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 |
| 5950495 | Two-armed transfer robot A two-armed transfer robot includes a pair of double-pantograph mechanisms. These mechanisms are substantially symmetrical to each other with a vertical plane. Each double-pantograph mechanism includes a first pantograph assembly and a second pantograph a... | 09/14/1999 |
| 5934148 | Wrist mechanism of industrial robot A wrist mechanism of an industrial robot comprises: spline teeth (2A) formed in the outer circumference of the end portion of a bending drive shaft (2) which is provided inside of an arm (1); spline grooves (2B) which are formed in the inner circumference... | 08/10/1999 |
| 5931047 | Industrial robot An industrial robot comprises a plurality of robot arms which are movable in relation to each other and support a tool holder. The tool holder comprises an output shaft journal, to which a turning disc is attached. To electrically insulate a tool applied ... | 08/03/1999 |
| 5924330 | Industrial robot wrist unit A wrist unit for an industrial robot comprises a wrist housing detachably mounted to a distal end of a robot arm, the wrist housing containing rotatably mounted first and second, parallel, secondary drive shafts on the input ends of which are mounted cyli... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5924329 | Torque-limiting manipulation device A device for manipulating a workpiece in space includes a fixture, a stanchion assembly, a manipulation mechanism, an actuation mechanism, and a reaction mechanism. The fixture has an end onto which the workpiece affixes. The stanchion assembly has an upp... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5916328 | Device for moving a body in space A device for moving a rod body in a space includes a frame and connecting arms connected to the frame and having at least two degrees of freedom. The rod body is pivotably connected to the connecting arms. At least one drive is connected to each one of th... | 06/29/1999 |
| 5890396 | Arm mechanism with independent control of position and orientation An arm mechanism includes a drive control mechanism that uses an end effector coordinate system and has an end effector drive control mechanism. The drive control mechanism includes an end effector rotational drive control mechanism and an end effector co... | 04/06/1999 |
| 5865063 | Three-axis machine structure that prevents rotational movement A three-axis machine control structure includes a support structure and a machine component to which a workpiece or tool can be attached. Three control arms are connected between the machine component and the support structure. Preferably, each control ar... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5839322 | Robotic arm rotation controller An apparatus provides θ-rotational motion about a Z-axis. The apparatus is improved as follows. A stop structure is carried by the apparatus and rotates with it. The stop structure has a detent engagement structure. A detent structure comprises a rotatab... | 11/24/1998 |
| 5813287 | Coordinate positioning machine A coordinate positioning machine comprises a fixed structure including a table and a supporting frame (314), rigidly connected together. A moveable arm (310) is suspended from the frame by means of three powered telescopic struts (316), each of which is u... | 09/29/1998 |
| 5807377 | Force-reflecting surgical instrument and positioning mechanism for performing minimally invasive surgery with enhanced dexterity and sensitivity An articulated surgical instrument for enhancing the performance of minimally invasive surgical procedures is coupled to a positioning mechanism for supporting and moving the surgical instrument. The positioning mechanism mounts to an operating room table... | 09/15/1998 |
| 5775169 | Robotic arm having a splash guard A robotic arm has a base with a top surface and an aperture therein. A shaft extends up through the aperture, and there is a gap between the shaft and an inner edge of the aperture. A splash guard may extend over said gap, and an indentation in said top s... | 07/07/1998 |
| 5771747 | Machine having an adjustable framework and an internal multi-axis manipulator A multi-axis machine is disclosed. The machine includes an adjustable external framework having a pair of support structures connected by a plurality of servostruts. A multi-axis manipulator is attached to one support structure and may be designed to carr... | 06/30/1998 |
| 5765983 | Robot handling apparatus Robotic apparatus may be provided for handling workpieces such as semiconductor wafers within an integrated vacuum processing system and may be mounted within a vacuum load lock chamber adjacent a plurality of vacuum processing chambers. The apparatus inc... | 06/16/1998 |
| 5761965 | Industrial robot with articulated hollow robot arms A hollow industrial robot, especially suitable for process work such as spot and arc welding, sealing, painting, glueing, laser machining, etc., has a tubular lower robot arm, the lower end of which is pivotably journalled in a robot stand about a prefera... | 06/09/1998 |
| 5704253 | Trajectory guidance apparatus and method A trajectory guidance apparatus can guide motion with passive actuators with at least two degrees of freedom. The trajectory guidance apparatus has a linkage that is mounted to a reference and an interaction part that is to be manipulated by a master, suc... | 01/06/1998 |
| 5697255 | Vertical non-parallel link type robot A vertical non-parallel link type robot having a robot arm construction with which it is possible to increase a movement range easily and cheaply without making the moving arm longer, and to make the driving motor for an upper arm lighter. The robot has a... | 12/16/1997 |
| 5692412 | Robotic manipulator A mechanical manipulator having actuators therein operating across orthogonal pivot joints formed between pivot connection structures and a link arrangement, and also between these same pivot connection structures and a corresponding effector. The actuato... | 12/02/1997 |
| 5655412 | Machine tool free of jerks and vibrations caused by the newtonian reaction forces A prime mover for a rotatable member supported for rotation in a single plane on a stationary base is provided wherein reaction torque applied to the base due to powering such rotation is greatly reduced. At least one gyroscopic mass in a gimbal support i... | 08/12/1997 |
| 5647724 | Substrate transport apparatus with dual substrate holders A substrate transport apparatus having a movable arm assembly, two substrate holders and a coaxial drive shaft assembly. The movable arm assembly has a general X-shaped section that has its center connected to the coaxial drive shaft assembly. The substra... | 07/15/1997 |
| 5562012 | Industrial articulated robot An industrial articulated robot that can be inclined in forward and backward directions has a parallel link mechanism that includes a lower arm and a connecting link in parallel to the arm. Bottom ends of the lower arm and connecting link are supported at... | 10/08/1996 |
| 5558487 | Transporting system for an article In an article transporting system, a first linear moving arm and a second linear moving arm are juxtaposed to each other so as to be moved linearly while keeping a parallel positional relationship with each other. First end portions of the linear moving a... | 09/24/1996 |
| 5528955 | Five axis direct-drive mini-robot having fifth actuator located at non-adjacent joint A substantially balanced, five-axis, direct drive mini-robot provides repeatable micro-manipulation to micron precision. Dynamic forces of each link are nearly decoupled from the dynamic forces of remaining links. The robot is generally formed as a should... | 06/25/1996 |
| 5415057 | Balancer device for a robot arm A balancer device for balancing the moment generated by gravity on a robot arm, which is mounted at the one end thereof for rotation about a rotation axis and having an articulation on the opposite end, comprises a fluid-pressure operated spring means (7)... | 05/16/1995 |
| 5402690 | Robot In a robot for compensating gravitational torque, various types of installation postures, including installation of a floor and hanging from a ceiling, can easily be realized. Namely, the characteristics of the gravitational balancer are selected in order... | 04/04/1995 |
| 5394766 | Robotic human torso A robotic assembly is provided that simulates the size, appearance and movement of a human torso. The torso includes a unique combination of high speed rotary and linear actuators arranged in a geometry that enables anatomically correct human-like movemen... | 03/07/1995 |
| 5305652 | Multiaxial industrial robot The invention concerns a multiaxial industrial robot (1), including of a mount (2), a rotatable and swingable rocker (3), a swingable extension arm (6) and a multi-member rotatable and swingable robot hand (8), whose members are driven by motors (10, 11, ... | 04/26/1994 |
| 5301566 | Simplified and symmetrical five-bar linkage driver for manipulating a Six-Degree-of-Freedom Parallel "minimanipulator" with three inextensible limbs A Six-Degree-of-Freedom Parallel-Manipulator having three inextensible limbs for manipulating a platform is described in which the three inextensible limbs are attached via universal joints to the platform at non-collinear points. Each of the inextensible... | 04/12/1994 |
| 5282390 | Industrial robot with means for cooling a linear motion nut and screw shaft A cooling means for removing heat generated in a portion of a solid ball-and-screw shaft (27) provided for a screw mechanism accommodated in an industrial robot and engaged with a linear motion nut (28) accommodated in the linear motion mechanism. The coo... | 02/01/1994 |
| 5279176 | Six-degree-of-freedom parallel "minimanipulator" with three inextensible limbs A Six-Degree-of-Freedom Parallel-Manipulator having three inextensible limbs for manipulating a platform is described in which the three inextensible limbs are attached via universal joints to the platform at non-collinear points. Each of the inextensible... | 01/18/1994 |
| 5267483 | High-density installation type robot A high-density installation type robot able to be installed side by side with another such robot, to work on an object at the same time is provided. A robot wrist assembly (30) is equipped with three rotary axes ( axis, ଲ axis, γ axis), and ... | 12/07/1993 |
| 5245885 | Bladder operated robotic joint A robotic joint wherein an elongated support member attached at one end to a base has the other end thereof pivotally attached to one end of a lever, the other end of the lever extending away from the support member. A tension strip extends along the supp... | 09/21/1993 |
| 5203748 | Rotary driving system and robot operating thereon A planetary roller speed reducer includes a sun roller mounted rotatably on a pedestal and a plurality of planetary rollers having a central portion with a narrowed diameter and mounted rotatably on the pedestal. The sun roller circumscribes large-diamete... | 04/20/1993 |
| 5156062 | Anti-rotation positioning mechanism An apparatus for maintaining the angular position of a platform during motion of the platform in any direction relative to a base. The apparatus includes a static base, a platform, a first arm assembly, a second arm assembly and a third arm assembly. Each... | 10/20/1992 |
| 5107719 | Adjustable robotic mechanism A closed loop multi-link robotic apparatus is actuated to produce two-dimensional motion with respect to a base member. The base member is coupled to an actuator which, in a practical embodiment of the invention, moves the base member along a part which i... | 04/28/1992 |
| 5060532 | Universal joint boom A universal joint boom assembly comprising two boom segments having paired eared ends connected end to end by means of a universal joint with one of its set of ears parallel to an X axis and the other set of ears parallel to a Y axis which is perpendicula... | 10/29/1991 |
| 4903539 | Direct-drive-type multi-articulated robot A direct-drive-type multi-articulated robot comprising: a stationary support shaft (14), a cylindrical rotary casing (16) surrounding the stationary support shaft (14), a first robot arm (18) joined to the upper end (16a) of the rotary casing (16), a seco... | 02/27/1990 |
| 4776230 | Actuator assembly for industrial robots An actuator assembly, for industrial robots, including a base member, an articulated arm assembly, and a support member. The support member is provided with a tool holding member, which is actuated pivotably about first and second axes and rotatable about... | 10/11/1988 |
| 4766775 | Modular robot manipulator A modular robotic remote manipulator is disclosed. The manipulator utilizes a base module, any number of generally identical but appropriately sized articulating modules, extender modules as may be needed, and an end effector module to accommodate the tas... | 08/30/1988 |
| 4762016 | Robotic manipulator having three degrees of freedom A robotic manipulator provides three degrees of freedom of movement of an end effector or gripper using only motors which are mounted on a frame. Included is a first actuator assembly providing rotation of a first input link about first and second axes. A... | 08/09/1988 |
