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 |
| 7362550 | Electric motor comprising a temperature monitoring device Disclosed is an electric motor comprising a temperature monitoring device which is provided with at least two temperature sensors that have different temperature characteristics and are connected to terminal clamps by means of electrical wires, whereby it is possibl... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7336048 | Method for operating a power tool In a method for operating a power tool with an energy accumulator, in particular a rechargeable energy accumulator, which supplies power to an electric drive motor, a clock frequency is generated by an electronic unit, with which a gate of a MOSFET—which supplies ... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7262578 | Direct control of an induction motor This invention relates to sensorless control (i.e. without encoder at the motor shaft) of an induction motor (AC asynchronous motor). In particular, the invention comprises a method for a direct measurement of the electromotive forces (EMF) at the stator of the moto... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7259490 | Synchronous machine The present invention concerns a synchronous machine with preferably salient poles with pole windings which are galvanically connected together. The invention further concerns a wind power installation and a method of monitoring a synchronous machine of a wind power... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7161779 | Anti-pinch and electrical motor protection device An anti-pinch and electric motor protection device includes a positive temperature coefficient circuit protector having a predetermined temperature threshold and is adapted to be in electrical series with a DC circuit to allow current flow in a first direction and i... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7111983 | Temperature detection method and apparatus for inverter-driven machines A resistance temperature detector device and system are provided for measuring the temperature adjacent to windings within a stator assembly. The resistance temperature detector comprises a resistive element enclosed within a plurality of insulative layers, includin... | 09/26/2006 |
| 7107235 | Method of conducting business including making and selling a custom article of footwear The present invention teaches a method of conducting retail and Internet business including making and delivering a custom article of footwear. The article of footwear taught in the present invention includes a spring element that can provide improved cushioning, st... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7049518 | Shielded cable, process for assembling the same and compressor unit having the same A shielded cable has a cable body providing an electromagnetic shielding portion around a conductive wire thereof, a connector fitted to one end of the cable body and having a casing including a conducting portion, and an electromagnetic shielding portion of the cab... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7038896 | Solid state motor protector A solid state motor protector has a first PTC chip (positive temperature coefficient of resistivity) electrically connected in series relation with a second resistor having a generally fixed temperature coefficient of resistivity and mechanically coupled to the firs... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7005827 | Starting circuit for single-phase induction motor A starting circuit for a single-phase induction motor includes a motor starting positive characteristic thermistor and a triac arranged in a series connection, and a triac control positive characteristic thermistor connected in parallel with the motor starting posit... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6989976 | Overcurrent protection circuit A resistance value variable element (18a) changes its resistance value in response to abnormal exothermic heat caused by an overcurrent of an external electrical equipment (3). A bias voltage outputted from a bias voltage output circuit (18 | 01/24/2006 |
| 6946967 | Protective device for an electric motor with sensor and evaluation unit A protective device includes a signal input intended for connection to a sensor, a signal output intended for connection to an evaluation unit, and an isolation element for galvanically separating the signal input from the signal output. The provision of the protect... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6943661 | Quick-connect positive temperature coefficient of resistance resistor/overload assembly and method A positive temperature coefficient of resistance resistor/overload (PTCR/OL) resistor assembly that can be quickly and easily electrically connected and disconnected from equipment without the need for special tools or equipment. In some arrangements of the present ... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6929396 | System for temperature monitoring A system for monitoring the temperature prevailing in the stator unit of an electric drive includes a temperature sensor that is integrated into the windings of the stator unit and that transmits a temperature-dependent sensor signal. The sensor signal may be inject... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6847187 | Detection of loss of cooling air to traction motors A thermal protection apparatus for an AC traction motor including a stator, a rotor, a blower fan and an inverter includes a method and apparatus for predicting the motor temperature assuming that the blower is operational. The method and apparatus also determines a... | 01/25/2005 |
| 6542846 | Thermal management system for a portable ultrasound imaging device A thermal management system for a portable battery powered electronic device, and particularly, a portable battery powered ultrasound device, which controls the temperature of the device such that the external surface temperature satisfies medical safety ... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6490158 | Motor start capacitor assembly A motor start capacitor assembly for providing an enclosure for a motor start capacitor and a thermistor electrically connected in series. The enclosure is constructed of a low temperature plastic case and cap with a high temperature plastic core for supp... | 12/03/2002 |
| 6452359 | Starting system for an electric motor An improvement in a starting system for an electric motor, which drives a hermetic compressor of refrigeration and comprises a main winding (1), and an auxiliary winding (2), which are energized by an electric current source (3), through a hermetic termin... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6317304 | Assembly of electric motor-controlling components An assembly of starting elements and protectors for use with electric motors. One of the objectives is to provide an assembly which can be quickly and easily adapted to the housing of a compressor. This objective is achieved by the assembly comprising a c... | 11/13/2001 |
| 6249104 | Cutout start switch heating A motor start switch includes a temperature responsive resistor element and a cutout switch electrically connected in series with a start winding of an electric motor. The cutout switch is in thermal contact with the temperature responsive resistor elemen... | 06/19/2001 |
| 6236550 | Motor activating circuit device and refrigerator A positive thermistor device used in a motor activating circuit device of a refrigerator for example includes a positive thermistor element having a pair of opposed electrodes, each of which receives compressive force elastically applied from a correspond... | 05/22/2001 |
| 6169648 | Electronic motor protection system An electronic motor protection system which protects electric motors against various fault conditions such as over-temperature (12) of the individual windings of the motor and low voltage (18, 20). The system has a power supply compatible with 24, 120 or ... | 01/02/2001 |
| 6107669 | Load actuating semiconductor circuit having a thermally resistive member An intelligence power device (IPD), having a temperature-sensitive and heat-damage protecting function, is used as a semiconductor relay which controls load current supplied to an electric load. A target sensitive temperature TSD of IPD is dete... | 08/22/2000 |
| 6090735 | Semiconductive ceramic composition and semiconductive ceramic element using the same A semiconductive ceramic composition having negative resistance-temperature characteristics, wherein the composition comprises lanthanum cobalt oxide as the primary component, and, as secondary components, at least one oxide of an element selected from B,... | 07/18/2000 |
| 5867083 | Protective device for surge current protection of associated equipment in communications systems A small-size high-performance electronic protective device (10) is provided for use in protecting communication equipment including an exchange servicing module against application of abnormal surge current due to accidental shorts between adjacent ones o... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5852539 | Overheat circuit for a utility vehicle An overheat protection circuit includes a resistor having a first lead connected to the engine temperature switch and the power take off (PTO) relay coil circuit. The second lead of the resistor is connected to the output of an interlock circuit to provid... | 12/22/1998 |
| 5793171 | Control circuit for controlling the driving of a DC motor for a mirror assembly of a vehicle When a switch 12 is turned on, a relay coil 14b is excited by a current generated at the very moment when electric power of a dc power source 11 is supplied to a condenser 16 for actuation. Accordingly, a relay contact 14a is closed, and the power is give... | 08/11/1998 |
| 5790355 | Control system An electric appliance control system is provided for use with an electric power unit such as an electric lawn mower. The electric appliance control system includes a battery, a selectively operable switch, a relay having first and second contacts, a contr... | 08/04/1998 |
| 5784232 | Multiple winding sensing control and protection circuit for electric motors The present invention involves control and protection circuit for a compressor motor which includes an inductively activated contactor for controlling the flow of current to the compressor motor. The circuitry of the present invention includes a plurality... | 07/21/1998 |
| 5729416 | Motor starter and protector module A combination motor starter and protector module is described. The base member, in one embodiment, forms a motor protector compartment and a motor starter compartment. The motor protector, in one form, is a bimetallic switch configured to be coupled betwe... | 03/17/1998 |
| 5645746 | Use of PTC devices Use of PTC circuit protection devices in motor vehicle wiring systems. The devices can replace some or all of the fuses conventionally used. Preferred devices contain PTC conductive polymers. Because the PTC devices can be reset without physical access to... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5617281 | Low cost circuit controller A circuit controller for selectively connecting a power source to a load includes a switching mechanism, which selectively connects the power source to the load and switches a current which flows through the switching mechanism, and a substantially radian... | 04/01/1997 |
| 5612847 | Power window circuit board overcurrent protection A vehicle door (22) has a window (24) capable of being opened and closed. A master power window switch assembly (26) is mountable in an arm rest (28) of the door (22) near a driver of the vehicle. A polyswitch resettable fuse (56) is connected to a printe... | 03/18/1997 |
| 5550527 | Resistor device for controlling a rotational speed of a motor A resistor device for controlling a rotational speed of a resistance unit and an open-circuit means. A receiving recess is provided to any one side surface of a heat sink vertically affixed to a top surface plate of a housing. A resistance unit, which is ... | 08/27/1996 |
| 5530613 | Current limiting circuit controller A circuit controller for selectively connecting a power source to a load includes a non-overcurrent protective electrical switching mechanism and a conductive polymer current limiter connected in series with the load for limiting the current which flows t... | 06/25/1996 |
| 5473495 | Combination load controller A combination load controller for controlling application of power to a load such as a motor, has an input terminal coupleable to a power source, and an output terminal coupleable to a load. A conductive polymer and a protective, electromagnetic switch ar... | 12/05/1995 |
| 5436784 | Motor protection relay using thermal models The motor relay includes thermal models representing the start and run conditions of a motor. The thermal models are implemented using measured current values and certain known operating parameters available from the manufacturer, specifically full load c... | 07/25/1995 |
| 5428493 | Motor starting relay device having PTC thermistors In a relay device, a first PTC thermistor has one end connected to a first external connecting terminal, and the other end connected to one end of a second PTC thermistor, the other end of which is connected to a second external connecting terminal, and t... | 06/27/1995 |
| 5323287 | Protective device for electric motors A protective device for electric motors for protecting electric motors from high operational temperatures, has an element for determining an operational temperature of an electric motor and an element for automatically switching off of the electric motor ... | 06/21/1994 |
| 5291085 | Split-phase starter for an electric motor A split-phase starter for an electric motor having a casing made up of a casing body and a lid secured to the casing body, the casing body having a first casing and a second casing, a relay contact mechanism being arranged in the casing body, and a positi... | 03/01/1994 |
