the original GPS navigation patent
Apr 6, 2010 google, gps navigation, misc news
It was about 40 years ago when Roger L. Easton applied to USPTO to get a patent for “Navigation System Using Satellites and Passive Ranging Tecniques”.
The abstract was this:
A navigation system wherein the navigator’s location is obtained by determining the navigator’s distance (or range) from one or more satellites of known location. Each satellite transmits multifrequency signals that are derived from a stable oscillator which is phase synchronized with the navigator’s equipment that produces similar multifrequency signals. Phase comparison between the signals received from the satellites and the locally produced signals indicates both the distance between the navigator and the satellites and the navigator’s location. In determining his location, the presence of the navigator is not revealed since no interrogatory transmission by him is required.
If there’s a little bit of geek in you, you can check out the full patent here.
Just recently Roger L. Easton made it to The National Inventors Hall of Fame, taking his rightful place next to names like Edison, and Bell.
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April 7th, 2010 at 9:02 am
FYI.
http://bit.ly/c7JNas
April 8th, 2010 at 7:27 am
This is really interesting. Now I have an idea of how these GPS devices came about. Thank you very much for the good information.
May 6th, 2010 at 9:48 am
The Easton patent describes a satellite navigational system, but not that used by GPS. Among other reasons, Easton’s system would not deliver the accuracy we expect from GPS and it would require every navigator to have an atomic clock at his position. Bummer! The real basis for GPS is a report done by the Aerospace Corporation several years before Easton filed for his patent. It was used by the Air Force’s Joint Program Office as the planning basis for GPS. See the current issue (May 2010) of “GPS World” for more information.
June 8th, 2010 at 3:07 am
Although Easton’s patent does not describe the exact global navigational satellite system we have in place now, he was the pioneer and under patenting at the relevant time the invention was considered to be novel (new) and not anticipated. Also the new systems which have been developed are considered to be the inventive step of the Easton patent, so even though technilogically it may be different, under law it is a valid patent. If it is still registered…. it may be expired now.
November 4th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Mr. Powers is incorrect. The Timation Development Plan, March 1971, clearly describes the system as 4D where necessary (3D plus clock offset). I also suggest that he review page 29 of
http://www.cis.rit.edu/people/faculty/easton/NRL_GPS_Bibliography/NRL_GPS_Bibliography.pdf
which shows the matrix formulation of the four-dimensional instantaneous solution (x, y, z, t).
There is plenty of additional information available that contradicts the GPS World article. From my May Inside GNSS letter.
Dr. John L. McLucas, who was Secretary of the Air Force from 1973-5, wrote on page 201 of Reflections of a Technocrat: Managing Defense, Air, and Space Programs during the Cold War: “In the late 1960s, both the Navy and the Air Force began work on improved three-dimensional navigation systems that would indicate altitude as well as latitude and longitude and work fast enough for use by aircraft. The Navy program was called Time Navigation (Timation for short).”