They Invented What? (No. 85)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,639: Method for remotely powering a device such as a lunar rover.
What is claimed is:
1. A method of supplying power to a device located on the surface of a planet, comprising the steps of:
orbiting at least one satellite around the planet, wherein the satellite comprises a nuclear reactor for generating electrical power;
generating electrical power via the nuclear reactor;
converting the generated electrical power into a GaAlAs laser beam;
directing the GaAlAs laser beam from the at least one satellite to the device; and
converting the power of the GaAlAs laser beam into electrical power for use by the device, said converting step comprising directing the GaAlAs laser beam through a layer of n-GaAlAs semiconductor, through a layer of p-GaAlAs semiconductor, and then through a layer of p-GaAs semiconductor, whereby an electric current is generated.
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They Invented What? (No. 84)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,505: Bird trap and cat feeder.
I claim:
1. A bird trap and cat feeder for catching a bird and in particular, a sparrow, and feeding the bird to a cat, the trap comprising:
an enclosed bird housing having an upper portion, a tapered lower portion, a back, a front, a top, an open bottom, and sides;
an entrance hole mounted in the side of the upper portion of said housing for receiving the bird therethrough;
a glass window mounted in an opening in the tapered lower portion of the front of said housing;
a balanced pivot tube pivotally mounted on a pivot pin inside said housing, a first end of said pivot tube is attached to a balance weight for balancing said tube in a horizontal position, a second end of said tube is disposed adjacent and below said entrance…
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USPTO Operating Status With 2019 Gov’t Shutdown – January 24, 2019.
Via the USPTO website on January 24, 2019 – About 3 more weeks of funding for patent operations, and about 11 weeks of funding left for trademark operations.
They Invented What? (No. 83)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,328: Body supported sports target and method.
Abstract:
To entertain fans at sporting events, such as baseball, basketball backboards, palm trees, hockey and soccer goals are provided as targets for fans to participate by tossing objects at the target. Targets are strapped to a person moving through the stands. In one configuration the target is attached to a backpack and raised over the head using a telescoping mechanism attached between the target and the backpack worn by the operator. In another configuration the target is attached to a helmet worn by the person working the crowd. Both the helmet and backpack arrangement use mounting brackets for attachment of the target members. To telescope the target overhead from the backpack, concentric tubes are extended from within each other using a pulley and cable system controlled by the operator.
What is claimed is:
1. A body…
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They Invented What? (No. 82)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,911: Less lethal weapon attachable to lethal weapon.
JW Note: To quote Miracle Max from The Princess Bride, “It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead.”
What is claimed is:
1. A less lethal weapon including a barrel with a rearward portion and a forward portion for propelling a plurality of projectiles seriatim out the barrel including a receiver comprising
a) a frame;
b) means for propelling projectiles out of the barrel including the receiver which means is mounted on the frame;
c) a magazine mounted spaced from and parallel to the barrel in turn comprising
i) a magazine tube containing a plurality of projectiles;
ii) an exit port communicating with the tube;
iii) a piston slidable in the magazine tube urging the projectiles toward such exit port; and
iv) gas pressure means for translating…
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They Invented What? (No. 81)
U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,178: Method of stopping a stolen car without a high-speed chase, utilizing a bar code.
What is claimed is:
1. A stopping method of a stolen car, without high speed chasing, comprised of three steps of: 1) scanning the barcode of a suspicious car, which is implanted between the inner- and outer-layer glasses of a rear safety glass, 2) comparing the read in bar code with the stolen car list in the police computer net, 3) activating the trigger by transferring the bar code and the secret code of the stolen car to the trigger installed in the stolen car to shut down the engine by cutting off the electricity supplied to it.
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They Invented What? (No. 80)
U.S. Pat. No. 7,016,828: Text-to-scene conversion.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method of converting a set of words into a three-dimensional scene description, which may then be rendered into three-dimensional images. The invention may generate arbitrary scenes in response to a substantially unlimited range of input words. Scenes may be generated by combining objects, poses, facial expressions, environments, etc., so that they represent the input set of words. Poses may have generic elements so that referenced objects may be replaced by those mentioned in the input set of words. Likewise, a character may be dressed according to its role in the set of words. Various constraints for object positioning may be declared.
Claims:
What is claimed is:
1. A method of generating a scene description from a set of words, comprising:
performing a linguistic analysis on the set of words to generate a structure representative…
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