Exit aperture
(Claim 17) | The housing defines an intake aperture and an exit aperture, wherein the intake aperture is axially aligned with the exit aperture and a gap between the pair of wheels. Propelling the looped string includes receiving the string through an intake aperture, guiding it between the wheels, and propelling it through an exit aperture. The outgoing portion of the string leaves the drive wheel through this point. | An opening in the housing through which the string is propelled outward by the rotating wheels, aligned with the intake aperture and the wheel gap. |
First wheel cover portion
(Claim 1, Claim 12) | The housing covers, at least partially, the pair of wheels. The housing includes a first wheel cover portion and a second wheel cover portion defining a string loading slot therebetween. The first wheel cover portion extends over a portion of the first wheel side. | A specific section of the device housing that extends over and shields the side of the first rotatable wheel. |
First wheel side
(Claim 1, Claim 17) | The device includes a first wheel rotatable about a first axis having a first wheel side orthogonal to the first axis. The housing includes cover portions where the first wheel cover portion extends over a portion of the first wheel side. The second wheel cover portion extends over at least a portion of the first wheel side and at least a portion of the second wheel side. | The planar surface of a wheel that is perpendicular to its axis of rotation, used as a reference for the overlapping arrangement of the housing cover portions. |
First wheel side orthogonal to the first axis
(Claim 1, Claim 17) | The device includes a pair of wheels where at least one is a driven wheel. The housing covers, at least partially, the pair of wheels. The first wheel cover portion extends over a portion of the first wheel side, and the second wheel cover portion extends over at least a portion of the first wheel side and the second wheel side. | The flat or lateral face of a wheel that is perpendicular to its axis of rotation, over which the housing cover portions extend to retain the string. |
Guiding slot
(Claim 12, Claim 17) | The housing includes a guide slot that extends around a portion of a circumference of at least one of the pair of wheels. In some embodiments, the guide slot extends around at least half of the circumference of the wheel. It functions to receive the looped string across a first wheel, guided by a loading tab, and into the position between the pair of wheels. | A recessed channel or path within the housing, oriented transverse to the loading slot, that directs the string around the circumference of a wheel toward the intake aperture. |
Intake aperture
(Claim 12, Claim 17) | The housing defines an intake aperture and an exit aperture, wherein the intake aperture is axially aligned with the exit aperture and a gap between the pair of wheels. The loading tab functions to guide the string from the loading slot to the intake aperture. The looped string is received through the intake aperture, guided between the pair of wheels, and propelled through the exit aperture. | An opening in the housing through which the returning portion of the looped string enters the device to be gripped by the wheels. |
Loading tab
(Claim 12) | The loading slot is defined at one edge by a loading tab, where the loading tab includes a tip that is thinner than a body of the loading tab. The loading tab functions to guide the string from the loading slot to the intake aperture. It assists in receiving the looped string across a first wheel and between the pair of wheels. | A structural guide element within the housing, typically featuring a tapered tip, that directs the string from the entry point toward the functional gap between the wheels. |
Looped string
(Claim 1) | The string includes a surface texture, such as a plurality of fibers extending away from the axis, configured to increase air friction. This texture generates a turbulent air boundary layer around the string in response to being propelled. At a distal portion furthest from the body, the looped string generates lift from the turbulent air boundary layer in a direction opposed to gravity. | A continuous, flexible circular member characterized by a textured surface that generates a turbulent air boundary layer to create lift when propelled. |
String loading slot
(Claim 1, Claim 12) | The housing defines a loading slot through which the string is loaded or removed from between the pair of wheels. The loading slot facilitates the ready attachment and detachment of the string from the string shooting device. It is defined at one edge by a loading tab that guides the string from the loading slot to the intake aperture. | An opening or gap in the housing structure designed to allow a looped string to be inserted laterally into the internal mechanism between the drive wheels without requiring the string to be threaded through from an end. |
Wheel cover portion
(Claim 1, Claim 12) | The housing covers, at least partially, the pair of wheels. The housing comprises a first wheel cover portion and a second wheel cover portion defining a string loading slot therebetween. The first wheel cover portion extends over a portion of the first wheel side, while the second wheel cover portion extends over portions of both the first and second wheel sides. | A specific section of the device housing that extends over the side or face of a wheel to enclose the internal propelling mechanism. |
Wheel side orthogonal to the axis
(Claim 1, Claim 17) | The first wheel is rotatable about a first axis having a first wheel side orthogonal to the first axis. The housing includes cover portions where the first wheel cover portion extends over a portion of the first wheel side. The second wheel cover portion extends over at least a portion of the first wheel side and at least a portion of the second wheel side. | The lateral face or surface of a wheel that is perpendicular to its rotational shaft, over which the housing cover portions extend. |
