Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7363881 | Beak treatment with tongue protection The present invention provides apparatus and methods for treating the beaks of poultry to prevent further growth by non-contact heating while protecting the birds' tongues. The birds' tongues are protected by providing pressure on underside of the lower beak of the ... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7354401 | Ultrasound sex determination for sorting of avian hatchlings A method for making a sex determination in avian hatchlings involves the following activities. A process line is equipped to process an endless plurality of hatchlings. The process line has an ultrasound inspection station for the hatchlings. The ultrasound inspecti... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7232450 | Apparatus and method for upper and lower beak treatment Apparatus and methods for treating the upper and lower beaks of poultry by non-contact heating of the upper and lower beaks of the bird are disclosed. The upper and lower beak treatment may include delivery of energy to the upper and lower beak in amounts sufficient... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7179160 | Automated apparatus and system for cooking, drying and peeling shellfish products A fully automated apparatus and system for processing shellfish such as shrimp and crawfish including the cooking, drying and peeling thereof. The present invention utilizes excessive heat generated by boilers to heat the dryers. The product is cooked in a brine mix... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7145762 | Systems and methods for immobilizing using plural energy stores An electronic disabling device includes first and second electrodes positionable to establish first and second spaced apart contact points on a target having a high impedance air gap existing between at least one of the electrodes and the target. The power supply ge... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7066112 | Automated poultry processing method and system Poultry processing methods and systems that provide for the processing of poultry at a plurality of processing stations, with the poultry being transferred between stations using an automated conveying system. Each individual poultry is retained in a poultry carrier... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7001333 | Surgical retractor system The present invention provides an improved surgical retractor system useful for holding tissue away from a surgical site during a medical or dental procedure. In one embodiment, the surgical retractor system is comprised of a tubular member, such as a cannula, and a... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6059804 | Portable debeaking system A portable system moving a debeaker apparatus within a barn to reduce the transportation and handling of a bird. A frame which holds the debeaker apparatus, a receiving chute, a staging cage, a delivery chute and a first and second storage baskets has whe... | 05/09/2000 |
| 6030402 | Apparatus and methods for the penetration of tissue, and the creation of an opening therein An instrument for the penetration of tissue, including a backstop assembly having a shaft and a backstop; and a penetration member slidingly engaged with the backstop shaft, and configured for penetrating tissue. The backstop assembly and the penetration ... | 02/29/2000 |
| 5651731 | Method and apparatus for debeaking poultry The present invention relates to debeaking turkey and chick poultry through non-contact thermal transfer from a source of high frequency heat generating radiation. The present invention directs heat onto the upper beak of a live bird by convection or radi... | 07/29/1997 |
| 5586991 | Safety penetrating instrument A safety penetrating instrument for introducing a portal sleeve into an anatomical cavity particularly useful in least invasive surgery includes a safety probe having a distal end configuration cooperating with the sharp distal tip of a penetrating member... | 12/24/1996 |
| 5403336 | Skin seal device and assembly thereof A skin seal for making a substantially gas-tight seal with the skin of a patient having a wall with an incision therein comprising a body having proximal and distal extremities and having a flow passage extending from the proximal to the distal extremity.... | 04/04/1995 |
| 4375814 | Method and apparatus for automatically supporting and restraining birds, and preferably young chicks, said method and apparatus in a preferred embodiment being applied for automatically debeaking said birds The invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically restraining notably birds, applicable preferably for debeaking birds. The apparatus comprises a turntable 20 rotatively mounted onto a frame 1, the table 20 comprising a plurality of bird suppor... | 03/08/1983 |
| 4343309 | Method for removing appendages from avian species A method and apparatus for removing appendage tissue from avian species such as domestic fowl and principally from commercial chickens and turkeys is disclosed. When the appendage is the beak, the method is known as debeaking and the invention is a method... | 08/10/1982 |
| 4343310 | Apparatus for removing appendages from avian species A method and apparatus for removing appendage tissue from avian species such as domestic fowl and principally from commercial chickens and turkeys is disclosed. When the appendage is the beak, the method is known as debeaking and the invention is a method... | 08/10/1982 |
| 4237891 | Apparatus for removing appendages from avian species by using electrodes to induce a current through the appendage A method and apparatus for removing appendage tissue from avian species such as domestic fowl and principally from commercial chickens and turkeys is disclosed. When the appendage is the beak, the method is known as debeaking and the invention is a method... | 12/09/1980 |
| 4040425 | Poultry beak remover A poultry beak remover for debeaking fowl includes a housing having a pair of spaced apart electrodes supported therein and a beak receiving aperture therein for insertion of the beak of the fowl into the housing into proximity with the electrodes, and el... | 08/09/1977 |
