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 |
| 7382223 | Thermal circuit breaker A switchable thermal circuit breaker (10) has an automatically resettable, current carrying thermostatic disc (14) cantilever mounted in a housing (12) and carries a movable contact (14b) into and out of electrical engagement with ... | 06/03/2008 |
| 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 |
| 7321185 | Active multistable twisting device Two similarly shaped, such as rectangular, shells are attached to one another such that they form a resulting thin airfoil-like structure. The resulting device has at least two stable equilibrium shapes. The device can be transformed from one shape to another with a... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7283030 | Doubly-anchored thermal actuator having varying flexural rigidity A doubly-anchored thermal actuator for a micro-electromechanical device such as a liquid drop emitter or a fluid control microvalve is disclosed. The thermal actuator is comprised of a base element formed with a depression having opposing anchor. A deformable elemen... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7221817 | Beam switch structures and methods A substantially straight beam in an unbuckled state is compressed to cause the beam to buckle using an adjustable compressor. The adjustable compressor applies force to one or both ends of the beam and limits compression on the beam to allow the beam to move between... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7148784 | Safety switch device A safety switch device includes a case with a switch pivotally engaged with an open top of the case and a ramp defined in an inside of the case. Two terminals are extended from the bottom of the case and a bimetallic plate having a first end fixed to one of the term... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7059035 | Method for forming a bimetallic actuator A method for post-fabrication modification of the snap actuation properties of a thermally responsive bimetallic actuator by exposing a pre-formed bimetallic actuator to laser energy, thereby permanently altering the thermal response properties of the bimetallic act... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7026907 | Thermal protector A thermal protector includes a partition wall which encloses an arrangement portion of a movable contact and a fixed contact from three sides. The partition wall is adjacent the contacts in a range that does not inhibit the opening/closing operations of the contacts... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7024940 | Force measurement of bimetallic thermal disc An apparatus and method for determining the actuation energy generated by a bimetallic actuator during transit between first and second states of stability. The apparatus and method further determining the threshold or set-point temperature of the bimetallic actuato... | 04/11/2006 |
| 6911891 | Bistable actuation techniques, mechanisms, and applications A bistable structure provided by the invention is characterized as including a deflection element that has mechanically constrained end points and a compliant span between the end points that is substantially free to deflect between two stable positions when a force... | 06/28/2005 |
| 6836205 | Thermal switch containing resistance temperature detector A multiple output thermal detection and protection device providing an output signal representative of the temperature sensed by the device, and further providing a positive output signal representative of the sensed temperature reaching a predetermined set point te... | 12/28/2004 |
| 6768412 | Snap action thermal switch A simplified snap-action micromachined thermal switch having a bimodal thermal actuator fabricated from non-ductile materials such as silicon, glass, silicon oxide, tungsten, and other suitable materials using MEMS techniques. ... | 07/27/2004 |
| 6762667 | Micro electromechanical switch having self-aligned spacers A method of fabricating and the structure of a micro-electromechanical switch (MEMS) device provided with self-aligned spacers or bumps is described. The spacers are designed to have an optimum size and to be positioned such that they act as a detent mechanism for t... | 07/13/2004 |
| 6590489 | Circuit breaker for protecting electric circuits in road vehicles A circuit breaker for protecting electrical circuits, particularly in motor vehicles, includes a flat housing, which comprises an insulating material and has two adjacent flat plugs. A bimetal that is embodied as a snap-action element and is fixed to a fl... | 07/08/2003 |
| 6559752 | Creepless snap acting bimetallic switch having flexible contact members A creepless snap acting bimetallic switch having flexible contact members. The bimetallic switch comprises: a bimetallic element being adapted to snap between a first mode and a second mode, the first mode corresponding to a closed position of the switch,... | 05/06/2003 |
| 6498559 | Creepless snap acting bimetallic switch having step adjacent its bimetallic element A bimetallic switch comprising a bimetallic element having an outer edge and being adapted to snap between an open mode and a closed mode; a movable contact disposed on the bimetallic element; a first terminal in electrically conductively coupled to the m... | 12/24/2002 |
| 6456190 | Device for micromechanical switching of signals The invention refers to a micromechanical switching device including at least two contact elements (11, 12, 31, 32), which are provided at least partly movable relative each other and via thermal actuation can be closed and opened, whereby the contact ele... | 09/24/2002 |
| 6265961 | Thermal protector A thermal conductor includes a fixing plate which ha a fixing contact at one end and the other end of which is connected to an external circuit via a first terminal. There is a movable plate which has a movable contact contactable with the fixing contact ... | 07/24/2001 |
| 6249211 | Temperature-dependent switch having a current transfer member A temperature-dependent switch 10 has a temperature-dependent switching mechanism 11; a housing 12, receiving the switching mechanism 11 and having a lower part 14 and an upper part 15; and two stationary contacts 31, 32, provided on the upper part 15 on ... | 06/19/2001 |
| 6239685 | Bistable micromechanical switches A bistable micromechanical switch that includes a substrate, at least two anchor points formed on the substrate, and a beam structure that includes a two-material beam attached to at least two anchor points. The two-material beam has a first portion, a se... | 05/29/2001 |
| 6181233 | Temperature-dependent switch A temperature-dependent switch has two connection electrodes mounted on an insulating support as well as a switching mechanism that, as a function of its temperature, creates an electrically conductive connection between the two connection electrodes. Als... | 01/30/2001 |
| 6100784 | Temperature-dependent switch with contact bridge A temperature-dependent switch (10) has a temperature-dependent switching mechanism (12) and a closed housing (11), receiving the switching mechanism (12), which comprises a lower part (14) as well as an upper part (17) made of insulating material. Two st... | 08/08/2000 |
| 5986535 | Low cost thermostat apparatus and method for calibrating same A low cost thermostatic switch (10) has first and second scoop shaped terminal members (12, 14) having flanges (12e, 14e) received on ledges (20f) formed on opposed sidewalls (20e) of a housing (20). The terminal members are spaced apart with the distal e... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5973587 | Temperature-dependent switch having a contact bridge A temperature-dependent switch has a temperature-dependent switching mechanism and a housing, receiving the switching mechanism, that has a lower part and an upper part made of insulating material. On the inner side of the upper part there are two station... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5847638 | Thermal circuit protector and switch The circuit protector and switch has fixed and movable contacts. The movable contact is provided on the free end of a lever that is made in part from a bi-metallic element. Normally, this lever serves to open or close the contacts as a rocker is moved bet... | 12/08/1998 |
| 5742219 | Switchable circuit breaker A switchable circuit breaker having a housing, stationary and moveable contacts, a switching member for actuating the contacts to assume a first condition in which the contacts are open and a second condition in which the contacts are closed, and a breake... | 04/21/1998 |
| 5694106 | Safety switch with overload protection circuit An improved safety switch with overload protection circuit includes a housing having a lamp cover and three connecting plates disposed in a receptacle. One connecting plate is provided with a bi-metal plate having a platinum contact, and one is provided w... | 12/02/1997 |
| 5498846 | Toggle switches A switch including two contact plates spaced in a housing, a bimetallic strip and a stop plate respectively connected to one contact plate, a T-shaped switch handle, a control block mounted around the switch handle, a conductive connecting plate fastened ... | 03/12/1996 |
| 5491460 | Instrument switch having integrated overcurrent protection An electrical instrument switch includes a rocker switch for manual on-and-off switching and that is seated in an insulation housing. Depending on the pivot position, the rocker switch moves, with a working end that dips into the housing interior, a conta... | 02/13/1996 |
| 4894634 | Switch device A thermostatic switch is shown in which a movable arm mounting a movable contact and a snap acting thermostatic strip disc are cantilever mounted with the disc adapted to cause the movable contact to move out of engagement with a stationary contact at a s... | 01/16/1990 |
| 4808961 | Thermally-sensible overcurrent protective relay including contact toggle mechanism In an overcurrent protective relay thermally operable by a bimetal, a movable contact mechanism is employed by utilizing a snap inversion mechanism. A normally-closed contact is employed with having an overtravel to achieve the reliable contacting. A manu... | 02/28/1989 |
| 4376925 | Switch units for electric immersion heaters A switch unit for an electric immersion heater for mounting on the wall of a liquid heating vessel, the switch unit including thermally responsive means sensitive to boiling liquid on a body of the switch unit in a position for exposure to vapor emerging ... | 03/15/1983 |
| 4318070 | Spring biased actuator for a thermal delay valve or switch An actuator for use as part of an electrically heated thermal delay valve (FIG. 1) or switch (FIG. 2) includes a thermally responsive plate (12) the periphery of which is fixed and the central part of which forms a temperature-dependent control element. T... | 03/02/1982 |
| 4310822 | Temperature control device for aquarium heater A temperature control device for use with an aquarium heater, including a control housing, a first contact fastened to the control housing, a second contact responsive to the temperature responsive movement of a bimetallic strip maintained at the control ... | 01/12/1982 |
| 4177443 | Thermal relay and electric range control utilizing the same A thermal relay construction capable of operating a pair of electrical contacts. The thermal relay includes an electrical heater of the self-regulating PTC type which is mounted upon and thermally coupled directly to a bimetal snap disc so that heat gener... | 12/04/1979 |
| 4048607 | Circuit breaker A circuit breaker has a bistable snap-acting mechanism including a bimetallic arm which renders the circuit breaker capable of actuation by either ambient temperature changes or temperature changes generated internally, as by an excessive electric current... | 09/13/1977 |
| 4032180 | Locking device for washing machine door An appliance door lock has a thermally actuable latch regulated by a voltage responsive heater arranged to close the appliance circuit only after the latch has been set, to delay unlatching of the door after interruption of the appliance operation, and to... | 06/28/1977 |
