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 |
| 7341222 | Micro-unmanned aerodynamic vehicle A MEMS-based micro-unmanned vehicle includes at least a pair of wings having leading wing beams and trailing wing beams, at least two actuators, a leading actuator beam coupled to the leading wing beams, a trailing actuator beam coupled to the trailing wing beams, a... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7272906 | Bird decoy A bird decoy is disclosed comprising a body having an upper body member, a lower body member and a pair of wings. The wing members are releasably coupled to the decoy using a flexible mounting assembly that allows the wings to move independently with, and in respons... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7255305 | Flying device utilizing natural principles An efficient flying device having flapping wings, an ornithopter, which uses many of the principles seen in bird flight, is presented herein. The wings are highly flexible, translationally stable and oscillate as a natural pendulum. Described as a springboard, the w... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7219855 | Rising and moving apparatus and manufacturing method thereof A fluid-structure interactive analysis is performed while n types of wing structure models are caused to flap in accordance with a prescribed model of flapping manner. Based on an analysis, data 1, data 2, . . . data n of physical values related to flu... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7204455 | Motion assisting apparatus A drive assembly for use with a mechanical flying or walking device comprises an articulated member (7) having first and second portions (7a, 7b) arranged such that the portions move relative to each other, and a drive mechanism ( | 04/17/2007 |
| 7195199 | Flapping apparatus A flapping apparatus includes a first disk rotated by a driving source, and a second disk that rotates in contact with a main surface of the first disk. The second disk is provided with first and second stoppers that limit its angle of rotation. When the stopper is ... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7172487 | Rigid helium balloons The rigid helium balloon has a helium compartment and a separate, channel portion. Helium gas is filled into the helium compartment through a valve in the balloon. Fiberglass rod members are inserted into the channel portion to help retain the desired shape of the b... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7036769 | Microstructures using carbon fiber composite honeycomb beams A drive assembly for a wing of a micromechanical flying insect. The drive assembly comprises a honey comb structure. A method for flying a micromechanical flying insect comprising moving a wing with a drive assembly having a stiffness to weight ratio greater than ab... | 05/02/2006 |
| 6938853 | Biomimetic mechanism for micro aircraft A biomimetic pitching and flapping mechanism including a support member, at least two blade joints for holding blades and operatively connected to the support member. An outer shaft member is concentric with the support member, and an inner shaft member is concentri... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6926230 | Flapping apparatus A flapping apparatus includes a first disk rotated by a driving source, and a second disk that rotates in contact with a main surface of the first disk. The second disk is provided with first and second stoppers that limit its angle of rotation. When the stopper is ... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6769949 | Power-driven ornithopter An ornithopter with an airframe structure that is lightweight, simple and stable and can generate sufficient lift and thrust. The ornithopter comprises a body, a main wing attached to an upper portion of a front section of the body, and a tail wing attached to a rea... | 08/03/2004 |
| 6644589 | Compressed air engine and flying object equipped therewith A compressed air engine and a flying object using the engine are disclosed. The flying object includes the following elements. That is, the compressed air engine includes: a top member 11 provided with an air inlet 16; an upper cylinder 12; a lower cylind... | 11/11/2003 |
| 6632119 | Winding device and ornithopter utilizing same The present invention relates to a winding device and a flying toy ornithopter device which employs the winding device. The flying toy ornithopter comprises a hollow body which simulates the appearance of a bird, insect or flying machine. A pair of wings ... | 10/14/2003 |
| 6599160 | Novelties having spring supported appendages A novelty item having extending appendages which are supported by springs so as to impart life-like movement thereto.... | 07/29/2003 |
| 6572428 | Novelties having spring supported appendages A novelty item having extending appendages which are supported by springs so as to impart life-like movement thereto.... | 06/03/2003 |
| 6550716 | Power-driven ornithopter piloted by remote controller A power-driven ornithopter piloted by a remote controller wherein a takeoff and landing motion, a climbing and descending motion, and a turning motion of the ornithopter can be controlled using the remote controller. The ornithopter comprises a body, a ma... | 04/22/2003 |
| 6544092 | Toy ornithopter aircraft The fuselage or airframe is a solid, characterised as two-dimensional, plastic moulding. The flapping wings pivot at the inner ends both to a pin on the airframe. Connecting-rods go from the crankshaft to intermediate points on the wings. The various pivo... | 04/08/2003 |
| 6540177 | Flying object by flapping motion of wings equipped with compressed air engine The present invention to a flying object by flapping motion of two pair of wings, which comprises a compressed air engine, a flying body (or compressed air container) assembled with the compressed air engine and in which compressed air is contained, two p... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6530541 | Compressed air engine and flying object equipped therewith A compressed air engine and a flying object using the engine are disclosed. The flying object includes the following elements. That is, the compressed air engine includes: a top member 11 provided with an air inlet 16; an upper cylinder 12; a lower cylind... | 03/11/2003 |
| 5993286 | Walking insect and method of assembling the same A walking insect that comprises a torso having a set of legs and wings attached thereto. Disposed within the torso is a battery and a rotating electric motor operative to vibrate the torso. The electric motor is attached to a counterbalance and tail cone ... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5194029 | Floatable structure propelling mechanism A floatable structure propelling mechanism is combined with a floatable structure filled with helium gas to propel the floatable structure for flying in the air. The floatable structure propelling mechanism comprises a pair of lateral fins supported for s... | 03/16/1993 |
| 5176559 | Toy glider A toy glider is shown having a unitary wing formed of closed cell resin material disposed in a slot formed in a fuselage in which a weight is located to place the center of gravity of the glider at a point which, along with selected flexibility of the win... | 01/05/1993 |
| 5163861 | Wing-operated flying toy, and a process for automatically locking the wings, at the end of a flight Process and apparatus providing the automatic locking of the wings of a wing-operated flying toy, wherein a locking device associated with the operating mechanism is applied, under the effect of elastic pressure, against a notch or slot of the circular di... | 11/17/1992 |
| 5100357 | Toy aircraft and method of flight control thereof A toy airplane is launched; and an air flow deflecting surface is located in spaced relation to a V-shaped, swept-back wing of the airplane to deflect air flow generally upwardly toward the flight path of the airplane to aid in sustaining or balancing its... | 03/31/1992 |
| 4752271 | Rubber band powered toy balloon A novel rubber band powered balloon is presented. No spine, frame, or other support member is used to resist the tension of the rubber band. Instead, the balloon, formed from a substantially non-elastomeric material, is sufficiently rigid when inflated su... | 06/21/1988 |
| 4729748 | Flying toy A flying toy which can move through the air by flapping its wings which consists of a body having at least one opening, at least one flexible wing connected to the body which can flap to move the flying toy through the air, and an elastic band for storing... | 03/08/1988 |
| 4195438 | Ornithopter construction An ornithopter having a pair of flexible fabric wings which are flapped in unison by an elastic motor-operated crank assembly to support the ornithopter during flight. A flexible generally U-shaped member is mounted on the front end of a longitudinal rigi... | 04/01/1980 |
| 4184654 | Rotor aircraft An aircraft useful as a toy or as a personal craft which includes a plurality of blades freely rotatably mounted on a spherical body supported by landing means. The blades are hinged onto arms to swing up and down for upward flight or downward landing. Fu... | 01/22/1980 |
| 4155195 | Toy airplane A toy airplane which is to be constructed of two pairs of overlapping wings which are to flap relative to each other. Each pair of wings is to move in synchronism with respect to the fuselage. The flapping motion of each wing is driven by a crank arm whic... | 05/22/1979 |
