Pinwheel

• US 6,716,082 B1
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hai-Lung Chen Pan
• Original Assignee: Hai-Lung Chen Pan
• Inventors: Chen Pan, Hai-Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, JAMILA O
• Assistant Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Application Number:
  US10/317,459
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 446/217, 446/218, 446/236, 446/243, 446/266, 404/40, 404/79, 404/12, 404/22, 731/700.5
• US Class Current: 446/217
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/40 Windmills; Other toys actuated by air currents driving mechanisms for toy figures or vehicles A63H29/16

Abstract

A pinwheel has a rod, a shaft and multiple blade elements. The blade elements are rotatably attached to the shaft, and each blade element has a cutout so as to define a passage for wind passing therethrough in the blade element. In such a pinwheel, the blade elements can be actuated to rotate in any direction of wind passing through the pinwheel. In addition, multiple layers of blade elements can be mounted in the shaft to make the appearance of the pinwheel versatile.

Claims

1. A pinwheel comprising:

a rod having a top;

a shaft attached to the rod near the top of the rod and having a free end;

a sleeve with two ends and rotatably mounted around the shaft; and

multiple first blade elements securely attached to the sleeve, and each first blade element having two ends respectively connected to the two ends of the sleeve, respectively, so as to be rotatably connected to the shaft through the sleeve, with a cutout defined in the first blade element to define a passage in the first blade element for wind passing through the passage.

2. The pinwheel as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a knob securely attached to the free end of the shaft to hold the sleeve with the first blade elements in position.

3. The pinwheel as claimed in claim 1 further comprising multiple second blade elements attached to the sleeve and received in the cutouts of the first blade elements.

4. The pinwheel as claimed in claim 3, wherein each second blade element has a cutout to define a passage in the second blade element for wind passing through the passage.