How a Boat Guides Air and Underwater Drones for Data Collection
This patent describes a system where a watercraft follows a planned route, guiding an aerial drone that stays a fixed distance ahead, which in turn tows a tethered underwater drone to collect combined air and sea data.
Original patent title: “Underwater leading drone system”
This patent describes a system where a watercraft follows a planned route, guiding an aerial drone that stays a fixed distance ahead, which in turn tows a tethered underwater drone to collect combined air and sea data. Granted to Pinnacle Vista in 2019 with 14 claims and 1 forward citation, and it is expected to expire in 2037.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The system uses a "base station" which is a watercraft following a "pre-determined path of travel" (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1). An "unmanned aerial drone" receives this path information and "autonomously calculate[s] an aerial drone path that directly correlates" with the base station's route (Claim 1). This aerial drone travels at a "fixed distance" from the watercraft (Claim 1) and collects data from the air. Crucially, a "submersed drone" is "physically tethered" to the aerial drone (Claim 1), allowing it to traverse underwater and collect data. The submersed drone sends its data to the aerial drone, which then combines both aerial and underwater sensor data into "target location data" (Claim 1). For example, a research ship could map a coral reef by sending an aerial drone ahead, which then lowers a camera-equipped underwater drone to capture images of the reef while the ship follows safely behind.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover systems where the base station is not a watercraft, such as a land vehicle or an aircraft.
- Does not cover systems where the aerial drone does not maintain a "fixed distance" from the base station during travel.
- Does not cover systems where the submersed drone is not "physically tethered" to the aerial drone.
- Does not cover systems where the aerial drone's path does not "directly correlate" with the base station's pre-determined path.
- Does not cover systems where the aerial drone simply follows the base station, rather than leading it.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in the specific coordinated movement: a watercraft guides an aerial drone that *leads* it at a fixed distance, and that aerial drone *tows* a submersed drone. This setup allows for simultaneous, multi-domain data collection (air and underwater) with the leading drones anticipating the base station's movement, rather than merely following.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Oceanographic survey missions
Marine habitat mapping
Underwater pipeline inspection
Search and rescue operations in coastal areas
Environmental monitoring of water bodies
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent addresses the challenge of efficiently collecting comprehensive environmental data in marine environments, combining both aerial and underwater perspectives. By coordinating a watercraft with leading air and submersed drones, it allows for simultaneous data collection across different mediums, which can be critical for tasks like oceanographic research, marine biology studies, or infrastructure inspection. The coordinated movement aims to streamline operations and improve data accuracy by maintaining relative positions.
Filed
May 5, 2017
Granted
June 11, 2019
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Companies involved in marine robotics, autonomous surface vessels (ASVs), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for environmental monitoring or defense applications are working in this general space. Examples include Ocean Infinity, Saildrone, and various defense contractors developing multi-domain autonomous systems. While this specific patent has limited forward citationsforward citationsLater patents that cite this one as prior art. High counts signal foundational influence.Read more →, the concept of coordinated autonomous vehicles for data collection is an active area of research and development.
Market impact
This patent, while not widely cited, contributes to the broader trend of integrating autonomous systems for complex data collection tasks. It highlights a method for improving efficiency and coverage in marine surveys by combining aerial and underwater perspectives. Such integrated systems can reduce the need for multiple, separate expeditions, potentially lowering costs and increasing the scope of data gathered for scientific research, commercial exploration, and environmental protection.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The system uses a "base station" which is a watercraft following a "pre-determined path of travel" (Claim 1). An "unmanned aerial drone" receives this path information and "autonomously calculate[s] an aerial drone path that directly correlates" with the base station's route (Claim 1). This aerial drone travels at a "fixed distance" from the watercraft (Claim 1) and collects data from the air. Crucially, a "submersed drone" is "physically tethered" to the aerial drone (Claim 1), allowing it to traverse underwater and collect data. The submersed drone sends its data to the aerial drone, which then combines both aerial and underwater sensor data into "target location data" (Claim 1). For example, a research ship could map a coral reef by sending an aerial drone ahead, which then lowers a camera-equipped underwater drone to capture images of the reef while the ship follows safely behind.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in the specific coordinated movement: a watercraft guides an aerial drone that *leads* it at a fixed distance, and that aerial drone *tows* a submersed drone. This setup allows for simultaneous, multi-domain data collection (air and underwater) with the leading drones anticipating the base station's movement, rather than merely following.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover systems where the base station is not a watercraft, such as a land vehicle or an aircraft.
- Does not cover systems where the aerial drone does not maintain a "fixed distance" from the base station during travel.
- Does not cover systems where the submersed drone is not "physically tethered" to the aerial drone.
- Does not cover systems where the aerial drone's path does not "directly correlate" with the base station's pre-determined path.
- Does not cover systems where the aerial drone simply follows the base station, rather than leading it.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
9/20
Moderate scope
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$34K – $108K
Midpoint $68K · 10.7 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
14 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Tu, H. (2019). How a Boat Guides Air and Underwater Drones for Data Collection (U.S. Patent No. 10,317,904). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10317904/underwater-leading-drone-system
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How a Boat Guides Air and Underwater Drones for Data Collection cover?
This patent describes a system where a watercraft follows a planned route, guiding an aerial drone that stays a fixed distance ahead, which in turn tows a tethered underwater drone to collect combined air and sea data.
Who owns patent US 10317904?
Pinnacle Vista owns this patent, granted in 2019.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on May 5, 2037, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 10317904 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent addresses the challenge of efficiently collecting comprehensive environmental data in marine environments, combining both aerial and underwater perspectives. By coordinating a watercraft with leading air and submersed drones, it allows for simultaneous data collection across different mediums, which can be critical for tasks like oceanographic research, marine biology studies, or infrastructure inspection. The coordinated movement aims to streamline operations and improve data accuracy by maintaining relative positions.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover systems where the base station is not a watercraft, such as a land vehicle or an aircraft.
Same assignee
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