Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7971765 | Methods and apparatus for splitting tablets A method for splitting tablets includes positioning a plurality of tablets onto a supporting structure. Each of the plurality of tablets are then substantially simultaneously split into at least two parts. Finally, if desired, the at least two parts of each tablet a... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7946461 | Ampoule opener and associated methods An ampoule opener having a receiving body sized to accommodate a cap portion of an ampoule and a shield extending from the receiving body and being configured to lie adjacent a medicament storing portion of the ampoule when the cap portion of the ampoule is accommod... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7896208 | Apparatus and a method for cleaving thin rods A method for cleaving thin rods of glass or quartz with a rod cleaving blade (27) and body (28) carrying the blade, is provided. The body (28) is of material varying in length through application of electric and/or magnetic fields. Driving force... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7828181 | Universal pill splitter and method of use A universal pill splitter as an upper pill splitter body with a cutting blade affixed to a lower side of the upper body and a lower body rotating affixed to the upper body, with two pill stops affixed to the upper side of the lower body, with a slide slidingly affix... | 11/09/2010 |
| 7806310 | Method and apparatus for remotely activating destruction of a glass window The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for activating destruction of window glass. In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method for remotely destroying a glass by providing a glass window having a resonant vibration frequency; identifying a freque... | 10/05/2010 |
| 7793810 | Apparatus and methodology for de-sheathing covered drinking straws One possible embodiment of the invention could be a de-sheathing apparatus and a methodology of its use in de-sheathing a covered drinking straw. The de-sheathing apparatus could comprise of a body having a de-sheathing device, the de-sheathing device forming a de-s... | 09/14/2010 |
| 7726532 | Method and apparatus for forming cracks A method for forming a crack which can precisely form a crack in a desired direction in substrates made of brittle materials even if the substrate of a large size is placed apart from a correct reference position on the scribe table. According to this method,... | 06/01/2010 |
| 7726531 | Gondola pegboard covering system A method for covering a retail display support structure to alter its appearance is provided. The method first includes the step of dispensing a length of covering material from a wound state on a roll. Next, the length of covering material is severed from roll to f... | 06/01/2010 |
| 7669744 | Device and method for cleaving optical fibers An optical fiber cleaving device includes an auxiliary support section movably disposed on a base section independently from a blade section and a pusher section. The auxiliary support section can be selectively disposed at the operable position for supporting an un... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7481345 | System and method for dispensing foil or film A foil or film dispensing system and method includes two brackets. The first bracket supports a roll of foil or film and is positionable in the unused space behind a door panel in a fixed cabinet. The second bracket is hingedly mounted to the first bracket and inclu... | 01/27/2009 |
| 7371431 | Method for producing small, sheet glass plates and larger sheet glass plates as semifinished products for producing the former In the method of producing smaller, sheet glass plates having a predetermined geometry and lateral dimensions in the millimeter range from a larger sheet glass plate, a joining material is imprinted on one side of the larger sheet glass plate in accordance with a jo... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7364102 | Pill crusher with gear rack A pill crusher having a rack and pinion advancing a platen. Pill crushers are used to crush pills into powder for various medicinal reasons, such as ease of mixing or dosing. A rack on a slide way is linearly advanced by rotational movement of a pinion on a handle. ... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7334978 | Cartridge-handling apparatus for a media storage system Cartridge-handling apparatus for a media storage system comprising a lift assembly having at least one guide track aligned along a first displacement path in the media storage system. A carriage having a transfer shaft aligned along a second displacement path in the... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7328639 | Tile saw A tile saw includes a base, a frame assembly disposed on the base, a first rail disposed on the frame assembly, the first rail having a longitudinal axis, a table slidingly disposed on the first rail, a support assembly disposed on the base, a saw assembly supported... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7318543 | Apparatus for separating the bearing cap of a connecting rod by fracture The apparatus includes a frame supporting two fixtures, of which at least one is movable, and which have respective crescents adapted to be brought together to form a circular profile engageable with the big end of a connecting rod and separable by an opening device... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7279403 | Plate-like workpiece dividing apparatus Disclosed herein is a dividing apparatus for dividing a plate-like workpiece, which is put on the top surface of a protective tape affixed to an annular frame and which has reduced strength along dividing lines. The apparatus includes a frame holder for holding the ... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7278544 | System and method for storing and dispensing items A system and method for storing items, such as food wrapping products, according to which two or more stacked modules are provided with each being adapted to store, and permit the dispensing of, a plurality of items. ... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7275671 | Pill splitter with rotating bed A pill splitter splits a pill in quarters along a major axis and a minor axis The pill splitter has a lower body, and an upper body, integrally affixed to the lower body. A rotating bed receptacle is rotatingly affixed in the pill splitter, and contains a bed substa... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7252081 | Method of producing split concrete blocks The present invention provides a method of producing split casted concrete blocks. The method comprises the steps of providing a production plate adapted to support one or more casted blocks. One or more of these blocks are casted on the production plate. A parting ... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7243826 | Pill box and splitter with blade guard A pill box having a base, a lid with a blade, and a blade guard. The base has a bottom side to which the blade guard is coupled. The base also has a top side with a pill storage compartment, a pill cutting surface, and a pill grip coupled to the pill cutting surface... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7234620 | Automated flat glass separator Apparatus and methods are provided for separating a pane (11) of a brittle material from a moving ribbon (13) of the material without contact between the newly-formed leading edge of the ribbon and the newly-formed trailing edge of the pane. The appara... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7222772 | Flip chip bonder A flip chip bonder including a substrate holding mechanism and a chip die bonder for bonding a semiconductor chip having a plurality of electrodes projecting from its front surface to a substrate held on the substrate holding means. The flip chip bonder includes a c... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7204400 | Method for glass separation for flat panel displays A method and apparatus for separating glass panels that minimizes process failures and improves separation process consistency by utilizing a separation handle which applies the minimal pressure necessary to remove the edge portion from the glass panel. The glass pa... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7201343 | Carrier-less patch protection including cassette and separation device The present invention is a laminate media, in the form of a continuous strip of carrier-less, pre-cut plastic patch protections, connected by perforations. The invention further describes both a method for separating the patches from each other by stressing the perf... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7163134 | Repetitive cycle tool logic and mode indicator for combustion powered fastener-driving tool A combustion-powered fastener-driving tool includes a combustion-powered power source, a workpiece contact element reciprocable relative to the power source between a rest position and a firing position, a control system operationally associated with the power sourc... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7160168 | Method of manufacturing image forming apparatus A method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus having an envelope made of members inclusive of a first substrate and a second substrate disposed at a space being set therebetween, image forming means and spacers disposed in the envelope, the spacers maintainin... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7143915 | Process to fracture connecting rods and the like with resonance-fatigue A process to fracture connecting rods and the like, that are made of high strength materials, comprises of the following mechanisms: (a) Fatigue: fluctuation of stresses in a pre-notched connecting rod due to the use of harmonic excitation will extend t... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7128703 | Flush mounted presser assembly A flush mounted presser assembly for a die cutting machine. The presser assembly includes a support member having an upper surface which defines a substantially horizontal plane, a presser movable vertically in a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the su... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7128249 | Ink container opener An ink container opener has a first portion and a second portion which are approximately perpendicular to each other. Each portion has an opening for receiving an ink container cap. The opening of the first portion comprises a plurality of ridges extending along at ... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7104431 | Method and device for manufacturing glass panes of any desired contour from sheet glass A method for producing glass plates of any desired contour from sheet glass, comprising the following steps: scribing scribe lines into a least one face of the sheet glass along the contour down to a depth T, using a cutting device, and positioning the glass plate o... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7073238 | Single slitting process for recycling rail A method for recycling rail is provided wherein the rail is heated, and then slit into two pieces. The two pieces are passed through a single mill pass line such that each piece of the rail is deformed to have a generally uniform shape. ... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7063245 | System for dispensing plurality of wet wipes There is provided a wet wipes dispensing system. The system includes a plurality of separably joined wet wipes and the plurality of separably joined wet wipes include a lubricant. The system also includes a dispenser including a sealed chamber, the sealed chamber ho... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7059794 | Methods and apparatus for bursting perforated paper stock Methods and apparatus for bursting perforated paper stock are provided. A feed mechanism is provided for feeding perforated paper stock in a feed direction along a paper path in a printer. The perforated paper stock has sections separated by perforations. A loop are... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7036701 | Trash disposal method A trash disposal device and method is provided that can be used to dispose litter and cigarette litter in particular. The device includes sheets of material forming a rectangular box casing that has a slot. Heat resistant material sheets are positioned within the ca... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7017462 | Method of cutting a fiber optic cable A held method of cutting a fiber optic cable having an optical fiber surrounded by at least one protective layer comprises providing a cutting tool having opposingly directed blunt surfaces and opposingly directed sharp surfaces. The cutting tool is movable between ... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7014082 | Method and device for cutting flat work pieces made of a brittle material The apparatus for cutting a flat glass work piece along a curved dividing line includes a laser generating a laser beam having a linear beam profile and an optical system with a scanner for producing a curvilinear focal point from the laser beam. The apparatus also ... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7000815 | Universal pill splitter A pill splitter including a support body with an inclined plane having a triangular shaped recess with sidewalls incorporating a plurality of alternating linear sectors and inwardly curved sectors for centering a wide variety of shapes and sizes of pills to be split... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6977588 | Automatic dispenser apparatus The invention is directed to improved automatic dispenser apparatus for dispensing sheet material and the like without contact between a user and the dispenser. Proximity detection apparatus is provided to detect the presence of a user in a detection zone generated ... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6976414 | Method and apparatus for trimming aluminum sheet A method and apparatus are provided for reducing or eliminating sliver formation during aluminum sheet trimming operations. By controlling parameters such as trimming angle and cutting blade clearance, aluminum sheet can be trimmed while substantially eliminating th... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6968987 | Quartering pill splitter A quartering pill splitter includes a bed having a recess formed within, the recess having a cross section which substantially conforms to the pill shape. A thin, cruciate cutting blade assembly is disposed below the pill bed, so that the pill, when inserted into th... | 11/29/2005 |
