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:
Jul. 13, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 04, 1998
Samuel Greenhalgh, Dolestown, PA (US);
Ellis Skott Greenhalgh, Dolestown, PA (US);
Matthew T Douglass, Philadelphia, PA (US);
Ronald H Garber, Orlando, FL (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
An apparatus attached to a fuel hose and deployed rearwardly of a tanker craft, the apparatus for inflight refueling of an aircraft and includes a fuel valve for controlling the flow of fuel through the valve, a coupler attached to the fuel valve for receiving and locking onto the probe of a receiving aircraft and for conveying fuel through the coupler and to the probe of the receiving aircraft, and a plurality of struts attached to the coupler, the struts configured and arranged to compress inwardly when acted upon by sufficient compressive forces and to expand outwardly against aerodynamic forces when located in the airstream, the struts forming a bell shaped target for guiding the probe of the receiving aircraft into the coupler.