Did You Know...
...that the Slinky toy was the result of a failed attempt by engineer Richard James to produce an antivibration device for ship instruments? His goal was to develop a spring that would instantaneously counterbalance the wave motion that rocks a ship at sea. Instead, he developed the Slinky.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7426974 | Air bearing base and workstation In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a workstation or other heavy object which is easily moved, yet steady and stable when parked. Underneath this object is attached a multiple air-bearing device having a backplate, a membrane which is selecti... | 09/23/2008 |
| 7228594 | Fluid levitating caster integrating load lifting device A fluid levitating caster lifts a heavy load “(17)” off a floor “(18)” with near friction-less-ness for transport has integrated a load lifting device. This extra rise height “(ER)” lifting feature accommodates moving loads “(17)... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7146660 | Patient support pad with repositionable pressure source An apparatus for supporting a patient includes a pad having a first side, a second side, and a fluid chamber configured to receive fluid under pressure. The apparatus also has a pressure source operable to deliver pressurized fluid to the fluid chamber and a pouch c... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7140827 | Transporting apparatus It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for transporting a transported object in a transporting direction as the transported object is supported by air, the apparatus having a plurality of transporting units. A specific transporting unit of the plur... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7040572 | Lighter-than-air aircraft with air cushion landing gear means A lighter-than-air aircraft (1) having a gas-filled hull (2) and a pair of spaced apart landing gear units (11, 12) on the underside of the hull arranged on opposite sides of a longitudinally extending central vertical plane of the hull. Each la... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7032261 | Patient transfer apparatus A transfer device is provided for transferring a patient from a first support surface to an adjacent second support surface. The device includes a plurality of elongated side-by-side first bladders arranged to be placed under the patient on the first support surface... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6619220 | Hybrid SES/hovercraft with retractable skirt system A hybrid craft can operate as a high speed SES in open water and deploy a retracted flexible skirt to operate as a hovercraft across beaches and overland. A downwardly extending boundary structure on a hull periphery reaches through the surface of water. ... | 09/16/2003 |
| 5967666 | Air bearing assembly An air bearing assembly transports loads across a smooth and flat surface when pressurized with air. The air bearing assembly includes a frame and an air bearing. The frame has a flat side for supporting a load and has an inner ring extending from its oth... | 10/19/1999 |
| 5941331 | Air cushion vehicle control system Control of air cushion vehicles is obtained by controlling the translation of the vehicle independently from control of the rotation (yaw). Lateral translation of the vehicle is controlled by creating side-directed thrusts the direction of which passes th... | 08/24/1999 |
| 5544903 | Air bag toy A flexible, low friction, rideable sliding toy is disclosed that slides over relatively smooth, firm surfaces with very low friction. The toy is comprised of a bag of flexible, air impermeable material having one or more relatively large holes cut out of ... | 08/13/1996 |
| 5320369 | Air bag toy A flexible, low friction, rideable sliding toy is disclosed that slides over relatively smooth, firm surfaces with very low friction. The toy is comprised of a bag of flexible, air impermeable material having one or more relatively large holes cut out of ... | 06/14/1994 |
| 5087280 | Floating mold changer carriage A floating mold changer carriage is movable between a shaping device for shaping a sheet of glass with at least one mold and a mold storage area spaced from the shaping device, for replacing the mold with a new mold. The carriage includes a main frame hav... | 02/11/1992 |
| 4951770 | Structure to form a load-bearing air cushion for a vehicle In an air cushion load transport vehicle, an annular sealing assembly comprising an annular inflatable hanger on the underside of a load-bearing base and an annular sealing means on the underside of the hanger confines a load-supporting air cushion that i... | 08/28/1990 |
| 4834011 | Air cushion vehicle stern seal There is disclosed an improved stern seal construction for air cushion surted operating type marine vessels which consists of an array of inflatable, vertically oriented inverted truncated open-ended cones or fingers. These fingers are individually attac... | 05/30/1989 |
| 4815926 | Air pallet and materials moving system A ground effects device of the type that introduces pressurized air into a plenum chamber, that then travels through a perforated flexible sheet to form an air cushion, the improvement therein that no air dispersion means are present in the plenum chamber... | 03/28/1989 |
| 4789039 | Air-cushion element for air-cushion transport equipment In the present publication, an air-cushion element (1 to 5) for air-cushion transport equipment is described. The element comprises a disc-shaped frame (1), a ring-shaped rubber bellows (2) arranged air-tight underneath and frame (1), a membrane (4) with ... | 12/06/1988 |
| 4647253 | Cable turntable assembly A large capacity, cable turntable assembly is provided for use in connection with laying along lengths of underwater cable. A turntable is provided which has a planar, toroidal floor bounded by an upright, interior wall surrounding the axis of rotation an... | 03/03/1987 |
| 4567957 | Air pallet with endless belt interface An endless belt operatively mounted beneath a load carrying backing member has a lower run moving across a generally planar fixed support surface, in frictional contact therewith. The belt may comprise a woven belt with reinforcing threads. A plenum chamb... | 02/04/1986 |
| 4470578 | Load transfer device The invention concerns a load transfer device with a platform which is insertable below and movable with a load and equipped with a number of at least in one row below the platform arranged lifting means for elevating and lowering of the platform. For ena... | 09/11/1984 |
| 4453612 | Hydrostatic support structure and liquid-cushion load-carrying apparatus incorporating the same A hydrostatic support structure wherein, to move a surface with a load disposed thereupon with respect to a bearing surface, a liquid cushion is provided due to a feeding of a liquid into an inner space defined by the bearing surface and a housing having ... | 06/12/1984 |
| 4441571 | Fluid bearing A fluid bearing with a multicomponent membrane which is inflated to form a torus defining a plenum chamber. The preferred three layer membrane has a fluid impermeable inner layer, a middle layer of a dimensionally stable fabric, and an abrasion resistant ... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4417639 | Dynamic gas pressured jacking structure with improved load stability and air pallet employing same A pair of relatively rigid planar members overlying each other are coupled about their edges by a flexible film band to form a jacking plenum chamber. The upper planar member functions as the load support, bearing a gas inlet hole adjacent one edge whose ... | 11/29/1983 |
| 4383664 | Vibration suppressing trunk fingers for air cushion devices In an aircraft air cushion takeoff and landing system with a flexible trunk section in the form of a large expandable tube, having multiple air exhaust holes in the bottom thereof, encircling the bottom of the fuselage, a group of flexible finger-like pro... | 05/17/1983 |
| 4313513 | Self regulating air bearing A fluid bearing having improved operating characteristics. The platform to which the bearing is attached and which supports any load includes the necessary conduits for supply of fluid under pressure as well as the necessary structural integrity to suppor... | 02/02/1982 |
| 4312484 | Inflatable flow control A flow control is provided between an inflatable and a smaller inflatable log which positions the inflatable with respect to the craft to which it is affixed. The flow control permits the inflation of the positioning log through the inflatable but restric... | 01/26/1982 |
| 4175636 | Heavy lift air cushion amphibious vehicle An air cushion vehicle operable over land, water and ice separately and in any combination, wherein there is a hull of "lighter" configuration adapted to be collapsed for highway transport and to be expanded for use with a prime mover fan both for lift an... | 11/27/1979 |
| 4077489 | Dynamic fluid system for improving stability of a fluid cushion vehicle An annular sealing member extends to ground level to minimize loss of fluid from a lifting cushion. This member includes an inflatable seal hanger envelope mounted on the underside of a fluid cushion vehicle. The inflatable hanger envelope is inflated fro... | 03/07/1978 |
| 4046216 | Segment for segmented skirt of a gas cushion vehicle The invention relates to a segment for forming part of a segmented flexible skirt for use on craft, vehicles or devices which can be supported on a cushion of pressurized fluid, comprising a sheet of flexible material folded into a substantially U-shape i... | 09/06/1977 |
| 4019698 | Air cushion undercarriage brake system An improved ground-run/skid-braking and/or maneuvering control system for an aircraft or ground effect machine having an air cushion type undercarriage of the type comprising an elastically retractable inflatable trunk or other air inflatable air cushion ... | 04/26/1977 |
| 3981462 | Air-cushion landing gear for aircraft The invention relates to aircraft and more particularly an air-cushion landing gear comprising a system of landing gear units suspended from an aircraft, with at least two of the units being spaced transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the... | 09/21/1976 |
| 3954153 | System of suspension and/or guidance for ground effect machine The invention has to do with a system designed to support and/or guide a ground effect machine (1) along a supporting surface (2). This system consists of structure (4) carrying a load (F), a floating partition (5) holding the cushion (9) and a flexible partit... | 05/04/1976 |
| 3948344 | Low cost planar air pallet material handling system A planar air pallet supports a load for frictionless transport relative to an underlying fixed support surface. A single sheet of flexible plastic film may underlie a stack of cartons forming the load with the edges sheet heat shrunk about the stack of ca... | 04/06/1976 |
