ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 3 -- United States Patent no. 12,344,461, issued on July 1, was assigned to The Boeing Co. (Arlington, Va.).
"Self-folding bladder" was invented by Michael D. Nevinsky (Ridley Park, Pa.) and David T. Misciagna (Ridley Park, Pa.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A bladder. The bladder includes a bladder wall include first dimensions. The bladder also includes a first port disposed in the bladder wall. The bladder also includes knitted seams stitched into a first pattern in the bladder wall. The first pattern is configured such that when the bladder wall is subjected to a compressive force, the bladder collapses into a first pre-determined shape that has second dimensions les...