Appeal No. 2001-0534 Page 5
Application No. 09/271,626
station and converted to useful DC power by arrays of
rectifying antennas mounted on the aircraft, the aircraft
being capable of
long-duration, high-altitude missions. Figure 1 of Foote
shows an unmanned microwave-powered aircraft system including
a ground control center 20 associated with a microwave
transmission antenna 22 for transmitting upwardly a power beam
indicated by lobe outline 24 to an aircraft 26, which is to be
powered by the microwaves. The aircraft 26 is propelled by
one or more electric motors housed in a pair of torpedo-shaped
nacelles 28 driving propellers 30. A return tracking signal
27 from the aircraft 26 back down to the beaming antenna 22
provides feedback to the ground control center 20 to aim and
focus the beaming antenna in an optimum manner on the
aircraft. Foote discloses that preferably, the aircraft 26 is
towed to a height of approximately 15,000 feet and released
within the microwave beam 24 to be thereafter remotely powered
up to a height of 70,000 feet to fly in a figure-8 pattern of
approximately 2 kilometers in length directly above the ground
station. Foote teaches (column 10, lines 13-34) that
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