Other

Columbia Sportswear North America, Inc.

Airguide Instrument Company

Craig D Gates

Michael E “Woody” Blackford

Jeffrey Thomas Mergy

Wayne Alan Skankey

Edward J Hollowed

Ronald E Wiggerman

Dale L Habbley

Michael "Woody" E Blackford

Disclosed are cooling materials for clothing and other body gear that may use a discontinuous pattern of highly absorbent polymers coupled to a base fabric that has a low resistance to moisture spread (e.g., a high wicking rate) and lower absorption properties compared to the highly absorbent polymer elements, to manage moisture (e.g., sweat) and body heat. The absorbance of the highly absorbent polymers is greater than that of the base fabric, such as at least two times greater, and the highly absorbent polymer elements may be non-endothermic.

Cooling material

Provided herein are ecologically friendly waterproof fabrics that include a base fabric having a body-facing surface and an outward-facing surface, and a hydrophobic, waterproof barrier disposed on the outward-facing surface of the base fabric. The base fabric may be a wicking fabric or may be treated with a compound that enhances wicking, and the hydrophobic, waterproof barrier may include a plastic polymer, polyurethane, polyethylene, and/or polytetrafluoroethylene. The waterproof fabrics also may include an abrasion-resistant coating and/or a PFC-free durable water repellant (DWR) agent disposed on an outward-facing surface of the hydrophobic, waterproof barrier, and one or both of the abrasion-resistant coating and/or PFC-free DWR agent may be discontinuous. Also provided are methods of making a waterproof fabric.

Fabric having a waterproof barrier

A hearing protection system including an earplug moveably displaceable in a plane covering an ear of a user from an open position to a closed position in response to a signal received from a trigger mechanism. When in the open position, the earplug is positioned adjacent to the ear of the user to allow the user to hear ambient sound at an unchanged volume. When in the closed position, the earplug is positioned over the ear of the user to at least partly block the ambient sound and allow the user to hear the ambient sound at a reduced volume that is less than the unchanged volume.

Hearing protection systems

Provided herein are waterproof fabrics that include a base fabric having a body-facing surface and an outward-facing surface, and a hydrophobic, waterproof barrier disposed on the outward-facing surface of the base fabric, a seam through the waterproof fabric, and a waterproof tape disposed on an outward-facing surface of the hydrophobic, waterproof barrier and aligned to seal the seam against water ingress. The base fabric may be a wicking fabric or may be treated with a compound that enhances wicking, and the hydrophobic, waterproof barrier may include a plastic polymer, polyurethane, polyethylene, and/or polytetrafluoroethylene. The waterproof fabrics also may include an abrasion-resistant coating and/or a durable water repellant (DWR) agent disposed on an outward-facing surface of the hydrophobic, waterproof barrier, and one or both of the abrasion-resistant coating and/or DWR agent may be discontinuous. Also provided are methods of making a waterproof fabric.

A releasable water ski binding system includes a trigger mechanism that causes releasable bindings to release a boot from a ski. The trigger mechanism senses a displacement of a portion of a body of a skier past a point of criticality and causes the releasable bindings to release the boot from the ski.

Releasable binding systems

A preferred embodiment of a firearm cartridge clip is disclosed, in which the clip has an elongated housing extending from an open top end to an enclosed bottom end defining an elongated cartridge storage chamber. The clip has a cartridge support seat mounted in the chamber above a separate elevator element. A chamber compression spring is mounted in the chamber between a base at the bottom end and the elevator element to urge the elevator element upward. A separate movement-restraining means is associated with the cartridge support seat to resist downward movement of the seat from the opening at the top end. The clip has a loading facilitating means for selectively rendering the compression spring ineffective to urge the seat upward to thereby reduce the manual effort required to load the clip.

Firearm cartridge clip

A preferred embodiment of a combination boat lift and dock 10 is described having two spaced pontoons with an intermediate boat support 18. Pivot arm structures 20, 22 pivotally interconnect the boat support 18 with the pontoons. A drive mechanism 24 is connected to the pivot arm structures 20, 22 for pivoting the arm structures downward and inward to move at least one of the pontoons laterally inward toward the other pontoon to raise the boat support to lift a stored boat out of the water. The drive mechanism 24 is also designed to pivot the arm structures upward and outward to move at least one of the pontoons away form the other pontoon to lower the boat support 18 and lowering the boat into the water. The arm structures are pivotally connected to the underside of the pontoons. The dock 10 further includes a pontoon stabilizing mechanism 26 for preventing the pontoons from rocking or tilting.

Combination boat lift and dock

An apparatus, according to the invention, detects the relative speed of the apparatus with respect to the fluid into which it extends. The apparatus includes a streamlined body portion having an upper end, a lower end, a front edge, a back edge, and a pair of sides. A conduit extends through the body portion and is exposed to the fluid at an orifice located beneath the fluid line. The other end of the conduit is coupled to a pressure transducer which produces an output proportional to the pressure acting on the orifice and thus proportional to the speed of the apparatus relative to the fluid. This apparatus can be connected to an appropriate speedometer and is particularly useful for measuring the speed of a watercraft to which the apparatus is mounted.

Marine velocity detection device with channel to wash out debris

A marine speedometer system is disclosed which utilizes a short pitot tube or air column. The speedometer system includes an inlet having a short air column, a transducer, a control circuit, and a display. The electric signal from the transducer is representative of the pressure in the short air column. The control circuit preferably utilizes a microprocessor and a look-up table to generate a display signal in response to an electric signal from the transducer. The look-up table includes T-Buoy values and count values. The count values are used to drive a frequency signal for an air core meter. The display provides a needle and a metered background which is easy to read. The microprocessor is coupled to receive calibrate up and calibrate down signals. The microprocessor causes the needle to jump when it receives a signal to provide feedback to the driver. The microprocessor includes an auto zero subroutine which automatically calibrates the speedometer at start up.

Growing community of inventors

Mead, WA, United States of America

Craig D Gates