"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
Dave Barry
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 |
| 4736103 | Spectrometer test gas chamber A detector assembly of a spectrometer device which includes a built-in test gas chamber, has a housing defining a chamber with a first end having a first aperture and a second end having a second aperture opposite the first aperture. While light transmiss... | 04/05/1988 |
| 4723359 | Spent fuel rod horizontal consolidation system and method The system of the invention includes a downender station 10 which receives and secures a spent fuel assembly 20 in a vertical disposition and is then pivoted to a horizontal position after the upper nozzle has been removed, and a second station 12 general... | 02/09/1988 |
| 4683749 | Process and system for detecting and measuring a tritium gas leak The present invention is a method and system for detecting and measuring a tritium gas leak. The method comprises collecting and concentrating any tritium gas escaping from a container in a reservoir over a predetermined time period. The concentrated gas ... | 08/04/1987 |
| 4657470 | Robotic end effector The invention comprises an improved end effector for a robot which is particularly advantageous in applications such as placing flat pack integrated circuits on circuit boards. The end effector includes a vacuum-operated quill for picking up the integrate... | 04/14/1987 |
| 4646529 | Transport refrigeration unit defrost control system A solid-state defrost timer control for a transport refrigeration unit includes an oscillator 68, counter 66, flip-flop 74, and termination timer 88 which are provided with temperature reference signals from comparator U1, sensor failure condition signals... | 03/03/1987 |
| 4646539 | Transport refrigeration system with thermal storage sink A transport refrigeration system using a three-way valve 14 for either cooling mode operation and defrost and/or heating mode operation is provided with a thermal storage sink 28 having first and second heat exchangers 26 and 52 and a heat exchange medium... | 03/03/1987 |
| 4635671 | Flow and pressure control valve system A flow and pressure control valve system is provided in which a control valve body 18 has a bore 22 therein with a slidable piston 24, the piston being biased to the left by spring 32 to a stop 38, with ports 16 and 26 opening to the bore 22 in the pressu... | 01/13/1987 |
| 4628464 | Robotic system for mounting electrical components A robot including a vision system for providing information to the robot to permit the robot to accurately place electrical components such as integrated circuits on a circuit board is disclosed. The vision system includes a first camera for generating si... | 12/09/1986 |
| 4621409 | Harness formation finger interchange The harness formation interchange for use with a robotic end-effector includes a plurality of tool storage units at each robot work station. Each of the storage units incorporates a powered tool clamping assembly consisting of power driven clamps which mo... | 11/11/1986 |
| 4616743 | Centrifugal clutch particularly useful in transport refrigeration unit A clutch is provided in which the friction shoes 40a, b and c are attached to a hub 38 through leaf springs 48a, 48b, 48c with the leading end of the leaf springs, relative to hub rotation, being connected to the leading end portions of the hub surfaces 3... | 10/14/1986 |
| 4598942 | Force-controlled gripper with adaptive accommodation In a gripper device including a power frame of a motor 10, shaft 12, sun gear 14, planetary gear 16, gripper assembly shaft 18, gripper lever 20, gripper finger 22, a clutch 24 is interposed in the power train to each gripper finger and is controlled to p... | 07/08/1986 |
| 4586875 | Refrigerant compressor bypass oil filter system A bypass oil filter arrangement for a refrigerant compressor of a transport refrigeration unit is provided in which a minor portion of oil outputted by a positive displacement oil pump is fed through the filter 62 while the major portion of oil from the p... | 05/06/1986 |
| 4583377 | Refrigerant suction accumulator, especially for transport refrigeration unit A secondary chamber 40, 64 is provided in a refrigerant suction accumulator 24 to receive liquid refrigerant through return tube 22 from a refrigerant evaporator 20 and is provided with a drip hole 50, 72, to limit the level of refrigerant buildup in the ... | 04/22/1986 |
| 4579016 | Self-contained two-axis wrist module A two-axis wrist module includes a roll part 14 rotatable about a first axis A--A driven by shaft 38 coupled through harmonic drive unit 42 functioning as a speed reducer and shaft 44, and a bend part 16 carried by the roll part for rotation about the axi... | 04/01/1986 |
| 4576548 | Self-aligning static seal for gas turbine stator vanes An arrangement is provided for statically sealing between the inner shroud 12 of individual stator vanes of a gas turbine, and a seal housing 14 provided with a radially outwardly open channel 22 into which is received a plurality of outer seal segments 2... | 03/18/1986 |
| 4560592 | Method of and apparatus for dip coating A frame 50 having box section frame members 42 is connected by spider inserts 36 and 52 at the four corners of the frame which are linked through chains 34 to four frame handling devices 14 which include a pneumatic cylinder 16 operated to lower the frame... | 12/24/1985 |
| 4557663 | Modular, low cost, pogrammable assembly system A programmable assembly system for performing any of a variety of operations for different batch assemblies wherein at least some of the batches have different end points is obtained by using a limited capability, high reliable, high speed pick and place ... | 12/10/1985 |
| 4553403 | Transport refrigeration air system A refrigerated trailer 10 which is subject to having a restricted normal return air flow path back to the refrigeration unit 24 through the suction space 46 in communication with the return air inlet 34 of the unit, due to volume and arrangement of the lo... | 11/19/1985 |
| 4551986 | Transport refrigeration unit The transport refrigeration unit (FIG. 5) includes a generally planar main frame 20, 22, 24 which supports a base frame 34 for carrying the compressor 54 and engine 56, and with an evaporator plenum 58 and a condenser plenum 60 in side-by-side, but spaced... | 11/12/1985 |
| 4550494 | Automated printed circuit board assembly method The method of assembling lead-mounted electric components such as DIP 18 in automated fashion to a printed circuit board 14 is accomplished by building up a crimping tool (FIG. 7) comprising a base 28 with crimping anvils 12, 20, 22, 24, by selectively po... | 11/05/1985 |
| 4537045 | Combination refrigerant receiver, accumulator and heat exchanger A combined refrigerant receiver, suction gas accumulator, and heat exchanger is provided and is particularly useful in connection with a transport refrigeration unit, and includes an internal concentrically disposed receiver 46 in the upper portion of an ... | 08/27/1985 |
| 4537047 | Truck transport refrigeration unit A transport refrigeration unit of the type which has a single or common refrigerant circuit, and a truck engine driven compressor 22 and a mutually, exclusively operable standby compressor 34 is provided with an arrangement of suction line fitting 46 with... | 08/27/1985 |
| 4527400 | Air shutter arrangement for transport refrigeration unit In a transport refrigeration unit, top and front shutters are controlled to open in sequence upon rising temperatures being sensed by temperature responsive control means located in a recirculation passage between the shutters.... | 07/09/1985 |
| 4519215 | Transport refrigeration system with top freezing avoidance To reduce the probability of top freezing of a fresh cargo 12 in a trailer 10 served by a transport refrigeration unit 14, a control arrangement is provided including a sensor 18 controlling signals according to discharge air temperature fed to a first ti... | 05/28/1985 |
| 4516916 | Oil cooled, hermetic refrigerant compressor A hermetic refrigerant compressor having an electric motor and compressor assembly in a hermetic shell is cooled by oil which is first cooled in an external cooler 18 and is then delivered through the shell to the top of the motor rotor 24 where most of i... | 05/14/1985 |
| 4515523 | Cooling arrangement for airfoil stator vane trailing edge A hollow, airfoil shaped stator vane 10 is provided in its trailing edge portion with staggered rows of pin fins 20, 22 and 24 and with longitudinal ribs 26 which provide the required stiffness for the thin wall design of the vane, the ribs being provided... | 05/07/1985 |
| 4512295 | Diesel glow plug tip enlargement protection The tips 14 of any glow plugs 10 which are shorted are protected against enlargement by a separate protective device 28 in each series connection 26 to an individual glow plug opening in a fraction of a second in response to current through the device of ... | 04/23/1985 |
| 4511306 | Combustion turbine single airfoil stator vane structure A one-piece, investment cast stator structure is provided including inner and outer shrouds 14 and 12 with a hollow airfoil-shaped vane therebetween and with areas 34, 36, 42 and 44 in the vicinity of the intersections of the shrouds with the airfoil vane... | 04/16/1985 |
| 4502347 | Robotic wrist A robotic manipulator wrist has one part 10 rotatable relative to the other part 12 of the wrist, and gear trains 16, 18, 20, operates to rotate the end effector shaft 14 when a brake 36 is applied to prevent relative movement between the two parts 10 and... | 03/05/1985 |
| 4499784 | Split-ball type wrist and manipulating assembly for robot A split-ball type wrist and manipulator assembly (FIG. 6) includes a first ball portion 2, a second ball portion 4 rotatable independently and relative to the first ball portion, and end effector 52 rotatably carried by the second ball portion 4, the firs... | 02/19/1985 |
| 4494447 | Self-latching eccentric cam for dual stroke compressor or pump For a dual capacity refrigerant compressor of the type which has an eccentric cam rotatable on a crankpin between two opposite positions which changes the total eccentricity of the crankpin and cam so as to obtain two different stroke lengths, the rotatio... | 01/22/1985 |
| 4493191 | Transport refrigeration system with control for top freezing avoidance The circuit arrangement includes a first voltage divider including a temperature sensitive resistance 18 and resistor R1 which feed an analog signal through line 30 to comparators CP1-4, which also receive reference voltages from a second voltage divider ... | 01/15/1985 |
| 4482295 | Turbine airfoil vane structure A hollow stator vane for a turbine is provided with separate forward and aft inserts 26 and 32 with the forward insert providing impingement cooling of the vane walls while the aft insert is closely fitted into the vane internal cavity to provide closely ... | 11/13/1984 |
| 4479735 | Shrink fit sleeve for rotating machinery Shrink fit sleeves 30 interposed between the hub 21 and the shaft 10 of a large rotating apparatus adapted for operation in an environment subject to severe cyclical loading as occasioned by large thermal transients, are provided with the property of havi... | 10/30/1984 |
| 4479419 | Dual capacity reciprocating compressor A multi-cylinder compressor 10 particularly useful in connection with northern climate heat pumps and in which different capacities are available in accordance with reversing motor 16 rotation is provided with an eccentric cam 38 on a crank pin 34 under a... | 10/30/1984 |
| 4470271 | Outdoor unit construction for an electric heat pump The outdoor unit for an electric heat pump is provided with an upper portion 10 containing propeller fan means 14 for drawing air through the lower portion 12 containing refrigerant coil means 16 in the form of four discrete coils connected together in a ... | 09/11/1984 |
| 4449377 | Thermosyphon coil arrangement for heat pump outdoor unit For a heat pump, the outdoor unit is provided with a coil and a refrigerant flow arrangement therefor which is such that in the heating mode of operation of the heat pump they operate in a thermosyphon fashion. The coil 32 has a feed portion 30 and an exi... | 05/22/1984 |
| 4449376 | Indoor unit for electric heat pump An indoor unit for an electric heat pump is provided in modular form including a refrigeration module 10, an air mover module 12, and a resistance heat package module 14, the refrigeration module including all of the indoor refrigerant circuit components ... | 05/22/1984 |
| 4441333 | Transport refrigeration unit combination airflow straightener and defrost damper A honeycomb assembly 32 located in the air discharge nozzle portion 30 of a transport refrigeration unit is movable from one position as shown in FIG. 2 in which the assembly functions as an airflow straightener and air throw increaser, to another positio... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4426161 | Turbine disc cavity temperature sensing arrangement An arrangement for sensing temperature in an interstage cavity 24 comprises an extractable temperature probe 44 having a radially inner end sensing portion 46 disposed in a bore 40 in a seal housing 22, the bore 40 receiving bypassing fluid flow which ent... | 01/17/1984 |