Celebrity Inventors
Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) received Patent No. 121,992 for "An Improvement in Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments." He later received two more patents: one for a self-pasting scrapbook and one for a game to help players remember important historical dates.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7467783 | Tensioning apparatus and method A system and method for tensioning a cable. A thimble is placed over an eccentric member having a splined bore. A portion of an endless cable is placed over the thimble. The eccentric member and thimble are placed between a pair of parallel, spaced apart arms of a m... | 12/23/2008 |
| 7445195 | Pulley A pulley includes a tensioning device and a ratchet device disposed in the tensioning device. The tensioning device includes a first shell, a second shell installed to the first shell, and a first compartment defined in a side thereof. The tensioning device further ... | 11/04/2008 |
| 7437782 | Load sensing safety device for vertical lift A load sensing safety device comprises a pulley shaft carrying a pulley. The pulley, in turn, carries a belt that effectuates movement of the patient lift boom. A biasing element applies a spring force against the pulley shaft to move the pulley shaft in a first dir... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7419138 | Self-camming pulley A pulley is provided having a first plate and a second plate arranged adjacent to the first plate and connected to the first plate by an axle. An eccentrically mounted sheave is located between the first plate and the second plate and is adapted to freewheel in one ... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7380771 | Protective lifting system for outdoor use A protective lifting system includes first and second mounting hooks each having, respectively, a line and pulley connection eyelet ring mounted thereon and a mounting bar connection eyelet ring mounted thereon which extends generally perpendicular to the shank sect... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7287303 | Easy-type unidirectional locking device An easy-type unidirectional locking device is primarily composed of a base and a lid, and is interiorly provided with a roller and an axle base which is provided at two sides with respective barriers, being controlled by a control knob installed outside of the lid. ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7234686 | Fail-safe cleat with automatic in-line locking cam and quick-release slot A failsafe device for raising/lowering articles includes a frame and a fastener for attaching the frame to a ceiling or wall to elevated an article above the floor. A pulley or sheave is mounted on the frame about a substantially horizontal axis when the frame is mo... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7226043 | Stable fail-safe cleat with automatic in-line locking cam A failsafe stable cleat with automatic in-line line-locking includes a frame having proximate and a remote sides on substantially opposite sides of the frame and formed with a passageway, extending between the proximate and remote sides, for receiving a line and gen... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7222840 | Rope-guiding device A rope-guide device suitable for marine use as a crab-pot puller, an anchor puller, a shrimp-pot hauler, and the like includes an arcuate, side-entry slot running the entire vertical length of its cylindrical body. A unique lock-mechanism prevents rope slippage by c... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7198244 | Self-interlocking hanger system An object hanger system which provides a pair of interlocking hanger bodies configured to provide locked securement of objects to a hanging surface. ... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7168687 | Snatch block, snatch block assembly and method of use Various exemplary embodiments for snatch block and snatch block assemblies are disclosed. A snatch block having a sideplate that is pivotable, enabling a bight of rope, cable, or chain to be inserted is disclosed. The pivotable sideplate may be engaged with a retain... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7168539 | Pulley unit having one-way clutch A pulley unit comprises a pulley, a shaft relatively rotatable with the pulley and concentrically arranged inner side of the pulley, a one-way clutch interposed in an annular space between the pulley and the shaft, and a ball bearing arranged adjacent to the one-way... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7165759 | Crown block dead line anchor The line system on a drilling rig is arranged to place the dead line clamp at the upper end of the derrick. A dead line anchor sheave is preferably located to accept wraps of the dead line to insure reduced load on the dead line clamp. The anchor sheave is preferabl... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7144380 | Traction method and device A traction device utilizes a harness connected to the body of a patient, such as the head or hips. The harness is connected by a clip to a tether which passes through a ratchet pulley connected to a first end of a spring chamber. A second end of the spring chamber i... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7111572 | Hook seat tightening structure for ship covers A hook seat tightening structure for ship covers comprises a body constituted by a seat and a housing, wherein two rollers, one turntable, one wheel, one lock bolt, and one lock member are located therein. A depressing piece and a tenon are located at two sides of t... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7080716 | Movable fall prevention device for a belay support A movable fall-preventing device (1) for a belay support (6) includes an axis-retaining groove which retains the belay support (6) by means of a lever (16) that pivots between an open position and a closed position. One end of the lever c... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7077246 | Fall safety device A fall safety device is provided having a load-bearing rotor 2, which supports at least one locking member 6, which can be moved by centrifugal force and which is moved into engagement with at least one stop 7b of a stator 4 if a c... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7073780 | Fail-safe cleat with automatic in-line locking cam A failsafe cleat with automatic in-line locking cam includes a frame having proximate and a remote sides on substantially opposite sides of the frame and formed with a passageway, extending between said proximate and remote sides, for receiving a line that can move ... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7004861 | Pulley unit A pulley unit improved in axial positioning of a cage of a one-way clutch is provided. An outer radius of an orbital portion of inner rings of two rolling bearings disposed at both axial sides of the cage are designed to be larger than an inner radius of the cage, s... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6994683 | Portable lumbar traction device A portable lumbar traction device wherein a variable tension system allows the user to manually manipulate a level of tension using a ratcheting device while undergoing a traction procedure. The invention easily and quickly anchors to a door frame and includes one o... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6948586 | Quick release rappel device A rappel device is used in rapidly descending from a height using a rope and then quickly disengaging from the rope. The rappel device comprises a body having a rim which defines a rope opening therein. The body is further adapted to be affixed to a harness. A lock ... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6942070 | Emergency braking and shock absorbing device for a lift or suspended load The load or the working platform is suspended and displaced by at least a pair of cables whereof the stresses are equivalent. Advantageously, each pair of cables is controlled by an emergency braking device comprising means for detecting the slack strand on one of t... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6928946 | Remote mooring pulley system An adjustable pulley device which resides on a boat's anchor rope, which, when the anchor has been set offshore, allows an operator to pull the boat from shore to a pre-determined point on the anchor rope, and retrieve it. It comprises a housing with an integral pul... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6908074 | Device for changing the rigging of the pulley blocks of a crane The device enables a switch from the pulley blocks being rigged with one strand to the pulley blocks being rigged with two strands and vice versa. The jib tip has a pulley moveable along its axle between a central position, when the blocks are rigged with one strand... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6776396 | Hoisting device for an elevator In a hoisting device for an elevator, a driving motor is made cylindrical, and a brake system is accommodated radially inwardly of the driving motor. The driving motor and the brake system overlap in a radial direction. ... | 08/17/2004 |
| 6742770 | Fail-safe device for raising/lowering articles A failsafe device for raising/lowering articles includes a frame and a fastener for attaching the frame to a ceiling or wall to elevated an article above the floor. A pulley or sheave is mounted on the frame about a substantially horizontal axis when the frame is mo... | 06/01/2004 |
| 6698723 | Ratchet tie down device with integral security lock A tie down device having a pulley incorporating a ratchet and a security lock. The tie down device has a housing which encloses a pulley over which is reeved a plastic jacketed metallic stranded cable, a ratchet wheel and associated pawl, and a key operat... | 03/02/2004 |
| 6685171 | Lifting device A lifting device comprises a rotatable pawl with a pawl arm held in a pawl sleeve. The pawl has an open position in which a rope may be freely adjusted in tightening or loosening directions, and a closed position in which the rope is lockably engaged betw... | 02/03/2004 |
| 6601829 | Pulley system with gripping block and tackle for load handling An improved block and tackle system comprising a stationary-block housing (10) having attached pulleys (14 & 18) and cam cleat (22), and a moving-block housing (12) with attached pulley (16) and cam cleat (20) Said invention allows a load (8) to be raised... | 08/05/2003 |
| 6234454 | Failsafe device for raising/lowering articles A failsafe device for raising/lowering articles includes a frame and a fastener for attaching the frame to a ceiling or wall to elevate an article above the floor. A pulley or sheave is mounted on the frame about a substantially horizontal axis when the f... | 05/22/2001 |
| 6223868 | Brake mechanism for device for hauling up/down by rope A brake mechanism for a device for hauling up/down by rope, in particular one for the safe hauling up and down by rope of persons and loads. The device has a pulley which preferably has a back stop that prevents the pulley from turning during the roping d... | 05/01/2001 |
| 6189867 | Load-handling device A load-handling device comprising a pair of pulley assemblies each having a body, at least one pulley supported by the body, and having a peripheral outer surface, a rope secured at one end to a support structure and entrained about each of the outer surf... | 02/20/2001 |
| 6182946 | Tree stand hoist assembly and casing therefor having identical mating halves A hoist assembly includes a casing, a pulley mechanism and a latch mechanism. The casing has a pair of identical mating front and rear casing halves. The casing has an aperture formed therethrough and an interior chamber formed therein between said front ... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6149133 | Ratchet pulley for tightening cords or ropes A ratchet-type tensioning mechanism for a rope or cord has a rotatable sheave with faces having improved outwardly extending serrations which include alternating primary and secondary projections. The secondary projections are located in valleys between p... | 11/21/2000 |
| 6092791 | Ratchet with journaled spool A ratchet for use with a cord includes a pair of opposed tear drop shaped members defining a one piece housing for rotatably supporting a one piece ratchet spool, for supporting a pivotally mounted thumb release and for supporting an angularly displacable... | 07/25/2000 |
| 6068242 | Unitary, ridged and ratcheted pulley block A ratchet for use with a cord includes a pair of opposed tear drop shaped members defining a one piece housing for rotatably supporting a one piece ratchet spool, a pivotally mounting a thumb release and supporting an angularly displacable hook. Circular ... | 05/30/2000 |
| 5868380 | Pulley block with spring-biased selectively operable ratchet A pulley block or sheave includes a pulley (3), a mounting frame (2) for the pulley and in which the pulley is rotatable, and a ratchet wheel (11) rotatable with the pulley and including ratchet teeth (12). A pawl (15) is carried by the mounting frame and... | 02/09/1999 |
| 5860493 | Fall preventing mechanism for safety lines A principal guide-plate (12a) is bent adjacent a first edge (13a) to define a retention groove (9) extending along an axis (y,y'). A secondary guide-plate (12b) is mounted parallel to the principal guide-plate with a first edge (13b) disposed parallel to ... | 01/19/1999 |
| 5845893 | Underwater self-aligning fairlead latch device for mooring a structure at sea An underwater self-aligning fairlead latch device is provided for guiding and securing an anchor chain between an offshore structure and an anchor. The fairlead device includes a latch housing pivotally mounted to a fairlead housing. The latch housing inc... | 12/08/1998 |
| 5845894 | Pulley with a pivoting flange and built-in jammer A pulley comprises a pair of flanges, a rotary roller mounted on a first spindle, and a second flange which oscillates on the first spindle. A jammer is incorporated inside the pulley and comprises a pivotable tumbler on a second spindle between an active... | 12/08/1998 |
