Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7591477 | System for capturing a vehicle The system for capturing a vehicle is a device, which is mounted on the front of a first vehicle for deploying a grasping hook for grasping the rear bumper of a second vehicle. In operation, the system begins in a locked configuration, with a hook member being posit... | 09/22/2009 |
| 7506889 | Tow-bar mount for a HMMWV or other vehicle A mount for holding a tow-bar having pivotally attached arms, attachable to a vehicle such as a HMMWV 1114 (the up-armored HMMWV), for holding the tow-bar outside the vehicle. A kit is also provided including materials and hardware for making the mount and including... | 03/24/2009 |
| 7267354 | Towing device The present invention relates to a towing device which can be attached to a vehicle, in order to tow a heavy equipment vehicle, such as a tractor. The towing device includes a towbar hitch having two ends, a first end which attaches to a towing vehicle and a second ... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7222873 | Tow hook hitch assembly A tow hook hitch assembly attaches to one or both of the front tow hooks provided on a four wheel drive vehicle for mounting a tow ball, winch, or other accessory to the front end of the vehicle. The tow hook hitch includes an upper member extending above the tow ho... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7207590 | Towing hook mounting structure for vehicle A towing hook mounting structure for a vehicle comprises a bumper reinforcement extending in a width direction of the vehicle and including a front surface, a back surface, a top surface and an under surface, a hook mounting member to which a towing hook is fixed, a... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7156433 | Bumper with energy absorber forming useful features A bumper system for a vehicle comprises a beam having a face and having mounts adapted for mounting to a vehicle frame, and an energy absorber engaging the face and having end sections located outboard of ends of the beam, the energy absorber being made of a structu... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7097182 | Collapsible utility cart A collapsible utility cart that is composed of a pair of a plurality of interconnected frames that when in the usage state assumes a box-like configuration mounted on a plurality of wheels. There is a handle assembly that is mounted to the frames with this handle as... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7066365 | Transportable shooting apparatus An apparatus, which can be secured to a vehicle, and which can be used to affix, transport, and deploy shooting sports equipment such as a target dispenser, or a gun-sighting bench rest assembly. The apparatus is most commonly secured to and transported by an all-te... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7032919 | Tow bar for vehicle A tow bar for connecting a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle, the tow bar comprising a towing vehicle connection mechanism connected to the towing vehicle; a towed vehicle connection mechanism connected to the towed vehicle; and an interconnecting mechanism connecti... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6957825 | Trailer impact suppression apparatus A hitch receiving assembly for connecting a trailer to towing vehicle is disclosed. The hitch receiving assembly includes a first fixed elongate member mountable to a trailer and a second floating hitch receiving member that is separated from the fixed member by a p... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6942443 | Wheel-lift device with tongue for towing vehicles A wheel lift hitch device for towing a vehicle, particularly a hitch that is assembled from several components to surround and carry an axle of a vehicle to be towed, in which the device becomes a rigid appendage to that vehicle. The appendage serves as a tongue to ... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6902183 | Tow hook hitch assembly and method A tow hook hitch assembly attaches to one or both of the front tow hooks provided on a four wheel drive vehicle for mounting a tow ball, winch, or other accessory to the front end of the vehicle. The tow hook hitch includes an upper member extending above the tow ho... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6709036 | Bumper with hitch A bumper system includes a tubular bumper beam, and a hitch-supporting bracket. The bracket has an inverted U-shaped section that fits downwardly onto the tubular bumper beam, and further has a laterally-extending planar section with a hole therein that is shaped to... | 03/23/2004 |
| 6474676 | Universal tow bar An apparatus for towing a vehicle having a bumper and a frame where the frame of the vehicle includes first and second towing features. The apparatus includes a frame having spaced apart first and second side members, and first and second securing members... | 11/05/2002 |
| 5351982 | Cluster ball trailer hitch A generally plate-like mounting member is provided for rigid securement to a tow hitch area of a towing vehicle and the mounting member is of non-circular configuration in plan shape and includes upwardly convergent inclined peripheral edges. A generally ... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5350029 | Automobile emergency accessory Nearly everyone who drives an automobile has experienced engine failure or other problems with the transmission, cooler lines, drive shaft, differential or electrical components or has run out of gas at one time or another. The disabled car is immobilized... | 09/27/1994 |
| 5150911 | Tow bar assembly An improved tow bar assembly used to tow cars or trailers located on uneven terrain. The assembly uses two tow bars. One end of each tow bar is attached to a bumper housing. Each bumper housing is removably clamped to the bumper of a disabled vehicle by a... | 09/29/1992 |
| 5064209 | Combined trailer/wheelchair The invention relates to a combined trailer/wheelchair which can either be towed behind a powered cart or be manually pushed as a wheelchair and which includes features such as a removable or telescoping tow bar, an articulated hitch mechanism adapted to ... | 11/12/1991 |
| 4958847 | Tow bar assembly A tow bar assembly used to tow cars located on uneven terrain. The assembly uses two tow bars. One end of each tow bar is attached to a bumper housing. Each bumper housing is removably clamped to the bumper of a disabled vehicle by a chain which has one e... | 09/25/1990 |
| 4867469 | Front mount trailer hitch A bumper hitch for quick and firm connection to the bumper of a variety of vehicles is particularly adapted for connection to the front bumper to allow manuevering or parking of a boat trailer, for example with direct observation by the driver. The hitch ... | 09/19/1989 |
| 4516790 | Slide adjustment member for a vehicle towbar A vehicle towbar assembly includes a pair of face plates fastened to the towbar frame and abutting the front bumper of a towed vehicle. A slide adjustment member secured to the face plate rests on the top of the bumper to hold the towbar frame up. Tow cha... | 05/14/1985 |
| 4441731 | Towing system for vehicles with rear bumpers A towing system for vehicles with rear bumpers, including an anchor plate mounted to the underside of the rear bumper, a bracket secured to the anchor plate with a channel therein and a pair of laterally disposed flanges projecting from the top edges of t... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4437622 | Wire roller A wire roller includes a wire receiving spool rotatably supported on a frame adapted for support on a vehicle. The power means for rotating the spool includes an electric motor supported on the frame and coacting drive means on the motor and spool for rot... | 03/20/1984 |
| 4398743 | Vehicle towing system A vehicle mounted towing system for use with tubular rear bumpers affixed to the frame of a vehicle at a height substantially above the trailer towing tang of the towed vehicle, including an anchor plate mounted to the underside of the rear bumper, a guss... | 08/16/1983 |
| 4326730 | Quick transfer tow bar A hitch is disclosed which readily attaches itself via hitch assemblies to the bumper of an automobile and simultaneously secures the cross bar or draft bar of the hitch in a manner which requires no threading devices to obtain the securing action. In fac... | 04/27/1982 |
| 4318501 | Bumper mounted carrier rack A bumper mounted carrier rack of the type having spaced downwardly extending rack legs on the bumper of a vehicle. The carrier rack is detachably mounted on the vehicle bumper by bumper mounting brackets which include tubular posts dimensioned to receive ... | 03/09/1982 |
| 4277081 | Bumper trailer hitch A trailer hitch for mounting on the front or rear bumper of a vehicle is disclosed. The hitch is useful for hauling trailers of various types and is particularly useful in launching boats from boat trailers while secured by the hitch to the front end of t... | 07/07/1981 |
| 4266800 | Tow bar apparatus A towing apparatus of enhanced stability is illustrated for attaching an automobile and other vehicle to be towed to a towing vehicle wherein diverging arms are pivoted adjacent one end of a central bar or frame member which extends rearwardly from a towi... | 05/12/1981 |
| 4264086 | Bumper hitch A bumper hitch has a clamp applied to a vehicle bumper by a flexible strap and hooks. The flexible strap is initially wound on rotatable cross members to initially engage the hooks with the upper and lower, inner edges of the bumper. Screws at opposite en... | 04/28/1981 |
| 4208064 | Hitch construction The invention provides a hitch intended especially as a bumper hitch for automobiles and employing a pair of adjustable-length chains to connect the hitch to the bumper. The two chains are connected to the arms of a centrally-pivoted, two-armed lever and ... | 06/17/1980 |
| 4196919 | Quick mount transfer trailer hitch A hitch assembly is disclosed which readily attaches itself to the bumper of an automobile and simultaneously secures the cross bar or draft bar of the hitch in a manner which requires no threading devices to obtain the securing action. In fact the securi... | 04/08/1980 |
| 4166632 | Bumper hitch assembly A "rental" type of bumper hitch assembly is disclosed which includes a drawbar having a coupling mechanism attached to each end thereof, each coupling mechanism provides two points of attachment to the upper edge of a bumper of a towing vehicle, and one p... | 09/04/1979 |
| 4111449 | Bumper hitch for towing motorcycles A quick detachable bumper hitch for towing a motorcycle employing manually operated means for raising and lowering the front wheel of the cycle to maintain a given relationship with the road surface on which the rear wheel of the motorcycle is being suppo... | 09/05/1978 |
| 4027894 | Coupling head for securing a vehicle towing assembly A coupling head is illustrated for securing a towing assembly to the bumper of a vehicle wherein a pivoted mounting member to which a chain is fastened is provided with a locking member for securing said mounting member after it is pivoted to a chain tigh... | 06/07/1977 |
| 4022489 | Universal curved towbar The universal curved towbar comprises a pair of curved arm assemblies which are pivoted upon a coupler assembly, and diverge to include bumper mounting assemblies on their distal ends. The curved arm assemblies lie in a lateral plane, with their convex su... | 05/10/1977 |
