Wind machine

Claim 2

A wind-driven machine comprising: an elongate hollow shell body disposed with the longitudinal axis thereof in an upright position, said body being shaped as a rounded cone and having the smaller diameter end thereof located over its larger diameter end, an internal support for said shell body and means rotatably supporting the base of said support for rotation about an axis corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the body, power-generating means connected to and driven by said support, said hollow shell body being formed by plural elongate shell segments which follow one another in a direction extending circumferentially of the body and each segment extending from adjacent the top end to adjacent the bottom end of said body, each shell segment in longitudinal cross section curving outwardly and downwardly progressing downwardly from the top end thereof and in transverse cross section having a concave side facing inwardly and a convex side facing outwardly, each shell segment having leading and trailing edges and being pivotally mounted for pivotal movement about an axis extending adjacent the trailing edge thereof from adjacent the top to adjacent the bottom of the shell segment between a closed position where the segment imparts part of the cone shape of the body and an open position where the trailing edge of the shell segment moves outwardly and the segment is disposed transversely of its closed position, an opening existing along the leading edge of the shell segment between the leading edge and said support with the segment moved from its closed position, and means for producing pivotal movement of said segments rotated to rotational movement of said support.

Claim 3

The machine of claim 1, wherein said internal support for said shell body comprises an upright mast extending along the longitudinal axis of the shell body, and said shell segments are pivotally mounted by means secured to said mast, the interior of said shell body being essentially open save for said mast.

Claim 4

The machine of claim 1, wherein the shell body has an elongate ovate shape with sides that curve outwardly and downwardly progressing downwardly from the top end of the shell body for a major portion of the length of the shell body, and the pivot axes of the shell segments are inclined so as to be closer to the longitudinal axis of the shell body adjacent the top of the body then adjacent the bottom of the body.

Claim 5

The machine of claim 1, wherein the shell body has an elongate ovate shape with sides that curve outwardly and downwardly progressing downwardly from the top end of the shell body for a major portion of the length of the shell body, said internal support for said shell body comprises an upright mast extending along the longitudinal axis of the shell body, the shell segments are pivotally mounted by means secured to said mast, the pivot axes of the shell segments are inclined so as to be closer to the longitudinal axis of the shell body adjacent the top of the body then adjacent the bottom of the body, and the interior of the shell body is essentially open save for said mast.

Claim 6

A wind-driven machine comprising: an upright central support, and means rotatably mounting said support for rotation about an upright axis, power-generating means operatively connected to and driven by said support, and multiple elongate curving vanes distributed about said support having upper ends of reduced width adjacent the top of said support and bottom ends of greater width in a region spaced downwardly from said top end of the support, said vanes following one another in a direction extending circumferentially of said support, each vane in longitudinal cross section curving outwardly and downwardly progressing downwardly for a major portion of the length of the vane from the top end of the vane and each vane having a leading and a trailing edge and in transverse cross section progressing from its leading to its trailing edge having inner and outer surfaces curving with gradually increasing radius, pivot means pivotally mounting said vanes for pivotal movement about axes disposed adjacent the leading edges of the vane and extending from adjacent the top to adjacent the bottom of the vanes, said vanes having closed positions and in their closed positions collectively defining a hollow cone-shaped shell body disposed about the support which shell body progressing downwardly from the top thereof has increasing diameter, each vane being pivotable about its pivot axis to an open position where the trailing edge of the vane moves outwardly and the vane extends transversely of the position occupied in a closed position, an opening existing along the leading edge of the vane between the leading edge and said support with the vane moved from its closed position and means for producing pivotal movement of said vanes related to rotational movement of said support.

Claim 7

A wind-driven machine comprising: an upright central support, and means rotatably mounting said support for rotation about an upright axis, power-generating means operatively connected to and driven by said support, and multiple elongate curving vanes distributed about said support having upper ends of reduced width adjacent the top of said support and bottom ends of greater width in a region spaced downwardly from said top end of the support, said vanes following one another in a direction extending circumferentially of said support, each vane in longitudinal cross section curving outwardly and downwardly progressing downwardly for a major portion of the length of the vane from the top end of the vane and each vane having a leading and a trailing edge and in transverse cross section progressing from its leading to its trailing edge having inner and outer surfaces curving with gradually increasing radius, pivot means pivotally mounting said vanes for pivotal movement about axes disposed adjacent the leading edges of the vane and extending from adjacent the top to adjacent the bottom of the vanes, said vanes having closed positions and in their closed positions collectively defining a hollow cone-shaped shell body disposed about the support which shell body progressing downwardly from the top thereof has increasing diameter, each vane being pivotable about its pivot axis to an open position where the trailing edge of the vane moves outwardly and the vane extends transversely of the position occupied in a closed position, an opening existing along the leading edge of the vane between the leading edge and said support with the vane moved from its closed position and means for producing pivotal movement of said vanes related to rotational movement of said support.

Claim 8

The wind-machine of claim 5, wherein the vanes are disposed in their closed positions with the trailing edge of a vane outwardly of and overlying the leading edge of a circumferentially following vane.