Donald J Lewis

6378898, Apr 30, 2002

Jun 9, 1999

09/329015

Donald J. Lewis - Scottsdale AZ
Lowell W. Roemke - Tempe AZ

The B.F. Goodrich Company - Charlotte NC

B60R 2118

280733, 280739

An inflatable air bag, in its uninflated state, is folded against a seat belt that is secured around the waist of a vehicle occupant and is enclosed by a tubular webbing making the assembly appear as a typical seat belt. Upon a sudden deceleration of a vehicle, the air bag inflates and takes an L-shaped form against an occupant of a vehicle. A rearward protrusion from the upright portion of the L bears against the upper torso portion of the occupant. The rearward protrusion does not bear against the face of either a fifth, fiftieth or ninety-fifth percentile occupant. When inflated the air bag in addition to the rearward protrusion, has a torso section, a waist section and a lap section. The waist section functions to bear against the occupant to push the occupant back into the seat. The torso and lap sections function to push the occupant back and down into the seat. The deployment sequence of the inflation of the sections is determined by the method of folding the air bag against the seat belt.

6422512, Jul 23, 2002

Aug 30, 2000

09/651477

Donald J. Lewis - Scottsdale AZ
Terry W. Merrifield - Scottsdale AZ
Steven R. Hailstone - Chandler AZ
Steven K. Butt - Mesa AZ
Jeffrey Allyn Baker - Phoenix AZ
Shyam S. Karigiri - Phoenix AZ

Goodrich Corporation - Charlotte NC

B64D 2504

244121, 244122 AG, 244122 B

An inflatable restraint system for holding and securing an aircrew member in his seat during ejection from an aircraft has one or more members forming a shield around him or her. The system is controlled to inflate after the aircrew member has started the sequence of ejection and before the rockets that power the seat from the aircraft are ignited. The forces of windblast are deflected by the inflatable restraint from the aircrew member as the aircrew member enters into and remains in the windblast and in his seat.

6422513, Jul 23, 2002

Aug 22, 2000

09/644162

Donald J. Lewis - Scottsdale AZ
Terry W. Merrifield - Scottsdale AZ

Goodrich Corpration - Charlotte NC

B64C 100

244122AG, 2 61, 2 62, 2413

One or more tubular inflatables are mounted in pockets spaced around a flight vest to assist and maintain upper body stiffness during ejection. The inflatables function to maintain the body stiff and prevent its moving from side to side during ejection. By proper positioning of the inflatables around the body, spinal compression may be prevented. In addition, connected to the flight vest is a collar-like inflatable that supports and protects the neck and head of the air crewmember from moving. The collar-like member can encircle the neck like a scarf. In another embodiment, it can also extend above the shoulders and completely encircle the helmet holding the head in a vertical position. In each embodiment, the collar-like member properly maintains the center of gravity of the air crewmember on the aircraft seat.

6425601, Jul 30, 2002

Jun 8, 2000

09/590037

Donald J. Lewis - Scottsdale AZ

Universal Propulsion Company, Inc. - Phoenix AZ

B60R 2120

2807282, 280735, 280737, 280741, 2807431, 102531

The present invention is a self-contained air bag module and to a method of protecting an occupant of a vehicle in a collision involving the vehicle using the self-contained air bag module of the invention. The self-contained air bag module of the invention has an air bag having an interior volume in fluid communication with a high thermal efficiency inflator, the high thermal efficiency inflator having an initiator, and adapted for producing a sufficient quantity of a gaseous product to substantially inflate the air bag; and an impact detector in electrical or mechanical communication with the initiator. The high thermal efficiency inflator contains a pyrotechnic material in an amount sufficient to produce at least about 10 mole percent of the inflation gas, and a pressurized gas is present in an amount sufficient to produce up to about 90 mole percent of the inflation gas. The storage pressure of the gas is sufficiently high to produce an aerodynamic drag on burning pyrotechnic material passing through the gas, thereby slowing the burning pyrotechnic material, where the drag produced on the burning pyrotechnic material and the distance between the stored pyrotechnic material and the inner surface of the housing of the inflator are sufficiently great that, upon combustion of the pyrotechnic material, contact between a sufficient amount of the burning pyrotechnic material and the inner surface of the housing is prevented to allow at least about 90 percent of the heat produced by the combustion of the pyrotechnic material to be transferred to the inflation gas, so that no more than about 10 percent of the heat is transferred to the housing, resulting in a thermal efficiency of the high thermal efficiency inflator of at least about 90 percent.

6513602, Feb 4, 2003

Sep 13, 2000

09/661224

Donald J. Lewis - Scottsdale AZ
Donald E. Olander - Tempe AZ
Michael C. Magenot - Phoenix AZ

Universal Propolsion Company - Phoenix AZ

A62C 3500

169 84, 169 12, 149 191, 252 2

A method and a device for producing a sufficient quantity of a fire suppressing gaseous product to substantially suppress a fire. The device has a first stage gas source containing a pyrotechnic gas generating material and a second stage gas source in fluid communication at a first location with an outlet of the first stage gas source and, at a second location, with an outlet for dispersing gas. The second stage gas source contains at least one liquified gas or supercritical carbon dioxide, where the first stage gas source is capable of providing a sufficient quantity of gas at a sufficiently high temperature to vaporize at least a portion of the liquified gas or supercritical carbon dioxide in the second stage gas source, thereby producing a fire suppressing gaseous output, which exits the device through the outlet for dispersing gas, in an amount sufficient to at least partially suppress a fire. At least one of the pyrotechnic gas generating material, the liquified gas, and the supercritical carbon dioxide is mixed with or includes at least one fire suppressant material selected from the group consisting of elemental halogens and alkali metal halides.

20020011723, Jan 31, 2002

Sep 18, 2001

09/953912

Donald Lewis - Scottsdale AZ, US

Universal Propulsion Company, Inc.

B60R021/32

280/735000, 280/733000

A vehicle restraint system for a seated occupant including a lap belt system and an inflatable member mounted on the lap belt and restrained by the belt when inflated. The restraint system is applicable to multi-row seated vehicles in which a control system controls air bag deployment in rows located at first, second and other vehicle locations. Further, the system may include a device for detecting an impending collision of the vehicle and an object and deploy bags in anticipation of such collision.

20020105175, Aug 8, 2002

Jun 9, 1999

09/329016

DONALD J. LEWIS - SCOTTSDALE AZ, US
THOMAS J. GREEN - PHOENIX AZ, US

B60R021/18

280/733000

A seat belt anchorage system for securing an inflatable seat belt in a vehicle has an inflator generating inflation-fluid and supplying the fluid through a fluid distribution member to a fluid receiving tube connected to the inflatable seat belt. The system shown being fully self-contained, that is not relying on external power, is adaptable to be secured to the vehicle during the initial manufacture of a vehicle or can be field retrofitted on existing vehicles. The seat belt anchorage system may be secured to the seat, seat back, seat frame, vehicle floor or vehicle structural member. The inflator is either coupled by a conduit or directly connected to the fluid distribution member. Of course if external power is available, the only portion of the anchorage system that will be changed is the configuration of the control of the inflator. Therefore, this system is transparent to the type and style of inflator devices.

59884380, Nov 23, 1999

Mar 16, 1998

9/039261

Donald J. Lewis - Scottsdale AZ
Donald E. Olander - Tempe AZ
Michael C. Magenot - Phoenix AZ

Universal Propulsion Company, Inc. - Phoenix AZ

B67D 500
B63C 9125
B63B 3558

222 3

The present invention relates to an inflator device that is adapted for producing a sufficient quantity of a gaseous product to substantially inflate an inflatable member. The inflator device has a first stage gas source in fluid communication with a second stage gas source, which, in turn, is in fluid communication with the inflatable member. The second stage gas source contains a liquified gas in an amount sufficient to inflate the inflatable member upon vaporization of the liquified gas, and the first stage gas source is capable of providing a sufficient quantity of gas at a sufficiently high temperature to the second stage gas source to vaporize substantially all of the liquified gas in the second stage gas source.