Skip to content
8 results shown
103 Curated Patents
View Timeline →

Archaic Legal Glossary & Citations

“Letters Patent”14th–20th Century
19th-C Meaning:

Open public letters from a monarch or government (literae patentes) granting monopoly rights.

Modern Engineering Decoded:Issued USPTO utility or design patent publication.
Historical note: Contrasted with 'letters close' (private sealed royal correspondence).
“In testimony whereof”19th Century
19th-C Meaning:

Formal concluding legal formula affirming under oath the execution of the instrument.

Modern Engineering Decoded:Inventor and witness digital/physical signatures.
Historical note: Required two witness attestations in 19th-century USPTO filing procedure.
“Aeroplane”Early 20th Century (Wright era)
19th-C Meaning:

A flat or cambered lifting aerofoil surface supported dynamically by air pressure.

Modern Engineering Decoded:Wing / Airfoil lifting surface (later evolved to mean the entire motorized aircraft).
Historical note: The Wrights used 'aeroplane' to denote the individual fabric-covered wings.
“Undulating Current”19th Century (Bell era)
19th-C Meaning:

An electric current whose magnitude varies continuously and periodically without interruption.

Modern Engineering Decoded:Continuous analog AC or audio-frequency electrical waveform.
Historical note: Bell's central legal weapon against telegraph companies who relied on pulsed DC make-and-break circuits.
“Subdivision of the Electric Light”1870s–1880s (Edison era)
19th-C Meaning:

The problem of operating numerous small domestic lamps off a single electrical generator.

Modern Engineering Decoded:Parallel circuit wiring of high-resistance incandescent electrical loads.
Historical note: Pundits claimed it was physically impossible until Edison increased filament resistance to 100 ohms.
“Optically Anisotropic Solution”1960s (Kwolek era)
19th-C Meaning:

A liquid solution that exhibits direction-dependent refractive indices due to molecular alignment.

Modern Engineering Decoded:Liquid crystalline nematic phase polymer dope.
Historical note: Technicians initially tried to throw out Kwolek's cloudy solution thinking it was contaminated.
“Unitary Body of Semiconductor Material”1950s–1960s (Noyce era)
19th-C Meaning:

A single continuous crystal structure of silicon or germanium.

Modern Engineering Decoded:Monolithic single-crystal silicon die / integrated circuit wafer.
Historical note: Differentiated Noyce's monolithic planar circuit from Jack Kilby's hybrid flying-wire prototype.
“Peculiar and Novel Construction”19th Century
19th-C Meaning:

A distinctive, patentable structural arrangement not found in prior art.

Modern Engineering Decoded:Novel and non-obvious mechanical embodiment under 35 U.S.C. § 103.
Historical note: Standard 19th-century legal terminology establishing novelty.
Classic Patents/US 6,302,230 B1
Information Age (1970–Present)Robotics & Personal Mechatronics

Segway Self-Balancing Human Transporter

US 6,302,230 B1

Inverted Pendulum Dynamic Balancing, Dual-Wheel Differential Drive, and Balancing Margin Monitoring

Inventor(s)Dean L. Kamen, Robert R. Ambrogi, Robert J. Duggan, J. Douglas Field, Richard Kurt Heinzmann, Burl Amsbury, Christopher C. Langenfeld
Grant DateOctober 16, 2001
Filing DateJune 4, 1999
LocationBedford, New Hampshire
US 6,302,230 describes a vehicle whose platform and ground-contacting module form a system unstable with respect to tipping when its motorized drive is unpowered, and automatically balanced when powered. Its independent claims define a balancing margin from present and maximum operating velocity, a monitor for that margin, and an alarm when the margin falls below a specified limit; Claim 2 adds ripple modulation of drive power as one alarm form.
USPTO PDF
Engineering Analysis & Physical Principles

How It Works: Step-by-Step Mechanical & Physical Breakdown

The specification distinguishes static stability from a vehicle kept upright by a control loop. Its legal move is not a specified motor, sensor package, or production model: it is the combination of powered automatic balance with a balancing-margin monitor and an alarm. In ordinary dynamics, moving a wheel beneath a leaning payload can counter its gravitational moment; the visitor model makes that relationship visible while clearly treating all SI hardware values as modern illustrative inputs.
The Core Breakthrough Mechanism

The grant's source-bound chain is: a powered ground-contacting module automatically balances the otherwise tipping-prone platform; the system compares present velocity with a maximum operating velocity chosen to retain acceleration potential; a monitor characterizes that balancing margin; and an alarm warns when the margin crosses a specified limit. The patent names audible, visual, tactile, and ripple-modulated alarm forms. The live SI exhibit is a modern illustrative inverted-pendulum scenario: its mass, geometry, gain, speed, torque, friction, and warning waveform are teaching inputs, not figures printed by the grant.

Interactive Real-Time Physical Simulation

Drag to rotate · Pinch to zoom · Shared controls update the displayed model
INITIALIZING THREE.JS WEBGL SIMULATION...
Inverted Pendulum Dynamic Balancing & Balancing Margin Supervision.
Host-Model Telemetry/Computed Readout
Inverted Pendulum Dynamic Balancing & Balancing Margin Supervision
Forward Velocity
Modern Model
5.9km/h[1]
Restoring Motor Torque
Modern Model
103.3N·m[ML²/T²]
Balancing Margin
Modern Model
51%[1]
Tactile Ripple Alarm
Source
STANDBYhaptic[1]
Pitch Pushback
Modern Model
OFFspeed limiter[1]
Rider Pitch Lean+4.5 °
Handlebar Steering Yaw0 yaw
Rider Body Mass75 kg
Ground Traction (μ)0.85 μ
Illustrative Maximum Operating Velocity5.5 m/s
Energy · robotics_locomotion
Illustrative Electrical Input
1,140 W
Illustrative Ground Thrust & Kinetic Propulsion
710 W
Illustrative Ripple-Alarm Dissipation
0 W
Illustrative Drive-Train Electrical and Friction Loss
430 W

Detailed Component Architecture

1Coaxial Dual-Wheel Inverted Pendulum Chassis
A platform and ground-contacting module form a vehicle that the claim says is unstable with respect to tipping when the motorized drive is unpowered.

Figures 1 and 2 show standing-rider embodiments and ground-contacting arrangements. Iθ¨=MgLsin⁡θI \ddot\theta = M g L \sin\theta is the modern small-model way to express an overturning moment; the grant does not print a mass, center-of-mass height, wheel size, or fall time.

19th-C. Term: system being unstable with respect to tippingModern: dynamically balanced inverted pendulum mobile robot
2Inertial Gyroscope & Accelerometer Sensor Cluster
The illustrated control arrangements use pitch and wheel-rotation sensing as inputs to a control system.

Figure 5 labels a pitch sensor, wheel-rotation sensors, and pitch-rate sensor; Figure 3 depicts state-feedback blocks. The grant does not identify a count, sampling rate, redundancy arrangement, IMU technology, or filter implementation. A contemporary sensor-fusion interpretation is therefore pedagogical, not archival fact.

19th-C. Term: attitude sensor arrangementModern: MEMS 6-axis IMU with Kalman sensor fusion
3Balancing Margin Supervisory Monitor
A real-time safety algorithm tracking the acceleration headroom between current operating velocity and motor physical saturation limits.

Claim 1 defines the balancing margin as the difference between maximum operating velocity and present velocity. A normalized reserve calculation in the exhibit is a modern illustrative teaching device; the grant does not print its algebraic form, threshold, torque reserve, road-bump response, or deceleration profile.

19th-C. Term: means for monitoring a balancing marginModern: dynamic torque headroom supervisory safety observer
4Haptic Torque Ripple & Platform Shudder Alarm
Claim 2 specifies ripple modulation of motorized-drive power as an alarm form.

The source says that ripple modulation can provide an alarm perceived as a rumbling ride. It does not disclose a waveform, frequency, torque amplitude, platform acceleration, or human-factors result. The exhibit therefore signals ripple state without presenting those unprinted quantities as patent facts.

19th-C. Term: ripple modulation of the power outputModern: haptic motor drive torque ripple alarm
Engineering Principles & Equations

Governing Equations & Engineering Principles

Authored explanation paired with its stated mathematical relation

Modern Illustrative Balance Model & Source-Disclosed Margin Relation

Robotics & Personal MechatronicsClaim 1
Mathematical Governing Law
τmotor=MgLsin⁡θ+KvvandMargin=1−∣v∣vmax−∣τ∣τmax\htmlClass{eq-term eq-term-motor_torque eq-term-sapphire}{\htmlData{var=motor_torque}{\textcolor{#2563eb}{\tau_{\text{motor}}}}} = \htmlClass{eq-term eq-term-grav_moment eq-term-emerald}{\htmlData{var=grav_moment}{\textcolor{#16a34a}{M g L}}} \sin\htmlClass{eq-term eq-term-pitch_lean eq-term-coral}{\htmlData{var=pitch_lean}{\textcolor{#dc2626}{\theta}}} + \textcolor{#d97706}{K_v v} \quad \text{and} \quad \htmlClass{eq-term eq-term-margin_ratio eq-term-cyan}{\htmlData{var=margin_ratio}{\textcolor{#0891b2}{\text{Margin}}}} = 1 - \frac{\htmlClass{eq-term eq-term-current_vel eq-term-amethyst}{\htmlData{var=current_vel}{\textcolor{#9333ea}{|v|}}}}{\htmlClass{eq-term eq-term-max_vel eq-term-emerald}{\htmlData{var=max_vel}{\textcolor{#059669}{v_{\text{max}}}}}} - \frac{\htmlClass{eq-term eq-term-motor_torque eq-term-sapphire}{\htmlData{var=motor_torque}{\textcolor{#2563eb}{|\tau|}}}}{\htmlClass{eq-term eq-term-pitch_lean eq-term-coral}{\htmlData{var=pitch_lean}{\textcolor{#ea580c}{\tau_{\text{max}}}}}}
Terms:
Plain English DecoderHover or tap any highlighted phrase
The balances the generated by while preserving a supervisory computed from the difference between and .
τmotor\tau_{\text{motor}}
Restoring Motor Drive Torque
Modern illustrative net drive torque used to teach wheel acceleration beneath a center of gravity
Newton-meters (N·m)

A modern illustrative mechanics term. The grant specifies a motorized drive arrangement, not motor topology or torque magnitude.

Physical Principle & Engineering Insight

US 6,302,230 claims a balancing-margin monitor and an alarm, while Claim 2 adds ripple modulation. This equation is a modern illustrative mechanics model; its numerical parameters and control threshold are not asserted to be disclosed by the grant.

Historical Context: The claim record identifies a balancing-margin monitor and an alarm in this vehicle combination. This catalogue entry makes no unreviewed assertion about later products or market adoption.

Inverted Pendulum Dynamic BalancingAuthored Principle 1
Stated relationτmotor=MgLsin⁡θ+MLx¨cos⁡θ+Iθ¨\tau_{\text{motor}} = M g L \sin\theta + M L \ddot{x} \cos\theta + I \ddot{\theta}
This is a modern illustrative mechanics model of the source-described unstable/automatically balanced relationship. It teaches how acceleration can counter a gravitational moment, but the grant does not supply its mass, geometry, acceleration law, or performance envelope.
State-Feedback Control Diagram (Modern Interpretation)Authored Principle 2
Stated relationu(t)=−Kx(t)=−(Kθθ+Kθ˙θ˙+Kxx+Kvv)\mathbf{u}(t) = -\mathbf{K} \mathbf{x}(t) = - (K_\theta \theta + K_{\dot\theta} \dot\theta + K_x x + K_v v)
Figure 3 depicts feedback terms labeled K1K_1 through K4K_4. Reading that diagram through an LQR formulation is a modern control-theory interpretation; the patent does not name an LQR, give calibrated gains, a cost function, pole locations, or a damping result.
Ground Traction Limit & Acceleration HeadroomAuthored Principle 3
Stated relationFdrive=τmotorR≤μgroundMgF_{\text{drive}} = \frac{\tau_{\text{motor}}}{R} \le \mu_{\text{ground}} M g
This modern tire-contact bound supplies an honest refusal boundary for the illustrative model. The grant identifies an underlying surface but does not disclose a friction coefficient, tire model, or slip threshold.

Interactive Schematic Sheet (1)

Side view showing a human rider standing upright on base platform 12 supported on two coaxial wheels 20 with vertical handlebar 16.

1.00x
US 6,302,230 B1 · 1SEGWAY DYNAMIC BALANCING & HEADROOM CONTROL (FIGS. 1–4)20121416IMU 30 / DSP 32MARGIN MONITOR 34Δv = v_max - |v|ALARM 36CGθ (lean)
Tap any numbered pin4 Curated Callouts
Callout Pin Inspector

Select Any Numbered Pin

Click pins on the schematic or select from the list below to inspect historical specifications.

Why It Still Matters

The document is a useful primary record for studying a persistent robotics problem: a mechanically tipping-prone platform can be kept upright only while its drive has enough authority to respond. Its balancing-margin claim makes that reserve explicit. The exhibit connects this legal topology to a clearly labeled modern mechanics model rather than asserting an undocumented line of technical descent or product performance.

Legal Claims Decoder (7 Numbered Claims)

Compare dense legalistic claims directly with decoded plain-English functional specifications.
Claim #1Independent Master Claim
1/7
Verbatim Historical Legal Text
“1. A vehicle for carrying a payload including a user, the vehicle comprising: a. a platform which Supports the user; b. a ground-contacting module, to which the platform is mounted, which propels the user in desired motion over an underlying Surface, c. a motorized drive arrangement, coupled to the ground-contacting module, the drive arrangement, ground-contacting module and payload comprising a System being unstable with respect to tipping when the motorized drive is not powered; the motorized drive arrangement causing, when powered, automatically balanced operation of the System wherein the vehicle has a present Velocity and a maximum operating Velocity, determined by a requirement of acceleration to maintain balance and, in operation, has a balancing margin determined by the difference between the maximum operating Velocity and the present Velocity of the vehicle; d. a balancing margin monitor, coupled to the ground-contacting module, for generating a signal characterizing the balancing margin; and e. an alarm, coupled to the balancing margin monitor, for receiving the Signal characterizing the balancing margin and for warning when the balancing margin falls below a specified limit.”
Plain English Engineering Translation
Defines the fundamental self-balancing personal transporter architecture: a user-supporting platform mounted to a ground-contacting drive module that is statically unstable with respect to fore-aft tipping when unpowered. When powered, the motorized drive maintains automatic dynamic balance while monitoring a 'balancing margin'—the difference between the present velocity and maximum allowable operating velocity needed to retain acceleration balancing authority—and triggering an alarm if the balancing margin drops below a safe limit.
Key Protected Innovations:
Inverted pendulum dynamic balancing on coaxial wheelsBalancing margin calculation based on acceleration headroomSafety alarm triggered upon approaching motor torque/velocity limit
Historical Legal Impact:
Independent apparatus claim: it states the platform, ground-contacting module, powered automatic balancing, balancing-margin monitor, and alarm combination that defines this grant's asserted legal scope.

The Historical Bottleneck

The specification frames the problem as transporting a standing user over an irregular surface without requiring a statically stable resting position. It contrasts static stability with dynamic stability maintained either by a user or by a control loop.

Why Prior Art Failed

  • •The source says that vehicles generally rely on static stability under foreseen placement conditions, while bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters can instead rely on user-maintained dynamic stability.
  • •The grant does not provide a comparative turning-radius, wheelchair, terrain, motor-saturation, or accident-rate study; this exhibit does not supply one in its place.
The Breakthrough Insight
“The independently claimed addition is supervisory as well as balancing: Claim 1 defines a balancing margin from present and maximum operating velocity, asks a monitor to characterize it, and calls for an alarm below a specified limit. Claim 2 specifies ripple modulation as one alarm form.”
After the Grant
This record is limited to the reviewed grant, its pinned facsimile, and the source-faithful editorial edition. It makes no unlocated assertion about a later launch, acquisition, litigation, award, or commercial outcome.
Civilizational Impact
The grant provides a compact primary-source case study in active balance, control authority, and rider-facing warning. Claims about later market share, commercial deployment, litigation, or technical lineage require separately reviewed authoritative records and are intentionally absent here.
Historical Fact
The printed drawings span several embodiments: two-wheel and clustered arrangements, an unicycle, standing rider configurations, control diagrams, and a force diagram. The visitor-facing record identifies the drawings by their printed figure numbers.
Further Context
  • Claim 1 defines balancing margin as the difference between maximum operating velocity and present velocity; it does not print a percentage reserve or torque rating.
  • Claim 2 identifies ripple modulation of motorized-drive power. The source does not print a vibration frequency or amplitude.