Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7356951 | Inflatable dancing toy with music An inflatable toy may include a housing, a balloon-like structure, a blower mechanism, a drive mechanism, and a motor. The balloon-like structure may include a base, an inflatable portion, and an inlet. The base and the inflatable portion may define an air storage a... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7247076 | Pulse width modulation drive and method for ornaments with movable components A decoration device may include a low-friction drive line and a PWM controlled motor that reduces or eliminates the gearing needed to achieve appropriate speed and torque at the motor output shaft. In preferred embodiments, the decoration device is an ornament that ... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7216446 | Dynamic multiple compartment air inflatable display The invention is directed to an inflatable display that has a plurality of inflatable compartments. A first inflatable compartment is continuously inflated by a first fan element and at least a second inflatable compartment is periodically inflated by a second fan e... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7165276 | Medical assist device A medical assist device relocates patients from a first support such as a bed to a second support such as a chair or wheelchair. Upon location of the assist device to a position adjacent such first support, the patient may stand on a rotatable platform of the assist... | 01/23/2007 |
| 7093385 | Antenna ball assembly and method of use An antenna ball assembly which can display a message such as an advertisement or the like thereon and a method of use is disclosed. The antenna ball assembly has a body having at least one inclined surface and a passage therethrough, a tail attached to the body and ... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7080474 | Device for and method of displaying messages A message display device is provided which includes a portable control unit having electric power supplied externally. A timing device is provided which controls opening and closing of a hinged member, for example a car hood. The hinged member is attached with a vis... | 07/25/2006 |
| 6915604 | Holiday display box with moveable figurines The present invention consists of an illuminated, musical display box having removable character elements mounted on pins and a removable scenic background, which character elements are capable of moving in a pleasing fashion about the rear wall of the device and/or... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6773768 | Novelty with spring attached appendages A spring novelty item which has a head and appendages attached to a body by means of a spring connecting means so as to add dynamic and aesthetic beauty to any garden, kitchen or other setting. ... | 08/10/2004 |
| 6485350 | Animated holiday-scene display device An animated holiday-scene display device for providing decorative entertainment tools. The animated holiday-scene display device includes a base member having a top side and being adapted to rest upon a surface; and also includes an ornamental figurine be... | 11/26/2002 |
| 6467206 | Multipurpose advertisement device The invention concerns a multipurpose advertisement device, with a carrier frame (1) comprising one or more border parts (2, 2') with an information carrying outer surface (2c) and with a primary information carrying means (4) for the displaying of charac... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6398618 | Motorized transmission for imparting motion to a display A toy consists of a base, a cap and a toy model. The base has stationary wheels and a movable wheel located on the bottom section thereof. The movable wheel may be driven through a gear set by battery power for moving the base around. The cap has a hollow... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6375536 | Electric swayable toy An electric swayable toy includes a body, a shoulder swayably and pivotally on an upper portion of the body, a pair of legs swayably and pivotally mounted on a lower portion of the body, a pair of arms swayably mounted on the shoulder, a head swayably mou... | 04/23/2002 |
| 6306479 | Kinetic art paper An art paper designed to facilitate the creation of kinetic art works. The term "kinetic art" refers to paintings or pictures, which have been designed to be shaped in a pleated manner and displayed in 3 dimensions to afford the viewer different images de... | 10/23/2001 |
| 6249278 | Modular dynamic dialogue animated display device A modular dynamic dialogue animated display device for recreating a story that is divided into a stored sequence of storyline events which are sequentially retrieved by a processor. Each storyline event comprises at least one of playing a selected audio b... | 06/19/2001 |
| 6210250 | Musical ornament having concealable and movable figurine An ornamental display apparatus suited for the Christmas season having a concealable figurine that is movable from a concealed position to a display position. While the figurine is in the display position, seasonal music is broadcasted. The ornamental dis... | 04/03/2001 |
| 6152800 | Ornamental track toy An ornamental track toy includes a loop track assembly, a motor, an elongated coupling and an ornament. The track assembly includes a hollow base having a flat surface, a slot in the flat surface and the elongated coupling slidably mounted in a hollow cha... | 11/28/2000 |
| 6146234 | Ascending/descending mechanism An ascending/descending mechanism in which a face gear is rotated to drive two symmetrically arranged cylindrical gears, whereby two eccentric shafts fitted with the cylindrical gears are rotated in reverse directions. Two driven slide blocks are fitted w... | 11/14/2000 |
| 6110050 | Toy train hopper car A toy train hopper car has a simulated load which appears to be emptied from a full load position. An electric motor drives a rotatable crank arm which engages a pivot arm connected to a load support that holds the simulated load. A second parallel pivot ... | 08/29/2000 |
| 6085450 | Animated display mechanism and animated display An animated display mechanism provides two components of motion to an object. The mechanism includes a mechanism base, a slide plate to which both a motor and the object are mounted, and a cam that is mounted to and rotated by the motor shaft. An animated... | 07/11/2000 |
| 6017261 | Animated mechanized figure An animated mechanized figure which can be dressed as a tiger Santa character and is electrically-operated to provide vertical movements of the body and arms, forward and backward tilting of the head and vertical movements from the lower lip, together wit... | 01/25/2000 |
| 5986189 | Music carrousel structure with various dynamic actions A music carrousel structure with various dynamic actions, including several decorative articles, a stem and a base. The power mechanism of the music box is fixed on a support tray. The power output shaft is engaged with a gear which is engaged with a toot... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5915853 | Magnet drive system for an animated display A drive mechanism for an animated display includes a plurality of planetary gears supported on a rotatable planetary gear support. Each planetary gear meshes with a stationary sun gear and is affixed to a multi-finger magnet support. Rotation of the plane... | 06/29/1999 |
| 5893542 | Tool displaying device A displaying device includes a first body and a second body which are pivotally connected. The first body includes a rotating member rotatably mounted thereto and an arcuate slot defined therein. A combination wrench is displayed on the displaying device ... | 04/13/1999 |
| 5870844 | Transmission structure for ornaments A transmission structure for ornaments, in which the center of the base disk is mounted with a rotative ring, of which the bottom has a driving gear. The upper part of the rotative ring is connected with a round member with a ring-shaped plate; the inside... | 02/16/1999 |
| 5755610 | Climbing toy machine A climbing toy machine has a motor, a drive pinion set, a climbing gear set, a first rack plate, a second rack plate, and a retard gear. The drive pinion set and the climbing gear set are disposed between the first rack plate and the second rack plate. Th... | 05/26/1998 |
| 5664351 | Method and apparatus for animated display A method and apparatus for creating an animated display with an ornamental object that incorporates a unique combination of motions and appearances which can be controlled and choreographed with the use of a computer or other control devices. One specific... | 09/09/1997 |
| 5556318 | Toy carrousel A toy carrousel comprising a body which is formed by a stationary base part and a top part supported above the base part for rotation about a vertical axis. The base part includes a vertical shaft having an upper end reaching into the top part. The top pa... | 09/17/1996 |
| 5501628 | Cam-operated, synchronized marching soldier trackway A unique, visually enhancing and exciting entertainment system is obtained by providing an elongated path or track, along which a plurality of objects automatically advance, with the objects constructed to perform independent animated movements in direct ... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5450682 | Track display A track display apparatus comprises an elongated endless track preferably in the form of a ring. A pair of spaced apart conductive rails extend along the track and are engaged by conductive rollers which receive electrical power for a motor housing surrou... | 09/19/1995 |
| 5443188 | System for simulating human gait A system for simulating human gait embodied as a human-like model, for example, a mannequin, a scarecrow and the like depending on the intended application of the system, driven by a driving system along a pair of tracks. The driving system includes rotat... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5435086 | Revolving and self-rotating liquid-containing decoration A revolving and self-rotating liquid-containing decoration comprising a freely shaped transparent container containing a liquid, a concave driving disk made of magnetic material and disposed in the liquid, a freely shaped decorative article disposed on th... | 07/25/1995 |
| 5255461 | Sound producing decorative article A sound producing decorative article includes a housing having a top, a bottom, and a cavity formed in the housing. The top has a first opening, and the bottom has a second opening. Both of the openings are communicated with the cavity. A tubular supporti... | 10/26/1993 |
| 5077922 | Endless loop transport system and display device An endless loop transport system including objects suspended from an endless loop which is installed on a series of idler pulleys and a motor driven pulley which propels the loop and the suspended objects. The idler pulleys each includes a bracket which e... | 01/07/1992 |
| 5070633 | Crystal ball having revolving external configuration This invention relates to a crystal ball having a revolving cover or globe. The crystal ball comprises the torque shaft of a spring driven, music bell, which shaft protrudes from the lower end of the base of the crystal ball, and is fixed to a fixed base.... | 12/10/1991 |
| 5052714 | Hood ornament retraction device A device for retracting a motor vehicle hood ornament comprises a carrier for conveying the ornament between a first position in which the ornament is retracted below the hood of a motor vehicle and a second positon in which the ornament is displayed atop... | 10/01/1991 |
| 5027539 | Pole restrained kite or airfoil Kites and airfoils designed in such fashion that the possibilities to observe the process by which the kite or airfoil is made airborne are maximized. Each time a gust of wind appears, the kite or airfoil rises automatically up a fixed pole which passes t... | 07/02/1991 |
| 4998364 | Visual display and amusement device A visual display and amusement device is provided which will give an illusion that a miniature airplane model is pulling a curved banner with a message thereon about an upper transparent portion of a housing. The device will convey the message over and ov... | 03/12/1991 |
| 4641831 | Rotating amusement device having motion governor Apparatus for controlling rotary motion wherein a bellows is fixed at one end to a support having a restricted vent opening and carries a crank at its opposite end linked to a stallable type motor, the motor moving the crank in a circular path controlled ... | 02/10/1987 |
| 4356658 | Multiple and varied motion stage apparatus for doll figure Stage apparatus for use with a stand-up doll figure where the doll figure not only moves across the stage area, but rotates successively in opposite directions and for different degrees of rotation to simulate life-like as distinguished from mechanical mo... | 11/02/1982 |
| 4344243 | Animated Christmas display device An animated display showing the Nativity scene. Human figures representing the Wise Men, shepherds, etc., move past the crib containing the infant Jesus. Each figure pauses, turns towards the crib, bows, turns back, and then moves away. The pausing action... | 08/17/1982 |
