Patents by Inventor Merall L. Thompson

Merall L. Thompson 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).

  • Combined centrifugal and paddle-wheel side thruster for boats
    Patent number: 5501072
    Abstract: A thrust propulsion mechanism (10) for a boat (12) includes an outlet conduit (22) extending athwartships from a first outlet port (16) to a second outlet port (16') in the hull (18). A paddle-wheel impeller (24) is mounted within the hull for rotation about an axis of rotation (34) by a reversible motor (30). A circumferential paddle (58) portion of the paddle-wheel impeller extends into an aperture (26) defined centrally in the top wall of the outlet conduit. An inlet conduit (20) extends athwartships from a first inlet port (14) to a second inlet port (14'), and intermediate thereof supplies water to the center of the paddle-wheel impeller. Water is discharged from the paddle-wheel impeller through one of the outlet ports, dependent on the direction of rotation of the paddle-wheel impeller, to create thrust by a combined paddle-wheel and centrifugal pump action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1996
    Assignee: Pumpeller, Inc.
    Inventors: Mitchell A. Plancich, Merall L. Thompson
  • Outboard boat propulsion installation
    Patent number: 4832642
    Abstract: Two centrifugal pump and paddle type boat propulsion devices are mounted in astern outboard positions on two swingable vanes, respectively, projecting aft of a boat hull, spaced athwartships of the hull and swingable from positions inclined rearwardly and downwardly from the hull transom into upwardly and rearwardly inclined positions in which the rotors of the propulsion devices and rudders behind them are retracted above the level of the boat bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: May 23, 1989
    Assignee: Thompson Marine Propulsion Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Merall L. Thompson
  • Centrifugal pump and paddle boat propulsion system
    Patent number: 4171675
    Abstract: A radially vaned rotor is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis extending athwartships of a boat. A housing encircles the major portion of the rotor and has an axial inlet and a downwardly directed peripheral outlet. The tips of the rotor vanes project through the housing peripheral outlet below the surface of the water surrounding the boat. When the boat is traveling at low speed, the rotor functions as the impeller of a centrifugal pump drawing water into the housing through the axial inlet and discharging the water through the peripheral outlet to propel the boat. The outlet can be shifted circumferentially fore and aft to alter the direction of water discharged therethrough. At high speed, planing of the boat elevates the housing so that only air is drawn through its axial inlet and discharged through its peripheral outlet, the majority of boat-propelling force being produced by the paddle wheel action of the rotor vane tips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 23, 1979
    Inventor: Merall L. Thompson