Platform-type airship

{
  "publication_number": "US6527223B1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B1",
  "title": "Platform-type airship",
  "abstract": "An airship for lifting and transporting loads, particularly heavy loads. The lifting ability of the airship is given by lighter than air gas contained in bags located between two parallel horizontal platforms constructed in lightweight geodesic fashion, the platform and bag assembly being raised and lowered by means of respectively injecting and exhausting the gas into and from the bags, the whole, together with the lifted object, being moved and steered through the atmosphere by the combined means of conventional powered propeller units and a curtain circumferential to and rotated about the platforms thus using the Magnus Effect.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An airship for lifting, transporting and depositing loads comprising: a lower substantially horizontal platform having parallel upper and lower planar surfaces and a periphery; an upper substantially horizontal platform substantially similar in size and shape to the lower horizontal platform, and having parallel upper and lower planar surfaces and a periphery; a plurality of platform connecting means connecting the upper and lower platforms and maintaining the platforms parallel and the platforms' peripheries parallel; located between the platforms, a plurality of gasbags, each having a horizontal top and bottom both having parallel planar upper and lower exterior and interior surfaces and each gasbag also having substantially vertical sides having exterior and interior surfaces, a means of inflation of each gasbag by a gas of lower-than-air density to lift the connected platforms, and a means of deflation of each gasbag to lower the connected platforms, the gasbags when inflated each having a height equal to the maximum distance between the upper and lower platforms, the plurality of bags being so disposed that when all are inflated the upper surfaces thereof are in contact with and occupy substantially all of the lower surface of the upper platform; means of propelling and steering the lifted connected platforms; and means of controlling the means of propelling and steering, for navigating the lifted connected platforms on a predetermined course; means of anchoring the connected platforms to stationary, substantially immoveable objects and of releasing the connected platforms therefrom; means of attaching to the connected platforms loads required to be lifted and transported.",
    "2. An airship as claimed in claim 1, in which the means of anchoring the platforms is a plurality of cables each having a proximal and a distal end, each proximal end being attached to one of the platforms, and each distal end having an anchor capable of being attached to a substantially immoveable object and of being released when required.",
    "3. An airship as claimed in claim 1 in which the means of attaching loads to the platforms is a plurality of cables, each having a proximal and a distal end, each proximal end being attached to one of the platforms, and each distal end capable of being attached to a load.",
    "4. An airship as claimed in claim 1 in which the means of attaching to the platforms loads required to be lifted and transported is a hopper with an hopper attach and release means, for enabling the airship to collect the hopper when full, discharge the hopper, and return the hopper for refilling.",
    "5. An airship as claimed in claim 1 in which the means of propelling and steering the platforms is a plurality of powered propeller units, each mounted on one of the platforms and capable of being rotated as controlled by the propelling and steering control means so as to deliver propulsion in any desired, substantially horizontal direction.",
    "6. An airship as claimed in claim 1 in which the means of propelling and steering the platforms is a combination of a continuous curtain having top and bottom edges moveably disposed at and around the peripheries of the upper and lower platforms respectively, and powered to travel around said peripheries in either direction as controlled by the propelling and steering control, so as to apply the Magnus Effect, and of a plurality of powered propeller units, each mounted on one of the platforms and capable of being rotated as controlled by the propelling and steering control means so as to deliver propulsion in any substantially horizontal direction.",
    "7. An airship as claimed in claim 1 in which the means of navigating the lifted platforms on a predetermined course is a conventional airplane navigation system modified to control the means of propelling and steering the airship.",
    "8. An airship as claimed in claim 1 in which all the gasbags are of identical size and hexagonal horizontal cross-section.",
    "9. An airship as claimed in claim 1 in which the interior surfaces of the sides and the bottom interior surfaces of the gasbags have a reflexive index near 1.0 and the tops are made of material resistant to normal operating temperatures, but of such a melting point that a fire in a gasbag would cause the top of that gasbag rapidly to melt.",
    "10. An airship as claimed in claim 1 in which each platform is a two-dimensional geodesic structure.",
    "11. An airship as claimed in claim 10 in which the connecting means are cables, each with a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being attached to a strut attached to and within the geodesic structure of the lower platform and the distal end being attached to a strut attached to and within the geodesic structure of the upper platform.",
    "12. An airship for lifting, transporting and depositing loads comprising: a lower substantially horizontal platform of two-dimensional geodesic structure having parallel upper and lower planar surfaces and a periphery; an upper substantially horizontal platform of two-dimensional geodesic structure, substantially similar in size and shape to the lower horizontal platform, and having parallel upper and lower planar surfaces and a periphery; a plurality of vertical struts attached to and within the geodesic structure of the lower platform and of the upper platform; a plurality of cables for connecting the upper and lower platforms and maintaining the platforms parallel and the platforms' peripheries parallel, the cables each having two ends, one end attached to one of the struts attached within the lower platform and the other end to one of the struts attached within the upper platform, said cables and struts being of such a number and so respectively attached and disposed as to form a plurality of hexagonal horizontal cross-section enclosures each bounded by six of the cables; located between the platforms, a plurality of gasbags, each of hexagon horizontal cross-section, each having a horizontal top and bottom both having parallel planar upper and lower exterior and interior surfaces, and each gasbag also having vertical sides having exterior and interior surfaces, a means of inflation by a gas of lower-than-air density for the gasbags to lift the connected platforms, and a means of deflation for the gasbags correspondingly to lower the connected platforms, the interior surfaces of the sides and the lower interior surfaces of the gasbags having a reflexive index near 1.0 and the tops being made of material resistant to normal operating temperatures, but of such a melting point that a fire in a bag would cause the top of said bag rapidly to melt, and each gasbag when inflated having a height equal to the maximum distance between the upper and lower platforms, the plurality of gasbags being so disposed and each gasbag of such a size that each, when inflated, fully occupies one of the hexagonal enclosures formed by six of the cables and is supported and located by the cables, and that when all gasbags are inflated the upper surfaces thereof are in contact with and occupy substantially all of the lower surface of the upper platform; a plurality of powered propeller units, each mounted on one of the platforms and capable of being rotated under control so as to deliver propulsion in any substantially horizontal direction, for propelling and steering the lifted platforms; a conventional airplane navigation system modified to control the means of propelling and steering the lifted platforms, for navigating the platforms on a predetermined course; means of anchoring the connected platforms to a stationary, substantially immoveable object and of releasing the connected platforms therefrom; and means of attaching to the connected platforms loads required to be lifted and transported.",
    "13. An airship for lifting, transporting and depositing loads comprising: a lower substantially horizontal platform of two-dimensional geodesic structure having parallel upper and lower planar surfaces and a periphery; an upper substantially horizontal platform of two-dimensional geodesic structure, substantially similar in size and shape to the lower horizontal platform, and having parallel upper and lower planar surfaces and a periphery; a plurality of vertical struts attached to and within the geodesic structure of the lower platform and of the upper platform; a plurality of cables for connecting the upper and lower platforms and maintaining the platforms parallel and the platforms' peripheries parallel, the cables each having two ends, one end attached to one of the struts attached within the lower platform and the other end to one of the struts attached within the upper platform, said cables and struts being of such a number and so respectively attached and disposed as to form a plurality of hexagonal horizontal cross-section enclosures each bounded by six of the cables; located between the platforms, a plurality of gasbags, each of hexagon horizontal cross-section, each having a horizontal top and bottom both having parallel planar upper and lower exterior and interior surfaces, and each gasbag also having vertical sides having exterior and interior surfaces, a means of inflation by a gas of lower-than-air density for the gasbags to lift the connected platforms, and a means of deflation for the gasbags correspondingly to lower the connected platforms, the interior surfaces of the sides and the lower interior surfaces of the gasbags having a reflexive index near 1.0 and the tops being made of material resistant to normal operating temperatures, but of such a melting point that a fire in a bag would cause the top of said bag rapidly to melt, and each gasbag when inflated having a height equal to the maximum distance between the upper and lower platforms, the plurality of gasbags being so disposed and each gasbag of such a size that each, when inflated, fully occupies one of the hexagonal enclosures formed by six of the cables and is supported and located by the cables, and that when all gasbags are inflated the upper surfaces thereof are in contact with and occupy substantially all of the lower surface of the upper platform; for propelling and steering the lifted platforms, a combination of a continuous curtain having top and bottom edges moveably disposed at and around the peripheries of the upper and lower platforms respectively, and powered to travel around said peripheries in either direction under control, so as to apply the Magnus Effect, and of a plurality of powered propeller units, each mounted on one of the platforms and capable of being rotated under control so as to deliver propulsion in any substantially horizontal direction; a conventional airplane navigation system modified to operate and control the means of propelling and steering the lifted platforms, for navigating the platforms on a predetermined course; means of anchoring the connected platforms to a stationary, substantially immoveable object and of releasing the connected platforms therefrom; and means of attaching to the connected platforms loads required to be lifted and transported."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "There are many lifting and transportation devices, but devices to lift particularly large loads efficiently, which is the purpose of the present invention, are few. Commonly used are various types of jacks, which are not mobile, at least not over long distances, and cranes of various types, which may be mobile but often are not easily maneuverable close to the lifting site. Some means of transport in common use, such as trucks, airplanes, helicopters and railroad cars place severe limitations on the size and weight of the objects to be transported. Others, such as barges and ships, and railroad cars, are limited in their points of access so that intermediate means must be used to transport objects to and from them. None of the existing means mentioned has the capability, other than over short distances, of transporting objects directly, from pickup to set-down point in a straight line, or by the Great Circle route between distant points on the Earth's surface All of them are expensive to operate, the cheapest commonly being waterborne, and are damaging in various degrees to the environment.\n\nOften, large objects must be dismantled or broken up, and lifted and transported in sections that are manageable with existing transportation means, which adds greatly to costs. Again, certain objects, such as icebergs which could otherwise be used for desert irrigation, are both too large for existing lifting and transportation means and by their nature cannot be practicably cut into sections. This invention solves these problems.",
  "cpc": [
    "B64B 1/58",
    "B64B 1/06",
    "B64B 1/08"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B64B 1/06",
    "B64B 1/08",
    "B64B 1/58"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Richard Warfield Mondale"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2002-08-05",
  "publication_date": "2003-03-04",
  "grant_date": "2003-03-04",
  "priority_date": "2002-08-05",
  "application_number": "US-21263202-A",
  "family_id": "22791835",
  "cited_by_count": 78,
  "citations": [
    "US5042748A",
    "GB2246995A",
    "US6142414A"
  ]
}