Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7405645 | Thermally activated circuit interrupter A thermally activated circuit interrupter (10) has a cantilever mounted, snap acting thermostatic disc (16) mounting a movable electric contact (18) that is adapted to move between a contacts engaged position and a tripped, contacts disengaged p... | 07/29/2008 |
| 7317375 | Adjustable safety switch A switch device includes a body with a switch member pivotably engaged with a top opening of the body and a first terminal and a second terminal respectively extend through two slots in a bottom of the body. A connection member is fixedly connected to an inside of t... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7312687 | Protective switch for protecting a circuit A protective switch for protecting a circuit includes an operating element or rocker switch, contact connections projecting from a housing, a contact spring electrically connected to a first contact connection and having a free end covering a second contact connecti... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7310041 | Circuit breaker The invention relates to a re-settable, single-phase, thermo/electric circuit breaker utilizing a U-shape bimetallic element of substantial resistance properties in the circuit, so that when a predetermined overload current occurs the bimetallic element self heats a... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7304560 | Safety switches A safety switch includes a switch member and a push rod is pivotably connected to an inside of the switch member. A biasing member pushes the push rod toward a stop rod extending from the inside of the switch member. A bi-metallic contact plate has a first end fixed... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7304561 | Motor overload protector An enclosed motor protector has a housing formed by a base (10) and a cover (12) received on the base and enclosing a recess (10a) formed in the base. A first terminal (14) extends through an opening in the housing and mounts a sta... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7283031 | Circuit breaker A breaker has a first conducting strip and a second conducting strip respectively mounted on a lower end of a shell; a first terminal mounted on the second conducting strip; a bimetal strip securely provided on a first conducting strip; a second terminal mounted on ... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7276277 | Micromechanical component, in particular a sensor element, having a stabilized membrane and a method of producing such a component A micromechanical component and a method of producing same are described; the component has a supporting body, in particular a silicon body, and a membrane which is connected to the supporting body and is unsupported at least in some areas. The membrane is also prov... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7248140 | Adjustable safety switch A switch device includes a body with switch pivotably connected to a top thereof and two terminals extend through an underside of the body. A first contact point is connected to one of the terminals and a bi-metallic plate has a first end fixed to the other terminal... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7236082 | Circuit breaker structure An improved structure of a circuit breaker is provided which comprises a housing, a rocker-switch, a push-shaft, a pull-shaft, a bimetallic strip, and other parts. There are three terminals under the rocker-switch inside the housing. A bimetallic strip embedded in a... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7230516 | Circuit breaker A circuit breaker includes a body having a neck member integrally connected thereto. A flange extends from an inner periphery of the neck member and a recess is defined in an inner periphery of the flange. Two terminals are connected to the body and a bi-metallic pl... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7202769 | Protection mechanism for switch A protection mechanism includes a first member connected to a switch member pivotably connected to an open top of a case so as to lift a bimetallic plate when the switch device is set to an “OFF” status, and a second member that is pivotably connected to an exte... | 04/10/2007 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 7142087 | Micromechanical latching switch A micro-electrical-mechanical-switch (MEMS) device comprises a semiconductor wafer, a first semiconductor layer formed on the semiconductor wafer, and a second semiconductor layer formed on the first layer. A first latching movable shuttle is formed in the second la... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7135953 | Adjusting device for a thermal trip An adjusting device is for a thermal trip of a switchgear. It includes a bimetal, which is held in a fixed manner on a bimetal support, whose free end is located at a distance from a tripping lever, and which increasingly acts upon this tripping lever in a tripping ... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7041920 | Elongated bridge shunt switch formed by stretching and rupturing a conducting bridge Structure and method for forming a switchable shunt for a suspension assembly having conductive, insulating and metal base layers. The shunt includes a bridge in the conductive layer with either a continuous connection or small gap between ends of the bridge. The co... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7038150 | Micro environmental sensing device A microelectromechanical (MEM) acceleration switch is disclosed which includes a proof mass flexibly connected to a substrate, with the proof mass being moveable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate in response to a sensed acceleration. An ele... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7034650 | Protection mechanism for switches A protection mechanism for a switch device includes a pivotably member pivotably connected to an underside of the switch member pivotably connected to an open top of the case of the switch device. The pivotable member includes a shorter tongue and two rods. An end o... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7030726 | Protection mechanism for switches A protection mechanism for a switch device includes a pull member that has one end pivotably connected to the switch member and the other end which is a hook end for lifting the bimetallic plate to set the switch device to “OFF” status. A push member is pivotabl... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7005957 | Mechanism for trip-free of the bimetallic plate of a safety switch device A switch device includes a case with a switch member pivotally engaged with the open top of the case. Two terminals extend from a bottom of the case and a bimetallic plate has a first end fixed to one of the terminals. A distal end of the bimetallic plate is located... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6992559 | Overload protection switch An overload protection switch has a conductor interconnecting the first primary leg and a second primary leg so that when current passes through the switch, the current not only raises the temperature of the bi-metal plate, but also raises the temperature of the con... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6940389 | Mechanism for ensuring bimetallic plate to be deformed without barrier A circuit breaker includes a bimetallic plate that has a first end fixed to one terminal and a second end which can be lowered to contact the other terminal by pushing the pushbutton on top of the case of the breaker. The second end of the bimetallic plate is movabl... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6933455 | Circuit breaker on a pushbutton switch A pushbutton switch has a pushbutton having a connection rod to be received in a connection hole defined in a distal end of the linkage which has a path in communication with the connection hole such that when the heat sensitive plate is reacted in response to heat ... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6924446 | Circuit breaker including a latchable cradle and a cross bar adapted to move in an arcuate path away from primary and secondary latches A circuit breaker includes a housing and an operating mechanism having a cross bar supported by a first housing surface and moving in an arcuate path between open/tripped and closed positions, a pivotally mounted cradle including a latch, and pivotally mounted prima... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6911614 | Circuit breaker A circuit breaker includes a fixed contact; a movable contact disposed in a rotary-type contact holder; a switching device; an operation handle; and an over-current tripping device. The operation handle is operated to open and close main-circuit contact points throu... | 06/28/2005 |
| 6906511 | Magnetic position detection for micro machined optical element A property of a magnetic sensor, deployed on a micro machined optical element and exposed to a magnetic field, changes as the position of the micro machined optical element changes with respect to a magnetic field or, alternatively, when the magnetic field changes w... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6545584 | Circuit breaker with inertia device to prevent shockout A pair of spring mounted masses have sufficient inertia to remain stationary in response to a shock force applied to the housing of a trip assembly in a circuit breaker to block movement of the trip bar and thereby prevent a nuisance trip.... | 04/08/2003 |
| 6515569 | Circuit breaker with bypass conductor commutating current out of the bimetal during short circuit interruption and method of commutating current out of bimetal The high transient current sustained by arcing during opening of the main contacts of a miniature circuit breaker is commutated out of the bimetal by deflection of the bimetal in response to the overcurrent to close secondary contacts on the free end of t... | 02/04/2003 |
| 6480090 | Universal device for safety switches The present invention relates to a universal device for safety switches which is used to control a conductive strip and serves as On/Off switching agent. The attachment is slopingly mounted in the switch housing. And the push-pull body used to move the co... | 11/12/2002 |
| 6469610 | Switch assembly A switch assembly comprises a switch knob, a contact control member, a resilient contact piece and a bimetal alloy leaf for automatically cutting off power supply when current overload occurs. The switch knob is depressed to drive a protuberance to direct... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6130464 | Latching microaccelerometer A surface micromachined microaccelerometer includes a substrate which has a surface plane, and a cantilever formed on the substrate with a fixed end and a free end, the fixed end being anchored to the substrate. The cantilever includes a mass fixed along ... | 10/10/2000 |
| 5966066 | Micromechanical memory sensor A micromechanical memory sensor. The sensor comprises a latch member mechanically latching upon detection of a threshold value of a variable condition and circuitry for detecting such latching. A sensor further includes a resetting mechanism for electrica... | 10/12/1999 |
| 5889457 | Overload protective circuit breaker switch An overload protective circuit breaker switch including: a first fixed contact and a second fixed contact adapted to connect an electric appliance to power supply; a movable contact adapted to form with the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact... | 03/30/1999 |
| 5831509 | Circuit breaker with sense bar to sense current from voltage drop across bimetal The stray inductance created by the loop formed by voltage sensing conductors connected to opposite ends of the bimetal in a miniature circuit breaker for determining load current is reduced by joining a voltage sense bar to the free end of the bimetal. T... | 11/03/1998 |
| 5712609 | Micromechanical memory sensor A micromechanical memory sensor. The sensor comprises a latch member mechanically latching upon detection of a threshold value of a variable condition and circuitry for detecting such latching. A sensor further includes a resetting mechanism for electrica... | 01/27/1998 |
| 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 |
| 5294902 | Fail-safe residential circuit breaker A molded case circuit breaker for residential use employs an additional safety feature to ensure a fail-safe condition in the event that the circuit breaker is installed within a circuit that may be subjected to an excessive over-current fault that disabl... | 03/15/1994 |
| 5257001 | Device for adjusting the bimetal blade of a circuit breaker A circuit breaker comprises a connector (17) connected to a bimetal blade (1) having an adjustable inclination. An end of the bimetal blade is embedded in an isolating axle (2) parallel to the plane of the bimetal blade (1), the position in rotation of th... | 10/26/1993 |
| 5223813 | Circuit breaker rocker actuator switch A rocker actuator switch having a frame which has a first projection extending therefrom which passes through a yoke portion of a rocker actuator that moves between on and off positions. The rocker actuator is pivotally connected to the frame by a snappin... | 06/29/1993 |
