They Invented What? (No. 107)

U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,927:  Chair made from a garbage can.

 

What is claimed is:

1. A novel chair made from a conventional garbage can comprising:
          a frustoconical metal can having a flat circular bottom, upwardly flaring frustoconical sides and an open top and having an original capacity in the order of 30 gallons, said can being modified by cutting away a portion of its upper half and leaving at least 50% of the upper half of said can to form the curved back of said chair,
          a circular member mounted in a horizontal plane within said can just below the cut-away portion of the can to support the seat of said chair, and
          a cushion of substantially the same diameter as said circular member positioned upon said member to serve as the seat of said chair.

USPTO Reminder: Outsourcing of Patent Preparation May Require Clearance.

Per a Federal Register notice published on July 23, 2008:

Applicants and registered patent practitioners are reminded that the export of subject matter abroad pursuant to a license from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), such as a foreign filing license, is limited to purposes related to the filing of foreign patent applications.  Applicants who are considering exporting subject matter abroad for the preparation of patent applications to be filed in the United States should contact the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the Department of Commerce for the appropriate clearances.

The entire Federal Register notice may be viewed here.

They Invented What? (No. 106)

U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,688:  Apparatus for tenderizing food.

JW Note:  Yes, dear readers, the term “HE” does stand for “high explosive”, and numeral “10”  in the figure refers to meat.

 

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for tenderizing an article of food comprising a container, a liquid filling said container, means positioning said articles of food within said liquid, explosive means, means positioning said explosive means beneath the surface of said liquid and adjacent to said article of food, and means for detonating said explosive means for generating a shock pressure wave within said liquid for tenderizing said article of food.

They Invented What? (No. 105)

U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,756:  Time pop.

 

What is claimed is:

1. A time pop which comprises
          a watch which indicates a lapse of a time period,
          a candy lollipop secured to one end of said watch.

They Invented What? (No. 104)

U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,857:  Armor with rollers.

   

What is claimed is:

1. An armor with rollers enabling a user to move in all positions by rolling on a hard and smooth surface, while constantly varying his bearing points on the surface, the armor comprising:
          a pair of rigid gauntlets each extending from beyond the user’s hand to the user’s elbow and having a first roller at an end beyond the user’s hand and a second roller near the user’s elbow; and
          a pair of rigid leg pads each having a third roller near the user’s knee joint.

They Invented What? (No. 103)

US. Pat. No. 6,295,668: Maternity beach chair.

 

What is claimed is:

1. A beach chair comprising:

          a rectangularly-shaped frame member, said frame member including a first section, a second section, and a third section, each section having respective first and second ends;
          a first pair of hinges, said first pair of hinges disposed to connect the second end of said first section to the first end of said second section in abutting relationship;
          a second pair of hinges, said second pair of hinges disposed to connect the second end of said second section to the first end of said third section in abutting relationship;
          a first pair of collapsible leg members, said first pair of collapsible leg members being pivotally attached to said frame member adjacent the first end of said first section;
          a second pair of collapsible leg members, said second pair of collapsible leg members being pivotally attached to said frame member adjacent said first pair of hinges;
          a third pair of collapsible leg members, said third pair of collapsible leg members being pivotally attached to said frame member adjacent said second pair of hinges;
          a fourth pair of collapsible leg members, said fourth pair of collapsible leg members being pivotally attached to said frame member adjacent the second end of said third section;
          a cover, said cover being coextensive with said frame member and spanning said frame member whereby to form a planar surface;
          means for removably fastening said cover to said frame member;
          a first opening formed through said cover at said first section, said first opening having a periphery and dimensioned to receive a face of a user; and
          a padding positioned on said cover, said padding arranged adjacent a portion of the periphery of said first opening.