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3M employee and church chorister Art Fry needed something to temporarily mark pages in his hymnal. He was in luck because his colleague, Spencer Silver, accidentally developed a glue that was too weak for other purposes. After initially discouraging consumer response, Post-it Notes became a hit in 1979.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5907690 | Modular interface devices for a distributed input/output system In a control system for controlling a very large number of remotely located input and output devices there is provided a novel control system having a single CPU coupled through a host interface module to a data and control transmission line. The host int... | 05/25/1999 |
| 5835059 | Data link and method This is a Mode S radio frequency transmission system with coordinated use of a rotating directional antenna and omnidirectional antennas. A software-implemented prefilter both processes messages destined for aircraft equipped with Mode S datalink capable ... | 11/10/1998 |
| 5803704 | Apparatus and method for accumulating and transferring one or more stacks of articles Flat mail pieces of intermixed sizes and thicknesses are received and distributed to separately arranged storage compartments. Each such compartment contains special features and functions which ensure smooth entry of incoming mail, maintain the facing an... | 09/08/1998 |
| 5572554 | Synchronizer and method therefor Apparatus and method synchronize one or more digital clock signals from separate oscillators, to another clock oscillator via a common non-continuous signal, and provide error signals to indicate when one or more oscillators are out of tolerance.... | 11/05/1996 |
| 4861124 | Dual-section spatial modulation transmitter A dual-section spatial modulator transmitter consists of a collector surrounding a source of radiation to collect the energy from the source and form it into multiple beams. The collector is configured in two sections, a rotatable section and a stationary... | 08/29/1989 |
| 4808950 | Electromagnetic dispersive delay line An electromagnetic dispersive delay line (10) includes a dielectric strip (28) as well as a coupler (24, 34, 36, and 38) for launching surface electromagnetic waves into the dielectric strip. The upper surface of the dielectric strip (28) is left exposed ... | 02/28/1989 |
| 4794396 | Antenna coupler verification device and method A device for repeatably and accurately testing an antenna coupler of the type used to connect a test antenna adjacent an onboard antenna of an aircraft to inject a test signal into the aircraft's onboard radar system to test its continuity. A base member ... | 12/27/1988 |
| 4768004 | Electrical circuit interconnect system An assembly for mounting components to a microwave circuit, using plated through bore holes that extend from the ground plane of the circuit through the insulating substrate to the surface on which the components are mounted. The components have a conduct... | 08/30/1988 |
| 4743887 | Fault locating system and method A test system for microwave circuits such as employed in aircraft wherein a plurality of antennas are connected to a single processor whereby the continuity of the antennas and connectors between the antennas and the processor can be determined. A test si... | 05/10/1988 |
| 4733237 | FM/chirp detector/analyzer and method A device for determining the frequency range and chirp rate of chirp radars or other sources of frequency-modulated signals includes a compressive receiver (16, 22, 24) for time-compressing single-frequency signals and a discriminator (26) for generating ... | 03/22/1988 |
| 4725970 | Simulation device A simulator for simulating the response of a network of predefined processing elements to a set of input stimuli. The network processing elements are arrayed in a plurality of rows and columns and a representation of each element is stored in a storage lo... | 02/16/1988 |
| 4719649 | Autoregressive peek-through comjammer and method Disclosed and claimed in a communications system which permits the simultaneous reception and jamming of a transmitted radio frequency signal. This is accomplished by sampling the signal for a minimal period with the jammer off, operating the jammer for a... | 01/12/1988 |
| 4709239 | Dipatch antenna A vertically polarized omnidirectional antenna adapted for use in airborne, Very High Frequency (VHF) applications is disclosed. The antenna is configured as a conductive patch spaced over its virtual image. The addition of a number of switching devices a... | 11/24/1987 |
| 4703462 | Virtually steerable parametric acoustic array The invention concerns an application of linear system parameter estimation techniques to finite amplitude sonar devices, to extract fine grained angular position information about echo sources. The invention makes use of the fact that the waveform return... | 10/27/1987 |
| 4689762 | Dynamically configurable fast Fourier transform butterfly circuit A decimation-in-frequency fast-Fourier-transform butterfly circuit for performing a radix-four butterfly operation includes a first group of adders (86, 88, 90, and 92), a second group of adders (70, 72, 74, and 76), and a group of twiddle-factor multipli... | 08/25/1987 |
| 4664135 | Pilot valve A pilot valve suited for use as the first stage of a large hydraulic valve system. The pilot valve virtually eliminates the steady state fluid leakage associated with orifice-based prior art systems. A pair of low noise and long life fluid restrictors are... | 05/12/1987 |
| 4656642 | Spread-spectrum detection system for a multi-element antenna In a spread-spectrum direction-finding system, the outputs of the several antenna elements (10a-d) are progressively translated in frequency by a chirped local oscillator (14) and mixers (12a-d) and applied to a two-dimensional dispersive filter (18), whi... | 04/07/1987 |
| 4654667 | Signal-acquisition system for a circular array A signal-acquisition system (10) for a circular antenna array (12) includes a two-dimensional compressive receiver (18) that performs a two-dimensional Fourier transformation in time and position on the outputs of the array. Each of the outputs of the com... | 03/31/1987 |
| 4646099 | Three-dimensional fourier-transform device Signals from antenna elements (14) of a rectangular array (12) are translated in frequency by mixers (16) fed from a chirped local oscillator (19). The resultant signals are fed to the first of two groups (20 and 36) of two-dimensional delay lines connect... | 02/24/1987 |
| 4641143 | Two-dimensional acquisition system using circular array A frequency-and-direction-finding system (10) employing a circular array (12) performs a two-dimensional Fourier transformation in space and time on the signals from the individual elements. The results of the transformation are fed to multipliers (22) th... | 02/03/1987 |
| 4636972 | Method and apparatus for digital filtering A receiver employs fast-Fourier-transform modules to process the received signals in the frequency domain. It samples the input signal at a high sampling rate to cover a broad input bandwidth, but it transforms the sampled input signals in short segments,... | 01/13/1987 |
| 4635278 | Autoregressive digital telecommunications system In a digital communications system, one of two tones is selected for each bit, a first tone for a "0" and a second tone for a "1"; the tones are unique for each bit. The tones for all of the bits of a byte are sent simultaneously, in a burst or pulse. At ... | 01/06/1987 |
| 4633257 | Acquisition system employing circular array A system for indicating the direction of a source of radio waves received by a circular antenna array (12) includes a Butler matrix (18) that receives the array outputs and feeds the resultant matrix outputs to correction circuits (22) whose transfer func... | 12/30/1986 |
| 4590478 | Multiple ridge antenna A microwave antenna (10) is excited by two independently driven feed lines (30 and 32) so that the plane of polarization of the resultant microwave radiation depends on the relative amplitudes of the signals on the two feed lines. The feed lines are dispo... | 05/20/1986 |
| 4586154 | Data word normalization A data word (bits ID.0.-ID15) is supplied to the address inputs of a memory arrangement U1, U2, U3 whose outputs S0-S3 supply to a parallel shifter SN a control word specifying the number of shifts required. As described, two read-only memories receive re... | 04/29/1986 |
| 4562416 | Transition from stripline to waveguide A waveguide-to-stripline transition includes a stripline portion (14) that fits over an opening in one end of waveguide (12). The stripline portion has a cavity defined by an upper ground-plane conductor (20), a lower ground-plane conductor (22), and a re... | 12/31/1985 |
| 4562440 | Antenna coupler with ribbon gasket The method of repeatably making an antenna coupler for holding a test antenna in a repeatable fixed position on the exterior surface of an aircraft or the like relative to a working antenna disposed within the aircraft. A positive mold is made of the area... | 12/31/1985 |
| 4556828 | Electric motor adapted to permit translational motion between field and armature A DC motor particularly adapted to operate in the presence of translational movement between the armature (rotor) and the field (stator) magnets. The field magnets comprise a plurality of magnets formed into a pair of concentric, closed-spaced, parallel r... | 12/03/1985 |
| 4555807 | Apparatus and method for channel identification An improvement to a baseband system having a plurality of down converters feeding a single baseband receiver for assuring the same mean time to intercept while maximizing the probability of intercept as a multi-band, autonomous receiver. All channels of t... | 11/26/1985 |
| 4553146 | Reduced side lobe antenna system A directional antenna system having a passive arrangement for reducing the amplitude of signals received in the direction of one of the side lobes of the antenna pattern. The system includes a main directional antenna and two or more auxiliary antennas, e... | 11/12/1985 |
| 4531130 | Crossed tee-fed slot antenna A microwave antenna is made of a pair of parallel ground-plane conductors (12 and 14), one of which forms a generally cruciform aperture (18). A pair of T-shaped feedlines are disposed with their cross pieces (22 and 34) in registration with the respectiv... | 07/23/1985 |
| 4339683 | Electrical connection A mechanical and electrical connection for a piezoelectric member of polyic material such as polyvinylidene fluoride, and method for forming such a connection. To form the connection, the piezoelectric member is first masked to prevent a preselected port... | 07/13/1982 |
| 4316720 | Maintenance training device This disclosure illustrates and describes a system that permits a student to receive hands-on maintenance training of electronic systems without interfering with the operation of the electronic system. The students are taught how to repair and maintain th... | 02/23/1982 |
| 4311290 | Arrestment system Apparatus and method for recovering and arresting an aircraft or other vele. A boom is swivelly connected to a support structure via braking mechanism. The boom is pivotally connected to the brake mechanism such that it can also pivot in a second, differ... | 01/19/1982 |
| 4305998 | Protective coating Method and protective coating composition for preventing or minimizing costion or melting of titanium and combustible alloys thereof. Two layers of coatings are applied, the first layer preventing diffusion of the second layer into the titanium or alloy ... | 12/15/1981 |
| 4286319 | Expandable inter-computer communication system This disclosure describes a system for providing a communications channel between a master computer and a plurality of similar or dissimilar slave computers that may be separated by great distances. The foregoing system comprises a buffer unit and at leas... | 08/25/1981 |
| 4283768 | Signal generator A digital synthesizer is disclosed for generating complex waveforms of seted multiple frequencies and selected phases in the time domain. A plurality of independent frequency sources each produces square waves at its selected fundamental frequency and at... | 08/11/1981 |
| 4268930 | Inflatable mini boat A mini boat having a first plurality of elongated gas inflatable cells sted one upon the other and bonded into a single envelopmental unit which conforms closely to the human body for providing buoyancy thereof. The unit is formed to provide a center of ... | 05/26/1981 |
| 4246780 | Force sensing system Apparatus for measuring thrust loading on a rotating shaft. A plurality of train gages, electrically connected in parallel and series to form one arm of a Wheatstone bridge circuit, are mounted at equal intervals on a thin strap or band formed to surround ... | 01/27/1981 |
| 4226624 | Solubilization of hexavalent chromium compounds in organic materials Method and composition utilizing organo substituted quaternary ammonium salts to effect the solution of hexavalent chromium into organic materials such as paints, in which such inhibitors are normally insoluble, in order to upgrade the corrosion protectio... | 10/07/1980 |
