Other

Brunswick Corporation

Bombardier Motor Corporation of America

Takata Corporation

Armstrong Cork Company

James R Jones

Joseph R Finn

Kirk Jensen

Michael W Freitag

Paul E Westhoff

Peter P Grinwald

Richard M McChesney

Peter A Christie

Walter T Bulson

Carl G Schott

Robert Bruce Lyon

Georgia Jones

Richard P Christians

Rick P Christians

Carl C Abrams, Deceased

Bernice Abrams, Administratrix

A vertically rotating chair assembly for rotating a child includes a plate. A pair of supports is coupled singly to opposing edges of the plate. The supports extend substantially vertically from the plate. An axle is rotatably coupled to and extends between the supports distal from the plate. A pair of flanges is coupled singly proximate to opposing ends of the axle. A plurality of crossbars is coupled to and extends between the flanges proximate to circumferences of the flanges. A seat, which is configured to position a child, is rotatably coupled to a respective crossbar. An actuator is coupled to an outside face of a respective support. The actuator is operationally coupled to the axle. The actuator is positioned to motivate rotation of the axle such that the flanges, the crossbars, the seat and a child positioned in the seat rotate vertically around the axle.

Vertically rotating chair assembly

A method and an apparatus for braking a jet-propelled boat. The method comprises the steps of deploying a reverse gate and then opening a throttle of an engine in response to actuation of a brake pedal. The system comprises an engine having a throttle, a water jet propulsion system, a reverse gate, a brake pedal, and a mechanical system for deploying the reverse gate and then opening the throttle in response to the brake pedal being actuated by the boat operator. The reverse gate is deployed when the brake pedal is moved from a first position to a second position and the throttle is opened as the brake pedal is moved from the second position to a third position.

Braking system for jet-propelled boat

A device and method for inserting rivets. The device and method allows for accurate, consistent installation of threaded blind rivets. The device comprises a rivet insert tool, a rivet insert shaft, and a sleeve through which the shaft passes. This provides significant accuracy to less accurate rivet inserting devices.

Tool for securing threaded inserts

A water jet propulsion system has a flow-through housing with an impeller section, a convergent section having a discharge aperture, and a cup-shaped extension. An impeller is rotatable within the impeller section of the housing. A steering nozzle is pivotably mounted inside the cup-shaped extension for pivoting about an axis. The steering nozzle has an inlet opening with a width greater than its height, a laterally convergent section extending rearward from the inlet opening, and an outlet opening. Preferably the outlet opening of the steering nozzle is generally circular. The steering nozzle has a second section having a passage which is generally cylindrical or slightly convergent. The second section ends at the outlet opening. A support post extends radially outward from the steering nozzle, and a steering arm extends laterally and forward from the support post. A portion of the steering arm extends outside of and overhangs a portion of the cup-shaped extension. The steering nozzle, support post and steering arm are formed as one cast piece.

Low-profile steering nozzle for water jet propulsion system

A single use glue dispensing package including a plurality of individual packets removably coupled together to form a single sheet. Each of the individual packets have a free outer edge and opposed side edges. Each of the packets have a pouch formed therein. Each pouch holds a small quantity of glue therein, and is lined with a preservative for preventing the glue from hardening while in the pouch. Each pouch has tapered outer ends abutting the free outer edge of the of the packets. The free outer edge is formed with a lateral perforation whereby the removal of the free outer edge will open the tapered outer ends of the pouches to allow the glue to be removed therefrom.

Single use glue dispensing package

A jet-propelled boat has a hull, a mounting adapter mounted to the hull, a water jet propulsion system mounted to the mounting adapter, and seals arranged at the interface of the hull and the mounting adapter. The seals are made of a vibration isolation material such as rubber. The mounting adapter has a mounting flange which opposes a portion of the hull transom. A first seal is a generally planar layer of flexible vibration isolation material arranged between and in contact with the transom and the mounting flange. The mounting adapter also has an inlet housing which sits inside an inlet ramp formed in the hull. The inlet ramp has a recess for receiving a leading portion of the inlet housing. A second seal is a bead of flexible vibration isolation material placed in the recess. The bead sits between and in contact with the inlet ramp and the leading portion of the inlet housing. The first and second seals are preferably formed as a single molded piece, with the seals being connected by strips formed during molding.

Vibration isolation for mounting water jet propulsion unit to hull

A jet-propelled boat having an inboard motor and a hull which incorporates an inlet ramp penetrated by a driven shaft. The driven shaft couples a drive shaft of the inboard motor to an impeller of a water jet propulsion assembly which is mounted in cantilever fashion to the hull transom. The hull penetration is accomplished by a through-hull housing which is installed in an opening formed in the hull inlet ramp. Preferably the through-hull housing is made of thick metal plate with a transverse linear bore for shaft penetration and a peripheral flange which seats in a peripheral recess formed along the edge of the opening in the inlet ramp. The through-hull housing is clamped to the recessed hull edge, which forms the opening in the inlet ramp, by an annular clamp plate. An inlet grate extending from the outboard surface of the through-hull housing. A through-hull housing and inlet grate assembly is installed in the hull opening as a module.

Jet-propelled boat having through-hull housing for shaft penetration

A water jet apparatus for a boat has a reverse gate optimized for braking. The reverse gate has a pair of flow-reversing passages for providing reverse thrust when the reverse gate is deployed and a lateral steering passage for directing flow, discharged to one side by the steering nozzle, to the opposite side. The flow-reversing passages start on opposite sides of a deflector body and curve outward and forward. The lateral steering passage is located aft of the deflector body and reversing passages and has discharge openings on opposite ends thereof, i.e., on the port and starboard sides of the reverse gate. The center of the aft wall of the reversing passages has an aperture, which allows water discharged from the steering nozzle to enter the steering passages. The deflector is situated in front of the aperture to deflect the pump discharge to the sides. The deflector takes the form of a flat body having an oval cross section with rounded side edges and having an hourglass shape when viewed from the front. Preferably, the deflector body has a vertically curved front surface, the curvature being centered at the pivot axis of the reverse gate.

Water jet propulsion system having reverse gate optimized for braking

A water jet apparatus mounted to a horizontal hull section and having a shift and steering control assembly which penetrates a hole in that hull section. The shift and steering control assembly has a modular lever and shaft subassembly which is installed in the inlet housing, before the inlet housing is installed in the hull. The modular lever and shaft assembly includes a shift and steering control housing mounted to the inlet housing and having respective bores for housing shift and steering shafts. Upper shift and steering levers are coupled to the upper ends of the shift and steering shafts respectively, while lower shift and steering levers are coupled to the lower ends of the shift and steering shafts respectively. Respective control cables are attached to the upper levers inside the hull; respective control rods for operating a steering nozzle and a reverse gate are attached to the lower levers outside the hull.

Shift and steering control system for water jet apparatus

A water jet apparatus has a reverse gate which allows a boat or other marine craft to be steered in reverse in the same manner as an automobile. The reverse gate accomplishes this by reversing the flow exiting the steering nozzle. When the steering nozzle is positioned to the left, causing the rearward exit flow to be directed to the left side of a midplane of the water jet apparatus, the reverse gate redirects that leftward and rearward flow so that it flows rightward and forward. Conversely, when the steering nozzle is positioned to the right, causing the rearward exit flow to be directed to the right side of the midplane, the reverse gate redirects that rightward and rearward flow so that it flows leftward and forward.

Reverse gate for water jet apparatus

A woodworking station is provided, in which cutting heads and cutting bits, e.g. routers, small-bodied rotary tools, plunge routers, and others, are either permanently or interchangeably positioned with respect to a tiltable and rotatable cutting table, such that the operator's hands are free to manipulate the wood being worked. The cutting heads can be raised and lowered by hand controls, or by a foot-controlled electric motor. Self-contained blowers are also included, providing for continuous and simultaneous sawdust removal. Directional lighting is also provided which directs light primarily to the cutting table and away from the operator's face.

Woodworking station

A powered lug wrench with adjustable stabilizing bar that is adjustably positionable to contact the roadbed and provide the necessary resistance to the turning of the powered wrench to undo the lug nuts from the lugs. The wrench includes a lug nut drive assembly and an adjustable stabilizing bar assembly. The adjustable stabilizing bar assembly includes a rigid stabilizing bar, a bar fitting rigidly attached to the rigid housing assembly and a knurled stabilizing bar lock screw. The bar fitting has a bar receiving passageway formed entirely therethrough sized to slidably receive the rigid stabilizing bar and a threaded lock screw aperture formed between a top surface of the bar fitting and the bar receiving passageway. The knurled stabilizing bar lock screw is companionately threaded to screw through the threaded lock screw aperture and into the bar receiving passageway to lock the stabilizing bar at a desired length.

Powered lug wrench with adjustable stabilizing bar

A control mechanism is provided for a jet propelled watercraft that enables an operator to engage and disengage a braking gate with hand pressure using a lever on the handlebar of the watercraft. Hydrodynamic assist devices are provided to assist the operator during the engagement and disengagement of the brake by counteracting both rejecting forces and retaining forces exerted on the gate by the stream of water ejected from the nozzle of the jet propulsion device. During initial insertion of the gate into the stream of water, a first hydrodynamic assist device counteracts the rejection forces otherwise exerted by the stream of water against a deflecting surface of the gate. After full deployment of the gate within the stream of water, a second hydrodynamic assist device opposes the retaining forces exerted on the gate and reduce the magnitude of the force necessary to be exerted by the operator to move the gate out of the stream of water and disengage the brake. Combinations of the two hydrodynamic assist devices can be tailored to result in an appropriate force profile necessary to be exerted by the operator during the engagement and disengagement procedures.

Braking system for a watercraft

A sun visor or other accessory for a motor vehicle. The sun visor includes a body made of rigid foam in which various structures (such as a support pin, detent and pivot arm) are insert molded. The foam has a rigidity which is sufficient to support said sun visor without requiring any additional reinforcing structures such as a support frame, support wire or centerboard. The pivot arm and detent are provided within a casing that prevents the foam from affecting the operation of the detent. Also insert molded into the body of the visor are mounts for an illuminated vanity. Terminals from a power supply are mounted in predetermined positions relative to the body so that when the vanity is mounted to the body, contacts coupled to a lamp and mounted to the vanity in predetermined positions, are caused engage the terminals.

Rigid foam visor

An automatic trim control system for a marine jet drive adjusts trim in response to water pressure in the jet drive duct immediately upstream of the impeller. The preferred system includes a mechanical actuator consisting of a spring biased link rod mounted to a resilient diaphragm located in an actuator housing. The diaphragm separates the chamber within the housing into a front portion and a rear portion. The front portion of the housing communicates through a water pressure tap line with the water pressure in the jet drive duct immediately upstream of the impeller. When the watercraft is traveling at high speeds on plane, water pressure in the jet drive duct is sufficient to push the diaphragm rearward against the spring biasing force, thus positioning the jet drive in a trim-up position. However, when the watercraft is accelerating at low speeds and the impeller is creating suction within the jet drive duct, water pressure within the front portion of the chamber of the actuator housing is insufficient to push the link rod against the spring biasing force and the jet drive remains in a trim-down position. Alternatively, a pressure sensor and an electronically controlled servomotor trim actuator can be used to carry out the invention.

Growing community of inventors

Neosho, WI, United States of America

James R Jones