Celebrity Inventors
Glam girl Heddy Lamar may have used her good looks to good effect on the silver screen, but she put her smarts to better use as an inventor. During World War II, she co-patented a frequency-switching system for torpedo guidance that was considered years ahead of its time.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7413524 | Dribble training device A dribble training device for facilitating training of a person to dribble a ball includes a ball including an outer wall defining an interior space. The interior space receives pressurized air to inflate the ball. Each of a plurality of protuberances is integrally ... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7278623 | Vibration control unit and vibration control body A vibration control unit in which a rolling element having a first curved surface that is a convex surface is interposed between a first and second members, and the rolling element is allowed rolling with respect to the first member in the first curved surface there... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7250014 | Irregular bounce ball and game The generally spherical handball includes a first spherical surface portion at a common radial distance from the ball center and a second spherical surface portion at a second common radial distance. In a preferred embodiment, a third surface portion is defined at t... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7247107 | Impact-absorbing lacrosse ball A lacrosse ball that meets generally accepted rules on the construction of lacrosse balls (e.g., size, weight, and bounce height), but provides a more impact-absorbing surface than conventional lacrosse balls. One embodiment provides a lacrosse ball including a shel... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7044820 | Balls with gripping handles A ball comprises a body having an outer surface of sufficient extent to define a volume sufficient to accommodate at least a portion of each of four fingers of a person's hand. The ball has at least one indentation in the surface, the indentation having a depth suff... | 05/16/2006 |
| 6935274 | Pet toy The pet toy consists of an inner elastomer ball having an inner ball wall, a squeaker mounted in the inner ball wall, an outer elastomer ball having an outer ball wall, an air hole mounted in the outer ball wall, the inner ball being within the outer ball. The outer... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6916263 | Cover for a ball or sphere A ball for ball games, organized in 18 squares and adjusted by 8 helices, wherein the ideal sphericity is obtained when the distance from the center (Y) to the corners of the triangle in the center of the helix is equal to the difference in distance that exists betw... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6645098 | Street hockey ball A ball for use in playing street hockey having a substantially smooth spherical shell with a hollow interior cavity partially filled with a liquid and a plurality of prills to less than one-half of the volume of the interior cavity. The specific gravity o... | 11/11/2003 |
| 6609944 | Animal ball toy A ball toy 10 intended for use by pets that is molded of a flexible, resilient material, containing a hollow cavity inside 22. Attached to the hollow cavity is a squeaker 20. The squeaker 20 is activated by air rushing through it, into and out of the holl... | 08/26/2003 |
| 6579145 | Toy comprising interconnected figures having directionally selectable spring-loaded propulsion mechanisms A toy for entertaining a user includes a composite structure configured to execute a play function, the composite structure including several removably interconnected structure elements, each said structure element having at least one propulsion mechanism... | 06/17/2003 |
| 6537125 | Inflatable ball with unpredictable movement An inflatable or inflated ball comprising an outer chamber formed of an airtight flexible outer skin which, when properly inflated and fully expanded, defines an interior volume. A sealed inner chamber filled or fillable with a substance substantially hea... | 03/25/2003 |
| 6443863 | Ball having unpredictable bounce The invention pertains to a sports training ball designed to develop reaction and reflex skills, while keeping interest and enthusiasm high among the participants due to the unpredictable bounces the seven-knob rubber ball creates. It is well suited for t... | 09/03/2002 |
| 6432008 | Octahedron ball game device and method of using the same The invention is of a ball game device and method of using the same comprising a octahedron body made of a resilient material preferably durable rubber foam like material, plastic, or rubber and dimensioned to be kicked, rolled, or thrown on a 360 degree,... | 08/13/2002 |
| 6398616 | Inflatable ball with unpredictable movement An inflatable or inflated ball comprising an outer chamber formed of an airtight flexible outer skin which, when properly inflated and fully expanded, defines an interior volume. A sealed inner chamber filled or fillable with a substance substantially hea... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6348018 | American football supported with air layer An American football includes a ball cover including four elliptical cover pieces sewn edge to edge together, wherein each cover piece comprises an outer elliptical cover skins, an elliptical inner lining for supporting between the outer cover skin, and a... | 02/19/2002 |
| 6319144 | Billiard bowling game This invention is a table type game that requires both billiard skills and bowling skills to play. Scaled down bowling lanes, gutters, pins and approach are provided. The scaled down bowling balls are regulation size billiard balls that are struck and dri... | 11/20/2001 |
| 6264574 | Game ball and method of using game ball A game ball is provided for primarily practicing throwing a football in a passing spiral motion to impact a vertical wall, and then via a reactive force, the game ball returns in a passing opposite spiral motion to be caught by the person, who is practici... | 07/24/2001 |
| 6254502 | Weighting system for sports balls and hitting implements Closure members are provided at the opposite ends of a hollow casing. Shock absorbers are confined within the casing by the closure members. A weight is disposed within the casing between the shock absorbers. The weight may be defined by a plurality of gr... | 07/03/2001 |
| 6056622 | Balls with unpredictable bounce Unpredictable bounce characteristics are imparted to a ball by forming the ball as a composite wherein a second ball part is disposed within a first ball part with the centers of each ball part spaced one from the other. In a first embodiment the second b... | 05/02/2000 |
| 6015358 | Ball having sticker applied thereto A molded plastic play ball having the appearance of a humanoid head. Formed on the surface on the ball at sites corresponding to respective facial features of the head, such as the eyes and a nose, are flat depressions that merge with the contours of the ... | 01/18/2000 |
| 5934968 | Random moving toy simulating pursuit by toy animal A toy having a motorized portion in the form of an inanimate object and a non-motorized portion in the form of an animate object. The two portions are tethered together, and the motorized portion is driven such that the non-motorized portion in the form o... | 08/10/1999 |
| 5836827 | Self-lubricating device A chemically adsorbed film having a surface layer containing fluorine groups and a stem layer chemically bonded by siloxane bonds to a substrate is formed on the surface of a frictional portion of a machine part such as a gear or a bearing or on the surfa... | 11/17/1998 |
| 5772204 | Table top bowling game A bowling game is made to be played on any flat, smooth table top. Nine bowling pins are arranged in a pattern on the table top in a 3×3 array. A ball is provided having one hemisphere made of lead glued to another hemisphere made of hard wood. The ball ... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5647809 | Kickable toy A kickable toy having a base member and a means for increasing air resistance is provided. The base member has a flexible membrane defining a boundary confining a deformable material. The means for increasing air resistance is mounted on the base member f... | 07/15/1997 |
| 5566948 | Bouncing ball game A game apparatus and method are disclosed which utilize a game apparatus with a target area having an upper face with an aperture passing therethough. Bumps are disposed on the upper face of the target area, and a lip is disposed about an outer edge of th... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5496026 | Sponge eggball An egg-shaped sponge rubber or foam elastomeric plastic ball having a unique combination of texture, size, weight and sponge material compositional features such that it can be thrown and bounced in a controllable manner, after the user develops a certain... | 03/05/1996 |
| 5413332 | Eggball An egg-shaped elastomeric ball having a unique combination of texture, size, weight and composition features such that it can be thrown and bounced in a controllable manner, after the user develops a certain level of skill. Methods of manufacture and use ... | 05/09/1995 |
| 5048829 | Amusement ball A new ball shaped amusement device is described wherein a core center of a ball is covered with a partial (figure-8) outer layer, thereby presenting a firm edge around the periphery of the partial layer. Moreover, this partial layer is chosen in the tradi... | 09/17/1991 |
| 5041051 | Spheroid shaped toy vehicle with internal radio controlled steering and driving means A radio-controlled rolling toy has a hollow shell containing a radio-controlled vehicle which may be caused to move sidewardly relative a shaft mounted coaxially with the outer surface of the shell. The vehicle may also be caused to perform a rotation rel... | 08/20/1991 |
| 4746121 | Three-bar and ball game apparatus and method of using same A ball positioned between three circular cross-section bars acting as support. The bars are substantially parallel and oriented generally vertically. One end of each bar is partly restrained but permits full rotation of the bar about its longitudinal axis... | 05/24/1988 |
| 4687210 | Toy bouncing ring The basic play value of predictability of rebound of a thrown or bounced object is combined with an element of unpredictability in the rebound to provide a plaything from which complex play sequences can be built. The plaything comprises a ring with an ax... | 08/18/1987 |
| 4669727 | Double-bar riding wheel and method of using same A double-bar riding wheel positioned between two circular cross-section bars acting as support. One end of each bar is partly restrained but permits a limited amount of rotational movement of the bar. The other end of each bar is held by an operator's han... | 06/02/1987 |
| 4616827 | Playing ball A playing ball for kicking, throwing, spinning, or rolling, and combinations of these having an outer skin formed by three geometric portions, a central cylindrical disc having a diameter of about nine units of measurement and a pair of flanking dome shap... | 10/14/1986 |
| 4609196 | Zig-zag ball A zig-zag ball useful as a toy or in sports is disclosed. The ball moves in a zig-zag manner when rolled out on a flat horizontal surface. The zig-zag movement is achieved by a mechanism placed inside the ball which alters the center of gravity of the bal... | 09/02/1986 |
| 4290606 | Nonpredictable game projectile A game projectile is configured as a polyhedron rather than being spherical or cylindrical in shape. The projectile is independently supported above the low friction base by which it moves across the playing surface. Provision may be made to permit the po... | 09/22/1981 |
| 4257605 | Rollable body The present invention comprises a rollable article or device formed essentially of two interconnected members or sections of substantially equal weight which extend outwardly in diametrically opposite directions and each providing an outer bearing surface... | 03/24/1981 |
| 4194737 | Erratically rollable game device A hollow body encloses a spherical weight which rolls around the inner surface of the body as the body itself is rotated over a playing field. The inner surface of the body has magnetic inserts and the spherical weight is fitted with internal magnets havi... | 03/25/1980 |
| 4153248 | Ball A monolithic ball structure made of resilient material and consisting of two equal diameter spherical sections connected by a neck portion of reduced diameter. The neck portion is defined by a segment of a surface generated by the revolution of a planar a... | 05/08/1979 |
| 4119315 | Competitive action playing game with erratically movable playing piece A competitive action playing game with a shiftable ball-type playing piece. The playing game comprises a game board having a pair of oppositely spaced player ends with a frame peripherally surrounding the game board. The game board is provided with a plur... | 10/10/1978 |
| 4003573 | Amusement ball for bouncing The ball is generally egg-shaped. The entire surface of the ball is covered with randomly oriented ridges and valleys. When the ball is thrown against a hard surface, it will bounce erratically, changing direction radically each time it hits the hard surf... | 01/18/1977 |
