Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090188539 | Tent - An insulated tent which has interior and exterior walls that are separated from each other by an atmosphere of low thermal conductivity. The atmosphere may be a partial vacuum or may include a gas with lower thermal conductivity than air. The walls may be kept separate by the pressure of the gas or by mechanical forces and the partial vacuum may be induced by means of a one-way valve which permits the escape of heated air from between the interior and exterior walls. Also disclosed are structures that reduce the effect of wind on the tent's exterior surface, including spoilers and convex windward edges, and structures that guide the flow of water on the interior and exterior surfaces of the tent. | 07-30-2009 |
20100269913 | Gravity-assisted drain valve for restricting intake of mildew spores - A drain valve that prevents entry of odious airborne particulates into the habited environment while allowing for drainage of wastewater. The improvements include a disc with leaves cantilevered from a perimeter lip allowing the valve to operate in a drain with limited clearance between the opening and the drain crosshair below, a structural brace that effectively seals the center of the drain while allowing for through-passage of the drain strainer bolt, a gap at the perimeter edge of each leaf to prevent interference with an opposing edge, and rounded leaf edges and rounded vertices to prevent snagging of hair follicles and other draining matter. Also disclosed is a combined drain strainer and drain valve, and a drain valve installable within a drain pipe beneath the drain opening. | 10-28-2010 |
20100277617 | Ball with camera and trajectory control for reconnaissance or recreation - A ball that provides normalized images of a ground-based target subject captured over the course of the arc of its airborne trajectory. The improvements include a processing unit that compiles multiple images into a smooth continuous fly-by video of the target subject, a processing unit that stitches multiple images captured at a single moment in the ball's trajectory into a panoramic image and further normalizes and compiles multiple panoramic images into a smooth, continuous fly-through video, and an embedded motion sensor to initiate operations when the ball is pitched, and an embedded impact sensor to shut down operations for power conservation, and a mass which forces the camera into a repeated spinning or precessing orbit around the core of the ball, and a wireless transmission of surveillance imagery captured by the ball, and ground-based transmission of the target subject's location for subsequent image capture, and means for capturing multiple images of varying viewpoints including a camera aperture connected to a branching collection of fused fiber optic bundles. Also disclosed are means for directing the ball along a controllable trajectory to move toward a ground-based target subject. | 11-04-2010 |
20110006174 | Portable multi-purpose mast for rapid, secure attachment to unsteady, inclined and irregular surfaces - A portable mast capable of supporting a payload that can be fastened to and detached from an unsteady, inclined or irregular surface of attachment. The improvements include a tensioning cable which exerts pressure on the base of the mast in opposition to the surface of attachment, a guide protecting the cable from abrasion, means for adjusting and retaining tension in the cable when the mast is fastened to the surface of attachment, a base capable of housing the fastener to protect the fastener from corrosion and tampering, a base allowing attachment to and pass-through of existing cords crossing the surface of attachment, and a base having resilient compression to conform to an irregular surface of attachment while maintaining pressure between the base and surface of attachment created by tensioning of the cable. Also disclosed is a mast with mechanical means for increasing cable tension in order to secure its tripod base to a surface of attachment. Also disclosed is a mast which can house standardized electronic components required by a variety of payloads, two masts which are capable of communicating with each other to synchronize the movement and operation of payloads, means for passing electronic signals from the surface of attachment through the mast to the payload, and a remote control for electronic communication with a transceiver housed within a mast to control the operations or movement of a payload. | 01-13-2011 |
20120262541 | Ball With Camera And Trajectory Control For Reconnaisance Or Recreation - A thrown or projected ball-shaped camera for capturing images over the arc of its airborne trajectory is disclosed. Improvements include a position sensor for determining the camera's perspective in flight. An embedded processor for normalizing multiple captured images to a single ground plane, stitching multiple images into a panoramic image, and compiling multiple images into a smooth, continuous fly-by video. Also disclosed is a plurality of camera apertures facing outwardly from the sphere for capture of images to be stitched into a larger panoramic image. | 10-18-2012 |
20130210563 | Ball with camera for reconnaissance or recreation and network for operating the same - A ball-shaped camera thrown or projected into an airborne trajectory, and an image capture system with network devices collaborating for the purpose of generating panoramic images and video sourced from network ball cameras, and ball cameras capable of capturing stable image and video while spinning, spiraling or precessing through a trajectory. | 08-15-2013 |
20130242041 | Ball with camera for reconnaissance or recreation - A thrown or projected ball-shaped camera for capturing video and still images over the arc of its airborne trajectory is disclosed. Improvements include an orientation sensor for determining the camera's orientation in flight; an embedded processing unit for triggering an image capture in response to the camera's orientation; an embedded processing unit for rotating a captured image in response to the camera's orientation; and an embedded processing unit for stitching a plurality of captured images. Also disclosed is a ball-shaped camera having multiple embedded cameras for capturing a spherical panoramic image. | 09-19-2013 |
20130250047 | Throwable camera and network for operating the same - A camera thrown or projected into an airborne trajectory, and an image capture system with network devices collaborating for the purpose of generating panoramic images and video sourced from network cameras thrown or projected in independent trajectories, and cameras capable of capturing stable image and video from spinning, spiraling and precessing apertures, and a throwable cameras streamlined in response to aerodynamic forces acting on respective housings. | 09-26-2013 |
20140097321 | Portable multi-purpose mast for rapid, secure attachment to unsteady, inclined and irregular surfaces - A portable mast capable of supporting a payload that can be fastened to and detached from an unsteady, inclined or irregular surface of attachment. The improvements include a tensioning cable which exerts pressure on the base of the mast in opposition to the surface of attachment, a guide protecting the cable from abrasion, means for adjusting and retaining tension in the cable when the mast is fastened to the surface of attachment, a base capable of housing the fastener to protect the fastener from corrosion and tampering, a base allowing attachment to and pass-through of existing cords crossing the surface of attachment, and a base having resilient compression to conform to an irregular surface of attachment while maintaining pressure between the base and surface of attachment created by tensioning of the cable. Also disclosed is a mast with mechanical means for increasing cable tension in order to secure its tripod base to a surface of attachment. Also disclosed is a mast which can house standardized electronic components required by a variety of payloads, two masts which are capable of communicating with each other to synchronize the movement and operation of payloads, means for passing electronic signals from the surface of attachment through the mast to the payload, and a remote control for electronic communication with a transceiver housed within a mast to control the operations or movement of a payload. | 04-10-2014 |