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 |
| 7878334 | Sifter shovel An example sifter shovel assembly includes a handle and a scoop secured to the handle. The scoop includes an outer edge portion. An apertured area of the scoop has a plurality of apertures extending through the scoop and an unapertured area of the scoop extends from... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7331470 | Magnetic rake with release mechanism A magnetic raking device that agitates a ground surface and uses magnetic attraction for collecting ferro-metallic debris, such as nails and screws, at construction jobsites and other locations, includes a release mechanism that temporarily eliminates magnetic attra... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7226240 | Devices, systems, and methods for controlling erosion Included in the disclosure are exemplary devices, systems, and methods, embodiments of some of which can be useful for controlling erosion, retaining sediment, preventing siltation, treating runoff, removing pollutants, remediating environmental damage, protecting p... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7111741 | Multi-purpose rake The multi-purpose rake includes a rake head and a detachable pole for pulling the rake across a surface. The rake head has a frame with two arced end ribs, an upper and a lower crossbar extending between the end ribs. The upper crossbar has a sleeve or other attachm... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7055698 | Rock separator A rock separator for attachment to the boom arms of a tractor or skid steer having a bucket sieve and an apron. As the rock separator is pushed over the ground, the apron grid scoops soil and rock over the apron and into the bucket sieve. Openings through both the a... | 06/06/2006 |
| RE38765 | Combination screen/conveyor device removably attachable to a vehicle In combination a screen, a shaker, a conveyor and carbody device which is attachable to a vehicle of choice, such as an hydraulic excavator, a backhoe, etc., and when installed thereon allows the vehicle to perform as a padding machine. ... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6920744 | Apparatus and method for cutting and harvesting infestations of aquatic vegetation and/or skimming algae/floating vegetation A harvester and method for harvesting aquatic algae or floating vegetation in shallow areas of water bodies, such as lakes is described. The harvester is manually operated. The harvester moves on hollow wheels that are capable of adjusting the buoyancy of the harves... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6789337 | Screening apparatus A screening apparatus is removably connected to a prime mover having an excavating bucket or loading shovel. The screening apparatus includes a material feed conveyor that feeds material to a screening device. A mounting mechanism and associated adjustment mechanism... | 09/14/2004 |
| 6416097 | Vibrating sand sifting toy A vibrating sand sifting toy that has a selectively activated vibrating mechanism mounted in a portion of the toy for causing oscillatory vibration of a surface portion of the toy. Two embodiments are in the form of a scoop with a handle. The bottom of th... | 07/09/2002 |
| 6350524 | Hydrophilic polyurethane-coated chloride-selective electrodes The present invention relates to chloride-selective electrodes which comprise insoluble metal salt layer and a protecting membrane formed of hydrophilic polyurethane thereon, wherein the hydrophilic polyurethane coated chloride-selective electrodes show f... | 02/26/2002 |
| 6334538 | Stall cleaner A stall cleaner that scoops material, such as a mixture of wood shavings and animal manure, sifts selected material out of the scooped material and collects remaining material in a receptacle. The cleaner includes a stationary portion and a vibrating port... | 01/01/2002 |
| 6312029 | Litter scoop According to one aspect, a litter scoop is provided that permits a user to take multiple passes with the scoop through litter having animal waste therein, without having to empty the litter scoop after each pass. In one embodiment, a rake portion and a re... | 11/06/2001 |
| 6209729 | Pool scoop A pool scoop for providing a rigid scoop for lifting items off of the bottom of a pool. The pool scoop includes a pole with tubular attachment sleeve at a distal end of the pole. A scoop member is provided having a bottom wall, a pair of spaced apart side... | 04/03/2001 |
| 6138837 | Combination screen/conveyor device removably attachable to a vehicle In combination a screen, a shaker, a conveyor and carbody device which is attachable to a vehicle of choice, such as an hydraulic excavator, a backhoe, etc., and when installed thereon allows the vehicle to perform as a padding machine.... | 10/31/2000 |
| 6135290 | Sifter attachment for excavating machines and the like An assembly connectable to a boom of a machine operable to perform material working functions generally consisting of a handle connectable to the boom; a fluid actuated cylinder assembly operatively interconnecting the boom and handle for pivotally displa... | 10/24/2000 |
| 6095340 | Lawn and garden pan A lawn and garden pan having a substantially horizontal bottom wall panel having a substantially triangular configuration. The front end of the pan is open and it has numerous teeth extending forwardly along its entire length. The bottom wall panel has nu... | 08/01/2000 |
| 6022058 | Vibrating cat litter scoop A cat litter scoop with a battery powered vibrator carried in the scoop handle which is actuated by a thumb operated switch. Upon actuation, the vibrator imparts a high speed oscillatory movement to the scoop about the longitudinal axis of the handle to a... | 02/08/2000 |
| 5931517 | WCW trench cleaner A new tool for cleaning out unwanted debris from the bottom of trenches of the type having at the top portion of its two handles (2) rubber sheathing (1) for better gripping. The handles (2) of the tool extend the entire length of the tool. At the bottom ... | 08/03/1999 |
| 5921596 | Kitty litter scooper A kitty litter scooper that allows users to clean out litter boxes without having to stoop and bend over, and allows users to move litter boxes without having to physically touch the litter box. The scooper includes a telescoping long handle that attaches... | 07/13/1999 |
| 5741036 | Pet waste scoop assembly An animal waste scoop assembly, with a handle portion and a shovel portion with a series of spaced fingers, and is used in conjunction with a disposable bag to collect solid pet waste. The bag has a plurality of spaced fingers for fitting over the respect... | 04/21/1998 |
| 5738399 | Cat litter scoop The present invention is a cat litter scoop for removing waste material from scoopable cat litter. The scoop includes a base portion, side panels and a back panel. The side and bottom panels are made of mesh so as to facilitate the separation of clumped w... | 04/14/1998 |
| 5673734 | Sand scoop A scoop which is used to deposit sand or other particulate material into a bag. The scoop can be temporarily secured to the bag while its rear end is partially disposed within the bag. The envisioned purpose for this scoop is to permit one person to quick... | 10/07/1997 |
| 5536055 | Pet litter waste scoop A novel device for removing solid animal waste and the like from granular material includes a substantially enclosed receptacle having an opening configured to receive material containing solid animal waste. The receptacle has a plurality of apertures sub... | 07/16/1996 |
| 4983281 | Metal detector scoop sifter A sifting scoop attaches to a metal detector. The scoop is movable relative to the detecting head to multiple operating positions. In a storage position the scoop is held on the shaft of the detector above the head where it will not interfere with the met... | 01/08/1991 |
| 4828690 | Hand tool for sifting debris from sand and soil A hand tool having a tapered wedge head, an entrapment mesh supported by a carriage structure and cantilevered from the wedge head, and a handle adjustably coupled to the carriage structure. The tapered wedge head ramps materials, such as sand and soil, i... | 05/09/1989 |
| 4198720 | Dirt remover for water tank A dirt remover for a water tank, which can readily remove not only the dirt floating on the water surface and the dirt suspended in the water but also the dirt settling to the tank bottom without inflicting any injury on the bottom surface of the tank, in... | 04/22/1980 |
| 3979146 | Beach cleaning apparatus Beach cleaning apparatus that includes a generally U-shaped bracket that opens downwardly, a handle attached to the bracket to manually pull the bracket forwardly, an open mesh bag, fastener mechanism for releasably securing the adjacent parts of the mout... | 09/07/1976 |
