Did You Know...
...that Thomas Edison's patent application on his phonograph was approved by the Patent Office in just seven weeks? In contrast, it took Gordon Gould, the inventor of the laser, 30 years to obtain his patent -- finally awarded in 1988!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7086120 | Caster for shopping and transport trolleys A caster for shopping and transport trolleys which are suitable for conveyance on travelators, includes a wheel fork provided with fork arms and carrying an axle body having a round cross-section and extending through a hub which is arranged between the fork arms an... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7070024 | Method and apparatus for securing a shopping cart A method and apparatus for securing a wheeled device such as a shopping cart is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a body having a pair of spaced stops with an intermediate trough. In use, the wheels of the cart are rolled along an upwardly extendi... | 07/04/2006 |
| 6945366 | Anti-theft vehicle system An anti-theft vehicle system for a vehicle wheel having a rotational axis includes a linear actuator disposed within the vehicle wheel for operatively engaging and disengaging an interior surface of the vehicle wheel to resist and allow rotational movement of the ve... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6935449 | Vehicle electrical distribution system and method of use therefor An electrical distribution system for a vehicle having electrical devices includes at least one junction box and a plurality of terminals interconnected by at least one conductive path. The electrical distribution system operatively interconnects the electrical devi... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6923294 | Lockable wheel A lockable shopping cart wheel (10) comprises a plastics hollow casing (12), an axle (22) on which the casing is rotatably mounted and a resetable locking mechanism that is mounted on the axle in the casing. The casing has an end wall (14... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6457568 | Golf car having disk brakes and single point latching brake A golf car having a hydraulic fluid brake system. The hydraulic fluid brake system is implemented as a disk brake system which is responsive to hydraulic fluid pressure generated from a master cylinder. A brake pedal and associated linkage provides input ... | 10/01/2002 |
| 6374955 | Braking assembly A braking assembly for use with caster wheels of vehicles such as carts includes a main body and a braking member movable relative to the main body, the braking member including an arcuate first portion which extends around a portion of the periphery of t... | 04/23/2002 |
| 6362728 | Anti-theft vehicle system An anti-theft vehicle system for a vehicle wheel having a rotational axis including a signal generator to generate a first predetermined signal around a first predetermined perimeter and to generate a second predetermined signal around a second predetermi... | 03/26/2002 |
| 6353388 | Anti-theft vehicle system An anti-theft vehicle system for a vehicle wheel having a rotational axis includes at least one inhibitor disposed within the vehicle wheel to selectively engage and disengage the vehicle wheel to resist and allow rotational movement of the vehicle wheel ... | 03/05/2002 |
| 6173817 | Automatically braking device when leaving a protected area The present invention relates to a braking device for use with a vehicle which moves along a surface, the braking device being operated by an area of magnetic material, and is particularly, but not exclusively, for use with a wheeled trolley or cart to de... | 01/16/2001 |
| 6125972 | Security apparatus and method for shopping carts and the like A security apparatus for a shopping cart or other wheeled vehicle having a plurality of casters has a braking member rotatably mounted on a wheel axle of one of the wheels. The braking member is movable between a raised position spaced above the ground su... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6127927 | Anti-theft vehicle system An anti-theft vehicle system for a vehicle wheel having a rotational axis includes at least one inhibitor disposed within the vehicle wheel to selectively engage and disengage the vehicle wheel to resist and allow rotational movement of the vehicle wheel ... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6037869 | Anti-theft vehicle system An anti-theft vehicle system for a vehicle wheel having a rotational axis includes at least one inhibitor disposed within the vehicle wheel to selectively engage the vehicle wheel to prevent the vehicle wheel from rotating about its rotational axis. The a... | 03/14/2000 |
| 5881846 | Security device for shopping carts and the like A security apparatus for a shopping cart having a plurality of casters has a braking member rotatably mounted on a wheel axle of one of the wheels. The braking member is movable between a raised position spaced above the ground surface and an operative po... | 03/16/1999 |
| 5831530 | Anti-theft vehicle system An anti-theft vehicle system for a vehicle wheel having a rotational axis includes at least one inhibitor disposed within the vehicle wheel to selectively engage and disengage the vehicle wheel to resist and allow rotational movement of the vehicle wheel ... | 11/03/1998 |
| 5823302 | Toggle brake assembly for a wheel of a shopping cart or the like For a shopping cart wheel, for example, a toggle brake assembly which can be automatically actuated by an audio frequency signal when the cart is taken out of a designated area. When actuated, a battery-powered solenoid coil of the brake assembly is energ... | 10/20/1998 |
| 5821856 | Anti-theft vehicle system An anti-theft vehicle system for a vehicle wheel having a rotational axis includes at least one inhibitor disposed within the vehicle wheel to selectively engage the vehicle wheel to prevent the vehicle wheel from rotating about its rotational axis. The a... | 10/13/1998 |
| 5806862 | Security wheel apparatus for deterring theft of manually operated wheeled vehicles Apparatus for deterring unauthorized use and removal of steel or steel-and-plastic constructed swivel-wheel shopping carts by preventing the free movement of one or more of the installed wheels after the cart is moved a predetermined distance. A braking d... | 09/15/1998 |
| 5713586 | Optically responsive mobility apparatus A conventionally constructed baby walker 5 having a lower support member 6 to which are attached front wheels 10 and rear wheels 12 in contact with floor surface 14 has further optically activated brake assemblies 21a and 21b both moveably attached to sup... | 02/03/1998 |
| 5601259 | Two-way safety trip for railway vehicles A two-way safety trip is placed at selected locations along a railway track to demarcate a safety zone within which the travel of a railway vehicle is stopped upon entering the zone and is permitted to continue upon leaving the zone, the safety trip inclu... | 02/11/1997 |
| 5598144 | Anti-theft vehicle system An anti-theft vehicle system for a vehicle wheel having a rotational axis includes at least one inhibitor disposed within the vehicle wheel to selectively engage the vehicle wheel to prevent the vehicle wheel from rotating about its rotational axis. The a... | 01/28/1997 |
| 5576691 | Method and apparatus for deterring theft of manually operated wheeled vehicles Method and apparatus for deterring theft of manually operated wheeled vehicles, reducing unauthorized use and removal of steel or steel and plastic constructed swivel-wheel shopping carts by preventing the free movement of one or more of the installed whe... | 11/19/1996 |
| 5394962 | Braking devices A braking device for a wheeled vehicle such as a cart or trolley includes a braking member which can contact the ground and lift the vehicle to impede further movement thereof, a blocking member which can block the braking member to prevent its contact wi... | 03/07/1995 |
| 4926981 | Escalator step buffer An hydraulic buffer or brake is provided on an escalator to stop movement of the steps in case power is interrupted, or if a safety device is activated. The braking action occurs in parallel to the inclination of the step chain. The braking action occurs ... | 05/22/1990 |
| 4433628 | Apparatus for preventing runaway of carriers in power and free conveyor In an apparatus for preventing runaway of carriers in a power-and-free conveyor, each of the carriers has a runaway preventing stopper rotatable about its center portion in a substantially vertical plane parallel with the direction of advance of the conve... | 02/28/1984 |
| 4278143 | Parking brake release apparatus Parking brake release apparatus for a vehicle of the type which has a frame, wheels, a parking brake for at least one of its wheels, a parking brake pedal pivotally mounted to the frame to apply the parking brake, the pedal having a braking and a brake re... | 07/14/1981 |
| 4199043 | Lock assembly for shopping cart to prevent its removal from an authorized area A boundary responsive wheel lock assembly for a supermarket shopping cart, or the like, or for any other application where a wheeled device is to be boundary responsive, is provided, to prevent the removal of the cart from an authorized area. The assembly... | 04/22/1980 |
