Bizarre Patents
A forehead support apparatus for resting a standing users forehead against a wall above a bathroom commode or urinal or beneath a showerhead.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5664945 | Pressurized wick burner A hollow ceramic fiber wick is used for combustion of diesel or other liquid fuels in a small combustor. Fuel and air are provided to the hollow ceramic wick by a positive-displacement fuel pump and a positive-displacement air blower driven by a common ... | 09/09/1997 |
| 5521448 | Damping for passive magnetic bearings The apparatus includes a resilient mounting for the damping of magnetic bearings. This mount may include a resilient material placed between the magnetic stator and the fixed structure to damp vibrations of the stator induced by variations in the position... | 05/28/1996 |
| 5451772 | Distributed fiber optic sensor A distributed optical fiber sensor for sensing physical characteristics of an object, such as strain, includes several discontinuities, each pair of discontinuities being placed at one specific location on the object. A laser beam is past through the fibe... | 09/19/1995 |
| 5205384 | Powder-lubricated damper with wavy damper pads The damper arrangement is operated in high temperature applications, such as load and speed environments such as found in turboengines. The damper arrangement includes damper pads which are laterally urged against damping elements forming a shearing zone ... | 04/27/1993 |
| 5202824 | Rotating force generator for magnetic bearings The present invention relates to apparatus for stabilizing the operation of rotational machinery, particularly machinery which uses magnetic bearings. Accelerometers sense various vibrations within the machinery. The outputs of the accelerometers are anal... | 04/13/1993 |
| 5193120 | Machine vision three dimensional profiling system A three dimensional imaging system having a diode laser and collimator along with a video camera and digital circuitry wherein when the light from the laser is collimated and hits the surface of an object with the reflected light images picked up by the v... | 03/09/1993 |
| 5175457 | Linear motor or alternator plunger configuration using variable magnetic properties for center row and outer rows of magnets The apparatus pertains to an electromagnetic reciprocating machine with a stator having end portions forming axially spaced-apart pole pieces, the stator further including a coil cavity. A plunger reciprocates within the stator and includes a central port... | 12/29/1992 |
| 5171129 | Hydraulically driven reciprocating compressor having a free-floating diaphragm A compressor with a flexible diaphragm used as the pumping element such as for Stirling coolers or pulse-tube refrigerators, said compressor further including a sensor to monitor the position of the diaphragm and a control circuit for maintaining the diap... | 12/15/1992 |
| 5149936 | Multi-plane balancing process and apparatus using powder metal for controlled material addition The method and apparatus for balancing an object dynamically includes rotating the object continuously, depositing material on the object and melting the surface of the object and the material to form a metallurgical bond. The amount of material to be add... | 09/22/1992 |
| 5140905 | Stabilizing gas bearing in free piston machines In a free piston engine, to reduce dynamic loads on the reciprocating elements caused by a time varying pressure gradient across the gas bearing and close clearance seals provided therein, drain galleries are incorporated at the ends of the gas bearings t... | 08/25/1992 |
| 5133527 | Active mounts The present invention relates to an active mount system in which a vibration sensor such as a force gauge or an accelerometer senses vibrational forces transmitted through a resilient mount by a load such as a machine. The invention further includes a dig... | 07/28/1992 |
| 5109673 | Relative gas spring configuration free-piston stirling cycle system A Free-Piston Stirling cycle system includes a cylinder arranged within a sealed, pressurized housing. A power piston is arranged for reciprocation within or about one region of the cylinder, and a light-weight displacer, having a selected diameter is arr... | 05/05/1992 |
| 5090894 | Enhanced air/fuel mixing for automotive stirling engine turbulator-type combustors The invention relates to the improved combustion of fuel in a combustion chamber of a stirling engine and the like by dividing combustion into primary and secondary combustion zones through the use of a diverter plate.... | 02/25/1992 |
| 5084643 | Virtual rotor balancing in magnetic bearings The apparatus uses an influence coefficient calculating method to allow a rotor supported on active magnetic bearings to rotate about an inertial axis which, due to possible imbalances in the rotor, may be different from the geometric axis of the rotor, w... | 01/28/1992 |
| 5059845 | Active magnetic bearing device for controlling rotor vibrations The present invention relates to a system employing an active magnetic bearing for controlling and isolating rotor vibrations. The invention includes an active magnetic bearing having a stator, an armature and an inner bearing located within the central b... | 10/22/1991 |
| 5035117 | Thermal engine driven heat pump for recovery of volatile organic compounds The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for separating volatile organic compounds from a stream of process gas. An internal combustion engine drives a plurality of refrigeration systems, an electrical generator and an air compressor. The e... | 07/30/1991 |
| 5022229 | Stirling free piston cryocoolers The present invention relates to a Stirling free piston cryocooler in which the drive assembly is arranged in an in-line opposed piston arrangement. The displacer piston assembly is nested within the power piston assembly. In one embodiment the thermodyna... | 06/11/1991 |
| 5021697 | Auxiliary bearing design for active magnetic bearings A magnetic bearing rotating structure includes a rotor magnetically supported in a housing by a magnetic bearing. A back-up bearing arrangement is used to resist impact on the rotor, including a fixed bumper bearing for resisting a sudden impact, and an a... | 06/04/1991 |
| 5011108 | Active mounts The present invention relates to an active mount system in which a vibration sensor such as a force gauge or an accelerometer senses vibrational forces transmitted through a resilient mount by a load such as a machine. The invention further includes a con... | 04/30/1991 |
| 4974165 | Real time machining control system including in-process part measuring and inspection A real-time machining control system is provided which includes a conventional computer numerical control and a dimensional measurement system which continually measures the actual diameter of the rotating workpiece and provides an error signal representi... | 11/27/1990 |
| 4958496 | Multi-bottle, no compressor, mean pressure control system for a Stirling engine The invention relates to an apparatus for mean pressure control of a Stirling engine without the need for a compressor. The invention includes a multi-tank system in which there is at least one high pressure level tank and one low pressure level tank wher... | 09/25/1990 |
| 4937481 | Permanent magnet linear electromagnetic machine A linear reciprocating electromagnetic machine has an outer stator member having axially spaced apart pole pieces, an open-slot coil cavity housing a coil, and an inner stator member spaced from the outer stator member and providing means for completing a... | 06/26/1990 |
| 4873826 | Control scheme for power modulation of a free piston Stirling engine The present invention relates to a control scheme for power modulation of a free-piston Stirling engine-linear alternator power generator system. The present invention includes connecting an autotransformer in series with a tuning capacitance between a li... | 10/17/1989 |
| 4841184 | Velocity and imbalance observer control circuit for active magnetic bearing or damper "Velocity Observer" and "Imbalance Observer" circuits are used to control the journals in the magnetic field of an attractive type active magnetic bearing and/or damper. The circuits are characterized by the use of integrators rather than differential com... | 06/20/1989 |
| 4836757 | Pressure actuated movable head for a resonant reciprocating compressor balance chamber The present invention relates to a resonant piston compressor in which a double-sided piston reciprocates within a cylinder and defines a valved compression space on one side of the piston and a balance chamber on its other side. The invention further inc... | 06/06/1989 |
| 4827163 | Monocoil reciprocating permanent magnet electric machine with self-centering force A linear reciprocating machine has a tubular outer stator housing a coil, a plunger and an inner stator. The plunger has four axially spaced rings of radially magnetized permanent magnets which cooperate two at a time with the stator to complete first or ... | 05/02/1989 |
| 4814650 | Flat plunger linear electrodynamic machine An electrodynamic motor having a flat plunger core arrangement formed out of alternating layers of magnetic and insulating strips clamped together and maintained on respective bearing sleeves which reciprocate on guide members with the gap between stator ... | 03/21/1989 |
| 4781546 | Linear resonant reciprocating machines A free-piston reciprocating compressor includes a reciprocating piston disposed within a cylinder such that one end of the piston-cylinder provides for a compression space and the other end of the piston-cylinder provides for a balancing space. The piston... | 11/01/1988 |
| 4773019 | Microprocessor laser control system for multiplane balancing of rotors A system for balancing rotating members comprising a laser head which emits a laser shot in response to a laser control signal to remove material from the rotating member. The laser control signal is produced by a computer which is responsive to a plurali... | 09/20/1988 |
| 4765138 | Stirling engine with pressurized crankcase A two piston Stirling engine wherein the pistons are coupled to a common crankshaft via bearing means, the pistons include pad means to minimize friction between the pistons and the cylinders during reciprocation of the pistons, means for pressurizing the... | 08/23/1988 |
| 4761609 | Tachometer signal conditioner A tachometer signal conditioner circuit functions to accept a wide range of input signals and produces a digital pulse signal which indicates a gear shaft phase reference position. Tachometer input signals of either a true 1/revolution or an N/revolution ... | 08/02/1988 |
| 4758065 | Fiber optic sensor probe A fiber optic sensor probe system comprises an electromechanical arrangement system which enables a fiber optic probe to lock onto a null point relative to a target which null point represents an in focus condition for the probe relative to the target. A ... | 07/19/1988 |
| 4751381 | Fast dither detector for fiber optic sensor This invention relates to a detection circuit for use in a servo controlled fiber optic sensor. A low noise signal with an amplitude proportional to the magnitude of the synchronous detection output is produced without the use of filter by a calculation o... | 06/14/1988 |
| 4750871 | Stabilizing means for free piston-type linear resonant reciprocating machines A resonant reciprocating compressor wherein a reciprocating assembly comprising the movable armature of an electric reciprocating motor and a piston means coupled to the armature is driven cyclically when the electric motor is energized from an alternatin... | 06/14/1988 |
| 4750870 | Pressure actuated movable head for a resonant reciprocating compressor balance chamber In a resonant piston compressor utilizing a balance chamber to provide a gas spring effect for use in a heat pump arrangement and the like, an adjustable balance cylinder head which adjusts so as to increase or decrease the balance chamber volume so as to... | 06/14/1988 |
| 4744664 | Method and apparatus for determining the position of a feature of an object A system for locating a feature of an object disposed in a frame includes a spot projector for projecting a spot in the general vicinity of the feature and an imaging device with a limited field of view. The spot projector is a precision device which proj... | 05/17/1988 |
| 4721440 | Linear gas compressor A linear air compressor having a linear electrodynamic motor which is air cooled and has an increased stroke and accordingly increased output. The working piston is provided with and stroke parting on a push-pull spring provides for centering of the plung... | 01/26/1988 |
| 4719409 | Digital signal output capacitance sensor displacement gauging system A new variable impedance type system is described for measuring a preselected physical parameter such as spacing, displacement, pressure, vibration, etc. A sensor/transducer is positioned to provide the variable impedance. The sensor/transducer is part of... | 01/12/1988 |
| 4719341 | Fiber optic displacement sensor with oscillating optical path length A proximity sensor includes a bifurcated optic fiber bundle with a face and a projection lens for projecting an image on a target and a feedback control loop for maintaining said face at a preselected distance from the target for tracking. An oscillating ... | 01/12/1988 |
| 4711577 | Optical configuration of fiber optic sensor for symmetric dynamic response about the optical null A method of determining the displacement of a fiber optic sensor from a target in which a first lens is spaced from the target at a first distance an a second lens is spaced from said target at a second distance which provides the greatest intensity respo... | 12/08/1987 |
