...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8414707 | Method of removing material from a surface of a metal work piece A method of removing material such as surface treatments, metal coatings, and other material layers from an edge region of a metal work piece where they could potentially contaminate a nearby weld. According to one embodiment, a scraper tool includes a body having a... | 04/09/2013 |
| 8241432 | Solar wafer cleaning systems, apparatus and methods Solar wafer clean systems, methods and apparatus capable of receiving wafer combs that have been treated with a wire-saw cutting device and providing final clean solar wafers while the wafers are on the beam (before or without any pre-cleaning) are disclosed. Embodi... | 08/14/2012 |
| 8177914 | Dual path blower method and apparatus An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a blower and a method for landscaping and lawn maintenance. The blower includes an outer housing having an inner chamber, the outer housing defining at least one discharge port and an impeller disposed ... | 05/15/2012 |
| 7931754 | Dishwasher with mist cleaning A dishwasher having a liquid spraying system operable in a first mode to spray a focused stream of liquid within the wash chamber, and operable in a second mode to spray a diffused stream of liquid within the wash chamber. ... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7922829 | Cleaning system for flat-plate membrane cartridges A cleaning system and method remove localized caked or dewatered solids from flat-plate membranes in a sewage treatment plant. The caked sludge on the membranes is removed by intense coherent water sprays directed into the spaces between cartridges of a cassette, wi... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7857912 | Container and process for cleaning and inspecting parts The present invention is drawn to a wire container comprising a plurality of spring-like wires having wave patterns forming a part support that minimize contact points between the container and one or more contained parts when the container is subjected to a vibrati... | 12/28/2010 |
| 7749330 | Washer and decontaminator with lid control A method and apparatus provide for automatically cleaning and decontaminating medical instruments. The method comprising the steps of: a) placing the medical instruments into a container after their use in a medical procedure; b) closing the container to seal the in... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7655097 | Method of washing solid grain In the washing process of the invention, the solid particles in a high-concentration zone, which is formed in a washing tank by a gravitational sedimentation of solid particles, are continuously washed by a counter-current contact with upward flow of a washing liqui... | 02/02/2010 |
| 7614407 | Prime coat, indicia and clear coat removal process for a golf ball A process for removing the coating layers from finished golf balls is disclosed herein. The process involves soaking the golf balls in a removal solution and then subjecting the golf balls to ultrasonic treatment in order to remove a coating layer, an indicia and/or... | 11/10/2009 |
| 7552737 | Waterless carwash liquid composition and method for producing the same The present invention is a substantially nonabrasive, liquid car cleaner composition which cleans car surfaces without an external source of water to wash or rinse. The liquid cleaner is a composition of up to toxaphene 15%, sodium lauryl sulfate 10%, paraffin 10%, ... | 06/30/2009 |
| 7410543 | Substrate processing method Resists can be removed while metal contamination of wafers, etc. and generation of particles, and growth of oxide films are suppressed. A substrate processing method comprises feeding a processing gas, such as ozone gas, into a processing vessel to pressurize an atm... | 08/12/2008 |
| 7406971 | Method of simultaneously flushing internal cavities of multiple parts An improved method for flushing the residue from internal surfaces of cavities in, for example, turbine blades. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, provision is made for simultaneously flushing the internal cavities of a plurality of turbine blades, with... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7404903 | Drill cuttings treatment system A process for the separation of oil from invert mud drill cuttings. Invert mud drill cuttings are supplied to a mixing chamber of a jet pump. The invert mud drill cuttings are agitated within the jet pump to effect transformation of the solids-oil matrix of the inve... | 07/29/2008 |
| 7377721 | Methods for using reversible phase oil-based drilling fluid Invert emulsion compositions including an oleaginous, a non-oleaginous and an amine surfactant that are useful in the oil and gas well drilling art are disclosed. The amine surfactant is selected so that the invert emulsion can be converted form a water-in-oil type ... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7368019 | Method for preventing elution of lead and/or nickel from copper alloy piping material such as valve or pipe joint and copper alloy piping material, and fluid for use in cleaning piping material A technique is provided to precludes elution of the nickel by infallibly removing the nickel adhering to the inner surface of plumbing hardware, realize a treatment for efficient (treating temperature, treating duration, etc.) preclusion of both or either of lead an... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7361283 | Extraction and treatment of heavy metals Contaminated waste streams or soil or sludge is subjected to a first treatment stage with an acid liquor at a pH below 2 and at a solids content from 5 to 30%; then the liquid and solid phases from the first treatment stage are separated; the solids from the first t... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7361632 | Water soluble glass as corrosion protector in dishwashing machines A zinc-containing, water-soluble glass composition comprising from 41 to 54 mole % of P2O5, 10 to 30 mole % of alkali oxides, up to 5 mole % of SO3 and up to 25 mole % of ZnO. ... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7337860 | Apparatus and process for removing liquids from drill cuttings Drill cuttings associated with drilling fluid are thermally cleaned. The wet cuttings are fed into a vessel chamber having mechanical mixers, such as ribbon blenders, extending lengthwise of the chamber. Direct heating is applied to the chamber contents by introduci... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7338563 | Process for cleaning hydrocarbons from soils A combination of parallel processes is disclosed to provide optimal re-mediation operations for contaminated soil. Soils with high levels of heavy petroleum hydrocarbons are directed to a thermal process for destruction in a combustion process. Carbon dioxide genera... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7314569 | Treatment of arsenic-contaminated water using akaganeite adsorption The present invention comprises a method and composition using akaganeite, an iron oxide, as an ion adsorption medium for the removal of arsenic from water and affixing it onto carrier media so that it can be used in filtration systems. ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7306057 | Thermal drill cuttings treatment with weir system A method for treating material, the material contaminated with contaminants, the method including: introducing material with contaminants to a system for remediation including a thermal treatment system, a quench system, a weir tank system and a condensing system; f... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7300522 | Mobile cleaning and washing plant for shopping trolleys A mobile cleaning plant for cleaning shopping trolleys and similar transport systems includes a container configured to receive the shopping trolleys in hoxizontally stacked rows. The shopping trolleys are fed into an inlet on the container via a device, automatical... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7285172 | Method for removal of particulate matter An improved process for removal of particulate matter having airborne potential. The process includes applying a foam to the particulate matter in a particulate matter area to prevent the particulate matter from becoming airborne. The particulate matter area may the... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7284559 | Load sensing system A programmable microcomputer controlled load sensing system for maximizing the cleaning efficiency of particulate raw materials such as sand, gravel, rock, ores, etc. in a log washer by sensing the weight of the aggregate in the log washer tank and adjusting the ang... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7255112 | Process of removing stains A process for removing colored stains from hydrophobic surfaces characterized in that the process involves the use of a formulation which comprises a salt of sulphophenyl alkyl carbonate is described. Also a process of removing color stains from a plastics material,... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7255514 | Method and system for removing contaminants from soil A method and system for removing contaminants from contaminated soil at a site utilizes particle size segregation and particle density segregation to yield a plurality of fractions, whereby each of the fractions are tested and identified for the presence of unaccept... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7231927 | Method for recycling used-up plastic products and washing process of crushed plastic and apparatus therefor An object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for recycling plastics which is improved with respect to operation efficiency, operation environment, lowering degradation of plastics, recycling cost and environment load including saving energy. Th... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7229952 | Additive packages for removing oil from solid materials recovered from a well bore An additive package for removing oil from solid material recovered from a well bore, e.g., drill cuttings and produced sand, is provided. The additive package includes an aqueous acidic solution containing a polymer substituted with an amino group, a halogenating ag... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7226512 | Load lock system for supercritical fluid cleaning A substrate is transferred from an environment at about vacuum into a load lock through a first door. The substrate is then sealed within the load lock. The pressure within the load lock is raised to a high pressure above vacuum. A second door coupling the load lock... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7192527 | Processes for removing oil from solid wellbore materials and produced water Processes for removing oil from a solid wellbore material such as drill cuttings or water such as produced by a subterranean formation include contacting the solid material/water with an amino-substituted polymer such as chitosan and a halogenating agent. The oil se... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7118631 | Method for separating substances from particulate solids A method for separating a substance such as a hydrocarbon from a particulate material such as soil is provided. An aqueous slurry is formed and a shear force is applied to the slurry, such as in a reversible helical screw conveyor, while the slurry is vibrated. The ... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7115203 | Remediation with ozone of sediments containing organic contaminants A system for treating sediments contaminated with organic contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other contaminants polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) includes treating the sediments with ozone to react the... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7108792 | Process for cleaning wash water Agents are used as cleaning agents and also as agents to purify the water in water treatment plants. The agents are a mixture of phosphates and fatty acid salts. Precipitation agents are used such as, polyvalent metals. The pH is adjusted. Flocking agents can be use... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7093678 | Method and apparatus for removing fluids from drill cuttings A method and apparatus is provided for removing fluids, particularly entrained and/or adherent fluids, from drill cuttings generated during the well drilling process. A generally cylindrical wire-wrapped screen having a bore therethrough rotates about its longitudin... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7094264 | Apparatus for obtaining combustion gases of high calorific value The present invention relates to a method for obtaining combustion gases of high calorific value, wherein carbonaceous materials are allothermically gasified in a fluidized layer containing solid particles, using a gaseous gasifying agent and by supply of heat, and ... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7090768 | Surfactant for bitumen separation A surfactant for separating bitumen from sand includes an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide contacted with low rank coal. The low rank coal is preferably lignite. The surfactant may be used to clean bitumen, heavy oil and/or tar from sand, shale or clay at low c... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7081170 | Method of cleaning ballast A method of cleaning encrusted ballast comprises the steps of screening the encrusted ballast to separate detritus from the ballast, washing the screened ballast with water while removing the separated detritus on a conveyor belt unit, clarifying the washing water t... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7066187 | Modular treatment plant having horizontal drum machines A machine for treating bulk material of industrial volume parts, having a treatment drum which is arranged with a horizontal axis and can be driven in both directions of rotation around the axis, the treatment drum comprises a permanently open co-axial inlet apertur... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7052555 | Method of removing surface coatings A gel is produced by magnetically treating and mixing two solutions and in one embodiment subsequently introducing carbon dioxide gas. The first solution is comprised of water and sodium bicarbonate, and the second solution is comprised of water and sodium silicate.... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7030287 | Method of decreasing nitrate nitrogen and volatile organic compound in soil and groundwater A method of decreasing nitrate nitrogen and volatile organic compounds in soil and groundwater by burying a fatty acid having 10 or more carbon atoms, an alcohol having 12 or more carbon atoms, an ester of a linear saturated fatty acid having 14 or more carbon atoms... | 04/18/2006 |