Did You Know...
...that one person who claimed to be the inventor of the television is Russian emigre Vladimir Zworykin? In 1929 David Sarnoff, founder of RCA, asked Zworykin what it would take to develop TV for commercial use. He said: a year and a half and $100,000. In reality, it took 20 years and $50 million! Before his death in 1982 at the age of 92, Zworykin said of his invention: "The technique is wonderful. It is beyond my expectations. But the programs! I would never let my children even come close to this thing."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7520748 | Modelling terrain improvements A terrain model element and method of manufacture which has a latex shaped layer molded in a drying mold and supported by a flexible foamed plastics material. In one instance the foamed plastics is molded directly into the latex layer. ... | 04/21/2009 |
| 7261564 | Hiking staff, ski pole, or boat paddle, with integrated topographical representations of trails and or terrain A navigational aide in the form of a physical model that may be integrated with conventional expedition equipment. The preferred embodiment comprises a hiking staff (5, 6) containing 2-D map data (3) and or 3-D topographical representations (1, 2 | 08/28/2007 |
| 6945785 | Dry erase board with image in relief A dry erase board is provided with a relief image. There may be a reinforcement behind the relief image to prevent it from distorting during use. The board may include a frame and means for securing a dry erase marker to the board. ... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6930784 | Apparatus and method for showing contour lines in modeling An apparatus for depicting contour lines on the surfaces of a model, the apparatus comprising a bed for supporting the model, and at least one laser for projecting a plane of light at a predetermine height from the bed. A method of depicting contour lines on surface... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6349127 | Pulley and CT scanner With a view of facilitating the manufacture and reducing the cost, a pulley according to the present invention comprises an annular portion 100 formed by laminating rings 110, 120 and 130 and a tooth portion formed along a circumferential surface of the a... | 02/19/2002 |
| 6247019 | Object-based geographic information system (GIS) The present invention is a GIS system in which topological information is classified as geometrical objects and uses a region identifier and a geometry attribute to reconstruct each topological feature. The present invention starts from the geometrical ob... | 06/12/2001 |
| 5924905 | Modular terrain for a toy building set The modular terrain for a playing structure, such as a toy building set, includes a plurality of terrain pieces. Some of the terrain pieces have a flat exterior edge. The flat exterior edge is only matable with a flat exterior edge on another of the terra... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5882199 | Curved maps Maps are depicted on curved surfaces to present the shapes of geographical features without the distortion that is inherent in flat maps. In one of the disclosed embodiments, each of two or map posters has a curved map shell representing a geographical fe... | 03/16/1999 |
| 5827105 | Unit toy system A unit toy system comprises at least partially differing landscape units, which have a base area and at least one bearing area for the base area of the in each case other landscape unit. The bearing areas have a vertical distance from the respective base ... | 10/27/1998 |
| 5686154 | Three-dimensional topographical model An improved three-dimensional topographical model comprised of a plurality of layers having curvilinear apertures therethrough. The layers are stacked upon each other to form a three-dimensional hollow structure. The individual layers are cut from at leas... | 11/11/1997 |
| 5441262 | Multidimensional puzzle A multidimensional puzzle. The puzzle includes a plurality of three-dimensional first object pieces having a contoured front surface. The object pieces are each representative of a thing with the contoured front surface having a shape identified with the ... | 08/15/1995 |
| 5348478 | Modular terrain board A modular terrain board is provided having a plurality of sections or terrain cell plugs which are held in place by a baseboard assembly having a corresponding plurality of cell receiving sections or cells formed therein. The terrain cell plugs can be eas... | 09/20/1994 |
| 5326267 | Flexible terrain features for miniature modeling Model terrain accessories that are positioned for use on the surface of a miniature landscape are fabricated from a permanently flexible material, preferably polyvinyl chloride. These flexible accessories are realistically contoured models representing ro... | 07/05/1994 |
| 5283858 | Continuous hierarchical slope-aspect color display for parametric surfaces A method for generating an image of a parametric surface, such as the aspect of terrain which maximizes color contrast to permit easy discrimination of the magnitude, ranges, intervals or classes of a surface parameter while making it easy for the user to... | 02/01/1994 |
| 5277585 | Waterflow teaching terrain model having ice storage chamber A topographical model simulates mountains having stream beds, a river valley, a dam creating a lake therebehind, and a cultivated field. A chamber formed in the top of the mountain is charged with ice, which melts and escapes to the stream bed. A diverter... | 01/11/1994 |
| 5067098 | Slope-aspect color shading for parametric surfaces The invention is a method for generating an image of a parametric surface, such as the compass direction toward which each surface element of terrain faces, commonly called the slope-aspect azimuth of the surface element. The method maximizes color contra... | 11/19/1991 |
| 4998752 | Customized trip planner A trip planner, comprised of a base map and a plurality of transparent sheets having annotated outlines of the base map, which can be customized to an individual's travel interests and which allow a traveler to plan his trip at a glance.... | 03/12/1991 |
| 4937181 | Educational display system An educational visual display system for teaching geography in which objects having some geographical or topographical significance, e.g., states of the Union, may be detachably affixed and arranged to demonstrate relationship between the objects. The pre... | 06/26/1990 |
| 4685884 | Means for simulating a topographical area A multitude of parts of three-dimensional shape have full edges and also edge segments adapted for abutment with like edges and edge segments of other parts. The parts additionally include non-abutting irregular or curved edges which may represent terrain... | 08/11/1987 |
| 4666156 | Method of producing a golfing aid There is disclosed a method of producing a golfing aid, which method comprises the steps of: providing an aerial photograph of a first hole of a golf course; translating the aerial photograph into a topographical map (2) of the first hole of the golf course an... | 05/19/1987 |
| 4536428 | Magnetic display panel A magnetic display panel having a transparent or translucent front substrate and a rear substrate bonded thereto by an adhesive with a dispersing liquid confining space formed between the substrates, preferably in the form of multiple cells. The dispersin... | 08/20/1985 |
| 4444607 | Method of making a sight model This invention comprises a process for molding a three dimensional decorative article where cored out or raised portions extend to a depth of at least 0.6 centimeter, said process comprising generating electronically a line drawing of said article and ele... | 04/24/1984 |
| 4416635 | Molecular models A molecular model of a relatively large molecule or a portion thereof is made up of a series of solid parallel and equidistant cross sections of rigid transparent plastic sheets representing space occupied by the atoms in the crystalline state. The adjace... | 11/22/1983 |
| 4390491 | Three dimensional contour apparatus and method A method and means for contructing a three dimensional contour relief map, or the like, which comprises a housing having the opposite ends thereof open and having a plurality of upright side-by-side tubes disposed therein, the lower open end of the housin... | 06/28/1983 |
| 4353699 | Three dimensional educational toy model subdivision A three dimensional toy for use in teaching the construction of a housing development which includes terrain of varying elevations, a roadway extending over the terrain, a plurality of building lots disposed adjacent the roadway, a first plurality of indi... | 10/12/1982 |
| 4298414 | Method of forming three dimensional relief maps A sequence of identical planar maps having intervals with contour lines drawn thereon are cut so that from each map a section defined by a pair of spaced contour lines of selected intervals are formed. The cut sections are then superimposed one upon the o... | 11/03/1981 |
| 4193211 | Modular terrain model board assembly and method of building same A terrain model board and method of construction for use with the closed circuit television display system of a vehicle simulator is disclosed. According to this invention a multiplicity of panels containing the detail of a simulated terrain are joined to... | 03/18/1980 |
| 4192083 | Three-dimensional land-use planning model A three-dimensional land-use model is constructed in modular units and used with a modular framework so that it can be readily modified and changed as a community develops and expands.... | 03/11/1980 |
| 4184270 | Visual aid to broadcasted golf games A visual aid for broadcasted golf games consists of a three-dimensional relief map of holes on real golf courses. The map is imprinted with vertical and horizontal grid lines and coordinates. Grid locations of played ball positions are broadcasted so that... | 01/22/1980 |
| 4148580 | Process for making shade relief maps and the map made thereby A method for making shade relief maps with the value of the shade thereon proportional to the degree of actual ground slope, to provide, thereby, the simulation of a third dimension to two dimensional map productions. A discrete weight and configuration s... | 04/10/1979 |
