Did You Know...
...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5590234 | Fiber optic splice organizers A fiber optic splice organizer including a fiber optic storage tray having a region for receiving a splice insert, and at least one splice insert having a pad and a plurality of flexible arms attached and extending generally perpendicular to the pad, the ... | 12/31/1996 |
| 5589667 | Removable core for pre-stretched tube A removable core for a pre-stretched elastomeric tube includes a serpentine rather than helical arrangement for break lines around the core which permits the core to be withdrawn in one continuous pulling operation rather than the intermittent, rotating o... | 12/31/1996 |
| 5570449 | Holder for annealing fiber optic coils A holder for annealing a fiber optic coil uses a silica ring on a silica substrate, or silica tubular coil, either of which may be directly incorporated into a coil subassembly for a Faraday-effect current sensor. The ring may be formed in a silica plate ... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5568324 | Overhead projector with catadioptric fresnel lens A low-profile transmissive overhead projector employs a folded optical path and an off-axis Fresnel lens condensing system which includes a catadioptric lens element. This lens provides a fast condensing system which allows collimation, dispersion, or con... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5567914 | Splice closure with animal protection An article such as a conduit or cable, or a splice closure for a cable, is provided with improved resistance to animal damage by applying a layer of abrasive material to the article. The abrasive material is not only sufficiently hard and thick to act as ... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5563974 | Tool for connector with cleaved optical fiber A tool adapted for use in cleaving an optical fiber installed in a ferrule connector, which can also act as an acutation cap for the connector. The tool comprises a body having a cavity for receiving the ferrule of the connector, and a floor at the extrem... | 10/08/1996 |
| 5554053 | Modular connector with separable wire retention A modular, multiple-wire connector has a connector body (10) with insulation displacement contacts (18) or twisted plug contacts to allow the modular interconnection of a plurality of wires, particularly pairs of telecommunications wires, and further incl... | 09/10/1996 |
| 5553186 | Fiber optic dome closure A fiber optic dome closure has a body with a closed end and an open end, a tubular base releasably secured to the open end, a strain relief member attached to the base, having cable ports therein, and several fiber optic storage trays supported in the bod... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5553173 | Faraday-effect sensing coil with stable birefringence and method of making same A fiber optic, Faraday-effect sensing coil has very low linear and circular birefringence, which remains stable over a wide range of temperatures. The coil is fabricated from a spun fiber having an effective linear beat length of 100 meters or more, and i... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5532894 | Overvoltage protection circuit A power supply is provided for a presentation system having a light source which allows for overdriving of the light source, but protects against transient surges on the input line when overdriving the light source. The power supply includes an input line... | 07/02/1996 |
| 5530357 | Sonde with replaceable electronics and a rotatable, tubular inner shell wherein a battery is located A sonde for tracing an underground conduit has a separable casing which receives a removable inner shell, the transmitter electronics being located in the shell. The electronics may be permanently potted in the inner shell or removable therefrom. The inte... | 06/25/1996 |
| 5520549 | Connector apparatus, housing, and connecting element The invention provides a connector for connecting a branch conductor to an insulated double core cable without cutting the cable or stripping the insulation from the cable. The connector includes a connecting element adapted to pierce the cable insulation... | 05/28/1996 |
| 5519795 | Multiple-size optical fiber identifier An instrument for detecting optical signals in optical fibers of various diameters includes a piston adapted to urge a portion of an optical fiber against a light detector, the piston being movable between open and closed positions, and having at least tw... | 05/21/1996 |
| 5519329 | Sensor for circuit tracer A circuit tracer for determinating the location of a conductor, such as a wire, which is either an open or closed circuit, and which may lie underground. The tracer includes a transmitter which is connected to the conductor, a hand-held probe, and a recei... | 05/21/1996 |
| 5515123 | Condensers for illumination systems A condenser lens for a projection system optimizes the amount of overall brightness directed toward an aperture and the uniformity of illumination at the aperture. The lens, when placed in the projection system, has a marginal ray which starts at the cent... | 05/07/1996 |
| 5504654 | Cross connect system for telecommunications systems A cross connect system for telecommunication wires reduces the required time to install and effect cross connections if the wire connections are made by hand and changes are made between circuits by unplugging a modular plug and plugging it in at a differ... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5492552 | Holder for annealing fiber optic coils A holder for annealing a fiber optic coil uses a silica ring on a silica substrate, or silica tubular coil, either of which may be directly incorporated into a coil subassembly for a Faraday-effect current sensor. The ring may be formed in a silica plate ... | 02/20/1996 |
| 5483610 | Clip-on device for optical power meter A device for tapping an optical fiber is adapted to engage a fiber supporting structure, such as a tray, having an aperture therein and a fiber passing over the aperture, the fiber tray and the clip-on device having a 3-point, nested contact which essenti... | 01/09/1996 |
| 5475535 | Condensers for overhead projectors A family of condenser lenses for an overhead projector (OHP) are designed to balance overall brightness in the projected image versus uniformity of illumination. The lenses are plano-convex and aspheric, and their conic constant is a function of the radiu... | 12/12/1995 |
| 5471143 | Apparatus for locating buried conductors using phase-shifted signals An apparatus for locating obscured conduits, such as buried cables, employs a novel signal processing technique to increase the sensitivity of the apparatus, particularly in congested areas. The cable locating apparatus is similar to prior art dual-peak d... | 11/28/1995 |
| 5465832 | Card reader case A card reader which doubles as a carrying case for storing a stack of preview cards used in an electronic presentation. The card reader case has a flat, rectangular body housing the reader components, and a cover hingedly attached to the body, the cover h... | 11/14/1995 |
| 5463312 | Faraday-effect sensing coil with stable birefringence A fiber optic, Faraday-effect sensing coil has very low linear and circular birefringence, which remains stable over a wide range of temperatures. The coil is fabricated from a spun fiber having an effective linear beat length of 100 meters or more, and i... | 10/31/1995 |
| 5459808 | Fiber optic housing with removable chassis and method using same A fiber optic housing has a low part count, with all major parts formed by cutting, stamping or bending sheet metal, and with very few fasteners, reducing cost and simplifying assembly of the housing. In spite of the simplified construction, the housing r... | 10/17/1995 |
| 5458528 | Method for polishing fiber optic ferrules A method of polishing ferrules used in optical fiber connectors centers the apex of the spherical end face of the ferrule on the fiber axis. The invention is directed to ferrules whose ends are angled and generally spherical, providing angled physical con... | 10/17/1995 |
| 5453880 | Overhead projector with achromatic Fresnel lens A low-profile, transmissive overhead projector (OHP) employs a novel condensing lens system having a catadioptric Fresnel lens and a dioptric Fresnel lens. Each of the lenses exhibits chromatic aberration, but the dispersion of one lens is selected to can... | 09/26/1995 |
| 5446822 | Connector clip for fiber optic housing A compact fiber optic housing has a tray divided into front and rear areas by a partition, the rear area receiving excess slack from optical fibers, and the front area having a bulkhead for receiving fiber optic connectors. The front and rear areas overla... | 08/29/1995 |
| 5446594 | Catadioptric Fresnel lens A low-profile transmissive overhead projector employs a folded optical path and an off-axis Fresnel lens condensing system which includes a catadioptric lens element. This lens provides a fast condensing system which allows collimation, dispersion, or con... | 08/29/1995 |
| 5444364 | Circuit tracer having an electric field sensor, a differential electric field sensor and an inductive sensor A circuit tracer for determinating the location of a conductor, such as a wire, which is either an open or closed circuit, and which may lie underground. The tracer includes a transmitter which is connected to the conductor, a hand-held probe, and a recei... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5444230 | Solid state optical reader with bi-directional protocol An apparatus for reading an optical bar code on a transparent film uses a linear array of light sources and a linear, solid-state sensor located parallel with array. LED's are energized selectively in groups to avoid overlapping shadows on the sensor. A n... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5430379 | Conductor locator adapter for electronic markers An adapter for a conventional conductor locator allows the locator to additionally detect the presence of passive, electronic markers. The adapter includes an electronic marker locator and a wireless interface housed in a common body which may be releasab... | 07/04/1995 |
| 5425076 | Cellular communications test system A testing system for wireless communication networks, particularly cellular networks, having a test set located in a cell site which communicates through the cell's base station to a responder at the mobile telephone switching office (MTSO). The test set,... | 06/13/1995 |
| 5414790 | Actuation tool and cap for fiber optic connector A combination dust cap and actuation tool for an optical fiber connector having a ferrule and an actuation mechanism for securing a fiber in the connector. The cap/tool has a body with a cylindrical extension having a cavity therein for receiving the ferr... | 05/09/1995 |
| 5408570 | Fiber optic housing with low part count A fiber optic housing has a low part count, with all major parts formed by cutting, stamping or bending sheet metal, and with very few fasteners, reducing cost and simplifying assembly of the housing. In spite of the simplified construction, the housing r... | 04/18/1995 |
| 5408047 | Transition joint for oil-filled cables A transition joint for sealing an electrical coaxial cable having an oil-impregnated or fluid filled layer. The transition joint has two primary elements, an electrically insulative elastomeric tube and a heat recoverable sleeve. In connecting a paper-ins... | 04/18/1995 |
| 5402515 | Fiber distribution frame system, cabinets, trays and fiber optic connector couplings A fiber optic distribution system provides a frame having several bays for receiving connector modules, associated jumper organizers, and upper and lower troughs for conveying jumper fibers between adjacent bays. The jumper organizers are constructed such... | 03/28/1995 |
| 5400094 | Condensers for overhead projectors A family of condenser lenses for an overhead projector (OHP) are designed to balance overall brightness in the projected image versus uniformity of illumination. The lenses are plano-convex and aspheric, and their conic constant is a function of the radiu... | 03/21/1995 |
| 5395025 | Method and apparatus for angle cleaving ribbon fiber A method and apparatus for imparting an angle cleave to a plurality of optical fibers. The cleaving device comprises a base having a support surface, the support surface having two lower pads which are aligned with two upper pads on a hinged cover, so tha... | 03/07/1995 |
| 5381498 | Modular multifiber connector with phone-like plug and socket A modular, multifiber connector comprising a plug and a receptacle whose outward appearance and installation is similar to a convention RJ45 jack for copper conductors. The plug includes a body having a surface with several fiber-receiving grooves, and th... | 01/10/1995 |
| 5374784 | Transition joint for oil-filled cables A transition joint for sealing an electrical coaxial cable having an oil-impregnated or fluid filled layer. The transition joint has two primary elements, an electrically insulative elastomeric tube and a heat recoverable sleeve. In connecting a paper-ins... | 12/20/1994 |
| 5370541 | Repositionable termination module An interconnection module for providing connections between a plurality of incoming conductors and a field connector has a termination block which is repositionable between storage and installation positions. The module includes a housing having a base an... | 12/06/1994 |
