US3193224A - Kite construction - Google Patents

Description

July 6, 1965 R. L. WILLIAMSON KITE GONSTRUCT ION '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8, 1963 FIG. 3

34 IN VEN TOR.

ROGER L. WILLIAMSON BY W/W HIS ATTORNEY July 6, 1965 R. L. WILLlAMSON 3,193,224

KITE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ROGER L. WlLLIAMSON HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,193,224 EGNSTRUETIGN Roger L. Williamson, 2377' East 3595 South, Salt Lake Qity, Utah Filed Niel. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 263,771 1 Claim. (Ci. asa -res The present invention relates to kite constructions and, more particularly, to a new and improved box kite construction which is of a collapsible type, easily manipulated for flight condition, versatile in night in the trim means provided, inexpensive to manufacture, and which may be collapsed such that the same, when collapsed, will require a minimum space for storage or packaging.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a foldable or collapsible box kite construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a box kite construction having appropriate, resilient trim means for regulating kite orientation with respect to line direction so that wind lift thereof may be controlled automatically.

- A further object of the invention is to provide a box kite construction of a collapsible nature wherein a collapsible, umbrella-type of construction will be utilized at opposite ends of the kite to facilitate easy manipulation of the same for true ilight condition.

A further object of the invention is to provid a box kite construction wherein umbrella-type collars are easily fabricated and appropriately modified for light-weight kite constructions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a box kite construction wherein appropriate detent means is supplied for counteracting opposing forces of radial thrust of the umbrella sections of the kite.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a box kite construction according to the present invention, shown therein in true flight condition.

FIGURE 2 is a Side elevation of the box kite construction of FIGURE 1, where-in the box kite is shown partially collapsed.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the box kite of FIG- URES 1 and 2 wherein the same has been fully collapsed and the sails thereof secured together as by rubber bands.

FIGURE 4A is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the arcuate line 4A4A in FIGURE 1, illustrating the umbrella-type collar construction which is used in the present invention at two places.

FIGURE 43 is an enlarged detail, taken along the line 4-B-4B in FIGURE 2, of the structure of FIGURE 4A when the same is in locked condition by virtue of the detent incorporated, so that the kite construction can be disposed and be retained in true flight condition.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged detail taken along the areaate line 5-5 in FIGURE 1, illustrating the hinged connection of the outwardly extending, lateral brace members of the construct-ion to their respective corner poles.

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to FIGURE 2 but illustrates a second embodiment of the invention wherein the direction of collapsing of the two umbrella sections is the reverse of that shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary section of the structure of FIGURE 2 at its medial area, illustrating a modification of the invention wherein the collars of the kite construction are fixed to the center pole, of the kite, and

the latter comprises a telescoping component including a self-contained de-tent which, as shown in FIGURE 7, is disposed in its detent action condition so as to retain the kite in true flight condition.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary section of the structure, and similar to FIGURE 7, when the same has been collapsed so that the detent is disposed within one of the telescoping sections of the center pole.

In FIGURE 1 the box kite construction It? is shown to include a plurality of corner poles 11 which are mutually collapsible together and which accommodate sails 13 and 14, secured thereto as by an adhesive, the latter being of cloth, paper or plastic, and preferably being enclosed, two in number, and peripherally containing the corner poles 11. The sails are, of course, collapsible and, as indicated in FIGURE 3, may be completely collapsed and the ends of the construction retained in collapsed condition by rubber bands 15 and 16. Returning to FIGURE 1, it is seen that there will be included a center pole 17 which is disposed medially with respect to theseveral corner poles i1 and which centrally pass through (or are afixed to) collars 18 and 19 of the construction. As illustrated in FIGURE 43, the collars 1% and 19 may be of substantially identical construction, having central aperture 29 accommodating center pole I7, and also having longitudinal slots 21 disposed upon. each of the four sides 22, and transverse, aligned recesses 23 disposed about the periphery thereof.

A plurality of outwardly extending, lateral brace members 24 have their outer extremities 25 secured to the respective corner poles Ill in a hinged-type connection. This is facilitated by elongate strips 26 and 27, the former being secured to the end 23 and side 29 0f brace member 24 and the latter simply secured to the remaining side 30 of brace member 2 3. Both of the elongate strips 27 and 23, for each of the junctions of the respective brace members 24 and corner poles 11, may he identical, with the elongate strips 26 and 27 simply being gummed tape, merely by way of example.

As to the lateral brace members 24, FIGURE 43 illustratcs that the same preferably includes notches 31 on one side thereof and rounded corners 32 on the remaining side thereof, with the latter being disposed against the center pole 17 (or the base of slot 21), and with the notches 31 and recesses 23 being aligned so as to accommodate the placement of a taut, elongate circular means 32, such as a rubber band or thread, to complete the umbrella-type hinge connection of collars lit; and 19. FIGURES 4A and 4B illustrate this construction,

The umbrella sections A and B of the kite construction may be substantially identical; the detent as at 34 is to secure the structure in open flight condition against compression, and hence reverse forces produced, in the brace members 24 by virtue of the taut condition of sails l3 and 14. One suitable detent is illustrated in F-IG URE 43 by the split, center pole detent finger 34 which may be collapsed against the rest of center pole 17 so as to proceed through central aperture 2% of collar 19 and travel on the opposite side thereof as illustrated in FIGURE 2. When the kite construction is being erected, then the collar 19 in FIGURE 2 will be slid outwardly upon center pole 17 so that the detent may be activated as seen in FIGURE 4B.

In FIGURE 6, a second embodiment of the invention, is shown wherein, instead of the collapsing of the kite construct-ion being accomplished by an inward, mutual movement of the collars 13 and 1-9 as in FIGURE 2, the collapsing thereof is accomplished by an outward movement of collars 18 and H. In FIGURE 2, it is desired that the collar 18 be securely aflixed as by gluing for example to the center pole 17, whereas the collar 19 supplied with a detent finger 37.

a 3 will be slideably disposed upon center pole 17 and be adapted to slide back and forth. In FIGURE 6 the same structural conditions will hold true, notwithstanding the fact that the detent in the form of depressible fingers 34', of center pole 17 is now disposed such that a movement together of the collars 18 and 19 produces a locking of the detent by detent finger 34 engaging collar 19, for true flight condition as illustrated in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate yet another embodiment of the invention wherein a center pole 17' includes telescoping members 35 and 36, the innermost member being In such event, the collars 13 and 19 may be afiixed to the respective telescoping members 35 and 36, whereas the pole may simply be extended outwardly so as to accomplish the out ward thrusting of lateral brace members 24, for true flight condition of the structure.

In all of the embodiments illustrated, it will be noted that the umbrella-type construction that both halves A and B of the kite facilitate an easy erection of the kite to flight condition and, correspondingly, afford very small packaging of the box kite for storage or shipment. 7

In connection with the box kite, an interesting and very useful construction is shown in FIGURE 1, in connection with the elongate line 38 in FIGURE 1 and which is shown in fragmentary view, and the resilient, trim elongate connector 39 which spans the juncture between the bottommost corner pole 11 and elongate connector line 38. For convenience, the resilient trim means 39 may be of rubber and may be knotted at .40 to elongate line 3-8 and secured in place by tape 41 to rod 11 so as to be retained in place.

The purpose for the resilient trim means or elongate connector 39 is as follows. For a given wind velocity the kite will achieve a particular orientation with respect to the horizontal and also the kite string or line 38. If the velocity of the wind were to increase, then the lift on the kite might prove to be excessive, tending to damage the kite or break the string, for example. This is compensated for by an automatic lengthening of the resilient trim 39 so that the kite will achieve a more horizontal condition. lift on the kite, by consideration of force vectors, will be reduced, the tension on the kite string will be reduced, and the kite structure itself will be insured to be free from excessive wind damage. The resilient trim 39 has proven to serve as an automatic corrector of kite orientation so that wind velocity may be automatically compensated for. This has proved very useful and helpful, as shown in experimental work.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious Where such takes eifect thcnl the to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claim is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

, A box kite construction including, in combination, a plurality of parallel, corner poles, sail means affixed to said corner poles, a center pole disposed medially with in said corner poles, a pair of sets of outwardly extending, lateral brace members having outer extremities hingedly affixed to said corner poles, respectively, and a pair of collar means hingedly. receiving and securing, respectively, the remaining extremities of said sets of lateral brace members in respective umbrella-type connections, said corner poles, center. pole, lateral brace members, and sail means being so constructed and arranged that the altering of relative disposition ofsaid collars in one direction, as delimited by the size of said sail means, extends said lateral brace members and the said corner poles to which they are afiixed outwardly so as to render in open condition said sail means, and that, subsequently, the altering of relative disposition of said collars in a reverse direction collapses said lateral members and, consequently, said corner poles and sail means, said center pole being provided with detent means for releasably iretaining said sail means in open condition when desired, and wherein each of said collars has a central aperture receiving said center pole and a plurality of side slots receiving said remaining extremities of the respective sets of said lateral brace members, said remaining extremities being provided with respective notches on their outer sides, and with rounded corners on their remaining sides, the latter fitting into said slots, each of said collars being provided with exterior, transverse, mutually aligned recesses arranged in a transverse peripheral pattern with each other 'and aligned with said notches of said lateral brace members, and taut, elongate means respectively circumferentially disposed in said notches of said lateral brace member sets and said recesses in'said collars, respectively, for hingedly retaining 'said remaining extremities of said lateral brace members to and within said slots of said FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

Images