...that the x-ray was discovered purely by accident? When German physicist Wilhelm Konrad von Roentgen was experimenting with cathode rays in 1895, he put an activated Crookes tube in a book and went out to lunch. When he returned, he discovered that a key that had also been placed in the book showed up as an image on the developed film!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7996929 | Flush toilet A toilet system includes a toilet and a pump assembly. The toilet has a bowl and a base. The base has a hopper for receiving waste from the bowl. The pump assembly is operative for pumping a source of flush water to the bowl and for pumping the waste from the hopper... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7245561 | Water feature The invention provides a water feature comprising a vessel containing a volume of water and means for imparting rotational motion thereto, wherein means are also provided for varying the height of the volume of water in the vessel. The invention also provides a meth... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7005077 | Shipboard human waste treatment for removing solids A method and system for separating human waste solids from liquid for a shipboard toilet system that allows for the separation of solid waste, compaction of the solid waste and storage of solid waste. Wastes are deposited into a shipboard toilet system that uses vac... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6910230 | Submergible public sanitary device A public sanitary device, comprising one or more walk-in positions, each having a receptacle for human excrement and/or urine, which is connected to a waste pipe for connection to a sewage system. The sanitary device has the characteristic that it is provided with m... | 06/28/2005 |
| 6401270 | Toilet apparatus An embodiment provides a toilet having a toilet pan 11, an outlet pipe 78 for the contents of the pan, a closeable lid 21 on the pan forming with the pan a waste receptacle chamber, a seal 22 between the lid 21 and the pan 11, means 12 for introducing wat... | 06/11/2002 |
| 6397405 | Flush toilet for RV's and boats A flush toilet having two nozzles located within its bowl. The two nozzles being oriented in opposite directions and alternately providing pulses of flush water into and around the bowl.... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6330725 | Vacuum toilet system for a vehicle A vacuum toilet system for a vehicle, notably a passenger aircraft, comprising a plurality of toilets (1), a collecting tank (4), a duct system (3) which connects the toilets (1) with the collecting tank (4) via one flush valve (2) per toilet, a vacuum ge... | 12/18/2001 |
| 6247193 | Flush toilet with rim nozzles A flush toilet has a housing and a bowl set in the housing, having an upper rim, and having an inner surface extending downward from the rim. A ring atop the bowl has a plurality of nozzles spaced about the rim and each directed at an acute angle against ... | 06/19/2001 |
| 6085366 | Apparatus for supplying pressurized rinse water to a toilet Apparatus for pressurizing rinse fluid to a toilet is provided comprising a reservoir for receiving gravity fed rinse fluid. The reservoir is connected to a source of pressurized air through an air inlet valve mechanically coupled to a controller. A rinse... | 07/11/2000 |
| 5974597 | Portable and covered toilet A portable and covered toilet which can be easily assembled and used in a variety of remote locations that require proper waste disposal. An inexpensive flushing system maintains sanitary conditions, and, a cover, included to provide privacy, is folded on... | 11/02/1999 |
| 5692250 | Vacuum toilet system with treated rinse liquid A vacuum toilet system comprises a toilet bowl having an outlet opening, a sewer pipe having an interior space, a discharge valve connecting the outlet opening of the toilet bowl to the sewer pipe, and a source of partial vacuum for establishing a lower p... | 12/02/1997 |
| 5515554 | Vacuum toilet system A vacuum toilet system efficient transport of waste material from a toilet bowl to a collection station by means of differential pressure, comprising an actuator button, a discharge valve, a water valve, and a controller valve. The various valves are simp... | 05/14/1996 |
| 5408704 | Low volume vacuum toilet assembly A vacuum tank assembly has a low volume configuration so that it can be used in boats and recreational vehicles where space is at a premium. A stack of components, with a waste tank at the bottom, then a vacuum tank with directly connected vacuum pump, an... | 04/25/1995 |
| 5345618 | Vacuum toilet system A vacuum toilet system for a vehicle (such as a boat) has numerous advantages. A single pump with valves on opposite sides of it may be used as both the vacuum source and for discharging sewage from a holding tank. Two sets of multiple heads may be select... | 09/13/1994 |
| 5245710 | Flush toilet and method A toilet bowl has a discharge opening for flowing waste material into a gas-tight hopper. A waste valve is disposed between the discharge opening and the hopper for controlling the flow of waste material into the hopper. A first air valve selectively allo... | 09/21/1993 |
| 5073994 | Low water toilet with pulsed flush A low water flush toilet having a bowl with a horizontal ledge extending around the bowl periphery near its open upper end with a flush water nozzle on the ledge for discharging water in a generally horizontal direction onto the ledge. A pulsator is provi... | 12/24/1991 |
| 5035011 | Self draining sanitation system A drain valve is provided for connection to a water supply line for draining water in a vacuum flush aircraft sanitation system. The valve comprises a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The housing also includes a pressure chamber with a dia... | 07/30/1991 |
| 5010602 | Toilet with pulsed flow of flush water A portable toilet having a battery operated flushing assembly that is powered by batteries carried in the toilet. The batteries provide for a "pulsed" flushing action of the flush water and this is achieved by the use of an axial flow pump which is operab... | 04/30/1991 |
| 5007117 | Vacuum toilet system with simultaneous rinse and discharge A vacuum toilet system comprises a waste-receiving bowl defining an interior space for receiving waste material. A sewer pipe defines an interior space that can be placed at a pressure that is lower than that in the interior space of the waste-receiving b... | 04/16/1991 |
| 4844599 | Compact and high-speed wide-angle zoom lens system A wide angle zoom lens system having a high level of brightness includes a zooming subsystem comprising first and second movable lens units and a fixed third lens unit. The first lens unit has at least one aspherical lens surface. In the preferred embodim... | 07/04/1989 |
| 4595346 | Waterless urinal pumps Two flanged sleeves, closed and valved at one end, and a bonnet with two gudgeons act as a cylinder-piston mechanism for pumping. The upper sleeve is movable and spring-loaded, accepts and is filled with liquid. When the bonnet is depressed, through its g... | 06/17/1986 |
| 4152794 | Automatic pressure flush-toilet of delaying drainage This invention discloses an improvement in the flush-toilet at which the water will flush out automatically into the basin at the period of time after somebody uses it. By means of two pumps installed at different levels and a connector to contain a magne... | 05/08/1979 |
| 4131959 | Non-polluting toilet system A toilet system capable of rendering the effluent innocuous and reducing the solid matter therein to microparticle size comprising a reversible, motor-driven pump and a two-position valve operable, on the one hand, for taking water into the system for flu... | 01/02/1979 |
| 3995328 | Vacuum toilet system A vacuum flush waste diposal system for aircraft; wherein the required vacuum is acquired at altitude through the differential pressure between the aircraft cabin pressure and the ambient pressure above approximately 15,000 feet. When the aircraft is belo... | 12/07/1976 |
| 3986216 | Toilet A toilet comprising a toilet bowl including a flushing manifold, a first discharge opening, and a second opening proximate the discharge opening, means for selectively closing the first discharge opening so that the discharge of the contents of the toilet... | 10/19/1976 |