US3128974A - - Google Patents

Description

Ap 1964 P. v. TEAGUE, JR

KITE

7 Filed April 24, 1962 P405 FIE/1675,11?-

INVENTOR.

O [I M94465? United States Patent 3,128,974 KITE Paul V. Teague, Jr., 6705 General Custer, Wichita Falls, Tex. Filed Apr. 24, 1962, Scr. No. 189,797 Claims. (Cl. 244-453) This invention relates to improvements in kites and more particularly to kites of one-pice monolithic construction of formaceous material, which material is light in Weight and presents a wind reacting surface which will enable the kite to fly without a tail, and which, when viewed from certain directions, simulates a space capsule such as used by astronauts.

Various kites have been proposed heretofore, but these for the most part, were made with a framework and covered with paper or the like. Kites made in this manner require considerable patience to construct, are fragile and easily damaged by falling or darting against the ground, and many such kites require tails for stabilization.

The present kite is made of a formaceous material, which material is known to the trade as expandable polystyrene foam, which material has a density of about one pound per cubic foot, but has substantial rigidity when molded into a form to withstand impacts, which kites made of lightweight framework and sticks would not withstand.

An object of this invention is to provide a kite of a light weight formaceous material which may be readily molded into a shape to fly, without the necessity of using a tail.

Another object of the invention is to provide a kite of a formaceous material which may be readily molded into a single self-sustaining unit, which is so shaped and so balanced that it will readily fly in stable condition without the use of a tail.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a kite which is simple in construction, which may be formed rather inexpensively in a mold, and which will nest with similar kites in a minimum of space, so as to conserve space in storage and shipping.

With these objects in mind and others which will become manifest as the description proceeds, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters designate like elements in the several views thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of the kite in flight, showing a bridle arrangement therefor;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the kite with a portion broken away and a portion shown in section to bring out the details of construction;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the kite, showing the bridle cord thereon.

With more detailed reference to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates generally a kite which is formed as a unit from formaceous material, which kite, in accordance with the present teaching, is so shaped as to simulate a space capsule, when viewed from certain directions, when the kite is in flight.

With respect to the front of the kite taken on a longi tudinal medial line 2, the body portion thereof slopes outwardly and rearwardly, with the upper portion of the kite being relatively narrow and having sides 4 parallel with the medial line 2. The upper portion slopes inwardly and upwardly from the sides 4 to form a relatively flat, angular top 6. The lower portion of the kite has sides 8 sloping downwardly and outwardly from the lower ends of parallel sides 4 until a maximum width is reached near the lower portion of the body of the kite. The lower ends of lines 8 are tangential to rounded corners 10. The

3,128,974 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 lower end portions 12 of the kite are tangential with the arcuate surface 14 and extend downward and inward, and are tangential with the rounded lower end 14, which when viewed from the front or from the rear of the kite, simulates a space capsule in flight. A weight 16 is molded integral with the kite and forms a stabilizer therefor, when flown in heavy winds. Spaced apart eyelets 18 and 20 are positioned on medial line 2 and extend outward on the forward side of the kite, to which eyelet cords 22 and 24 are secured. The cords 22 and 24 are secured together as indicated at 26 to form a bridle so as to maintain the kite at a substantially fixed angle when flown in the air so that the wind will give the correct thrust to the kite to propel the kite into the air. A cord or string 28 is secured to the bridle at 26.

The kite, when viewed from the side as indicated in FIG. 3, is convex along the medial line 2, which gives to the kite stability in flight. The kite, made of expandable, polystyrene foam, has a normal size of about twenty-seven inches in length and twenty-one inches in Width at the widest point, and will Weigh approximately two ounces, if weighted, and less than two ounces if not weighted. The kite will fly and perform nicely in an unweighted condition in mild to moderate winds; however in high winds, a kite with a weight therein will maintain a steadier flight than the same kind of kite without the weight. The weight 16 is molded within the thickness of the formaceous material, near the lower end thereof, so as to maintain the smaller end of the kite in upright position. A kite of the above size preferably has the sides 4 and 8 extending rearwardly from 2 to 6 inches, with the preferred optimum being about four inches viewed from the top as shown in FIG. 3.

It is preferable that the kite has a convex or rounded forward face of from three-quarters of an inch to two and one-half inches along the medial line 2 from a point mediate the ends of the kite. The bridle cords 22 and 24 may be varied in relative length to change the angularity of the kite in flight in accordance with the wind velocity. The thickness of material of a kite of this size and character is preferably about three-quarters of an inch, and due to the consrtuction of the angulated face of the kite and of the curve of the kite along the medial line on the leading edge thereof the kite will withstand considerable wind pressure and fly with amazing stability.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An astronaut capsule kite of formaceous material and of monolithic construction, which kite comprises, a single piece of formaceous material having a pair of side faces disposed at an angle to form an apex and meeting along a longitudinal, medial line on the forward, wind receiving side of the kite, an area of less air exposure above a transverse medial line than below said transverse medial line, anchor means secured to said formaceous material on said longitudinal, medial line on the apex of said kite above and below a transverse medial line, cords secured to said anchor means and extending outward from the apex and being joined together to maintain said kite at a predetermined upwardly and forwardly inclined angle when in flight in the air, and a further cord leading from said first mentioned cords to allow said kite to maintain said predetermined angle when in flight in the air.

2. An astronaut capsule kite of formaceous material and of monolithic construction as defined in claim 1; wherein said kite has a weight embedded within said formaceous material near the lower end thereof.

3. A kite of formaceous material and of monolithic construction as defined in claim 1; wherein said kite, when viewed from the front facing thereof, is of a shape to simulate a longitudinal section through a space capsule.

4. A kite of formaceous material and of monolithic construction as defined in claim 1 wherein the longitudinal medial line, which joins the two angular faces, curves rearwardly at both top and bottom from a medial point on the longitudinal medial line on the wind receiving face.

5. A captively fiown kite which is of greater length than width, which kite is of formaceous material and of monolithic construction, which kite comprises, a single piece of formaceous material having a pair of side faces disposed at an angle to form an apex, which faces meet along a longitudinal, medial line on the forward, wind receiving side of the kite, an area of less air exposure above a transverse medial line than below said transverse medial line, anchor means secured to said formaceous material of said kite above and below said transverse medial line, cords secured to said anchor means and extending outward from the apex and being joined together to maintain said kite at a predetermined upwardly and forwardly inclined angle when in flight in the air, and a further cord leading from said first mentioned cords to allow said kite to maintain said predetermined angle when in flight in the air.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,631,798 Guercio Mar. 17, 1953 2,744,291 Stastny et al. May 8, 1956 2,813,053 Tuomala Nov. 12, 1957 3,022,966 Briggs Feb. 27, 1962

Claims (1)

1. AN ASTRONAUT CAPSULE KITE OF FORMACEOUS MATERIAL AND OF MONOLITHIC CONSTRUCTION, WHICH KITE COMPRISES, A SINGLE PIECE OF FORMACEOUS MATERIAL HAVING A PAIR OF SIDE FACES DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO FORM AN APEX AND MEETING ALONG A LONGITUDINAL, MEDIAL LINE ON THE FORWARD, WIND RECEIVING SIDE OF THE KITE, AN AREA OF LESS AIR EXPOSURE ABOVE A TRANSVERSE MEDIAL LINE THAN BELOW SAID TRANSVERSE MEDIAL LINE, ANCHOR MEANS SECURED TO SAID FORMACEOUS MATERIAL ON SAID LONGITUDINAL, MEDIAL LINE ON THE APEX OF SAID KITE ABOVE AND BELOW A TRANSVERSE MEDIAL LINE, CORDS SECURED TO SAID ANCHOR MEANS AND EXTENDING OUTWARD FROM THE APEX AND BEING JOINED TOGETHER TO MAINTAIN SAID KITE AT A PREDETERMINED UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED ANGLE WHEN IN FLIGHT IN THE AIR, AND A FURTHER CORD LEADING FROM SAID FIRST MENTIONED CORDS TO ALLOW SAID KITE TO MAINTAIN SAID PREDETERMINED ANGLE WHEN IN FLIGHT IN THE AIR.

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