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 |
| 6511071 | Method of playing Super Pan 9 A rule change for Super Pan 9 presents a slight edge to the banker, thus encouraging greater participation in the game by those who ordinarily do not wish to bank and by those who desire to have their bets covered by a fully funded banker. A method of pla... | 01/28/2003 |
| 6459501 | Small-gamut colorant set A small-gamut colorant set is a new system and mechanism for reproducing monochrome images on a wide range of color printing devices with an unprecedented combination of flexibility and quality. It is fundamentally unlike, and yet in certain ways similar ... | 10/01/2002 |
| 6446969 | Board game apparatus A game board has a central playing field, called the territories, surrounded by a peripheral or perimeter playing field called the sacrifice zone. The board comprises 90 squares arranged in ten columns and nine rows. The squares form an ordered array of c... | 09/10/2002 |
| 6438756 | Suspended extrication harness apparatus having installation assembly A harness strap assembly is adapted to be incorporated into the inner liner of the pants of a firefighter's turnout suit without requiring structural modification thereof. The harness strap assembly, when installed, comprises a pair of webbed strap member... | 08/27/2002 |
| 6394455 | Board game with nesting pieces A board game comprises a board having sixteen squares arranged in four rows of four squares each. Each player receives twelve pieces arranged in three stacks of nested pieces, four pieces to a stack. The object of play is to occupy squares on the board fo... | 05/28/2002 |
| 6308335 | Extrication harness apparatus having suspender assembly A harness strap assembly is adapted to be incorporated into the inner liner of the pants of a firefighter's turnout suit without requiring structural modification thereof. The harness strap assembly, when installed, comprises a single length of webbed str... | 10/30/2001 |
| 6252171 | Ladder-type cable tray with power channel A hollow-spine ladder-type cable tray with cable arms has a hollow channel within one of the two body spines which is adapted for running and holding electrical wiring. This is achieved by enlarging at least one of the spines, and thus its hollow channel,... | 06/26/2001 |
| 6198047 | Cable tray with power channel A hollow-spine cable tray has cable arms wherein the hollow channel of the body spine is adapted for running and holding electrical wiring. This is achieved by enlarging the spine, and thus its hollow channel, and by molding one side face of the spine so ... | 03/06/2001 |
| 6189730 | Wet towelette and dry towel dispenser apparatus The invention comprises a wall or door-mounted container for cleansing wipes having two separate compartments, one for holding readily available packet stacks (or rolls) of dry paper towel wipes of standard size, and one for holding a sealed containers of... | 02/20/2001 |
| 6123187 | Cover for a pressurized tank A cover for a pressurized fuel tank has at least one heat-reflecting wall surface. Preferably, both sides of the cover wall are heat-reflecting. Preferably, the heat-reflecting property is obtained by metalizing the surfaces, e.g., with mirrored plastic f... | 09/26/2000 |
| 6120453 | Three-dimensional ultrasound system based on the coordination of multiple ultrasonic transducers Two or more ultrasound transducer probes applied to a body give information regarding the relative position of each by determining the time of transit of sound energy between each probe. Besides knowledge of the range from one probe to another, the orient... | 09/19/2000 |
| 6109041 | Pulse tube refrigerator Fluidic devices, including blind vortex tubes, constant-rotation double diodes and constant-rotation double vortex tubes, are disclosed with which to construct pulse tube refrigerators, including ones having diode loops, constant-rotation double diodes, c... | 08/29/2000 |
| 6105169 | Extrication harness apparatus A harness strap assembly is incorporated into the inner liner of the pants of a firefighter's turnout suit. The harness strap assembly comprises a single length of webbed strap (or, preferably, a securely interconnected bifurcated length) that is wound fo... | 08/22/2000 |
| 6024264 | Collapsible backpack hood apparatus A retractable hood or canopy attaches to the top portion of an internal or external backpack frame. Preferably, one or more exterior solar panels are mounted on the top of the hood and power one or more electric fans which cool the head of the backpacker ... | 02/15/2000 |
| 5979012 | Mobile apparatus for dispensing and recovering water and removing waste therefrom A mobile surface contaminant extracting and water recycling apparatus comprises a standard truck, pickup, trailer or other wheeled container that is modified by the addition of a clay-based flocculent powder wastewater treatment unit. Mounted in combinati... | 11/09/1999 |
| 5966942 | Pulse tube refrigerator Fluidic devices, including constant-rotation double diodes and constant-rotation double vortex tubes, are disclosed with which to construct pulse tube refrigerators having diode loops, constant-rotation double diodes, constant-rotation double vortex tubes... | 10/19/1999 |
| 5959792 | Powered mirror apparatus An ergonomic vehicle inspection mirror apparatus has a handle, a pole or casing, and a foot. Mounted on the foot is a rotatable mirror. The mirror is attached to the foot by means of a pivot shaft, about which the mirror is capable of two degrees of rotat... | 09/28/1999 |
| 5944347 | Automobile hood cover An automobile hood cover is comprised of a flexible planar substrate of vinyl coated fabric or other plastic material, which substrate has substantially all of its exterior (outwardly facing) surface covered with protective and decorative lace means, name... | 08/31/1999 |
| 5904406 | Headrest A foam-core fabric-covered headrest snaps in place over the top tube of the frame of any of a wide variety of lawn or beach furniture. The core is a resilient foam cylinder into which is cut or molded a radially directed longitudinal slit leading to a cyl... | 05/18/1999 |
| 5865094 | Filtered beverage maker A beverage maker comprises a frame which has an upper panel with one or more circular or oval apertures into which may be inserted metal or plastic holders for paper beverage filters. A middle panel comprises an adjustable drip shelf. The drip shelf is pl... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5862983 | Vehicle wheel traction apparatus An improved vehicle wheel traction apparatus comprises a plurality of barred traction plates which, when not interconnected, may be stacked together in a compact form for stowage. It includes means for interlocking the plurality of barred plates together ... | 01/26/1999 |
| 5758960 | Joint for lamps and the like A joint apparatus, or joint hiding and framing assembly, secures tubular members, such as legs, to panel members. The joint is used for forming items of furniture, such as lamps, tables, aquariums, and vases. The seams between the panel members and the tu... | 06/02/1998 |
| 5749168 | Fly and insect trap A fly catcher apparatus has a cylindrical body with a single fly inlet port on its wall, near the bottom thereof. A central tube holds a wick of cloth, sponge or similar liquid-permeable material. Midway up the tube are a series of regularly spaced cloth ... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5687741 | Garment for releasably securing condoms A woman's panty-type undergarment provides a means of attaching a releasable, securable, and disposable female condom that can be comfortably worn for hours before anticipated intercourse, thereby providing a barrier to the entrance of male sperm and bodi... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5671609 | Refrigeration storage trailer A method is taught herein of providing a controlled environment for the storage of produce within a portable, standard insulated trailer cabin, wherein the following objectives are accomplished: initiated ripening; ripening; cooling and heat removal; temp... | 09/30/1997 |
| 5647938 | Photo postcard apparatus and method An apparatus automatically places postcard backings on rolls of developed photo stock. The backings are formed from a roll of bulk label stock such as that sold under the trade name AVERY. The label stock comes with an adhesive layer on its back side, whi... | 07/15/1997 |
| 5607376 | Convertible treadmill apparatus with left and right foot belts A treadmill or walker apparatus includes a mounting base, a pair of front rollers mounted fixedly on rotatable left and right front shafts which coaxially extend from a left front side to a right front side of the mounting base, a pair of rear rollers mou... | 03/04/1997 |
| 5600927 | Strapped rebar end protector Strapped rebar end protector apparatus combines prior art end protectors with an elastic strap having a rebar-receiving aperture in one end and fastener means on the other. The preferred fastener is a snap-in type which enters relatively easily a snap-rec... | 02/11/1997 |
| 5582574 | Hyperbaric incubation method A pressurized container is filled with pure oxygen. The apparatus, and the method of treatment provided thereby, are able to deliver oxygen to the blood of an enclosed premature neonate by means of directly diffusing molecular oxygen through the unusually... | 12/10/1996 |
| 5554277 | In-line leaf trap An in-line leaf trap captures the leaves and debris that are gathered by a manual or automatic suction-type swimming pool cleaner before they can enter the swimming pool's water filtering system. The leaf trap is placed in-line with the flexible hose that... | 09/10/1996 |
| 5517775 | Edging apparatus for canvas frame An extruded longitudinally-pliable but uprightly rigid plastic edging strip may be affixed to the side of the outer edge of a shaped back mounting panel. The tall thin cross section of the planar strip allows its longitudinal axis to bend sideways to foll... | 05/21/1996 |
| 5406942 | Sacral-innominate harness A therapeutic appliance, namely a harness, has a belt, a suspender, a cross-support and an ischial pocket, which harness provides support for the sacroiliac area of a human patient. Use of the harness of this invention will promote resolution of low back ... | 04/18/1995 |
| 5394565 | Portable play environment A portable play environment functions as a coat or jacket when worn and when not worn is capable of being used as a playing surface. It may include pockets or loops which act as storage means for carrying dolls, action figures, cars or similar small toys.... | 03/07/1995 |
| 5381322 | Light knuckle with ballast A floodlight knuckle or pivot joint has a ballast incorporated into it, rather than into the housing or hood of the fixture that holds the reflector and lamp. Preferably, the ballast is incorporated into its own waterproof housing in the lower portion of ... | 01/10/1995 |
| 5363877 | Suction regulating valve A suction pressure regulating valve automatically maintains the suction pressure of a swimming pool cleaning system to be consistent with the optimum range of water suction pressure when the valve is used with suction type automatic swimming pool cleaners... | 11/15/1994 |
| 5335748 | Anti-theft apparatus A vehicular anti-theft apparatus uses the unbuckling of a seatbelt to produce a surreptitious signal that activates a timing circuit which disables the motor after a preselected period of time. When the seatbelt is unfastened, an electrical signal is gene... | 08/09/1994 |
| 5284141 | Electrode emplacement apparatus for amniotomy and fetal monitoring and method of use The present invention comprises a barb or hook attached on a side of the forward end of the outer guide tube of an otherwise standard electrode introducer sleeve. The hook enables the physician to perforate the membrane within the same single vaginal exam... | 02/08/1994 |
| 5275467 | Knockdown chair A knockdown chair kit may be assembled by the end user without glue, nails, rivets or other fasteners and is strong and durable enough to to support an adult human in regular use. The kit is fabricated by means of laser cutting. The chair is made out of p... | 01/04/1994 |
| 5254129 | Arthroscopic resector A hand-held instrument is disclosed for use in surgery. The instrument has a set of opposed jaws that pivot about a common axis with respect to a shaft of the instrument's handle. The upper jaw has an upper blade rigidly affixed to one side thereof. A low... | 10/19/1993 |
| 5245732 | Jewelry clasp A jewelry clasp is comprised in part of hook and loop fastener material, such as that available under the brand name VELCRO. A piece of fastener material is glued or otherwise attached to a plastic or metal backing which acts as a first gripping member. T... | 09/21/1993 |
