Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8051793 | Retractable hydrofoil for marine vehicles A marine vehicle with at least one hydrofoil at the lower hull of such marine vehicle, and at least one drive element for retracting a pair of hydrofoils mounted side-by-side on both sides of the symmetry axis of the hull of the marine vehicle. When hydrofoils are i... | 11/08/2011 |
| 7987804 | Boat propulsion engine A boat propulsion engine (1) comprises a main body (4) that extends substantially vertically in relation to a hull (Si), a lift generator (20) disposed in a rear portion of the main body (4), and supporting bodies (24) that support... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7984684 | Marine hulls and drives The disclosure relates to marine craft which are capable of operating in the hydrofoil mode, many with extensible and retractable hydrofoil posts. Specific embodiments of large commercial hydrofoil craft are described, including those with structure which is the wat... | 07/26/2011 |
| 7980191 | Extruded strut, fuselage and front wing assembly for towable hydrofoil A towable water sports device having a hydrofoil assembly including a strut, fuselage and front and rear blades carried by the fuselage wherein said parts are extruded aluminum or aluminum alloy. ... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7926437 | Water sports equipment This invention relates to water sports equipment (10) for supporting a standing rider whilst the rider and the equipment are towed through the water, the equipment comprising: an elongate board (14) having an upper surface (16) carrying first ( | 04/19/2011 |
| 7913635 | Surface skimming watercraft A water craft including a hull having a main longitudinal axis defining a direction of travel of the craft, a plurality of discs mounted at respective opposed sides of the main longitudinal axis to and below the hull and in combination having sufficient buoyancy to ... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7908989 | Multi hull water craft The present invention relates to a water craft (10) having two spaced hulls (18, 20) and a tunnel (22) defined therebetween. The water craft (10) is provided with a hydrofoil section (38) extending between the hulls (18, 20)... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7819074 | Self-propelled hydrofoil device with flexible steering assembly A self-propelled hydrofoil device that includes a front foil, a rear foil, a user platform, a steering shaft and a frame that couples these components. The steering shaft preferably has a top section and a lower section, the top section being substantially rigid and... | 10/26/2010 |
| 7802534 | Self propelled hydrofoil device with leverage-based control of drive foil A self-propelled hydrofoil device having front and rear foils, a support structure and a steering mechanism. The hydrofoil device is preferably configured such that a user can change the angle of attack of the drive foil and/or the height of the hydrofoil device in ... | 09/28/2010 |
| 7703408 | High speed hydro-ski structure A ski structure for use with a boat hull to support the hull above the water when the boat is underway, the ski structure comprising an air tight housing in the form of an inverted U-shaped shell and a floor which forms a main ski surface and which extends between o... | 04/27/2010 |
| 7617793 | Vessel provided with a foil situated below the waterline Vessel having a non-planing hull provided with an attached foil which is below the surface of the water and spaced from the hull. The foil is attached in proximity to the aft end of the vessel, and is oriented with a downward tilt relative to the horizontal to provi... | 11/17/2009 |
| 7520238 | Boat stabilizer A vessel hull stabilization system is presented that uses hydrofoils mounted on the vessel. The hydrofoils create a counteracting force to the waves that would otherwise cause the vessel to roll and pitch. The hydrofoil is connected to the vessel in both passive and... | 04/21/2009 |
| 7434530 | Collapsible self propelled hydrofoil device A collapsible or compactable hydrofoil device having front and rear foils, a support structure and a steering mechanism that may be collapsed into a compact size for transport and storage. The steering mechanism includes several releasably coupled components that ar... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7363872 | Method and apparatus for use in assembly of hydrofoil skeg A method for preparing and assembling parts of a skin for a curved structure, and apparatus for use in connection therewith. A gantry may be used to carry cutting torches and welder heads along predetermined paths to cut skin plates accurately into skin parts and to... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7338011 | Method making it possible to prevent vibration of a rudder of an aircraft and aircraft using this method A method for preventing vibration of a rudder of an aircraft may have, on a lateral aerodynamic surface of the aircraft's rudder, a protruding aerodynamic element capable of generating an aerodynamic effect tending to rotate the rudder about its articulation axis. A... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7328669 | Buoyancy-based, underwater propulsion system and method An apparatus for underwater propulsion. The apparatus may include a hydrofoil, a buoyancy compensator connected to the hydrofoil, a tank containing air, and a controller regulating the passage of air from the tank into the buoyancy compensator. The controller may al... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7316193 | Vessel for water travel A vessel for water travel that has the stability of a heavy weighted vessel when at rest in the water and the performance of a lightweight vessel when in a planed condition. The vessel comprises at least one hull structure for partially submerged flotation in a body... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7291936 | Submersible electrical power generating plant A self-supporting, submersible generating plant for producing electricity from ocean currents, consisting of two counter-rotating, rear-facing turbines with a plurality of rotor blades extending radially outward from two separate horizontal axis that convey the kine... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7287480 | Nautical transport vehicle having enhanced stability A nautical transport vehicle includes at least one floating member, at least one longitudinal fin pivotally mounted on the floating member, and at least one corresponding plate mounted on the floating member and parallel with the longitudinal fin. Thus, the nautical... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7270584 | Inboard/outboard motor protector with underwater hydrofoil Disclosed is a device that protects inboard/outboard motors (up to 250 horsepower) from damage and simultaneously provides an underwater hydrofoil that both helps prevent inboard/outboard motor damage and is specifically designed to improve the efficiency of an outb... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7270214 | Method and apparatus for reducing and extracting wing-tip vortex energy The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for reducing wing-tip vortex energy during seismic exploration. The apparatus includes a vortex concentrator of deployed proximate a tip of a hydrofoil and a vortex reducing device deployed proximate the vorte... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7243607 | Wind driven sailing craft A wind driven sailing craft is disclosed with a hydrofoil element which provides variable lift to the stern of the craft to maintain a level trim when the craft is operated under power propulsion. The hydrofoil element includes a hydrofoil wing which rotates on a tr... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7244157 | High-lift, low drag fin for surfboard and other watercraft This invention discloses a fin, for use on a surfboard and other watercraft, of a low-drag, high-lift, high-aspect-ratio, low-sweepback-angle planform of symmetrical foil section, with a fit root section that has a forwardly projecting leading edge and cutaway at th... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7232355 | Flying ski The present flying ski is designed to be towed behind a conventional powered watercraft with the rider in a seated position. The flying ski comprises an elongate board and a seat that extends generally perpendicular to and upward from the board to support the seated... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7225752 | Power boat with improved hull A power boat having an improved hull including concave aft sections, and which hull is capable of operations at a wide range of speeds with low relative horsepower for vessel weight and improved fuel economy is disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the boat is a 3... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7207854 | Connection system for two or more marine propulsion devices A tie bar arrangement uses a rod end cartridge assembly that provides relative rotatability between an associated rod end and a coupler tube. The provision of a connecting link and steering arm adapter associated with the rod end cartridge assembly also provides rel... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7204196 | Powered boat hull A hydrofoil craft, particularly a method of economically modifying a conventional hull with cambered foils to obtain and calculate increased lift from dense spray and to achieve enhanced craft performance is disclosed. The present invention improves speed, fuel effi... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7201620 | Operation control system for planing boat An operation control system for a planing boat can include a mode selection module configured to allow a driver to select a driving mode of either one of a normal operation mode, in which the boat cruises at a speed in response to the displacement of an acceleration... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7198000 | Shock limited hydrofoil system A hydrofoil craft includes a hull having a longitudinal axis, a pylon secured to and extending beneath the hull and a lifting foil secured to the pylon. The lifting foil has an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper surface of the lifting foil is substantially... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7192323 | Stabilizer device A low profile stabiliser device for attaching to the under surface of a watercraft, typically a surfboard or a boat, including in combination a plurality of stubby keel members joined by one or more transverse members spaced from the bottom surface of the watercraft... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7191725 | Bow lifting body A watercraft having a hull, a fore and aft longitudinal axis and a bow includes a three dimensional low drag submerged lifting body secured to the bow below the design waterline of the hull. ... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7189064 | Friction stir welded hollow airfoils and method therefor A hollow component for gas turbine engine, for example an outlet guide vane, is assembled from a body having at recessed pocket formed therein, and an aerodynamic cover bonded over the pocket. Both the cover and the body are constructed from materials which are not ... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7185599 | Jet drive propulsion system for a pontoon boat A pontoon boat is provided with a jet drive propulsion system in which an impeller is driven by an engine. The jet drive propulsion device is dirigible as a result of the fact that a nozzle of the device is rotatable about a generally vertical steering axis. The jet... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7182036 | Shock limited hydrofoil system A shock mitigation system for a hydrofoil marine craft is provided, the shock mitigation system includes a pair of stacked lifting bodies, where an upper lifting body is used to provide initial lift for the craft. To mitigate the wave effects on the craft when opera... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7182033 | Self-contained marine propulsion system for a pontoon boat A self-contained marine propulsion device is disposed within a container, or pod, that is removably attachable to an undersurface of a deck of a pontoon boat. An engine is contained within the container and connected in torque transmitting relation with the marine p... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7174843 | Hydrofoil unit for attaching to the stern of the hull of a boat A hydrofoil unit for attaching to the stern of the hull of a boat. The unit includes a mount that mounts to the stern of the hull of the boat, a hydrofoil that is pivotally attached to the mount, a pivot assembly that pivotally attaches the hydrofoil to the mount, a... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7144285 | Hydrofoil surfing board A wave riding surfing board with a pair of transversely oriented hydrofoils, each attached to respective front and rear struts, for supporting a surfer in a prone or kneeling position. In operation, the front canard hydrofoil is arranged for piercing the surface of ... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7104209 | Hybridhull boat system A hull is formed of a forward section, a rearward section and intermediate sections there between. The forward section is in a generally triangular configuration. The forward section has a forward-most point. The forward section has rearwardly extending sides. The r... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7104497 | Method of synchronizing fin fold-out on a fin-stabilized artillery shell, and an artillery shell designed in accordance therewith This disclosure relates to a method of limiting the yawing motion on the trajectory of an artillery shell during the firing phase using a sliding driving band and completely folded-in guide fins. The shell is converted as soon as possible outside the mouth of the ba... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7101235 | Air-boat sound suppressor and directional control system The instant invention relates to a sound suppressor and directional control system for use with a boat hull propelled by a rearward directed jet of air, e.g. an air-boat. The device includes a propeller shroud and a aft fairing each having a layer of acoustic materi... | 09/05/2006 |
