Patents by Inventor William S. Herbert

William S. Herbert 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: 8721466
    Abstract: A training ball for pool type games. The training ball may comprise an array of visually coded bounded shapes disposed on the spherical exterior surface, wherein each one visually coded bounded shape has a characteristic visual coding such as color, and a diametrically opposed corresponding visually coded bounded shape having substantially identical characteristic visual coding, and wherein the array covers substantially all of the spherical exterior surface of the solid sphere. All of the visually coded bounded shapes display characteristic visual coding which is easily visually discernible from each adjacent one of the visually coded bounded shapes. In an associated method of play or practice, a player may visually hypothesize a straight line passing through the center of the training ball using the opposed similar visually coded bounded shapes, mentally set up a shot, and then execute that shot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Inventor: William S. Herbert
  • Publication number: 20130123032
    Abstract: A training ball for pool type games. The training ball may comprise an array of visually coded bounded shapes disposed on the spherical exterior surface, wherein each one visually coded bounded shape has a characteristic visual coding such as color, and a diametrically opposed corresponding visually coded bounded shape having substantially identical characteristic visual coding, and wherein the array covers substantially all of the spherical exterior surface of the solid sphere. All of the visually coded bounded shapes display characteristic visual coding which is easily visually discernible from each adjacent one of the visually coded bounded shapes. In an associated method of play or practice, a player may visually hypothesize a straight line passing through the center of the training ball using the opposed similar visually coded bounded shapes, mentally set up a shot, and then execute that shot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventor: William S. Herbert
  • Patent number: 8057319
    Abstract: A training ball for pool type games. The training ball may comprise an array of visually coded bounded shapes disposed on the spherical exterior surface, wherein each one visually coded bounded shape has a characteristic visual coding such as color, and a diametrically opposed corresponding visually coded bounded shape having substantially identical characteristic visual coding, and wherein the array covers substantially all of the spherical exterior surface of the solid sphere. All of the visually coded bounded shapes display characteristic visual coding which is easily visually discernible from each adjacent one of the visually coded bounded shapes. In an associated method of play or practice, a player may visually hypothesize a straight line passing through the center of the training ball using the opposed similar visually coded bounded shapes, mentally set up a shot, and then execute that shot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Inventor: William S. Herbert
  • Publication number: 20090264212
    Abstract: A training ball for pool type games. The training ball may comprise an array of visually coded bounded shapes disposed on the spherical exterior surface, wherein each one visually coded bounded shape has a characteristic visual coding such as color, and a diametrically opposed corresponding visually coded bounded shape having substantially identical characteristic visual coding, and wherein the array covers substantially all of the spherical exterior surface of the solid sphere. All of the visually coded bounded shapes display characteristic visual coding which is easily visually discernible from each adjacent one of the visually coded bounded shapes. In an associated method of play or practice, a player may visually hypothesize a straight line passing through the center of the training ball using the opposed similar visually coded bounded shapes, mentally set up a shot, and then execute that shot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Inventor: William S. Herbert
  • Patent number: 5180192
    Abstract: A method and articles by which registered lost personal acessory items such as keyrings containing keys can be returned by U.S. Mail to their owner without compromise of security, consisting of an identification tag with a unique barcode indicia or similar identifier, a registration card with identical barcode and owner-written address information requiring no transcription, and a central registry capable of entering, storing, and retrieving one from among an unlimited number of registrations by laser and computer technology, with separate, redundant storage methods for registry protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Inventor: William S. Herbert