Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7967234 | Method for automatic slip clutch tension on a reel The method of preventing over tension to an umbilical wrapped on the spool of an offshore reel when the umbilical is being normally deployed or retrieved or when the umbilical is unexpectedly pulled from the spool on the reel, comprising providing a main disk, mount... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7360732 | Fishing apparatus A fishing apparatus that allows an individual to catch fish, while at the same, not be encumbered with a traditional fishing rod and reel. The fishing apparatus includes a reel that has an indentation where a length of fishing line or monofilament is wound around. T... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7316368 | Direct current powered hose rewinding apparatus The present invention relates to portable hose carts for handling and storage of flexible hoses, such as garden or air hoses. The cart is primarily constructed of plastic components having a centrally rotatable spool for winding of the flexible hose, an enclosure fo... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7317446 | Method for entering data into a computer using a peripheral input device having a retractable cord The invention, in one embodiment, is a method for entering data into a computer. The method includes anchoring an electrical cord connecting a peripheral input device to the computer, positioning the peripheral input device, and retracting slack in the electrical co... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7290731 | Kite line reel with first and second cammed brake feature A kite reel has a spool rotatable on a shaft to reel in or out kite line attached to a flying kite. A brake disk coaxial with the spool on the same shaft is moved translationally to and from the spool to block or unblock the spool rotation on a central brake disk ca... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7178754 | Balloon anchor The present invention provides a balloon anchor including a spool having opposing sides, a pair of flanges, one flange extending from each opposing side of the spool, at least one of the flanges having a cutout section, the cutout section having a first side and a s... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7121222 | Anchor assembly and method An anchor assembly and method includes a boat that has a length less than 15 feet. A catch is attached to the boat. A housing has a first side wall, a second side wall and a peripheral wall extending there between. A spool is rotatably mounted in the housing. A rota... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7044415 | Fish tape winder insert A winder insert for a fish tape reel fits into a center opening of the fish tape reel and engages an inner periphery of the reel. The insert has an attachment member, which can be a multi-sided socket for example, that is engaged by a removable handle or lever membe... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7040257 | Retractable leash device A retractable leash device is comprised of a housing with a handle, and a leash wound around an internal reel. The reel is biased by a spring to automatically retract the leash. A momentary unidirectional lock in the housing is arranged to be normally disengaged fro... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7036601 | Apparatus and method for transporting, deploying, and retrieving arrays having nodes interconnected by sections of cable An apparatus and method for transporting, deploring, and retrieving an array is disclosed. The array has a plurality of nodes interconnected by sections of cable and can be transported, deployed, and retrieved with the apparatus and method of the present invention. ... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7011089 | Sub-aqua breathing system A sub-aqua breathing system which enables a person operating underwater to breathe air from a compressed air tank supported on the water surface. The system includes a housing containing both a buoyant material and a toroidal compressed air tank connected to an air ... | 03/14/2006 |
| 7007884 | Roll paper feed device for printing machine 1. Roll paper feed device (1) for a printing machine (2), comprising a cradle (3) provided with side cheeks (4), means (5, 7) at the bottom of the cradle for supporting a freely rotating paper roll (6) whenever the free end ... | 03/07/2006 |
| 6913178 | Tape dispenser for installation of multi-roll A tape dispenser for two or more tape rolls installed therein includes a housing having a first casing and a second casing coupled with each other in which a chamber is formed and a roll mount is provided in the chamber, wherein the housing has an outlet and a cutte... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6793038 | Method and apparatus for rescuing occupants from high structures using replaceable cable cartridges and dynamic resistance device A rescue method and apparatus for rescuing or evacuating occupants from high rise buildings or other high structures includes a frame adjacent an escape portion of the high structure; a dynamic resistance device such as an air fan mounted to the frame; and a removab... | 09/21/2004 |
| 6550576 | Method and apparatus for rescuing occupants from high rise building using replaceable cable cartridges and dynamic resistance device A rescue method and apparatus for rescuing occupants from high rise buildings includes a frame adjacent an escape portion of the building; a dynamic resistance device mounted to the frame; and a removable and replaceable cable cartridge, having a pre-roll... | 04/22/2003 |
| 6474588 | Motorized retractable ski tow rope A water ski tow rope retrieval and payout system is disclosed. The system includes a reel having a quantity of tow rope wound therearound. The reel is powered by an electric motor through a drive shaft which is also coupled to an electrically controlled b... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6336607 | Kite line reeler and controller An apparatus for controlling a plurality of lines to a light weight flying device such as a kite or model airplane stores, winds up, and releases the lines on individual, separable spools. The spools are held in a recess in a housing. Each line leads from... | 01/08/2002 |
| 6290161 | Braking mechanism of winder A winder comprises a base, a wire wheel, and a braking mechanism. The base has a face plate which is provided with a main shaft and at least one arcuate hole. The wire wheel is rotatably mounted on the main shaft. The braking mechanism comprises a one-way... | 09/18/2001 |
| 6199786 | Wire reel assembly and wire reel therefor A wire reel assembly comprises a reel, a reel support and a reel securing assembly. The reel includes a central body and removable sides. The central body is removably mounted to an arm of the reel support thereby allowing one of the removable sides to be... | 03/13/2001 |
| 6182916 | Measuring tape dispenser with an impact buffer housing and tentative tape halting means A measuring tape dispenser with an impact buffer housing and tentative tape halting device, in which the housing is at least or partially covered with an impact buffer layer formed of an elastic material so as to protect the housing from being deformed or... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6068210 | Spooling device, especially for the spooling of load straps A spooling device for load straps comprising a spool, which at one end portion is freely rotatably supported and is formed as a projection and has a centrally passing axial bore for receiving an axle, at the end opposite the free outer end of the spool, t... | 05/30/2000 |
| 6024318 | Ice fishing apparatus A ice fishing apparatus which is foldable into a compact storage position. The inventive device includes a U-shaped member, a pair of side legs pivotally attached to opposite sides of the U-shaped member, a rear leg pivotally attached to the rear portion ... | 02/15/2000 |
| 6016986 | Apparatus for stringing and retrieving fencing An electric wire fence stringing and retrieval apparatus uses a carriage which can be pulled behind a vehicle and which supports a spool on which electrical fence wire is stored. The spool has an associated brake which allows wire to be played out as the ... | 01/25/2000 |
| 6015110 | Wire receiving device A wire receiving device includes a base member having a wire entrance and an aperture, a C-shaped member, a wire receiving member rotatably received in the C-shaped member and the base member, a cap co-rotatably connected to the wire receiving member and ... | 01/18/2000 |
| 5992580 | Reversible braking mechanism A reversible braking mechanism is described, wherein a female member (5) receives a male member (3). One member (3, 5) carries a pair of bushes (19, 31) and the other member (3, 5) carries a pair of uni-directional roller bearings (21, 39) which engage th... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5938140 | Multi-purpose dive reel The instant invention is an improved multi-purpose dive reel which automates underwater line-handling. The improved multi-purpose dive reel includes an anti-fouling line control system that includes a flexible line wiper and line exit guide. The reel is m... | 08/17/1999 |
| 5921529 | High line pull winch assembly A hydraulic winch which is capable of generating significant amounts of torque and providing very high line pull even after a significant amount of cable is wrapped onto its spool. The winch spool is also capable of carrying a large amount of thick cable.... | 07/13/1999 |
| 5794883 | Unitary bulk fishline and carrier and line measuring device A device for supplying fishing line to a fish reeling device from a spool of bulk fishing line and measuring the length of line pulled from the spool by the reeling device. The bulk spool is supported for rotation about a horizontal axis at one end of a T... | 08/18/1998 |
| 5615844 | Construction and sport line reel The present invention relates generally to construction line reels used in building construction for layout of true lines between two points and relates in particular to a construction line reel which accommodates more than one gauge of line, which permit... | 04/01/1997 |
| 5551645 | Fishing rod reel respooling device A fishing rod reel respooling device is disclosed having a hand crank for taking up line from a fishing rod reel and tensioning devices for controlling the paying out of line from the spool. A horizontally adjustable base plate has a pair of arms having p... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5533711 | Apparatus and method for pulling cable A primary device placed at the upstream end of a duct and a relay device placed at an access point pull a cable through respective duct segments. The pulling speed of the primary device is controlled by an operator. The pulling speed of the relay device i... | 07/09/1996 |
| 5386643 | Digital display tape measure This invention discloses a digital display tape measure having an accuracy of about 0.01 mm. The digital display tape measure includes a metal tape having a series of uniformly sized and spaced holes positioned along a common center line of the tape. As t... | 02/07/1995 |
| 5367784 | Roll tape measure The invention relates to a roll tape measure, consisting of a housing upper part and housing lower part, a perforation in the housing upper part for a release button, a spring drum with tension spring placed in the housing, whose end is connected with the... | 11/29/1994 |
| 5238200 | Power driven winding device with spool axially movable to engage a clutch A rope winding device having a spool rotatably coupled to the device for receiving the rope, a drive motor attached to the device for rotating the spool to wind the rope on the spool and a solenoid coupled between the device and the spool for selectively ... | 08/24/1993 |
| 5014997 | Brake-control system for accelerating freely falling objects to a moving craft's speed In a moving craft connected by a towline to an ejected and freely falling object, a brake control system determines when to engage a brake that accelerates the object to the moving craft's speed by retarding the deployment of the towline without exceeding... | 05/14/1991 |
| 4932602 | Downrigger apparatus for trolling The apparatus spools a line carrying a weight for positioning a fishing lure at a desired depth in water for trolling. The apparatus has a motor which rotates a spool carrying the line supporting the weight. A brake automatically brakes the spool when the... | 06/12/1990 |
| 4773612 | Wading tagline reel A lightweight plastic reel for retaining and dispensing tagline used in the measurement of small wadable streams and rivers is disclosed which comprises an outer plastic casing, a hollow plastic handle connected to the casing capable of receiving a suppor... | 09/27/1988 |
| 4756486 | Scuba diving reel A scuba diving reel comprising a hand held frame rotatably mounting a line receiving spool on which a length of line is wound. A coupling member is provided on the terminal end of the line for attaching the line to an object such as a buoy so that when th... | 07/12/1988 |
| 4688740 | Hand held reel A hand reel for fishing line is formed by an outer annular member rotatable about an inner annular member, both the inner and outer members are made of two annular halves, an outer peripheral surface of the outer annular member is of a generally U-shaped ... | 08/25/1987 |
| 4673143 | Hand-held fishing reel A hand-held fishing reel having a line spool rotatably mounted on a frame and a handle extending from the frame outward from the spool's rotational axis to enable the user to hold the handle in one hand above the frame and behind the spool's rotational ax... | 06/16/1987 |
