Did You Know...
...that when IBM conducted a market study of Chester Carlson's invention in 1959, the company concluded that it would take only 5000 units of his new product to saturate the market? IBM therefore declined to be part of the new product introduction. Too bad for IBM. Carlson's invention was the xerography process, and his new product was the beginning of the Xerox Corporation. It is estimated that every day, worldwide, 3,000,000,000 copies are made!!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 4667155 | Modular molded vacuum test fixture A vacuum test fixture for the in-circuit and functional testing of loaded printed circuit boards is disclosed. Key components of the test fixture are made from inexpensive state-of-the-art structural plastics under new molding techniques. As a result, a m... | 05/19/1987 |
| 4664297 | Household refrigeration vented beverage dispenser A beverage dispenser particularly for home refrigerators includes a one-piece cradle which can support one or more large beverage bottles in an inclined mode to promote gravity discharge of the beverage. A dispensing valve can be directly coupled with the... | 05/12/1987 |
| 4657250 | Baseball pitching practice apparatus A pitching practice apparatus includes a frontal mechanical strike zone target at which the pitcher aims the ball and which contains yielding elements enabling the ball to pass rearwardly through a photoelectric sensing plane having sensing beams on two o... | 04/14/1987 |
| 4655530 | Snap-in module for receiver assembly To eliminate the excessive time and labor involved in the installation and removal of multi-contact module bars of receiver frames and/or individual test adapter frames, a self-contained module bar is equipped at opposite ends with beveled spring-urged pl... | 04/07/1987 |
| 4653136 | Wiper for rear view mirror A wiper for a rear view mirror includes a vertical wiper blade which traverses the mirror from side-to-side on a horizontal linear path. The wiper blade is carried on a spring-urged extension of a drive arm which is shaped to reach around one vertical edg... | 03/31/1987 |
| 4650468 | Medical syringe A single use disposable medical syringe is constructed and operated in a manner which prevents transmission of infection by the syringe after its use for inoculation. The syringe is marketed in a sterile package ready for use. The syringe needle is then c... | 03/17/1987 |
| 4648615 | Wheelchair width adjuster A low effort high mechanical advantage occupant-operated rotary lever near one arm rest of a folding wheelchair is connected through a short cable to a longitudinal seat frame member of the wheelchair. Manual rotation of the lever in one direction effects... | 03/10/1987 |
| 4645225 | Wheelbarrow enlargement insert A molded plastics enlargement insert for a wheelbarrow greatly increases the volumetric capacity thereof so that large quantities of leaves and other lightweight materials can be transported. The insert is formed in multiple sections to greatly facilitate... | 02/24/1987 |
| 4643200 | Safety blood donor apparatus To replace the customary short flexible tube with attached needle at one end and larger tube connector at its other end, a packaged sterile blood donor assembly is provided. The assembly includes a rigid body having a bore and being equipped at its forwar... | 02/17/1987 |
| 4643199 | Safety blood sample apparatus A sterile barrel and piston assembly with attached aspirating needle is delivered ready for use. Following removal of a needle shield and a reversible safety cap from the rear of the piston, the needle is inserted in a vein and evacuated blood sample tube... | 02/17/1987 |
| 4637316 | Rail car positioning system A simplified and reliable apparatus for positioning rail cars at a loading or unloading station is disclosed. A rail car movement carriage traverses carriage guide rails anchored to cross-ties between the rail car rails. The carriage includes an onboard h... | 01/20/1987 |
| 4636301 | Dusting flour recycling system A flour recycling system includes a compressed air and vacuum head placed over a bakery product conveyor line. Flour is removed from the product units and is conveyed through a vacuum hose to the inlet of a remotely located dual stage separator in which t... | 01/13/1987 |
| 4636263 | Method and apparatus for separating the pith from the fibrous component of sweet sorghum, sugar cane and the like An apparatus and process for separating the pith from the bast of sweet sorghum is disclosed. Cut and headed stalks of the plant are arranged as a mat of the required width on a conveyor and are forcibly advanced endwise into a rotating flail having a mul... | 01/13/1987 |
| 4626780 | Tri-axis automated test system for printed circuit boards A computerized apparatus for performing functional and incircuit tests on complex printed circuit boards is disclosed. A printed circuit board under test is held in a vertical fixture and electrically coupled with the power circuit of a primary test unit.... | 12/02/1986 |
| 4616624 | Portable grill A portable barbecue grill knocks down readily into a compact state for travel or for storage in a limited space. In the assembled state, the unit is larger than known portable grills which cannot be disassembled at all or are difficult to disassemble, and... | 10/14/1986 |
| 4613290 | Evacuated pumping system A pumping system for various flowables utilizes a dual alternating piston pump in communication with a tank hopper having flowable material inlet and delivery lines and an internal oscillating elbow conduit equipped with a pressurized wear plate which is ... | 09/23/1986 |
| 4611637 | Reed for looms The top extrusion cap for a reed used in high speed looms is strengthened to resist bending without adding additional weight to the extrusion cap by the addition of longitudinal stiffening ribs to the opposite sides of the top extrusion cap.... | 09/16/1986 |
| 4607799 | Mobile stone crusher A stone crusher lifted and propelled by the arms of a track loader is disclosed. The stone crusher has a windrow tunnel formed through its bottom longitudinally and includes a hood having deflector plates above and in communication with the tunnel. An imp... | 08/26/1986 |
| 4606320 | Fuel preheating unit A fuel preheating unit for internal combustion engines is placed between the carburetor and fuel pump. The unit consists of spaced concentric insulating sleeves surrounding the fuel line and held in assembled relationship by end plates. An electrical heat... | 08/19/1986 |
| 4603901 | Liftable top for pickup trucks To facilitate handling cargo while standing erect, the camper top of a pickup truck cargo box is held by power-operated screw jacks which are installed in existing side board mounts of the cargo box. The provision of side curtains on the camper top allows... | 08/05/1986 |
| 4600849 | Fluid-activated motor having magnetic propulsion A self-starting rotational motor capable of providing significant torque in a practical working range is disclosed. The motor employs a magnetic propelling force. The motor is based on the principle of maintaining interacting substantially perpendicular r... | 07/15/1986 |
| 4598221 | Permanent magnet motor having rockable rotor magnets A self-starting rotational motor capable of providing significant torque in a practical working range is disclosed. The motor employs a magnetic propelling force. The motor is based on the principle of maintaining interacting substantially perpendicular r... | 07/01/1986 |
| 4597585 | Trailer caravan A trailer caravan allows a motor home owner to tow a small automobile and boat in tandem relationship without exceeding overall length limitations. The tongue of a boat trailer is secured to the automobile trailer ahead of it by a pivot pin and a coacting... | 07/01/1986 |
| 4592263 | Electro-mechanical stringed bass machine A stringed bass machine is disclosed in which vertical bass guitar strings are struck by hammers and are not plucked or strummed. An electrically operated upright piano action receives power from an external control box having an on-off switch. A musician... | 06/03/1986 |
| 4592218 | Tank closure lock A closure lock to discourage theft of fuel from tanks is disclosed. A lock body is threadedly engaged with a tank closure cap and contains a key-operated eccentric which is biased toward a grip or locking position with a cable extending through a passage ... | 06/03/1986 |
| 4592186 | Heavy duty anchor for deck boards and the like An anchor for deck boards resting on a truss includes a deck board hold-down element, a truss-engaging resistance element and a threaded adjustable connector between the hold-down element and the resistance element.... | 06/03/1986 |
| 4591056 | Organizer for attache cases A vacuum molded compartmentalized insert is temporarily or permanently installed in one end portion of an attache case, without the necessity of structurally altering the case. Various utility items and supplies can be held in the compartments of the inse... | 05/27/1986 |
| 4573699 | Trailer back-up coupling To enable a semi-trailer or full trailer to back up on a straight path, a remotely controlled locking plunger attached to the fifth wheel of a tractor or converter dolly is extended upwardly to enter a bushing carried by the king pin plate on the bottom o... | 03/04/1986 |
| 4571540 | Electrical contact probe An electrical contact probe is produced by four passes of a profiled machining cutter across the longitudinal axis of the probe at circumferentially equidistantly spaced points and with the machining cutter on each pass traveling on a linear path disposed... | 02/18/1986 |
| 4566033 | Television viewing time regulator A small regulator unit including a solid state timer activated by a reed switch is installed between a television receiver and a convenient wall outlet. The unit has a passageway adjacent to the reed switch for the reception of magnetic tokens which act o... | 01/21/1986 |
| 4565596 | Tapered container labeling apparatus and method Upwardly conically tapered containers having glue on their peripheries are conveyed horizontally in succession through a labeling station while being rotated on their vertical axes. A stack of curved labels having their longer edges arranged lowermost at ... | 01/21/1986 |
| 4563934 | Capo-tremolo-slide attachment for guitars A variably spring-tensioned capo-tremolo-slide is mounted on a guitar string bridging carriage having support wheels on opposite sides of the strings which engage and follow tracks recessed below the top face of the guitar body and being parallel to the s... | 01/14/1986 |
| 4563027 | Door security brace A longitudinally adjustable and lockable brace bar carries a pivoted foot piece at its lower end having a friction facing to prevent slippage while in contact with the floor. At its other end, the brace bar carries a pivoted yoke on a pivot axis which is ... | 01/07/1986 |
| 4555866 | Climbing animal barrier A climbing animal barrier for tree trunks, poles, fences and walls is disclosed. A barrier wall consisting of accordion-pleated metal cloth is bounded on its exterior by a solid metal skirt element which the climbing animal cannot grip or penetrate with i... | 12/03/1985 |
| 4553785 | Lounge chair cover A readily removable and washable cover for a beach lounge chair includes opposing end pockets which are slipped over cantilevered ends of the lounge chair. Between the end pockets is a contiguous panel which covers the seat area of the lounge chair. Depen... | 11/19/1985 |
| 4553532 | Externally valved shunt for cardiopulmonary bypass pump To decrease hemolysis and reduce the cost of single use disposable tubing used during surgery, valve elements pivotally suspended in the bypass pump compression chamber respond to gravity and variations in fluid pressure within the shunt and act entirely ... | 11/19/1985 |
| 4548436 | Security lock for double doors French doors or other double hinge doors are barred against inward opening by an intruder by placing a pair of apertured support brackets in the door jamb at the hinged edges of the double doors and allowing these brackets to be supported by resting on tw... | 10/22/1985 |
| 4537463 | Spring contact holding shell having integral wire wrap post An integral holding shell and wire wrap post for spring contacts is disclosed wherein the unitary product is formed by metal drawing operations instead of by separate machining and crimping operations previously carried out to connect the post to the hold... | 08/27/1985 |
| 4531877 | Rail car dumping system and method Loaded rail cars in succession are positioned at an unloading station adjacent to plural connected car lifting and inverting jaw devices which revolve around a common horizontal pivot axis extending lengthwise of the car and across the jaw devices. First ... | 07/30/1985 |
| 4527702 | Tamper evident container closure A taper evident child-resistant container closure is rendered further tamper evident and resistant to prying off with an implement through provision of an interfitting complete circle recess in the upper face of the container dust ring and a depending tam... | 07/09/1985 |
