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 |
| 4527376 | Apparatus for processing box partitions A collapser/collector and strapping apparatus for processing box partitions to place them in condition for shipment. The assembled partitions are collapsed and moved vertically into transversely indexed slots of a collector. From the indexed slots, the pa... | 07/09/1985 |
| 4483157 | Cold pack for beverage keg This invention relates to a cold pack for keeping beverage kegs cold during shipment, storage, and use. The cold pack comprises a container for the keg of rigid insulating material closely conforming to the keg and a tight fitting lid. The lid has a remov... | 11/20/1984 |
| 4482375 | Laser melt spin atomized metal powder and process A method of producing rapidly solidified metal powder utilizes a spinning metal source and a laser beam to melt the surface layer of the source and atomize it. The laser beam is directed at a glancing angle along the surface of the spinning metal source. ... | 11/13/1984 |
| 4478420 | Soccer training and practice device A soccer training and practice device that comprises a trampoline forming a playing surface in communication with a rebounder, and elastic ball-retaining cords, supported by collapsible safety poles, enclosing the playing surface. The rebounder's sides ca... | 10/23/1984 |
| 4477083 | Sports training and practice device A sports training and practice device that comprises a trampoline having a resilient surface forming a playing surface, an arm extending from the trampoline, and a ball-like bag resiliently mounted to the outer end of the arm. The inner end of the arm has... | 10/16/1984 |
| 4473967 | Fish-trapping device A fish-trapping device has a feed pan therein which initially contains a substantial amount of feed; and that feed performs the dual functions of (a) helping to keep that device in position to enable fish to freely enter it and (b) enticing fish to enter ... | 10/02/1984 |
| 4466137 | Garment which can accommodate a large number of waist sizes and which is held by an automatically-adjustable-length drawstring A garment has an automatically-adjustable-length drawstring with readily-flexible ends that can be tied to enable the garment to accommodate a large number of waist sizes; and that drawstring will automatically expand as the circumference of the wearer's ... | 08/21/1984 |
| 4465946 | Interlocking frame assembly for an electric motor stator A frame assembly for an electric motor stator is described. The frame includes at least three arcuate units for encircling a wound core of an electric motor stator. The assembly further includes a means for interlockingly engaging the arcuate units so tha... | 08/14/1984 |
| 4465920 | Electric welder with current-voltage feedback circuit that provides desired slope curve A D.C. welder includes an engine-driven D.C. generator, a polarity-revers switch which can change the direction of current flow through the field winding of that generator to provide a positive or negative polarity at the welder output terminals, a circu... | 08/14/1984 |
| 4465300 | Vehicle suspension for rough terrain A suspension assembly for a truck type vehicle comprises a trunnion shaft rotatably mounted to the axle with a pair of spring supports mounted to the trunnion shaft, a pair of coil springs extending between the spring supports and the chassis, a pair of t... | 08/14/1984 |
| 4465298 | U-Joint mount and lateral guide for air spring suspension A suspension system for a drive axle includes an angular torque beam fixedly secured to the axle, one or two air springs extending between the torque beam and the chassis, and a universal joint comprised of two transversely mounted rubber bushings mountin... | 08/14/1984 |
| 4465173 | Coin selector In a coin selector having a coin rail interposed between a main plate and a bracket, a true coin chute and a false coin chute disposed in parallel on the downstream side of the coin rail, a coin judging section for judging whether a coin moving along the ... | 08/14/1984 |
| 4464559 | Phase-converting, variable output, power source utilizing Scott connection An electric welder has magnetic cores with windings thereon which perform the functions of transformer windings as well as the functions of magnetic amplifier windings. The secondary windings, on each pair of those magnetic cores, are connected in series ... | 08/07/1984 |
| 4463430 | Microprocessor based pellet mill control A microprocessor based pellet mill controller provides fully automatic, programmed operation of a pellet mill with operator selection from among several operating system parameters to control a pellet run. The controller comprises an operator's console ha... | 07/31/1984 |
| 4461470 | System for adding realism to video display A video controlling and viewing system has a tiltable platform which supports a chair in spaced relation to a console that has a video screen; and a user seated on that chair can manipulate the control element of that console to simultaneously (a) move th... | 07/24/1984 |
| 4454465 | Electric generator that operates with few ampere-turns in field winding The electric generator of the present invention has a plural-section main nding; and it uses uni-directional devices to permit current to flow through various sections of that winding as the rotor poles move away from various of the stator poles of that g... | 06/12/1984 |
| 4453118 | Starting control circuit for a multispeed A.C. motor This disclosure depicts a starting control circuit for a multispeed alternating current motor having at least two run windings and at least two start windings and a mechanical rotational output. The circuit comprises: an alternating current source; speed ... | 06/05/1984 |
| 4452005 | System for enticing, enclosing and holding fish A feed-holding member entices fish into a fish-trapping device which has an "exit only" closure for an outlet opening thereof. A "live net" is connected to that fish-trapping device adjacent that outlet opening, and, when the fish have satisfied their app... | 06/05/1984 |
| 4451935 | Head covering equipped with double pocket A first wall and a second wall coact with a portion of a head covering section of a head covering to define an inner pocket and an outer pocket. The first wall is taller than the second wall to define a flap-forming portion; and a fold in that first wall ... | 06/05/1984 |
| 4451775 | Motor/generator starting circuit A circuit for use with an induction generator. The circuit is arranged to initiate operation of the induction generator as a motor to bring the system up to operating speed and subsequently to rearrange the system automatically to cause the induction gene... | 05/29/1984 |
| 4448304 | Remount kit for representations of stone-bearing rings A remount kit for stone-bearing rings includes a support that releasably holds a plurality of specifically-different rings, each of which is formed and dimensioned to represent a ring to which at least one stone can be secured, and a plurality of stud-mou... | 05/15/1984 |
| 4447986 | Adjustable boxcar door with double roller bogey traverse mechanism and methods for fabricating and installing same An adjustable rolling type boxcar door has a main panel and a telescoping adjustable panel at its bottom for adjusting the overall height of the door to fit a variety of door openings. The adjustable panel is slidably retained between side frames in the m... | 05/15/1984 |
| 4443510 | Conformable removable reflective marking tape A multilayer reflective tape for use on roadways to provide temporary marking and demarcation of traffic lanes is disclosed. The tape has a thin malleable strip of aluminum, the top of which is coated with a high visibility paint in which reflective glass... | 04/17/1984 |
| 4440986 | Microprocessor controller for simultaneously controlling a PBX and providing multiple user access for general purpose data processing A microprocessor controller has a central processor, including a microprocessor, to centrally control a PBX and also provide general processor capability to a plurality of data terminals. Any typical centrally controlled PBX design which processes and swi... | 04/03/1984 |
| 4439643 | System assembly for mounting electrical apparatus on walls and ceilings A system of mounting electrical equipment, such as loud speakers, electrical clocks, radios and the like, in an enclosure which has a grill with flanges which telescope with complementary flanges on a mounting plate. The mounting plate may be secured to w... | 03/27/1984 |
| 4437647 | Quick connect-disconnect coupling for fluid lines A quick connect-disconnect coupling for fluid lines has a tubular socket as the female member thereof, has a sleeve which encircles and is movable relative to that socket, has a tubular plug as the male member thereof, and has interacting surfaces on that... | 03/20/1984 |
| 4434936 | Irrigation system An irrigation system, such as of the self-propelled type with a series of self-propelled support towers for supporting and moving an irrigation conduit over a field to be irrigated, the conduit comprised of a series of conduit sections supported by the to... | 03/06/1984 |
| 4428320 | Reflective paving marker An inexpensive reflective paving marker, which may be used to delineate traffic lanes in construction zones, and is especially useful at night and during wet conditions, has a light weight molded plastic support structure and a reflective element composed... | 01/31/1984 |
| 4427213 | Vehicle suspension with rigid torque beam A vehicle suspension of a type generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,086, especially adapted to drop-frame vehicles, wherein a torque beam is formed to straddle the frame of the vehicle and be attached through a resilient bushing to the web of the fr... | 01/24/1984 |
| 4426815 | Mortarless concrete block system having reinforcing bond beam courses In a mortarless interlocking concrete block system, general purpose intersection blocks have parallel grooves formed on their bottom surfaces; but each has mating ridges on the upper surface of its inner end only. The top surface of its corner end portion... | 01/24/1984 |
| 4425486 | Electrical receptacle and switch An electrical receptacle has a stationary terminal bracket at each blade opening and a spring loaded center contact pressure element which deflects as the blades of a plug are inserted. A push button snap switch is mounted to the back of the receptacle an... | 01/10/1984 |
| 4422483 | Antistatic fabric and garment made therefrom A garment for use in "clean rooms" is made from a tightly-woven, readily-cleanable, non-linting fabric with conductive filaments that provide anti-static properties. The conductive filaments are incorporated into the woven fabric of the garment so portion... | 12/27/1983 |
| 4420171 | Heavy vehicle suspension assembly with free floating springs and axle stabilizing torque rod A first embodiment of a leaf spring suspension assembly for a tractor trailer or the like having single or multiple axles includes a first and second hanger with a camelback spring slidingly secured to an axle bracket assembly with a single torque rod ext... | 12/13/1983 |
| 4417940 | Splicer for label feeder A supplemental roll of label-bearing strip and a splicer for that strip are provided for a label feeder of the type which peels labels from a backing strip. A primary label-bearing backing strip is intermittently fed to a peeling edge, the label-free back... | 11/29/1983 |
| 4415375 | Transient titanium alloys Transient titanium alloys having the composition A-XH, where A is titanium or a titanium alloy, such as, Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V, Ti-5Al-2.5Sn, Ti-6Al-4V, or Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo; where H represents hydrogen and where X is a weight percent value between about 0.01 an... | 11/15/1983 |
| 4414899 | Ink roller assembly attachment An ink roller assembly for attachment to a tape printer or the like includes a pre-inked roller rotatably mounted between a pair of hanger brackets of substantially greater diameter and capacity than the standard pre-inked roller included with the machine... | 11/15/1983 |
| 4413783 | Coupler for an irrigation system A coupler for an irrigation system for delivering liquid to the irrigation system from a pressurized pipe line extending along the field to be irrigated. The coupler connects and disconnects to risers or connectors spaced along the pipe line for operating... | 11/08/1983 |
| 4413541 | Rapid changeover printer A compound printer having print stations, die cutting stations and other operations, such as perforating and punching, has structure for rapid changeover of the individual stations. Movable carriages on carriage bars and indexing mounts allow rapid remova... | 11/08/1983 |
| 4413367 | Confining frame for water bed Portions of the confining frame of a water bed are made so they can be tilted away from the water-filled mattress of that water bed to facilitate the positioning, and the smoothing, of a cover for that water-filled mattress adjacent the sides and end of t... | 11/08/1983 |
| 4412678 | Saddle for bar and bar-type weight A saddle for the bar of a bar-type weight has a bar-receiving portion, arms that incline upwardly and away from that portion, and a socket-forming portion which defines a socket that extends downwardly relative to those arms to telescope downwardly over t... | 11/01/1983 |
