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3M employee and church chorister Art Fry needed something to temporarily mark pages in his hymnal. He was in luck because his colleague, Spencer Silver, accidentally developed a glue that was too weak for other purposes. After initially discouraging consumer response, Post-it Notes became a hit in 1979.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5506890 | Method and apparatus for group-specific calling A method and system for industry and group-specific calling within a telecommunication system. The method of the present invention includes the steps of receiving, in a carrier network, a call initiated by dialing a group number from a caller terminal; ac... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5506872 | Dynamic compression-rate selection arrangement A signal compression-selection arrangement (19) dynamically trades off signal storage capacity against signal quality, by sacrificing capacity in favor of signal quality whenever capacity is plentiful and sacrificing quality in favor of capacity whenever ... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5506870 | Signal acquisition detection method A method of detecting whether a valid DS1 signal is being received by a receiver. If the receiver does not have a valid signal (loss of signal), then the receiver reads consecutive fixed sized N bit blocks of the received digital signal. Each of the block... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5506866 | Side-channel communications in simultaneous voice and data transmission In a simultaneous voice and data communication system, a stream of signal points is partitioned into a plurality of symbol blocks, each symbol block including a data segment and a control segment. The data segment carries information from a user, i.e., us... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5506859 | Article comprising a DFB laser with loss coupling A DFB laser with improved loss grating is disclosed. The grating contains periodically patterned first and second semiconductor layers that are embedded in semiconductor material of composition selected to provide relatively low loss for the laser radiati... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5506848 | Demand assignment system and method for mobile users in a community of interest A procedure for assigning time slots to mobile users in a wireless communication system supporting wireless communication applications where both end users of a communication link are mobile is discussed. The procedure operates by receiving time slot rese... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5506519 | Low energy differential logic gate circuitry having substantially invariant clock signal loading An energy efficient logic gate circuit design that provides a substantially constant load to a clock source regardless of logic signal inputs to, or outputs from, the gate. The gate provides two complementary outputs and utilizes cross-coupled transistors... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5504896 | Method and apparatus for controlling program sources in an interactive television system using hierarchies of finite state machines A method of using finite state machines (FSMs) is disclosed for controlling multiple processes in response to input signals. In an exemplary embodiment, such processes comprise facilities for providing interactive television services and multimedia signal... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504810 | Telecommunications fraud detection scheme Methods and apparatus are disclosed for providing increased security in a telecommunications network by using quasi-time domain reflectometry techniques to identify those telephone calls which comprise multiple legs. Echo data are collected for the teleph... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504805 | Calling number identification using speech recognition In a system such as an AUDIX.RTM. voice mail system or answering machine, a caller's telephone number is extracted from a recorded message using voice recognition. The called party initiates automatic dialing of the calling party's number after confirming... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504736 | Non-invasive link monitor A non-invasive directional coupler (51) comprising a voltage probe (300) and a current probe (301) is used to detect and separate from each other digital pulses (quats) being transmitted in opposite directions on a digital ISDN subscriber loop 200 (U-inte... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504608 | Adjustable filter for tuning multimode optical signals This invention provides an apparatus and a method of filtering a MM Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) signal operating in the 1548 to 1560 nm region. The wavelengths of the MM are spaced 1-12 nm apart and centered about 1558 nm. The adjustable filters... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504606 | Low power optical network unit An optical network unit for use in a switched passive optical network utilizes the high contrast ratio between the energies of optical ringing signals and optical interrogation signals. The receiver of the optical network unit is operated in a low power m... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504450 | High voltage components for EEPROM system A high voltage circuit for an electronic erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) integrated circuit (IC) is implemented using lower voltage semiconductor components. In the preferred embodiment, the circuit is capable of switching a twenty-four vo... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504401 | Transformer replacement for a solid-state lighting ballast A transformer-less electronic ballast for a gas-discharge lighting system having a power amplifier, with an input, driving a gas-discharge lamp in combination with reactive elements to form a resonant load. The lighting system includes a resistor for sens... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504385 | Spaced-gate emission device and method for making same In accordance with the invention, a field emission device is made by disposing emitter material on an insulating substrate, applying a sacrificial film to the emitter material and forming over the sacrificial layer a conductive gate layer having a random ... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504279 | Wireless pen tablet A wireless communication apparatus sends X and Y coordinate position signals of a pen on a tablet using position modulation of three pulses, the time separation between the first and second pulses being proportional to the X position and the time spacing ... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5504657 | System for providing air flow control and EMR shielding of front panels of computers and similar electronic equipment A face plate with an elastomeric, electrically-conductive gasket to provide electromagnetic radiation and control air flow for a front panel of an electronic equipment frame. The metallic face plate has a plurality of edge surfaces which are capable of pr... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5502756 | Remote test call unit and service Reliability of telephone service is increased by providing a test call apparatus configured to launch a test call to a preselected telephone number in response to a call from a remote location requesting that the test call be placed. The test call apparat... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502727 | Image and audio communication system having graphical annotation capability A telephone apparatus enables the approximate simultaneous transmission and reception of audio interleaved with image and graphical annotation signals, in data packet form, over an analog line which connects the apparatus to a switched telephone network. ... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502688 | Feedforward neural network system for the detection and characterization of sonar signals with characteristic spectrogram textures The present invention provides a method and system for characterizing the sounds of ocean captured by passive sonar listening devices. The present invention accomplishes this by first generating a spectrogram from the received sonar signal. The spectrogra... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502644 | Process and apparatus for auditing crosstalk and characteristic impedances of printed wiring boards A tool for designing the conductors into a PWB includes an audit arrangement for auditing or analyzing crosstalk between electrical conductors to be entered into the PWB. This crosstalk audit may be performed as soon as the initial design is created and b... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502162 | Method of treating structures including silicone materials Problems resulting from contamination of electronic apparatus used with silicone keypads can be eliminated or substantially reduced by soaking such keypads prior to assembly in a low molecular weight liquid hydrocarbon, particularly n-hexane. Such soaking... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502328 | Bipolar ESD protection for integrated circuits CMOS integrated circuit buffers typically use a dual-diode electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection technique. However, in some cases that technique inadvertently causes one of the diodes to conduct when a desired signal voltage is present on the bondpad,... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502407 | Low-power-dissipation CMOS circuits In low-power-dissipation CMOS circuitry, conventional CMOS inverters are powered by a repetitively ramped power supply. Clock signals are needed in the circuitry for controlling data flow therein. To ensure optimal low-power operation of the circuitry, cl... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502438 | Address management for remote terminals in digital loop transmission systems Disclosed is a method and apparatus for identifying remote terminals which are networked in a digital loop transmission system. A Site Interface Unit (SIU) at one of the remote terminals acts as a master. The Bank Controller Unit (BCU) at each remote term... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502587 | Network comprising a space division photonic switch and a terminal which forms an output signal from an input signal The present invention provides a communications network in which a space division photonic switch connects waveguides form two terminals and one of the terminals impresses data on an input signal to form an output signal which results in an efficient and ... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5501098 | Acoustic analysis of gas mixtures The present invention provides an acoustic cell for determining the composition of gas mixtures. The acoustic gas composition analysis cell has transducers acoustically isolated from the cell body through the use of an acoustic isolation material position... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5501617 | Insulation displacement connector insertion cap An insertion cap for inserting and connecting wires in an insulation displacement type of connector has a roof-shaped upper member and depending side walls. Slotted ribs extend between the sidewalls for driving the wires being connected down into the slot... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5501761 | Method for stripping conformal coatings from circuit boards In preparation for removing a protective adherent covercoat from a circuit board that is to be repaired, the surface integrity of the coating is altered (for example, by making incisions therein). Subsequently, the coated circuit board is subjected to sup... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5501777 | Method for testing solder mask material Disclosed is a method for testing solder mask material for suitability with an electroless plating process. The Emix potential of the electroless bath is measured. A test substrate including the mask material is then immersed in an electrolyte, and a cons... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502816 | Method of routing a request for a virtual circuit based on information from concurrent requests A method of routing a requested virtual circuit in a network advantageously uses information about concurrent requests for other virtual circuits. Each virtual circuit request in a set of concurrent requests is specified by one or more parameters and each... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502787 | Article comprising a semiconductor waveguide structure Articles according to the invention include a semiconductor waveguide having a core and a cladding, with the cladding including doped semiconductor material. The doping level is selected such that both the real part n and the imaginary part k of the compl... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502786 | Method of forming photo-induced device and product A method of controlling the polarization properties of a photo-induced device in an optical waveguide and a method of investigating the structure of a light guiding body such as an optical waveguide are disclosed. A device, such as gratings, is written by... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502781 | Integrated optical devices utilizing magnetostrictively, electrostrictively or photostrictively induced stress Integrated optical devices which utilize a magnetostrictively, electrostrictively or photostrictively induced stress to alter the optical properties of one or more waveguides in the device are disclosed. The integrated optical devices consist of at least ... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502763 | Telecommunications service access arrangement A call processing method that allows users to dial their own number, and the number is interpreted as a request for connection to a means for providing enhanced services. The process includes the step of comparing the called party's number to the number o... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502757 | Location dependent service for a wireless telephone Using a plurality of terminal service profiles (TSP) that are selected on the basis of the switching system to which a wireless mobile unit is registered. Each TSP defines the operation of features associated with the wireless mobile unit, and a service p... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5499923 | Communication card with extendible, rotatable coupling A communication card includes a housing and a shank rotatably mounted thereto. The shank defines an axis along its length around which the shank can rotate. A connector is mounted on the shank. The shank and connector are extendable beyond an edge of the ... | 03/19/1996 |
| 5499935 | RF shielded I/O connector An electrical device for propagating an electrical signal which emits radio frequency electromagnetic energy, the electrical device having a medium for propagating the electrical signal and a radio frequency electromagnetic energy absorbing material, radi... | 03/19/1996 |
| 5500031 | Method for increasing the index of refraction of a glassy material In accordance with the invention, the index of refraction of a glassy material is increased by treating the material with hydrogen and applying heat. Specifically, the glass is exposed to hydrogen or deuterium at pressure in the range 14-11,000 p.s.i. and... | 03/19/1996 |
