...that Charles Goodyear performed some of his experiments on rubber while in debtor's prison? He was there so often he referred to it as his "hotel". Chronically in debt because of poor business sense and ill health, Goodyear depended on the generosity of friends and family. Even after he unlocked the secret to vulcanizing rubber, he was unable to improve his financial situation. When he died, his estate was $200,000 in debt.
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7765974 | Body of a glow plug provided with a pressure sensor This body (8) has on its outer surface both a screw thread (16) adapted for fixing the body (8) into a corresponding tapping in an engine (4), as well as a gripping zone (28), generally of cylindrical form with a hexagonal section,... | 08/03/2010 |
| 7730864 | Method of operating glow plugs in diesel engines The invention describes a method for operating glow plugs, that comprise a housing and a heater element projecting beyond that housing, in a diesel engine which interacts with an engine control unit and a glow plug control unit which latter, following a preheating p... | 06/08/2010 |
| 7712444 | Sheathed-element glow plug A sheathed-element glow plug is used to be situated in a chamber in an internal combustion engine. The sheathed-element glow plug has a housing, a pin-shaped heating element, which extends partially from the housing and a pressure sensor which is situated in an inne... | 05/11/2010 |
| 7707984 | Method and system for controlling a low-voltage-powered plug for preheating a diesel engine air/fuel mixture The invention relates to a method for controlling a low-voltage-powered plug (2) for preheating a diesel engine (1) air/fuel mixture. The plug (2) is powered by pulses having a predetermined amplitude and duration, said amplitude being less than... | 05/04/2010 |
| 7658174 | Method for controlling glow plugs in diesel engines The invention describes a method for controlling glow plugs in diesel engines by varying the effective electric voltage applied to the glow plugs between an initial value and a target value, which is obtained at the end of a cold start phase determined by an engine ... | 02/09/2010 |
| 7614376 | Photon-ion-electron hydrogen generator plug The photon-ion-electron hydrogen generator plug is a plug for generating hydrogen gas from ambient air drawn into the piston chamber of an engine. The plug includes a cathode filament that glows “white hot” when an electric current is supplied thereto. A positiv... | 11/10/2009 |
| 7581520 | Pencil-type glow plug having an integrated combustion chamber pressure sensor A pencil-type glow plug for a self-igniting internal combustion engine is described. The pencil-type glow plug includes a plug body in which a combustion chamber pressure sensor is integrated, and a bar-shaped heating element that protrudes out from the plug body at... | 09/01/2009 |
| 7500457 | Energization control apparatus and method for glow plug during the period from preglow to afterglow steps A control apparatus for controlling to supply of electric power to both a glow plug and a starter from a power source, the starter assisting start of the engine by using the glow plug, is provided. The control apparatus comprises a starter switch, starter, a detecti... | 03/10/2009 |
| 7487753 | Glow plug energization control apparatus and method There is provided an energization control apparatus for a glow plug in an engine, including a post-start glow section to control energization of a resistance heater of the glow plug by a battery after start of the engine. The post-start glow section is configured to... | 02/10/2009 |
| 7431003 | Sheathed-element glow plug having an elastically mounted glow element The present invention relates to a sheathed-element glow plug (1) for an internal combustion engine, essentially made up of a plug shell (2) and a glow element (3) that is electrically connected to the plug shell (2), as well as an integr... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7431004 | Method and device for operation of the glow plugs of a diesel engine A method and device for operation of glow plugs of a Diesel engine in which the type of glow plugs used is determined, by a parameter typical of the glow plugs, for example, the electrical glow plug resistance, being detected and evaluated. The detected values of th... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7351935 | Method for producing a ceramic heater, ceramic heater produced by the production method, and glow plug comprising the ceramic heater A method for producing a ceramic heater. Firing is conducted such that an element green body in which at least a portion containing a conductive ceramic that is to become a heating element after firing is held on a powder or green body of an insulating ceramic that ... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7350494 | Glow plug with integrated pressure sensor The invention relates to a glow plug with integrated pressure sensor for measuring pressure in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, where the shell of the glow plug has a section of reduced diameter on the side next to the combustion chamber and ... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7335857 | Glow plug including a rod-shaped heating element attached in a tubular carrier element by having been magnetically deformed A rod-shaped heating element with a tubular carrier element attached to a cylindrical carrier ring and to the rod-shaped heating element using a magnetic forming process, the carrier ring and the rod-shaped heating element being within the tubular carrier element wi... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7329836 | Glow plug with O-ring seal An O-ring for a glow plug has a transverse cross section of an elliptical contour and is disposed between a tapered surface of an axial hole of a metallic shell and a sealing portion of a center shaft. The O-ring is pressed on from the rear by an end surface of a pr... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7319208 | Controller and glow plug for controlling energization modes There is provided a control device for a glow plug, capable of controlling the energization of a resistance heater of the glow plug by a resistance control process while attaining good resistance control response under cooling of the heater by fuel injection and com... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7287506 | Thermoelectric system In one particular embodiment, an internal combustion engine is provided. The engine comprises a block, a head, a piston, a combustion chamber defined by the block, the piston, and the head, and at least one thermoelectric device positioned between the combustion cha... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7281514 | Glow ring ignition assist for internal combustion engine A glow member, preferably in the shape of a ring, assists ignition and combustion of a fuel used in an internal combustion engine. A fuel injection valve injects a plurality of fuel jets directly into a combustion chamber during operation of the engine so that the f... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7258015 | Pressure sensor with integrated bi-functional heater and methods of using The present invention relates to a method of determining both pressures and temperatures in a high temperature environment. The present invention also relates to a method of determining temperatures about a pressure-sensing element using a bi-functional heater. In a... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7256371 | Temperature control method for positive temperature coefficient type heating element A controller adapted to control the temperature of a heating elements with a wide range of positive temperature coefficient of resistance, including very low values, using a sensor in line with the heating element. The controller is able to take account of non-const... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7252062 | Glow plug energization control to avoid overheating A glow plug energization control apparatus is provided which includes a power supply working to supply electric power to a glow plug mounted in an internal combustion engine, an on-off switch working to produce a control trigger signal when turned on, and a controll... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7234430 | Method for heating a glow plug for a diesel engine A method for heating a glow plug for a diesel engine to its desired temperature by supplying power to the glow plug in a controlled fashion. During a certain time interval after termination of a previous glow process, a mathematical model is used to determine the va... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7231897 | Combustion engine Internal combustion engine with at least one cylinder, in which a fuel/air mixture can be compressed in a cylinder by a piston, the temperature of the fuel/air mixture in the combustion chamber being able to be brought at least to over roughly 80% and up to at most ... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7230369 | Spark plug A spark plug includes a metal shell, an insulator, a center electrode, a ground electrode, and a terminal fixed to the insulator. The dimensional parameters in the structure of the spark plug, such as a maximum diameter A of the terminal and a diameter B of the insu... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7225778 | Sheated-element grow plug having a substantially shortened control filament A sheathed-element glow plug for an internal combustion engine, in which the sheathed-element glow plug is arranged or constructed so that it substantially reduces the glow temperature during the heat-up process. The control filament is considerably shortened and ha... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7214908 | Glow plug integrated pressure sensor with filter trap In an integrated glow plug and pressure sensor having a passage leading to the pressure sensor, a porous filter is inserted in the passage. The porous filter provides a four-fold improvement in pressure measurement by (1) acting as a trap for combustion deposits, (2... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7207214 | Glow plug integrated pressure sensor A pressure-sensing element for an internal combustion engine is located in the sleeve of a ceramic glow plug heater having axial and radial pressure channels connecting the sensor diaphragm to the combustion chamber. The sensor signal conditioner is encapsulated in ... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7205506 | Glow plug with heat range indicative color A glow plug having a heat range indicated by a colored insulating ring. The insulating ring, along with first and second washers, insulates a central electrode from a glow plug body. Electrical insulation is provided by anodizing the insulating ring. A colored anodi... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7201043 | Combustion pressure sensor and glow plug including the same To provide a combustion pressure sensor capable of reducing noises generated by the force in a rocking direction by making uniform the stress exerted onto the piezoelectric element; and a glow plug having the same. ... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7198315 | Connector for automotive interior trim A connector for securing an interior trim assembly to a support of an automobile. The connector includes a connector body having a head portion formed at a proximal end of the connector body and a shank portion extending from the head portion toward a distal end of ... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7188597 | Engine cold start aid malfunction alert A motor vehicle engine (10) has a glow plug system (14) for aiding combustion of fuel in combustion chambers of the engine when the engine is cold and an ignition switch (16) is operated to crank the engine. A first circuit signals the cold star... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7185621 | Glow plug with combustion pressure detecting function A glow plug comprising: a cylindrical housing; a heater member as defined herein; a conductive center pole as defined herein; a first piezoelectric element as defined herein; and a second piezoelectric element as defined herein, wherein each of said first piezoelect... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7176414 | Glow plug A glow plug having an outer body with an inner cavity having tapered sidewalls. An insulating ring having outer tapered walls is held within the body and has an inner opening also having tapered walls. A central electrode, having a tapered wall section, fits tightly... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7165982 | Connector with double-action latch for a diesel-engine glow plug A plug-in connector for a diesel-engine glow plug has a housing centered on an axis and fittable with the glow plug and a plurality of contacts in the housing. A first latch on the housing is displaceable when the housing is fitted to the glow plug between an unlock... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7162994 | Control method and apparatus for gaseous fuelled internal combustion engine A method and apparatus create an environment within a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine suitable for auto-ignition and combustion of a fuel that will not otherwise auto-ignite. Under high-load conditions, a pilot quantity of the fuel is injected in... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7160584 | Method for manufacturing ceramic glow plugs A method for manufacturing a ceramic glow pin which is formed of more than two layers arranged especially coaxially to the axis of the glow pin and symmetrically. The layers of the layer structure are manufactured by co-extrusion. ... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7121254 | Compression-ignited IC engine and method of operation The present invention is a compression ignition internal combustion engine and method of operation which expands the load limit of quietly operating a premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) engine by injecting a secondary fuel B, in ratios lean of stoichiometri... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7122764 | Sheathed element glow plug A sheathed-element glow plug for self-igniting internal combustion engines has an electrical heating element which projects into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, and a current feed-through for providing a heating current for the heating elemen... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7109646 | Spark plug having center electrode with columnar portion and conical portion A spark plug is composed of a main metal fitting having a cylindrical structure, an insulator disposed inside the cylindrical main metal fitting, a center electrode fitted in the insulator in a manner that a front end portion of the center electrode projects outward... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7086135 | Method and apparatus for manufacturing glow plug A method for manufacturing a glow plug, the glow plug comprising a cylindrical metal shell having an internal bore formed in an axial direction, and a heater tube adapted to be press-fitted from its rear end side into the internal bore and having a leading end close... | 08/08/2006 |