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 |
| 7446643 | Resetable over-current and/or over-temperature protection system An electrical protection system, which can be connected between an electrical power supply and an electrical load, firstly includes a switch switchable between a normal state in which the switch is electrically connected in series between the power supply and the lo... | 11/04/2008 |
| 7339454 | Tensile-stressed microelectromechanical apparatus and microelectromechanical relay formed therefrom A microelectromechanical (MEM) apparatus is disclosed which includes a shuttle suspended above a substrate by two or more sets of tensile-stressed beams which are operatively connected to the shuttle and which can comprise tungsten or a silicon nitride/polysilicon c... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7330097 | Direct current cutoff switch In a direct current cutoff switch1, a PTC 5, which is a non-linear resistor, is parallel connected to a contact circuit composed of a fixed contact 4-2 and a movable contact 8-2 via electrodes 5-1. When the swi... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7292131 | Heat-sensitive switch and a heat-sensitive switch assembling method A heat-sensitive switch includes a first terminal, a second terminal away from the first terminal, a reverse spring reversing at a set temperature and having an opening part and positioned between the first and second terminals, and a junction spring positioned betw... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7277289 | Resistor for controlling a fan motor rotating speed for use in an air conditioner Provided is a resistor for controlling a fan motor rotating speed for use in an air conditioner. The resistor comprises a base body, a radiator attached to a top portion of the base body, a printed resistor circuit board covered with insulating sheets and received w... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7209337 | Electrical thermal overstress protection device An electrical current overstress protection device for use with a power source and an overload protection switch comprising a main conductor member receiving current from the power source; a parallel conductor member connected to the main conductor member; and an ar... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7148453 | Control unit with thermal protection and an electrical heating device comprising the control unit An overheating protection system for a control unit includes an interrupter element, which, in its initial position defined with respect to a circuit board, electrically connects the opposite facing ends of at least one track on the circuit board, and an actuating e... | 12/12/2006 |
| 6943310 | Toggle switch apparatus A toggle switch apparatus is disclosed, which includes a toggle mechanism and a plurality of basic switches maintained within a tubular housing. An actuator is associated with at least one spring which together can serve to actuate the plurality of basic switches. A... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6935724 | Ink jet nozzle having actuator with anchor positioned between nozzle chamber and actuator connection point A nozzle arrangement having a nozzle camber for holding ink. A passive anchor and an active anchor extend from respective anchor points and support a moveable structure including a portion in fluid communication with the ink chamber. The moveable structure is connec... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6927786 | Ink jet nozzle with thermally operable linear expansion actuation mechanism A nozzle arrangement including a nozzle chamber for holding ink, and a dynamic structure having: a lever arm; and an operative portion in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber. The dynamic structure is mounted for rotational movement above a pivot axis with re... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6664885 | Thermally activated latch A device is described for latching an actuator to a substrate where the substrate includes a thermally activated material located on the substrate and a heater capable of heating the thermally activated material until it softens. The actuator includes a c... | 12/16/2003 |
| 6498560 | Protector assembly and method for electrically insulating a thermally responsive protector from a motor winding of an electric motor A protector assembly and method for protecting motor windings from an overload condition. The assembly comprises a thermally responsive protector, a skirt, and a sleeve. The protector comprises a housing, an end cap, at least one terminal, and a thermally... | 12/24/2002 |
| 5835001 | Temperature-dependent switch having a movable contact carrying a heating resistor A temperature-dependent switch comprises a temperature-dependent switching mechanism having an electrically conductive spring element carrying a movable contact element. A first counter-contact is provided that coacts with said movable contact element to ... | 11/10/1998 |
| 5757261 | Temperature controller having a Bimetallic element and plural heating components A temperature controller 10 comprises a bimetallic switching device 35 which switches at an excess temperature to protect an electrical device. The bimetallic switching device is accommodated in a housing 12 which has an electrically conductive base and a... | 05/26/1998 |
| 5745022 | Bimetallic temperature controller having a resistor for self-locking function and a resistor for excess current protection A temperature controller 10 with a bimetallic switching device comprising a bimetallic disk and current-carrying spring disk 22, displaying a first heating resistor assigned to the bi-metallic switching device which has the effect of a self-locking functi... | 04/28/1998 |
| 5367279 | Overcurrent protection device An overcurrent protection device 10 has a fixed 26 and a movable 32 contact electrically connected to a pair of terminals 14, 16 and a snap acting bimetallic member 34 which is responsive to a thermally resistive element 28, connected in series with the c... | 11/22/1994 |
| 5265521 | Toast shade selector A toast shade selector includes a rotatable shaft interposed between aligned openings in upstanding plates of a mounting bracket. A cam on the shaft is rotated in the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to regulate the toasting time intervals. A spri... | 11/30/1993 |
| 5192937 | Resistance unit for motor speed control A resistance unit has a temperature fuse between a resistance and a terminal for deactivating a resistance circuit when the motor reaches the permissible maximum temperature. The resistance unit having resistance connected in series with a plurality of te... | 03/09/1993 |
| 5039843 | Safety cutout device A safety cutout device for electric loads, particularly for use in pressing irons and portable heating apparatus, has a temperature switch, such as a bimetallic switch, which is adapted to be connected in series with the electric load. An electrical compo... | 08/13/1991 |
| 5023586 | Hermetic motor protector A motor protector having a can and an internal electrical contact is hermetically sealed to a disk-shaped header of conductive material, the header having a flattened edge for orientation in the can during fabrication of the protector and having spaced co... | 06/11/1991 |
| 4866408 | Multiphase motor protector apparatus A three phase hermetic protector for electrical apparatus has a pair of terminals extending through a header with first and second elongated heaters mounted on the terminals and extending away from the header. A rigid support is attached to the header bet... | 09/12/1989 |
| 4851804 | Thermo-activating breaker A thermally actuated switch having a bi-metal switch arm carrying a contact, a cooperating contact, a heating resistor and a holding resistor. The switch is enclosed in a sealed housing and circuit connections extend from the switch contacts, heating resi... | 07/25/1989 |
| 4570143 | Thermally actuated variable-rating circuit breaker having selectively connectable heater elements A pair of heaters (16,18) are mounted within a breaker housing (2) in spaced relation to a temperature responsive actuator element (30) for indirectly heating that element in response to current flow in the heaters. Each heater is provided with a wiring t... | 02/11/1986 |
| 4481494 | Bi-metal snap disc operated relay A thermal relay is disclosed which provides a bi-metal snap disc actuator system. The actuator system includes a central divider of material having relatively low thermal conductivity and a metallic disc cup mounted on each side of the central divider. A ... | 11/06/1984 |
| 4376926 | Motor protector calibratable by housing deformation having improved sealing and compactness A motor protector has a tubular metal housing with open and closed ends, has a contact welded to one inner side of the housing near the closed housing end spaced from an opposite inner side of the housing, has a terminal sealed in the open housing end, an... | 03/15/1983 |
| 4357525 | Glow plug duty cycle modulating apparatus A control for modulating the duty cycle of diesel engine glow plugs has two heat sensitive, normally closed switches each thermally coupled to a respective positive temperature coefficient (PTC) of resistivity heater in turn thermally coupled to and mount... | 11/02/1982 |
| 4321458 | Setback device The invention relates to an electric temperature setback device which is placed in proximate relation to a conventional thermostat and is operatively controlled by a timing device for providing local warmth to the thermostat at pre-determined times and fo... | 03/23/1982 |
| 4307367 | Bi-stable relay One reed of a pair of parallel reeds has a rod extending to opposite sides of the pair. A bimetallic snap disc can be heated to snap against one end of the rod and thus flex the reed to engage a contact on that reed with a contact on the other reed and th... | 12/22/1981 |
| 4205292 | Electric time switch An electric time switch mechanism is provided comprising a plurality of units each having an operating thermal expansion member, for example, a bimetallic member. Electrical heating means are provided for the thermal expansion member and a switch is activ... | 05/27/1980 |
| 3976966 | Electric sequencer and electric heating system An electrical sequencing relay has an elongated bimetal member with a transverse curvature opposing temperature warp and maintaining the member straight in a longitudinal direction until longitudinal temperature warp forces exceeds the retaining forces of... | 08/24/1976 |
