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 |
| 7359130 | Lens mount and alignment method An improved lens mount and related alignment methods are provided. In one example, a lens mount includes a ring member and a base member connected with the ring member. The base member has a bottom surface. First and second coplanar mounting pads are provided on the... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7225984 | Systems and methods for providing multiple object planes in an optical image scanning environment Systems and methods for optically scanning multiple object planes are provided. One embodiment is a system for optically scanning multiple object planes comprising a platen and an optical head for scanning. The optical head comprises an optical delay element, a firs... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7052155 | Illuminated magnetic retrieval apparatus An illuminated magnetic retrieval apparatus includes an illumination module which includes a handle portion which houses a battery power supply and which houses illumination circuit means powered by the battery power supply. A flexible optical fiber light conveyance... | 05/30/2006 |
| 6621986 | Optical lens arrangement An optical lens arrangement for a rangefinder system in a photographic camera with a fixed viewfinder magnification SK and a fixed measuring base MB is configured to be coupled with a rangefinder eyepiece of the rangefinder system and is designed as an af... | 09/16/2003 |
| 6388738 | Rangefinder optical system A rangefinder optical system with a first optical system, a field frame optical system, and a second optical system, further including a field frame reflection member; a second optical system reflection member, and an optical-path merging member of the se... | 05/14/2002 |
| 6041186 | Finder system A finder system including a first optical system and a second optical system apart from the first optical system by a certain base length. Based on an object distance obtained with use of an active or passive distance measuring device, degree of coinciden... | 03/21/2000 |
| 6035140 | Finder system for camera Disclosed is a finder system for a camera. The finder system has real-image type first and second optical systems apart by a predetermined base length. Light passed through the first and second objective optical systems are combined and superimposed image... | 03/07/2000 |
| 5907726 | Range finder system Disclosed is a range finder system which includes a virtual image type first optical system for observing an object, and a second optical system for electronically capturing image of at least a part of the object. The range finder system is provided with ... | 05/25/1999 |
| 5895131 | Range finder system for camera Disclosed is a real-image object optical system 20, which is provided on the eyepiece optical system 28 side from the light path combining element 13, a first liquid crystal shutter 40 is provided for permitting/prohibiting incidence of light from the ran... | 04/20/1999 |
| 5335033 | Lensless camera viewfinder A dual function viewfinder presents to a photographer the frame of a picture being taken by the camera having the viewfinder and enables the photographer to point the camera to the center of the frame. The frame is outlined by the front perimeter of an op... | 08/02/1994 |
| 5270758 | Waist level finder optical system A waist level finder optical system comprising, in order from the object side: an objective lens system for finder comprising a first lens unit having positive refractive power and a second lens unit having negative refractive power; a reflecting member f... | 12/14/1993 |
| 4697905 | Photographic apparatus A photographic apparatus in which light entering through an objective is used in photo-electrically detecting the state of focus of a range finder area in the view field, whereby a mask for defining that area is arranged in the effective light beam at or ... | 10/06/1987 |
| 4303323 | Focus correcting device for use in a rangefinder camera A focus correcting device for use in a rangefinder camera is operable to correct for a displacement of the focal point of an imaging optics which results from a change in the diaphragm aperture of an apertured diaphragm. An interlocking mechanism operatio... | 12/01/1981 |
| 4251158 | Albada finder incorporating a range finder An albada finder incorporating a range finder comprising a first negative lens component, a second thick negative lens component and a third positive lens component, said second lens component being split into two elements along a plane inclined with rega... | 02/17/1981 |
| 4219264 | Close-up device for photographic viewfinder cameras Disclosed is an interchangeable attachment for photographic viewfinder cameras for increasing the close-up focusing power thereof. This device comprises a supplementary lens optically aligned with the camera objective lens; a parallax correction prism opt... | 08/26/1980 |
| 4171890 | Dichroic rangefinder Disclosed is a reflex rangefinder system for a camera having a pair of li reflecting members mounted to reflect light rays from the scene in the viewfinder system. The members are dichroically coated with different complementary colors such that the dual... | 10/23/1979 |
| 4100556 | Combined view and rangefinder with specially configured moving lens A movable lens element in a combined view and rangefinder for use in cameras having a variable focus objective lens is configured in a manner facilitating its reciprocal translation about a determinate path in correspondence with camera focusing.... | 07/11/1978 |
| 4100555 | Modular photographic rangefinder camera A combined view and rangefinder for use in cameras having a variable focus objective lens includes means for establishing a primary image of the scene to be photographed framed in a generally rectangular field of view together with a secondary focusing im... | 07/11/1978 |
| 4097881 | Focussing apparatus for cameras A focussing apparatus is disclosed comprising a mask plate disposed in the path of light to a camera rangefinder and having a plurality of apertures of like configuration which are offset from the optical axis of the rangefinder. Light passing through the... | 06/27/1978 |
| 4072969 | Ranging system for camera viewfinder A ranging system for a camera is provided including a reflecting means and marking means including movable masking means reflected thereby into the viewfinder of a camera. The reflecting means within the scope of this invention includes means for translat... | 02/07/1978 |
| 4005447 | Dual beam rangefinder An improved dual beam rangefinder is used with an optical instrument having an objective lens with an afocal lens cell and a prime lens cell. A pair of spaced reflecting means are positioned intermediate the lens cells to intercept selected portions of th... | 01/25/1977 |
