...that power steering was invented by independent inventor Francis W. Davis? As chief engineer in the 1920s of the truck division of the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Company, he saw how hard it was to steer heavy vehicles. So that he would be able to keep the profits from his future invention, Davis left his job, rented a small engineering shop in Waltham, Mass., and developed a hydraulic power steering system that led to power steering.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7731536 | Shielded connector A crimp ring (14) is mounted on a braided wire (13) of a shielded cable (12). On the other hand, a shielding shell (20) connectable with a large diameter portion (14b) of the crimp ring (14) is mounted in a housing ( | 06/08/2010 |
| 7722381 | Connector A male housing (60) includes a receptacle (61) in which male tabs project. A female housing (10) includes a tower (11) with cavities (14) for accommodating terminal fittings. A front holder (13) is mountable on the tower ( | 05/25/2010 |
| 7704112 | Portable personal self-operating life tube A portable personal self-operating life tube is disclosed, in which when a user is drowned in water due to a marine disaster or a fire and sinking of a ship, it automatically operates, so the user can save his life by just wearing the tube, and the tube is able to k... | 04/27/2010 |
| 7698164 | Method and system for providing a payment incentive for distributing digital files over a network A method and system for providing a payment incentive for distributing digital files over a network are provided. The method and system allow a publisher, distributor(s), and/or users to receive a payment incentive for downloading digital files on the Internet. The ... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7695290 | Board connector A board connector (1) has a housing (10) and terminal fittings (20) penetrate through the back wall (11) of the housing (10). A board connecting portion (21) of each terminal fitting (20) penetrates through the back w... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7693435 | Fixing device and image forming apparatus A fixing device has a heating roller with a heat source therein. A power supply operates the heat source for heating a transfer material and fixing a toner image thereon. A pressure roller is spaced from the heating roller and a facing member faces the heating rolle... | 04/06/2010 |
| 7692580 | Device, system and method for controlling and storing sensitive information on a GPS device A system and method for controlling and storing sensitive information on a global positioning system (GPS) device are provided. The system includes a locational information module for determining location information of the device; an encryption module for encryptin... | 04/06/2010 |
| 7690632 | Sheet bending apparatus and sheet postprocessing apparatus A sheet bending apparatus and a sheet postprocessing apparatus are provided for improved alignment of recording sheets during center-folding. A center-folding unit mounted in a sheet postprocessing apparatus performs a center-folding processing to a stack of recordi... | 04/06/2010 |
| 7690608 | Attachment device for sheet material A mounting assembly is provided for securing objects to a substrate in a manner that permits the objects to be removed from the mounting assembly and from the substrate. The mounting assembly includes a planar sheet-like holder with opposite front and rear faces. A ... | 04/06/2010 |
| 7689137 | Liquid volume detector, liquid mixture supplying system adopting such liquid volume detector and image forming apparatus A liquid volume detector for detecting the volume of a liquid in a container is provided with a liquid level detecting member which is arranged at a specified height position in the container and on which a load acts by the liquid when the liquid level in the contai... | 03/30/2010 |
| 7686292 | Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus A sheet feeder (20) includes a tray (30) for receiving a recording sheet (P). A feed roller (41) is disposed above the tray (30) and feeds the sheet (P). A bottom plate (50) is at a downstream end of the tray (30) and moves ... | 03/30/2010 |
| 7684744 | Fixing device with separation claws and image forming apparatus including the device A fixing device includes a fixing roller that heats a toner image. A pressure roller forms a nip with the fixing roller by contacting and pressing the fixing roller. Separation claws are disposed side by side along a shaft center of the fixing roller within a sheet ... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7684739 | Toner transport apparatus and image forming apparatus A toner transport apparatus that transports toner particles and includes a lateral transport device and a longitudinal transport device. The lateral transport device includes a lateral tube extending in a lateral direction and a lateral transport member provided ins... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7684730 | Image forming apparatus and intermediate transfer unit An intermediate transfer unit of an image forming apparatus is provided between a plurality of developer containers for containing developer and a plurality of developing devices. The intermediate transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer unit for secondarily ... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7683907 | Image forming apparatus and display control program product An image forming apparatus including: a display portion for displaying an image; a storing portion for storing a plurality of operative instruction reception images, and operation guide images associated with the respective operative instruction reception images; a ... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7683605 | Test pulses for enabling revenue testable panel meters A panel meter including an energy test pulse device that enables the panel meter to be used for revenue applications and eliminates the need for two separate meters, one for panel indication, and the other for energy and revenue applications. The electrical panel me... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7681879 | Sheet feeder and image forming apparatus A sheet feeder is provided with a sheet accommodating portion, an elevating plate and an inclining mechanism. The sheet accommodating portion includes a bottom plate and a plurality of side plates provided perpendicular to the bottom plate, and can accommodate a plu... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7680442 | Powder stirring device, developing device, and image forming apparatus incorporating the same A developing device includes a developing container that accommodates toner particles, a developing roller that supplies the toner particles to an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and a stirring and transporting member that transports ... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7680431 | Image reading apparatus and image composite apparatus having a document reader openably and closably attached to an upper part of the apparatus An image forming apparatus has a main body for performing image forming operations. A document reader is above the main body and can displace between closing and opening postures. A coupling has a first end rotatably coupled to the main body and a second end coupled... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7680422 | Image forming apparatus and image forming method An image forming apparatus which adjusts toner density in a developing device according to humidity. However, an image quality may decrease if the humidity changes between the time when a power source is turned off and the time when the power source is turned on. Ac... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7678096 | Connector system and method of using same A connector system (10) for producing a sterile connection includes a fluid conduit (32), an engagement device (14, 22) designed to engage with a complementary engagement device (16, 24) of a complementary connector (12), a displac... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7676190 | Image forming apparatus An image forming apparatus comprising: a paper feeding cassette which selectively stores at least two kinds of paper sheets having different size with respect to a paper feeding direction, and includes a posterior end cursor which restricts a posterior end position ... | 03/09/2010 |
| 7674254 | Connector, connector system, and use thereof A connector (10) is provided for sterile connection to a complementary connector (12). The connector (10) has a housing (14) with an engagement device (16) to engage a complementary engagement device (18) of the complementar... | 03/09/2010 |
| 7672629 | Sheet processing apparatus, fixing unit and image forming apparatus provided with the fixing unit A fixing unit includes a heating rotary member for heating a sheet, a pressing rotary member that is pressed against the heating rotary member with a specific pressure, forming a nip in between, and at least one separating member having a far end directed toward a s... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7670198 | Terminal fitting A terminal fitting (1) has a rectangular tubular main portion (10) and a stabilizer (30) to guide the main portion (10) into a cavity formed in a connector housing. The stabilizer (30) is folded between two adjacent walls (13, 1... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7670159 | Lever-type connector and connector assembly Two supports (24) are formed on one side surface of a first housing (20) at positions symmetrical to a center of a connection area with a second housing (40) in a lengthwise direction (L). The lever (60) is selectively mounted in a first ... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7670157 | Lever connector A female housing (10) includes cam pins (14). A lever (70) is mounted on a male housing (30), and arms (73) of the lever (70) are formed with bearing portions (74) and cam grooves (71) engageable with the cam p... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7669931 | Seat reclining mechanism Disclosed is a seat reclining mechanism, which is designed to be mounted to a seat cushion and a seat back so as to allow the seat back to be reclined. The seat reclining mechanism comprises a guide bracket and an internal gear member coupled to the guide bracket in... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7665269 | Interlocking block A construction block includes rectangular front and rear panels and at least one web connecting the front and rear panels. Each of the front and rear panels has top, bottom, and right and left edge surfaces. At least one web having top and bottom surfaces co-extensi... | 02/23/2010 |
| 7664453 | Cleaning device and image forming apparatus A cleaning device includes: a housing; a cleaning roller provided in the housing and operable to come into contact with a photosensitive drum; a cleaning blade operable to come into contact with a surface of the photosensitive drum at a position lower than a nip pos... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7664452 | Fixing device, and image forming apparatus provided with the same A fixing device includes: a fixing roller; a support roller arranged apart from the fixing roller; an endless fixing belt wound around the fixing roller and the support roller; a pressing roller for applying a pressure force to the fixing roller while the fixing bel... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661999 | Connector A connector (S) includes a housing (10) having an insertion hole (16) formed through three adjacent surfaces of the housings (10) and communicating with cavities (11). A retainer (50) is inserted into the insertion hole (16)... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661987 | Connector with small cavity arranged at least partly between two large cavities A connector (10) is provided with substantially round large terminals (12) connected with ends of shielded wires (SW), a small terminal (13) connected with an end of an insulated wire (W) and a housing (11) in which two large cavities ( | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661986 | Connector First terminal fitting accommodating chambers (61A) are arranged in a width direction in a housing (41) of a connector (40) for receiving first terminal fittings (42). A second terminal fitting accommodating chamber (61B) for recei... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661985 | Connector A locking projection (18) projecting from a cantilever-shaped locking lance (16) extending forward along an inner wall of a cavity (11) includes a first locking area (18a) and a second locking area (18b). The first lo... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661982 | Connector A rubber boot (30) is fit on a peripheral surface of a connector housing (10). Wires (90) pulled out of a rear surface of the housing (10) are folded back midway, and a folded region of the electric wires (90) is disposed along a p... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661978 | Connector and to a connecting method A connector (10) has a housing (20) that is connectable with a mating connector (90). A sliding force multiplying mechanism can slide relative to the housing (20) in a direction intersecting a connecting direction for proceeding with a fi... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661970 | Connector Supporting shafts (18) are provided on a cover (12) of a housing (10), and bearings (70) are provided in a lever (60). Each supporting shaft (18) includes retaining pieces (21) around a recess (20) at an inner ... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661673 | Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus with the sheet conveying apparatus A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance path designed so as to include nonlinear portions; a first conveyance roller pair which is provided at predetermined positions of the sheet conveyance path and which has a conveyance width capable of nipping a... | 02/16/2010 |
| 7661631 | Fixture An attaching portion (12) includes resiliently deformable holding pieces (24), each of which has a pressing portion (26). A clearance between pressing portions (23, 26) is less than the thickness of a bracket (B) in a free state where the... | 02/16/2010 |