Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7429931 | Proximity control of on-board processor-based model train sound and control system A model railroad remote object comprises a proximity detector, an on-board accessory, and an on-board processor. The proximity detector changes state based on proximity of the detector to a proximity source. The accessory, which is located on or within the remote ob... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7350754 | Block controller An intelligent block controller for a model train is connected to receive detect signals from adjacent blocks of model railway track assemblies indicating that a model train is present on a respective block track assemblies. The controller provides one or more contr... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7221113 | Touch-sensitive model train controls A model vehicle control apparatus. A button controls an aspect of the model vehicle system, or multiple aspects, such as both sound and control. The button is configured to provide more than two outputs depending upon the manner of activation by a user based on pres... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7211976 | Control and motor arrangement for use in model train A control and motor arrangement in accordance with the present invention includes a motor configured to generate a locomotive force for propelling the model train. The control and motor arrangement further includes a command control interface configured to receive c... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7210656 | Control, sound, and operating system for model trains A model train operating, sound and control system that provides a user with increased operating realism. A novel remote control communication capability between the user and the model trains. This feature is accomplished by using a handheld remote control on which v... | 05/01/2007 |
| 6972670 | WDP setup determination method A method of determining the configuration of locomotives in wired distributed trains. It includes determining consists of adjacent locomotives in the train. It determines one or more sub-consists of adjacent locomotives, which are controlled separately from a preced... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6765356 | Control and motor arrangement for use in model train A control and motor arrangement for use in a model train includes a control arrangement integrally constructed with a motor. The control arrangement receives rotational speed and positional information from the motor and uses this information to determine how much p... | 07/20/2004 |
| 6655640 | Control, sound, and operating system for model trains A model train operating, sound and control system that provides a user with increased operating realism. A novel remote control communication capability between the user and the model trains. This feature is accomplished by using a handheld remote control... | 12/02/2003 |
| 6457681 | Control, sound, and operating system for model trains A model train operating, sound and control system provides a user with increased operating realism. A novel remote control communication capability between the user and the model trains includes a handheld remote control on which various commands may be e... | 10/01/2002 |
| 6220172 | Camera track system and controls therefor A camera track system comprising a track (100), a camera mounted on a movable truck (102) driven by drive means (104), control means (110) for controlling movement of the truck (102) along the track (100), in which commands between the control means (110)... | 04/24/2001 |
| 6109186 | Interactive slot car systems An interactive slot car game having a multiple lane slot car track for electrically powered slot car. The trackway has a pit lane which is positioned on the same side of the track for all cars, with a pit position for all cars, with each pit position loca... | 08/29/2000 |
| 6059237 | Interactive toy train A toy train system has movable and removable trigger devices to be located by a user wherever selected on the toy train track. The train locomotive includes the ability to activate a sound and a light signal which can correspond to the sound. The train lo... | 05/09/2000 |
| 5836253 | Noise-powered electrical accessory circuit for model railroad An electrical circuit for a model railroad includes a DC variable-voltage power source having a pair of output terminals connected to respective rails of a model railroad track. A capacitor and a normally-closed switch are connected in series across the o... | 11/17/1998 |
| 5754094 | Sound generating apparatus A sound generating apparatus for movable objects, particularly model trains, generates audible sounds from digital signal representations of actual train sounds prestored in a memory mounted on the object. In one embodiment, the stored digital sound repre... | 05/19/1998 |
| 5678789 | Model railroad car position indicator A model railroad car position indicator includes a sensor receptive to the presence of a model railroad car on a track. Control circuitry determines the location of the car relative to a predetermined position on the track and approves initiation of a mod... | 10/21/1997 |
| 5555815 | Model train horn control system A horn control system for model vehicles on a track includes a sound generation unit mounted on the model vehicle which generates different sounds based on the combination of two inputs, the speed of the vehicle and an operator initiated horn signal. The ... | 09/17/1996 |
| 5397056 | Fully-automatic spraying system employing spray car The present invention relates to a fully-automatic spraying system employing a spray car. The system includes a spray car body and a truck on which the spray car body is mounted so that the spray car body can be loaded onto and unloaded from the truck. A ... | 03/14/1995 |
| 5355804 | Rail-guided apparatus-carrying system A rail-guided apparatus-carrying system for conveying and moving an apparatus such as a loudspeaker or a spotlight along a predetermined path defined by the system when fixed in a wall or roof of a housing, the system comprising a rail-like stationary hol... | 10/18/1994 |
| 5351620 | Trolley conveyor system having a helically twisted track for a positionable mobile device mounted in the trolley axle Carrier system for a mobile device positionable in various directions in space, such as a directive light source, including a trolley which can move along a guide ramp. The ramp includes two helical rails turning about a given longitudinal axis, and the t... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5261329 | Device for transporting workpieces A device for transporting workpieces comprises a transporting path carrier, a plurality of transporting wagons adapted to run on the transporting path carrier, units at every transporting wagon for blocking its traveling when the transporting wagon is loc... | 11/16/1993 |
| 5218909 | Slot track racing apparatus Slot racing track apparatus comprises a base member, first and second slot defining respective lanes and at least one lane changing slot connecting the first and second slots together. A lane changing member is disposed at a junction between the lane defi... | 06/15/1993 |
| 5174216 | Digital sound reproducing system for toy trains with stored digitized sounds recalled upon trackside triggering A digital sound reproducing system which produces a plurality of sound effects from digital data stored at predetermined addresses in a digital sound memory. A controller connected to the digital sound memory causes recall of a sound data from a predeterm... | 12/29/1992 |
| 5020440 | Conveyor with pivotally damped workpiece carrier A conveying apparatus for conveying work pieces along a path defined by a track that can have ascending and descending sections. An elevator mechanism is pivotally supported relative to a drive mechanism that cooperates with the track for moving work piec... | 06/04/1991 |
| 4955304 | Remote locomotive spotter control A remote locomotive spotter control having a plug in remote unit to control braking and battery power to one or more traction motors for moving the locomotive from an outside location. The control system provides automatic bell operation when the brakes a... | 09/11/1990 |
| 4843972 | Apparatus for vertical adjustment of a traveling service unit for a textile spinning mill machine A traveling service unit for an associated textile spinning mill machine may be elevationally adjusted with respect to a reference rail mounted longitudinally along the machine by a feeler guide element pivotably mounted to the service unit in following e... | 07/04/1989 |
| 4733616 | Track-bound selfpropelled car conveyor My conveyor comprises an associated track-bound car including a drive motor supplied with drive current by current-carrying rails, a container, and a cover for the conveyor, as well as a track on which the conveyor runs by a plurality of stations. In orde... | 03/29/1988 |
| 4450772 | Tender-mounted sound system for toy steam locomotive The sound-of-steam producing system is completely mounted on the tender intended to be pulled by a toy electric locomotive. The system includes a switch mechanism included in the circuit of a module which energizes a speaker to simulate the puffing sound ... | 05/29/1984 |
| 4247107 | Electronically controlled roadrace system with sound generator An electronically controlled roadrace system with a sound generator for penetrating a variety of audible signals is disclosed. The system includes facilities for starting the race, counting and displaying laps completed for each car, computing and display... | 01/27/1981 |
