Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7145260 | Device to prevent sudden starting of automobiles The device for preventing sudden starting of an automobile includes a starting motor, a power source, a starting switch, a solenoid switch, first and second connecting terminals and an actuator. The starting switch is electrically coupled to the power source. The so... | 12/05/2006 |
| 6333567 | Starter To secure sufficient attractive force against a plunger, an overrunning clutch is arranged so that one end of a thrust spline is positioned so as to maintain a prescribed interval from the end of the plunger in the condition where the plunger is unexcited... | 12/25/2001 |
| 6114772 | Starter having pinion rotation restricting member and plunger movement restricting member In a starter, a plate that turns with a pinion moving body is disposed behind the pinion moving body. The plate has a receiving part that engages with the lower extension of a rotation restricting member for restricting the rotation of the pinion moving b... | 09/05/2000 |
| 6011317 | Devices for controlling an automobile vehicle starter motor contactor A device for controlling an automobile vehicle starter motor contactor including a power contact controlling the supply of power to the electric motor of the starter motor and at least one coil controlling the movement of said contact, said device includi... | 01/04/2000 |
| 5828297 | Vehicle anti-theft system A vehicle anti-theft system includes an engine control computer operable to control engine fueling in a normal mode of operation according to operator demand via an accelerator pedal, and a code interface module responsive to a predefined security code to... | 10/27/1998 |
| 5777393 | Starter with pinion retreat preventing structure A retreat restricting member for restricting the retreat of a pinion in an advanced state of the pinion on an output shaft and in a resulting meshed state of a pinion gear with a ring gear is engaged with a pair of pins rotatably, the pins being each atta... | 07/07/1998 |
| 5445120 | Device to prevent automobile starter engagement when engine is running The invention relates to a device which prevents an automobile engine starter from engaging once an engine is running by using the running engine vacuum to cause the starter circuit to open.... | 08/29/1995 |
| 5042439 | Remote, safe, and secure operational control of an internal combustion engine An electromechanical apparatus and method for remotely controlling operation of an internal combustion engine, the apparatus using state-of-the-art transmitting and receiving circuitry for secure sending and receiving of control command signals. Further s... | 08/27/1991 |
| 4622930 | Engine starter protecting device An engine starter protecting device which prevents engagement of the starter's pinion with the ring gear of the engine, even when the engine is rotating. Sensors detect when the gear shift lever is in the neutral position, when the frequency of the igniti... | 11/18/1986 |
| 4570583 | Engine starter protecting device An engine starter protecting device which prevents engagement of the starter's pinion with the ring gear of the engine, even when the engine is rotating. Sensors detect when the gear shift lever is in the neutral position, when the frequency of the igniti... | 02/18/1986 |
| 4507566 | Starter assembly for gasoline engines A gasoline engine is equipped with an auxiliary driven wheel selectively engageable with a driving wheel on the shaft of an electric motor mounted for movement relative to the gasoline engine and operable from a remote point. A compact housing enables use... | 03/26/1985 |
| 4500794 | Apparatus for automatically starting and stopping engine This invention relates to an apparatus for automatically starting and stopping an engine comprising a clutch switch for detecting that the depression of a clutch pedal of a vehicle is completely performed, a neutral switch for detecting the neutral positi... | 02/19/1985 |
| 4490620 | Engine starter protective and control module and system An engine starter protective and control module (PCM) and system having a 1/2 second start speed delay timer (DT) and a 30-second crank timer (CT) that are started when a start switch (SS) is closed to control a logic circuit (L) that operates a coil driv... | 12/25/1984 |
| 4392059 | Automatic remote car starter A system for remote starting of an internal combustion engine including remote means for initiating the starting sequence which may comprise a radio receiver in combination with a remote transmitter. Upon receiving the signal from the transmitter, a serie... | 07/05/1983 |
