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 |
| 8056992 | Coupling for a movable part of a piece of furniture A coupling is provided for detachably connecting a mobile part of a piece of furniture to a drive. The coupling includes a coupling element that can be moved between the mobile part of the piece of furniture and the drive in a limited manner in at least one directio... | 11/15/2011 |
| 7780251 | Retracting device for a drawer A retracting device for a drawer, including a pulling device which can be connected to the drawer, a drive unit having an electric motor, and a roller drivable by the drive unit for winding up the pulling device, wherein the drive unit is activatable by a rotation o... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7367559 | Simple and inexpensive high-capacity output catch tray for document production machines The invention is relates to a simple, inexpensive high capacity output catch tray for copiers and other document production machines. The output tray automatically increases in capacity as the stack of copies in it accumulates, without external power source or contr... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7331643 | Piece of furniture with a movable furniture component A piece of furniture with a movable furniture component, in particular a drawer or door, includes a drive unit and a device for the mechanical transmission of force from the drive unit to the movable furniture component or the body of the furniture. In particular, a... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7204484 | Simple and inexpensive high-capacity output catch tray for document production machines The invention is relates to a simple, inexpensive high capacity output catch tray for copiers and other document production machines. The output tray automatically increases in capacity as the stack of copies in it accumulates, without external power source or contr... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7159957 | Actuator for a movable portion of an article of furniture A movable portion of an article of furniture, in particular a drawer, flap or door, includes at least one preferably electrical drive unit and a triggering device for actuation of the drive unit. The triggering device is at least partially arranged at the movable po... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7152441 | Cart locking device A locking system for a cart having at least one drawer movable between an open position and a closed position. The locking system includes a cam that is movable between a locked position, wherein the drawer of the cart is prevented from moving between the closed and... | 12/26/2006 |
| 6902243 | Modular sub-cabinet for motion furniture The present invention is a sub-cabinet readily insertable and removable from a larger decorative cabinet. The invention is comprised of a box-like structure having at least three panels perpendicularly disposed with respect to a floor panel and attached thereto, a l... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6877825 | Modular kitchen system A vertically adjustable modular kitchen system includes a modular appliance and/or storage unit including a first frame section, a base unit including a second frame section having arranged therein a plurality of vertically adjustable supports and a control. The mod... | 04/12/2005 |
| 6802576 | Protected display case A protected display case for securely displaying items and for securely storing the items out of view. The display case having a top section that has at least one transparent window and a bottom section. A lifting mechanism raises and lowers a shelf containing items... | 10/12/2004 |
| 6769752 | Apparatus for displaying objects Apparatus for displaying objects having a lower part fixed to an underframe and an upper part pivotally attached to the lower part. The upper part includes front, rear, right, left and upper side parts, of which at least the upper side part consists of a glass pane ... | 08/03/2004 |
| 6752476 | Structure of a garbage-box A structure of a garbage-box having a container body and a collection container, a moving door module being provided to the garbage inlet of the container body, characterized in that a sensor is provided to a top plate of the container body to sense the approaching ... | 06/22/2004 |
| 6733094 | Lifting device for LCD A parallelepiped lifting device mounted under a computer desk in a storage position is disclosed. Prior to using a computer, the device is activated by starting a motor in a clockwise rotation to lift an LCD of the computer from under the desk by means of a mechanis... | 05/11/2004 |
| 6692093 | Device for adjusting mounting angle of LCD for refrigerator Device for adjusting a mounting angle of an LCD for a refrigerator including an LCD rotatably mounted on a front surface of a door of a refrigerator by a hinge, and mounting angle adjusting means in rear of the LCD for rotating the LCD to an angle centere... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6682157 | Panel driving device A panel driving device turns an openable panel inside out by rotating the openable panel by 180° about a rotation center shaft and moving the rotation center shaft upward or downward during a specific period while the openable panel is rotated. The panel... | 01/27/2004 |
| 6591765 | Security system An apparatus for preventing the removal of cassettes from an automated teller machine along their guide paths includes mountings and a plurality of retainers, each associated with its respective cassette. Each retainer is securable in an operational posit... | 07/15/2003 |
| 6564659 | Belt fixing structure of a scanner The present invention includes a first positioning assembly and a second positioning assembly respectively mounted on the bottom housing of the scanner. The first positioning assembly defines a first clamping groove, and the second positioning assembly de... | 05/20/2003 |
| 6540311 | Display case security apparatus A display case security apparatus comprises a housing, a plurality of platform guide tracks, a platform, an elevating mechanism, and a closure. The housing includes a lower storage section and an upper display section disposed above the storage section. T... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6513517 | Structure of oven rack of a gas stove The present invention relates to an improved structure of an oven rack of a gas stove, employing a controller to automatically memorize and learn to change the flame from a gas source, such that when the height of the oven rack is adjusted, the flame is a... | 02/04/2003 |
| 6505900 | Moving racks that support heavy materials A storage rack with vertically arranged, horizontal drawers movable by a crank mechanism is provided. Each individual drawer of the storage rack has a gear mechanism which is connected to a drive shaft with wheels. A crank handle is provided to engage the... | 01/14/2003 |
| 6443543 | Mobile personal computer A mobile personal computer station having an upper table top 32 to which is attached a computer 14 being connected to a lower docking station 28 by multiple extendable legs 30. The purpose of the present invention 10 is to provide a computer control wheel... | 09/03/2002 |
| 6424386 | Liquid crystal display device A liquid crystal display device 1 comprising a housing 100 is mounted to a ceiling member of an airplane. An image control unit 110 is fixed to the housing 100, and a liquid crystal display 300 is fixed to a main shaft positioned at a center of rotation C... | 07/23/2002 |
| 6012785 | Retractable setting-up structure for car display Pins of a display are inserted slidably into slide rails so as to regulate movement of the display. Lying holding portions for holding the display in its lying state via pins, guiding portions along which the pins are shifted up and down together with mov... | 01/11/2000 |
| 6000770 | Library book bin with a vertically adjustable floor A mobile container or bin is provided with a vertically adjustable floor which is suspended by cables which pass through a plurality of supports or pulleys, and the cables are wound around a single cylindrical drive member coupled to a reversible motor wi... | 12/14/1999 |
| 5836256 | Apparatus for moving automatic teller machines between retracted and extended positions Apparatus is disclosed for moving an automatic teller machine and the like between a retracted position and an extended position to provide access to the back of the machine for servicing. The apparatus essentially comprises a stationary frame and a movin... | 11/17/1998 |
| 5806439 | Transport system for automatic teller machines The present invention is a transport system for an automatic teller machine (ATM). The transport system comprises a motor-driven mechanism and a pair of bearing assemblies. The ATM is positioned within a housing and moves between a retracted position and ... | 09/15/1998 |
| 5794547 | Modular transport system for an automatic teller machine An apparatus is provided for moving an ATM relative to a wall between a retracted position and an extended position. The apparatus includes a base, a gear, and a motor coupled to the base for rotating the gear relative to the base. The apparatus also incl... | 08/18/1998 |
| 5735587 | Climatic cabinet, turntable and use of the turntable A climate cabinet, turntable and use of the turntable. The climatic cabinet (1) can be loaded automatically and manually and has a conventional door (3) and a controllable door (2) as well as a turntable (4) which is connected via a releasable coupling (9... | 04/07/1998 |
| 5524859 | Security mounting for audio equipment in a motor vehicle An anti-theft mounting for radios, stereos and similar audio equipment used in motor vehicles has several features to discourage and possibly prevent the theft of equipment. The audio equipment is mounted within an opening in a dash of a motor vehicle. Th... | 06/11/1996 |
| 5273352 | Load-distributing platform transport apparatus The invention provides a load-distributing platform transport apparatus comprising a housing, a platform disposed in the housing and movable in the first direction, a capstan rotatably mounted to the housing and an endless cable guidably coupled to the ho... | 12/28/1993 |
| 5184489 | Device for securely mounting audio equipment in a motor vehicle An anti-theft mounting for radios, stereos and similar audio equipment used in motor vehicles has several features to discourage and possibly prevent the theft of the equipment. The audio equipment is mounted within an opening in a dash of a motor vehicle... | 02/09/1993 |
| 5031975 | Cutting board apparatus Apparatus including a housing defining an interior, a cutting board movable between a first position within the interior and a second position projecting outwardly from the housing, and transport means for selectively moving the cutting board between the ... | 07/16/1991 |
| 4934767 | Semiconductor wafer carrier input/output drawer Plastic cassettes carrying semiconductor wafers are loaded into and/or unloaded from an extended open drawer. The drawer is retractable to a closed position in a frame where the cassettes may be removed from or returned to the drawer by a programmable ele... | 06/19/1990 |
| 4489810 | Recessed garbage can container In a concealed garbage can container an upwardly open housing, having a hinged lid for containing one or more refuse containers, is recessed into the surface of the earth so that only its lid is exposed. A refuse can supporting platform within the housing... | 12/25/1984 |
| 4283098 | Attache case having drawer apparatus An improved attache case comprises a base, a cover hinged to said base, a drawer apparatus provided in a chamber of the cover for containing the small articles and a driving means also provided in the chamber of the cover to engage with the drawer apparat... | 08/11/1981 |
| 3937095 | Self adjusting elevator A self adjusting elevator, especially for use in a storage cabinet, or the like, which has a recess in which the elevator is horizontally disposed and within which the elevator is vertically moveable in conformity with the weight carried thereby. The elev... | 02/10/1976 |
| 3933400 | Revolving kitchen package A revolving kitchen package which includes a combination of various appliances and work areas assembled into a single unit revolvable within a wall section so as to present selected ones of the areas to particular regions on selected sides of the wall sec... | 01/20/1976 |
