Did You Know...
...that it was melting ice cream that inspired the invention of the outboard motor? It was a lovely August day and Ole Evinrude was rowing his boat to his favorite island picnic spot. As he rowed, he watched his ice cream melt and wished he had a faster way to get to the island. At that moment the idea for the outboard motor was born!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7938623 | Inflatable wind turbine blade and method for forming said rotor blade An inflatable rotor blade for a wind turbine includes a flexible skin. The flexible skin assumes, when inflated by means of an inflation medium, the shape of an airfoil which has an inner cavity. When the inner cavity is formed, at least one stiffener unit is arrang... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7335000 | Systems and methods for tethered wind turbines According to some embodiments, systems and methods for tethered wind turbines may be provided. In some embodiments, a system may comprise an airborne body extending horizontally along an axis between a first point and a second point, wherein the body is at least par... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7204674 | Rotor blade for a wind power installation A rotor for a wind power installation having at least one rotor blade. The smaller the surface area on which the wind acts, that is to say in particular the rotor blade area, the correspondingly lower is the load level for which installation has to be designed and t... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7176584 | Wind power apparatus A wind power apparatus utilizing an anchor which is rotatably fixed to a surface. A chute attaches to the anchor and is provided with a chamber. A restriction is located in the chamber to concentrate the wind within an annular are of the chute and direct it to a pow... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7137592 | High-aspect ratio hybrid airship In one aspect, a hybrid airship including an outer shell, a plurality of helium filled gas envelopes, and an all-electric propulsion system can have a high-aspect ratio wing shape. In some embodiments, the hybrid airship may be launched using buoyancy lift alone and... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7108485 | Reduction in the noise produced by a rotor blade of a wind turbine Rotor blades for wind power installations are known in many different forms. In a wind power installation the rotors or the rotor blades thereof represent the main source of sound. For reasons relating to acceptance and noise prevention laws, the aim should/must be ... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7073749 | High altitude reconnaissance vehicle An airship deployment system comprises an airship of unique shape having laminar flow over this shape to enable low power propulsion, capable remote control, comprising an inflatable body; a propeller assembly for station keeping and repositioning said airship and c... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7011501 | Energy generating system A system (1) designed to generate energy with the aid of, primarily, sea currents, comprising a rotation body (4) having a front inlet side (2) and a rear outlet side (3), and at least one transfer member (6) connected between the ... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6840740 | Bucket dovetail design for turbine rotors A turbine bucket dovetail secures buckets in a turbine rotor. The turbine bucket dovetail includes a plurality of hooks engageable with a wheel post of the turbine rotor, which hooks extend in an axial direction relative to the turbine rotor. A pocket is machined in... | 01/11/2005 |
| 6806586 | Apparatus and method to convert marine current into electrical power A marine current power installation that takes energy from marine currents. The marine current power installation takes kinetic energy of flow from the marine current and converts the kinetic energy into electrical energy. The marine current water power installation... | 10/19/2004 |
| 6764275 | Fluid displacement rotational assembly A fluid displacement rotational assembly includes a frame, a support structure supporting the frame for rotating an axle connected to the frame, chamber members coupled to the frame and each chamber member being arranged diametrically opposed by an associated one of... | 07/20/2004 |
| 6616403 | Floating electric generator A device for obtaining electric power from moving water, made up of a floating cylindrical body having a first end extending to a second end along a cylindrical surface having at least two blades. Each end of the floating cylindrical body is fixedly conne... | 09/09/2003 |
| 6217284 | Oscillating fluid flow motor An oscillating fluid flow motor and a fluid flow power system that converts the energy in the flowing fluid to mechanical energy through a vane that automatically sweeps back and forth across the flow. In one embodiment of the oscillating fluid flow motor... | 04/17/2001 |
| 5946909 | Floating turbine system for generating power A series of floating turbine rotors each have a tubular hub with outwardly projecting blades, and the rotors are connected in general axial alignment by a flexible driven shaft. The shaft includes tubular floating connector shafts and flexible couplings, ... | 09/07/1999 |
| 5324988 | System for undersea wave generation of electric power A system for generating electric power using undersea waves against a bag structure, mounted movably on a tower. The bag structure is made of large nylon bag, filled with compressed sea water and extending for 50 meters or more down, surrounding the suppo... | 06/28/1994 |
| 5297925 | Water column floating pump This new invention, the water column floating pump, is a fluid pump which uses a rotationally symmetric container to pump fluid from an inlet reservoir to the outlet end of the rotationally symmetric container. The rotationally symmetric container is adap... | 03/29/1994 |
| 4849647 | Floating water turbine A floating water turbine for taking the kinetic energy from linear current flow and converting it into mechanical energy and subsequently into electrical energy. The turbine is constructed of a buoyant material to support itself on top of the water, there... | 07/18/1989 |
| 4789303 | Marine propeller carry handle and emergency spare kit A marine emergency spare propeller kit includes a plastic floating spare propeller (4) mounted on a carry handle (20) having an axial shaft (22) extending through the propeller hub (10) and retained thereon by a plastic floating nut (8) which is threaded ... | 12/06/1988 |
| 4722665 | Turbine A water turbine has a series of spaced blades attached to and extending around the periphery of a body portion, preferably of conical or similar shape; each of the blades has a leading end mounted at a mid region of the body e.g. halfway along it and each... | 02/02/1988 |
| 4692100 | Vacuum blade for a hollow type fan and process The interior of a hollow propeller blade is placed under vacuum for enhancing rigidity of the blade and reducing noise production during its rotation.... | 09/08/1987 |
| 4552538 | Multidirectional amphibious safety vehicle A multidirectional amphibious safety vehicle comprises an outer cylindrical shell having two opposite ends and a longitudinal axis therethrough; a stationary central pipe having two opposite ends and extending along the longitudinal axis of the outer cyli... | 11/12/1985 |
| 4547124 | Impeller for a wind motor An impeller for a windmotor consists of a rigid hub attached to a rotatingly mounted shaft, an outer rim concentric with the hub and a number of radial vanes of a flexible material, such as fabric, stretched between the hub and the rim, whereby their angl... | 10/15/1985 |
| 4511808 | Installation for exploiting water currents in flowing waters by means of a plurality of water wheels An installation for exploiting the energy of flowing water in a river stream comprising a plurality of anchored pontoons supporting a plurality of waterwheels; the pontoons being arranged in a plurality of rows, the pontoons in each row being in tandem su... | 04/16/1985 |
| 4450364 | Lighter than air wind energy conversion system utilizing a rotating envelope A lighter-than-air (LTA) wind energy conversion system (WECS) wherein the LTA envelope carries a main rotor and electrical generator to take advantage of high wind speeds available at high altitudes. The LTA envelope is adapted to rotate with the main rot... | 05/22/1984 |
| 4412417 | Wave energy converter An improved rotational buoyant mass for wave energy conversion apparatus is disclosed. The rotational buoyant mass comprises at least one pair of helical volumes mounted for rotation about a common axis. The helical volumes are rotationally displaced with... | 11/01/1983 |
| 4401284 | Collapsible magnus-effect rotor A lift-producing arrangement suitable for driving a boat by the Magnus effect comprises an elongate tubular envelope mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis. A drive is provided to rotate the envelope. The envelope is of flexible material, e.g., ... | 08/30/1983 |
| 4379701 | Buoyant apparatus propelled by a human operator A buoyant apparatus propelled by a human operator has a pair of side by side annular floats and a pontoon rotatably mounted at the corners of a triangular frame. A pair of platforms are each mounted on the upperside of one of the annular floats. A plurali... | 04/12/1983 |
| 4366936 | Aircraft having buoyant gas balloon An airship is provided utilizing a spherical balloon filled with buoyant gas such as helium at a pressure substantially greater than atmospheric so that its dimensions are substantially unaffected by changes in atmospheric pressure or temperature. The sph... | 01/04/1983 |
| 4207026 | Tethered lighter than air turbine The disclosure relates to a wind turbine comprising a lighter than air body affixed to a drive line. Vanes or fins are attached about the body and turn the body in response to air currents acting thereon. This turns the drive line to supply rotational ene... | 06/10/1980 |
| 4124182 | Wind driven energy system Method and apparatus using parakites, or modified parachutes, for capturing wind energy and for converting the consequent wind-induced linear motion to shaft rotation. The parakite apparatus includes a plurality of trains of parakites, with each train com... | 11/07/1978 |
| 4083652 | Inflatable air-driven motor A centrifugal air-driven motor, or windmill, is disclosed wherein the blades thereof are made of a pliable, flexible, uniformly apertured sheeting made, for example, of plastic, affixed by a flexible support system, to a central rotatable shaft, so that a... | 04/11/1978 |
| 4045148 | Turbine A turbine with a water-driven motive element adapted for being immersed in a body of water and comprising a disc having a density close to that of the water in which it is immersed. The disc is horizontally disposed and has a plurality of cells containing... | 08/30/1977 |
| 3990808 | Inflatable blower A centrifugal blower is disclosed wherein the impeller blades are made of a pliable, flexible, uniformly apertured sheeting made, for example, of plastic, affixed by a flexible support system, to a central rotatable shaft, so that as the rotatable shaft i... | 11/09/1976 |
| 3957232 | Inflatable wing An inflatable structure for use as an aerodynamic surface. The structure is formed from a series of cylindrical pressure chambers which are inflated to deploy the structure from its stored condition. Varying cylinder sizes yield aerodynamically curved sur... | 05/18/1976 |
