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...that after Walter Hunt patented the safety pin in 1849, he sold the rights to it for $400?
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8115401 | Safety starter device A safety starter circuit for a gas discharge lamp includes a series arrangement of a glow switch starter, a resistive element, and a thermally controlled switching element. The thermally controlled switching element is in a heat transfer relationship with the resist... | 02/14/2012 |
| 7990069 | Method and circuit for driving a gas discharge lamp A method for driving a gas discharge lamp and relates to a lamp driver circuit for driving a gas discharge lamp. The method includes supplying a current to the gas discharge lamp, reversing the direction of the current supplied to the gas discharge lamp and, substan... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7746002 | High frequency driver for gas discharge lamp A high frequency driver for a gas discharge lamp is supplied with a DC voltage. The driver converts the input DC voltage to an AC voltage and supplies the AC voltage to a load, which comprises a gas discharge lamp, an inductor connected in series with the lamp and a... | 06/29/2010 |
| 7417377 | Blended light lamp The invention relates to a blended light lamp (1) having an incandescent lamp (2) and a gas discharge lamp (3), a rectifier (4), an energy storage means (5) and an ignition device (6). The high-pressure discharge has an oper... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7291983 | Ballast and igniter for a lamp having larger storage capacitor than charge pump capacitor A ballast according to the present invention operates in an ignition state, a warm-up state, and a steady state for igniting and powering a lamp. The ballast comprises an igniter that ignites the lamp during the ignition state and a switching power inverter, for exa... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7245030 | Integrated generator and transformer and associated methods An electrical power generating apparatus (20) may include a housing (22), an electrical generator (24) within the housing, and a step-up transformer (30) within the housing and connected to the electrical generator. A turbine (26) ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7230389 | Metal halide lamp having function for suppressing abnormal discharge A metal halide lamp includes a ceramic arc tube that is composed of a main body and two narrow tube parts provided at respective ends of the main body; a pair of electrodes provided inside the main body; two feeders, each being connected at one end thereof to a diff... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7102289 | Discharge tube A discharge tube is disclosed that includes: an airtight tube having first and second end surfaces each including a metallized surface; first and second discharge electrodes joined to the respective metallized surfaces; and multiple trigger lines formed on the inner... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7070229 | Underhood electronic interior integration An electronic system generally includes a flatwire electronic site and a flatwire bus electronically connecting the flatwire electronic site to an electronic device in the engine compartment. The flatwire electronic site has a flexible substrate with electronic comp... | 07/04/2006 |
| 6972529 | Switch mode power supply for a gas discharge lamp A switch mode power supply for igniting and operating a high-pressure gas discharge lamp includes an ignition sub-circuit which is coupled via a transformer to the circuit. The ignition sub-circuit has at least an ignition capacitor, and a switching element for disc... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6617804 | Gas filled switching electric discharge tube To extend the life of electric discharge and enhance the characteristic of electric discharge in the life test in a gas filled switching electric discharge tube. A gas filled switching electric discharge tube comprises: a cylindrical body (1) made of insu... | 09/09/2003 |
| 6498439 | Ballast for feeding a high-pressure gas discharge lamp A ballast for feeding a high-pressure discharge lamp. The ballast: supplies the lamp with an AC voltage at an ignition frequency (fi) during an ignition period (ti), supplies the lamp with an AC voltage at a glow frequency (fg) duri... | 12/24/2002 |
| 6450157 | Automotive ignition system with adaptable start-of-dwell ring damping An automotive ignition system includes a control circuit (52) operable to drive a coil current switching device (24) connected to an ignition coil (30) referenced at battery voltage. The control circuit (52) includes a drive circuit (20) and ring damping ... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6429593 | Lighting device A lighting device comprises a discharge lamp (7) which is connected to a ballast and starting device (1) either directly or via an electric cable (4). Alternatively said discharge lamp (7) can be mechanically and electrically coupled to an external starti... | 08/06/2002 |
| 6323599 | Vertical spark gap for microelectric circuits A vertical spark gap assembly for electronic circuits employing poly silicon. The assembly permits dissipation of higher voltages in spark discharge without shorting in the circuit. The spark gap assembly includes a first partially conductive layer and a ... | 11/27/2001 |
| 6225752 | Spark plug for internal combustion engine A spark plug for an internal combustion engine is constituted by an insulating member (20) having an axial hole (26) formed along a central shaft (18); a rod-shape central electrode (12) accommodated in the axial hole; and a ground electrode (16) with whi... | 05/01/2001 |
| 6215251 | Spark gap for high voltage integrated circuit electrostatic discharge protection A spark gap assembly having electrodes spaced from bonding pads and the integrated circuit. The electrodes contact a plurality of resistors to reduce voltages and dissipate energy experienced during electrostatic discharge (ESD) which would otherwise dama... | 04/10/2001 |
| 6111366 | Ignition transformer for gas discharge bulbs An ignition transformer for gas discharge bulbs, or tubes, including a core, a primary coil, and a secondary coil. The transformer windings are wound axially along a rod-shaped core (1). The secondary winding includes two or more mutually concentric and a... | 08/29/2000 |
| 6049176 | Ignition device for an internal combustion engine An ignition device for an internal combustion engine capable of suppressing not only a decrease in the discharge energy of the spark plug but also the LC resonance itself. When an igniter 13 is turned on by an ignition timing control unit 14 and a current... | 04/11/2000 |
| 5992401 | Capacitive discharge ignition for an internal combustion engine A capacitive discharge ignition system deriving the ignition pulse from a capacitor storing the flyback voltage induced from the fuel injector coil when the pulse supplied to the fuel injector coil is removed.... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5969480 | Ignition system with a field emitter coupled to the spark plug An ignition system supplies high-voltage to spark plugs via field emitters. An ignition control device produces the ignition cycle for the ignition system and controls the ignition process of the ignition system. The field emitters couple the ignition con... | 10/19/1999 |
| 5939841 | Method and apparatus using a floating electrode to extract energy from an electric field The device disclosed herein relates to an apparatus for obtaining energy from an electric field. The apparatus has a floating electrode connected to a series gap device. The floating electrode is adapted to convert the energy found in an electric field in... | 08/17/1999 |
| 5587630 | Continuous plasma ignition system A continuous plasma ignition system includes an exciter 12, an ignitor plug 16 and a cable 18 which connects the excitor 12 to the ignitor plug 16. The ignition system operates at the resonant frequency value fr of the circuit formed by the exc... | 12/24/1996 |
| 5559404 | Capacitive pulse forming network The invention features a capacitive pulse forming network including at least one capacitor having a substantially linear discharge characteristic and at least another capacitor having a nonlinear discharge characteristic. The capacitive pulse forming netw... | 09/24/1996 |
| 5465030 | Trigger apparatus for spark gap dischargers An improved means for triggering high voltage spark gap devices for current injection and pulse power applications which utilizes the high voltage source itself to trigger the discharge. A switch initially directs current flow from the high voltage source... | 11/07/1995 |
| 5444334 | System for starting a high intensity discharge lamp A ballast circuit arrangement with hot restrike capabilities includes an input transformer having a primary winding receptive of line power and a secondary winding over which an output voltage is made available. A first capacitor coupled across the second... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5426346 | Gas discharge lamp ballast circuit with reduced parts-count starting circuit Disclosed is an electronic ballast circuit for a high pressure gas discharge lamp with a reduced parts-count starting circuit. The circuit comprises an arrangement for supplying d.c. voltage from a d.c. source, and a main inductor for receiving energy fro... | 06/20/1995 |
| 5397964 | Reflected energy adaptive inductive load driver and method therefor An inductive load driver is constructed with a driving means (205), responsive to a control input (211). The driving means (205) provides energy to an inductive load (203) and then prevents the providing of energy to the inductive load (203). The inductiv... | 03/14/1995 |
| 5355056 | Sparkplug voltage detecting probe device for use in internal combustion engine In a sparkplug voltage detecting probe device for use in internal combustion engine comprising, a sensor is provided to form a static capacity between the sensor and an ignition coil which is connected to a spark plug. A sparkplug voltage divider circuit ... | 10/11/1994 |
| 5352955 | High energy ignition generator for gas turbines A high energy ignition generator includes an energy source connected to a circuit for charging an energy storage capacitor. The storage capacitor is connected to a discharge circuit consisting of a series inductive circuit for energy recovery and an ignit... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5347422 | Apparatus and method for an ignition system An ignition system is provided that marries a free-running discharge circuit with a fast-charging, high voltage converter without resulting in an excessive rate of discharge. To this end, the free-running discharge circuit employs a passive switch embodie... | 09/13/1994 |
| 5148084 | Apparatus and method for providing ignition to a turbine engine A unipolar ignition of the invention provides a current waveform at the ignitor plug which initially rises relatively slowly, followed by a transition to a fast rising current which quickly peaks and thereafter slowly dissipates. Such a current waveform p... | 09/15/1992 |
| 5084800 | Ignition transformer secondary winding by-pass apparatus In a capacitive discharge type ignition apparatus, in which an ignition transformer is used, the impedance of the secondary winding of the ignition transformer is comparatively large. This means the power loss is large and the efficiency, in applying a hi... | 01/28/1992 |
| 4792729 | Fluorescent lamp brightness control A load side phase control circuit is used in conjunction with a conventional fluorescent light ballast (step-up autotransformer) and an isolation transformer to achieve fluorescent lamp brightness control. A resistor and capacitor connected in series shun... | 12/20/1988 |
| 4739225 | Reduced requirement energy storage for load having non-zero minimum operating potential A load is provided, at all times when in operation, with a D.C. voltage having at least a minimum holding magnitude by: providing a source voltage having a peak magnitude greater than the holding magnitude; connecting the source voltage to the load only w... | 04/19/1988 |
| 4547734 | Equipment for recognizing misfiring An equipment for recognizing misfiring, which is particularly suitable for permanent installation in a motor vehicle. By means of high-pass filters coupled to the plug leads between the spark distributor and the spark plugs, the change to the voltage at t... | 10/15/1985 |
| 4398123 | High pressure discharge lamp A high pressure discharge lamp in which the restriking voltage and time are significantly decreased. A pair of electrodes are sealably disposed in a tube containing an appropriate amount of mercury. Means is provided for heating at least one of the electr... | 08/09/1983 |
| 4360765 | Control circuit for a glow plug assembly serving as an engine preheating means A control circuit for a glow plug assembly serving as an engine preheating means is designed so as to effect a temperature control in harmony with the specified position established by selective operation of a key switch having three switching positions, ... | 11/23/1982 |
| 4223249 | Pulse generating means A bistable magnetic wire has an electrically conductive wire coiled thereabout as to form, generally, a magnetic wire assembly which is situated in spaced proximity to a magnet; the opposite ends of the conductive wire are electrically connected to relate... | 09/16/1980 |
| 4217873 | Ignition circuit for self-purifying creeping discharge spark plugs An ignition circuit for self-purifying creeping discharge spark plugs is disclosed. The ignition circuit comprises a creeping discharge spark plug including a center electrode and a concentric ground electrode between which is formed a spark gap having a ... | 08/19/1980 |
