...that it was melting ice cream that inspired the invention of the outboard motor? It was a lovely August day and Ole Evinrude was rowing his boat to his favorite island picnic spot. As he rowed, he watched his ice cream melt and wished he had a faster way to get to the island. At that moment the idea for the outboard motor was born!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7821417 | Method and system for detecting the presence of parts in an assembly fixture The present invention provides a system and method of detecting the correct and complete loading of parts in one or more assembly fixtures. A missing or incorrectly loaded part results in an airflow from a respective part cavity in an assembly fixture and a switch a... | 10/26/2010 |
| 7321299 | Workpiece handling alignment system Method and apparatus for use in setting up workpiece treatment or processing equipment. A disclosed system processes silicon wafers that are treated during processing steps in producing semiconductor integrated circuits. The processing equipment includes a wafer sup... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7318697 | Universal reticle transfer system A specially adapted SMIF pod (20) receives and holds one particular type of reticle cassette (36) or reticle holder (132) selected from among dozens of different configurations thereof. The SMIF pod (20) may be interrogated to determine t... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7319396 | RFID transducer alignment system A radio frequency identification (RFID) system having the capacity to detect various geometric parameters of alignment. The described system is configured for use with dental x-ray, medical imaging and treatment, and customary and digital radiography apparatus, but ... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7255524 | Substrate cassette mapper A mechanism for mapping the contents of a cassette which is used for delivering substrates to a system for processing semiconductor and similar materials which is independent of load port or loading robot movement. The mapping mechanism includes a U-shaped probe hav... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7206663 | Calibration cassette pod for robot teaching and method of using A calibration cassette pod for robot teaching and a method of using the calibration cassette pod are described. In the calibration cassette pod, a cassette pod body and a cassette pod door are first provided wherein the cassette pod body is constructed of a top pane... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7204669 | Semiconductor substrate damage protection system A method and apparatus for preventing substrate damage in a factory interface. In one embodiment, a method for preventing substrate damage in a factory interface includes the steps of receiving an indicia of potential substrate damage, and automatically preventing s... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7199723 | Cable plow installation monitor method and apparatus The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for installing a utility conveyance. A tractor which includes sensors, a plow locator and a monitor system is presented. The sensors are used to locate markers, which identify the boundaries of a right of w... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7162799 | Method for manufacturing an item A method for notifying installers 14–22 of the existence, type, and location of a portion 26 of an item within an assembly line 10. The notification allows the installers 14–22 to respectively ensure that the components 40 whic... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7154406 | Power tool level indicator A power tool includes a leveling mechanism that determines horizontal or vertical planes of the power tool. The leveling mechanism has a housing with a cavity in the housing. A rotating member is in the housing. The rotating member moves in the cavity such that the ... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7135984 | Device for positioning a workpiece A device for positioning a workpiece for machining has a bench, which is mounted movably at a base and to which the workpiece (14) can be fastened. A detection device (15, 16, 17, 18) is arranged at the bench (12) for detecting a state of a mach... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7115891 | Wafer mapping device and load port provided with same A wafer mapping device that recognizes the existence of wafers along with the descending and opening of a front door (2a) of a closed type clean container (2) in a state where the front door of the closed type clean container for mounting and ho... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7109509 | Device for the detection of substrates stacked with a specific spacing For a device for the detection of substrates stacked at an opening of a wall element, there existed the problem of constructing the detection device in such a way that the detection of the position of the substrates can be performed more flexibly with respect to the... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7098800 | Retraction system and motor position for use with safety systems for power equipment Woodworking machines are disclosed having movable cutting tools for cutting workpieces in a cutting region. The machines include a detection system adapted to detect one or more dangerous conditions between a person and the cutting tools, and a reaction system assoc... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7081825 | Interference measuring probe A method and a device for measuring at least one test surface and a reference test surface having an interference measuring probe which emits a first measuring beam which is aligned with respect to the reference test surface, are described. The measuring probe emits... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7062999 | Inverted vertical lathe The object of the invention is to provide an inverted vertical lathe comprising a device for replacing collets automatically, and having a detector for detecting that the collet has been gripped correctly. A chuck 400 mounted on a headstock 40 grips a ... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7038591 | Apparatus for testing and marking workpieces A workpiece testing and marking system includes an apparatus for testing a workpiece and for selectively generating a signal that is representative of a result of the test. The system also includes a marker that is adapted to provide a visual indication on the workp... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7019538 | Electrostatic capacitance sensor type measurement apparatus A measurement apparatus which measures a distance between a sensor probe and a target to be measured by using an electrostatic capacitance sensor, comprises first and second sensor probes (101, 102) which are arranged at respective predetermined gaps to the t... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7011483 | Load port, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing method, and method of detecting wafer adapter A load port includes an adapter-detecting sensor arranged at an upper portion of an opener. When the opener opens a lid of a FOUP, the adapter-detecting sensor detects whether a wafer adapter is mounted in the FOUP, and notifies a control unit of a semiconductor man... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6967586 | Bearing test method, bearing test device, bearing monitoring device and storage device A bearing test method and a bearing test device are provided for bearings in which a non-contact state is maintained between a shaft element and a bearing element in a normal rotation state. In addition, a motor bearing monitoring device is provided to detect an abn... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6950033 | Door bolt alarm A system for determining the position of a bolt in a door including a locking mechanism for moving the bolt between a first locked position wherein the door is secured in position within a door frame and a second unlocked position wherein the door is moveable within... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6934606 | Automatic calibration of a wafer-handling robot In one embodiment, a wafer-handling robot in a wafer processing system is automatically calibrated by determining an orientation of the robot relative to a chassis of the wafer processing system, determining hand-off coordinates of a load port in the wafer processin... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6922153 | Safety detection and protection system for power tools A detection system for detecting a dangerous condition for an operator using a power tool of the type which has an exposed blade relative to a work surface and a protection system for minimizing, if not eliminating the possibility of a user being injured by contacti... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6882283 | Cable plow installation monitor method and apparatus The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for installing a utility conveyance. A tractor which includes sensors, a plow locator and a monitor system is presented. The sensors are used to locate demarcation points, which identify the boundaries of a... | 04/19/2005 |
| 6853307 | High voltage proximity warning system and method A high-voltage-proximity warning system has a local panel (1) for being positioned in or about a cab (2) of heavy equipment or other vehicle (5), a remote panel (3) in predetermined electrical communication with the local panel and one or... | 02/08/2005 |
| 6812850 | Measuring apparatus The present invention has an object to provide a measuring apparatus which can surely prevent the collision of a moving member. A measuring apparatus 10 comprises a moving member 18 which is moved to obtain information about a workpiece and migh... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6804896 | Electronic measuring device An embodiment of an electronic measuring device includes a housing having an exterior surface configured and arranged to be removably secured within a support member. An electrically conductive probe is coupled to the housing and is movable between a position in con... | 10/19/2004 |
| 6798347 | Sensor head component A sensor head component is configurable as an accessory for performing various functions on other sensor head components interconnected in a sensor head of a monitoring tool assembly. Certain sensor head components may benefit from the performance of such functions ... | 09/28/2004 |
| 6784800 | Industrial vehicle safety system A system for enhancing safe operation of industrial vehicles includes at least one of three sets of sensors for detecting pedestrians in zones and providing appropriate responses. Zone 1 includes a two to four foot region around a stationary vehicle which mig... | 08/31/2004 |
| 6778079 | Input/output methodology for control reliable interconnection of safety light curtains and other machine safety controls The present invention involves a methodology for the interconnection of safety control modules used for the safeguarding of personnel around points and areas of hazardous machine operation. The system includes one or more safety control modules connected together so... | 08/17/2004 |
| 6670889 | Mechanical transmission system for automatically breaking off in response to earthquake and method thereof A mechanical transmission system for transmitting a wafer to a semiconductor manufacturing machine and being able to break off automatically in response to an earthquake via receiving a control signal generated by an earthquake detecting device is provide... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6636153 | Sensing system for magnetic clamping devices A sensor system for determining acceptable magnetization between a magnetic clamp and a mold patent for a quick mold change system on an injection molding machine includes secondary sensing coils magnetically coupled with a switchable magnet in the clamp ... | 10/21/2003 |
| 6580372 | Automatic electronic device detection A system that detects cellular telephone and other electronic use within an unauthorized locations. The location can be detected by GPS or triangulation, and once detected can automatically produce certain operations.... | 06/17/2003 |
| 6545611 | Transmission apparatus A transmission apparatus with flexible structure for introducing external cables that controls signal transmission efficiently. A cable connector for introducing a cable from the outside is fixed on a sub-printed circuit board. A main printed circuit boar... | 04/08/2003 |
| 6522260 | Portable panel position detector A portable panel position detector for determining the orientation of panels being serially moved on a transfer line into a downstream panel treatment facility comprising a pair of support towers laterally spaced to allow the passage of line supported pan... | 02/18/2003 |
| 6459382 | Over clamp sensor A substrate support is provided that comprises a sensing system configured to detect when a moveable end effector is in an over clamp position. The sensing system may comprise various sensors such as an inductive sensor, a light emitter and a detector, an... | 10/01/2002 |
| 6452503 | Semiconductor wafer imaging system A wafer imaging system is provided in which a camera is mounted at a known position in relation to an open front of a cassette to view the cassette and its entire stack of wafer contents. The camera can be mounted on a robot or on a tool. An image of the ... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6367529 | Method of adhering wafers and wafer adhering device The method and the device of the present invention are capable of uniformly using whole surface of a carrying plate, improving the polishing accuracy of wafers and extending span of life of the carrying plate. The method of adhering a plurality of wafers ... | 04/09/2002 |
| 6333696 | Collision preventing device for a measuring apparatus and measuring apparatus having collision preventing unit A collision preventing device includes: a holder 20; an annular collision detecting portion 30; holding means 40; and switching means 50. The holder 20 is attached to a non-contact probe 18. The annular collision detecting portion 30 covers the non-contac... | 12/25/2001 |
| 6308114 | Robot apparatus for detecting direction of sound source to move to sound source and method for operating the same A robot apparatus for detecting a sound signal outputted from a sound signal generating unit to move to a position of the sound signal generating device, wherein the sound signal has a specific pattern, includes: at least three sound receiving unit (114) ... | 10/23/2001 |