US 5,992,065 AGranted

Aerial message system

AssigneeArthur H. Bond

InventorGerard A. Preiser

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Abstract

An aerial message system uses a plurality of aircraft flying in formation to form a visible message in the sky. A lead or master aircraft carries a small computer which may be programmed with the message(s) to be formed, as well as other factors such as the true airspeed of the aircraft and the configuration of the formation. An interface and encoder are placed between the computer and a transmitter aboard the lead aircraft, with the interface and encoder serving to accept a signal from the computer which is compatible with a dot matrix printer, and reformatting the signal to output to the transmitter. The transmitter transmits a plurality of discrete pulses or signals to the receiving or slave aircraft, with each of the slave aircraft receivers being tuned or adjusted to receive a signal corresponding to the position of that aircraft in the formation. The receivers may be readjusted in the air to allow aircraft to exchange positions in the formation, in order to maximize efficiency of the smoke or vapor material being carried on each aircraft. The signals received by each aircraft (including the lead aircraft with its hard wired output) control solenoids which operate injector nozzles within the engine exhaust system for each aircraft. Thus, a formation flight of aircraft equipped with the present system may form an aerial advertising or display message quickly and efficiently, with the computer adjusting output signals in other than real time to adjust for different formations.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An aerial message system for use by a single master aircraft and a plurality of slave aircraft flying in formation with one another, with at least one of the aircraft of the formation positioned generally rearwardly of at least one other aircraft of the formation, said aerial message system comprising:

a programmable computer adapted to be installed aboard the master aircraft, said computer having at least a printer signal output port for outputting messages according to programmed parameters entered into said computer;
an interface device adapted to be installed aboard the master aircraft and communicating with said computer through said printer signal output port thereof, for accepting said messages from said computer in a format compatible with a dot matrix printer and outputting a signal representative of said messages;
an encoder adapted to be installed aboard the master aircraft and communicating with said interface device, for encoding said signal from said interface device and for providing a plurality of discrete signals, with each of said discrete signals corresponding to a position of one of the aircraft of the formation;
a radio transmitter adapted to be installed aboard the master aircraft and communicating with said encoder, for transmitting said discrete signals to each of the slave aircraft;
a radio receiver adapted to be installed aboard each of the slave aircraft for receiving said discrete signals transmitted from said transmitter, each said radio receiver being adjusted for receiving only one of said discrete signals in accordance with the position of the slave aircraft in the formation;
vapor generation means for generating vapor, said vapor generation means adapted to be installed aboard each aircraft;
and
a hard wired connection between said encoder and said vapor generation means installable aboard the master aircraft;
wherein each said radio receiver communicates with respective said vapor generation means installable aboard a respective one of the slave aircraft, and;
wherein said receiver installable aboard the at least one rearwardly positioned aircraft includes adjusting means for receiving a different discrete signal for a different aircraft of the formation, for exchanging positions in the formation between different aircraft.

7 more elements

An aerial message system including a single master aircraft and a plurality of slave aircraft flying in formation with one another, with at least one of the aircraft of the formation positioned generally rearwardly of at least one other aircraft of the formation, comprising in combination:

a programmable computer installed aboard said master aircraft and having at least a printer signal output port, for outputting messages from said printer signal output port according to programmed parameters entered into said computer;
an interface device installed aboard said master aircraft and communicating with said computer through said printer signal output port thereof, for accepting a signal from said computer in a format compatible with a dot matrix printer;
an encoder installed aboard said master aircraft and communicating with said interface device, for encoding the signal from said interface device and for providing a plurality of discrete signals, with each of the signals corresponding to a position of one of said aircraft of said formation;
a radio transmitter installed aboard said master aircraft and communicating with said encoder, for transmitting said discrete signals to each of said slave aircraft;
a radio receiver installed aboard each of said slave aircraft for receiving the signals transmitted from said transmitter, with each said receiver being adjusted to receive only one of the signals in accordance with the position of the corresponding said aircraft in said formation;
vapor generation means installed aboard each said aircraft, with each said radio receiver communicating with respective said vapor generation means of a respective one of said slave aircraft, and;
a hard wired connection between said encoder and said vapor generation means of said master aircraft;
wherein said receiver of said at least one rearwardly positioned aircraft includes adjusting means for receiving a different discrete signal for a different said aircraft of said formation, for exchanging positions in said formation between different said aircraft.

5 more elements

A method of producing aerial messages using a single master aircraft and a plurality of slave aircraft in formation flight, with the master aircraft including a programmable computer with at least a printer signal output port, an interface device, an encoder, a transmitter, and vapor generation means aboard the master aircraft and a receiver adjusted to receive a discrete signal and vapor generation means aboard each of the slave aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) programming the computer with parameters relating to the flight, with the parameters at least including the message to be formed, the true airspeed of the aircraft, the spacing of the aircraft, and the type of formation to be flown;
(b) sending a message output from the printer signal output port of the computer in a format compatible with a dot matrix printer to the interface device, according to the programmed parameters entered into the computer;
(c) forming a plurality of discrete signals with the interface device, with each of the discrete signals corresponding to a respective one of the aircraft in the formation and one of the discrete signals corresponding to the master aircraft, and sending the discrete signals from the interface device to the encoder;
(d) sending the discrete signals corresponding to a respective one of the slave aircraft from the encoder to the transmitter;
(e) transmitting the discrete signals to the receiver in each of the slave aircraft in accordance with the position of the respective slave aircraft in the formation;
(f) sending the discrete signal corresponding to the master aircraft to the vapor generating means of the master aircraft;
(g) sending the discrete signal received by the receiver in each of the slave aircraft to the vapor generating means of each respective slave aircraft, causing an aerial message to be generated by the aircraft in accordance with the position of each of the aircraft in the formation;
(h) adjusting the receivers of at least two of the slave aircraft to receive the discrete signal of the other;
and
(i) flying the aircraft to exchange their relative positions in the formation.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.