Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7429065 | Hose and tube assembly An assembly includes a first member having an inner surface and a second member having an outer surface. One of the two members has greater rigidity than the other member and at least one groove. The rigid member is partially received within the less rigid member an... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7342382 | Method of determining transition from starter to alternator function by monitoring battery voltage or current The present invention is directed to determining and controlling the appropriate moment at which a combined starter/alternator should transition from start-up mode to alternator/generator mode following an IC engine start-up sequence. The method relies on battery vo... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7341536 | Light weight differential case half A vehicle differential case is disclosed, the case having an interior and an exterior configuration which provides an increased internal volume for, among other things, lubricant for components of the differential mechanism, while at the same time providing excellen... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7334308 | Method of securing a body mount support bracket on a vehicle body and frame assembly A body mount support bracket, including a central body portion having a pair of leg portions depending therefrom, is secured to a frame portion of a vehicle body and frame assembly by flexing the leg portions from a first, unstressed position to a second, stressed p... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7331240 | Apparatus and method for connecting vehicle wheel sensors to a controller The present invention relates to a vehicle wheel sensor apparatus and a method that determine if a vehicle wheel sensor is active or passive, while efficiently providing the necessary connectivity, power, and communication between the sensor and a controller, withou... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7331896 | Torque control system for all-wheel drive drivetrain A drivetrain of an all-wheel drive motor vehicle provided for selective actuation and control of the torque distribution between first and second drive axle assemblies to match various vehicle operating conditions. The drivetrain comprises a power drive unit includi... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7328685 | Slip joint exhaust manifolds A multi-piece exhaust manifold includes a ring seal between separate portions. The separate portions have generally cylindrical sealing surfaces formed thereon to mate with the ring seal. The ring seal may include a metal sheath filled with graphite or other sealing... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7328908 | Steer axle and method of making the same A steer axle for a vehicle and a method of making the same involves forming portions of a steer axle to have a three sided design. Spring seats that wrap around two of the three sides are secured to the steer axle. Plates are secured to the spring seats. The plates ... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7325821 | Suspension mounting system and a method of assembling the same A suspension mounting system and a method of assembly of the same are disclosed. The system has an axle housing having two hollow arms and an upper portion and a lower portion. At least one suspension bracket is located between the upper portion and the lower portio... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7322106 | Method of manufacturing a node for connecting vehicle frame members A method of manufacturing a node for joining a plurality of structural members together, such as in a vehicular body and frame assembly, is well suited for joining structural members that are formed from differing materials. An insert is provided having a node secur... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7322247 | Gasket having a fiber-optic pressure sensor assembly A sensor assembly includes a stainless steel tubular housing. Within the housing is a polyetheretherketone tube and a sensor. An optical fiber joins the sensor to a transmission cable and is fixedly positioned within the tube. A first end of the housing includes a p... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7316386 | Valve stem seal assembly A valve stem seal assembly having a retainer body that includes an annular interior passageway defined by a wall is disclosed. At least one internal sprue extends between top and bottom ends of the retainer body and are formed within the wall. A channel is concentri... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7311016 | Park lock system The present invention is a method and apparatus for locking a vehicle transmission where at least one directional clutch gear is located on one end of a shaft and a second directional clutch gear and a park flange are located at the other end of the shaft. A single ... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7310993 | Pressure sensor apparatus for measuring pressures including knock conditions in engine cylinders Sensor apparatus for a multiple layer steel (MLS) cylinder head gasket measures combustion pressures for detecting engine conditions. A membrane is positioned at one end of an elongated metal tube, and the membrane end of the tube engages a cylinder bore boundary. A... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7306536 | Tandem axle system A tandem axle system for vehicle having an optimized inter-axle driveline is depicted and described. The system has a forward drive axle system having a forward pinion gear drivingly connected to a drive side of a forward portion of a forward ring gear. The system a... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7306020 | Tire inflation system and wheel sensor and method of use A tire inflation system and wheel speed sensor system having a hollow shaft rotatable with a drive mechanism. The shaft extends into the hollow end of an axle. A angular velocity system rotates with the shaft within the hollow end of the axle. A sensor, mounted with... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7302979 | Vehicle tire inflation system and sensor and method of use A combined tire inflation system and a wheel speed sensor for a vehicle steer axle has a steerable spindle with a substantially hollow interior portion. A shaft, located in the hollow interior portion, connects a rotatable hub cap adjacent the spindle and a sensor a... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7299779 | Upside-down square-up valve stem seal A valve stem seal of an internal combustion engine is described wherein the valve stem seal includes an outer peripheral surface and an inner sealing surface. The inner sealing surface minimizes ingress of a liquid upwardly from an intake port area into an overhead ... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7296642 | Suspended axle modules for skid steer loaders A suspension and a drive assembly is provided for forward and rear wheels disposed on first and second longitudinally spaced axles of a skid steer loader. The suspension includes a central bearing support and leading and trailing arms that are independently, pivotal... | 11/20/2007 |
| 7293779 | MLS gasket with bore edge stopper bead A gasket includes an intermediate layer having resilient sealing beads flanked by stopper beads. The three-layer gasket, particularly designed for heavy duty racing engines, provides a relatively robust cross-section in web-areas between cylinder bore apertures. A t... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7287757 | Optimized wave bead with full bead design A gasket having a layer including at least one combustion opening and a wave area located on the layer is disclosed. The wave area includes a first wave and a second wave. The first wave is proximate the combustion opening. A flat portion near the second wave includ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7287758 | Cylinder head gasket with an oil drainback tube fastener A gasket includes at least one gasket layer. The gasket layer has a push rod or cam timing chain opening formed therein. A clip is secured to the gasket layer and positioned within the push rod or timing chain opening. The clip selectively receives and positions an ... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7265659 | Tire pressure management system valve integrity verification method A method of verifying the integrity of a valve in service in a tire pressure management system is disclosed. The method of verifying valve integrity of a valve interposed between a tire and conduit assemblies for conducting fluid to and/or from the tire in a tire ma... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7263975 | Plastic coated metal fuel rail An improved fuel rail for delivering fuel to a fuel injector for an internal combustion engine is provided that reduces the weight of the fuel injection system, greatly reduces manufacturing costs by eliminating expensive manufacturing methods, such as brazing, high... | 09/04/2007 |
| D549731 | Vehicle differential case | 08/28/2007 |
| 7258644 | Tandem axle carrier structural rib A differential carrier housing having both reduced weight and improved strength along the operational load path of the housing is provided. The housing includes a hollow rib that extends from a forward end rearward of an outer bearing for an input shaft to a rear en... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7258641 | Power divider lubrication in tandem drive axles A drive axle assembly is provided that improves lubrication of the bearing surfaces of the inter-axle differential gears, the side gears meshed with the differential gears, and the input and output shafts. Lubricant splashed from the ring gear is collected and is th... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7243949 | Structural member for vehicle body and frame assembly including internal air tank A structural member for use in a vehicle body and frame assembly includes an internal air tank for supplying pressurized air to an auxiliary device, such as an active suspension for the vehicle. The internal air tank may be generally cup-shaped, including a closed e... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7241034 | Automatic directional control system for vehicle headlights A structure and method for operating a directional control system for vehicle headlights that is capable of altering the directional aiming angles of the headlights to account for changes in the operating conditions of the vehicle. One or more operating condition se... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7232398 | Method for converting a non-driven tag axle system to a driven axle system A method for converting a non-driven tag axle system to a driven axle system is disclosed where a forward driven axle system is converted to drive an interaxle drive shaft. The interaxle drive shaft is connected to a drive axle head mounted within the tag axle housi... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7229098 | Frame rail torsion attenuator The present invention provides a torsion attenuator for a vehicle frame having first and second longitudinal frame rails extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis. A torsion attenuator in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7220786 | Ultraviolet radiation curable coating for MLS head gasket applications Compositions and methods for coating surfaces of MLS gasket layers are disclosed. The process includes applying a coating precursor on at least one surface of one or more of the layers, and curing the coating precursor by exposure to radiation. Disclosed coating pre... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7211017 | Inter-axle differential lock shift mechanism An improved inter-axle differential locking clutch is provided that aligns the actuator and the clutch member thereby reducing space and material requirements in the axle assembly housing. The clutch also eliminates the need for a pushrod and shift fork thereby redu... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7204112 | Method of lubricating a workpiece for hydroforming An apparatus and method of applying a lubricating material to an outer surface of a workpiece. Initially, a workpiece is provided that is preferably formed from a closed channel structural member having a circular or box-shaped cross sectional shape. Lubricating mat... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7201398 | Offset joint between structural members in a vehicle frame assembly to facilitate a coating process A joint between two or more structural members in a vehicular body and frame assembly facilitates the application of a coating of a material thereto after assembly of the joint. The first and second structural members have respective outer surfaces provided thereon.... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7195260 | Steer axle suspension A suspension for coupling a steer axle assembly to a vehicle frame is provided that provides lateral stability to the steer axle assembly without the use of a track rod or stabilizer bar. The suspension includes a body that is coupled to the axle beam of the steer a... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7196120 | Ultraviolet radiation curable coating for MLS head gasket applications Compositions and methods for coating surfaces of MLS gasket layers are disclosed. The process includes applying a coating precursor on at least one surface of one or more of the layers, and curing the coating precursor by exposure to radiation. Disclosed coating pre... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7195579 | Automated inter-axle differential locking system actuation enhancement An actuation enhancement for an automated vehicle inter-axle differential (IAD) locking system. The vehicle having an engine and a tandem drive axle. The IAD actuation enhancement locking system comprises a rotating sliding clutch and a rotating side helical gear, w... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7188850 | Beam axle suspension with diagonal link A steer axle and suspension assembly are provided that produce lateral stability in the vehicle without the use of a transverse rod and without generating undue loads on the steer axle beam. The assembly includes at least one suspension arm that is connected to the ... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7188841 | Secondary piston seal A secondary seal is provided for an internal combustion engine having a piston, cylinder bore, ring seal, secondary seal, and leak path. Forces are applied from the combustion side of the piston through a cylinder gap and a leak path to the secondary seal. The secon... | 03/13/2007 |
