Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7299934 | Product securement and management system A system for managing and securing product and deterring theft in a retail setting includes a system that resides either on a standard retailer shelf or may be a stand-alone system. In an embodiment, the system includes a plurality of shelves and product dividers po... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7213698 | Sensors for article sorter A sortation assembly includes a plurality of chutes which are movable along a continuous loop and along and over a plurality of sort stations. The chutes are operable to deposit articles, such as mail or flats mail or the like, to appropriate bins or trays positione... | 05/08/2007 |
| 6575306 | Installation for sorting flat articles A sorting installation includes separate collection receptacles into which mail is sorted. The collection receptacles are automatically removed from the output stations of the installation and transported on a transport path to a peripheral transfer mecha... | 06/10/2003 |
| 6435353 | Storage rack for storing sorted mailpieces This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an apparatus that will assist in sorting mailpieces which increases the efficiency of the mail sorting apparatus, provides an organized space for intermediate storage of mailpieces a... | 08/20/2002 |
| 6347710 | Storage rack for storing sorted mailpieces This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an apparatus that will assist in sorting mailpieces which increases the efficiency of the mail sorting apparatus, provides an organized space for intermediate storage of mailpieces a... | 02/19/2002 |
| 6126017 | Device and method for sorting objects using buffer receptacles at sorting outlets The device for sorting objects, for example mail items, includes a conveyor (1) that directs the objects to be sorted to sorting output receptacles (7) associated with corresponding sorting outputs and in which the sorted objects are stored. A buffer rece... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6079570 | Method and device for controlling an arrangement to distribute articles to be sorted to physical target locations An arrangement is provided for distributing articles to be sorted to physical target locations. The articles to be sorted are delivered to a number of receiving elements that move along a conveying path past the physical target locations. The receiving el... | 06/27/2000 |
| 5695115 | Modular trash chute and room for multistory building A waste chute for a multistory building is made up of modules stacked one upon the other. Each module has a vertical section of waste chute enclosed within a fire safe room. The chute sections are arranged to nest together to form a continuous chute when ... | 12/09/1997 |
| 5683030 | Stackable modular containers for collecting and segregating recyclable materials A recycle trash collector for holding and segregating recyclable materials includes a plurality of stackable modular containers having a first door hingedly attached to a front of the containers in covering relation to an open mouth and a second smaller d... | 11/04/1997 |
| 5645172 | Separated waste collection control for multistory building A system uses a single chute in a multi-story building to collect into separate large receptacles different categories of wastes already separated by the tenant for recycling. A turntable carries a large receptacle for each category of waste. Controls on ... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5568871 | Door and chute for separated waste control A modular chute assembly section has a tubular shape with an axial bore. When joined together, one atop the other, a multistory gravity conveyor chute is formed for deposit of waste through an access door at any floor that will fall to a basement receiver... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5551576 | Disposal system foe use in tall buildings A system to separate and store trash which has been segregated into various categories for use in a multi-floor building. The system has a vertical waste chute with at least one access door to the chute located at each floor of the building. The chute has... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5511672 | Sorting device and method A novel mail carrier sorting case arrangement facilitates the sorting of mail according to current conditions. Compartments formed in a case by vertical dividers are provided for each delivery address. Flags reflecting special current delivery situations ... | 04/30/1996 |
| 5425458 | Device for separation and storage of recyclable materials An installation for accepting, sorting and storing recyclable materials, and providing a convenient method for third party collection. The device is comprised of a depository opening into which the waste materials are entered, a chute along which the mate... | 06/20/1995 |
| 5344024 | Case for storing, organizing and sorting small articles A case for organizing and sorting small articles includes a body and a hinged lid with a latch mechanism for closing securely. A plurality of web portions in the inside surface of the lid align with matching web portions in the inside surface of the botto... | 09/06/1994 |
| 5316152 | High rise recycling system A high rise recycling system for a multi-story building comprises a vertical chute extending from the bottom to top floor, discharge openings on each floor, a rotatable chute at the lower end to discharge garbage into a compactor and to discharge recyclab... | 05/31/1994 |
| 5257577 | Apparatus for assist in recycling of refuse An apparatus which collects recyclable refuse in sorted compartments. Through either automatic sensors or through an operator panel, the apparatus determines the contents of the refuse and directs it to the proper compartment or container. In this manner,... | 11/02/1993 |
| 5181619 | Apparatus and system for storing and collecting separated solid waste An apparatus and system for storing and collecting separated solid waste. The apparatus is a chambered container which includes a container body defining a first chamber for receiving a first waste, and a lid covering an open end of the body. The lid incl... | 01/26/1993 |
| 5042793 | Sheet sorter image forming apparatus having same A control method for a sheet sorter including a plurality of sorting bins, a sheet discharger for discharging sheets to the sort bins and a driver for moving the sort bins to present the sort bins to the discharger includes moving the sorting bins at a fi... | 08/27/1991 |
| 5031829 | Separated waste collection system for multi-story building A system uses a single chute in a multi-story building to collect into separate large receptacles different categories of wastes already separated by the tenant for recycling. A turntable carries a large receptacle for each category of waste. Control mean... | 07/16/1991 |
| 4877235 | Currency sorter and storage device A currency sorter and storage device 10 which includes a lockable storage container 11 having a front plate 12 which further has a plurality of currency receiving slots 13 therein. A pair of rollers, one being drive roller 18 and the other idler roller 17... | 10/31/1989 |
| 4869813 | Drill inspection and sorting method and apparatus Apparatus for inspecting and sorting drills oriented in the same direction in a hopper assembly. The hopper assembly feeds the drills, one at a time, and places them in a predetermined ready location. A camera, part of the inspection assembly, mounted dir... | 09/26/1989 |
| 4847927 | Garbage collection device for a sink unit, in particular, a built-in sink unit Garbage collection device for a built-in sink unit with a garbage discharge opening which is integrated into its top surface and below which a holder is arranged for several waste containers, one of which can be loaded with garbage through the discharge o... | 07/18/1989 |
| 4690283 | Parcel sorting apparatus A parcel sorting and distributing apparatus includes a plurality of inclined chutes which receive parcels at their open upper ends. Each parcel slides down a chute into a receptacle such as a mail hamper. The chutes are vertically stacked and arranged in ... | 09/01/1987 |
| 4520933 | Device for stacking cut plates in plate shears A device for stacking plates or sheet metal blanks cut in guillotine shears includes a rotatable drum with radially outwardly extending partitions defining a number of compartments located around the circumferential outside surface of the drum and extendi... | 06/04/1985 |
| 4494804 | Storage cabinet with parts sorter A parts cabinet is provided with a simple means for inspecting the contents of a drawer and returning the contents to the drawer. The cabinet is provided with a tray, either as a separate element or integral with the cabinet top, into which the contents o... | 01/22/1985 |
| 4382516 | Method of and apparatus for classifying steel products A sorting method and apparatus for sorting steel products such as bars, rods, shapes and tubular products which are delivered in a random manner, according to the ordered lengths, sizes and so forth. The steel products are made to stay on a sorting appara... | 05/10/1983 |
| 4379510 | Method and apparatus for sorting stones An apparatus for sorting stones contained within a supply reservoir by viewing the stones individually through a microscope includes a pick-up tube having a first opening disposed at one end thereof, the first opening adapted to form a substantially airti... | 04/12/1983 |
| 4375856 | Apparatus for inserting and extracting flexible flat objects into and out from a magazine A guide unit (9) for the flat objects, the unit includes a plurality of guide paths (12,15,16) and movable along one side of a magazine for holding flexible flat objects transversely to the one side in locations spaced along the one side of the magazine, ... | 03/08/1983 |
| 4310276 | Machine for sorting objects of various destinations particularly suitable for bulky postal correspondence A machine for sorting objects of various destinations, particularly for bulky postal correspondence. A guide defines a path passing through at least one loading station and at least one sorting station. At least one succession of compartments for containi... | 01/12/1982 |
