Aeronautics and astronautics – Kites – Accessories
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-15
2001-07-17
Eldred, J. Woodrow (Department: 3644)
Aeronautics and astronautics
Kites
Accessories
C244S15500A, C242S389000, C242S405000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260803
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to reel, spool and wench-winding mechanisms, and more particularly to tether winding mechanisms used in connection with kites.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hand-held control assemblies associated with lightweight airborne devices such as kites, model airplanes and similar airfoils usually comprise one or more reels upon which tethers are wound or unwound as part of various control maneuvers. These devices necessarily include a handle for support as well as additional hand cranks or other graspable implements for activating one or more reels. Specimens of the prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,129 Kinsey, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,567 Post. The rewinding of one or more tethers requires considerable effort, yet this rewinding must be done with a single hand since the other hand is necessarily supporting the device. Moreover, when the two reels are independently mounted as in Post above, the tethers cannot be rewound simultaneously as is often required during the control of a mulit-tether kite.
The braking of certain kites requires a differential recoiling of the tethers controlling the leading and trailing edges of the kite upon synchronized pairs of reels in which the reel trailing edges of tether must lag the recoil of the leading edge tether reel. Thus, compounding the aforesaid rewinding difficulties.
Kites and other free-flying airfoils are also used to provide a towing force to water skiers, surfers, as well as riders of some wheeled land vehicles. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,182 Roeseler et al., the kite control apparatus, in such case, can be complex, and particularly awkward, if not impossible, to support with a single hand when the other hand is busy activating the tether rewinding mechanism.
The instant invention results from an attempt in improving the controllability of single as well as multi-tethered kites, and other such free-flying airfoils.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The principal and secondary objects of this invention are to provide a multi-reel tether winding device suitable for controlling the flight of a kite or similar free-flying airfoil by providing a versatile and accurate winding and unwinding of each tether while keeping a stable supporting control of the entire mechanism.
These and other valuable objects are achieved by the coupling two pairs of tether winding reels to a spool-and-rachet winding mechanism which is driven by the unwinding of a pull-strap or string attached to the belt or torso of the operator whereby the winding mechanism is activated by repetitively moving the kite control mechanism away from and toward the body. In each pair, one of the reels carries the tether attached to the leading edge of the kite, and the other tether is attached to the trailing edge. A controlled slippage between the leading edge and trailing edge spool-and-rachet assembly and edge reels allow for a controlled retrieve and braking of the kite.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3355129 (1967-11-01), Kinsey
patent: 3421722 (1969-01-01), May et al.
patent: 3630464 (1971-12-01), Fagan
patent: 3807672 (1974-04-01), Williams
patent: 4129273 (1978-12-01), Hill
patent: 4172567 (1979-10-01), Post
patent: 4452161 (1984-06-01), McCoy
patent: 4821976 (1989-04-01), Nakashima
patent: 5190237 (1993-03-01), Fagan
patent: 5277350 (1994-01-01), Thornbury, Jr.
patent: 5366182 (1994-11-01), Kiteski
patent: 5417390 (1995-05-01), Southwick
patent: 6145789 (2000-11-01), Matlin et al.
Buchaca John D.
Charmasson Henri J. A.
Eldred J. Woodrow
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