The Flip-Flop Fold Chart


The Flip-Flop Fold Chart	Back to Fun & Interesting Cases Index

If you thought your patent claims are too narrow, don't fret. Just take a gander at this 1,248-word beast from U.S. Patent 5,466,009:

1. A laminated epicycle folding navigation chart consisting in combination of at least a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth relatively thin, rigid, resilient panels of a nearly rectangular configuration; said panels are aligned in a combination of at least two rows of five panels each; the first top row consisting of from left to right a first, second, third, fourth, and fifth panel; the second bottom row consisting of from left to right a sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth panel; each panel consists of first and second nearly even parallel horizontal lateral edges of approximately equal length and first and second vertical major edges of approximately equal length; each of these panels includes navigation datum located on the front and back surfaces of said panel; each panel consisting of a fraction navigation datum sheet enveloped by transparent sheets of film laminated to each datum sheet; said panels are joined by flexible transparent couplings of approximately the full length of the horizontal lateral edge and of approximately the full length of the vertical major edge; said first flexible transparent coupling connecting said top row first left end panel second vertical edge to said top row second left panel first vertical edge; a said second flexible transparent coupling connecting said top row second left panel second vertical edge to said top row third middle panel first vertical edge; a said third flexible transparent coupling connecting said top row third middle panel second vertical edge to said top row fourth right panel first vertical edge; a said fourth flexible transparent coupling connecting said top row fourth right panel second vertical edge to said top row fifth right end panel first vertical edge; a said fifth flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row sixth end left panel second vertical edge to said bottom row seventh left panel first vertical edge; a said sixth flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row seventh left panel second vertical edge to said bottom row eighth middle panel first vertical edge; a said seventh flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row eighth middle panel second vertical edge to said bottom row ninth right panel first vertical edge; a said eighth flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row ninth right panel second vertical edge to said bottom row tenth right end panel first vertical edge; a said ninth flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row sixth left end panel top lateral horizontal edge to said top row first left end panel bottom lateral horizontal edge; a said tenth flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row seventh left panel top lateral horizontal edge to said top row second left panel bottom lateral horizontal edge; a said eleventh flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row eighth middle panel top lateral horizontal edge to said top row third middle panel bottom lateral horizontal edge; a said twelfth flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row ninth right panel top lateral horizontal edge to said top row fourth right panel bottom lateral horizontal edge; a said thirteenth flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row tenth right end panel top lateral horizontal edge to said top row fifth right end panel bottom lateral horizontal edge; said panels are reinforced at their junctions with alignment flexible transparent couplings; said couplings being of sufficient length to superimpose over the junctions and be overlapping; said first horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting said top row first left end panel top right corner to the said top row second left panel top left corner; a said second horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting said top row second left panel top right corner to the said top row third middle panel top left corner; a said third horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting said top row third middle panel top right corner to the said top row fourth right panel top left corner; a said fourth horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting said top row fourth right panel top right corner to the said top row fifth right end panel top left corner; a said fifth horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting the said top row first left end panel bottom right corner to the said top row second left panel bottom left corner and connecting the said bottom row sixth left end panel top right corner to the said bottom row seventh left panel top left corner; a said sixth horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting the said top row second left panel bottom right corner to the said top row third middle panel bottom left corner and connecting the said bottom row seventh left panel top right corner to the said bottom row eighth middle panel top left corner; a said seventh horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting the said top row third middle panel bottom right corner to the said top row fourth right panel bottom left corner and connecting the said bottom row eighth middle panel top right corner to the said bottom row ninth right panel top left corner; a said eighth horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting the said top row fourth right panel bottom right corner to the said top row fifth right end panel bottom left corner and connecting the said bottom row ninth right panel top right corner to the said bottom row tenth right end panel top left corner; a said ninth horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting the said bottom row sixth left end panel bottom right corner to the said bottom row seventh left panel bottom left corner; a said tenth horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row seventh left panel bottom right corner to said bottom row eighth middle panel bottom left corner; a said eleventh horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row eighth middle panel bottom right corner to said bottom row ninth right panel bottom left corner; a said twelfth horizontal alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row ninth right panel bottom right corner to said bottom row tenth right end panel bottom left corner; a said thirteenth vertical alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting the said bottom row sixth left end panel top left corner to the top row first left end panel bottom left corner; a said fourteenth vertical alignment flexible transparent coupling connecting said bottom row tenth right end panel top right corner to the top row fifth right end panel bottom right corner; and said first, sixth conjugate panels being pivotal vertically may be folded vertically over either face of said second, seventh conjugate panels and said panels may be folded vertically over either face of said third, eighth conjugate panels and said panels may be folded vertically over either face of said fourth, ninth conjugate panels and said panels may be folded vertically over either face of fifth, tenth conjugate panels whereby said conjugate panels may be folded vertically in a clockwise, counter clockwise, or alternate rotation or may be folded vertically over any pair of other said conjugate panels in a random rotation; and said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, conjugate panels may be folded horizontally over either face of said sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth conjugate panels; and any pair of said conjugate panels may be folded horizontally over remaining conjugate panels, while the chart is in a full opened position, partially closed or fully closed position, allowing any one panel face of ten panels comprising 20 faces to be easily visible to the observer.

I wonder if anyone in the PTO runs the Gunning-Fogg index on claims? Hmmm.

1996 by Joseph N. Hosteny

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