H2 Clipper announced it was granted U.S. Patent 11,396,356 B2 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 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 H₂-powered airships. Specifically, the patent addresses autonomous and remotely piloted operation.

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 using unmanned aerial vehicles, 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 utility for picking up, transporting and delivering goods manufactured in remote locations to areas of high density.

H2 Clipper Founder and CEO Rinaldo S. Brutoco said, “This latest patent brings us one step closer to bringing to market an economical and effective mode of transporting liquid hydrogen from places it can be generated using clean renewable energy directly to areas where high energy demand is most critical. Given the increased global demand for hydrogen and the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act, which will help the U.S. 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.”

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 also has numerous currently pending US and international patent applications directed to airship design and pipeline distribution. H2 Clipper anticipates completing the construction of a prototype in 2025, with the goal of flying its first full-sized airship in 2028.