Did You Know...
...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 |
| 7091456 | Aircraft hot water supply system An aircraft hot water supply system (10) comprising a group of water-use stations (14a–14f) each including a hot water line having a heater (40a–40f) which heats water at a heating rate dependent upo... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7028703 | Buried fluid line casing enclosed valve guard A guard for a valve upon a buried fluid line prevents earth entering the opposed arches or the bottom of a conventional casing during installation about and above the valve permitting access after filling of the excavated cavity for the fluid line. Alignment of the ... | 04/18/2006 |
| 6766822 | Method of water distribution and apparatus therefor Water is supplied to a water user outlet facility by maintaining a tappable flow of water in a recirculating loop that includes a pump such as a centrifugal pump driven by a substantially constant speed motor to establish the flow, a water delivery path that extends... | 07/27/2004 |
| 6722855 | Oil pumping device A manual/pneumatic oil pumping device having a housing defining therein an oil reserving space and an upper cover. A floating board is disposed in the oil reserving space. The upper cover is equipped with a manual air sucking mechanism, a pneumatic air sucking mecha... | 04/20/2004 |
| 6092550 | Diaphragm valve seat arrangement A flow control device includes a first body and a second body; a threaded engagement for clamping the bodies together in an axially aligned relationship; a diaphragm seal that is disposed axially between the first and second bodies to form a seal there be... | 07/25/2000 |
| 5316040 | Valve alignment tool A valve alignment tool for correctly aligning the valve box above each shut off valve in the water pipes of a underground water main. The valve alignment tool fits over the square stem nut of the gate valve, and fits in sliding engagement with the valve b... | 05/31/1994 |
| 4905725 | Underground access box and valve operating and protecting means An underground access box and valve operating and protecting means are disclosed. The access box comprises a pair of valve enclosing members adapted to be fitted together to enclose a valve and present an upward extension through which the valve can be re... | 03/06/1990 |
| 4308886 | Curb box A curb box for underground gas and water services formed of a synthetic plastic material wherein the lower portion of the curb box is formed with a bell housing for receiving a service or distribution line valve. The bell housing includes valve engaging s... | 01/05/1982 |
