Did You Know...
...that it was melting ice cream that inspired the invention of the outboard motor? It was a lovely August day and Ole Evinrude was rowing his boat to his favorite island picnic spot. As he rowed, he watched his ice cream melt and wished he had a faster way to get to the island. At that moment the idea for the outboard motor was born!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7975685 | Solar collecting and utilizing device The present invention relates to a solar collecting and utilizing device, comprising: one or more paraboloidal light collecting mirrors for collecting/converging the sunlight; a light guider including a light guider mirror for receiving the sunlight converged by sai... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7854224 | Solar chimney with internal and external solar collectors A solar chimney includes a solar collector which heats air in the chimney, producing updrafts which can be harnessed to perform useful work. The solar collector may be located inside or outside the chimney. The device may include a reservoir for storing a heat trans... | 12/21/2010 |
| 7793654 | Solar panel positioning apparatus and method A solar tracking system comprising a solar panel, a support base, and a panel mounting section mounted to the support base for rotation about a generally vertical axis of rotation. The panel is mounted to the mounting section to be able to rotate about a generally h... | 09/14/2010 |
| 7395820 | Receiver tube with receiver tubular jacket and parabolic trough collector containing same The parabolic trough collector includes a single-axis parabolic mirror (1) and a receiver tube (2) arranged at the focal point (F) of the parabolic mirror (1). The receiver tube (2) includes an absorber tube (4) and an outer tubula... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7252269 | Asymmetrical low-profile bulkhead An asymmetrical bulkhead for a pressure vessel, tank or other storage facility is disclosed. The bulkhead is configured so that there is a high region extending past a cylindrical portion of the vessel on one side of the bulkhead, with a contour of the bulkhead tran... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7231128 | Hybrid solar lighting systems and components A hybrid solar lighting system and components having at least one hybrid solar concentrator, at least one fiber receiver, at least one hybrid luminaire, and a light distribution system operably connected to each hybrid solar concentrator and each hybrid luminaire. A... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7206125 | Infrared blocking filter for broadband Optical metrology An infrared filter for an optical metrology tool includes a substrate having film stacks on opposing surfaces thereof. A first film stack can be used to reflect ultra-violet radiation and transmit radiation at non-ultraviolet wavelengths. The second film stack can b... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7081584 | Solar based electrical energy generation with spectral cooling Method and system for converting solar energy into electrical energy utilizing serially coupled multijunction-type photovoltaic cells in conjunction with a form of spectral cooling. The latter cooling is carried out by removing ineffective solar energy components fr... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7055519 | Solar collector and method An apparatus and method for collecting solar energy are provided. The apparatus is a trough-type solar collector having one or more mirrors and lenses for directing solar radiation toward a receiver configured to receive a heat transfer fluid therein. The amount of ... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7018131 | Long life intelligent illuminated road marker Self-contained solar-powered long-life intelligent illuminated road markers are provided comprising a one-piece housing formed of optionally colored plastic capable of transmitting light. Light is reflected by reflective coating or generated internally by LED which ... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6945660 | Device for capturing and emitting radiations The disclosure is a radiation collecting/emitting device to/from different spatial directions, the apparatus in the preferred design is manufactured in a single piece and the work surface is modified to obtain a reflective surface for the radiations of interest. In ... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6911110 | Thermally controlled solar reflector facet with heat recovery A high concentration central receiver system and method provides improved reflectors and a unique heat removal system. The central receiver has a plurality of interconnected reflectors coupled to a tower structure at a predetermined height above ground for reflectin... | 06/28/2005 |
| 6903261 | Solar concentrator A solar concentrator module comprising a front lens on its front face, a receiver cell on its rear face and a reflector between the front lens and the receiver cell, said reflector having inclined sidewalls along at least two opposite sides of the receiver cell char... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6899097 | Solar blackbody waveguide for efficient and effective conversion of solar flux to heat energy A solar blackbody waveguide that captures and uses sunlight to heat a thermal working or heat transfer fluid. Solar cell arrays capture the sunlight. The arrays are movably mounted on solar towers to track the daily movement of the sun and to maintain the proper ang... | 05/31/2005 |
| 6881893 | Solar energy collection system Sunlight is localized at a solar cell by means of a lens in conjunction with a solar energy trap with very low losses. The lens is a standard magnifying lens which concentrates the sunlight to a spot which is a small percentage of the total area of the lens. The len... | 04/19/2005 |
| 6840636 | Solar diffusion loss compensator and collimator A solar diffusion loss compensator and collimator that reduces loss due to reflection of non-perpendicular energy rays that are usually reflected and lost externally by providing a means to capture reflected energy from adjacent surfaces and redirecting such energy ... | 01/11/2005 |
| 6717045 | Photovoltaic array module design for solar electric power generation systems The invention relates to a solar photovoltaic array module design, which constitutes three steps of optical concentrations of photovoltaic electric power generation systems. A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is mounted under a first optical concentrating fresn... | 04/06/2004 |
| 6700055 | Self tracking, wide angle, solar concentrators A solar concentrator system includes a collector lens for collecting and at least partially focusing incident solar rays, a solar cell and a lens array positioned generally between the collector lens and the solar cell, the lens array directing the partia... | 03/02/2004 |
| 6700054 | Solar collector for solar energy systems A solar collection system and method having means for receiving solar radiation through a main refractive interface and means for internally reflecting at least once, at least a portion of the received solar radiation. The refractive medium may be liquid,... | 03/02/2004 |
| 6696637 | Conversion of solar energy An array of elongated concave parabolic trough-shaped reflectors is disclosed. The orientation of the array is biaxially kept essentially perpendicular to rays of the sun by an optical control such that sunlight is reflected and concentrated along a focal... | 02/24/2004 |
| 6688303 | Method and system for controlling operation of an energy conversion device A method and system is described for controlling a solar collector. A microprocessor receives inputs from one or more sensors in the system and determines the level of operation of an energy conversion device. If the level of operation reaches a predeterm... | 02/10/2004 |
| 6653551 | Stationary photovoltaic array module design for solar electric power generation systems A stationary solar photovoltaic array module design, which constitutes four steps of optical concentrations of photovoltaic electric power generation systems. A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is mounted under a first and second optical concentratin... | 11/25/2003 |
| 6603069 | Adaptive, full-spectrum solar energy system An adaptive full spectrum solar energy system having at least one hybrid solar concentrator, at least one hybrid luminaire, at least one hybrid photobioreactor, and a light distribution system operably connected to each hybrid solar concentrator, each hyb... | 08/05/2003 |
| 6469241 | High concentration spectrum splitting solar collector A solar concentrator includes high concentrating reflective or refractive optics concentrating collected solar light along a first axis and includes spectrum splitting reflective or refractive optics splitting collected solar light along a second axis for... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6425391 | Electromagnetic radiation collector system A collection device for capturing and transmitting electromagnetic radiation utilizing a reflector having a concave reflecting surface for concentrating electromagnetic radiation to a focal point. The reflector also includes an opposite surface, a flexibl... | 07/30/2002 |
| 6415783 | Solar energy receiver assembly Solar energy receiver having two or more regions for acceptance of solar radiation, and a means for splitting the solar radiation into two or more wavelength bands. A different band of radiation is incident upon each of the regions. At least one of the re... | 07/09/2002 |
| 6384320 | Solar compound concentrator of electric power generation system for residential homes The invention relates to a solar compound concentrator of an electric power generation system. A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is mounted under an acrylic concentrating fresnel lens that concentrates the intensity of sunlight to five to ten times ... | 05/07/2002 |
| 6302100 | System for collimating and concentrating direct and diffused radiation A method is disclosed for collimating light energy falling randomly from myriad directions on a fixed-positioned thin flat surface. The collimated rays are then concentrated by an assembly of prismatic slabs and optical or fiber optic means to achieve lig... | 10/16/2001 |
| 6286504 | Apparatus for capturing light energy An apparatus for capturing solar radiation of tracking type including a matrix array of a number of light receptors is disclosed. A first set of four shafts are disposed parallel to each other and parallel to a floor surface on which the apparatus is inst... | 09/11/2001 |
| 6061181 | Nontracking light converger A light refracting and collecting assembly includes a housing having a bottom surface with two diverging side walls extending therefrom, two opposing end walls and an open top. Disposed between the side walls, proximal the bottom surface, is a light absor... | 05/09/2000 |
| 6035850 | Concentrator for focusing solar radiation A concentrator for focusing solar radiation onto an elongate absorber, comprising a plurality of transverse supports arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction, stabilizing the concentrator in the transverse direction and defining the sha... | 03/14/2000 |
| 6031177 | Shadowing timer for a photovoltaic solar cell array and photovoltaic power source comprising same A photovoltaic power source includes a shadowing timer comprising at least one shadowing member (i.e. vane element) secured proximal to an array of photovoltaic solar cells electrically connected in series. The shadowing members are arranged such that the... | 02/29/2000 |
| 6020553 | Photovoltaic cell system and an optical structure therefor High radiation concentration photovoltaic cell system including at least one optical structure in the form of a three-dimensional body having a first surface adapted to receive thereon photovoltaic cells and a second surface to be, at least indirectly, ex... | 02/01/2000 |
| 6015950 | Refractive spectrum splitting photovoltaic concentrator system A solar energy conversion system, in which two separated arrays of refracting elements disperse incident sunlight and concentrate the sunlight onto solar energy converters, such that each converter receives a narrow portion of the broad solar spectrum and... | 01/18/2000 |
| 5971551 | Nonimaging optical concentrators and illuminators A nonimaging concentrator (or illuminator) of light. The concentrator (or illuminator) has a shape defined by dR/d$c;=Rtan where R is a radius vetor from an origin to a point of reflection of a light edge ray from a reflector surface and $c; ... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5593549 | Method for changing solar energy distribution In a method for concentrating solar energy waveform energy is directed to a predetermined region of the atmosphere located a pre-established distance above a surface of the earth. The directing of the energy is controlled so as to modulate an index of ref... | 01/14/1997 |
| 5540216 | Apparatus and method for concentrating radiant energy emanated by a moving energy source A device efficiently collects energy from a moving source without having to actively track the source. The device includes a primary concentrator, a secondary reflector and a target position. The primary concentrator is positioned to receive energy from t... | 07/30/1996 |
| 5501743 | Fiber optic power-generating system A fiber optical solar power generating system provides a tower outside a structure to be supplied with solar energy and on which a multiplicity of collectors are provided. An optical fiber trunk carries the collected optical energy to the structure in whi... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5415156 | Method using solar energy A police or military method utilizes a laser source for emitting, along a preselected path, radiation having a wavelength absorbable by at least one type of atmospheric molecule. Radiation directing components such as lenses or deformable mirror segments ... | 05/16/1995 |
| 5408990 | Solar energy collection panel assembly A solar energy collection panel assembly particularly adapted for use in a sun tracking system, The assembly is made up of several elongated components that have uniform cross sections and are preferably formed by extrusion. Interlocking base members have... | 04/25/1995 |
