The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 01, 2000
Filed:
Oct. 06, 1998
W Daniel Hillis, Toluca Lake, CA (US);
The Long Now Foundation, Sausalito, CA (US);
Abstract
A design is for a Congreve-style clock that keeps time more accurately, i.e. that is insensitive to minor variations in friction on the ball, in which the depth of each groove in the inclined plane varies along its length so that the path of the ball approximates a cycloid on each traversal. The grooves provide alternating paths that overlap such that the distance that the ball travels varies with the speed of the ball. In such system, increased friction causes the ball to move more slowly, but because the slower ball also follows a shorter path, the time required to reach the bottom of the inclined plane remains the same. Similarly, decreased friction causes the ball to travel more quickly, but a faster moving balls takes a longer path.