Patents
US 12195153 B2: Underwater vehicle docking system
- Granted
- 2025-01-14
- Filed
- 2023-05-11 application 18315919
- Type
- Utility · 20 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
One example includes an underwater docking system. The system includes an underwater dock that includes a docking rod. The docking rod includes electrical contacts around a periphery of the docking rod. The system also includes a docking assembly mounted on an underwater vehicle. The docking assembly includes an actuator and a hook assembly that includes a docking arm and a jaw assembly. The docking arm physically guides the docking rod into the jaw assembly and the actuator closes the jaw assembly around the docking rod to provide electrical connection of brush contacts of the jaw assembly with the electrical contacts of the docking rod to provide electrical power from a power source via the electrical contacts to the underwater vehicle. Each of the electrical contacts and the brush contacts can be formed from a self-passivating material.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg250114.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION 1,474 patents | US company or organization | Falls Church, VA | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2 patents | US company or organization | Moss Landing, CA | MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM RESEARCH INSTITUTE Nonprofit EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM RESEARCH INSTITUTE, CORP State business registration FUZZY medium confidence: same name (legal endings aside) and state | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Hamilton | Santa Cruz, CA | 2 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Brett Hobson | Sabre City, CA | 1 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| FRANÇOIS CAZENAVE | Santa Cruz, CA | 1 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Scott Jensen | San Martin, CA | 6 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| B63G | Offensive or defensive arrangements on vessels; mine-laying; mine-sweeping; submarines; aircraft carriers | B63G8/001 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-12 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | CAZENAVE, FRANÇOIS signed 2023-05-11 HAMILTON, ANDREW signed 2023-05-11 HOBSON, BRETT signed 2023-05-11 JENSEN, SCOTT signed 2023-05-12 | NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION FALLS CHURCH, VA MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM RESEARCH INSTITUTE MOSS LANDING, CA | 63634/964 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.