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 |
| 8100045 | Hydraulic cylinder rod position sensor A fluid pressure cylinder assembly has a sensor to provide a signal indicating the amount of extension of a piston rod from the cylinder. The sensor includes a sleeve that is fixed relative to a base of the cylinder and passes into a longitudinal bore in the piston ... | 01/24/2012 |
| 7617759 | Precision load positioner with positive weight deviation indication and over-pressure protection An apparatus for bidirectionally translating and positioning loads under tension includes a linear hydraulic actuator suspendible from a hoist such as a crane and is useable to support, raise and lower heavy loads in precisely controllable small incremental distance... | 11/17/2009 |
| 7607380 | Fluid pressure actuator A fluid pressure actuator includes: an actuator body which expands and contracts through supply/discharge of a fluid to generate a driving force; a sensor for detecting a condition of the actuator body; and a control part for controlling a fluid regulator for adjust... | 10/27/2009 |
| 7552671 | Cylinder with fiber optical position sensing device and method An apparatus for sensing movement of a first object relative to a second object. The apparatus includes indicia markings formed on the first object and a sensor capable of reading the indicia markings. A slipper element is secured relative to the sensor and is biase... | 06/30/2009 |
| 7543525 | Automobile clutch booster A clutch booster usable for an automobile having a clutch. In one embodiment, the clutch booster includes a booster member coupled with the clutch for engaging or disengaging the clutch from the engine of the vehicle in response to a force applied to the clutch of t... | 06/09/2009 |
| 7451684 | Actuator device with a microwave position detecting device An actuator or servo device comprises an actuator member adapted to move linearly in the motion space of an actuator housing, a microwave position detecting device for detecting the position of the actuator member in the motion space, the actuator member being capab... | 11/18/2008 |
| 7367256 | Pressure switch control for attachment coupling system An attachment control system includes an electrical control system and hydraulic control system. The electrical control system interfaces with the hydraulic control system to ensure that attachment decoupling in response to operator electrical control can occur only... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7357466 | Braking force generator for a hydraulic vehicle brake system In a brake force generator for a vehicle hydraulic brake system having a force input element, which is connectable or connected to a brake pedal and displaceable in a base housing of the brake force generator, a master cylinder, in which a primary piston is displace... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7351288 | Shock absorbing fluidic actuator According to one aspect of the invention, a fluidic actuator and a control system for the fluidic actuator may be provided. A first component of the actuator may have two openings interconnected by a passageway. A second component may be moveably housed within the p... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7348542 | System and method for detecting an intensity of light A system and a method detect an intensity of light within an interior of a compartment and/or of an end cap to locate a position of a movable element within the interior of the compartment. A platform is attached to interior walls of the end cap for positioning a li... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7318313 | Switch A switch in particular for a master cylinder unit, for opening and/or closing an electrical circuit, for example, for switching on the brake lights, comprises a casing suitable for being housed in a compartment of the cylinder body, a first electrical contact fixed ... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7294823 | System and method for detecting a position of a movable element A system and a method detect a position of a movable element within an interior of a compartment. The interior of the compartment has a light source, a light sensor, a base, a support and/or a movable element. The base is located between and/or is connected to the l... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7284472 | Hydraulic cylinder A hydraulic cylinder assembly includes a transducer having a wand and a wiper assembly, wherein the wiper assembly is positioned a predetermined distance from an end of the wand for providing a desired startup resistance. A tube includes a piston contained therein f... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7280937 | System and method for detecting an axial position of a shaft A shaft comprises a hardened outer metallic layer having a first hardness level with a generally uniform radial depth. A first strip extends in a generally longitudinal direction in the outer metallic layer. The first strip has a second hardness level different from... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7275474 | Optical position sensing and method In a variable displacement type hydraulic pump/motor assembly including at least one internally movable component, such as a yoke, a swashplate, and the means for moving the swashplate, the improvement includes imparting on this component absolute location indicia m... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7267412 | Method for determining or calibrating the brake control characteristic of a vacuum brake booster In a method for determining or calibrating the brake control characteristic of a vacuum brake booster of a vehicle brake system, the pressure in the working chamber or the pressure difference between the working chamber and the vacuum chamber of the vacuum brake boo... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7255539 | Pump pressure limiting engine speed control A sprinkler system for building includes an internal combustion engine which operates a water pump. The water pump in turn forces water through pipes to sprinkler heads. The engine is at least in part controlled by a throttle control mechanism which includes a sprin... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7250753 | Sensor attachment mechanism for fluid pressure cylinder Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a sensor attachment mechanism capable of attaching a position detecting sensor having directivity in a proper direction to a fluid pressure cylinder having a rail extending along the length of a cylinder tube on the out... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7249555 | Actuator having the function of control of operation displacement This invention is an actuator having the function of control operation displacement. The invention comprises of cylinder (100), pistons (160), a rotating axis (140) rotatably mounted through the wall of the cylinder (100), a power transmi... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7240607 | Removable end plug A pressure assembly including a cylinder, an end plug and a split ring band. The cylinder has an end, an inner surface and an outer surface. The end plug is inserted into the end of the cylinder, the end plug having an outer surface that is in partial contact with t... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7204035 | Displacement measuring system for a piston-cylinder assembly A piston rod is guided with freedom of axial movement in a cylinder, where the position of the piston rod is detected by a first position-measuring device, which travels along with the piston rod, and by a second position-measuring device on the cylinder side. The t... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7197424 | Position sensing system for moveable member A method of monitoring a position of a movable member having a surface is provided. The method includes sensing an image of a portion of the surface of the movable member and identifying a stored image in a memory corresponding to the sensed image. The method furthe... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7194947 | Hydraulic actuating device A hydraulic actuating device for moving a retractable hard-top of a convertible car. The actuating device comprises a double-acting hydraulic actuator, the first connection of the actuator being in communication with an associated throttling assembly which is design... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7181644 | Method for synchronizing data utilized in redundant, closed loop control systems A method for synchronizing data utilized in a redundant, closed-loop feedback control system is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes configuring a plurality of control nodes within the control system, with each of the plurality of control nodes... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7178446 | Cylinder rod with position sensor surface markings A cylinder rod with wear-resistant surface markings is provided. The cylinder rod may include a rod substrate, a thermal-spray coating disposed on a surface of the substrate, and one or more surface markings disposed on the coating at predetermined locations along t... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7180053 | Apparatus, a system and method for determining a position within a cylinder An apparatus, a system and a method are provided for monitoring position of a machine element within a mechanical system and/or cleaning a machine element. A light source and sensor may be positioned within a cylinder. The sensor may detect the intensity of light wi... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7177709 | Controller for underground mining A controller is disclosed for control operations in underground mining, especially for controllers to control support shields. The controller utilizes a central unit with a microprocessor and assigned, programmable memory devices for the storage and processing of so... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7131238 | Method of testing seismic braces Braces for bracing objects in structures against forces due to earthquakes are tested by subjecting components of the braces for attaching the braces to the object or structure to cyclic loading of approximately 15 cycles. The cyclic forces are applied to different ... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7121185 | Hydraulic cylinder having a snubbing valve A hydraulic cylinder has a tube with a first end and a section end. The hydraulic cylinder also has a piston assembly movably disposed within the tube and configured to move between the first and second ends of the tube. The hydraulic cylinder further has a valve pl... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7116097 | System and method for detecting the axial position of a shaft or a member attached thereto In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a method and system for detecting the position of a shaft comprises providing a shaft with defined hardened metallic regions. The shaft has a first hardened metallic region from a surface of the shaft to a first ra... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7082869 | Sensor arrangement for a vacuum brake booster and a vacuum brake booster provided with this sensor arrangement The invention relates to a sensor arrangement (10) for a vacuum brake booster with a brake booster housing comprising at least one vacuum chamber and at least one working chamber that is separated from the latter by a moveable wall and is connectable either t... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7083391 | Method and device for detecting the speed of a pump A method and a system for detecting the speed of a pump motor of a hydraulic pump system are provided, in which pump system a pump is driven by a pump motor to deliver hydraulic fluid into a pump reservoir. In accordance with the present invention, a pressure signal... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7051639 | Mounting apparatus and method for cylinder position sensor A method and apparatus for detecting the position of a rod member of a cylinder assembly are provided. The cylinder assembly may have a cylinder body with a cylinder chamber therein, a gland member disposed within the cylinder chamber, and a rod member movably arran... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7047866 | Electrical and hydraulic control system for attachment coupling system An attachment control system includes an electrical control system and hydraulic control system. The electrical control system interfaces with the hydraulic control system to ensure that attachment decoupling in response to operator electrical control can occur only... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7047865 | Cylinder with fiber optical position sensing device A fluid-pressure actuated piston/cylinder assembly having a sensor capable of reading at least one indicia marking on a piston rod in order to determine the movement and specific location of the piston rod and cylinder relative to each other. The sensor is housed wi... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7048164 | Setting device The present invention is directed to a combustion-operated setting device for driving fastening elements such as nails, bolts and pins into a substrate, with a setting mechanism comprising a driving piston (15) which is supported to be displaceable in a guide... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7031792 | Processing apparatus and information storage apparatus and method A processing apparatus comprises a process apparatus body equipped with a plurality of process sections for applying a predetermined processing to a target object and a transfer device for transferring the target object among the process sections, a first control se... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7004059 | Hydraulic master cylinder switch A switch adapted to be positioned on the pushrod of a hydraulic cylinder assembly and including a housing adapted to be positioned against an end of the hydraulic cylinder assembly and including a plurality of axially spaced electrical contacts, and a plunger mounte... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6968771 | Actuator cylinder The invention relates to an actuator cylinder, which is intended to be operated using a control valve controlled by an operating lever. The actuator cylinder includes a cylinder barrel, a piston, and a rod, which extends outside the cylinder barrel. A detector eleme... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6959740 | Integrated automobile fluid servicing apparatus A fluid servicing apparatus for exchanging fluids with a power steering fluid reservoir including drain and supply conduits with inline pumps coupled to a control board on a cabinet housing new and used fluid receptacles and a remote pump actuator in communication w... | 11/01/2005 |
