Did You Know...
...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7418088 | Monitoring and control module A method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling one or more aspects of one or more communication devices. In one embodiment the communication device is configured to transmit and receive packets of data via a packet-switched network. In one configuration the m... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7304588 | Monitoring technology An apparatus for monitoring an article or system, particularly an LP or propane tank, includes a transmission unit, a base unit and a host unit. The transmission unit is disposed on or near the article or system and detects at least one parameter related to the arti... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7228199 | Bulk inventory network system A system and method for remote monitoring of material storage levels for dry bulk goods, wherein an independent entity, such as a transportation carrier, can continuously monitor raw material supply levels at a remote manufacturing plant, and, based on projected usa... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7224713 | Telemetry system with authentication A telemetry system includes many radio transmitters using frequency hopping carriers to intermittently transmit transmissions indicative of status of sensors associated with the transmitters. The transmitters transmit transmissions independently of a receiver receiv... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7212616 | System for adapting a conventional telephone line to a data and voice transmission local network The system includes a device (1) for detecting hung up/picked up line, which provides a signal showing whether the line is open or closed, a device (2) for closing or opening the line (7), which provides the data to be transmitted, a device (... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7209865 | Method and system for remotely processing volumetric data In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a system for providing storage tank measurements to a remote location is provided. The system includes a control box configured to take a plurality of readings from within the storage tank and transmit those rea... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7110512 | Method and apparatus for providing prepaid local telephone services A system and method for providing prepaid dialtone services. The system includes a prepaid dialtone service center having an applications server that maintains a prepaid dialtone subscriber database including subscriber identification and service period information.... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7046682 | Network-enabled, extensible metering system To allow meter data users to have access to needed information and at the same time address the rapidly shifting requirements of the deregulated marketplace, a new business model, apparatus and system are provided. A common metering device measures raw data and a sy... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7016710 | Power optimized request response communication protocol with timer mechanism to enforce client to generate request In order to support connectivity requirements for today's pervasive devices, the present invention provides an asymmetric two-way request-response communication protocol in which the end user or application is an active participant in the power management scheme. No... | 03/21/2006 |
| 6999567 | Method and system for communicating from an automatic meter reader In a system where an automatic meter reader device communicates with a host at a remote location using a communication line that is shared with at least one other user, conflicts between the use of the communication line by the automatic meter reader and/or by the h... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6999890 | Measurement data processing system A measurement data processing system is provided, which can transmit measurement data for processing from a data measuring device that has measured and stored the data to a data processing device without a complicated operation. When a personal measuring instrument ... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6952785 | Methods and apparatus for powering a data communications port A data communications device includes a supervisory circuit, a power supply, and a power circuit. The power circuit includes a data communications port, a power supply connection coupled to the power supply, and a power controller coupled to the data communications ... | 10/04/2005 |
| 6947854 | System and method for on-line monitoring and billing of power consumption The present invention comprises systems and methods related to monitoring of energy usage on a power line. In a preferred embodiment, this system comprises (a) an electronic microprocessor-controlled digital electricity metering device coupled to the power line and ... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6940956 | Electric outlet based power status notification device, system, and method There is provided a device, system, and method for reporting a change in the power status of power supplied through an electric outlet. A power outage notification device detects the change in the power status of the power, such as a power outage or a power restorat... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6347135 | Apparatus and method for powering a telephone-based inbound telemetry device A telephone-based automatic meter reading (AMR) system includes a telemetry device through which a host computer can collect meter readings remotely. The telemetry device has one or more ports to read one or more meters at pre-scheduled time intervals. Al... | 02/12/2002 |
| 5815558 | Dial inbound meter interface unit which uses two elements for coupling to and isolating from meter The invention is a dial inbound MIU which includes only two elements, a transformer and an optoisolator, to couple timing and power signals to the meter whose data is being measured and to retrieve data from the meter.... | 09/29/1998 |
| 5631636 | Method of reducing power consumption in a remote meter reading system A remote meter reading system (10) includes a remotely accessible meter interface unit (12). The meter interface unit (12) is operable in an activated mode and in an inactivated mode. The meter interface unit (12) is periodically activated to monitor a co... | 05/20/1997 |
| 5619560 | Residential fuel oil tank level reporting device A remote level sensor for a residential fuel oil tank is adapted for a fuel oil gauge with a permanent magnet which changes position with changing fluid levels in the tank. The sensor has a housing with a connector which receives a top portion of the gaug... | 04/08/1997 |
| 5485509 | Telemetry device including a dynamic off-hook detector The telemetry device of the present invention overcomes the wide variation in operating parameters found in the telephone system by automatically tuning itself to the operating conditions sensed on the telephone line. More particularly, the invention dyna... | 01/16/1996 |
| 5204896 | Outbound telemetry device A outbound telemetry device type of meter interface unit (MIU) is provided which enables the automated collection of utility consumption information from a telephone subscriber's site via a conventional subscriber phone line between a central office and t... | 04/20/1993 |
| 5202916 | Signal proessing circuit for use in telemetry devices A signal processing circuit is provided, one embodiment of which is employed in an inbound telemetry device such as an inbound MIU, another embodiment of which is employed in an outbound telemetry device such as an outbound MIU, for example. The inbound s... | 04/13/1993 |
| 5173935 | Method, system and apparatus for teleprinting Teleprinting system, at a telephone user, comprising an apparatus containing a microprocessor corrected to a telephone line through a modem unit providing to distinguish data transmission messages from standard telephone messages using differences in the ... | 12/22/1992 |
| 5079715 | Electronic data recorder for electric energy metering An electronic remote data recorder records pulses representing usage of a commodity such as, for example, water, gas or electricity from a plurality of consumers. The data from each consumer is stored in a respective data storage device. Each data storage... | 01/07/1992 |
| 4893332 | Low-powered remote sensor A low-powered remote sensor is achieved by capacitively isolating a long duration perpetual timer which is powered by removing inductively coupled AC power from telephone lines or other long lines. Three embodiments are described using this concept. The f... | 01/09/1990 |
| 4866761 | Automatic meter reading system Automatic meter readers are arranged for connection to customers' telephone lines and for automatic dialing for transmission of meter data to a computer of a utility control center, communications being effected through a call collection module which incl... | 09/12/1989 |
| 4862493 | Electronic remote data recorder for electric energy metering An electronic remote data recorder records pulses representing usage of a commodity such as, for example, water, gas or electricity from a plurality of consumers. The data from each consumer is stored in a respective data storage device. Each data storage... | 08/29/1989 |
| 4833618 | System for automatically reading utility meters from a remote location A system for automatically collecting and storing utility data and transmitting the stored data from the user premises to a remote location. The system comprises interface means for converting the utility usage data into data signals that can be recorded ... | 05/23/1989 |
| 4817131 | Automatic meter reading system Automatic meter readers are arranged for connection to customers' telephone lines and for automatic dialing for transmission of meter data to a computer of a utility control center, communications being effected through a call collection module which incl... | 03/28/1989 |
| 4654869 | Information collecting and forwarding apparatus An apparatus for collecting and forwarding encoded information includes a source of power maintained from the output port thereof to provide power to the source of encoded informations whereby a local subscriber is not required to supply power to such enc... | 03/31/1987 |
| 4639728 | Method of and system for accumulating verifiable energy demand data from remote electricity meters Pulses generated by the pulse initiator of an electricity meter (30) are counted during successive measurement intervals. The pulse count for each interval is stored in the solid state memory (42) of a recorder (10), to be thereafter transmitted to a cent... | 01/27/1987 |
| 4349879 | Apparatus for controlling electrical power consumption In an electrical power distribution system, a consumer has a control unit comprising a plurality of solid state switches in supply leads to a plurality of separate load circuits, a microprocessor responsive to the magnitude of the total current drawn by t... | 09/14/1982 |
| 4226360 | Metering system A metering device, such as a postage meter, can be updated by a code bearing means which is provided with a first discernible code and a second obscured code, for instance, magnetic code. A computer stores a third code in association with the first code, ... | 10/07/1980 |
| 4151371 | Remote meter reading apparatus comprising interphone means A utility meter in a dwelling or the like is read from a main station through a transmission line. A reverse current blocking diode is provided in the transmission line. Interphones for voice communication are connected to the transmission line at the met... | 04/24/1979 |
| 4004097 | Automatic meter reading device A device for automatically reading one or more meters at a remote location and supplying the information read over telephone lines to a central station includes a coupler effective on command from the central station to furnish power to the meter reading ... | 01/18/1977 |
| 3937890 | Remote monitoring communication system and terminal for utility meters A remote monitoring terminal is disclosed for connection with a utility meter to encode and store the meter readings in digital form. The terminal can be interrogated to obtain the stored reading in serial form suitable for encoding and transmission over ... | 02/10/1976 |
