Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7362965 | Wireless communication activation system and method A system and method for removable connection of an antenna element to a first flash synchronization connector of a camera body having wireless communication capability therein. An electrical event may be produced when the antenna element is connected to the first fl... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7352972 | Method and apparatus for the zonal transmission of data using building lighting fixtures This invention relates to the zonal transmission of data by radio means and optionally by optical means through the modulation of light from common building light fixtures, including the light output of fluorescent, mercury vapor, and other arc or discharge lamps an... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7315522 | Communication methods using slotted replies An RFID tag population is selected by an interrogator. Each tag of the selected tag population then responds to the interrogator in accordance with a slotted arbitration scheme. According to the slotted arbitration scheme, each tag of the selected tag population pic... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7310316 | Testing device A test device (21) sits between two or more nodes (20, 22). The nodes (20, 22) communicate in conversations, according to some predetermined protocol. The test device (21), under user control, may introduce jitter, drop packets, create ne... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7307542 | System and method for commissioning addressable lighting systems A system for commissioning ballasts comprising a wireless device that can be easily transported to any location served by an addressable lighting system. The wireless device allows a user to cycle through a list of uncommissioned ballasts and send a command to a con... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7260657 | Serial data transferring apparatus A master unit sends a start signal to a slave unit. When receiving the start signal from the master unit, the slave unit sends, to the master unit, a synchronization field that is a data train (pulse signal) indicative of a transfer clock with which the slave unit i... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7164246 | Movable barrier operator A movable barrier operator having an electrical motor responsive to control signals for moving the barrier, a controller to control the barrier movements, and two command apparatuses for generating command inputs, which command apparatuses are located remotely from ... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7133607 | Wireless communication activation system and method A system and method of alerting a wireless communication capability of a camera body to the presence of an external antenna element present in electrical communication with a pre-existing port of the camera body that was originally not designed for an external anten... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7106174 | Anti-collision tag apparatus and system This invention relates to radio frequency identification (RFID) apparatus comprising a reader/writer and transponders (tags) such that 2 or more transponders are capable of operating simultaneously in the same field so that information in the form of data bits may b... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7075452 | Process for reading electronic labels by identifications of their code by block of bits The invention concerns a method for reading a set of electronic labels, each comprising a distinct identification code of N bits and situated in the electromagnetic field of an interrogator device, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: | 07/11/2006 |
| 7072942 | Email filtering methods and systems Various embodiments of the invention address two critical problems that current email service providers face. First, there is the problem of maintaining high levels of customer service when email server systems are inundated with spam. Second, there is the problem o... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7016603 | Wireless communication module A microcontroller radio card (2) for insertion into a first device, e.g., a camera (10) to allow for remote operation of a second device, e.g., a flashpack (22), utilizing the existing controls of the first device. The card includes a base (3... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7006454 | Method used to create multihop RF network based on low performance 8 bit microcontrollers This invention comprises a method to manage the efficient routing of messages in a multi-hop network. This method can be implemented using a low cost, low processing power hardware platform, whereby each network node consists of an 8-bit microcontroller and addition... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6996454 | Method and control system for controlling a conveyor system and a plant for baling paper pulp Methods are disclosed for controlling conveyor systems including providing status information for each of a plurality of conveyors, providing control information for each of the conveyors based solely upon the status information from that conveyor and from adjacent ... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6954151 | Selector switch for supervisory remote control system A selector switch for a supervisory remote control system is provided. This control system comprises operation terminals such as switches and control terminals such as relays, and a signal line for connecting a signal transmission unit to the operation and control t... | 10/11/2005 |
| 6931565 | Semiconductor memory A semiconductor memory is configured such that it can be connected with a first and second timing generator. The semiconductor memory includes (a) a first register configured to communicate with a memory array and the first timing generator, to retrieve and to hold ... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6826181 | Packet transmitter There is disclosed a packet transmission apparatus for transmitting in a packet form a transmission unit including a data string arranged so as to divide predetermined data into a plurality of blocks, each block having a fixed length, block information for specifyin... | 11/30/2004 |
| 6492909 | Audio signal processing apparatus An audio signal processing apparatus including a plurality of jack units each of which has at least an audio signal contact piece and a control signal contact piece. A control circuit judges a kind of an audio appliance connected to each of the plurality ... | 12/10/2002 |
| 6466126 | Portable data device efficiently utilizing its available power and method thereof A portable data device (400) having a power controller (430), a clock generator (428) and a digital circuit (432). The power controller (430) has an output signal. The output signal is representative of available power. The clock generator (428) is couple... | 10/15/2002 |
| 6275166 | RF remote appliance control/monitoring system A system for managing a distributed array of appliances includes a headend computer having a low power main transceiver and a distributed array of relay units. Each relay unit includes a low power satellite transceiver, a microcomputer connected to the sa... | 08/14/2001 |
| 6230224 | Fan-out expansion circuit for RS-485 multidrop connection A fan-out expansion circuit for an RS-485 multidrop connection includes: a master node, a plurality of line control units, and a plurality of slave nodes. The master node communicates with the slave nodes by a polling technique using an identification num... | 05/08/2001 |
| 6054929 | Device for giving warning of conditions of danger for scuba diving A device worn by a first diver provides a warning of conditions of danger and/or emergency to a second diver positioned at a distance from the first diver. The device includes a device for detecting the pressure in the compressed-air tanks, a device for t... | 04/25/2000 |
| 6028532 | Automatic product conveying system Along an annular conveyance path there are provided plural work stations 4a, 4b, 4c and a warehouse 6 for temporary storage of products. Between the work stations 4a, 4b, 4c and the conveyance path there are disposed station conveyors 10. Further, a buffe... | 02/22/2000 |
| 5926101 | Method and apparatus for routing messages in a network of nodes with minimal resources A system that includes a multihop broadcast network of nodes that have a minimum of hardware resources, such as memory and processing power. The network is configured by gathering information concerning which nodes can communicate with each other using fl... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5838685 | Method and apparatus for the transmission of data files A method and apparatus for the transmission of data files over a network has particular application in connection with store-and-forward systems. A message transmission is composed using a chosen data format, which may be chosen from graphics, facsimile, ... | 11/17/1998 |
| 5719562 | Paging system using compact hierarchical addressing An hierarchical addressing mechanism for use in a paging system is disclosed. The paging system assigns a compressed organization identifier to each of the organization identifiers for the organizations that are sharing the resources of the paging system.... | 02/17/1998 |
| 5712630 | High power moving object identification system A moving object identification system with a novel coding scheme achieves 75% transmission efficiency. With this system, a transmittable range is expanded. Logical value assignment for residual resonant oscillations in a residual resonant signal is perfor... | 01/27/1998 |
| 5684469 | Method of configuring a furniture utility distribution system A utility distribution system is provided for modular furniture of the type comprising individual furniture units which are juxtaposed to form one or more workstations. A signal conductor is positioned in each furniture unit, and extends generally between... | 11/04/1997 |
| 5663716 | Method of avoiding signal interference among a plurality of remote control signals A transmitting and receiving system includes two or more remote controls and a single receiver, which a machine or apparatus to be controlled is equipped with. Each remote control has a proper number "i" allotted thereto, and is capable of sending a contr... | 09/02/1997 |
| 5661469 | Coupling device, system, and method for coupling a terminal to a generating device A coupling device for coupling a videotelephone with a video generation device. The coupling device includes (i) a first device, for detecting at least one code word contained in a signal originating from the videotelephone, (ii) a second device, coupled ... | 08/26/1997 |
| 5655079 | Data processing system and data transmission and processing method A data transmission method is provided for a multi-computer system which has a plurality of computers mutually connected via a transmission line. The plurality of computers are divided into groups, with an address assigned to each group. Transmission data... | 08/05/1997 |
| 5652574 | Dynamically addressable communications system and method A dynamically-addressable communications system provides either a list or set of dynamic addresses to selected receivers for broadcasting information packets from a transmission source to the selected receivers. Each dynamic address provided in the set is... | 07/29/1997 |
| 5574860 | Method of neighbor discovery over a multiaccess nonbroadcast medium A technique for generating, distributing and maintaining a list of operational nodes in a network using a nonbroadcast communication medium, wherein the nodes first collectively agree on the identity of a designated node. Once the designated node is agree... | 11/12/1996 |
| 5550835 | Supervisory image communication system through an integrated service digital network A supervisory image communication system by an ISDN includes a parent station and a plurality of child stations connected to the parent station by way of an ISDN basic interface and an ISDN switched network. Any of the child stations transmits call origin... | 08/27/1996 |
| 5502818 | Procedure for the determination of message identification in the data transmission network of an elevator system A procedure is disclosed for determining the message identifiers in a control area network CAN data transmission network of an elevator system where message identifiers are used in the transmission of messages. Each node in the network monitors the data t... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5502438 | Address management for remote terminals in digital loop transmission systems Disclosed is a method and apparatus for identifying remote terminals which are networked in a digital loop transmission system. A Site Interface Unit (SIU) at one of the remote terminals acts as a master. The Bank Controller Unit (BCU) at each remote term... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5493564 | Method and apparatus for global routing of electronic messages A method and apparatus for global routing of electronic messages includes maintaining external and internal address information for each user of a messaging system, along with means for associating the external and internal address for any given user. Upo... | 02/20/1996 |
| 5459717 | Method and apparatus for routing messagers in an electronic messaging system A method and apparatus for routing a message embodied in a signal received by an electronic messaging system includes formatting a search key using address codes parsed from a user address specified in the message, where each of the address codes correspo... | 10/17/1995 |
| 5408228 | Apparatus for expanding the functionality of a serial data bus An electronic milbus repeater circuit for expanding the capacity of a two-wire bus used for the transmission of data. By means of logic circuitry of the Milbus repeater according to the invention, data received by the Milbus repeater is distributed betwee... | 04/18/1995 |
| 5396493 | Local area network bridge apparatus with dedicated packet filtering mechanism A local area network (LAN) bridge apparatus capable of carrying out the address learning and the packet filtering at a high speed, without requiring the program execution on the micro-processor for these purposes. The apparatus provides, besides the usual... | 03/07/1995 |
