Did You Know...
...that power steering was invented by independent inventor Francis W. Davis? As chief engineer in the 1920s of the truck division of the Pierce Arrow Motor Car Company, he saw how hard it was to steer heavy vehicles. So that he would be able to keep the profits from his future invention, Davis left his job, rented a small engineering shop in Waltham, Mass., and developed a hydraulic power steering system that led to power steering.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7438491 | Multi-directional connector A structure for a ball-and-socket joint connector is provided, including a connecting element, an encasing unit and a fastening unit. The connecting unit includes a ball-shaped connecting element at one end. The connecting element is placed inside the encasing unit ... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7395828 | Collapsible chair umbrella with swivel support shaft mount A collapsible chair umbrella with swivel support shaft mount, the umbrella with a canopy on one end of the support shaft and a cross member on the other, the cross member with a clip on each end for selectively attaching to a chair, preferably a lawn or beach chair ... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7384209 | Ball-and-socket joint connection A ball-and-socket joint connection has a retaining part which has a fastening point for fixedly mounting the retaining part to a structure, and a rod part which is arranged pivotably in a pivoting-angle region in a pivoting plane via a ball-and-socket joint on the r... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7300237 | Self-locking bolted fastener A bolted fastener for joining components, such as a bracket fastened to a crosspiece, includes a bolt, a nut and an eccentric. A square neck of a bolt fits into an oblong hole in a component and prevents the bolt from turning. The diameter of the eccentric that serv... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7275981 | Symmetrical wall sander A disc-shaped sanding pad has a round perimeter. Centrally located in the pad is a socket. A ball, coupled to the end of a handle, is inserted into the socket, permitting the sanding pad to both pivot and rotate freely about the handle. A second single axis pivot is... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7155869 | Fixing for composite glazing The invention relates to a fixing element for maintaining a composite glass pane. Glass components are assembled and a fixing element is provided for fixing by force or positive engagement to a support structure. The safety elements form a receiving plane. ... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7100881 | Mount A mounting assembly comprises a mounting element for attachment to a surface, a cap engaged with the mounting element for angular movement relative thereto and having a slot therein through which extends an arm of a support member, there being at one end of the arm ... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7083177 | Steering knuckle structure A steering knuckle structure includes a front strut, a connecting device, and a sleeve. The front strut has a connecting pipe at the bottom. The connecting device comprises an upper section and a corresponding lower section. Both the upper section and the lower sect... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7032272 | Friction hinge A motion control device for controlling the movement of an operational member about a first axis and about a second axis includes a spindle having a socket and a control arm wherein the socket defines a first axis opening. The device includes a cylindrical pivot mem... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6942256 | Door catch Door Catch with a catch retaining assembly and a catch. The catch assembly is comprised of a rigid first ball retaining mounting plate, a first ball, a concave disk, a rigid J shaped rod and a second ball retaining cup shape. The catch is comprised of a door mountin... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6935803 | Joint, particularly a ball-and-socket joint for chassis parts in a motor vehicle A joint (1) with a joint housing (2) and with a joint shell (3) is arranged therein with a ball (4) having a pivot pin (5) protruding from the joint housing (2) and surrounded by a rubber bellows (6) with a protective... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6767153 | Locking positional arm device A positional arm device is a series of multiple rods connected to each other by a spherical housing and ball joint with a spring-loaded locking piston providing a multiple position holding device serving as an anchor to hold tools in a certain position, and also as ... | 07/27/2004 |
| 6551005 | Assembly for the restriction of the movement of the ball joint utilized in automobile and the like An assembly for restricting movement of the ball joint utilized in automotive vehicles and the like, comprising a socket (2), a bearing (3), an "O" ring (4), two retaining rings (5) and one protection cap (6). The bearing (3) functions to restrict movemen... | 04/22/2003 |
| 6409413 | Large displacement spherical joint A new class of spherical joints has a very large accessible full cone angle, a property which is beneficial for a wide range of applications. Despite the large cone angles, these joints move freely without singularities.... | 06/25/2002 |
| 6234703 | Double slotted socket spherical joint A new class of spherical joints is disclosed. These spherical joints are capable of extremely large angular displacements (full cone angles in excess of 270°), while exhibiting no singularities or dead spots in their range of motion. These joints can imp... | 05/22/2001 |
| 6113301 | Disengageable pivot joint A disengageable pivot connection includes a ball stud that is capable of being selectively removed from the corresponding socket. The ball stud includes an engagement head that has substantially flat faces or grooves that correspond to tabs extending from... | 09/05/2000 |
| 6071031 | Movable mechanical structures Several improvements relating to hexapods are described. The improvements relate to universal joints and ball and socket joints where two struts meet at a common focal point, two axis gimbals which are used for ballscrew drives in universal joints and a m... | 06/06/2000 |
| 5907975 | Ball-joint shifter with offset trunnions A shifter for a manual transmission has a lever arm extending upward from the transmission housing. The lever arm has a ball pivotable in a socket for gear selection, so that the gear shift handle can revolve about the pivot. The lever arm includes trunni... | 06/01/1999 |
| 5899167 | Display support device for displaying replaceable indicia A display support device for displaying flags and banners comprises a base having a cavity; a shaft attached to a rotatable member received by the cavity for rotation freely in all directions; and a clamping arrangement for clamping the rotatable member a... | 05/04/1999 |
| 5846135 | Universal joint comprising a pair of crown gear elements confined within a slotted casing A universal joint comprises a driving gear and a driven gear each provided with a respective crown gear cluster, and a slotted casing confining the driving gear and the driven gear in meshing engagement. The casing comprises a slot through which the drive... | 12/08/1998 |
| 5702471 | Finger joint A finger joint has first and second hollow anchorage shafts (2, 3) which can be implanted in finger tubular bones with a hinge joint (4) arranged between them. The first hollow shaft (2) can be connected with a ball cage (5) of the hinge joint (4) in whic... | 12/30/1997 |
| 5107406 | Head-lamps A head-lamp having an adjuster construction comprising a pivot portion and an adjusting screw portion, in which a ball joint is provided for at least one of said portions, a part of a carrying surface of the ball joint being formed of a soft elastic membe... | 04/21/1992 |
| 5085388 | Holder with adjusting body, in particular for spectacle frames, spectacle mounting frames or the like There is disclosed a holder with an adjusting body for displaying spectacle frames or for receiving a mounting frame for displaying spectacle frames comprising a housing on which the adjusting body is steplessly adjustable in three dimensions, for example... | 02/04/1992 |
| 5035464 | Snack tray assembly A folding tray assembly that stores under a couch has pivoted joints on two arm members which allow for the table to be unfolded to a usable height for tasks such as eating or playing cards. The unitary joints have double axes of rotation that allow for e... | 07/30/1991 |
| 4977488 | Solar powered outdoor recreational light with positionable solar panel A solar powered outdoor recreational light 10 comprising a housing 14, a lamp operatively associated with the housing 14, a solar panel 12 and a joint 20 coupling the solar panel 12 and housing 14 in articulatable relation to each other. The joint 20 is s... | 12/11/1990 |
| 4904081 | Surveying apparatus An surveying apparatus for a route survey including a laser oscillator incorporated in a subjective cylinder and adapted to direct a laser beam onto a target disposed in an objective cylinder to form a laser spot on the target so as to enable the curvatur... | 02/27/1990 |
| 4805615 | Method and apparatus for performing stereotactic surgery A method and apparatus for performing stereotactic surgery upon a target within a skull establishes a first, predetermined geometric relationship between a positioning fixture mounted on the skull and a scanning table surface upon which the skull is suppo... | 02/21/1989 |
| 4795118 | Camera supporting device A body of a camera supporting device according to the present invention is provided with a grip which is shaped so as to permit a one-handed hold, and which incorporates a trigger. A shoe mounting surface is formed on the top of the body, and a shoe is mo... | 01/03/1989 |
| 4726249 | Transmission shift lever assembly A shift lever assembly operatively linked with a transmission, for manually operating the transmission, including a shift lever, a support, and a pair of stationary retainer plates. The shift lever has a handle portion at which the shift lever is manipula... | 02/23/1988 |
| 4679957 | Ball joint safety system A ball joint assembly having a primary ball and a primary bearing surface. The primary ball is coaxially attached to a main shaft which pivots near the point of contact between the primary ball and the primary bearing surface. The main shaft controls a co... | 07/14/1987 |
| 4676945 | Fuel assembly insertion system In accordance with the present invention, use is made of the adjacent vertically arranged fuel bundles which surround the empty core position to be filled with the fuel bundle to be inserted. Such use of the adjacent bundles involves the placement upon th... | 06/30/1987 |
| 4641393 | Cabinet hinge The supporting arm of a cabinet hinge is adjustably mounted on a mounting plate to be attached to the supporting wall of a cabinet and has at its cabinet-internal end an open-ended longitudinal slot through which passes a screw fastening it to the mountin... | 02/10/1987 |
| 4572626 | Electric remote control back-mirror assembly A back-mirror angle adjustment assembly, wherein a mirror holder is so held by a spherical bearing as to be freely inclined, the heads of screw rods are connected to each of the two connecting portions which are crossed at right angles with respect to an ... | 02/25/1986 |
| 4571003 | Apparatus for controlling the position of a mineral mining machine Apparatus for controlling the position of a mineral mining machine, such as a coal plough, guided for movement back and forth along a guide employs inclined piston and cylinder units coupled via ball-and-socket joints to brackets on a conveyor supporting ... | 02/18/1986 |
| 4557335 | Wing section rod weeder with mating coupling components A wing section equipped rod weeder implement is provided wherein the implement includes a center section and a pair of opposite side wing sections which may be swung upwardly to retracted positions for moving along roadways or through narrow fence opening... | 12/10/1985 |
| 4492488 | Lamp swivel A substantially tubular housing houses a swivel unit proximate one of its ends and a tailpiece proximate the other of its ends; with a relatively strong spring disposed therebetween to urge each unit against its respective housing end with sufficient pres... | 01/08/1985 |
| 4412635 | Trailer hitch-mounted utility carrier for vehicles A trailer hitch-mounted utility carrier for vehicles includes a carrier member having an upper wall to which vehicle accessories can be attached and a lower wall which is slotted to receive a "ball" type trailer hitch. In one embodiment, a clamping member... | 11/01/1983 |
| 4324501 | Joint assembly A joint assembly has a member disposed within and movable relative to a housing from a first position through an intermediate position to a third position. A bearing member located between the movable member and the housing cooperates with the movable mem... | 04/13/1982 |
| 4285358 | Servovalve feedback wire interface configuration An improvement in a servovalve employing spool-valve-position feedback provided by a feedback spring, wherein the feedback spring centerline is not aligned vertically with the center line of the spool valve, comprising a receiving hole in the spool valve ... | 08/25/1981 |
| 4277102 | Chair A chair mechanism having a seat portion, a back rest and arm rests. The arm rests are individually supported on arms mounted on the seat support member. The seat back is mounted to a telescoping seat bearing column with the seat enabling joint movement. T... | 07/07/1981 |
