...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 |
| D637868 | Kitchen knife handle | 05/17/2011 |
| D592682 | Refuse compactor | 05/19/2009 |
| 7496686 | Localizing a remote event timestamp from a network device with an independent clock method and apparatus A timestamp localization method and device includes two processors with independent clocks connected to a communication network. Two messages are exchanged between the processors. First a request message is sent with a transmit timestamp. Second, a reply message is ... | 02/24/2009 |
| 7495600 | Airfield surface target detection and tracking using distributed multilateration sensors and W-band radar sensors An airport surface target detection, classification and tracking system using a network of multilateration (SSR) sensors and W-band radar sensors is used to provide automatic location and tracking information about ground moving aircraft or targets. The information ... | 02/24/2009 |
| 7488137 | Sanitary hub assembly and method for impeller mounting on shaft A hub for removable mounting onto a shaft has an inner sleeve having a first end and a second end, and having a substantially cylindrical inner diameter and having an outer surface having a threaded region and a tapered conical surface located substantially near the... | 02/10/2009 |
| D586289 | Tire for a car | 02/10/2009 |
| D585813 | Tire for a car | 02/03/2009 |
| 7481573 | Mixing impeller with pre-shaped tip elements A blade is disclosed for use in a mixing impeller assembly. The blade includes a top skin element and a bottom skin element without an internal framework in between the elements. A unitary pre-shaped tip element is attached at an end of the blade to the top and bott... | 01/27/2009 |
| 7483338 | Ultrasonic locator system and method An ultrasonic transmitter system(s) and method(s) are described having location and tracking capabilities. The transmitter's, by using ultra sound and encoded micro-modulation, are able to provide enhanced longevity and reliability. A maze algorithm is devised that ... | 01/27/2009 |
| 7479214 | ECM trepan of bars An ECM apparatus includes a stationary cathode tool having a passage, and a drive mechanism for moving a bar-shaped workpiece through the passage of the cathode tool while simultaneously rotating the workpiece. Electrolyte flows, from a manifold on one end of the ca... | 01/20/2009 |
| 7476223 | Bladder catheter set This invention proposes a urinary catheter set with a urinary catheter disposed in a sterile package, which urinary catheter has a catheter shaft, a catheter tip and a preferably funnel-shaped end on the collecting pouch end, with a cuff being disposed in the packag... | 01/13/2009 |
| 7472736 | Modular head lamination device and method A composite item is fabricated with a device. The device includes and end effector and a positioning device. The end effector places a tow. The end effector includes a spindle, compaction device, and a path. The spindle detachably secures a spool of tow and the path... | 01/06/2009 |
| 7472867 | Support roller arrangement for use in an aircraft cargo hold Conventional support rollers are installed on the floor of an aircraft cargo hold in a mounting profile that comprises side walls, and in an interior space of the mounting profile latch elements can be mounted in order to secure containers, pallets or similar items ... | 01/06/2009 |
| 7473025 | Mixing impeller with spiral leading edge An impeller blade has a flat central disk portion, at least a pair of extensions extending from a central disk portion, and at least two leading edges defined by the outer periphery of the disk portion. Each leading edge spans from one extension to an adjacent exten... | 01/06/2009 |
| 7469906 | Filter lip seal and method A lip seal has an internal spring element disposed in an elastomeric ring. The spring element has a central ring with inwardly directed angled fingers ... | 12/30/2008 |
| 7470099 | System for loading and unloading loose cargo in a cargo hold, preferably of a plane The present invention for the first time proposes a system for loading and unloading loose cargo in a cargo hold, preferably of a plane. The system comprises a conveyor apparatus for transporting the loose cargo between a tarmac level or the like and a cargo hold op... | 12/30/2008 |
| 7467649 | Automatic shutoff refueling receiver A refueling receiver includes an inlet configured to receive a nozzle. A control valve piston is connected to the inlet to allow flow from the inlet to the control valve piston. The control valve piston has an inlet side and an outlet side. An outlet is provided hav... | 12/23/2008 |
| 7469172 | Wiring diagram with wire colors A computerized method and apparatus for displaying in an automotive scan tool a wiring diagram of a vehicle. The method includes generating a wiring diagram image corresponding to a vehicle component and a vehicle module having at least one wire therebetween. The me... | 12/23/2008 |
| 7464450 | Attachment and release apparatus and method An attachment and release apparatus for attaching a rotor to a centrifuge drive assembly and for attaching a cover to the rotor. The apparatus includes a knob, a cover wherein the knob has a plunger disposed therein. The apparatus also includes an adapter having det... | 12/16/2008 |
| 7463959 | Cellular phone configured with off-board device capabilities and starter/charger and battery testing capabilities The present invention is directed toward a cellular phone that connects to an existing vehicle data link to perform the functions of an off-board device, such as a scan tool, for displaying diagnostic information relating to vehicles. In addition, the cellular phone... | 12/09/2008 |
| 7462852 | Devices, methods, and systems involving cast collimators Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention comprise a cast collimator descended from a stack lamination mold, said mold comprising a plurality of metallic foils. Certain embodiments of the present invention comprise a method comprising filling a mold hav... | 12/09/2008 |
| 7463232 | Thin film transistor LCD structure and driving method thereof The video data output from the dot-inversion driver is re-arranged in the present invention. According this re-arranged method, the video data output from the even data lines or odd data lines is delayed for one scan line scan time. Then, the re-arranged video data ... | 12/09/2008 |
| 7458476 | Tilted reactor core stacking table system and method A movable fixture onto which core laminates may be stacked in a manner such that the laminates are secure and easily accessible, and the fixture may be used to transport the laminates. The fixture consists of, among other things, a stacking table that has at least o... | 12/02/2008 |
| 7458928 | Centrifuge energy management system and method A method and apparatus for a centrifuge energy management system prevents the energy level of a rotor from exceeding a predetermined containment limit for the centrifuge by monitoring the energy level and either terminating a run operation of the centrifuge if it su... | 12/02/2008 |
| 7458559 | Bi-directional knife gate valve apparatus and method An improved method and apparatus for a valve assembly features a valve body, a first seat ring mounted in the valve body, a second seat ring mounted in the valve body, and a retractable blade gate slideable in between the first seat ring and the second seat ring. Th... | 12/02/2008 |
| 7455742 | Slit-course ply placement device and method To apply a plurality of courses on a layup form to fabricate a composite item, a first course of the plurality of courses is applied on the layup form along a first path. A second path is determined that overlaps an edge of the first course by a predetermined minimu... | 11/25/2008 |
| 7449080 | Corrugated hose assembly According to the present invention, there is provided a hose assembly with an inner fluoropolymer layer having a somewhat smooth inner surface and an outer polyamide layer having an undulated surface. ... | 11/11/2008 |
| D580288 | Tachometer | 11/11/2008 |
| 7448160 | Mosquito harvest trap A mosquito harvest trap which includes a control unit, a holding chamber and a water tank. The trap is based on water column technology being used to harvest and expel mosquito larvae residing within the water column. ... | 11/11/2008 |
| D580289 | Tachometer | 11/11/2008 |
| 7447179 | Methods for synchronizing in a wide band code division multiple access communication system The invention discloses a method that implements synchronization for a WCDMA system. The method introduces a globe synchronization time to the WCDMA system as a reference time for signal transmitting of all NodeBs; when searching adjacent cells or making handover, e... | 11/04/2008 |
| 7446384 | CMOS image sensor module with wafers The present invention relates to an image sensor module and a manufacturing method thereof, especially to a wafer level chip size package (WL-CSP) realized by directly contacting an image sensor chip wafer to a glass wafer on which an IR filter coating layer is depo... | 11/04/2008 |
| D579146 | Lighting fixture | 10/21/2008 |
| 7433025 | Automated protein crystallization imaging An apparatus that automatically captures, stores and analyzes images of crystallization experiments contained in a number of crystallization plates. The apparatus includes a plate nest capable of accommodating protein crystallization plates of a plurality of differe... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7431270 | Heating tower apparatus and method with wind direction adaptation A heating tower apparatus for heating a liquid having an air flow inlet stream and a first air flow outlet and a second air flow outlet. The first air flow outlet provides a first outlet air flow stream and has a first outlet door that moves between an open position... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7430855 | Muffling apparatus having exhaust emission purifying function A muffling apparatus 1 of the present invention having an exhaust emission purifying function, including a turning portion 8 in an inside of an exhaust gas flow passage, and having an injection nozzle 12 disposed in an upstream side exhaust gas ... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7433890 | Method and apparatus for storing and retrieving data stored within an associated piece of equipment A method and apparatus that includes a storage device for securing data about an apparatus. The data is stored in a central location and can be accessed or written based upon privileges granted by a processor. ... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7433195 | Doubled-sided pluggable backplane The invention discloses a double-sided pluggable backplane, having one side on which one or more than one front backplane connector is disposed according to width of plot positions and the other side on which one or more than one rear backplane connector is disposed... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7430723 | System and method for implementing a three-dimensional graphic user interface A graphical user interface for displaying and interacting with a rendered image of a graphical object on a display device. A color value is stored for each pixel in the display device. Object identification data is stored with each pixel covered by the rendered imag... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7430465 | Open-ended PC host interface for vehicle data recorder An apparatus and method is provided that allows a host workstation to communicate with all types of VDR available to a user to record events in a vehicle type selected by the user. The host workstation can also alert the user when the incorrect VDR is connected base... | 09/30/2008 |