The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 11, 1990
Filed:
Aug. 25, 1989
Calvin K Lee, Needham, MA (US);
James E Sadeck, East Freetown, MA (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A parachute assembly and method for the controlled airdrop of a payload is isclosed. The parachute assembly includes a cluster of parachutes and a control means. Each parachute in the cluster includes a canopy, a plurality of reefing rings attached to the skirt portion of the canopy and a plurality of suspension lines that are attached to the skirt portion at their one end and attachable to a payload at their other end. The control means comprises a common member disposed between and intermediate to each parachute, a plurality of control lines that are threaded through a plurality of the reefing rings on confronting skirt portions of each of two parachutes, and at least one control loop for each control line, which control loop is breakable under tension forces generated at the skirt portion during canopy opening. The method for controlling canopy release and opening of clustered parachutes comprises releasing the clustered parachutes from a single deployment bag. Each control loop breaks substantially simultaneously with all other control loops during opening.