Patents by Inventor Steven P. Hanson

Steven P. Hanson 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: 4373729
    Abstract: A puzzle includes a plurality of elements or blocks stacked end to end and connected together for rotation relative to one another around a common axis. The faces of one or more of the blocks include face portions slidable along the surface of the device from block to block generally along the axis of rotation of said blocks. One block includes an "open" face without a movable face portion so that the face portions can be redistributed around the device by rotating the blocks around their common axis and sliding the face portions from one block to another. The face portions bear indicia indicating a predetermined arrangement so that beginning with a device having its face portions randomly distributed around the device, the device is manipulated to rearrange the face portions into the predetermined order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1983
    Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates
    Inventors: Steven P. Hanson, Jeffrey D. Breslow
  • Patent number: 4345402
    Abstract: A toy vehicle and a launcher includes an integral latch mechanism for holding the vehicle in a biased position and an actuating member for selectively releasing the latch. The vehicle includes an elongated tube of substantially dense, rigid material defining a frame to which wheels may be secured. The tube is encased within a soft, resilient, open cell foam material such as polyurethane foam which has been molded in the form of a vehicle body. A resilient, biasing member is mounted within the tube and is held in a compressed state by the latch. The launching member includes connection means to permit the connection of a series of launching members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1982
    Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates
    Inventors: Steven P. Hanson, Robert E. Smathers, Howard J. Morrison
  • Patent number: 4337948
    Abstract: A game apparatus includes a manually movable game object having a finite number of generally planar exterior surfaces upon which the game object may rest. In one embodiment, a game board includes indicia defining positions of placement and movement of the game object as it is rotated about an edge from one planar surface to another. The game object includes an internal microcomputer capable of detecting which one of the planar surfaces is generally parallel with or in contact with the game board or any other suitable supporting surface to identify the discrete positions of movement of the game object. The microcomputer may provide an identifying sensorially perceptible signal identifying the various discrete positions. In addition, the microcomputer includes a storing unit for storing sequential movements of the game object through a finite number of movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1982
    Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Breslow, Donald A. Rosenwinkel, Steven P. Hanson, Rex M. Harper
  • Patent number: 4323243
    Abstract: An electrical board game device is described in which a plurality of slidable elements are mounted on a housing for relative sliding movement with respect to each of the other elements on the housing. Each element has a uniquely arranged pattern of electrical contacts in circuit with a light emitting diode. A pair of matching contacts are arranged on the housing in a position to complete an electrical circuit with the contacts on the element when the element is appropriately positioned. The elements, which appear to the player to all be identical, are slid relative to each other in an attempt to correctly position each element atop its matching contacts on the housing so that the light emitting diode of each element is illuminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1980
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1982
    Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates
    Inventors: Steven P. Hanson, Howard J. Morrison, Douglas P. Montague
  • Patent number: 4282674
    Abstract: A toy cash register for young children and the like includes a housing having an indicia display window formed on a portion thereof with an indicia display disc mounted behind the window having a plurality of different indicia thereon for selective display through the window. An electric motor is provided for driving the display disc and a plurality of push button controlled, momentary contact switches are provided for connecting the motor with an electric power source for rotating the display disc for random periods of time when the contacts are closed. The cash register includes an indexing system for automatically indexing the nearest set of indicia on the disc with the window after the disc drive motor is deenergized. A sound generator is activated by rotation of the display disc and the cash register also includes a weighing scale, a credit card facility and a manually controllable cash drawer along with a remote, hand held implement simulating an electronic tag reader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1981
    Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates
    Inventors: Steven P. Hanson, Palmer J. Schoenfield, Harry Disko
  • Patent number: 4263743
    Abstract: A novelty toy in the shape of a skull includes a cranial shaped housing and a pivotal jaw portion. The jaw is biased to a closed position by a biasing element and includes a grip portion to be gripped by the user of the device to move the jaw to an open position. A depending handle is also defined on the skull to allow the skull to be supported by the user. A pair of lights are mounted in the eye apertures and reflectors are rotatably mounted within the apertures surrounding the lightbulbs. A gear train connects the reflectors to a manually operated gear to allow rotation of the reflectors within the housing. Each reflector includes a colored lens that may be rotated in front of the light to provide a different appearance to the toy. The lights are connected through a switch mounted within the housing to a portable power source. The switch includes a plurality of positions for producing alternate lighting or flashing effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1979
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1981
    Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates
    Inventors: Steven P. Hanson, Burton C. Meyer
  • Patent number: 4261133
    Abstract: A novel toy simulating a crusher for compressing junk cars includes in combination, one or more small toy cars having a hollow body shell formed of readily deformable, thin, sheet material and a crushing mechanism including a guideway with a slide movable in the guideway to press a first wall against a toy car placed therein. A second wall is movable into and out of a stop position between sides of the guideway and faces the first wall. A manually operable mechanism is provided for moving the slide toward the second stop wall and shell of the toy car disposed in the guideway is compressed or crushed and thereafter the mechanism is operated to remove the crushed car from the guideway. A sound generator is activated by movement of the slide when crushing a car sheel to provide a realistic sound effect of a car being crushed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1981
    Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates
    Inventors: Steven P. Hanson, Palmer J. Schoenfield, Harry Disko
  • Patent number: 4246824
    Abstract: A musical toy includes a plurality of tone producing, whistle-like structures arranged in pairs, each tone producing structure connected by a passageway to an hermetically sealed deformable hollow cavity or bulb. Each bulb includes a top generally flat surface having fixed surface area and a resilient, porous biasing agent which inflates the cavities to a predetermined size and configuration. When a cavity is depressed to a deflated position, compressed air is forced through connecting tubes into a sound generating structure thereby producing an audible, musical sound. Eight of the sound generating structures are provided in one apparatus to produce a unit having a full octave of notes. The sealed cavities are provided by selectively laminating a predetermined pattern of seal lines between two sheets of thermoplastic material such as soft, pliable vinyl sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1981
    Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates
    Inventors: Steven P. Hanson, Burton C. Meyer
  • Patent number: 4085539
    Abstract: An action toy having a platform with a resilient sheet member providing a playing surface of the upper side, the sheet member being supported so as to leave a space beneath it, and a manually operated, elongated leaf spring mounted so as to extend partially beyond the platform and partially within the platform underneath the sheet member in such a position as to intermittently engage the under side of the sheet member when the resilient strip is vibrated. The strip is mounted in the platform in such a manner that when the outer portion is vibrated by engaging and then suddenly releasing the outer end, the vibration is transmitted to the inner portion to cause the inner end to intermittently engage the under side of the sheet member. The playing pieces placed on the playing surface are designed for movement therealong when the playing surface is vibrated. For example, the playing pieces may have resilient feet inclined upwardly in the direction of the desired movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1978
    Assignee: Reynolds W. Guyer
    Inventor: Steven P. Hanson