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 |
| 6856230 | Harmonic filtering circuit with special transformer A filter uses a special autotransformer that has a ferromagnetic core with a plurality of legs and flux return bars. A first coil is located on one leg, and a second coil is located on the same leg, but spaced from the first coil. The first coil and at least part of... | 02/15/2005 |
| 6213054 | Helical perch bird feeder A bird feeder that includes a container having feed-access openings and a generally helical member attached to the container to extend around it along a path such that, for each of the openings, a portion of the member is close enough and in the proper lo... | 04/10/2001 |
| 6026987 | Aroma dispensing system A system for informing potential customers in a sales space of the availability and aroma of an aromatic material by automatically dispersing controlled amounts of the material from a mannequin only when people are sensed to have moved to within a certain... | 02/22/2000 |
| 5971329 | Conduit support An elongated conduit support to suspend a plurality of conduits from an overhead structure includes a generally flat, elongated central plate having with a plurality of closed-perimeter conduit holes to receive conduits therethrough. The elongated plate h... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5916070 | Exercise device An exercise device for exercising a user's upper body including a U-Shaped guard mounted around a user's waist, a non-elastic cord extending around a central portion of the guard, guide means on said guard for positioning the cord to allow free longitudin... | 06/29/1999 |
| 5868101 | Rotating bird feeder/house The present invention relates to avian enclosures which are rotated. The invention is presented as a separate electrical device that rotates birdhouses and/or birdfeeders or it can also be made part of the whole enclosure. The electromechnical device that... | 02/09/1999 |
| 5810378 | Collapsible cargo trailer A collapsible trailer to be towed by a bicycle has front and rear U-shaped members pivotally mounted on an axle to the ends of which wheels can be attached. The front and rear portions of front and rear floor panels pivotally mounted on the axle are suspe... | 09/22/1998 |
| 5798687 | Vehicular safety system A warning system for a vehicle in which a control circuit is actuated to turn on selected exterior lights of the vehicle when the horn switch is actuated. The control circuit includes a relay that has a first contact connected to the battery, a second con... | 08/25/1998 |
| 5755631 | Volleyball practice device and method of use thereof A device to be used in practicing to play volleyball includes a ball rotatably mounted on the end of a long, somewhat flexible wand. The other end of the wand is held by a coach. The coach positions the wand so that the ball is above a volleyball net in p... | 05/26/1998 |
| 5747740 | Helical surface-mounted test point A continuous wire loop test point to be soldered to a substrate includes five portions of a single length of wire bent to form more than a single turn of a generally helical loop. The central portion of the length of wire lies in a first plane and constit... | 05/05/1998 |
| 5506590 | Pilot warning system This invention relates to a system to alert an aircraft pilot of the presence and general location of other aircraft that might constitute a collision threat to the pilot's aircraft. A first and second antenna on the upper paid lower surfaces of the aircr... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5489427 | Coating material The method of making a macroemulsion composition for controlling odors and including droplets of water-immiscible, odor counteracting material dispersed as the discontinuous phase of the macroemulsion in a water soluble binder, which constitutes the conti... | 02/06/1996 |
| 5478049 | Quick drain valve A drain valve has a hollow body threaded to be screwed into a sump drain hole. A stem longer than the body is slidable and rotatable therein, and a washer encircles the stem adjacent the end facing into the sump. A longitudinal channel extends along the s... | 12/26/1995 |
| 5478283 | Bowling ball propulsion devices A bowling ball propulsion device including a frame that has a rear member to push a bowling ball forward in rolling engagement with the surface of a bowling lane and has two side members extending forward from the rear member. The side members are spaced ... | 12/26/1995 |
| 5428865 | Water-filtered vacuum sander Sanding apparatus in which dust raised by sanding is drawn by reduced pressure through a porous sanding sheet and directly through apertures into a plenum chamber and from there through an air passage into an air space in a closed container partially fill... | 07/04/1995 |
| 5426822 | Hinge structure A hinge structure having a leaf having knuckles so formed that leaves having two identical such knuckle structures can be joined together to form a hinge, rather than requiring knuckle structures that are not identical. The hinge structure can have plates... | 06/27/1995 |
| 5390685 | Collapsible shelter A portable, umbrella-type shelter including a sheet that can be easily stretched to a framework that includes rods removably attached to one end of a jointed post that has a pointed lower end and a weight that slides against a flange on the lower part of ... | 02/21/1995 |
| 5354952 | Conduit support bracket An electric wiring system comprising a plurality of electrical members including at least one wire and one enclosure to make a connection between the wire and one of the members, and a conduit support bracket. The enclosure having walls perpendicular to e... | 10/11/1994 |
| 5290547 | Macroemulsion having an odor-counteracting discontinuous phase A macroemulsion composition for controlling odors and including droplets of water-immiscible, odor counteracting material dispersed as the discontinuous phase of the macroemulsion in a water soluble binder, which constitutes the continuous phase of the ma... | 03/01/1994 |
| 5260092 | Husk-free protein from spent grains of barley A food material from the husk-free granular fraction of the spent grains of barley is disclosed. The food product is substantially free of fermentable sugars and contains substantially all of the proteins originally in spent grains.... | 11/09/1993 |
| 5247773 | Building structures A simplified building structure that can be extruded out of plastic to be used as inexpensive substitutes for walls, ceilings, roofs, posts, and other structural components. The structure includes elongated male and female means to connect two of the stru... | 09/28/1993 |
| 5224889 | Propeller guard A device to protect the propellor of a boat from damage caused by striking underwater obstacles, when the boat is moving in any direction relative to the obstacles, and to improve the movement of the boat along the water.... | 07/06/1993 |
| 5223847 | Pilot warning system This invention relates to a system to alert an aircraft pilot of presence and general location of other aircraft that might constitute a collision threat to the pilot's aircraft. An antenna means operates in first and second modes characterized by respect... | 06/29/1993 |
| 5176107 | Pet litter A particulate material having liquid-responsive, adhesive material mixed with sorbent material in particulate form to be wet. After being wet, the adhesive material dries and causes particles that have been wet to adhere together in clumps that can easily... | 01/05/1993 |
| 5168834 | Litter handling system A litter handling system that includes two receptacles, each of which is capable of holding particulate litter and the juxtaposed edges of which are shaped to be releasably clamped to opposite surfaces of a separator that has elongated openings, to separa... | 12/08/1992 |
| 5111739 | Air flow control system A duct to carry air has openings along it and a flexible sheet extending longitudinally within it. The end of the sheet adjacent the point of air intake can be brought against one side of the duct or the other, either to allow air to be blown through the ... | 05/12/1992 |
| 5109656 | Rotary cutting mechanism A rotary cutting mechanism having crossed blades mounted one above the other on a common shaft. Each of the blades has a cutting edge located at each outer end and facing in the direction of rotation. The outer ends of the upper blade are displaced downwa... | 05/05/1992 |
| 5101746 | Work holder for sewing machines A sewing machine having a clamp frame and a clamp foot is disclosed wherein a quick-release mechanism includes a plurality of guide means which extend parallel to the sewing surface and a holding means bearing against at least one of the guide means holds... | 04/07/1992 |
| 5092605 | Method of playing a racing game A method of playing a racing board game. The board comprises a race course having a starting position, a finish line and six lanes. The lanes are divided into a plurality of spaces. There are six distinguishable playing pieces and each player is assigned ... | 03/03/1992 |
| 5088428 | Button attaching machine and method A programmable sewing machine having movable work holding means, first and second separable button holding means, button supporting means movable into proximity with the button holding means and means to move the button holding means toward the sewing mac... | 02/18/1992 |
| 5075016 | Method for treating recirculating water This invention concerns a method of treating water from a container with ozone. The water is withdrawn from the container in a main stream, then passed through a pressure-reducing means, and returned to the container. A part of the main recirculating stre... | 12/24/1991 |
| 5069972 | Moldable microcapsule that contains a high percentage of solid core material, and method of manufacture thereof Microcapsules having a high loading factor of core material are formed as separate, reservoir microcapsules by coating solid core particles first with a thin, conformal layer of parylene and then with a layer of thermoplastic material.... | 12/03/1991 |
| 5033228 | Tackle holder for fishermen A holder for a plurality of leaders, said holder comprising: (a) a housing comprising: (i) hollow tubular means, and (ii) first and second axially spaced walls extending transversely across the tubular means, at least the first wall having a central aperture t... | 07/23/1991 |
| 5013263 | Modular electrical connector structure This invention relates to modular connector structures that are shaped to receive the edges of printed circuit boards and that have contacts spaced a unit distance apart so that they can engage, separately, each of the contact pads, or fingers, spaced apa... | 05/07/1991 |
| 4973813 | System for monitoring weld parameters An indicating system has a current pick-up inductively coupled to one of the cables of a welding system. A predetermined fraction of the voltage from the pick-up is applied to a programmed circuit arrangement which includes a timer and which controls a wa... | 11/27/1990 |
| 4948122 | Athletic weight harness An athletic weight harness. The athletic weight harness includes a belt, a torso-protecting shield connected to the belt at the lower end of the torso-protecting shield, first and second adjustable straps connected to the upper end of the torso-protecting... | 08/14/1990 |
| 4920904 | Tape feeding method and apparatus An apparatus and method for feeding lengths of tape to a sewing location to be sewn onto other material is disclosed. In particular, it relates to apparatus that may be set to accept and feed tape that has any width within a predetermined range. The feedi... | 05/01/1990 |
| 4870917 | Work holder for sewing machines A programmable sewing machine that has a work holder and X-Y actuators to move the work holder about on the bed of the machine is provided with a clamping structure to grasp a workpiece to move it about to form a programmed pattern of stitches in it. The ... | 10/03/1989 |
| 4870252 | Condensation controller The temperature of liquid in a tank and of the environment adjacent the tank are measured and a heater in the tank is controlled to heat the liquid if its temperature is sufficiently below that of the environment to cause water vapor in the atmosphere to ... | 09/26/1989 |
| 4763587 | Work holder for sewing machines Improved work holding means including work clamp frames having quick disconnect means whereby the clamp frames can be quickly changed without loss of rigidity, accuracy, or holding power of the clamping structure.... | 08/16/1988 |
