{
  "patent_number": "US 11608181",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How High-Altitude Parafoils Use Spring-Loaded Rods to Open Automatically",
  "original_title": "Rigidized assisted opening system for high altitude parafoils",
  "summary": "A system for high-altitude balloons that uses flexible, spring-loaded rods to force a parachute-like wing to snap open in the thin air of the upper atmosphere.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a mechanical assist system for opening parafoils at extremely high altitudes where the air is too thin for traditional ram-air inflation to work reliably. It uses two elongated wing tip supports that are hinged to a base structure. When the parafoil is packed into a bag, these supports are bent, storing potential energy like a spring. Once the restraint is released, the supports snap back to their original shape, physically pushing the canopy open so it can catch the sparse air and begin flight.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover parafoils that rely solely on ram-air pressure for inflation without mechanical assistance.",
    "Does not cover non-hinged or non-flexible structural support systems.",
    "Does not cover deployment systems that use pyrotechnic charges or explosive bolts to force canopy opening."
  ],
  "filed": "2020-08-19",
  "granted": "2023-03-21",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "World View Enterprises Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/world-view-enterprises-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Jared Leidich",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jared-leidich"
    },
    {
      "name": "Taber Kyle MacCallum",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/taber-kyle-maccallum"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ty Bowen",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ty-bowen"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 4,
  "tags": [
    "aerospace",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": "A parafoil for operation at high altitudes, in low density air, or at low airspeeds, and methods for opening same. Some versions of the parafoil comprise flexible members connected to the parafoil canopy. When the parafoil canopy is in a stowed configuration, the members are deformed, storing elastic energy. When the canopy is released from its stowed configuration, the members spring back to their undeformed shapes, thereby opening or assisting with opening the canopy. The flexible member may also be attached to a base structure, which is attached to the payload. The members may comprise rods or hollow tubes that can be flexed using a fulcrum near the base structure, or a spacer plate, so that the ends connected to the canopy are restrained by a parachute bag containing the stowed or packed canopy. The parachute bag can be opened prior to or during detachment of the parafoil from the flight vehicle.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11608181/starship-orbital-launch-mount",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11608181/starship-orbital-launch-mount/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11608181",
  "relatedPatents": []
}