...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7926620 | Elevator control apparatus and control method When a long-period-earthquake occurs, an elevator is controlled to ensure that an abnormality is positively judged and that the elevator can be safely and promptly returned to a normal operation. For this purpose, by providing a usual seismic sensor and a long-perio... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7219771 | Elevator counter weight An elevator counterweight comprises a counterweight frame constructed from several vertical beams and at least three horizontal crossbars wherein the vertical beams penetrate the horizontal crossbars and form therewith several grid fields in which weight elements ar... | 05/22/2007 |
| 6557306 | Elevator apparatus for use in a building having a seismic isolation building portion and a non-seismic isolation building portion To provide sufficient clearance for an entrance part of an elevator hall facing a non-seismic isolation building portion, the partition wall on the entrance side may be removed and an expansion floor provided between the non-seismic isolation building por... | 05/06/2003 |
| 5036955 | Column vibration system for a linear motor driven elevator A column vibration detection system for a linear motor driven elevator system comprises a vibration sensor installed on a column portion of a linear motor for detecting vibrations caused by seismic activity in the column portion propagated through the col... | 08/06/1991 |
| 4998601 | Method of and apparatus for controlled operation of an elevator system at the occurrence of an earthquake A method of and apparatus for controlling operation of an elevator at the occurrence of an earthquake. Estimated seismic intensity data is collected from a plurality of sources at different locations within a geographic region and transferred to an admini... | 03/12/1991 |
| 4809817 | Apparatus for controlling elevator at occurrence of earthquake A controller for deciding the safety of continued elevator operation during and following an earthquake based on a comparison of currently detected seismic intensity data with stored historic intensity data. In the event the current intensities are greate... | 03/07/1989 |
| 4690251 | Emergency control system for elevators An emergency control system for an elevator has a circuit for producing a signal in response to a relatively small vibration of a structure in which the elevator is installed; a first circuit responsive to the signal for controlling the operation of the e... | 09/01/1987 |
| 4653611 | Elevator control apparatus A period of time required since the output signal of an acceleration detector for detecting an earthquake exceeds a first set level, until it reaches a second set level greater in value than the first set level, is measured, and a calculation is executed ... | 03/31/1987 |
| 4649751 | Supervisory operation control system for protecting elevators or the like from a dangerous situation A supervisory operation control system responds to detection of vibration occurring at a predetermined location of an equipment for causing the equipment susceptible to adverse influence of the vibration to perform a predetermined supervisory operation. T... | 03/17/1987 |
| 4643276 | Elevator system A traction elevator system having an elevator car and a counterweight. Counterweight derailment, such as due to an earthquake, is detected via a vertically oriented wire strung tautly in the hoistway, a metallic ring on the counterweight which encircles t... | 02/17/1987 |
| 4460065 | Rope sway warning device for compensating ropes in elevator systems A device is attached to the compensating rope sheave assembly in an elevator system to detect rope sway exceeding a certain magnitude. The device includes a switch which is attached to the assembly and a loop which is positioned around the rope. The loop ... | 07/17/1984 |
| 4382489 | Apparatus for operating during earthquake An apparatus for operating during earthquake which should be stopped to prevent an accident by detecting earthquake is provided. The apparatus detects an initial slight earthquake shock to perform a preliminary operation for earthquake by a first control ... | 05/10/1983 |
| 4106594 | Elevator system An elevator system including apparatus for detecting mechanical damage to the elevator system, such as might be caused by an earthquake. A cable strung in the hoistway is reeved about a plurality of sheaves carried by the counterweight. Normal operation o... | 08/15/1978 |
| 4096925 | Elevator system with detector for indicating relative positions of car and counterweight An elevator system including an elevator car and counterweight mounted for guided vertical movement in the hoistway of a building. A magnetically operated detector mounted on the elevator car cooperates with a magnetic shield disposed in the hoistway to n... | 06/27/1978 |
| 4069898 | Elevator system An elevator system including an interconnected elevator car and counterweight, motive means for driving the elevator car and counterweight, and apparatus for detecting mechanical damage to the elevator system, such as might be caused by an earthquake. An ... | 01/24/1978 |
| 4056169 | Elevator control system An elevator control system for use in a building which may vibrate due to wind gusts. The system operates to reduce the maximum velocity which an elevator car can attain when a vibration sensing means indicates that the building has been vibrating at a pr... | 11/01/1977 |
| 4011928 | Elevator system An elevator system including a transmitter-receiver arrangement for detecting mechanical damage to the elevator system, such as might be caused by an earthquake. A transmitter carried by the counterweight provides a signal for a remotely located receiver,... | 03/15/1977 |