| 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 |
| 7252414 | Illuminating balloon with improved self-inflatable envelope An illuminating balloon with an inflatable envelope contains an illumination system having at least one electric light bulb, and inflating means equipped with an integrated fan designed to suck air in from the outside and to inject it into the envelope while keeping... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7246913 | Mobile lighting system A portable lighting apparatus includes an envelope which contains a frame supporting an illuminating device typically an electric light bulb inside the envelope. The envelope is mounted on a telescopic mast supported by a movable base element incorporating stabilisi... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7213496 | Illuminated aircraft countermeasures A countermeasure device for negating a guidance seeking system is provided. The countermeasure device includes a membrane defining an internal chamber, a gas disposed in the chamber, and an illuminating device. The illuminating device includes a light source produci... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7203491 | Unmanned lighter-than-air safe termination and recovery methods Innovative new methods in connection with lighter-than-air free floating platforms, of facilitating legal transmitter operation, platform flight termination when appropriate, environmentally acceptable landing, and recovery of these devices are provided. Especially,... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7188808 | Aerialwind power generation system and method An aerial power generation system includes a guide line supported by a support body. Wind driven elements are configured and shaped to provide maximum force from both lift and drag during the downwind phase of operation and minimum force during the upwind phase. The... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7183663 | Precisely controlled flying electric generators One or more tethered platforms, each having three or more, mill rotors, are operated at altitudes in relatively high winds to generate electricity. These windmill kites use one or more electro-mechanical tethers on each platform. Their position, attitude and orienta... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7156203 | Device and method for evacuating persons, for example from a multi-storey building on fire Device for evacuating persons, for example from a multi-storey building on fire, from an evacuating location to a secure location, comprising: a balloon provided to be filled with a gas lighter than air for moving the balloon between the secure location and the evac... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7149611 | Virtual sensor mast A virtual sensor mast for a ground vehicle and a method for operating a ground vehicle using a virtual sensor mast are disclosed. The virtual sensor mast includes an unmanned airborne vehicle capable of lifting itself from the ground vehicle upon deployment therefro... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7140576 | Inflatable wing with manifold An aerodynamic wing with a leading edge inflatable strut and at least one inflatable rib strut, wherein the struts are provided with a connection air pathway that allows the leading edge strut to act as a manifold for the inflation of the connected rib struts. Prefe... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7129596 | Hovering wind turbine A hovering wind turbine (1) whose blades (2) lie on the surface of an imaginary horizontal cylinder and have their pitch angle changing as a function of the rotational angle, allowing them to gather wind energy mainly in the upwind and downwind sectors... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7109598 | Precisely controlled flying electric generators III One or more tethered platforms, each having three or more; mill rotors, are operated at altitudes in relatively high winds to generate electricity. These windmill kites use one or more electro-mechanical tethers on each platform. Their position, attitude and orienta... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7104858 | Emergency supplemental flotation device Personal flotation device comprises an inflatable spheroid balloon and a strap secured to said balloon. The strap includes a loop into which a person's arm, leg or upper body may be slipped. ... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7093790 | Mooring facility for tethered gas balloon A mooring facility for a tethered gas balloon comprises a building structure containing a hemispherical basin capable of receiving the lower portion of an inflated lighter-than-air gas balloon for mooring the balloon. The surface of the bowl structure is complementa... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7032864 | Wing with inflatable struts An aerodynamic wing formed by a flexible canopy with integrated inflatable, elastically deformable members integrated into the lifting surface. Preferably, the elastically deformable member extends and contracts the lifting surface depending on forces experienced by... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6932125 | Helium balloon kit The present invention relates to a balloon kit that provides one or more balloons, a cylinder filled with a compressed gas, such as helium, and a conduit adapted to connect to the cylinder. The cylinder comprises an ORMD cylinder that may be mailed or transported an... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6739725 | Inflatable three-dimensional display An inflatable display includes an inflatable balloon, a projector having a projection lens, an internal support structure that supports the inflatable balloon and the projector so that the projection lens is eccentrically disposed inside the inflatable balloon. The ... | 05/25/2004 |
| 6666405 | Adjustable weight ballasts for weighing down differently sized lighter-than-air balloons An adjustable weight ballast for lighter-than-air balloon with a predetermined lift is disclosed, comprising at least two individual weights. There is a first means on each individual weight for selectively attaching two or more weights to each other to f... | 12/23/2003 |
| 6588702 | Lighter-than-air device having a flexible usable surface A lighter-than-air device comprises a buoyant element containing lighter-than-air gas, and a flexible surface having a length and height forming a usable area. The flexible surface has a bottom edge that is not connected to the buoyant element. The length... | 07/08/2003 |
| 6575403 | Personnel lift device with automatic ascent and descent control The present invention is an apparatus to counter normal gravitational force in order to provide a personnel lifting device. The personnel lifting device is a lighter-than-air gas-filled balloon having a harness to suspend a user therefrom. The balloon fur... | 06/10/2003 |
| 6523781 | Axial-mode linear wind-turbine A wind harnessing system using a plurality of self supporting airfoil kites 50 for production of useful power. The system comprising multiple airfoil kites 50 in tandem attached to a pivotal control housing 32 by control lines 58L and 58R and support line... | 02/25/2003 |
| 6422506 | Towed airborne array system A towed airborne array system has a balloon that supports appropriate instrumentation packages overhead and is tethered to a towing ship to improve line-of-sight sensing and communication capabilities to up to about 100 nautical miles. These improved capa... | 07/23/2002 |
| 6360988 | Personnel lift device and amusement use thereof The present invention is an apparatus to partially counter normal gravitational force. The personnel lifting device is a paraballoon, a lighter-than-air gas-filled balloon having a harness to suspend a user therefrom. The paraballoon further includes a pl... | 03/26/2002 |
| 6357696 | System and method for the controlled illumination of at least one hot air balloon A system and method for illuminating hot air balloons is claimed. The system includes a activating a burner assembly on multiple hot air balloons from a central location. As the burner assemblies are activated, the hot air balloons become illuminated. Con... | 03/19/2002 |
| 6325330 | Power generation, transmission, and distribution system for an aerostat using a lightweight tether A power generation, transmission and distribution system for an aerostat using a tether, includes a ground-based power delivery system for generating a multi-phase power signal having a frequency at least greater than 400 Hz, an aerostat-based power distr... | 12/04/2001 |
| 6325329 | Helium balloon Disclosed is a helium balloon of sufficient volume and buoyancy to allow a human pilot to float above the ground and to glide over the ground. The balloon incorporates several safety features that permit it to be used for recreation, including tethers for... | 12/04/2001 |
| 6227484 | Tethered balloon A tethered balloon having a spherical balloon proper inflated with a gas whose specific gravity is lower than that of the outside air, a gondola attached to the bottom of the balloon proper, a vertical stabilizer attached to the balloon proper, a connecti... | 05/08/2001 |
| 6142415 | Aerostatic lighting device A lighter than air lighting device is disclosed comprising a dual envelope balloon providing an inner, gastight, elastic, transparent, expandable polymeric envelope such as polyurethane, containing a lighter than air medium such as helium, and a replaceab... | 11/07/2000 |
| 6119977 | Fluid container with self-sealing capability A method and apparatus for sealing ruptures in gas containing envelopes, includes a first plurality of containers filled with a gas, each of the containers being buoyant in and drifting freely within the envelope, so that when a rupture occurs in the enve... | 09/19/2000 |
| 6116538 | Accessible utility space comprising a carrier balloon A suspended utility space designed as a captive balloon comprises a carrier balloon which is filled with lifting gas and into which an accessible inner space is incorporated. The carrier balloon is a vertically oriented ellipsoid. The accessible inner spa... | 09/12/2000 |
| 5931412 | Air balloon containing inert gas In an air balloon (1) comprising a leak-tight casing (2) consisting of one or more layers containing an inert gas (3) that is lighter than air and provided with a part (4) designed to be opened reversibly to enable deflation of the said balloon (1), this ... | 08/03/1999 |
| 5857760 | Illuminated balloon apparatus and method Disclosed herein is a method and device which provides for the capability of functional illumination by a balloon. This invention includes one or more fiber optic elements within a balloon which are configured to disperse substantial light at its (their) ... | 01/12/1999 |
| 5857645 | Crown balloon system A helium balloon transport system comprised of two separate helium balloon clusters (31) with underslung framing (2, 3, 4, 21) for use with two separate balloons (15) of comparable size, the entire system being interconnected (19) with moorings (16) to th... | 01/12/1999 |
| 5834684 | Penetrator having multiple impact segments A penetrator having a plurality of stacked penetrator segments is disclosed. Each penetrator segment has a nose portion and a rear portion. The rear portion of each penetrator segment has a rearwardly opening cavity therein and a plurality of fins pivotal... | 11/10/1998 |
