...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8185948 | Image forming apparatus capable of allowing easy operation of data while maintaining confidentiality An image forming apparatus which requests authentication for login processing based on user information when a user requests specific processing includes a communication interface for receiving data, a print mechanism for performing printing processing on data, a re... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8185383 | Methods and apparatus for adapting speech coders to improve cochlear implant performance Cochlear implant performance is improved by extracting pitch information and encoding such pitch information into the processor of a cochlear implant. One embodiment of the invention is to explicitly extract the pitch and deliver it to the cochlear implant by co-var... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8185364 | Process and device for simulating a product printed by a press A process and device for simulating a product printed by a virtual press. The process implemented by the device includes creation of a three-dimensional object page, selection of at least one fold among a set of predetermined folds, with the selected folds correspon... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8184188 | Methods and apparatus for high dynamic operation of a pixel cell A pixel circuit providing high dynamic operation, and methods of operating the pixel circuit providing for high dynamic operation. Methods include a lateral overflow and a double exposure mode, and a pixel output signal is determined according to whether a photosens... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8183931 | Amplifier circuit and methods of operation thereof A signal amplifying circuit and associated methods and apparatuses, the circuit comprising: a signal path extending from an input terminal to an output terminal, a gain controller arranged to control the gain applied along the signal path in response to a control si... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8183751 | Piezoelectric element and audio device A piezoelectric element including a plurality of stacked piezoelectric sheets, wherein the stretching axis of a first piezoelectric sheet and the stretching axis of a second piezoelectric sheet of the plurality of piezoelectric sheets are oriented in different direc... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8183747 | Piezoelectric porcelain composition, and piezoelectric ceramic electronic component A piezoelectric porcelain composition includes a main ingredient represented by a general formula ((1−x)(K1−a−bNaaLib) (Nb1−cTac)O3−xM2M4O3) (where M2 represents Ca, Ba or Sr, M4 ... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8183660 | Semiconductor component having rectifying junctions of different magnitudes and method for producing the same A semiconductor component is proposed which has a semiconductor body having a first semiconductor zone of the first conduction type, at least one first rectifying junction with respect to the first semiconductor zone, at least one second rectifying junction with res... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8183515 | Pumps for CMOS imagers A pixel for an imaging device is described. The pixel includes a photosensitive device provided within a substrate for providing photo-generated charges, a circuit associated with the photosensitive device for providing at least one pixel output signal representativ... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8183054 | Instrument and method for collecting nucleic acids An instrument and a method for conveniently collecting nucleic acids from a biological nucleic acid-containing sample are provided. A nucleic acid-capturing tip having silica-containing solid phases enclosed therein in such a state as being capable of coming into co... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8182489 | Method and apparatus for performing an open wedge osteotomy A method for performing an open wedge osteotomy, the method comprising: forming a cut in a bone; manipulating the portions of the bone adjacent to the cut so as to open the cut into a wedge-like opening; ... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8182478 | Electrosurgical instrument and type series for electrosurgical instruments The invention relates to a bipolar electrosurgical instrument comprising a handle and a tool head. In the case of bipolar instruments, at least two mutually separate conducting paths must be provided within the instrument to supply the bipolar tool head. Reliable el... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8181566 | Machine for making homemade ice-cream and similar A machine for making homemade ice-cream and similar having an outer casing, a mixing bowl housed inside the machine and projecting outwards of the casing, and a movable lid hinged to the casing and movable to and from an operating position in which it closes the top... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8181482 | Cut gemstone exhibiting excellent optical brilliance A gemstone including a substantially rectangular girdle, a crown extending in a first direction from the girdle, and a pavilion extending in a second direction from the girdle opposite the first direction. The gemstone has 65 uniquely arranged and angled facets, 25 ... | 05/22/2012 |
| D659962 | Shoe sole | 05/22/2012 |
| 8180816 | Control of a pseudo random number generator and a consumer circuit coupled thereto A system having a pseudo random number generator, a control circuit being configured to increase a quality of a pseudo random number output signal of the pseudo random number generator by coupling the pseudo random number generator with a true random number output s... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8180150 | Method and apparatus providing automatic color balancing for digital imaging systems Pixels from an image are sampled for gray world statistics. To avoid the effect of saturated regions, the pixels are pruned. If a predetermined percentage of the pixels are included in the gray world statistics, color channel gain is calculated and applied to the im... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179827 | Data processing apparatus and method for transmitting data in a data processing apparatus A data processing apparatus and method for transmitting data in a data processing apparatus are provided. A data processing apparatus provided has a data input for receiving data, a processor for processing the data with an input, a data supply suppression unit whic... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179726 | Method and apparatus for programming flash memory A method and apparatus that provides the ability to control programming pulses having different widths and/or voltages in a flash memory device. The widths and/or voltage levels of programming pulses are set to achieve programming of all memory cells of an array usi... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179706 | Method for modifying data more than once in a multi-level cell memory location within a memory array A method and apparatus for marking a block of multi-level memory cells for performance of a block management function by programming at least one bit in a lower page of the memory cell block such that a first logic state is stored in the at least one bit in the lowe... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179662 | Monolithic ceramic capacitor A monolithic ceramic capacitor includes dielectric ceramic layers having a thickness of less than 1 μm. When this thickness is t and the crystal grains of a dielectric ceramic of the layers have a mean diameter of r, a mean number N of grain boundaries satisfies 0 | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179660 | Electronic device and method for manufacturing the same A highly reliable electronic device that prevents entry of a plating solution via an external electrode and entry of moisture of external environment inside thereof, and generates no soldering defects or solder popping defects which are caused by precipitation of a ... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179542 | Information processing device, image forming apparatus, and process control system An information processing device includes a communication unit that sends entry-sheet-definition data to an image forming apparatus such that a collation-information entry sheet for entering collation information is displayed on the image forming apparatus. After th... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179468 | Integrated CMOS imager and microcontroller A method and apparatus providing a CMOS imager with an integrated controller on a common integrated circuit substrate. Also integrated on the common substrate are, a serializer circuit including a dynamic arbiter under the control of the microcontroller core and a s... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8179447 | Imaging apparatus having blur correction mechanism The present invention aims to provide an imaging apparatus with blur correction function in which a retention lever to mechanically retain an image sensor requires a minimum moving space and the thickness of a lens barrel can be reduced in optical axis direction. Th... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8178361 | Magnetic sensor and manufacturing method therefor There is provided a small-size magnetic sensor for detecting the intensity of a magnetic field in three axial directions, in which a plurality of giant magnetoresistive elements are formed on a single semiconductor substrate. A thick film is formed on the semiconduc... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8178251 | Fuel cell system A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an auxiliary unit, a sound volume acquisition unit, and a control unit. The fuel cell supplies an electric power to a sound generating device that generates a sound. The auxiliary unit allows the fuel cell to generate the ele... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8178226 | Film-covered electric device and method of manufacturing same Battery element 2 is sandwiched between and surrounded by casing films 4, 5 each having a thermo-fusing resin layer, and is sealed by thermally fused region 6 formed by thermally fusing around the overall periphery. Cross-link structure portion ... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8178122 | Use of nanomaterials based on titanium dioxide and zirconium diozide as coatings for osteointegrated biomedical prostheses, and osteointegrated biomedical prostheses prepared therewith Materials and methods, for preparation of coatings based on titanium dioxide for osteointegrated biomedical prostheses. The coatings may comprise nanomaterials having antibacterial properties. For example, an endo-osseous implant is provided with a coating comprised... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8178010 | Optical device and method of producing the same An optical device having a sub-wavelength grating formed in a specified region is disclosed that is able to prevent wave front degradation accompanying a phase difference of a polarized light beam passing through the optical device. The optical device includes a cir... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8177782 | Connection cable A connection cable which allows various high-frequency surgical instruments to be used with various high-frequency surgical devices. The connection cable includes a first connecting means designed for connection to a socket of the high-frequency surgical device and ... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8177738 | Bone void filling tube and shear mechanism Apparatus and methods for delivering a clotted biological component (such as blood, autologous conditioned plasma (ACP), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), bone marrow aspirate (BMA), demineralized bone matrix, anticoagulants and/or clotting agents, or combination of these... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8176754 | Process and apparatus for making mineral fibres Particulate mineral material suitable for forming a fiberisable melt is melted in a flame formed by combustion of powdered carbonaceous fuel with preheated air and the particulate mineral material is then preheated, and the exhaust gases are subjected to NOx reducti... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8176109 | Calculating unit for reducing an input number with respect to a modulus A calculating unit for reducing an input number with respect to a modulus, wherein the input number has input number portions of different significances, wherein the input number portions represent the input number with respect to a division number, wherein the modu... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8175957 | Call for quote/price system and methods for use in a wholesale financial market An electronic trading system and associated methods that provide for anonymous pricing data while ensuring the integrity of the system by preventing it from being used for price discovery information only. Methods are included to police the dealers requesting price ... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8175868 | Voice judging system, voice judging method and program for voice judgment A voice judging system including feature value extraction means that analyzes a sound signal input from a sound signal input device, and extracts a time series of the feature values, sub-word boundary score calculating means that calculates a time series of sub-word... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8175551 | Distortion compensation device for use in high-frequency power amplifier A non-linear distortion signal contained in output signal components from a high-frequency power amplifier is detected, while a non-linear distortion signal is generated from a high-frequency signal to be amplified. Correlation between this non-linear distortion sig... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8175419 | Image search apparatus, image search method, and storage medium storing a program for causing a search apparatus to execute a search method In an image search apparatus, a data manager responds to an instruction for a first search condition issued via a user interface to manage data of a target model acquired from a database and generates an image to be displayed on a user interface. A determination pro... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8174952 | Light source unit, optical detector unit, optical pickup device, and optical disk device A light source unit comprises a plurality of light sources emitting a plurality of light beams. A plurality of volume hologram elements are provided for the plurality of light sources respectively, each volume hologram element having a plane of incidence of an incom... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8174946 | Optical disk apparatus and method of controlling optical disk apparatus An optical disk apparatus includes a rotary driving unit rotating an optical disk which is flexible, an optical pickup irradiating light upon a recording surface of the optical disk on which writing/reading of information is performed, a stabilizing unit stabilizing... | 05/08/2012 |