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!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8164354 | Proximity detection system Proximity sensing arrangements utilize one or more sensing devices to detect and/or to discern objects that are or become proximate, or are expected to be proximate to a position of interest. For example, one or more capacitive sensors may be distributed to location... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8115500 | Accurate capacitance measurement for ultra large scale integrated circuits Test structures and methods for measuring contact and via parasitic capacitance in an integrated circuit are provided. The accuracy of contact and via capacitance measurements are improved by eliminating not-to-be-measured capacitance from the measurement results. T... | 02/14/2012 |
| 7855566 | Sensor device A sensor system has a support that extends along an observation zone, a row of detection subassemblies arranged one after another on the support and having subcircuits for capturing detection events within respective observation subzones defined by the respective de... | 12/21/2010 |
| 7705615 | Extruded capacitive sensor assembly and detection method An extruded capacitive sensor assembly includes multiple sense conductors of unequal length disposed in an upper section of a non-conductive jacket, and a ground conductor disposed in a lower section of the jacket adjacent a panel or carrier to which the strip is af... | 04/27/2010 |
| 7675296 | Method and apparatus for detecting the head pose of a vehicle occupant Driver distraction in a motor vehicle is assessed by capacitively detecting the driver's head pose relative to the forward direction of vehicle motion. A symmetrical array of sensor electrodes is disposed in the cockpit ceiling above the driver's head, and pairs of ... | 03/09/2010 |
| 7538562 | High performance miniature RF sensor for use in microelectronics plasma processing tools A high-performance miniature RF sensor that maintains gain, directivity, and isolation in a miniature package. The miniature RF sensor includes stacked current and voltage pickups disposed in a PCB construction, the sensor further including quarter wave transforming... | 05/26/2009 |
| 7518382 | Miniature sensor chip, especially for finger print sensors A sensor chip for measuring of structures in a finger surface includes an electronic chip provided with a number of sensor electrodes for capacitance measurements. The chip further includes a first layer comprising a metal or another electrically conducting material... | 04/14/2009 |
| 7427844 | Switch assembly, electric machine having the switch assembly, and method of controlling the same A pump assembly for pumping a liquid and a method of controlling the pump assembly. The pump assembly includes a motor coupled to a pump, and an electronic switch assembly electrically connected to the motor to control the current through the motor. The electronic s... | 09/23/2008 |
| 7361964 | Surface acoustic wave device with electro-static discharge protection Sacrificial electrodes with fractal-shaped are formed on a SAW (surface acoustic wave) device. The sacrificial electrodes discharge electro-static charge in the SAW device for protecting the IDT (inter-digital transducer) from electrostatic break. Moreover, the sacr... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7358742 | DC & AC coupled E-field sensor A method and apparatus is shown for detecting with high sensitivity by allowing the operation of an e-field amplifier without a DC bias resistor shunt with the amplifier input. E-fields produced by an approaching body, or changing E-field of the background, turn on ... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7356938 | Bore gauge apparatus for use in reconditioning articulated connector An apparatus for measuring a reconditioned portion of an articulated connector engaged in a reconditioning fixture while it is still mounted to the end structure of a rail car is disclosed. The gauge is a generally cylindrical arc with an inner side and outer side. ... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7355518 | Cordless lanyard system using e-field A monitoring system detects the presence or absence of a marine vessel operator within a defined zone near the helm of a marine vessel. The detection is accomplished through the use of a provision of an e-field and the detection of e-field strength by a receiving an... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7355782 | Systems and methods of controlling micro-electromechanical devices An interference modulator (Imod) incorporates anti-reflection coatings and/or micro-fabricated supplemental lighting sources. An efficient drive scheme is provided for matrix addressed arrays of IMods or other micromechanical devices. An improved color scheme provid... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7323885 | Capacitive sensor and detection device with capacitive sensors for the detection of an obstruction situation A capacitive sensor, in particular for the detection of an obstruction of objects or body parts by motor driven devices, includes an arrangement of a multitude of electrodes on a support and means to measure a capacitance or a capacitance change. The sensor is of a ... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7303703 | Nano-imprint system with mold deformation detector and method of monitoring the same A system for nano-imprint with mold deformation detector is disclosed for real-time monitoring of the deformation of the mold. An electrostatic plate capacitor is embedded in the mold, serving as the deformation detector. The capacitor includes two opposite metal fi... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7301351 | Printed capacitive sensor The invention relates to a flexible, resilient capacitive sensor suitable for large-scale manufacturing. The sensor comprises a dielectric, an electrically conductive detector and trace layer on the first side of the dielectric layer comprising a detector and trace,... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7279921 | Apparatus and method for testing power and ground pins on a semiconductor integrated circuit To achieve the foregoing, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a method and apparatus for testing individual power and ground pins on a semiconductor integrated circuit are disclosed. The method and apparatus includes organizing the power pin... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7259573 | Surface capacitance sensor system using buried stimulus electrode A surface capacitance sensor system is implemented as an array of sensor electrodes near the surface of the integrated circuit and an array of stimulus electrodes below the sensor electrodes. Rows of stimulus electrodes are driven by sources while the voltages at th... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7256589 | Capacitive sensor system with improved capacitance measuring sensitivity A capacitance sensor system and method includes a capacitive sensor as an array of sensor electrodes near the surface of the integrated circuit and charge pump circuits for measuring the capacitance at each sensor electrode. Shield electrodes and unused sense electr... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7245985 | Process and apparatus for improving and controlling the vulcanization of natural and synthetic rubber compounds A process for curing a natural or synthetic rubber compound under a plurality of curing conditions by: (1) obtaining time dependent data streams of dielectric or impedance values from a non-bridged impedance sensing circuit and a capacitor having the rubber compound... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7239227 | Command interface using fingerprint sensor input system A substrate having a fingerprint sensing system usable as a command interface using finger movements. A user's fingerprint pattern is recognized and compared to previously stored reference patterns. If the fingerprint pattern matches a previously stored pattern, the... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7239152 | Methods for measuring parasitic capacitance and inductance of I/O leads on an electrical component using a network analyzer Apparatus and methods are provided for measuring the potential for mutual coupling in an integrated circuit package of any type or configuration using a network analyzer in conjunction with a coaxial test probe. Simple, low-cost test fixturing and methods of testing... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7236616 | Biometric piezo scanner A piezoelectric thin film sensor array is used to scan and capture biometric data, for example, a fingerprint image. In one embodiment, a multi-layer structure includes a PVDF layer in between two conductor grids arranged orthogonally to one another. Urethane can be... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7205773 | Method for calibrating a pulsed measurement system A method for calibrating a pulsed measurement system, the system having a pulse generator unit, a measurement unit and a probe unit having a first and a second probe tip. The first tip, the pulse generator unit and the measurement unit are all interconnected by resp... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7199593 | Apparatus and methods for measuring parasitic capacitance and inductance of I/O leads on an electrical component using a network analyzer Apparatus and methods are provided for measuring the potential for mutual coupling in an integrated circuit package of any type or configuration using a network analyzer in conjunction with a coaxial test probe. Simple, low-cost test fixturing and methods of testing... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7183633 | Optical cross-connect system An optical cross-connect switch comprises a base (216), a flap (211) and one or more electrically conductive landing pads (222) connected to the flap (211). The flap (211) has a bottom portion that is movably coupled to the base ( | 02/27/2007 |
| 7167773 | Process and apparatus for improving and controlling the curing of natural and synthetic moldable compounds A process for curing a moldable compound under a plurality of curing conditions by: (1) obtaining time dependent data streams of dielectric or impedance values from a plurality of sensors distributed within a curing mold, wherein the moldable compound is a dialectri... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7161360 | Electrostatic capacitance sensor, electrostatic capacitance sensor component, object mounting body and object mounting apparatus An electrostatic capacitance sensor, includes an electrostatic capacitance detector, an operational amplifier in which a feedback impedance circuit is connected between an output terminal and an inverse input terminal of the operational amplifier, a signal line conn... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7138809 | Electrical capacitance proximity sensor An electrical capacitance proximity sensor with high detector sensitivity has an insulating substrate, a detector electrode and an earth electrode formed in a fixed pattern on one face of the insulating substrate, and a detector circuit which detects an object appro... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7126351 | Method and device for distinguishing gem stones Natural diamonds can be discerned from imitations, synthetic diamonds and treated diamonds on the basis of their physical qualities. Labs always test several specific characteristics in order to discern natural diamonds from others. One of the tested qualities is el... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7119555 | Circuit for detecting difference in capacitance A circuit for detecting a difference in capacitance between a first capacitor and a second capacitor provided in a sensor includes an oscillator configured to generate an oscillating signal, a phase comparator coupled to the oscillator to output a signal responsive ... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7109726 | Object sensing A combined passive and active object sensing system (30; 50; 70) employing electric field sensing is described. An electric field sensing transmission electrode (2) generates a first electric field (11, 12, 13) that induces a current in an elect... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7098674 | Occupant sensor An oscillatory or pulsed first signal is operatively coupled to a first electrode placed between a conductive heating element and a seating region of a seat containing the heating element. A second signal substantially equal to the first signal is operatively couple... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7097226 | Safety system for a compartment of a vehicle A safety sensing and/or release system for a closed compartment of a vehicle is operable to detect an occupant within the vehicle compartment. The system may be operable to sense ambient conditions in the vehicle compartment, and may generate a control signal in res... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7088114 | Sensing element arrangement for a fingerprint sensor For each pixel in an array of pixels in a fingerprint sensor, a fingerprint capacitor is defined by the fingerprint-bearing skin of a user's finger proximate to the top exposed surface of a sensing plate of the pixel. First and second plates are embedded in dielectr... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7078911 | Patent application for a computer motional command interface A method and apparatus are described for interacting with electronic devices through motional commands. The method uses perturbations of the background quasistatic electric fields. The apparatus measures perturbations in electric potential relative to the background... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7056011 | Permittivity based temperature measurement and related methods A method for determining temperature of a material (32) comprising: measuring at least one of the real and imaginary part of the permittivity of the material (32) at each of at least one frequency (36) for which substantially only a single compo... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7053439 | Chemoreceptive semiconductor structure A field effect transistor has a floating gate with an extended portion. A selectively chemoreceptive finger or layer is electrostatically coupled to the extended portion of the floating gate, and induces a voltage on the gate in response to selected chemicals or oth... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7043997 | Seat for sensing a load An automotive seat includes optical sensors for determining a load on the seat, such as a person. The sensors may be used with a computer and computer software to analyze data from the sensors in determining a weight of the load, and the sensors may also be used to ... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7017413 | Methods for quantitatively determining lengthwise shrinkage in wood products Embodiments of the present invention quantify lengthwise shrinkage to a higher degree of accuracy over currently known methods by employing reactive force values, such as stiffness measurements, in conjunction with motive force values, such as chemical composition, ... | 03/28/2006 |
