Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6211482 | Apparatus and method for precision excavation and welding of thick-walled components A method of repairing a substrate includes the step of excavating a well in the substrate with an electrical discharge machining operation. A wire is then delivered to the well. Simultaneously, laser energy is routed to the well such that the laser energy... | 04/03/2001 |
| 6211566 | Method and apparatus to improve the thermal interface between a heat sink and a semiconductor A method and apparatus improve the thermal interface between a heat sink and a semiconductor. A support member is attached to a bias plate to facilitate a fixed connection with a surface. The bias plate has a beam for alignment with a heat sink that is at... | 04/03/2001 |
| 6189047 | Apparatus and method for monitoring event queue operations with pluggable event queues A method of monitoring event queue operations includes the step of responding to a set of run-time messages resulting from an operation performed with a graphical user interface. The set of messages is routed to a customized event queue module for process... | 02/13/2001 |
| 6187210 | Epidermal abrasion device with isotropically etched tips, and method of fabricating such a device A probe includes an elongated body with a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side wall between the top surface and the bottom surface, and a second side wall between the top surface and the bottom surface. An end is defined by the bottom surface conve... | 02/13/2001 |
| 6185725 | Apparatus and method for partitioning logic into a programmable logic device A method of partitioning logic into a programmable logic device includes the steps of synthesizing a logic design into a network of hierarchical components. Each hierarchical component is then mapped to a minimum number of logic array blocks in a programm... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6185673 | Apparatus and method for array bounds checking with a shadow register file A circuit for processing source code with associated array bounds limitations includes an execution unit that generates a register value signal and an index number signal corresponding to an array value defined in a source code instruction. A primary regi... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6175437 | Apparatus and method for high bandwidth laser-based data communication A laser communication system includes a first laser to generate a laser signal with femtosecond pulses. A first grating spectrally disperses the femtosecond pulses of the laser signal. A modulator converts the femtosecond pulses of the laser signal into c... | 01/16/2001 |
| 6172900 | Compact, low voltage, noise-immune RAM cell A random access memory cell includes a forward inverter and a feedback inverter connected to the forward inverter. The feedback inverter includes a ground access transistor configured to selectively connect and isolate the feedback inverter to ground. The... | 01/09/2001 |
| 6167948 | Thin, planar heat spreader A heat spreading apparatus includes a first planar body for attachment to a heat generating surface which results in a hot region and a cool region on the first planar body. A second planar body connected to the first planar body is used to define a void ... | 01/02/2001 |
| 6164221 | Method for reducing unburned carbon in low NOx boilers The invention provides a method which includes the step of locating a burner of a low NOx boiler that produces a disproportionately high quantity of unburned carbon. The air-to-fuel ratio at the burner is then increased to decrease the percentage of unbur... | 12/26/2000 |
| 6163192 | Negative pulse edge triggered flip-flop A negative edge triggered flip-flop generates an output pulse in response to a negative edge of a clock signal. A first set of nodes receives data input signals, and a second set of nodes receives select input signals for selecting one data input signal a... | 12/19/2000 |
| 6158502 | Thin planar heat spreader A heat spreading apparatus includes a body with an interior surface defining a void. The interior surface includes randomly configured high aspect ratio micro surface capillaries. Preferably, the micro surface capillaries are intergranular and intragranul... | 12/12/2000 |
| 6160243 | Apparatus and method for controlling fluid in a micromachined boiler A micromachined fluid control apparatus includes a micromachined boiler with a thermally conductive housing that has a housing exterior surface and a housing interior surface. The housing interior surface defines an interior void that has a fluid position... | 12/12/2000 |
| 6154059 | High performance output buffer An output buffer has internal circuitry connected between an input node and an output node. The internal circuitry includes a quiet voltage supply connected to a first set of transistors of the internal circuitry and a noisy voltage supply connected to a ... | 11/28/2000 |
| 6154066 | Apparatus and method for interfacing integrated circuits having incompatible I/O signal levels An apparatus and method for interfacing integrated circuits having incompatible input-output signal offset voltages that is relatively inexpensive and yet is also insensitive to noise. The apparatus of the present invention includes a receiver circuit for... | 11/28/2000 |
| 6145194 | Method for repairing a shrink-fitted turbine disc A method for repairing a shrink-fitted turbine disc without removing the disc from the shaft. The method is composed of two basic steps: (1) depositing one or more weld layers in a vicinity of a defective region of the disc using a temperbead welding proc... | 11/14/2000 |
| 6136072 | Apparatus and method for the removal of contaminants in gases An apparatus and method are described for removing vapor phase contaminants from a gas stream by placing a porous element having a sorbent material into ductwork through which the gas stream passes. In a first mode of operation, vapor phase contaminants a... | 10/24/2000 |
| 6136089 | Apparatus and method for deactivating carbon in fly ash An apparatus and method for improving the properties of carbon-containing fly ash through ozonation is described. The apparatus includes a chamber for containing the fly ash and an ozonator that generates an ozone-containing gas. The ozonator supplies the... | 10/24/2000 |
| 6134707 | Apparatus and method for in-system programming of integrated circuits containing programmable elements An apparatus and method for in-system programming of programmable devices includes a device configuration program with adaptive programming source code instructions that characterize device configuration instructions and data. The adaptive source code ins... | 10/17/2000 |
| 6129331 | Low-power thermopneumatic microvalve A thernopneumatic valve comprises a fluid channel plate defining a fluid port. A diaphragm plate is attached to the fluid channel plate. The diaphragm plate includes a displaceable diaphragm to selectively obstruct the fluid port of the fluid channel plat... | 10/10/2000 |
| 6123107 | Apparatus and method for mounting micromechanical fluid control components An apparatus for mounting micromechanical fluid control components includes a manifold interface plate adaptable for connection to a manifold substrate oriented in a horizontal plane. The manifold interface plate receives mounting stress forces from the m... | 09/26/2000 |
| 6114044 | Method of drying passivated micromachines by dewetting from a liquid-based process A method of fabricating a micromachine includes the step of constructing a low surface energy film on the micromachine. The micromachine is then rinsed with a rinse liquid that has a high surface energy, relative to the low surface energy film, to produce... | 09/05/2000 |
| 6112020 | Apparatus and method for generating configuration and test files for programmable logic devices An apparatus and method for generating configuration and test files for programmable logic devices includes a dynamic configuration and test generation program to specify, in source code, a logic function to be implemented by a programmable logic device. ... | 08/29/2000 |
| 6111663 | Apparatus and method for selective modem communications on shared, closed-loop communication systems A closed-loop communication system includes a closed-loop communication link with a shared communication channel. A set of communication devices are connected to the closed-loop communication link. Each communication device has un-arbitrated access to the... | 08/29/2000 |
| 6106751 | Method for fabricating needles via conformal deposition in two-piece molds A method of fabricating a needle via conformal deposition in a two-piece mold includes the step of attaching a top mold member to a bottom mold member such that the top mold member and the bottom mold member define an enclosed, elongated needle trench wit... | 08/22/2000 |
| 6098154 | Apparatus and method for generating a stride used to derive a prefetch address A central processing unit (CPU) of a computer has a data caching unit which includes a novel dual-ported prefetch cache configured in parallel with a conventional single-ported data cache. In response to a data cache miss, the requested data is fetched fr... | 08/01/2000 |
| 6094185 | Apparatus and method for automatically adjusting computer display parameters in response to ambient light and user preferences An apparatus to automatically adjust, in accordance with a set of user preferences, a computer display parameter, such as brightness or contrast, in response to ambient light conditions is described. The apparatus includes an ambient light sensor to obtai... | 07/25/2000 |
| 6091261 | Apparatus and method for programmable delays using a boundary-scan chain The invention is a system that provides programmable clock delays for logic circuits. The system makes use of the boundary-scan register chain incorporated into logic devices for testing purposes. In the invention, delay code values are loaded through the... | 07/18/2000 |
| 6091259 | Apparatus for accelerating digital signal transitions using a transition acceleration circuit and a transition termination circuit A circuit for accelerating digital signal transitions includes an input/output node to receive a digital input signal. A transition termination circuit is connected to the input/output node to generate a transition termination signal when the digital inpu... | 07/18/2000 |
| 6089170 | Apparatus and method for low-NOx gas combustion A low NOx gas combustor includes an air injection mechanism to create a combustion air path. A set of arc-shaped gas injector arrays are formed in an annular configuration. Each arc-shaped gas injector array injects an arc-shaped stream of gas that inters... | 07/18/2000 |
| 6085673 | Method for reducing waterwall corrosion in low NOx boilers A method to reduce waterwall corrosion in a low NOx boiler includes the steps of locating a waterwall area of a low NOx boiler where oxidizing conditions exist and deposition of FeS is likely. The combustion air input at the waterwal... | 07/11/2000 |
| 6078903 | Apparatus and method for modeling the risk of loans in a financial portfolio A method executed by a computer under the control of a program includes the steps of storing financial portfolio data in the computer. The financial portfolio data includes data on a loan representing a liability of a specified entity. A horizon date is s... | 06/20/2000 |
| 6073241 | Apparatus and method for tracking world wide web browser requests across distinct domains using persistent client-side state A method of tracking a web browser across distinct domains of a network of computers includes the step of identifying, at a first server computer with a first domain name, a first request from the web browser. The web browser is then assigned a unique ide... | 06/06/2000 |
| 6065864 | Apparatus and method for planar laminar mixing A microelectromechanical system mixes a fluid using predominantly planar laminar flow. The microelectromechanical system includes a mixing chamber and a set of valves to establish the planar laminar flow in the mixing chamber. In one embodiment, bubble-co... | 05/23/2000 |
| 6065097 | Apparatus and method for sharing a unified memory bus between external cache memory and primary memory A computer system includes a central processing unit with an internal memory controller. The internal memory controller interacts with an external cache and a primary memory through a single unified memory bus. The internal memory controller generates a s... | 05/16/2000 |
| 6040712 | Apparatus and method for protecting a circuit during a hot socket condition A circuit includes an output node, a set of output transistors operative to control the signal level on the output node, a first voltage supply, and a second voltage supply. A hot socket detection circuit identifies when the first voltage supply or the se... | 03/21/2000 |
| 6032159 | Apparatus and method for annotated bulk copying files to a database A method of copying files to a database includes the step of constructing a table of file attributes characterizing each file of a set of files stored on a computer. A specific file from the set of files is then identified. A file selected field correspon... | 02/29/2000 |
| 6026108 | Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with an intracavity quantum-well optical absorber A laser comprises a first contact to receive an active region control signal, a second contact to receive an optical absorber control signal, and a sandwich of distributed Bragg reflector mirror stacks. Each distributed Bragg reflector mirror stack has an... | 02/15/2000 |
| 5996039 | Apparatus and method for implementing a tri-state signal driver A tri-state signal driver circuit includes a signal driver circuit to generate a driven signal. A tri-state enable logic circuit generates a pass gate disable signal corresponding to a tri-state command signal. A demultiplexer connected to the signal driv... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5991617 | Method for preventing cellular telephone fraud A method of identifying the fraudulent use of a cellular telephone includes the step of identifying an initial call made from the cellular telephone. An automated challenge-response authentication operation is then executed with a rotating subscriber quer... | 11/23/1999 |
