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 |
| 7458143 | System for centering a workpiece on the central axis of a cylindrical bore A system for precisely centering a workpiece within a cylindrical bore such that the center of the workpiece is coaxial with the central axis of the bore. An arbor is used within the cylindrical bore to sense and calculate the location of the central axis. The posit... | 12/02/2008 |
| 7444742 | Flexible fixture The present invention relates to an aligning fixture having a support with a reference surface, an aligning member and an actuator. The actuator is mounted to the support and operably coupled to the aligning member. The actuator moves the aligning member selectively... | 11/04/2008 |
| 7402442 | Physically highly secure multi-chip assembly A physically secure processing assembly is provided that includes dies mounted on a substrate so as to sandwich the electrical contacts of the dies between the dies and the substrate. The substrate is provided with substrate contacts and conductive pathways that are... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7401400 | System for mounting a snap ring A system for mounting a snap ring to a workpiece includes: a supporting structure; a snap ring guide unit mounted to the supporting structure by a first actuating device; a snap ring assembling unit including a supporting portion connected to the supporting structur... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7375406 | Thermoplastic overmolding for small package turbocharger speed sensor A sensor package apparatus includes a lead frame substrate that supports one or more electrical components, which are connected to and located on the lead frame substrate. A plurality of wire bonds are also provided, which electrically connect the electrical compone... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7336500 | Method and apparatus for encapsulating a printed circuit board A demonstration tool for a programmable logic device is provided. The demonstration tool includes a circuit board partially disposed within a transparent block. A collar having an opening defined therein is disposed between the transparent clock and a base of the de... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7305755 | Processing tong A hydraulic processing tong for processing workpieces, with a tool, has a first tool part with an axially movable press ram or plunger, which with a first end or a tool located there and an opposing workpiece assembly forms a work area or work gap and with the first... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7299544 | Apparatus for separating cull of semiconductor package molding system Disclosed is an apparatus for separating culls coupled to a lead frame when a semiconductor chip is molded. The apparatus includes a lower plate, on which culls coupled to a lead frame are placed, an upper plate pressing culls placed on the lower plate in order to s... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7278197 | Method for producing a tool A tool 10 which is made by a method which efficiently allows internal passageways, such as passageway 50, which are at least partially circumscribed by thermally conductive material 103, to be formed in the tool 10, thereby allowing for e... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7270021 | Apparatus and method for mounting and moving a working apparatus on a structure for the performance of works on the structure A working apparatus has: a working equipment for doing works on a structure; an operation mechanism adapted to actively move the working equipment relative to the structure; and an adhering/traveling module coupled to the operation mechanism and adapted to adhere to... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7257885 | Apparatus for fastening sand core elements Core sand elements are rapidly and reliably retained by driving one or more smooth surface fasteners, such as staples, nails or brads, into the core elements. In production, after the core sand elements are assembled, the core assemblies are placed on a moving belt ... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7231709 | Component mounting apparatus In accordance with a component mounting apparatus, a component stored in a component feeder is held by a component holding member and is then mounted in a mounting position on an object. The apparatus functions to, when a mounting posture of the component in which t... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7222414 | Component transfer systems A system for transferring electrical components. The system may comprise a plurality of electrical components. Each of the components may include leads and a physically asymmetric fiducial marker that structurally alters a physical appearance of the components. The ... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7185411 | Method and apparatus for forming fine gauge and monofilament single and double-armed sutures An apparatus for forming armed sutures has a swaging station for receiving, holding and swaging needles that are deposited therein. A linear motor drives a suture insertion gripper, which pulls suture from a supply reel and inserts a cut end thereof into a needle he... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7181372 | Design method using knowledge-based optimization A system for designing vehicle chassis carriers comprises a user interface that receives vehicle parameter data. The user interface may be implemented using a spreadsheet or other data entry application as are known in the art. A user enters the vehicle parameter da... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7178227 | Workpiece presenter for a flexible manufacturing system A workpiece presenter for fixturing a workpiece of a vehicle assembly is provided, including a platform 50, and a tooling plate 7 removably connected to the platform, the tooling plate including a planar body 10 for supporting fixture tools 3... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7162799 | Method for manufacturing an item A method for notifying installers 14–22 of the existence, type, and location of a portion 26 of an item within an assembly line 10. The notification allows the installers 14–22 to respectively ensure that the components 40 whic... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7153078 | Loading and unloading station and method for load carrier of vehicle bodies, vehicles and the like Through a loading and unloading station for load carriers of vehicle bodies, vehicles or the like, it is possible to unload vehicle bodies from a railway car in a continuous cycle and supply them to a production facility, wherein in one cycle simultaneously the load... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7150084 | Slide fastener manufacturing apparatus Machining portions such as a cutter portion, a slider inserting portion and an upper stopper attaching portion are provided around the vertical axis of a fixed table portion in order of machining. A fastener chain cut to have a predetermined length is held by the fi... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7143494 | Method and apparatus for assembling exterior automotive vehicle body components onto an automotive vehicle body The present invention generally relates to a method and programmable apparatus for the assembly of body components to an automotive body that has undergone a progressive series of framing and welding steps so as to produce a structurally rigid body frame, termed a b... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7127810 | Method of manufacturing electronic device including aligning first substrate, second substrate and mask, and transferring object from first substrate to second substrate, including irradiating object on first substrate with light through mask A method of manufacturing an electronic device includes providing a mask substrate, a first substrate on which an object to be transferred is formed, and a second substrate to which the object is to be transferred, adjusting positions of the mask substrate, the firs... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7129507 | Chip mis-position detection method The invention is a method for detecting float or peel of semiconductor chips arranged in X and Y axes directions diced and bonded to a dicing tape on a stage. The method includes detecting float or peel of the semiconductor chips in a respective horizontal or longit... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7126145 | Frame transfer prober A frame transfer prober 1, for carrying out an electrical property test on a number of semiconductor chips 10 fixed on a dicing tape 11, comprises a separation detection unit 9 for detecting the separation and/or protrusion of the semicon... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7100272 | Apparatus for forming rivet joints A method and apparatus for forming rivet joints with a desired amount of clearance to allow pivotal motion of the parts interconnected by such joints. Parts to be riveted together are aligned with each other, and a rivet is placed into aligned holes. A parts clamp u... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7096572 | Device for fitting substrates with electric components The inventive device comprises a positioning device (4) for a fitting head (14). The positioning device is anchored on a support (3), which is detachably fastened to a supporting body (2) of the inventive device. A control device (17 | 08/29/2006 |
| 7089653 | Apparatus for positioning a sunroof on a vehicle body A sunroof is automatically and precisely positioned to a mounting position by an apparatus including a floating plate movably mounted to a base member. A secondary lift structure is mounted to the floating plate and a centering cylinder unit is disposed between the ... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7065864 | Method for component mounting There are provided a method and apparatus of component mounting capable of avoiding damage caused by production operations with a component holder having debris thereon. If it is determined during a detecting step of a component holding condition that a component is... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7062842 | Device for detecting positioning of a staple for a frame assembling machine, and method for using said device A spring (18) is interposed between the sliding carriage (6) carrying a hammer (13) for driving-in and the actuator rod. The spring is mounted on the head (15) of a push rod, which carries a push contact (16) surrounded by an insul... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7062831 | Method for monitoring proper fastening of an article of assembly at more than one location A more reliable and fool-proof method and apparatus for assembling an article of assembly (e.g. with predetermined screw torque requirements) in which the article of assembly has multiple fastening locations. The method comprises holding the article of assembly fixe... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7055240 | Positioning apparatus for precisely locating a part or other article Horizontal guide rails are mounted on a base and receive linear bearings mounted on the bottom of a tower which carries vertical guide rails receiving linear bearings mounted on a vertical carriage plate. Linear bearings are mounted on the carriage plate and support... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7055233 | Device and method for assigning a tool to a workpiece For assigning a tool to a workpiece conveyed on an assembly line, at least one transmitter is arranged in the area of an assembly line, and a receiver is arranged on the tool. An analyzing unit determines the distance of the tool from each transmitter, based on the ... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7051427 | Integrated circuit trimming device broken die sensor A broken trim die tool detection sensor. The lands of the tie bar die connect with the leads of the unit to form switches. The states of these switches indicate broken die lands or other malfunctions. ... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7037248 | Machine tool A method and a device for detecting the incorrect chucking of a machine tool capable of easily and surely detecting a chucking error; the method, comprising the steps of measuring, by a sensor (12), the change of a distance (d) between the sensor (12) ... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7032298 | Apparatus for replacing defective PCB from PCB panel The present invention relates to an apparatus for replacing a defective PCB unit formed on a PCB panel with a nondefective PCB unit, in which the location of the nondefective PCB unit disposed on a location correcting table is corrected by a location correcting driv... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7032296 | Self-piercing fastening system The preferred embodiment of a fastening system includes a self-piercing fastener having a thread-like pattern. In another aspect of the present invention, a fastener insertion machine employs an electromagnetic actuator without fluid actuation. A further aspect of t... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7017262 | Component alignment methods A method of placing a component having leads and an alignment indicating fiducial marker is provided. The method includes detecting the alignment of the fiducial marker on the component, comparing the detected fiducial alignment with a predetermined fiducial alignme... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6990716 | Device for supplying a connecting element to a processing unit and method of supplying the connecting element A device supplies a connecting element to a processing unit, in particular supplies punch nuts or rivet nuts to a punching head of a press, by a conveyer belt. The device contains a feed element, which has a flap that can be displaced in the conveyer belt and has a ... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6986200 | Method for mounting parts A method for mounting parts may include recognizing a particular part feeder where a part to be mounted is contained among a plurality of part feeders, moving a head unit to a position for picking up a part on the part feeder, moving an image sensor installed to be ... | 01/17/2006 |
| 6979288 | Manufacturing system for aircraft structures and other large structures A production system for manufacturing a workpiece comprises an index system including a plurality of index devices removably mounted on the workpiece at known longitudinally spaced locations therealong, and a longitudinally extending index member releasably engaged ... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6975088 | Automatic dynamic joint tensioning system A system for automatically adjusting a fastener screw of a pivot joint between first and second parts of a pair of scissors, each part having a blade and a respective handle. A part clamp engages and holds the handle of the first part. A torque arm engages and moves... | 12/13/2005 |
