#Industry (Production, process)
Boeing's Winglets, Sandia's Robot Hands Among 5 Patents This Week
There are thousands of patents issued each week, and each Tuesday, the Official Gazette for Patents publishes them online. While one of them may be the next big thing, others just make us laugh
Here are some of our favorite patents from this week:
Performance-Enhancing Winglet
Boeing’s patent describes a “winglet system for an aircraft wing that may include an upper winglet and a lower winglet mounted to a wing tip.” Winglets are used to reduce drag by increasing the length of the trailing edge of the wing.
In the patent’s specifications, Boeing cites the need for a device that “may reduce the induced drag of a wing without increasing wing bending.” Additionally, the flutter characteristics of the wing must be minimized. “Furthermore, there exists a need in the art for a wing tip device that does not require the addition of ballast to overcome the inertial effects of a winglet on the flutter characteristics of the wing.”
Boeing also applied for the “methods and systems for incorporating translating backplanes to facilitate wire separation.”
Apparatus for Increasing the Visibility of an Aircraft Winglet
While winglets may decrease drag, they are also hard to see from the cockpit, according to the patent filed by the Aviation Applications Corporation. The solution? “A saddle piece configured to fit on top of a winglet.”
This “saddle piece” would include “a horizontal strap to fit around the trailing edge of the winglet, an anchor member comprising a horizontal strap configured to fit around a trailing edge of the winglet, and an adjustable strap connecting the saddle piece to the anchor member.”
(Just look at the picture).
Robotic Hand with Modular Extensions
“This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE.AC04-94AL85000 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government has certain rights in this invention.”
And that is quite the introduction.
Sandia’s patent for a robotic hand with modular extensions, however this bot would have a specific job.
The patent explains, “Robotics have been deployed to disarm IEDs; however, conventional robotics are prohibitively expensive. For instance, a conventional robotic device that is suitable for disarming IEDs may cost millions of dollars.”
To help it do its job, the robotic device has “a frame that comprises a plurality of receiving regions that are configured to receive a respective plurality of modular robotic extensions.”
These extensions can be removed “by way of respective mechanical fuses.”
Self-Tightening Shoe
This one has been a dream since Back to the Future.
Simply put, this shoe, and its sole, automatically tighten “to a preset level of tightness that has been stored in memory.”
An electronic logic device is coupled to the battery and each strap tightener to produce the control signal that shortens or lengthens as needed. According to the patent, “The strap tightener may be an electric motor powered by the battery or, as in the case of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,322 it may be a shape memory element.”
The logic device would “preferably” include a programmed microprocessor connected to a non-volatile memory. The battery would be attached or built into the shoe's sole. To recharge, it would connect to a battery charger via an electric jack in the shoe, or by magnetic induction.
Well done, patent appliacnt, George Torres.
Adjustable Flossing Mouthpiece
While some patents are the things of our dreams, others are those of our nightmares, and this particular design is leaning towards the latter.
Joshua Sahoo’s adjustable flossing mouthpiece may clean each tooth simultaneously, but it seems to be solving a probably that doesn’t exist. The world will continue to turn even if we're flossing by hand, one tooth after the other.
In other patent news this week, GM was also approved for an electric all-wheel drive vehicle powertrain, and Honda for an electric straddled vehicle.
The best nonsensical patent – which I would never use, as a somewhat self-respecting golfer – this foldable tee.
What I would most definitely use, due to my hatred for milk, is this brilliant partitioned cereal bowl.
I also recommend starting your weekend early with this mobile celebration device, or if you can’t make it that long, send for help with this emergency balloon system.
