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 |
| 8113756 | Clip Provided is a clip which can be easily detached from a mounting hole solely by pulling a base portion thereof in any one direction. A clip (10) is equipped with a base portion (20) to engage with a front-side peripheral edge of a mounting hole (5 | 02/14/2012 |
| 7967539 | Fastener provided with a snap-engagement foot for thrusting through a hole in a panel The fastener comprises a head and a snap-engagement foot comprising a rigid core and curved flexible wings. Each wing has a convex surface bordered by said core, by a longitudinal edge surface and by a transverse edge surface. Each transverse edge surface has, viewe... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7878749 | Breakaway W-base fastener A w-base fastener that may be used in many applications, including numerous applications throughout the automotive industry, combines the functionality of a w-base fastener with the serviceability of other fasteners. The w-base fastener of the invention provides the... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7802955 | Dowel for insertion into an opening of a wall, in particular on a vehicle body A dowel for insertion into an opening (12) of a wall (14), in particular on a vehicle body, has a shank section (16) which extends through the opening (12) in an inserted state and a flange (18) adjoined thereto and made of a first... | 09/28/2010 |
| 7549829 | Clip A clip has a head part adapted to be contacted with a peripheral edge of a fitting hole in a panel to be fitted, and a leg part adapted to be inserted into the fitting hole thereby to be engaged with the peripheral edge of the fitting hole. The leg part has a post s... | 06/23/2009 |
| 7549830 | Serviceable w-base fastener A w-base fastener that may be used in many applications, including numerous applications throughout the automotive industry, combines the functionality of a w-base fastener with the serviceability of other fasteners. The w-base fastener of the invention provides the... | 06/23/2009 |
| 7428770 | Spring fastener with highly improved removal to insertion ratio A spring fastener, which comprises two engagement springs in opposite sides of the fastener. Each engagement spring has an engagement portion comprising a hindrance portion, which increases considerably the removal to insertion force ratio as compared to such ratio ... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7405939 | Fastening device and heat sink assembly using the same A heat sink assembly (100) includes a fastening device (20) and a heat sink (10). The fastening device includes a sleeve (24), a pin (22) received in the sleeve and a biasing means (26) disposed around the sleeve. The sleeve... | 07/29/2008 |
| 7405938 | Heat sink clip A heat sink assembly (100) and a heat sink clip (20) are provided. The heat sink clip (20) includes a pin (22) and a spring (24) disposed around the pin (22). The pin (22) includes an upper section (22a)... | 07/29/2008 |
| D572129 | Clip | 07/01/2008 |
| 7384226 | Blind fastener The present invention is directed to a blind fastener, usually a blind rivet, (10) comprising a mandrel (22) and an elongate cylindrical body (16) mounted on a stem (24) of such mandrel so as to extend co-axially about a central axis A of... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7383610 | Wire management grommet with non-captive closure member This invention relates to a two-piece grommet adapted for holding a cable in an aperture, such as in a desk or work surface so as to absorb any strain imposed on the cable and to provide an attractive covering for the hole drilled to pass the cable. The grommet cons... | 06/10/2008 |
| D570203 | Clamp | 06/03/2008 |
| 7364382 | Metal/plastic insert molded sill plate fastener A fastener for joining trim pieces to a motor vehicle includes a metal insert molded into an elastomeric body of a fastener. An anti-rotational rib prevents excessive rotation of the fastener after installation. Oppositely extending flexible wings of the metal inser... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7358430 | Strap attachment member An attachment member for a strap for a guitar includes a shaft-shaped member fixable inside a hole in a guitar body via an adhesive agent; and a holding member continuous with this shaft-shaped member which is positioned outside the hole. The shaft-shaped member inc... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7359200 | Fastener with snap-on feature, heat dissipation assembly for central processing unit and method of using the same A fastener for mounting a heat dissipation module on a central processing unit, includes a shank having opposite upper and lower ends and a head at the upper end of the shank. The shank includes a first portion located between the upper and lower ends, and adapted t... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7354024 | Pegboard wall-plug storage system A system and apparatus for storing an item is provided that includes a pegboard wall-plug having a plate including a central opening. A tube projects outwardly from a rear surface of the plate in surrounding relation to the central opening. A plurality of circumfere... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7350999 | Trash can plug A fastener and plug device for mounting a trashcan bar to a trashcan and for covering the hollow ends of the trashcan bar includes a plug portion and a fastener portion. The plug portion includes an end cap and a plurality of spaced apart discs for enclosing the ope... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7351023 | W-base retainer A w-base retainer that may be used in many applications, including numerous applications throughout the automotive industry, includes two-stage double-snap-over w-base features with opposite w-base features for assembling moldings to a sheet metal or substrate panel... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7347655 | Hole plug A hole plug includes a head portion and a foot portion projecting from a back surface of the head portion to be inserted into a hole to be blocked. The foot portion has a cylindrical shape formed of several uprising plates extending from the back surface of the head... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7344331 | Molded product assembly and fastener A molded product assembly includes a molded product being mountable to a body to be mounted having a mounting hole via a fastener. The molded product has a post projecting toward the mounting hole and disposed on a back surface of the molded product, at least a part... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7340808 | Dual stage vehicle interior trim fastener A fastener for retaining a trim panel to a vehicle frame member includes a shank having a first end and a second end. The first end is adapted to be connected to the trim panel and the second end is adapted to be inserted into an opening provided in the frame member... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7341047 | Vehicle fuel tank assembly A vehicle fuel tank assembly includes a fuel tank having a fuel pump receiving opening, a fuel pump, a mounting ring, at least one attachment member (a clip) and a fuel pump cover. The fuel pump is disposed in the fuel pump receiving opening such that a portion of t... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7338244 | Attachment device for turbine combustor liner An attachment device for coupling one or more restrained members to a frame. In at least one embodiment, the attachment device may be configured to attach one or more turbine combustor liners to a carrier. The attachment device may include a body rotatable about an ... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7328489 | Fastener for fixing a panel to a support and provided with a head comprising a deformable member A fastener for fixing a panel to a support is provided with a snapping-in foot adapted to contract elastically to enter a fixing orifice of the support. The fastener is further provided with a head having a plate, a hub, a shank and a deformable member, the plate an... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7320157 | Resilient clip fastener A resilient clip with a plurality of twisted wings for engaging a first structure. The twisted wings provide the clip with a low ratio of insertion force to pull-out force, rendering the clip relatively easy to install yet difficult to pull out. In one embodiment, t... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7318256 | Resilient clip fastener A resilient clip with a plurality of twisted wings for engaging a first structure. The twisted wings provide the clip with a low ratio of insertion force to pull-out force, rendering the clip relatively easy to install yet difficult to pull out. In one embodiment, t... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7309357 | Prosthetic spinal discs A prosthetic spinal disc uses a stiff spring or springs for resiliency between two plates that attach to adjacent vertebrae. When the disc has multiple springs, they may be adjacent, concentric or nested. Multiple springs may be spaced around the periphery of the pl... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7310229 | Heat dissipating device A heat dissipating device of the present invention includes a heat sink (20) and two locking devices (10) for securing the heat sink. The heat sink includes a base (22) for contacting an electronic component. Each locking device includes a sprin... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7310226 | Modularized redundant heat sink for dissipating heat generated from chips A modularized redundant heat sink for dissipating heat generated from chips includes an independent rectangular fin whose sides are provided with at least more than two elastic pins, and which is provided with a bottom surface for conducting temperature; a circuit b... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7306419 | Fastener A snap-fit fastener having deflectable, diverging wings extending from a distal end of a pedestal is provided with lead-in extensions from the connection of each wing to the pedestal. The extensions define a slot therebetween and are curved relative to the wings. By... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7302997 | Vibration-resistant mounting bracket for heat exchangers A mounting bracket is shown for a heat exchanger core having spaced-apart tubes having peripheral flanges surrounding a manifold. The mounting bracket has a first clip grooved to receive a front edge portion of a selected flange, and a pair of second clips, each gro... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7290971 | Shippable in-assembly bolt A shippable in-assembly bolt having a head portion, a threaded portion containing threads and a gripper portion, wherein the gripper portion preferably comprises a grooved structure and an o-ring. The o-ring is intended to sit between the inner wall of a clearance h... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7287945 | Low insertion effort fastener with offset for wing A resilient clip for engaging a structure and having a body portion with a pair of top flanges and a pair of abutting coupling flanges. Each of the abutting flanges has an engagement surface and an engagement member, which engages the mounting structure. The elastic... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7278810 | Grommet A grommet for an opening of a sheet member includes a shank, a head and at least a flexible locking tab. The shank includes, in a region adjacent the head and outside the locking tab, a shoulder to be placed below an edge of the opening when the shank is rotated an ... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7275289 | Indented female blow-molded connector and male connector and method A device and method for forming an indented female connector where the dimension of the indented female connector provides for removing a male molding component without damaging a set of internal ribs formed inside the female connector. A structure comprising an ind... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7273227 | Curtain-shield airbag clip and assemblies using the clip A clip for attaching a curtain-shield airbag to a body panel of a vehicle comprises a bushing and a pin. The bushing has a flange with a leg extending therefrom. A bore extends through the flange and into the leg for receiving the pin. Outer surfaces of the leg have... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7264284 | Door catch A door catch includes a back plate having two laterally symmetric sleeves formed on a front face thereof. An elastic check member is mounted in a rear end of each sleeve to replace a conventional screw to confine a steel ball and a spring in the sleeve, so that the ... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7249922 | Jointing member for fixing panel members by one-touch operation A jointing member has a grommet and a pin. The grommet includes a flange portion and a leg portion capable of being opened, in which an insertion hole is formed from the center of the flange portion to the inner portion of the leg portion, and an engagement portion ... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7246837 | Apparatus for attaching vehicle occupant protection member to body panel and assemblies using such apparatus An apparatus for attaching a sheet-form member for protecting vehicle occupants comprises a clip that is secured in an attachment hole in a body panel. The clip has a flange that covers edge portions of the attachment hole and has a protection member attaching part ... | 07/24/2007 |
