H2 Clipper registers patent for hydrogen-powered airships

H2 Clipper, Inc., has been granted a patent related to hydrogen-powered airships by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The patent, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Lighter-Than-Air Airship with Improved Structure and Delivery System,” incorporates an improved structural design for operating H2 Clipper’s Pipeline-in-the-Sky™ hydrogen-powered airships. Specifically, the patent addresses autonomous and remotely piloted operations.

In the new patent, the novel exoskeleton connects to a nose cone that includes a cockpit cabin for controlling the airship’s operation from a single location that can be physically separated from the exoskeleton in the remote event of a catastrophic incident and for autonomous and/or remotely piloted operation.

An improved means is also provided for landing and unloading cargo, and through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the airship is specially designed to efficiently pick up, transport, deliver and effect the return of payloads from a remote point of origin to where such payloads are desired. This design has particular utility for picking up, transporting and delivering goods manufactured in remote locations to areas of high density.

This is H2 Clipper’s tenth issued patent, focusing on enhancements over previous airship designs and operating modes. The patent represents a continuation of the work that H2 Clipper began in 2008 when it filed for its initial patent, which was issued in 2012.

In addition to the company’s previously issued patents, it has numerous currently pending US and international patent applications for airship design and pipeline distribution. H2 Clipper anticipates completing the construction of a prototype in 2025, to fly its first full-sized airship in 2028.

Rinaldo S. Brutoco, H2 Clipper Founder and CEO, said, “Given the increased global demand for hydrogen and the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act, which will help the US tackle climate change over the next decade, we believe now is the time for H2 Clipper to play a major role in removing the transportation “bottleneck” holding back the hydrogen economy.”