Patents
US 7968791 B2: Solar energy collection system
- Granted
- 2011-06-28
- Filed
- 2010-07-29 application 12846620
- Type
- Utility · 14 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
In one aspect of the present invention, a solar energy collection system that includes multiple longitudinally adjacent collectors is described. The collectors are coupled end to end to form a collector row. The collector row extends along a longitudinal axis and is arranged to rotate about a pivot axis to track the sun in at least one dimension. Each collector includes a reflector, one or more solar receivers and a support structure. The support structure includes a tube assembly that underlies the reflector. The tube assemblies of the collector row are arranged end to end along the longitudinal axis. There is a space between the tube assemblies of adjacent collectors in the collector row, where the reflectors of the adjacent collectors extend beyond the underlying tube assemblies to form a substantially continuous reflective surface over the space. A coupling device is positioned in the space between the tube assemblies. The coupling device connects and helps to rotate the tube assemblies of the adjacent collectors. Some embodiments relate to various types of coupling devices and collector arrangements.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg110628.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyline Solar, Inc. 12 patents | US company or organization | Mountain View, CA | SKYLINE SOLAR, LLC 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khiem Ba Do | San Jose, CA | 2 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Kevin R. Langworthy | Holly, MI | 8 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Gianfranco Gabbianelli | Birmingham, MI | 13 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Eric Johnson | Mountain View, CA | 36 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Dominico P. Julian | Oakland, CA | 10 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Marc Finot | Palo Alto, CA | 18 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Cameron G. Wylie | San Mateo, CA | 3 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| H02S | Generation of electric power by conversion of infrared radiation, visible light or ultraviolet light, e.g. using photovoltaic [pv] modules | H02S20/00 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| F24S | Solar heat collectors; solar heat systems | F24S20/20 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| H10F | Inorganic semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation | H10F77/488 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| Y02E | Reduction of greenhouse gas [ghg] emissions, related to energy generation, transmission or distribution | Y02E10/40 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-02-24 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | TRIPLEPOINT CAPITAL LLC signed 2014-07-21 | FIRST SOLAR MALAYSIA SDN. BHD KULIM, KEDAH | 62855/319 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2011-09-22 | Security interest Security interest Security agreement | SKYLINE SOLAR, INC. signed 2011-08-16 | TRIPLEPOINT CAPITAL LLC MENLO PARK, CA | 26953/224 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2010-09-09 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | JULIAN, DOMINICO P. signed 2010-08-02 WYLIE, CAMERON G. signed 2010-08-12 DO, KHIEM B. signed 2010-08-16 JOHNSON, ERIC C. signed 2010-08-19 GABBIANELLI, GIANFRANCO signed 2010-08-23 LANGWORTHY, KEVIN R. signed 2010-08-23 FINOT, MARC A. signed 2010-08-25 | SKYLINE SOLAR, INC. MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA | 24963/449 | 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.