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 |
| 6478187 | Compact vending machine A vending machine is housed in a light, yet sturdy enclosure made of an external sheet metal shell and an internal seamless plastic liner between which a volume of expanded synthetic foam material is injected. One or more good-holding magazines are remova... | 11/12/2002 |
| 6446851 | Portable, organized sporting equipment carrier A portable, organized carrier for holding a variety of odd-sized goods includes two sets of layered, co-nesting, pocket-mounting flaps foldable around a comparted core area. The folded flaps are capped and clamped together by a pair of shell-like covers m... | 09/10/2002 |
| 6387507 | High temperature co-fired ceramic and low temperature co-fired ceramic combination electronic package device and method A microelectronic multilayer ceramic package combines a high temperature cofired ceramic (HTCC) module or carrier with a low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) module or carrier using a bonding interface layer of electrically nonconductive epoxy having el... | 05/14/2002 |
| 6116831 | Mortise drilling apparatus and method A drilling template for carving into the lateral edge or the jamb of a door, a slot shaped and dimensioned to receive either a lock and its mounting plate or its strikeplate has a series of drill bit bores at regular spaced-apart intervals along a central... | 09/12/2000 |
| 6099564 | Self-tapping pegs for orbital implants An orbital implant motility peg comprising a means for placement in vivo in a non-drilled integrated orbital implant. The peg or portions thereof can be fabricated from titanium, a titanium alloy, stainless steel, a CoCr alloy, alumina, platinum or tantal... | 08/08/2000 |
| 6096111 | Exothermically sintered homogeneous composite and fabrication method A homogeneous sintered composite made by press-forming a homogeneous mixture of powders of an agglutinating component, a second component having a melting point higher then the agglutinating component, and an exothermically reactive component to form a co... | 08/01/2000 |
| 6068351 | Hydraulic braking axle In a braking axle driven by a wheel of a trailer vehicle, wherein an axle-driven pumping mechnism is used to pressurize a volume of hydraulic fluid in response to a braking command, the fluid pressure activates a turbine which in turn drives a cooling fan... | 05/30/2000 |
| 6060675 | Sterile shield for surgical apparatus controls A disposable sterile cover, for the control lever of an instrument, comes packaged into a disposable sterile envelope. A central raised area of the cover fits loosely over the control lever while the remaining peripheral flat area of the cover remains in ... | 05/09/2000 |
| 6033437 | Pegs for orbital implants An orbital implant motility peg capable of being placed in vivo in an orbital implant, wherein the peg is configured to permit rotation about a longitudinal axis of the peg during or following insertion of the peg into the implant, and wherein the peg com... | 03/07/2000 |
| 6026844 | Dual reservoir-based hot water recirculation system In a hot and cold water plumbing installation, a volume of hot water is first drawn from the hot water line and stored in an insulated reservoir. When the temperature of the water near the most distal location of the hot water line falls below a predeterm... | 02/22/2000 |
| 5953840 | Banner display device In a banner display device where a plurality of banners are mounted end-to-end upon a carrier web to form a scroll which is wound on a pair of parallel and spaced-apart rollers, means carried on the scroll for stretching or decompressing a medial section ... | 09/21/1999 |
| 5929571 | Self-contained electroluminescent marker and light A compact, rugged, long-lasting, battery-powered light fixture suitable for use as an emergency signal, marker, or flashlight has a lighting element made from a phosphorous-based luminescent film section curled into a cylindrical shape and packaged within... | 07/27/1999 |
| 5925297 | Continuous laminating or molding process In the manufacture of molded or laminated articles from composite materials such as fiber-reinforced and carbon or metal-loaded resins, the vacuum plastic bag or other air-tight barrier commonly used during the pressing, heating and curing phases is elimi... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5905359 | Combination flywheel and electrical storage cell and method of use A portable, light-weight, electrically powered device that derives at least part of its power from manual mechanical input means having a rotatively mounted battery which provides electrical power but also acts as an mechanical inertial storage mechanism.... | 05/18/1999 |
| 5860251 | Rapidly deployable fire-protection apparatus Fire-resistant flexible dome (2) apparatus for covering and protecting buildings (6), goods, livestock, persons and other objects from a fire, especially a rapidly moving conflagration known as a "fire storm." In its preferred form, the apparatus comprise... | 01/19/1999 |
| 5789064 | Electromagnetic radiation absorbing and shielding compositions Atomized metal particles distributed within a resin matrix form a composite that can be selectively heated by exposure to microwave radiations. The composites can also be formed into non-electrically conductive but thermally conductive dielectric and magn... | 08/04/1998 |
| 5775315 | Barbeque and patio table combination A patio table and outdoor barbecue combination in which a charcoal pit is positioned in the upper section of a table central, hollow-core pedestal, and can be covered when not in use by a lid flush with the upper surface of the table slab. The cooking gri... | 07/07/1998 |
| 5758805 | Athletic glove pocket-forming and shaping device A strapping assembly comprising a pair of parallel straps cross-connected at their ends is wrapped around a baseball glove enfolded around a ball in order to shape a pocket in the palm of the glove for more accurate catching and more secure holding of the... | 06/02/1998 |
| 5749793 | Monolithic pebble head golf club A golf putter having a monolithic head consisting of a section of a composite intrusive igneous rock having a generally ellipsoidal flattened shape that has been sliced diagonally. The top of the section is drilled to receive the bottom end of the club sh... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5737775 | Stick-on shirt pocket and advertising display A removable pocket is formed over a section of fabric such as the front of a shirt by adhesively securing to the fabric a treated and embossed label-type applique made of two plies of paper permanently bonded about their peripheries and in which a slit al... | 04/14/1998 |
| 5722596 | Mist-emitting lounge chair An outdoor lounge chair particularly adapted for sun-bathing comprises a uni-body frame defining a planar body supporting structure bent into a dogleg configuration to comfortably support a person in a reclining position. The support structure is made fro... | 03/03/1998 |
| 5704851 | Weighted putter A golf putter has a pair of rails projecting downwardly from the sole of the head and oriented in the striking direction, thus raising the center of gravity of the head to the same level as the center of gravity of the ball and the striking point on the f... | 01/06/1998 |
| 5546671 | Multi-purpose roofing tool kit A set of cooperating tools to assist a roofer in the multiple tasks involved in covering a roof surface with shingles or tiles, and numerous other chores associated with wall and roof construction, protection and maintenance. The set includes a straight-e... | 08/20/1996 |
