Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7271688 | Three-stage liquid metal switch A three-stage liquid metal switch employing electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), including a common EWOD switch 1310 having an input port 1302, a first shared-EWOD-switch output 1336, and a second shared-EWOD-switch output 1338; a first E... | 09/18/2007 |
| 6989500 | Liquid metal contact reed relay with integrated electromagnetic actuator A miniaturized relay with an integrated electromagnetic actuator allows scaling a reed relay to a small size to reduce the power needed to actuate it while retaining a high quality liquid metal contact. A dragged liquid metal contact is used. Coplanar waveguides may... | 01/24/2006 |
| 6946776 | Method and apparatus for maintaining a liquid metal switch in a ready-to-switch condition A method and apparatus for maintaining a liquid metal switch in a state of readiness for switching. The liquid metal switch has a liquid metal volume contained in a cavity of a switch body. A signal path though the cavity is made or broken by energizing an actuator ... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6946775 | Method and structure for a slug assisted longitudinal piezoelectrically actuated liquid metal optical switch A method and structure for an optical switch. A channel is housed within a solid material. Contacts coupled to the channel are further coupled to the solid material, while a plurality of piezoelectric elements are coupled to chamber and further coupled to a slug. Op... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6900578 | High frequency latching relay with bending switch bar An electrical relay that uses a conducting liquid in the switching mechanism. In the relay, a pair of moveable switching contacts is attached to the free end of a switch bar and positioned between a pair of fixed electrical contact pads. The connections to the switc... | 05/31/2005 |
| 6894424 | High frequency push-mode latching relay An electrical relay that uses a conducting liquid in the switching mechanism. In the relay, a pair of moveable switching contacts is positioned between a pair of fixed electrical contact pads. A surface of each contact supports a droplet of a conducting liquid, such... | 05/17/2005 |
| 6891315 | Shear mode liquid metal switch A piezoelectric relay is disclosed in which a liquid metal droplet is moved within a switching channel formed in relay housing. A signal path passing through the switching channel is blocked or unblocked by motion of the liquid metal droplet that coalesces with one ... | 05/10/2005 |
| 6879089 | Damped longitudinal mode optical latching relay A piezoelectric optical relay is disclosed in which a solid slug moves within a switching channel formed in relay housing. An optical path passing through the switching channel is blocked or unblocked by motion of the solid slug. Motion of the solid slug is controll... | 04/12/2005 |
| 6879088 | Insertion-type liquid metal latching relay array An electrical relay array using conducting liquid in the switching mechanism. The relay array is amenable to manufacture by micro-machining techniques. Each element of the relay array uses an actuator, such as a piezoelectric element, to cause a switch actuator to i... | 04/12/2005 |
| 6876133 | Latching relay with switch bar An electrical relay that uses a conducting liquid in the switching mechanism. In the relay, a pair of switching contacts is attached to the free end of a switch bar and positioned between a pair of fixed electrical contact pads. A surface of each contact supports a ... | 04/05/2005 |
| 6809277 | Method for registering a deposited material with channel plate channels, and switch produced using same A method for depositing material on a channel plate such that the material is registered to one or more channels formed in the channel plate includes filling at least one of the channels with a resist that is not wetted by the material; depositing the material on at... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6756552 | Multi-pole conductive liquid-based switch device The multi-pole, conductive liquid-based switch device includes an elongate passage, a first cavity, a second cavity, at least four electrodes disposed along the length of the passage, channels that extend from the passage, non-conductive fluid located the cavities a... | 06/29/2004 |
| 6674029 | Position-detecting apparatus Each of pressure-detecting switches to be connected to one another has a first connector provided at one side section and a first connector provided at the other side section. Electric wiring is mutually effected for the pressure-detecting switches by att... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6548771 | Multipole attitude detector switch with liquid contact An attitude detection device has a case having inner surfaces, electrodes each disposed on a respective inner surface of the case and being insulated from one another in at least one preselected orientation of the case, and a conductive fluid disposed in ... | 04/15/2003 |
| 4795868 | Tilt switch A switch responsive to movements such as those occurring in a boat with respect to a horizontal plane is provided with electrical contacts arranged in a circular pattern in proximity to a fluid electrical conductor in a shallow annular chamber. The electr... | 01/03/1989 |
| 4703848 | Package interlock and alignment system A multi-cell, basket-type carrier is provided with a combination mechanical interlock and an alignment means comprising a tongue portion which during a sequence of operations passes through a slot formed in a pair of riser panels and cooperates therewith ... | 11/03/1987 |
| 4662809 | Automatic level device An automatic level device for sensing the height and pitch of an aircraft and for adjusting a loader platform to align with the aircraft. An umbilical cord connected between the platform and the aircraft includes a tube partially filled with mercury and h... | 05/05/1987 |
| 4144431 | Means of securing mecury displacement switches to a mounting bracket One or more mercury displacement switches are positioned against a plate-shaped mounting bracket and interlocked to the plate by means of a strap extending around each switch and through the mounting bracket.... | 03/13/1979 |
| 4138600 | Force-responsive device A device is disclosed which, in response to forces acting upon it, such as gravity, inertia, magnetic fields and the like, opens or closes electric circuits or otherwise generates signals which may be used to control predetermined functions.... | 02/06/1979 |
