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...When G.G. Hubbard learned of his future son-in-law's invention, he called it "only a toy." His daughter was engaged to a young man named Alexander Graham Bell.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8183736 | Device and method for converting energy A device for transforming thermal energy to electric energy including a magnetic circuit including at least a portion made of a magnetic material, a temperature-varying device for varying the temperature in the portion made of the magnetic material alternately above... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8159107 | Micro rotary machine and methods for using same A micro rotary machine may include a micro actuator and a micro shaft coupled to the micro actuator. The micro shaft comprises a horizontal shaft and is operable to be rotated by the micro actuator. A micro tool is coupled to the micro shaft and is operable to perfo... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8159108 | Integrated thermoelectric/ thermionic energy converter A device for converting heat into electrical energy that is an integrated combination of thermionic and thermoelectric energy converters in a single device, or “TITE”. The electron output of thermionic portion of the TITE is the input of the thermoelectric porti... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8134276 | Methods and systems for positioning micro elements A micro device may comprise a substrate, a first micro structure coupled to the substrate, a second micro structure coupled to the substrate, and port configured to receive an input. The first micro structure is configured to move into engagement with the second mic... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8129882 | Thermoelectric generator and method of generating electricity A generator device for converting thermal energy to electric energy. A magnetic circuit includes at least a portion made of a magnetic material. A temperature-varying device varied the temperature in the portion made of the magnetic material alternately above and be... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8102096 | Closely spaced electrodes with a uniform gap An improved design for maintaining separation between electrodes in tunneling, resonant tunneling, diode, thermionic, thermo-photovoltaic and other devices is disclosed. At least one electrode 1 is made from flexible material. A magnetic field B is present to... | 01/24/2012 |
| 8072117 | Thermal-mechanical signal processing A source signal is converted into a time-variant temperature field with transduction into mechanical motion. In one embodiment, the conversion of a source signal into the time-variant temperature field is provided by utilizing a micro-fabricated fast response, bolom... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8035274 | Apparatus and method for ferroelectric conversion of heat to electrical energy The present invention relates to a new method and apparatus for converting heat to electric energy. The invention exploits the rapid changes in spontaneous polarization that occur in ferroelectric materials during phase change. The invention permits robust and econo... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8018117 | Closely spaced electrodes with a uniform gap An improved design for maintaining separation between electrodes in tunneling, diode, thermionic, thermophotovoltaic and other devices is disclosed. At least one electrode is made from flexible material. A magnetic field is present to combine with the current flowin... | 09/13/2011 |
| 7982360 | Apparatus and method for ferroelectric conversion of heat to electrical energy The present invention relates to a new method and apparatus for converting heat to electric energy. The invention exploits the rapid changes in spontaneous polarization that occur in ferroelectric materials during phase change. The invention permits robust and econo... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7969062 | Energy converting apparatus, generator and heat pump provided therewith and method of production thereof A high-efficiency thermionic energy converter comprises a multilayer vacuum diode, the layers of which are very thin and the intermediate spaces between the layers are several nanometers thick. The layers are held at a distance from each other by arranging insulator... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7928630 | Monolithic thermionic converter A thermionic converter is disclosed comprising a single or multiple hot (emitter) and cold (collector) electrodes mounted side-by-side on a single substrate and a static electrostatic field for guiding electron from the emitter to the collector. The thermal path bet... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7919901 | Low-voltage, large displacement stepping actuator and method for fabricating the same The current invention provides a stepping actuator, achieving large range up to ±35 μm with low operating voltages of 15V or lower and large output forces of up to ±110 μN. The actuator has an in-plane-angular deflection conversion which allows achieving step si... | 04/05/2011 |
| 7906887 | Microsystem and method for positioning a second element with respect to a first element in a microsystem A microsystem, comprising a first static element (1), a second, movable and unattached element (2), an actuator (3) for effecting a force between the first and the second element (1, 2), which actuator (3) is designed for controlli... | 03/15/2011 |
| 7812502 | Shell type actuator A micromechanical resonator is formed on a substrate. The resonator has a partial spherical shell clamped on an outside portion of the shell to the substrate. In other embodiments, a flat disc or other shape may be used. Movement is induced in a selected portion of ... | 10/12/2010 |
| 7800278 | Energy harvesting by means of thermo-mechanical device utilizing bistable ferromagnets An inventive energy harvesting apparatus may include a ferromagnetic material and/or a shape memory alloys to convert thermal energy to mechanical energy to electrical energy. The apparatus is subjected to a thermal gradient to cause beams to bend thus creating stre... | 09/21/2010 |
| 7777392 | Contoured thermomechanical actuators and pulsing for enhanced dynamic performance A thermomechanical actuation system and method includes an elongated thermomechanical actuator (TMA), which is contoured so that electrical resistance at a mid-portion of the TMA is less than at end portions thereof. A pulse generator is electrically coupled to the ... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7719161 | Method of designing rotary thermal actuator and rotary thermal actuator Provided are a method of designing a rotary thermal actuator and a rotary thermal actuator. The method includes setting the shape of an entire design domain; dividing the entire design domain into a predetermined number of domains which are symmetrical to one anothe... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7709995 | Shape memory alloy wire latch actuator A linear motion actuator is disclosed in which an actuator shaft is held in a ready position by a latching ring. A spring is attached to the actuator shaft to exert a biasing force on the actuator shaft biasing it toward its actuated position. The latching ring rece... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7705513 | Thermal to electricity conversion using thermal magnetic properties A system for the generation of Electricity from Thermal Energy using the thermal magnetic properties of a Ferromagnetic, Electrically Conductive Material (FECM) in one or more Magnetic Fields. A FECM is exposed to one or more Magnetic Fields. Thermal Energy is appli... | 04/27/2010 |
| 7608974 | Diamond-like carbon devices and methods for the use and manufacture thereof Diamond-like carbon based devices and methods of making and using the same which have improved electron emission and increased reliability. The device can include an anode with a layer of diamond-like carbon material such as amorphous diamond coated over at least a ... | 10/27/2009 |
| 7567011 | MEMS linear thermoelectric motor apparatus A thermoelectric actuator moves in a first direction and an opposite direction upon the application and removal of a current. An actuator means is driven by the thermoelectric actuator and includes a set of drive teeth. The drive teeth engage with a first set of tee... | 07/28/2009 |
| 7557487 | Methods and apparatus for thermal isolation for thermoelectric devices Methods and apparatus for improved thermal isolation for thermoelectric devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, a thermoelectric device includes a first substrate having a first conductive pad, a second substrate having a second conductive pad, and a gap formed be... | 07/07/2009 |
| 7538470 | Monolithic nanoscale actuation An apparatus including an actuator configured for controllable deflection, and also including a piezoresistive element integral to the actuator and having first and second piezoresistive portions and a plurality of contacts. One of the plurality of contacts is confi... | 05/26/2009 |
| 7508110 | Surface plasmon coupled nonequilibrium thermoelectric devices A surface-plasmon-coupled thermoelectric apparatus includes a first surface-plasmon substrate and a thermoelectric substrate electrically coupled to a plurality of electrodes. The substrates are electrically isolated from each other, and a first face of the thermoel... | 03/24/2009 |
| 7456543 | Closely spaced electrodes with a uniform gap An improved design for maintaining separation between electrodes in tunneling, diode, thermionic, and other devices is disclosed. At least one electrode is made from flexible material. A magnetic field is present to combine with the current flowing in the flexible e... | 11/25/2008 |
| 7439651 | Resonator A resonator which is capable of modulating frequencies has a main body having a vibrating body and an elastic supporting body supporting the vibrating body and a frequency modulating unit having a movable contacting part that is movable between a first position away... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7400050 | Quantum well thermoelectric power source A quantum well thermoelectric module providing very high conversion of heat energy in to electrical energy. In prefered embodiments the module provides electric power for monitoring, measuring or detecting any of a variety of things (such as temperature, smoke, othe... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7371052 | Embedded fluid mixing device using a homopolar motor A fluid displacement device (100) having a homopolar motor (110). The homopolar motor includes a rotatable disk (115) with at least one fluid displacement structure (120) disposed thereon. The fluid displacement structure can be a blade. ... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7368862 | Electroactive polymer generators The present invention relates to transducers, their use and fabrication. The transducers convert between mechanical and electrical energy. Some transducers of the present invention include a pre-strained polymer. The pre-strain improves the conversion between electr... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7358658 | Amorphous diamond materials and associated methods for the use and manufacture thereof An electroluminescence device having improved luminescence per volt input is provided. The device can include a first electrode, a second electrode, a diamond-like carbon layer electrically coupled to at least one of the first electrode or the second electrode, and ... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7351996 | Method of increasing efficiency of thermotunnel devices The present invention comprises a tunneling device in which the collector electrode is modified so that tunneling of higher energy electrons from the emitter electrode to the collector electrode is enhanced. In one embodiment, the collector electrode is contacted wi... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7339454 | Tensile-stressed microelectromechanical apparatus and microelectromechanical relay formed therefrom A microelectromechanical (MEM) apparatus is disclosed which includes a shuttle suspended above a substrate by two or more sets of tensile-stressed beams which are operatively connected to the shuttle and which can comprise tungsten or a silicon nitride/polysilicon c... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7337668 | Accelerometer in closed loop with error detection An accelerometric measurement device with a return loop including accelerometer, a corrector generating a signal for correction of the position of the accelerometer, a closed return loop to apply this correction signal to the accelerometer, a detector to detect an e... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7323709 | Method for increasing efficiency of thermotunnel devices The present invention comprises a tunneling device in which the collector electrode is modified so that tunneling of higher energy electrons from the emitter electrode to the collector electrode is enhanced. In one embodiment, the collector electrode is contacted wi... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7321157 | CoSb-based thermoelectric device fabrication method A method of fabricating a CoSb3-based thermoelectric device is disclosed. The method includes providing a high-temperature electrode, providing a buffer layer on the high-temperature electrode, forming composite n-type and p-type layers, attaching the buf... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7311648 | Method for stamping a bending edge in a package material Stamping of a layer (2) of package material, such as cardboard or plastics, for forming one or more bending edges may take place according to the invention by a method wherein a stamping tool (8), which is provided with preferably three ribs (9 | 12/25/2007 |
| 7311044 | Imaging device cooling system One embodiment of the present invention provides a cooling system in an imaging device having an element that generates heat. The cooling system comprises a thermoelectric generator and a cooling device. The thermoelectric generator is thermally coupled to the eleme... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7305839 | Thermal transfer device and system and method incorporating same A thermal transfer device having a first substrate layer, a second substrate layer and first and second electrodes disposed between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer. The thermal transfer device also includes a release layer disposed between t... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7288860 | Magnetic transducer with ferrofluid end bearings An electrical generator includes one or more magnets that move relative to one or more conductors to generate an electrical signal in each conductor. Each magnet has ferrofluid bearings in the vicinity of its opposite ends to provide a low friction interface between... | 10/30/2007 |
