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 |
| 8172409 | Image pickup apparatus and endoscope An image pickup apparatus has a heater device including a heater and a temperature sensor. The heater device is arranged outside the effective light beam range of an objective optical system, with a predetermined air gap between the heater device and an inner circum... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8162491 | Plastic glass mirror for vehicles The invention related to a rear view mirror using a plastic glass material to combine several functions as fixing and heating. ... | 04/24/2012 |
| 7972021 | Transmission-controlled window glazing The invention relates to a window glazing comprising at least two window panes with an intermediate ventilated space arranged therebetween, wherein at least one window pane is provided with a layer which is arranged on the interior side therefore and whose transmiss... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7731373 | Window with resistance heating element An electrically heated window intended to be fitted with an imaging device which views an object through a viewing area of the window. A resistance heating element comprises at least one electrically conductive wire extending across the viewing area a plurality of t... | 06/08/2010 |
| 7426339 | Waterproof housing A waterproof housing for storing a camera with a lens barrel includes, a cylindrical lens barrel storage section for storing the lens barrel portion with a through hole communicating the outside and inside of the waterproof housing; and a rotatable cylindrical opera... | 09/16/2008 |
| 7365826 | Projection optical system, exposure apparatus and method using the same A projection optical system includes an optical element that includes and locally uses a reflective or refractive area that is substantially axially symmetrical around an optical axis, the optical element being rotatable around the optical axis. ... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7355161 | Systems and methods for controlling windows with variable light transmission Systems and methods for controlling windows with variable light transmission are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a sensor adapted to receive a light intensity, a user input device adapted to receive a user input value, a window having a variable tran... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7321723 | Electric radiator An electric radiator comprising at least one laminar element, at least one electrified flexible sheet being fixed on the face of said element that is not exposed once installed, the sheet being electrically connectable to an electric power source. Elements for fixin... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7309527 | Hydrophilic surfaces carrying temporary protective covers A substrate carrying a temporary protective cover and related methods of producing and processing substrates are described. In one embodiment, a substrate bears a hydrophilic coating carrying a temporary protective cover that protects the hydrophilic coating against... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7294404 | Graded photocatalytic coatings The invention provides graded photocatalytic coatings. In one aspect, the invention provides a substrate carrying a photocatalytic coating that includes a first graded film region and a second graded film region. The first graded film region has a substantially cont... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7244033 | Moistureproof optical device An optical device includes a first optical element including an incidence plane on which light from an object is incident, the incidence plane being in contact with the surrounding environment; a main body having an inside and housing the first optical element such ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7185992 | Lens holding technique A lens apparatus includes a lens unit comprising at least one lens, a holding member disposed at a side surface of the lens unit, a ring-like member disposed between the lens unit and the holding member. In the lens apparatus a fixing agent is surrounded by the lens... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7165852 | Breakaway exterior rearview mirror assembly An exterior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle includes a pivot joint assembly pivotally mounting a movable portion to a base portion of the mirror assembly. The pivot joint assembly includes a support member, a receiving portion and a bracing member. The bracing... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7156533 | Rearview mirror for motor vehicles A rearview mirror for motor vehicles having a layer substrate and a coating applied onto the back thereof, includes a reflective mirror coating and an intermediate layer, which may be made of a semiconductor material, arranged between the reflective mirror coating a... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7132625 | Heatable article having a configured heating member A heatable article, e.g. a heatable windshield, having a generally trapezoidal shape has a conductive member, e.g. a conductive coating, between and in contact with a pair of spaced bus bars having different lengths. Selected portions of the coating between the bus ... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7084553 | Vibrating debris remover This invention relates to a device which is either permanently attached or removable to the edge of a material such as a vehicular glass window. This device may be comprised of a converter sub-unit (vibrator) and an amplifying coupler. These elements are arranged so... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7061950 | Drive circuit and drive method of semiconductor laser module provided with electro-absorption type optical modulator The present invention aims at providing a drive circuit and a drive method for a semiconductor laser module including an electro-absorption type optical modulator, capable of obtaining a stable optical output without controlling a module temperature to be constant. ... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7058213 | Scanning system and calibration method for capturing precise three-dimensional information of objects A scanning system includes a hand-held scanning device that generates two-dimensional images of a pattern reflected off an object. The system also includes a memory and processing unit. The memory stores a calibration table for the scanner and received scanned bitma... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7052149 | Exterior vehicle mirror with auxiliary mirror having position marker indicating position of vehicle The present invention provides an outer mirrors installed in an automobile, that has a capability to be reset into a housing position, features to have auxiliary mirrors to percept and monitor the front wheels and thereabout, has a flexibility for well appreciated a... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7035010 | Polarized lenses with variable transmission A lens including a polarizing film within a polyurethanic material which comprises a photochromic dye therein. ... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7025469 | Vehicle rear-view mirror with wide viewing angle and reduced image distortion A mirror with wide viewing angle and reduced image distortion, to be used as an external rear-view mirror for vehicles which is obtained monolithically by pressure injection-molding or gravity casting of a highly transparent material and its external incident surfac... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7004591 | Antifogging element and method for forming the same A coating agent including photocatalyst particles dispersed in a titanium peroxide solution obtainable by causing titanium hydroxide (orthotitanic acid) gel to act with hydrogen peroxide being used as a material for the photocatalyzer film is used to a photocatalyze... | 02/28/2006 |
| 7006194 | Projection optical system, exposure apparatus and method using the same A projection optical system includes an optical element that includes and locally uses a reflective or refractive area that is substantially axially symmetrical around an optical axis, the optical element being rotatable around the optical axis. ... | 02/28/2006 |
| 7002139 | Window mounting for optical sensor A window mounting system for optical sensors including a removable connection for window replacement, an alignment system to assure precision registration of the window or dome with the sensor internal optics, and thermal insulation to limit heat transfer from the w... | 02/21/2006 |
| 7001028 | Method and device for preventing dew condensation and frosting on optical glass window A method and an apparatus are provided for preventing formation of dew and/or ice on an optical glass window, with which formation of dew and/or ice is easily and simply prevented while an air turbulent disturbance is minimized and a deformation is inhibited as litt... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6991339 | Electro-optic device having a self-cleaning hydrophilic coating An electro-optic device is disclosed having a self-cleaning, hydrophilic optical coating. The electro-optic device preferably forms an external rearview mirror for a vehicle. The optical coating preferably includes photocatalytic layer(s), a hydrophilic layer, and a... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6974629 | Low-emissivity, soil-resistant coating for glass surfaces A coated article (e.g., a coated glass article) is provided with a low-emissivity, water-sheeting coating. The coating comprises a sputtered silica layer over a pyrolytically-applied dielectric layer. In certain embodiments, an automobile windscreen is provided with... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6964731 | Soil-resistant coating for glass surfaces A glass article which has a water-sheeting coating and a method of applying coatings to opposed sides of a substrate are described. In one embodiment, a glass sheet is provided bearing a sputtered water-sheeting coating comprising silica on an exterior surface and b... | 11/15/2005 |
| 6959994 | Camera built-in type rearview mirror device To provide a camera built-in type rearview mirror device with illumination, wherein rigidity of the mirror housing can be raised, the camera main body part can photo a clear picture by extensive photographing feasible viewing angle through a transparent cover, and b... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6954240 | Method of producing polarizing plate, and liquid crystal display comprising the polarizing plate A polarizing plate produced according to the present invention includes a polarizing film and a protective layer bonded to a surface of the polarizing film, where the protective layer has no irregularities like record grooves caused by stretching of the polarizing f... | 10/11/2005 |
| 6952245 | Polarizing plate having polarizer sides covered with low moisture permeable layers with permeability different than protective films covering the polarizer surfaces A polarizing plate having excellent moisture durability and a liquid crystal display using the same are disclosed. The polarizing plate is produced by covering all surfaces and sides of a polarizer with low moisture-permeable layers having moisture permeability of 3... | 10/04/2005 |
| 6939446 | Soil-resistant coating for glass surfaces A glass article which has a water-sheeting coating and a method of applying coatings to opposed sides of a substrate are described. In one embodiment, a water-sheeting coating 20 comprising silica is sputtered directly onto an exterior surface of the glass. T... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6926966 | Composite substrate material and process for producing the same A functional film, which has photo-catalytic effects, is overlaid on a surface of each of at least two substrate materials. The functional film, which has been overlaid on the surface of each of the substrate materials, is exposed to light having a wavelength fallin... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6921579 | Temporary protective covers A substrate carrying a temporary protective cover and related methods of producing and processing substrates are described. In one embodiment, a substrate has a durable exterior surface bearing a temporary protective cover that protects the durable surface against c... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6917019 | Heating and method for controlling heating of a functional unit on a motor vehicle Heating of a functional unit is started by a control device. An actual temperature or a parameter dependent on the actual temperature is monitored during, and optionally before and after the actual heating of the functional unit. A characteristic feature of the time... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6902813 | Hydrophilic surfaces carrying temporary protective covers A substrate carrying a temporary protective cover and related methods of producing and processing substrates are described. In one embodiment, a substrate bears a hydrophilic coating carrying a temporary protective cover that protects the hydrophilic coating against... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6866391 | Thermal condensate reducer for optical devices The present invention provides a method and system to overcome and eliminate the effects of condensation contamination of optical surfaces that are induced by radiative cooling. The invention counteracts the effects of radiative cooling on optical surfaces and maint... | 03/15/2005 |
| 6840635 | Polarizer and method of producing the same An iodine-PVA polarizing element 30 μm thick is dried by heating at 50° C. for 30 minutes to thereby obtain a polarizing element having a moisture content of 4.9% by weight. A pair of 100 μm-thick norbornene resin films (tradename “ARTON” made by JSR Corporat... | 01/11/2005 |
| 6831713 | Polarizing plate having all surfaces and sides covered with low moisture-permeable layers and liquid crystal display using the same A polarizing plate having excellent moisture durability and a liquid crystal display using the same are disclosed. The polarizing plate is produced by covering all surfaces and sides of a polarizer with low moisture-permeable layers having moisture permeability of 3... | 12/14/2004 |
| 6820985 | Display panel and production method therefor To provide a display panel, such as a PDP, that can reduce noise caused by a collision sound which occurs when a front panel member and a back panel member vibrate while the display panel is being driven. Projections (21) are provided on a surface of a first ... | 11/23/2004 |
