Hand-Held Cup Anemometer with Folding Cups: Simerl, 1978

R. A. Simerl of Annapolis, Maryland, patented this hand-held wind meter in 1978, US 4,102,188. A cylindrical casing small enough to hold in the hand carries a spindle with three light plastic cups on radial arms. The wind spins the cups, and the spindle's rotation is read as wind speed on a calibrated gauge behind a window in the casing. Earlier cup anemometers had their arms fixed to the spindle; here each arm is hinged to a link in a sliding cap, so pushing the cap up folds all three cups upright and parallel to the spindle for storage.