Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5564307 | Seatbelt pre-tensioner A preloader apparatus includes a base member, an acceleration detector fixed on the base member, a rod movably mounted on the base member, a first link pivotably mounted on the base member and operatably connected with the acceleration detector, a second ... | 10/15/1996 |
| 4796151 | Ignition system for vehicle An ignition system for vehicle includes switching means which is turned on in response to a given code input. The switching means may be connected in a supply line which provides a connection between a primary coil of an ignition circuit and a storage bat... | 01/03/1989 |
| 4772813 | Amorphous strip electric pulse generator An electric pulse generator utilizing a Matteuci effect. An alternating magnetic field is applied to distorted magnetic substances by a permanent magnet rotor, a polarizedly magnetized running sheet or an electric coil. The amorphous magnetic substances g... | 09/20/1988 |
| 4754440 | Ultrasonic transducer A transducer includes a cup-shaped diaphragm having a planar portion in the form of a flange. The internal space of the cup is closed by a metallic support plate. A disc-shaped piezoelectric element has electrode layers on its front and rear surfaces, and... | 06/28/1988 |
| 4742988 | Electrical apparatus including solenoid device and energization control circuit therefor An electrical apparatus is disclosed which comprises a combination of a solenoid device such as a solenoid valve, a relay or a plunger driving solenoid device and an energization control circuit which energizes the solenoid device. One end of an electrica... | 05/10/1988 |
| 4725843 | Attitude control system for antenna on mobile body The location of a vehicle itself is detected on the vehicle in combination with an attitude control of an antenna mounted on the vehicle so that the antenna is directed toward a geostationary satellite. The antenna is driven for rotation about both a hori... | 02/16/1988 |
| 4719604 | Reflective object detector with compensated receiver signal To accommodate for a change in the level of a received wave which occurs as a function of the distance between an object, the existence of which is to be detected, and a detector, the detector includes a receiver circuit which has an amplifier circuit hav... | 01/12/1988 |
| 4711497 | Seat for vehicles A seat mounted on a vehicle floor comprising a seat frame and a backrest. The seat frame contains a plastic base member and an open section formed within the base member. The base member is circumscribed by a rim extending upward along a substantial porti... | 12/08/1987 |
| 4709965 | Seat reclining apparatus A seat reclining apparatus including a lower bracket for seat cushion, an upper bracket for seat back, a hinge pin connecting the lower and upper brackets allowing the relative rotation, a rack member form on the lower bracket, a pawl member formed on the... | 12/01/1987 |
| 4659141 | Safety device for vehicle sun roof A device for automatically stopping the powered closure of the slidable panel of a vehicle sun roof as the panel approaches its fully closed position under the operation of a driving apparatus. A limit switch attached to the housing interrupts the flow of... | 04/21/1987 |
| 4632449 | Sliding roof for vehicles A sliding roof for closing an opening in the roof of a vehicle, the sliding roof including a panel for insertion into the opening, a bracket attached to each side of the panel, a front shoe pivotably attached to the front end of each bracket, a guide slot... | 12/30/1986 |
| 4629828 | Signal transmission apparatus for steering operation board Microphones and key switches are provided on an operation board mounted on a steering wheel, and an audio signal as well as a control signal generated therefrom are sent to a road-vehicle stationary unit through a light transmission means including plural... | 12/16/1986 |
| 4608550 | Electric signal transmission system on a road vehicle Communication of electric signals between a control board mounted on a steering wheel but held in stationary state irrespective of a rotation of the steering wheel and an electric controller disposed at a position remote from a steering mechanism. The con... | 08/26/1986 |
| 4600601 | Process of coating the surface of a board A process of insulatingly coating a front and a back surface of a printed circuit board is disclosed. A vessel has a large top opening for receiving coating liquid therein and has a plurality of small apertures formed in the bottom. The vessel is immersed... | 07/15/1986 |
| 4519369 | Air suction device for diesel engine An air suction device for a diesel engine having a throttle valve disposed within an air suction passage wherein the throttle valve has an opening through which air may pass even when the throttle valve is in a closed position and wherein a mechanism is p... | 05/28/1985 |
| 4432586 | Anti-skid brake control system for motor vehicles An anti-skid brake control system for motor vehicles including a housing, a power piston movable therein and dividing the interior of the housing into two chambers one on each side of the power piston, a conduit member connecting one of the chambers to an... | 02/21/1984 |
| 4096768 | Hydro-mechanical transmission In a hydro-mechanical transmission for automobiles which has an input shaft, an output shaft, a differential gear set including an input element connected to the input shaft and an output element connected to the output shaft and two reaction elements, a ... | 06/27/1978 |
| 4090815 | High vacuum pump A high-vacuum pump is disclosed as including a molecular pump assembly and an oil-seated rotary pump assembly, a speed change mechanism being interposed between the two assemblies so as to transmit driving forces, with a predetermined ratio, between the a... | 05/23/1978 |
| 4080977 | Governor valve A governor valve comprising a housing provided with inlet and outlet ports; a rotational shaft provided within the housing; a body rotatably supported by the housing and operatively connected to the rotational shaft; a valve spool slidably disposed within... | 03/28/1978 |
| 4077673 | Fluid pressure controlling device A fluid pressure controlling device for use in a vehicle brake system includes a deceleration responsive valve member which closes to interrupt fluid communication between a fluid pressure source and a brake cylinder when the fluid pressure generated in t... | 03/07/1978 |
| 4075848 | Hydraulic brake booster A hydraulic brake booster of the type utilizing pressurized fluid supplied to a hydraulic power steering device, wherein a flow regulating valve is adapted to rapidly increase the pressure in a power chamber of the booster in response to actuation of the ... | 02/28/1978 |
| 4074795 | Caliper mounting arrangement for a disc brake Fluid pressure operated disc brakes of a vehicle of the kind having a stationary member adapted to be secured to a non-rotatable part of a wheel assembly, a movable member on the stationary member, fluid pressure operated brake actuator incorporated into ... | 02/21/1978 |
| 4070977 | Sewing machine A sewing machine having the usual type needle thread taking up lever and the path through which the needle thread travels almost unrevealedly nested within a housing defined by the end face of the arm and a cover to be attached for safety purpose and addi... | 01/31/1978 |
| 4068901 | Brake pressure difference warning system for vehicles A brake pressure-failure warning system for use with a split or dual type brake system having two brake lines includes a stepped piston operatively associated with an electrical warning switch and supplied with brake pressure from both of the brake lines,... | 01/17/1978 |
| 4067604 | Vehicle roof A vehicle roof having a roof aperture which can be closed by a sliding roof, the vehicle having a wind deflector pivotally positioned on the front edge of the roof aperture such that the deflector, when in its inoperative position, is disposed under the c... | 01/10/1978 |
| 4066303 | Brake pressure-difference warning system for vehicles A brake pressure failure warning system for use with a split or dual type braking system having two brake lines, includes a stepped piston associated with an electrical warning switch and supplied with brake pressure from both of the brake lines, a propor... | 01/03/1978 |
| 4058072 | Extension table for sewing machines An extension table for attachment to a sewing machine head of the portable type for enlarging the somewhat limited working area provided by flat upper surface of the bed in which the bobbin mechanism is housed under the needle and presser foot wherein the... | 11/15/1977 |
| 4057700 | Fluid level indicator A fluid level indicator for a reservoir of a brake tandem master cylinder includes a pair of partition walls extending vertically upwardly from the bottom of the reservoir and thereby dividing the reservoir into three chambers. One chamber is in fluid com... | 11/08/1977 |
| 4057166 | Drawer type ash receiver In a drawer type ash receiver assembly, a supporting member for a container is formed in a half-box shape from sheet metal by stamping to have opposite-spaced side flanges and a rear end flange flared downwardly and outwardly in one piece therefrom. The s... | 11/08/1977 |
| 4052768 | Handle of a window regulator for vehicles A handle of a window regulator for vehicles includes a main body having a cylindrical projecting portion vertically extended from one end thereof and an opened shoulder portion formed on an inner end of the cylindrical projecting portion, and a knob membe... | 10/11/1977 |
| 4050423 | Ignition timing adjusting device for internal combustion engines In an ignition timing adjusting device, a breaker plate of a distributor is held in the initial position thereof during idling of the engine and the breaker plate is temporarily moved in the retarding direction in a period of time after starts of the vehi... | 09/27/1977 |
| 4043225 | Power shift transmission for motor vehicles A speed change gear system for industrial vehicles, includes a first planetary gear set having a first sun gear, a plurality of first planetary gears engaged with the first sun gear, a first ring gear interengaged with the first planetary gears, and a fir... | 08/23/1977 |
| 4038887 | Speed change gear A speed change gear system of the planetary type suited for applications to fluid couplings utilized upon automotive vehicles includes at least first, second, and third planetary gear sets suitably interposed between an input shaft and an output shaft, fi... | 08/02/1977 |
| 4038824 | Flow control apparatus of master cylinder A flow control apparatus for a brake master cylinder of a vehicle includes a valve chamber formed within a plug threadably secured to an outlet port of the master cylinder which is fluidically connected to the wheel cylinders of the vehicle, a flow contro... | 08/02/1977 |
| 4038888 | Speed change gear system A speed change gear system for providing at least four forward drive speed ranges and one reverse drive speed range includes planetary gear sets of the single-pinion type and simple planetary gear sets of the double-pinion type as well as a plurality of c... | 08/02/1977 |
| 4024845 | Temperature responsive pneumatic ignition timing control device An ignition timing control device for an internal combustion engine includes a body having at least three ports, the first port of which draws vacuum thereinto, the second port of which draws atmospheric air thereinto and the third port of which emits vac... | 05/24/1977 |
| 4012079 | Brake control apparatus actuated by sensing the deceleration of a vehicle A brake control apparatus actuated by sensing the deceleration of a vehicle includes a shackle arm member swingably mounted upon a fixed portion of the vehicle at one end thereof and swingably mounted upon a movable portion of the vehicle at the other end... | 03/15/1977 |
| 4007820 | Wheel hub clutch In a wheel hub clutching mechanism, a clutch ring to be meshed with a shaft driven pinion is resiliently connected by way of a connecting spring to a follower controlled by turning of a cam. The follower and the clutch ring are pushed toward the lock posi... | 02/15/1977 |
| 4006652 | Fluid pressure control system for motor vehicle transmissions A fluid pressure control system for a motor vehicle transmission includes a modulator valve interposed between a manual shift valve and frictional engaging devices, such as for example, brakes and clutches, and which is adapted to be actuated so as to dra... | 02/08/1977 |
| 4005887 | Door locking mechanism A keyless door locking mechanism for an automotive vehicle comprises a latch member engageable with a striker element on the vehicle body during closing of the door, a detent element engageable with the latch member for keeping the same latched when engag... | 02/01/1977 |
