Did You Know...
...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 |
| 8198560 | Switch devices for power tools One aspect according to the present invention includes a switch device for a power tool. The switch device includes a switch lever operable to move between an ON position for activating the power tool and an OFF position for stopping activation of the power tool. An... | 06/12/2012 |
| 7126070 | Rocker paddle switch with flexible cam driver There is disclosed a paddle switch operated by pushing on the lower portion of a rocker paddle to turn the switch “on” or “off”. The lower edge of the paddle pivots in and out about its upper edge. The switch includes flexible driver means coupled to be driv... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7067754 | Bezel-button assembly and method A bezel-button assembly comprising at least one button connected to a bezel. The button is moveable between a first position and at least a second position. An elastic layer connects the bezel to the button and is adapted to provide at least a partial mechanical bia... | 06/27/2006 |
| 6979790 | Rocker paddle switch with flexible cam driver There is disclosed a paddle switch operated by pushing on the lower portion of a rocker paddle to turn the switch “on” or “off”. The lower edge of the paddle pivots in and out about its upper edge. The switch includes flexible driver means coupled to be driv... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6967291 | Double-pass pushbutton Double-pass pushbutton, able to act successively on one or both independent microswitches (M1), (M2), where the body shell and the pushbutton have a leaktight and flexible cap mounted between them, which hermetically seals the joint without int... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6930262 | Safety switch box for saw machine A saw switch box includes a supporting base resting on a switch platform, a switch shelter pivotally connected to the supporting base to define a sheltering cavity between the switch shelter and the supporting base for receiving a switch member, and a locking device... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6914205 | Operating switch for a motor vehicle with a movable protective device An operating switch for a motor vehicle with a housing having an operating opening for accessing an operating element, and a protective device movable relative to the operating opening for temporarily covering the operating element on the operating side. The protect... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6910439 | Vehicle meter Provided is a vehicular meter, which can suppress the complication of structures of peripheral parts, when an operation shaft and an elastic member are to be supported, thereby to realize the cost reduction. The vehicular meter comprises: an indication element D3... | 06/28/2005 |
| 6800822 | Circuit breaker A circuit breaker for opening and closing a main-circuit includes main-circuit contacts; an opening-and-closing mechanism having a switching lever for opening and closing the main-circuit contacts, a main spring for urging the switching lever, and a toggle-link mech... | 10/05/2004 |
| 6462293 | Electric power source breaker The present invention provides a power source breaker which can forcedly and surely isolate a power supply circuit in case of abnormalities such as short circuiting of a wire harness, collision of road vehicles, and also has a structure suitable for minia... | 10/08/2002 |
| 6333476 | Push-button switch The present invention, the objective of which is to provide a push-button switch realized in a way to be held lightly with a small force at the position where the push button is pressed, and obtain a large returning force when the pressing force of the pu... | 12/25/2001 |
| 6207915 | Reset mechanism for canceling locked state in a push-button switch A push-button switch comprising cases, a slide member disposed movably in the cases, a heart-shaped cam groove formed in the slide member, and a locking pin for locking the slide member in a depressed position in cooperation with the heart-shaped cam groo... | 03/27/2001 |
| 5720379 | Push-push switch with lock A switch in one embodiment includes a knob slidable through an aperture in a bezel. The knob is guided within a post mounted on a carrier and is biased to an outward position with respect to a carrier. A latch movably mounted on the carrier is rotated bet... | 02/24/1998 |
| 5430249 | Knob assembly A self-retaining knob assembly (200) includes a housing (150) and a hub (120). The housing (150) has a cavity(157) for receiving a key (135) and a rotation track (160) about the cavity (157). The hub (120) has an integral key (135) and is rotatably mounte... | 07/04/1995 |
| 5136130 | Locking actuator trigger button for electrical switch A locking switch apparatus for an electric device inlcudes a trigger button having a pair of spaced flanges cooperating to define a switch-receiving cavity. An electrical switch has a hollow dielectric body with opposed sidewall and bottom surfaces. A loc... | 08/04/1992 |
| 5039829 | Push-pull switch and lock therefor The invention is an assembly of a push-pull switch and a device to selectively limit the action of the push-pull switch. The switch has a body, a plunger translatable into or from the body, and a round head on the plunger. The switch opens or closes depen... | 08/13/1991 |
| 5021616 | Switch cover A power switch cover having an elongate base member with a track formed therein and adapted to support a sliding member which includes an end portion to protect a recessed switch. The switch is accessible through the base member and once turned on is prot... | 06/04/1991 |
| 4962396 | Single lock switch for inputting commands associated with shooting in movie camera A shoot command entering switch for a video camera or similar movie camera is implemented by a single action switch and provided with a locking mechanism. The switch is allowed to enter a shoot start command and a shoot end command in the camera by a sing... | 10/09/1990 |
| 4916277 | Alternate action mechanism An alternate action mechanism having a housing with first and second transverse walls enclosing a snap-acting switch accessible through a hole in the first wall. An actuator includes a plunger disposed in the hole for operating the switch and a guide stru... | 04/10/1990 |
| 4897517 | Vacuum cleaner switch retainer An improvement for an electrically powered appliance having a pushbutton "ON-OFF" switch. A cam mechanism is manually operable by a user of the appliance to move the switch from its biased "OFF" position to its unbiased "ON" position. The mechanism holds ... | 01/30/1990 |
| 4713509 | Palm switch actuator and latch A combination actuator and guard for palm switches of the type conventionally used to initiate the cycle operation of hydraulic presses and like machines comprising a hand-lever pivotally mounted on a frame that is adapted for mounting on the machine at t... | 12/15/1987 |
| 4464549 | Digital switch Disclosed is a digital switch which is manually rotated step by step and which comprises a casing, a wheel rotatably supported in the casing, device for manually rotating the wheel step by step, an electrical contact carried by the wheel, an electrical ci... | 08/07/1984 |
| 4447688 | Push button switches having improved carriage, contactor and contact constructions A push button switch comprising a noncircular push button, a casing having a noncircular guide opening for the push button, a push button return spring, a carriage member projecting in one lateral direction from the push button and carrying a contactor fa... | 05/08/1984 |
| 4314124 | Pushbutton contact A pushbutton contactor has means for transforming the contacting function into a locking function or vice versa in which detent means are provided on the actuating member which cooperate with cam surfaces in the guide cylinder of the pushbutton contactor.... | 02/02/1982 |
| 4124313 | Keyboard assembly A keyboard assembly includes a U-shaped carrier member and a plurality of key members connected thereon by resiliently yieldable legs having detent portions which engage cooperating recesses provided in the bottom wall of the U-shaped carrier member with ... | 11/07/1978 |
| 3997749 | Electric vehicle emergency power disconnect switch A disconnect means is provided which is particularly suited to be employed in connection with an electrically powered motor vehicle for purposes of effecting an emergency disconnect of the electrical power circuit thereof. The subject disconnect means inc... | 12/14/1976 |
| 3979571 | Buckled spring switch mechanism with latching pushbutton A switching mechanism has at least two terminals partly positioned within a housing and a reciprocal actuator movable within the housing. A coil spring, under endwise buckling pressure, is mounted between spaced portions of one of the terminals, with move... | 09/07/1976 |
| 3953696 | Actuator construction having releasable lock in actuated and deactuated positions An actuator comprises a housing having a bore with an opening and having a recess stop surface defined along the bore. A push button actuator is displaceable in the bore and projects through the opening so that it may be moved by hand between a non-actuat... | 04/27/1976 |
| 3952175 | Pushbutton switch mechanism having block out members with common mounting and discrete latch bar A pushbutton switch mechanism includes a two-piece housing, a plurality of terminals positioned in the housing, a plurality of contact arms and a pivotally movable latch member within the housing. One of the housing sections has integrally molded pushbutt... | 04/20/1976 |
