Patents by Inventor Michael E. Hinkley

Michael E. Hinkley 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: 5640138
    Abstract: A safety device is used to protect golfers located in blind areas of a golf course from balls being driven, for example, off the tee. The safety device is manually activated by a push-button switch once the golfers enter the blind area. The switch initiates a low current drain, high-intensity, strobe light blinking at a 1 Hz rate that is visible from both the tee and blind areas even in bright sunshine. An electronic timer deactivates the strobe after N minutes. A wireless transmitter link located outside the blind area can be used to recycle the timer prior to the elapsed time (minutes) for those golfers who play more quickly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignee: Anro Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael E. Hinkley, Richard M. Mara, Gerald F. Ross