Apparatus for changing the orientation and velocity of a spinning body traversing a path

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CHANGING THE LINEAR VELOCITY OF A SPINNING BODY TRAVERSING A PATH COMPRISING: A BODY ADAPTED TO TRAVERSE A PATH WITH A PREDETERMINED LINEAR VELOCITY AND ADAPTED TO SPIN ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH THE CENTER THEREOF TRANSVERSE TO SAID PATH; MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID BODY FOR DEVELOPING A PERIODIC ORIENTATION SIGNAL SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE SPIN OF SAID BODY; MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID BODY AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING SAID ORIENTATION SIGNAL TO A CONTROL POINT; MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID BODY FOR RECEIVING CONTROL SIGNALS FROM THE CONTROL POINT; AND MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID BODY AND COUPLED TO SAID LASTNAMED MEANS FOR APPLYING IMPULSES OF A PREDETERMINED MAGNITUDE TO SAID BODY DURING A PREDETERMINED PORTION OF THE SPIN CYCLE OF SAID BODY ABOUT SAID AXIS AND IN A DIRECTION ALONG A LINE NORMAL TO SAID AXIS THAT PASSES THROUGH THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID BODY.