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 |
| 7270024 | Rotary shaft hermetic sealing device A drive crank shaft and a load shaft with an eccentrically placed center shaft coupler form a mechanical torque transferring structure. Two convoluted rubber seals mounted on a center shaft coupler, a drive shaft support an a load shaft support enclose the working f... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7216516 | Wobble joint A wobble joint particularly useful for supporting a wash plate in a wash basket of an automatic washing appliance includes inner and outer races formed with mating part-spherical surfaces having common centers of curvature about a longitudinal axis of the joint. Ant... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7174802 | Automatic transmission shifter assembly for automotive vehicles An automatic transmission shifter assembly for automotive vehicles includes a shift lever, a gate plate formed with a gate passage, and a slide block having an engagement recess to be engaged with the shift lever, wherein the slide block is adapted to be moved front... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7090273 | Seal apparatus for an improved front-end to body-side joint of a vehicle One embodiment of the present invention is a seal apparatus (16) for an improved front-end to body-side joint (10) of a vehicle. The seal apparatus (16) includes a ring portion (36), a gate portion (38), and an intermediate portion... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7017436 | Boot assembly for a vehicle A boot assembly for a vehicle includes a retainer adapted to be connected to vehicle structure of a vehicle and a boot for surrounding either one of a shifter and parkbrake of the vehicle. The boot assembly also includes a seal connected to the boot and to the retai... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6926034 | Hydraulic spool lock and method of use A hydraulic spool lock with a hydraulic spool housing, first and second hydraulic spools mounted within the hydraulic spool housing for independent selective movement with respect to the hydraulic spool housing, and a lock plunger movable mounted to the hydraulic sp... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6597163 | Contamination resistant probe attachment device A contamination resistant probe attachment device attaches over an opening in a top cover of a disc drive to couple a testing probe to the interior of the disc drive. The attachment device has a base for surrounding and attaching around the opening in the... | 07/22/2003 |
| 6581485 | Control lever knob rubber boot interface A control lever for a control console of a work vehicle comprises an arm and a knob. One end of the arm is coupled to the control valve linkage for positioning the control valve. The other end of the arm is mounted to the knob. The knob is provided with a... | 06/24/2003 |
| 6523428 | Shift lever boot A shift lever boot includes a top face having a shift lever hole face and including a plurality of crests and a plurality of valleys, and a bellow-like skirt continuously connected to edges of the top face. All ridgelines of the crests and the valleys are... | 02/25/2003 |
| 6264010 | Disc brake The present invention relates to a disc brake with hydraulically operable brake pads and a mechanical actuating which includes an actuating shaft that is rotatably and sealedly mounted in a bore of a brake housing and acts upon at least one of the brake p... | 07/24/2001 |
| 6203459 | Bicycle derailleur system with integral flexible seal to protect moving parts from contaminants A combination includes a derailleur having a chain cage engaging a bicycle chain, a clamping head clamping the derailleur to a bicycle frame and including an opening therethrough, a controller actuating the chain cage and including link arms pivotally con... | 03/20/2001 |
| 6119537 | Method and apparatus for rotary motion transfer into an isolated region An apparatus is provided for transferring rotary motion into an isolated region. The apparatus includes first and second angled drive shafts each coupled to an opposite side of a collar via one or more bearings. A flexible seal is coupled between the coll... | 09/19/2000 |
| 6082634 | Wash spray apparatus for vehicles A wash spray apparatus that is particularly suitable for use in automatic car washes comprises an array of nozzles on a nozzle head. Water is supplied to the nozzle head through one or more flexible hoses, and the nozzle head is driven so that the spray f... | 07/04/2000 |
| 5983738 | Eccentric sealed rotary drive device, particularly for a positive displacement pump An airtight rotating driving device with eccentricity, especially for volumetric pump, the device including a bent shaft (1) presenting an input axis (5) and an output axis (10) parallel and off-centered in such a way as to carry out an orbital circular m... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5941123 | Noise insulation arrangement for shift lever A noise insulation arrangement reduces transmission of noise through an opening of a partition having a margin with a perimeter defining the opening. A shift lever assembly extends through the opening. This arrangement uses a noise insulator including a f... | 08/24/1999 |
| 5924946 | Bicycle derailleur system with integral flexible seal to protect moving parts from contaminants, including cable seal to prevent contaminants from entering cable housing A combination bicycle derailleur and one-piece cover therefor, includes a derailleur having a chain cage, a cage securing member connected with the chain cage, a derailleur clamping head for clamping the derailleur to the bicycle frame, and a controller f... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5809610 | Motor vehicle window wiper device A motor vehicle window wiper device with a wiper arm at the top end of a drive shaft rotatably mounted in a fixed bearing by means of two ball joints of which at least one is off-center relative to the axis of the drive shaft so that the angle of the driv... | 09/22/1998 |
| 5749261 | Noise insulation arrangement for shift lever A noise insulation arrangement reduces transmission of noise through an opening of a partition having a margin with a perimeter defining the opening. A shift lever assembly extends through the opening. This arrangement uses a noise insulator including a f... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5740698 | Flame attenuator for poke-through constructions A flame attenuator for poke-through constructions. The device is formed from a plurality of overlapping segments of metal screen firmly attached to a base frame and forming an inverted funnel-like structure with each of the segments converging loosely at ... | 04/21/1998 |
| 5615576 | Sealing structure for automatic transmission shift control device A sealing structure for an automatic transmission shift control device comprises a boot interposed between a vehicle floor and a support member, which is a single piece resinous molding, of the transmission shift control device for providing a seal thereb... | 04/01/1997 |
| 5435199 | Hand-brake lever A hand brake lever in a vehicle includes a stationary support mounted in a passenger compartment of the vehicle and having a mounting slot. A sound insulating material covers at least a portion of the stationary support, the sound insulating material defi... | 07/25/1995 |
| 5311912 | Protective gaiters for joints A protective gaiter fits around a lubricated joint, such as a motor vehicle constant velocity joint. The gaiter has a tubular body (10) with a central flexible, folded part (18) and stepped end parts (11, 12) with channels (13, 14) for clamping devices. F... | 05/17/1994 |
| 5301708 | Rotary plug valve actuator and associated rotary plug valve and associated method A rotary plug valve actuator comprising a mounting bracket, a ball screw mechanism pivotably mounted to the mounting bracket and a lever pivotably mounted to the ball screw mechanism. The ball screw mechanism includes a ball screw shaft and a ball nut. Th... | 04/12/1994 |
| 5214970 | Highly accurate rotational coupling device and translation control device comprising same, in particular for optical instruments A rotational coupling device having two flanges with normally coincident axes and centers on the axes, a constant length flexible wire joining the centers, a spring compressed between the flanges and coaxial with the wire and a bellows that is rigid in to... | 06/01/1993 |
| 5109724 | Micromanipulator A micromanipulator for the displacement of a sample carrier according to different degrees of freedom by means of displacement members (26) fixed to elastic bellows (211, 212, 213, 23), which participate in the transmissio... | 05/05/1992 |
| 5077000 | Method of preparing a reactor coolant pump for vacuum degasification of a reactor coolant system An auxiliary flexible vacuum seal for preparing a reactor coolant pump for vacuum degasification of the reactor coolant system employs a flexible boot member having a pair of longitudinally-displaced opposite open end portions and a pair of side-by-side l... | 12/31/1991 |
| 5027665 | Protective gaiters for joints A protective gaiter particularly for a motor vehicle steering joint is formed from a flexible tubular body. In a first embodiment, instead of relying on moulded convolutions to permit flexing in use, the tubular body is folded back over itself to form a U... | 07/02/1991 |
| 5016485 | Lever apparatus A lever apparatus includes a lever that extends outwardly from the interior of a body through an opening formed in the body. The lever is pivotally supported on the body, and an elastic boot that covers the portion of the lever which is located near the o... | 05/21/1991 |
| 4981304 | Reactor coolant pump auxiliary flexible vacuum seal for reactor coolant system vacuum degasification An auxiliary flexible vacuum seal for preparing a reactor coolant pump for vacuum degasification of the reactor coolant system employs a flexible boot member having a pair of longitudinally-displaced opposite open end portions and a pair of side-by-side l... | 01/01/1991 |
| 4967609 | Flexible boot A flexible boot having a bellows and mount portions on both axial ends of the bellows portion at which the boot is mounted on parts of a mechanism such as an automotive constant velocity joint. The flexible boot has an anti-degradation agent make-up eleme... | 11/06/1990 |
| 4945774 | Sample treatment apparatus An apparatus for the treatment of a sample in a vacuum enclosure having a wall on which a vacuum-tight feedthrough is mounted; the sample being supported on an elongate hollow rotor rotatable about an axis and disposed within the vacuum enclosure, the sam... | 08/07/1990 |
| 4904141 | Manipulating device for high vacuum chamber A motion transmitting mechanism, for use as a sample manipulating device or wobble stick, is provided for transmitting manual movements through the wall of a vacuum vessel. The mechanism includes a central mounting flange for securing the mechanism in vac... | 02/27/1990 |
| 4894045 | Universal joint having driving pins parallel to one of coupled shafts and swingably and radially slidable to the other shaft A universal joint comprising, first and second rotating members each having a rotating axis, and arranged end to end with a distance therebetween. A guide pin is providing having a spherical portion at one end thereof and rotatably and swingably held by t... | 01/16/1990 |
| 4892010 | Sealed transmission device using metal bellows, suitable for quarterturn valves A sealed rotary transmission device comprises a control shaft and a receiver shaft parallel to and spaced from the control shaft. A bellows surrounds the receiver shaft, and has one end fixed in a sealed way to a casing of the device. The device also incl... | 01/09/1990 |
| 4885946 | Mechanism for feedthrough of rotary and/or linear motions to a sealed chamber A rotary motion feedthrough mechanism for an external sealed chamber (206) located outside the mechanism through an inner sealed chamber formed inside the mechanism comprises a first driven shaft (220) with a through opening and a second driven shaft (234... | 12/12/1989 |
| 4885947 | Mechanism for feedthrough of rotary motion to a sealed chamber A rotary motion feedthrough mechanism for a sealed chamber comprises a first driven shaft (56) with a through opening (66) and a second driven shaft (96) moveably inserted into the through opening of the first shaft. At its rear end the first driven shaft... | 12/12/1989 |
| 4878389 | Bellows for protecting knuckle joints A bellows for protecting knuckle joints structured so that a narrower end can be connected to a shaft and a wider end can be connected to a universal joint. Additionally, intermediate sections have graduated diameters such that connections can be made wit... | 11/07/1989 |
| 4856795 | Multiple durometer shield for ball joint A one-piece multiple durometer molded plastic dust and moisture shield for a lubricated assembly comprises a bowl-shaped intermediate part of resiliently deformable plastic material axially spacing and intimately bonded to an annular reinforcing rim and a... | 08/15/1989 |
| 4840386 | Sound deadening dual sleeve sealing arrangement The aperture between a positionally stable vehicle passenger space end wall and a steering spindle shaft penetrating a bore in the wall is masked by a sealing sleeve which exhibits a bellows which compensates an offset of the shaft by modification of its ... | 06/20/1989 |
| 4817968 | Airborne sound sealing means for an opening for a gear shifting assembly An airborne-sound sealing means for an opening, particularly of a manual gear shift lever of an automobile that is pivoted in it and is arranged in a cutout on the side of the body. A sound insulating element that tightly encloses the shaft of the gear sh... | 04/04/1989 |
