Did You Know...
...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!
PatentStorm News
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 |
| 7435347 | Filter device and parts thereof and a method for operating of the filter device A filter device has a filter housing part (10) with a filter element (12) and can be detachably connected to another filter housing part (20). A valve (24) clears a fluid path in the interconnected state of the housing parts (10, 20 | 10/14/2008 |
| 7399169 | Compressor The invention provides a compressor that can reduce occurrence of vibration and noise due to self-induced vibration of an suction valve at the time of a low flow rate surely with an inexpensive structure. In the compressor according to the invention, an opening regu... | 07/15/2008 |
| 6983924 | Compliant, ortho-planar, linear motion spring An ortho-planar spring has a platform movably coupled to a base and being movable linearly with respect to the base along at least a portion of an axial direction perpendicular to both a base surface and a platform surface. A resilient and flexible connecting struct... | 01/10/2006 |
| 6957666 | Spring valve implemented flow control valves Improved low flow impedance flow control valves are disclosed in the present invention wherein spring valve means (12) captured between a valve spool (28) and a shoulder (30) are utilized for selectively metering a flow of fluid from an inlet po... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6892760 | Self closing coupling A valve arrangement for dispensing liquid from a flexible container (124) containing a dispenser body (106) connected to a flexible container (124) for containing a liquid and a first biasing means (168) adapted to bias a first closing me... | 05/17/2005 |
| 6817374 | Check valve In one embodiment, a check valve includes an outer region and a central region. One or more cuts wind from the outer region towards the central region. In the presence of flow along one direction, the check valve opens by extending the central region away from the o... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6749176 | Elliptical valve with nominal flow adjustment A valve for the accurate control of fluid flowing through the valve. The valve has a valve body and a flow control mechanism. The valve body is a two-part body having a fluid flow section and a valve adjustment section. The fluid flow section has a fluid flow cavity... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6705585 | Multi-purpose valve A multi-purpose valve includes, a band of a thermodynamic metal alloy with shape memory, with a memorised shape and a transition temperature which lies in the range for the normal body temperature of a mammal. The strip has a linear shape below the transition temper... | 03/16/2004 |
| 6668849 | Check valve In one embodiment, a check valve includes an outer region and a central region. One or more cuts wind from the outer region towards the central region. In the presence of low along one direction, the check valve opens by extending the central region away ... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6557827 | Leaf spring valve The valve is enabled, by being endowed with the force of stored energy, to generate an opening/closing motion with a small operating torque infallibly and stably, permit a reduction in cost, allow a compact construction, excel in durability, and enjoy a h... | 05/06/2003 |
| 6382593 | Fluid coupling A fluid coupling for dispensing fluids, suitable for connecting a fitment disposed within a fluid source to a fluid receiving member. The fluid coupling includes a housing that defines a central passage between front and back openings and a first flow pas... | 05/07/2002 |
| 6120004 | Variable capillary apparatus for hydrostatic bearing and motion error compensating method using same Variable capillary apparatus and motion error compensation method using the same. The apparatus has upper and lower bodies and a leaf spring inserted therebetween. Between a lower center portion of the upper body and the spring, there is formed a capillar... | 09/19/2000 |
| 5931375 | Valve for a system having an energy-carrying medium Energy exchanger valve (8) with thermostat valve (12), a housing (9) with inlet (20) and outlet (21), a thermostat bellows displaceable spindle (30) with seal (42) which, by the expansion/contraction of the thermostat bellows and against the pressure of a... | 08/03/1999 |
| 5577533 | Flexured shaft poppet In a valve, the valve poppet member is constructed from a spring material where a tubular wall portion has a spiral wall configuration intermediate of a supporting base and a valve head. The spiral wall configuration has inner and outer diameters, a speci... | 11/26/1996 |
| 5551723 | Pulse shaping for airbag inflators An inflator includes a vessel for a source of gas under pressure. A pulse shaping valving means in the form of a Belleville washer or a sliding valve actuated by a Belleville washer operates to shape the pulse of gas flowing out of the vessel. Other than ... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5477883 | Self-sealing bag valve A self-sealing bag valve for use with a quick-disconnect coupling in a bag-in-box (BIB) syrup dispensing assembly for a post-mix beverage dispenser includes a plastic spring assembly for normally biasing a poppet of a self-sealing valve into sealing engag... | 12/26/1995 |
| 5415201 | Multi-stage fluid flow control device A fluid flow control device includes a support brace fixably mounted in a uid flow tube. An actuator rod is slidably supported by the support brace. A plurality of conical washers are mounted in sliding engagement on the rod between a stop mechanism on th... | 05/16/1995 |
| 5415202 | Multistage variable area throttle valve A throttle or fluid control valve uses at least one compressible multi-wave asher as a fluid control element. The apertures formed by the multi-wave washer are short and of low aspect ratio when the valve is fully open to limit pressure drop across the val... | 05/16/1995 |
| 5335862 | Discharge nozzle for a liquid filling assembly A liquid filling assembly includes a discharge nozzle arrangement which includes a closely wound spring operatively connected at its outer periphery to a diffuser chamber and including a plurality of coils adapted to retain a volume of fluid thereabove un... | 08/09/1994 |
| 5303738 | Control valve A control valve includes a tubular member and a truncated conical helix spring received in the tubular member. A diverging open end of the helix spring is fixed adjacent to a first open end of the tubular member. The helix spring has a truncated tapered o... | 04/19/1994 |
| 5285805 | Stretch valve method and apparatus A stretch valve which achieves precise control of fluid flow rates through the use of a cylindrical elastomeric valve element. This elastomer element is installed within the cylindrical flow path of a valve body. The flow path has a diameter that is sligh... | 02/15/1994 |
| 4905798 | Shock absorber A shock absorber for use in motor vehicles which includes a piston within a packet, inside the piston the entire quantity of the damping fluid exchanged between two work chambers flows via a throttle cross section the size of which is defined by an electr... | 03/06/1990 |
| 4858644 | Fluid flow regulator A fluid flow regulator in which the fluid flow therethrough is restricted twice, first through a fixed orifice in a slidable piston and then through a variable flow restrictor which is a spring. This spring is axially aligned with and bears against the pi... | 08/22/1989 |
| 4778104 | Temperature responsive line valve Line valve apparatus for shower anti-scald and other uses comprising a housing (10) valving member (14) and a coil spring pilot valve (20) formed of a shape memory effect alloy and arranged for a first closed loop fluid blocking configuration to prevent, ... | 10/18/1988 |
| 4746105 | Filters and valves The present specification discloses an adjustable element for use in a filter or valve. The element comprises a coiled spring, tension or compression, which can be extended or contracted by suitable means to vary the degree of filtration and flow-through ... | 05/24/1988 |
| 4728088 | Helically wound bushing A helical bearing bushing for use between a cylindrical shaft and an element containing a bore disposed around the shaft, such as a kingpin and steering knuckle assembly, includes a helically wound spring wire as the bearing bushing. The spring wire is he... | 03/01/1988 |
| 4714087 | Fuel additive proportioning apparatus and method Apparatus and a method is provided for delivering a fuel additive to fuel flowing through a pump from an upstream side to a discharge side thereof for delivery to a dispenser with fuel flow through the pump and dispenser being controlled by a dispensing v... | 12/22/1987 |
| 4700746 | Control valve for high pressure fluids A control valve for dissipating the energy of a high pressure flowing media, the apparatus comprising a valve body having an internal cavity, an inlet and at least one outlet, the inlet, outlet and cavity being in communication to form a flow path through... | 10/20/1987 |
| 4549717 | Heat responsive valve A safety valve responding to overheating conditions of the surrounding atmosphere, more specifically a combustion gas inlet valve that closes when a fire declares. The valve uses a shape-memory element for detection and command. For the latter function it... | 10/29/1985 |
| 3973631 | Method and device for extinguishing fires in oil wells A method and apparatus for extinguishing oil well fires in wells having an inner pipe and an outer pipe separated by an annular space. A plurality of rod-like members as drills are inserted in a common horizontal plane at equal radial spacing through the ... | 08/10/1976 |
| 3957083 | Pressure sensitive regulating valve A pressure sensitive regulating valve formed of a spring mounted within a conduit in which fluid flow is to be regulated. The fluid flow is regulated by the pressure responsive expansion and contraction of the axially deformable spring whose successive co... | 05/18/1976 |
