...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8137520 | Chloride ion-selective electrode A chloride ion-selective electrode comprises: a reference electrode in contact with a reference solution; and a chloride ion-selective membrane as the interface of a sample and the reference solution, wherein the chloride-ion selective membrane comprises a chloride ... | 03/20/2012 |
| 8097135 | Reversible electrochemical sensors for polyions The present invention is directed to a reversible electrochemical sensor for polyions. The sensor uses active extraction and ion stripping, which are controlled electrochemically. Spontaneous polyion extraction is suppressed by using membranes containing highly lipo... | 01/17/2012 |
| 7736478 | Ion solution concentration-detecting device An ion solution concentration-detecting device includes a working electrode, a reference electrode, and a link element. The working electrode and the reference electrode are inserted into the link element. The working electrode, inserted into the link element, is re... | 06/15/2010 |
| 7678252 | Long lived anion-selective sensors based on a covalently attached metalloporphyrin as anion receptor A graft copolymer having metalloporphyrin ionophores covalently attached in a manner that prevents dimer formation is provided. A method of making the graft copolymer comprises polymerizing a functionalized metalloporphyrin monomer, which includes a polymerizable gr... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7393448 | Method of binding a compound to a sensor surface The present invention relates to a method of non-covalently binding a compound to a sensor surface. The method comprises adsorbing a hydrophobin-like substance to at least a part of the sensor surface, such as an electrode. The invention further provides a sensor ha... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7384523 | Chloride ion selective membrane and sensor A chloride selective electrode membrane comprises a polymeric matrix wherein the matrix comprises an epoxy resin, and an amine agent selected from the group consisting of polyamides, amidoamines and mixtures thereof. The amine agent is present in stoichiometric exce... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7371247 | Method and apparatus for penetrating tissue A tissue penetrating system includes a plurality of penetrating members each having a tip. A penetrating member driver is coupled to the plurality of penetrating members. Each tip of a penetrating member is uncovered during launch of the penetrating member by the pe... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7342290 | Semiconductor metal contamination reduction for ultra-thin gate dielectrics A bilayer dielectric structure for substantially reducing or eliminating metal contaminants formed during subsequent polysilicon deposition is provided. The bilayer dielectric structure includes an upper surface region that is rich in chlorine located atop a bottom ... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7331931 | Method and apparatus for penetrating tissue These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in a body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site that includes an electrically powered drive force generator. A penetrating member is operatively coupled to the force generator. The force generato... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7316700 | Self optimizing lancing device with adaptation means to temporal variations in cutaneous properties A lancing device, an embodiment of which controls the advancement and retraction of a lancet by monitoring the position of the lancet in conjunction with a lancet controller which incorporates a feedback loop for modulating the lancet driver to follow a predetermine... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7291117 | Method and apparatus for penetrating tissue These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in a body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site that includes a voice coil based penetrating member driver. A plurality of penetrating members are included. A transport mechanism is configured to... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7287318 | Biosensor A biosensor is provided that comprises a plate element with a pre-determined reaction zone and a recess positioned adjacent to the reaction zone. The biosensor also comprises a reagent that is positioned on the reaction zone. In preferred embodiments, the recess cir... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7276145 | PH electrode An object of the present invention is to suppress an electric potential drift as described above and improve pH measurement precision in order to obtain practical measurement precision in the dry-type multilayered film-type pH electrode. The present invention provid... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7258693 | Device and method for variable speed lancet A method of penetrating tissue is provided. The method comprises using a lancet driver to advance a lancet into the tissue; advancing the lancet at a first desired velocity in a first layer of tissue; advancing the lancet at a second desired velocity in a second lay... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7247489 | Ion-detecting microspheres and methods of use thereof This invention provides methods of using ion-detecting microspheres containing an ionphore and a chromoionphore in clinical laboratory instrumentation such as flow cytometry for sample analysis. In one embodiment, the microspheres are contacted with a flowing stream... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7244265 | Method and apparatus for penetrating tissue These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in a body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site that includes a drive force generator and a penetrating member operatively coupled to the force generator. The force generator moves the member alo... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7232451 | Method and apparatus for penetrating tissue A skin penetrating system has a housing member and a plurality of penetrating members positioned in the housing member. A tissue stabilizing device is coupled to the housing member. A user interface is configured to relay at least one of, skin penetrating performanc... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7229458 | Method and apparatus for penetrating tissue A tissue penetrating system includes a plurality of cartridges each with a distal port and a proximal port. A plurality of penetrating members are provided, each coupled to a cartridge and having a sharpened distal tip and a shaft portion slidably disposed within th... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7226461 | Method and apparatus for a multi-use body fluid sampling device with sterility barrier release A device for use with a gripper is provided. A cartridge is provided that defines a plurality of cavities. A plurality of penetrating members are at least partially contained in the cavities of the cartridge. The penetrating members are slidably movable to extend ou... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7226563 | Ion-detecting sensors comprising plasticizer-free copolymers Plasticizer-free ion-detecting sensors for detecting a target ion in a sample are provided. The sensor comprises a plasticizer-free copolymer comprised of polymerized units of methacrylate monomers and a polymerizable ion exchanger, wherein the methacrylated monomer... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7223327 | Method of preparing free polyelectrolyte membranes A releaseable membrane structure for producing a free membrane containing a substrate, a release stratum on the substrate and a membrane stratum on the release stratum. The release stratum and the membrane stratum contain oppositely-charged polyelectrolytes that are... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7208121 | Plasticizer-free-ion-detective sensors A plasticizer-free ion detective sensor for detecting a target ion in a sample is provided. The sensor comprises a copolymer of methacrylate monomers with pendant alkyl groups of different length, and an ionophore for detecting the target ion. The copolymer matrix o... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7201876 | Ion-detecting sensors comprising plasticizer-free copolymers Ion-detecting sensors for detecting a target ion in a sample are provided. The sensor comprises a plasticizer-free copolymer comprised of polymerized units of methacrylate monomers having pendent alkyl groups of different length and a functionalized ionophore of sai... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7198606 | Method and apparatus for a multi-use body fluid sampling device with analyte sensing A device for use with a penetrating member driver to penetrate tissue is provided. A plurality of penetrating members are coupled to a single cartridge and are operatively couplable to the penetrating member driver. The penetrating members are movable to extend radi... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7189315 | Ion sensor and clinical analyzer using the same An ion sensor has a flow path through which a sample flows. An ion-exchange membrane is in contact with the sample in the sample flow path. An internal solution is provided on one side of the ion-exchange membrane. An internal electrode is provided so as to come in ... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7189314 | Method and apparatus for quantitative analysis A sensory apparatus including a substrate including a plurality of sensors to obtain an analyte profile, the sensors including an ion-selective sensor capable of measuring ion content and a chlorine sensor capable of measuring chlorine content, is disclosed. A metho... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7179354 | Electrochemical sensor Disclosed is an electrochemical sensor comprising a work electrode and a reference electrode, said sensor adapted to measure the characteristics of a liquid under test, based on the relative electric potential difference and electric current between the work electro... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7144486 | Multilayer microcavity devices and methods Microcavities and micropores that are microscopic ( | 12/05/2006 |
| 7115195 | Ion selective monoelectrode complex An ion selective monoelectrode complex which is favorably employable to manufacture an ion activity measuring apparatus, has on a common non-electroconductive support sheet, plural ion selective monoelectrodes each of which is composed of an electrode composite cons... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7105095 | Method and apparatus for controlling concentration of water treatment chemicals A water-soluble lithium salt is added as a tracer substance along with a water treatment chemical to water to be treated. The concentration of lithium ions is electrochemically or optically measured using a lithium ion sensitive substance, so as to perform concentra... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7105274 | Photoluminescent ethylene sensors A photoluminescent polymer/transition metal complex is disclosed which is capable of selectively binding to alkenes to thereby alter the photoluminescence of the complex. In one embodiment, a poly(vinyl phenyl ketone)/Ag(I) complex is disclosed which reversibly and ... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7101472 | Microfluidic ion-selective electrode sensor system Ion-selective electrode sensor systems, and methods of fabricating such systems, may be utilized to analyze microfluidic sample volumes, i.e., sample volumes on the order of 1 to 1000 microliters. ... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7090977 | Electrochemiluminescence detection method for nucleic acid using intercalator and transition metal complex Disclosed is a method for detecting nucleic acid hybridization by using intercalator binding to hybridized nucleic acid, wherein oxidation-reduction of transition metallic complex is induced to cause electrochemiluminescence, thereby providing a method for detecting... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7083709 | Potentiometric, ion-selective electrode The invention relates to a potentiometric, ion-selective electrode for the measurement of cation concentration in a sample, which electrode is made of electrically conductive electrode material applied on an electrically insulating substrate using a thick-film techn... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7076564 | Method and apparatus for determining and resolving missing topology features of a network for improved topology accuracy The present invention describes a method and apparatus for resolving anomalies within a network topology map that typically occur when a derived topology map fails, for a variety of reasons, to include devices resident on the network. The method of the present inven... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7067343 | ISFETs fabrication method Methods for fabricating ion sensitive field effect transistors (ISFETs) with SnO2 extended gates. A SnO2 detection film is formed on a substrate by sol-gel technology to serve as an extended gate. The SnO2 detection film is electrica... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7063781 | Techniques for sensing chloride ions in wet or dry media Techniques are provided for measuring chloride ion concentration in a medium. The techniques allow measurements to be made in dry or alkaline media, or both. For alkaline conditions, a sensor includes a pair of electrodes and a polymer film imprinted for uptake of c... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7045054 | Small volume biosensor for continuous analyte monitoring Sensors (10, 110, 210, 310, 410) and a method for detecting an analyte are described. Sensors (10, 110, 210, 310, 410) each have a volume of a hydrophilic medium (24) that retains an amount of analyte proportionate to the concentration of analyt... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7041068 | Sampling module device and method A tissue penetration device and method of using same that may include a lancet module or sampling module. The sampling module may optionally be in a cartridge configuration and include sampling and analyzing functions, which may be integrated. ... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7038192 | Optical sensor method, system and apparatus An optical sensor system and method for determining the position, displacement and/or angle of a member (for example, a seal plate or valve gate) within a system (for example, a valve assembly in an aircraft turbine engine system or environmental control system). Th... | 05/02/2006 |