Controlled flight aerial device with retarding rotor

Claim 1

IN AN AERIAL DEVICE ADAPTED TO ENTER OR TO BE LAUNCHED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AT A HIGH ELEVATION THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A LOAD-CARRYING BODY HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS, A ROTOR CONNECTED WITH SAID BODY AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF BLADES WHICH ARE INITIALLY IN FOLDED POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID BODY AND WHICH ARE MOVABLE TO DEPLOYED POSITIONS AT WHICH THEY AUTOROTATE ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID CENTRAL AXIS TO SLOW THE DESCENT OF SAID BODY THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE, MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID BLADES IN SAID FOLDED POSITIONS AND WHICH MEANS IS OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO A GIVEN SIGNAL TO RELEASE SAID BLADES FOR MOVEMENT TO THEIR DEPLOYED POSITIONS, MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE ACTUATOR RESPONSIVE TO INPUT SIGNALS OF A GIVEN CHARACTER FOR TILTING THE ROTOR BLADE TIP PATH PLANE RELATIVE TO SAID CENTRAL AXIS TO CAUSE SAID BODY TO TRANSVERSE A GLIDE PATH WHEREIN SAID BODY MOVES GENERALLY TRANSVERSE TO SAID CENTRAL AXIS, CONTROL MEANS IN SAID BODY FOR GENERATING INPUT SIGNALS FOR SAID AT LEAST ONE ACTUATOR TO CONTROL SAID TILTING OF SAID ROTOR BLADE TIP PATH PLANE, AND MEANS INCLUDING AN ACTUATOR RESPONSIVE TO A GIVEN SIGNAL TO COLLECTIVELY INCREASE THE PITCHES OF SAID BLADES TO THE SAME EXTENTS AFTER THE LATTER ARE DEPLOYED AND AFTER AUTOROTATION HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED TO CONVERT THE ROTARY INERTIA OF SAID BLADES INTO AN INCREASED LIFTING FORCE.