Patents by Inventor John La Plante

John La Plante has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6884186
    Abstract: A game projectile dispensing device with a dispensing housing, a game projectile retaining member for retaining a plurality of game projectiles in a stack, first and second game projectile emission chutes, an actuating lever with a first arm for being engaged by a player and a second arm for engaging a game projectile whereby a player can press on the first arm of the actuating lever to induce the actuating lever to drive the lower-most projectile from the stack of game projectiles. A game projectile supply ramp can enable a player to select between emitting the game projectile from the first and second game projectile emission chutes. The game projectile supply ramp can be disposed below the game projectile retaining member whereby, when driven from the stack of game projectiles, a game projectile will drop onto the game projectile supply ramp for being dispensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: PlayHard Sports, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Fluckiger, David Fluckiger, Sherwood H. Aborn, Scott Burnett, John La Plante
  • Publication number: 20040082411
    Abstract: A game projectile dispensing device with a dispensing housing, a game projectile retaining member for retaining a plurality of game projectiles in a stack, first and second game projectile emission chutes, an actuating lever with a first arm for being engaged by a player and a second arm for engaging a game projectile whereby a player can press on the first arm of the actuating lever to induce the actuating lever to drive the lower-most projectile from the stack of game projectiles. A game projectile supply ramp can enable a player to select between emitting the game projectile from the first and second game projectile emission chutes. The game projectile supply ramp can be disposed below the game projectile retaining member whereby, when driven from the stack of game projectiles, a game projectile will drop onto the game projectile supply ramp for being dispensed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Applicant: PlayHard Sports, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Fluckiger, David Fluckiger, Sherwood H. Aborn, Scott Burnett, John La Plante
  • Patent number: 4929073
    Abstract: An optical element (10) is mounted and aligned with minimum strain and distortion within a support (12) to which at least three mounts (14) are attached and spaced 120.degree. about the periphery of the optical element. Each mount comprises a spherical disc (16) spherically contacting a spherical surface (30) on a seat (20) which is linearly moveable within a housing (18). Each disc abuts and supports the optical element. Any loading exerted on the support causes the discs to rotate with respect to the seats and the seats to reciprocate with respect to the annular disc-retaining housings to prevent such loadings from being transmitted to the optical element, thereby enabling the optical element to maintain a chosen, strain-free orientation with pressure on the spherical disc being evenly distributed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1990
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventors: John A. La Plante, Robert D. Schaefer