ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 19 -- United States Patent no. 12,330,775, issued on June 17.
"Swivel nose caster for aircraft floats" was invented by Daniel W. Garrett (Woodbury, Minn.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An amphibious aircraft has two floats with a retractable nose gear at the front end of each float. The nose gear includes a nose wheel attached to a nose linkage. The nose gear includes a swivel caster with a bifluidic strut for fluid-dampened suspension. In some examples, the strut's longitudinal centerline lies at an angle to the swivel axis of rotation, and that angle changes in response to a load or weight being applied to the nose wheel. In some examples, the strut has a gas chamber f...