Did You Know...
...that when IBM conducted a market study of Chester Carlson's invention in 1959, the company concluded that it would take only 5000 units of his new product to saturate the market? IBM therefore declined to be part of the new product introduction. Too bad for IBM. Carlson's invention was the xerography process, and his new product was the beginning of the Xerox Corporation. It is estimated that every day, worldwide, 3,000,000,000 copies are made!!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8161645 | Method of producing vacuum solar thermal panels with a vacuum tight glass-metal seal A vacuum solar thermal panel including a vacuum envelope defining a sealed volume and able to withstand atmospheric pressure when evacuated, at least one heat absorber being disposed inside the vacuum envelope, a pipe entering and exiting the envelope and being in c... | 04/24/2012 |
| 6134784 | Method of making solar collectors by in-situ encapsulation of solar cells A method of making solar collectors by encapsulating photovoltaic cells within a base of an elongated solar collector wherein heat and pressure are applied to the cells in-situ, after an encapsulating material has been applied. A tool is fashioned having ... | 10/24/2000 |
| 6101716 | Evaporative cooler solar retrofit kit A new evaporative cooler solar retrofit kit for taking an evaporative cooler off of an electrical power grid, thus reducing the amount of electrical power supplied by such a grid, and reducing the cost of operating such a cooler. The inventive device incl... | 08/15/2000 |
| 6082353 | Solar panel and method of manufacturing thereof A method for forming a solar collector includes a panel provided with an inner bore and a deformable metal tube inserted in the bore and mechanically secured thereto by passing a plug or bullet through the tube to deform it outwardly into intimate contact... | 07/04/2000 |
| 6038768 | Method and apparatus for coupling panel boards and tubing to a header pipe Methods and apparatus for coupling heat exchange tubing to header pipes which include flanges are disclosed. Heat exchange tubing may generally be coupled, or bonded, to header pipe arrangements in order to produce heat exchanging devices which may be use... | 03/21/2000 |
| 5794611 | Solar collector A solar collector includes a copper plate and copper tubes for the collection and harnessing of solar energy. The copper tubes are thermally coupled to the copper plate by a copper alloy fillet. The copper tubes, the copper plate and the copper alloy fill... | 08/18/1998 |
| 5779817 | Circuit arrangement of solar cells A circuit arrangement with a first string of solar cells which are connected together in series and a second string of solar cells which are connected together in series, the electric power generated by the solar cells being used to operate an ohmic or in... | 07/14/1998 |
| 5184396 | Apparatus for making a novel solar collector This invention is a novel technique for making a solar energy collector in a fresnel configuration by using unique hot-wire tools. This process uses either a hot-wire radial cutter to produce concentric grooves and a hot-wire beveled cutter to produce ang... | 02/09/1993 |
| 5033190 | Method for controlling a tube expander A method for controlling, in the manufacture of plate fin and tube heat exchangers, the operation of a tube expander of the type that does not expand all hairpin tubes in a heat exchanger simultaneously so that the two legs of each hairpin tube are expand... | 07/23/1991 |
| 4756493 | Deployment system for space radiators A deployment system for controlling unfolding kinematics of radiator panels 26 of a space power system. The deployment system includes a plurality of forming mandrels 30 associated with a housing 38 of opposing generally triangular plates 40. Within the h... | 07/12/1988 |
| 4667653 | Solar water heater A passive solar water heater having a heat absorber and storage tank within an insulative housing. The housing is formed in a mold as a unitary structure having an exterior shell and a curved insulative interior covered with a reflective inner surface. Th... | 05/26/1987 |
| 4598450 | Method for fabricating a solar energy collector assembly utilizing a specifically designed fluid storage arrangement A method for fabricating a solar energy collector assembly of the integral storage type is disclosed herein. This assembly utilizes a specifically designed storage arrangement which is expanded into its final shape from an initial collapsed configuration.... | 07/08/1986 |
| 4586227 | Method of making a solar water heater There is disclosed a method for fabricating a passive solar water heater having a heat absorber and storage tank within an insulative housing. The housing is formed in a mold as a unitary structure having an exterior shell and a curved insulative interior... | 05/06/1986 |
| 4558736 | Heat exchanger, particularly for solar collectors and method of manufacture therefor For a heat exchanger, particularly for solar collectors, a metal plate is continuously longitudinally welded to a metal tube centrally between the longitudinal edges of the plate. The width of the metal plate is greater than the outer diameter or cross se... | 12/17/1985 |
| 4527547 | Solar heat collector A solar heat collector is composed of a pair of solar collector panels welded by a laser beam along a plurality of spaced seams. A fluid under pressure is introduced between the solar collector panels to bulge them until a plurality of heat-transfer mediu... | 07/09/1985 |
| 4509590 | Heat transfer device and method of manufacture In order to prevent collapse and stress cracking of heat transfer devices, such as those devices utilized in solar energy systems, a container, particularly one made of plastic, is partially filled with a solid or liquid heat transfer medium which evapora... | 04/09/1985 |
| 4506135 | Method and apparatus for manufacturing heat exchanger tubes For the manufacture of heat exchanger tubes having a metal strip (tangential surface) welded to the surface of the tube, the metal strip is fastened to the surface of the tube by through-welding with welding current of alternating value.... | 03/19/1985 |
| 4494288 | Method of production of cross-fin type heat exchanger A method of mechanically producing in a continuous process a cross-fin type heat exchanger having a large fin pitch for use as a natural convection type radiator or a solar heat collector including heat collecting surfaces formed by bending the fins. A pl... | 01/22/1985 |
| 4491175 | Method of connecting a plate-shaped absorber for solar heat to a tubular heat transport system There is provided a solar collector comprising a straight tubular metal heat pipe having an evaporator section and a condenser section. Two elongate metal absorber plates are longitudinally connected to the evaporator section and are bent in an outwardly ... | 01/01/1985 |
| 4483321 | Solar heat collector system This invention discloses a solar heat collector and system in which radiant heat energy is absorbed by an absorber plate and the heat is transferred by conduction to a circulating fluid. During normal operation, heat loss from the solar panel is reduced b... | 11/20/1984 |
| 4480635 | Solar heater The present invention relates to a solar heater for heating water comprising two sheets of blackened materials constituting one unit connected to each other by partition walls constituting longitudinal channels for the water to be heated and at both sides... | 11/06/1984 |
| 4428106 | Method of making double wall tubing assembly Improved double wall tubing assembly which is especially useful in heat exchangers of the "coil-in-can" type for solar applications has a double wall construction which insures that a leak developing from a failure in either of the walls will not result i... | 01/31/1984 |
| 4397303 | Heat exchanger for concentrating solar collectors and method for making the heat exchanger A heat exchanger assembly for use with concentrating solar collectors of the type employing an elongated conduit for transporting a heat exchange fluid, the heat exchanger being positioned within an opening in the upper surface of the conduit and operatin... | 08/09/1983 |
| 4382468 | Flat plate heat exchanger modules A heat exchanger module, such as a solar collector module, comprising a tube sheet (3) connected to a header (4). The tube sheet (3) passes through an opening in the header (4) so that the end of the sheet (5) protrudes a distance into the header (4), the... | 05/10/1983 |
| 4372027 | Method of manufacturing parabolic trough solar collector An improved monocoque parabolic solar collector which can be machine welded or fastened with rivets, bolts or other mechanical fasteners without the need for any blind fastening systems.... | 02/08/1983 |
| 4356815 | Solar energy collector having an absorber element of coated foil A solar energy collector and process for its preparation are disclosed in which the collector comprises spaced apart wall members in which one wall member is adapted to face solar radiation, and the other wall member is spaced on the remote side of the fi... | 11/02/1982 |
| 4354546 | Header pair and double tube mat connection A method and means for interconnecting (a) a pair of headers for circulating inflow and outflow fluids such as a heat exchange liquid with (b) first and second extended flexible tube mats formed of a plurality of tubes cojoined side-by-side with the end p... | 10/19/1982 |
| 4349950 | Heat exchanger and method of making A heat exchanger having an outer shell member and having a helically wound volute member which is double walled and includes a finned outer tube and a close-fitting inner tube, and the heat exchanger further including a core member which extends through t... | 09/21/1982 |
| 4348793 | Method of connecting a plate-shaped absorber for solar heat to a tubular heat transport system A solar collector is made from a straight tubular metal heat pipe having an evaporator section and a condenser section and two elongate flat solar-heat metal absorber plates. A plurality of equally spaced parallel cuts is formed in each plate, with the cu... | 09/14/1982 |
| 4348798 | Method of manufacturing solar collector module An extended width parabolic trough solar collector (12) is supported from pylons (14). Collector (12) is formed from a center module (30) and two wing modules (32) joined together along abutting edges by connecting means. A stressed skin monocoque constru... | 09/14/1982 |
| 4326773 | Solar energy focusing means comprising modular elements The invention concerns a cylindro-parabolic reflector for focusing solar rays on the focal axis of the cylinder. The reflector comprises modular elements which are assembled by means of tubes which are interengaged strictly in alignment with each other. The ... | 04/27/1982 |
| 4324028 | Method of fabricating a solar absorber panel A low-cost method of fabricating a solar absorber panel for use with a flat plate solar collector system is disclosed in which a plurality of formed elongated substantially U-shaped members are fixed in a predetermined configuration to the reverse side of... | 04/13/1982 |
| 4317268 | Process for making a heater exchanger A heat exchanger having an outer shell which is long as compared with its diameter and having a helical double-walled finned volute member which is wound to a small diameter around a core member, the proportions being such that the fins on the double-wall... | 03/02/1982 |
| 4314397 | Method of making a solar heat exchanger A solar liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, method of making the same, and hot water heating apparatus employing same are provided wherein such heat exchanger is comprised of a first tubular member made of a heat conductive tube material and having a plurali... | 02/09/1982 |
| 4301862 | Multiple fluid medium system and improved heat exchanger utilized therein A heat exchanger for a multiple fluid medium solar energy system comprising a plurality of elongated strips of heat conducting material secured together to define a plurality of elongated passageways of uniform cross-section extending parallel to one anot... | 11/24/1981 |
| 4300275 | Method of manufacturing a radiant energy collecting or emitting element A radiant energy collecting/emitting element, including an absorber plate with a cylindrical bore through which a tool comprising a mandrel having lands is drawn to form helical grooves. A tube formed of a ductile metal dissimilar to the plate metal is pl... | 11/17/1981 |
| 4279066 | Method of attaching a solar collector plate to a tube water way The present invention relates to a method of attaching a solar collector plate to a tube water way which comprises fluting the collector plate to a diameter appropriate for receiving the tube water way, fluting a backing strip to a diameter substantially ... | 07/21/1981 |
| 4238912 | Roofing systems The invention relates to a modular roofing system having a plurality of tray modules wherein each module is capable of accommodating one or more solar collectors. Each adjacent or adjacent groups of modules are connected to each other and there is provide... | 12/16/1980 |
| 4237971 | Cold-welded heat exchanger member A heat exchanger for solar collector apparatuses comprises two metal layers (10, 11) abutting each other and at least one metal pipe (12) for a heat-carrying medium arranged between the layers. The metal layers are cold-welded together on either side of t... | 12/09/1980 |
| 4187596 | Method and apparatus for manufacturing a solar energy collector Illustratively, a portion of a thin sheet of high thermal conductivity material is wrapped in tight thermal communication about the external surface of a working fluid conduit. A hinged male die presses part of the portion of the sheet into a semi-cylindr... | 02/12/1980 |
