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 |
| 8184000 | Personal radio location system Methods and apparatus for using an energy emanating device to find a person (17a,b) or an object based on preselected attributes (33) stored in the energy emanating device (10) are disclosed. A network radio (52) enables the user o... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8167676 | Fluorescent lighting system Methods and apparatus for providing a Fluorescent Lighting System are disclosed. In one embodiment, the present invention may be used as a fluorescent lamp ballast which is controlled using a non-resonant circuit that allows the ballast to lower to fifty percent the... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8144007 | Relationship prediction system using external databases A Relationship Prediction System Using External Databases for providing a relationship prediction based on the correlation of personal characteristics and the analysis of genetic characteristics is disclosed. In one embodiment, a first person supplies descriptions o... | 03/27/2012 |
| 7969301 | Personal radio location system Methods and apparatus for using an energy emanating device to find a person (17a,b) or an object based on preselected attributes (33) stored in the energy emanating device (10) are disclosed. ... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7940174 | Enhanced relationship prediction system An Enhanced Relationship Prediction System for providing a relationship prediction based on the correlation of personal characteristics and the analysis of genetic characteristics is disclosed. In one embodiment, a first person supplies descriptions of their own per... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7902970 | Personal radio location system Methods and apparatus for using an energy emanating device to find a person (17a,b) or an object based on preselected attributes (33) stored in the energy emanating device (10) are disclosed. ... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7592910 | Matching system Methods and apparatus for finding a match between or among persons (17a, 17b), characteristics and/or objects are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, an electronic device (10a, 10b), such as a handhe... | 09/22/2009 |
| 7216834 | Orbit space transportation and recovery system An In Orbit Transportation & Recovery System (IOSTAR™) (10). One preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a space tug powered by a nuclear reactor (19). The IOSTAR™ includes a collapsible boom (11) connected at one end to a pr... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7216833 | In orbit space transportation and recovery system An In Orbit Transportation & Recovery System (IOSTAR™) (10). One preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a space tug powered by a nuclear reactor (19). The IOSTAR™ includes a collapsible boom (11) connected at one end to a pr... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7070151 | In orbit space transportation and recovery system An In Orbit Transportation & Recovery System (IOSTAR™) (10) One preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a space tug powered by a nuclear reactor (19). The IOSTAR™ includes a collapsible boom (11) connected at one end to a pro... | 07/04/2006 |
| 6973496 | Concealing a network connected device In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a network client inserts a validation key into the SEQ and ACK fields of a TCP connection request (TCP-SYN). The TCP connection request is sent to a validating server. The validating server extracts the validation key and ... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6784826 | Body motion tracking system Methods and apparatus are disclosed for measuring position and motion of a “marker” antenna (14), disposed on a subject (12) at a physical location to be tracked. Relative distance of the marker antenna (14) from receiving antennas (18 | 08/31/2004 |
| 6665296 | Network access communication system A communication system (10) is disclosed which provides two-way communications access to a wide area network (WAN)(11) for a very large number of subscribers (17). It offers an inexpensive "last-mile" hookup from a subscriber terminal (15) to a communicat... | 12/16/2003 |
| 6661350 | Miniature remote control system A Miniature Remote Control System (10) that overcomes the problems encountered by previous remote control devices is disclosed. The present invention uses a remote emitter (12) which integrates a radio transmitter circuit (60) in a small housing (34) that... | 12/09/2003 |
| 6640835 | Micromount™ system A MicroMount™ System for providing reliable, self-aligning connections to external fluid-handling or fluid-sensing components is disclosed. One embodiment comprises a generally miniaturized rectilinear body (102) that includes a plurality of exterior si... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6546960 | Self-aligning SmartStrate™ A Self-Aligning SmartStrate™ for providing reliable, self-aligning connections to external fluid-handling or fluid-sensing components is disclosed. One embodiment comprises a generally rectilinear body (102) that includes a plurality of exterior side wa... | 04/15/2003 |
| 6391251 | Forming structures from CAD solid models A method and apparatus for embedding features and controlling material composition in a three-dimensional structure (130) is disclosed. The invention enables the control of material characteristics, within a structure (130) made from a plurality of materi... | 05/21/2002 |
| 5102431 | Smog and particulate collection system for use on vehicles with internal combustion engines A Smog and Particulate Collection System for Use on Vehicles with Internal Combustion Engines is disclosed. The present invention not only removes pollutants from the exhaust gases of diesel trucks, but also collects and stores the carbon black byproduct ... | 04/07/1992 |
| 5078880 | Vortex desalination system An apparatus for making fresh water from salt water comprising an air accelerator for generating a controlled wind-powered vortex of air in a tower located over a supply of salt water. The vortex of air creates a region of negative pressure over the salt ... | 01/07/1992 |
| 5030528 | Mixed solvent electrolytes for ambient temperature secondary lithium cells The present invention comprises an improved electrolyte for secondary lithium-based cells as well as batteries fabricated using this electrolyte. The electrolyte is a lithium containing salt dissolved in a non-aqueous solvent, which is made from a mixture... | 07/09/1991 |
| 5019898 | Real-time pseudocolor density encoding of an image A method and apparatus are disclosed for real-time optical broadband pseudocolor encoding of an image. A light polarization spatial modulator is utilized to density encode an incident beam of plane-polarized light; the beam is dispersed into its primary c... | 05/28/1991 |
| 4964881 | Calcium impregnation of coal enriched in CO2 using high-pressure techniques Methods are described for impregnating coal with calcium carbonate by utilizing an aqueous phase ionic reaction between calcium acetate, calcium hydroxide, and water with CO2 contained within the coal. The coal is enriched in CO2 by ... | 10/23/1990 |
| 4872355 | Microcube interconnection hardware Three embodiments of MicroCube Interconnection Hardware are disclosed: the MicroVac Vacuum Generator, the MicroControl Module, and the MicroSensor. Each embodiment is a combination of a MicroCube Precision Fitting and Various enhancements which provide pr... | 10/10/1989 |
| 4764935 | Controlled far-field pattern selection in diffraction-coupled semiconductor laser arrays A diffraction-coupled semiconductor laser array, and a related method for its operation, the array structure having a diffraction section that is electrically controllable independently of a waveguide section having multiple laser channels. Above a critic... | 08/16/1988 |
| 4764929 | Semiconductor laser array apparatus with adjustable phase plate A phase-locked semiconductor laser array in which the phase of oscillation of alternate laser elements is adjusted externally to the laser cavity. A phase plate having parallel ribs of tapered thickness is positioned in close proximity to the emitting fac... | 08/16/1988 |
| 4763974 | Ɗଲ-Phase reversal coupled waveguide interferometer An improved electro-optic coupled waveguide interferometer (50) is provided. The device comprises a single input (52), a Y-junction splitter (54), two interferometric arms (56a, 56b), a Y-junction combiner (58), a single output (60) and multiple equal-len... | 08/16/1988 |
| 4763003 | Method and apparatus for correcting high-order abberations in particle beams A technique for correcting spherical and other aberrations in a particle beam. Spherical aberration is caused by variations in beam behavior dependent on the cube of the radius or radial position with respect to the beam axis. To correct for such aberrati... | 08/09/1988 |
| 4763079 | Method for decelerating particle beams A method for decelerating beams of charged particles that have been accelerated using a linear accelerator. The high-energy particles, such as electrons, are passed through a series of induction cells, each of which generates an electrical pulse as a pack... | 08/09/1988 |
| 4755231 | Flexible solar array cell and substrate therefor A substrate structure for lightweight, flexible solar cell arrays, in which a plastic substrate is provided with a structure for discharging accumulations of electrons on its rear face and has appropriate heat emmissivity properties. In one embodiment, a ... | 07/05/1988 |
| 4744090 | High-extraction efficiency annular resonator A standing-wave annular laser resonator providing high energy extraction efficiency and good beam quality without the need for polarization coatings. The resonator includes an axicon, a scraper mirror, and a rear mirror system. A critical feature of the c... | 05/10/1988 |
| 4742522 | Free-electron laser system with raman amplifier outcoupling Apparatus and a related method for controlling the characteristics of a high-power laser beam to provide a desired beam divergence, spectral content, and phase. A high-power beam, as from a free-electron laser, is directed into a conical Raman amplifier, ... | 05/03/1988 |
| 4739508 | Unstable resonator diode laser A diode laser having an acitve layer bounded by confinement layers and two end facets that include etched mirrors selected to form an unstable resonator with good transverse mode quality. Energy from the unstable resonator is coupled out of the device thr... | 04/19/1988 |
| 4714312 | Electrostatically biased electrooptical devices A structure and a corresponding method for producing a permanent electric biasing field in an electrooptical device. Electrodes are embedded in an insulating layer formed over the device, which includes a substrate of electrooptical material and an optica... | 12/22/1987 |
| 4712888 | Spatial light modulator systems A system for deriving parallel data from a source, such as a detector array within an enclosed cryogenic volume utilizes remote optical sensing of micromechanical modulators so as to minimize power requirements and heat loss while providing full bandwidth... | 12/15/1987 |
