...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 |
| 7357850 | Electroplating apparatus with segmented anode array An electroplating apparatus includes a reactor vessel having a segmented anode array positioned therein for effecting electroplating of an associated workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer. The anode array includes a plurality of ring-like anode segments which are ... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7349223 | Enhanced compliant probe card systems having improved planarity Several embodiments of enhanced integrated circuit probe card and package assemblies are disclosed, which extend the mechanical compliance of both MEMS and thin-film fabricated probes, such that these types of spring probe structures can be used to test one or more ... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7341634 | Apparatus for and method of processing substrate A workpiece is processed uniformly, e.g., a uniform plated film is formed on a workpiece, by a processing liquid, e.g., a plating solution, which is maintained in an optimum state while minimizing the amount of the processing liquid to be used. An apparatus for proc... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7294244 | Microelectronic workpiece processing tool including a processing reactor having a paddle assembly for agitation of a processing fluid proximate to the workpiece An integrated tool is provided including at least one workpiece processing station having a paddle assembly. In accordance with another independent aspect of the present invention, the workpiece processing station is adapted for adjusting the level of the processing... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7220397 | Modified oxygen reduced valve metal oxides Pressed material such as anodes are described and formed from oxygen reduced oxide powders using additives, such as binders and/or lubricants. Methods to form the pressed material are also described, such as with the use of atomizing, spray drying, fluid bed process... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7179736 | Method for fabricating planar semiconductor wafers The present invention relates to a method of fabricating planar semiconductor wafers. The method comprises forming a dielectric layer on a semiconductor wafer surface, the semiconductor wafer surface having vias, trenches and planar regions. A barrier and seed metal... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7141274 | Substrate processing apparatus and method A substrate processing apparatus and method which employs the so-called batch processing method of processing a plurality of substrates simultaneously, thereby increasing the throughput, and which can carry out processing, such as electroless plating, stably and sec... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7138014 | Electroless deposition apparatus An apparatus and a method of depositing a catalytic layer comprising at least one metal selected from the group consisting of noble metals, semi-noble metals, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof in sub-micron features formed on a substrate. Examples of noble me... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7082366 | Communication terminal apparatus, connection control method for the apparatus and program for the method In the case of connecting a line for making connection between communication unit 12 mounted in a vehicle-mounted terminal 10 and center communication unit 21 of an information center 20 and acquiring information accumulated in storage un... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7070687 | Apparatus and method of surface treatment for electrolytic and electroless plating of metals in integrated circuit manufacturing Apparatus and method for treating a surface of a substrate for electrolytic or electroless plating of metals in integrated circuit manufacturing. In one embodiment the method includes forming a barrier layer on a substrate. A metal-seed layer is then formed on the b... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7009412 | Massively parallel interface for electronic circuit Several embodiments of massively parallel interface structures are disclosed, which may be used in a wide variety of permanent or temporary applications, such as for interconnecting integrated circuits (ICs) to test and burn-in equipment, for interconnecting modules... | 03/07/2006 |
| 6926818 | Method to enhance the adhesion between dry film and seed metal A method of forming a bump structure through the use of an electroplating solution, comprising the following steps. A substrate having an overlying conductive structure is provided. A patterned dry film resist is formed over the conductive structure. The patterned d... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6811656 | Method for creating a material library A method for creating a material library of surface areas having different properties in which a substrate is coated. The substrate is subjected to a combined pretreatment procedure. ... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6766576 | Method for producing a double-sided wiring board The method for producing a printed wiring board comprising the steps of preparing a conductive substrate, forming an insulating layer on one surface of the said substrate, forming at least one via hole in the insulating layer, thermally curing the insulating layer, ... | 07/27/2004 |
| 6726829 | Method of manufacturing a stent Disclosed herewithin is an apparatus for fabricating a stent which involves processing a tubular member whereby no connection points to join the edges of a flat pattern are necessary. The process includes the steps of: a) preparing the surface of a tubular member, b... | 04/27/2004 |
| 6571467 | Method for producing a doublesided wiring board The method for producing a printed wiring board comprising the steps of preparing a conductive substrate, forming an insulating layer on one surface of the said substrate, forming at least one via hole in the insulating layer, thermally curing the insulat... | 06/03/2003 |
| 6546751 | Articles with selectively deposited overlay A method of providing a decorative metal pattern on an electrically non-conductive substrate, such as a glass or plastic substrate, which includes applying a mixture of heat fusible material, such as glass or plastic, with a metal having a particle size l... | 04/15/2003 |
| 6533917 | Method for producing aluminum support for lithographic printing plate Disclosed are a method for producing an aluminum support for lithographic printing plates, comprising subjecting an aluminum plate in sequence to (1) a surface roughening treatment, (2) a heat treatment, (3) a treatment of dissolving from 0.01 to 5 g/m | 03/18/2003 |
| 6527937 | Method of making a capacitor anode of a pellet of niobium oxide Methods to at least partially reduce a niobium oxide are described wherein the process includes heat treating the niobium oxide in the presence of a getter material and in an atmosphere which permits the transfer of oxygen atoms from the niobium oxide to ... | 03/04/2003 |
| 6475368 | Method of aqueous anodizing aluminum substrates of solid capacitors A method of anodizing an aluminum substrate comprising heating the substrate to a first temperature of 200° C. to about 380° C.; suspending the substrate into a first electrolyte and applying a first anodizing current to the first electrolyte; rinsing t... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6409932 | Method and apparatus for increased workpiece throughput A method is disclosed for speeding workpiece thoughput in low pressure, high temperature semiconductor processing reactor. The method includes loading a workpiece into a chamber at atmospheric pressure, bringing the chamber down to an intermediate pressur... | 06/25/2002 |
| 6379524 | Method for preparing composite membrane for separation of hydrogen gas A process for manufacturing a composite membrane for separation of hydrogen gas using palladium, which employs the step of electroplating under vacuum an alloy of a palladium compound and a transition metal.... | 04/30/2002 |
| 6378338 | Method for producing magnetic disk substrates Magnetic disk substrates are produced by subjecting glass substrates to at least steps of degreasing, etching, sensitization with tin chloride, activation and sensitivity-enhancing treatment in that order, then plating the pretreated substrates with a nic... | 04/30/2002 |
| 6221437 | Heated workpiece holder for wet plating bath A heated platen or chuck is employed in connection with a wet chemistry process cell, such as a plating cell for plating a flat substrate. A flow of electrolyte or other wet process solution is introduced into the cell across the surface of the substrate ... | 04/24/2001 |
| 6042712 | Apparatus for controlling plating over a face of a substrate According to one aspect of the invention, a plating system is provided which includes a tank for containing a plating solution, a substrate holder, and a temperature control device. The substrate holder is configured to support a substrate in position so ... | 03/28/2000 |
| 5873992 | Method of electroplating a substrate, and products made thereby Disclosed is an electroplating method and products made therefrom, which in one embodiment includes using a current density JO, to form a conductive metal layer having a surface roughness no greater than the surface roughness of the underlying ... | 02/23/1999 |
| 5773087 | Coated article and method for producing same A coated article comprising a stainless steel base having an etched surface and having on the etched surface a coated layer. The coating layer may comprise a fluororesin and can be provided: after sensitizing the stainless steel base through heating, trea... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5503732 | Method for manufacturing a substrate having window-shaped and frame-shaped coating films on the surface thereof A method for manufacturing a substrate useful as a color filter for LCD and having window-shaped coating films and a frame-shaped, functional coating film at the regions not occupied with the window-shaped coating films, which comprises the steps of: (a) ... | 04/02/1996 |
| 5456816 | Nickel alloy electroplated cold-rolled steel sheet excellent in press-formability and phosphating-treatability and method for manufacturing same A method for manufacturing a nickel alloy electroplated cold-rolled steel sheet excellent in press-formability and phosphating-treatability, which comprises the steps of: (a) cold-rolling a hot-rolled steel sheet at a reduction ratio of from 60 to 85% to ... | 10/10/1995 |
| 5456818 | Method for preventing fretting and galling in a polygon coupling A method of preventing galling between first and second metallic surfaces which are disposed in contacting, substantially stationary relation, one to each other, includes coating at least one of the first and second metallic surfaces with a layer of hard ... | 10/10/1995 |
| 5403468 | Process for the manufacture of tinplate using a fused tin chloride electroplating bath A process for the manufacture of tinplates comprising electroplating a substrate in a fused-chloride tin plating bath at a temperature of about 150° to 350° C., a current density of about 100 to 500 A/dm2 in an atmosphere of a non-oxidizing g... | 04/04/1995 |
| 5334306 | Metallized paths on diamond surfaces A graphite path is formed along the surface of a diamond plate, preferably a CVD diamond plate, by means of a laser or ion-implantation induced conductivity. The path advantageously can be the surface of a sidewall of a via hole drilled by the laser throu... | 08/02/1994 |
| 5296260 | Method of manufacturing inorganic insulation A solution of a ceramics precursor prepared from at last one or two types of metal alkoxides or metal acylates is applied onto a ceramics film having irregularity on its surface, which is formed on a conductor surface, to fill up irregular portions of the... | 03/22/1994 |
| 5242569 | Thermocompression bonding in integrated circuit packaging A contact member for thermocompression bonding in integrated circuit packaging has on a conductor end a uniform texture deformable layer with a hardness value in the range of that of soft gold which is approximately 90 on the Knoop scale and with a rough ... | 09/07/1993 |
| 5215606 | Method for preparing decorative lacquered Ti-based articles A method for preparing decorative lacquered Ti-based articles is disclosed, which method comprises the steps of: (a) heating to 900° to 1300° in vacuum a base of titanium or its alloy whose surface serves as a base material, to grow the crystal grains o... | 06/01/1993 |
| 5194295 | Ceramic articles having heat-sealable metallic coatings and method of preparation Nickel or cobalt diffusion is suppressed in ceramic articles having a nickel or cobalt underlayer followed by a gold overlayer, by heat-treating the article in a reducing atmosphere at a temperature of at least about 650° C. and subsequently depositing a... | 03/16/1993 |
| 4966659 | Method for molten salt electroplating of steel A method and apparatus for molten salt electroplating a steel member are disclosed, in which the surface of the steel member is activated by anodic treatment and the molten salt electroplating is performed on the activated surface of said steel member.... | 10/30/1990 |
| 4919971 | Self-induced repairing of conductor lines A new method of repairing partially defective conductor lines is disclosed. The defective site comprising narrow necks or thin portions or cracks in a conductor line is heated by passing a relatively high current. Using the thermobattery principle in an e... | 04/24/1990 |
| 4891106 | Method of forming nonmagnetic silver electrodes on quartz glass Conductive, adherent, non-magnetic deposits are formed on quartz glass by first applying a thin gold layer to the glass, and then depositing silver over the gold. The gold is deposited directly onto a very clean quartz glass substrate from an organo-metal... | 01/02/1990 |
| 4832798 | Method and apparatus for plating composite A method and apparatus for improving the integrity of metal plated composites is disclosed. Plating improvements are achieved by first irradiating a nickel plated substrate, prior to application of a noble metal plating layer, to smooth any surface discon... | 05/23/1989 |