"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"
David Sarnoff, American radio pioneer ; 1921
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5389861 | Machine tool power speed changer A retrofit power accessory for a turret mill provides a motor drive for changing machine tool speed, replacing a handwheel. A frame is attached to the mill by a pair of adjustable brackets which accommodate various models of mills. The frame carries a spi... | 02/14/1995 |
| 5229083 | Method and apparatus for crystal ribbon growth Crystals are grown in ribbon shapes by an apparatus for supporting a film of source material, capacitive electrodes contacting the film and heat pipes in thermal contact with the electrodes for first heating the material through the electrodes to near its... | 07/20/1993 |
| 5161414 | Magnetically shielded apparatus for sensing vibration A vibration detector for sensing imbalance of a part in a balancing machine uses an eddy current proximity detector for sensing vibration movement of a portion of the machine. To prevent spurious signals due to magnetic fields varying at the part rotation... | 11/10/1992 |
| 5069742 | Method and apparatus for crystal ribbon growth Crystals are grown in ribbon shapes by an apparatus for supporting a film of source material, capacitive electrodes contacting the film and heat pipes in thermal contact with the electrodes for first heating the material through the electrodes to near its... | 12/03/1991 |
| 5055157 | Method of crystal ribbon growth Crystals are grown in ribbon shapes by an apparatus for supporting a film of source material, capacitive electrodes contacting the film and heat pipes in thermal contact with the electrodes for first heating the material through the electrodes to near its... | 10/08/1991 |
| 5001558 | Night vision system with color video camera An infrared imager and a color TV camera view the same scene and the output signals are mixed and fed to a color television monitor so that the scene at night is visible in a black and white format with warm objects appearing dark, and bright colors such ... | 03/19/1991 |
| 4970494 | Radio controlled home security system A security system has a wall mounted assembly for installation adjacent an entry door and includes a motion detector for sensing intruders, an alarm for sounding a warning, an alarm circuit, a radio receiver responsive to two codes, and an electric door s... | 11/13/1990 |
| 4941616 | Low metering rate liquid dispenser A liquid dispenser suitable for metering fertilizer concentrate into a lawn irrigation system has a canister coupled to a main stream water passage by a cotton wick which passes through an aperture between the canister and the passage. A relief hole permi... | 07/17/1990 |
| 4873063 | Apparatus for zone regrowth of crystal ribbons Apparatus for producing crystalline ribbons of a material from a "crucible-less" configuration of bodies of the material including possible deposition on a substrate. Means for capacitively coupling electromagnetic energy into a source body of material ar... | 10/10/1989 |
| 4859912 | Stable brightness vacuum fluorescent display To avoid non uniform brightness or flickering of a vacuum fluorescent display especially at low brightness levels anodes energizing pulses sent to each end of the display are coordinated with the AC filament current so that successive pulses or group of p... | 08/22/1989 |
| 4782698 | Method and apparatus for measuring oil level A single capacitor is used to measure the oil level in an engine or transmission and compensate the sensed capacitance for changes in dielectric constant. Measurements are made for two different running conditions, one giving a capacitance reading depende... | 11/08/1988 |
| 4782699 | Pulsed fuel level indicating system To prevent electrochemical corrosion in a conventional float operated variable resistance fuel level detector due to alcohol in the fuel a current pulse is applied to the detector unit once a minute for a period of 1/1000 second. A solid state circuit sto... | 11/08/1988 |
| 4768377 | Method and apparatus for measuring the liquid level in tanks subjected to varying accelerations It will thus be seen that the method for measuring the level of a liquid contained in a reservoir which is subjected to varying accelerations is carried out by means of a level sensor which signals when the level of the liquid drops below a predetermined ... | 09/06/1988 |
| 4762011 | Electronic gage A gage for quickly testing complex articles for conformance to a standard comprises a fixture configured according to the standard for holding the article and clamping the article into engagement with bearing surfaces. The bearing surfaces are instrumente... | 08/09/1988 |
| 4746805 | Combined distinctness of image and gloss meter A single meter measures the gloss and the distinctness of image (DOI) of a painted surface for quality evaluation of the finish. A DOI signal is obtained by a prior method of focusing the reflected image of a moving shutter onto a slit and measuring the l... | 05/24/1988 |
| 4745813 | Extended spindle electric gage mechanism An electric gage driving a pointer has an extended spindle so that the gage movement can be substantially spaced from the pointer. The gage includes a spindle, an armature driving the spindle, a bobbin supporting a bearing for the spindle and electrical c... | 05/24/1988 |
| 4742332 | Magnetic shaft angle encoder A magnetic shaft angle encoder uses a gear or toothed wheel for inducing periodic electrical pulses in an inductive pickup. The teeth are evenly spaced and every tooth generates a signal as it passes the pickup. A reference tooth is slightly shorter than ... | 05/03/1988 |
| 4727254 | Dual wavelength microbend sensor A microbend fiber optic sensor uses a dual wavelength to determine the effect of microbending without interference from unwanted signal fluctuations arising from component changes, for example. Periodic microbending losses in single mode, step index fiber... | 02/23/1988 |
| 4724601 | Method of manufacturing a return-to-zero gauge An air core electrical gauge incorporates on the bobbin an annular biasing magnet magnetized in a direction to return the meter pointer to zero in the absence of a gauge driving current. A method of manufacturing the gauge includes magnetizing the biasing... | 02/16/1988 |
| 4719801 | Ultrasonic method and apparatus for detecting leaks Seals in an automotive body are inspected for leaks by sensing ultrasonic energy passing through a seal. Either of an ultrasonic emitter or detector is scanned along a seal outside the body by a robot and the other is inside the body. The emitter operates... | 01/19/1988 |
| 4713970 | Thermal diffusion fluid flow sensor A miniature solid state fluid flow sensor has a low diffusivity substrate, such as a polymer film, which is optionally mounted on a thermally conductive base. A resistor strip on the substrate is connected to an electrical oscillator and thus emits therma... | 12/22/1987 |
| 4711984 | Ultrasonic method and apparatus for spot weld control Ultrasonic transducers spring biased into seating engagement in a pair of opposed spot welding tips transmit and receive ultrasonic waves and associated circuitry measures the time of flight between the transducers which is a function of tip separation, w... | 12/08/1987 |
| 4711516 | Optical slip ring To couple light signals between two relatively rotating parts, two rings of transparent material, each mounted on one of the parts, are provided on a common axis and have a slight spacing between their rings which is filled with an index matching fluid. R... | 12/08/1987 |
| 4710602 | Illuminated rocker switch assembly A rocker switch assembly includes a rocker pivoted about a central axis, an actuator responsive to the rocker and pivoting about either end, and conductive rubber push-button switches selectively operated by the actuator with minimum lateral deformation. ... | 12/01/1987 |
| 4694130 | Illuminated pushbutton switch with unitary spring and contact An illuminated pushbutton switch has a translucent button aligned with a lamp, a stationary contact, and a sinuous spring urging the button to its released position, the spring being bifurcated and straddling the lamp to allow a clear illumination path. T... | 09/15/1987 |
| 4694135 | Method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling resistance spot welding A method and apparatus are disclosed for analyzing the dynamic resistance of a resistance spot welding process to determine the time of an expulsion event and use that time as the weld completion time for controlling weld termination via a weld feedback s... | 09/15/1987 |
| 4684805 | Method and apparatus for measuring stable isotopes Spectroscopic measurements of stable isotopes are performed using a tunable lead salt diode laser. The design of the system is based upon the optimization of isotopic spectral lines from two different path lengths in an absorption cell using a single gase... | 08/04/1987 |
| 4678887 | Method and apparatus for resistance welding A method and apparatus are disclosed for resistance spot welding including applying a preconditioning pulse at the beginning of a welding process to stabilize the resistances at the interface of the sheets being welded and at the interface of the electrod... | 07/07/1987 |
| 4678903 | Self aligning fiber optic microbend sensor A self aligning microbend sensor comprises a tubular housing having internal threads, an expandable insert with external threads loosely threaded into the housing with sufficient tolerance to allow expansion of the insert in response to a parameter being ... | 07/07/1987 |
| 4678920 | Machine vision method and apparatus A first linear sensor tracks the movement of an object through an inspection station and a second linear sensor views the object transverse to the object path to acquire a line image of the object, and a synchronizing arrangement responds to the sensed po... | 07/07/1987 |
| 4665351 | Windshield wiper control system and a precipitation sensor therefor A precipitation sensor for detecting when a predetermined fraction of the sensor area is covered with water drops comprises an insulating substrate, a pair of spaced electrodes of conductive material on the substrate, and an array of conductive spots on t... | 05/12/1987 |
| 4662969 | Microwave method of perforating a polymer film A method of forming perforations in polymer film includes the steps of forming a conductive film pattern on the film preferably in a bow tie shape using a material with a moderate resistivity and applying a microwave field across the film for a few second... | 05/05/1987 |
| 4659983 | Method and apparatus for detecting a shorted SCR The inductors in an induction heating apparatus are arranged in parallel branches with an SCR in series with each inductor and an RC snubber circuit in parallel with each inductor. If an SCR becomes shorted the faulty SCR is detected by a method and appar... | 04/21/1987 |
| 4654803 | Photothermal deflection method of measuring fluid velocity A method of measuring the velocity of a fluid by noninstrusive means comprises passing a pump laser beam pulse through the fluid wherein the fluid contains a constituent absorbing the wavelength of the laser so that a temperature gradient, and therefore a... | 03/31/1987 |
| 4652120 | Photothermal method of measuring fluid velocity A method of measuring the velocity of a fluid by nonintrusive means comprises passing a pulsed pump laser beam through the fluid wherein the fluid contains a constituent absorbing the wavelength of the laser so that a temperature gradient, and therefore a... | 03/24/1987 |
| 4638305 | Apparatus for detecting water in fuel Diesel fuel tends to deposit an insulating coating on surfaces it contacts. A probe, preferably in the form of a siphon tube, is coupled to a detection circuit which is responsive to either low resistance or high capacitance between the probe and ground. ... | 01/20/1987 |
| 4635475 | Hot element mass airflow sensor To reduce the temperature compensation error of a hot element mass airflow sensor due to thermal radiation losses, the element is coated with a low emissivity material. In the case of a hot film sensor which comprises a thin metal foil resistor sandwiched... | 01/13/1987 |
| 4631685 | Method and apparatus for ultrasonic plastic forming and joining Accurate dimensional control in ultrasonic welding or upsetting of plastic parts is accomplished by the method and apparatus for monitoring the ultrasonic head displacement and sensing when a predetermined trigger force is applied to the part or parts, tu... | 12/23/1986 |
| 4624570 | Fiber optic displacement sensor At least one fiber optic light conductor extends from a source and detection area to a measurement area. In the measurement area, the fiber end is prepared with an end surface slanted relative to the fiber axis and the slanted surface is coated with a ref... | 11/25/1986 |
| 4610153 | Method and apparatus for dressing spot welding tips A tool for dressing copper spot welding electrode tips to a desired configuration comprises a disc with opposed concave faces formed at their centers in the desired configuration of the tips and adapted to be rotatably driven by a power tool. The dressing... | 09/09/1986 |