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 |
| 4189779 | Parameter interpolator for speech synthesis circuit Disclosed is a parameter interpolator for a speech synthesis circuit. Using a parameter interpolator permits the data rate to the speech synthesis circuit to be lowered inasmuch as the incoming speech data is used to slowly charge the data previously inpu... | 02/19/1980 |
| 4188626 | Method for scanning a keyboard and for actuating a display device via common conductors A circuit and method for actuating a display, especially a liquid crystal display, and a keyboard using a common set of conductors. The circuit includes circuits for generating appropriate display potentials, scanning pulses and sensing the scanning pulse... | 02/12/1980 |
| 4187473 | Electronic phase locked loop circuit An electronic phase locked loop circuit including a variable period sawtooth generator. The sawtooth generator receives digital reference clock signals and in response thereto generates sawtooth-shaped signals having the same period as said reference cloc... | 02/05/1980 |
| 4180805 | System for displaying character and graphic information on a color video display with unique multiple memory arrangement A system for displaying character and graphic information on a color video display utilizes a unique memory architecture. A display memory having a plurality of addressable words corresponding to character positions on the display is utilized to store the... | 12/25/1979 |
| 4175286 | Burn-in test system for electronic apparatus An electronic apparatus having a keyboard and an output device, such as a thermal printer unit. The apparatus, including its printer unit, is burn-in tested by an electronic system built into the apparatus. The system includes a memory, a circuit for stor... | 11/20/1979 |
| 4175274 | Recording system with flexible magnetic recording disc A flexible disc is provided for the recording and playback of information on a recording surface thereof. The disc is contained within a cartridge housing which protects the recording surface. At least one opening is provided in the disc which engages wit... | 11/20/1979 |
| 4170422 | Printhead alignment mechanism A printhead alignment mechanism is used in a non-impact type printer, such as a thermal printer for use, typically, in an electronic calculator. The printhead may pivot in a direction around an axis that is orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the print ... | 10/09/1979 |
| 4169682 | Printer mechanism Described is a printer mechanism which includes a platen rotatably mounted above a base, a medium upon which printing is to be accomplished and a printer unit disposed in printing relationship to the medium and the platen. A holder holds the printer unit ... | 10/02/1979 |
| 4164037 | Electronic calculator or microprocessor system having combined data and flag bit storage system An electronic calculator or microprocessor system of the type preferably having keyboard input and a visual display is provided with a semiconductor chip having a memory for storing instruction words, an arithmetic unit, an instruction word decoder for co... | 08/07/1979 |
| 4164031 | Memory system Disclosed is a memory system for storing digital data; the memory system of the type which may be implemented, for instance, in an electronic microprocessor or calculator system. The memory comprises an array of transistor memory cells arranged in columns... | 08/07/1979 |
| 4163256 | Electronic photography system A completely electronic system for recording and subsequently displaying still life pictures includes an optical-electronic transducer for generating electronic signals responsive to an optical image. The signals are stored and subsequently applied to a v... | 07/31/1979 |
| 4162446 | Transceiver with only one reference frequency A transceiver includes a first mixer and a detector in the receive signal path and a second mixer and modulator in the transmit signal path, all of which are coupled to and are operated by programmable counter circuits clocked by a single reference freque... | 07/24/1979 |
| 4161726 | Digital joystick control A digital joystick control includes an elongated shaft member having a spherical ball at one end thereof. First and second socket members are coupled to the joystick to provide a swivel joint between the ball and the socket members enabling movement of th... | 07/17/1979 |
| 4161697 | Automatically clarifying radio receiver A radio receiver receives input signals comprised of a plurality of frequency bands lying respectively within a plurality of non-overlapping frequency channels. The signals include an itermittently present reference frequency signal. The radio receiver in... | 07/17/1979 |
| 4153876 | Charge transfer device radio system Disclosed is a radio system comprising mixing means for simultaneously receiving electronic input signals consisting of a plurality of non-overlapping frequency bands and first clocking signals having a first selectable frequence. The mixing means frequen... | 05/08/1979 |
| 4147984 | Dual digital processor transceiver A transceiver includes a keyboard having a plurality of manually actuable keys for selecting operating modes and channels for operating thereon. A first digital processor has inputs coupled to the keyboard for receiving logic signals therefrom of a first ... | 04/03/1979 |
| 4145756 | Thermal line printer A thermal printer system for actuating a plurality of groups of thermal printing elements. The system includes a first circuit in which a plurality of data words are stored, the words representing the characters to be printed. A second circuit converts th... | 03/20/1979 |
| 4145656 | Transceiver capable of sensing a clear channel A transceiver receives electronic input signals comprised of a plurality of frequency bands lying within a plurality of non-overlapping frequency channels. A mixer frequency shifts a selected band to a predetermined center frequency in response to a first... | 03/20/1979 |
| 4145655 | Digitally transmitting transceiver A transceiver has digital transmitting capability. The transceiver includes an antenna having an input for transmitting signals applied thereto. Signal generating means generate first and second signals having first and second frequencies, and transmissio... | 03/20/1979 |
| 4141075 | Method of making an electronic calculator Electronic calculators are manufactured by affixing conductors on an insulated substrate, by attaching tape-mounted semiconductor logic and display devices to selected conductors and by interconnecting the conductors with a keyboard. By using the method d... | 02/20/1979 |
| 4140975 | Highly selective programmable filter module A programmable filter module includes a charge transfer device bandpass filter and a phase locked loop. The bandpass filter has a plurality of passbands dependent upon the frequency of a clocking signal. The phase locked loop receives a reference signal o... | 02/20/1979 |
