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 |
| 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 |
| 7357363 | Expansion bolt An expansion bolt. A first chock has first and second outer ramping surfaces. A second chock has an inner ramping surface complementarily corresponding to the first outer ramping surface. A spring member biases the second chock radially inwardly against the first ou... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7341413 | Self-piercing blind fastener A self-piercing blind fastener comprising a mandrel having an elongate cylindrical shell mounted on a stem of such mandrel and which extends co-axially about a central elongate axis of the blind fastener, the shell having a radially extending flange at one end and a... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7341395 | Combinational bolt A combinational bolt which comprises a screw unit and a sleeve unit. The screw unit has a plurality of threads on a surface of a front terminal, the threads make the screw unit connect with a target object, another terminal of the screw unit forms a first concave po... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7334963 | Concrete slab joint stabilizing system and apparatus A joint stabilizing apparatus having an expandable cylindrical housing is inserted into a circular hole drilled at a “loose joint” of a concrete slab that is to be stabilized against relative vertical displacement between adjacent slab sections. The hole is dril... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7329076 | Hole location gauges and methods The present invention provides devices and methods for indicating or gauging the position of one or more holes in a workpiece. In one aspect of the present invention reusable devices that can be removably engaged with a bore or tapped hole in a workpiece for accurat... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7281627 | Forged chain link assembly The forged chain link assembly comprises a forged chain link having a male end and a female end which cooperates with an opposite end of an adjacent link to form a chain, each end having a bore therein which cooperates with a bore in the opposite end of an adjacent ... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7207149 | Anchor and method for reinforcing a structure Anchor 10 for reinforcing a structure against displacement forces and a method of installation includes drilling a borehole 50 in an anchor medium 110 adjacent the structure A length of roving 21 composed of filaments 24 is doubled... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7207757 | Panel fastener An elongate fastener is provided for securing a pair of panels together wherein the panels includes respective bores therein. Each end of the fastener includes an expansible end portion thereon which is arranged to be received within the respective bore. A wedge mem... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7086896 | Expandable standoff connector with slit collar and related method An expanding standoff connector is disclosed including a collar having a slit through a wall of the collar, a tapered interior surface and an exterior surface configured to engage an interior of a mounting opening of the circuit board. A fastener including a threade... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7070375 | Clamping fastener grip length indicator A temporary fastener includes a grip length indicator. By machining a flattened area into a body of the temporary fastener, by engraving an scale into the flattened area, and by attaching an indicator dot visible in the groove to a moving part of an internal assembl... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7011281 | Expansion bolt An expansion bolt. A first chock has first and second outer ramping surfaces. A second chock has an inner ramping surface complementarily corresponding to the first outer ramping surface. A spring member biases the second chock radially inwardly against the first ou... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6984096 | Device for connecting a support, especially a body part of a motor vehicle, with a panel element, especially a door or wall paneling A device for connecting a support, with a panel element is provided including a connecting element (1) with an upper part (3) that can be fastened to the panel element, lower part (4) that can be linked with the support and a neck-shaped interme... | 01/10/2006 |
| 6942439 | Expansion dowel bushing with a compressible section The dowel's expansion bushing (2) is placed around a threaded rod (9) inserted in the bushing's (2) expansion core (3), between the strut (8) and the core (3). The bushing (2) includes a section (16) compressib... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6899498 | Spring fastener having multifunctional barbs originating at the lower side of the head A Spring fastener with critical configuration of the barbs, which allow the extraction of the fastener without destruction of the slot and/or the fastener. This critical configuration of the barbs allows spring fasteners to be used in slots of various widths and pre... | 05/31/2005 |
| 6835037 | Spring fastener having multifunctional barbs of various lengths A Spring fastener with critical configuration of the barbs, which allow the extraction of the fastener without destruction of the slot and/or the fastener. This critical configuration of the barbs allows spring fasteners to be used in slots of various widths and pre... | 12/28/2004 |
| 6749385 | Nail structure A nail structure comprises a wall nail casing a center of the wall nail casing being formed with a tapered central axial hole which is reduced toward a distal end thereof; two sides of the distal end of the wall nail casing being formed with respective slots; and on... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6749384 | Drive rivet A drive rivet fastens a plurality of panel members together as a unit. The drive rivet is installed within preformed holes which are drilled or punched through each of the panel members. The drive rivet includes a head portion which abuts the outer surface of the fi... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6726417 | Clip The clip 1 comprises a hollow bushing 6 with a flange 10 and a shank 11, and a pin 5 with a shank 9 inserted into the bushing 6. The pin shank 9 is inserted into the bushing shank 11 to enlarge the bushi... | 04/27/2004 |
| 6712572 | Expansion dowel An expansion dowel having a cylindrical expansion body (1) having a through-bore (3) and formed of at least two segments (4a, 4b) connected with each other, an additional expansion element (7) located in a recess (... | 03/30/2004 |
| 6712544 | Device for clamping two components in a spaced relationship A device (1) for connecting first and second components (2, 3) which lie at a spacing from one another by clamping by a spacer (7), which is disposed in a spacing region, and a clamping piece (15) which clamps the two components (2, 3 | 03/30/2004 |
| 6689135 | Expandable bone fastener and installation tool An expandable bone fastener adapted to be inserted into an untapped hole drilled in a bone, thereafter adapted to expand a plurality of barbs into the surrounding bone has an enlarged proximal end, a tubular outer body portion having an axial bore, a dist... | 02/10/2004 |
| 6688822 | Plastic injection anchoring sleeve In a plastic injection anchoring sleeve having an essentially cylindrical sleeve body with a closed front end and an open opposite end for the insertion of an anchoring bolt, the sleeve wall has a plurality of openings closed by flaps which are formed int... | 02/10/2004 |
| 6685407 | Connecting element comprising two members The invention relates to a connecting element between a support, in particular part of a motor vehicle body and a bearing part which is to be fixed onto said support. The connecting element comprises an outer part (1) which can be connected to the bearing... | 02/03/2004 |
| 6676346 | Metal fastening element The invention relates to a fastening element made from metal, having an expansion sleeve (2) and an expansion member (3), which expansion member (3) is axially displaceable on the shank of a threaded bolt (8), the threaded bolt (8) having on its forward e... | 01/13/2004 |
| 6672810 | Fitting for connecting two structural components A fitting for connecting two structural components, particularly plates, includes a clamping device mounted in the first structural component and an expanding sleeve which can be secured to the second structural component. A bolt is arranged in the expand... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6652206 | Self-locking rivet fastener A rivet-type fastener is disclosed, suitable for panel fasteners and other applications in which retention in a hole is required. The act of inserting the fastener expands fastener arms to secure the fastener in the hole, and positions locking protrusions... | 11/25/2003 |
| 6602033 | Reversible fastening device A reversible fastening device (50) for reversibly fastening connecting means (51) connecting a first (52) and a second member (53); the connecting means (51) being housed entirely inside the first member (52); and the device (50) being characterized in th... | 08/05/2003 |
| 6540461 | Retaining member A retaining member structure. The structure includes a retaining rod member and a joint clamping member used to retain two object members. The joint clamping member extends between the jointed surfaces of two object members and the upper thereof has recei... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6524045 | Anchor with an expansible sleeve having a compressible portion An expanding sleeve of an anchor is arranged around a threaded shank engaged in a plug for expanding the sleeve. The sleeve includes an axially compressible portion which includes portions that can be sheared and which are arranged so that after they have... | 02/25/2003 |
| 6514024 | Clip having retention members A clip 1 includes both a pin 7 having a flange 10 and a shank 11, and a bush 9 having a flange 13 and a shank 14 with the bush 9 having a hollow configuration to receive the shank of the pin 11. The shank of the bush is inserted into holes of a plurality ... | 02/04/2003 |
| 6513772 | Brick gripper A device useful for supporting decorative light strings or other articles from a brick wall, the device having an expander, retainer, mounting clip for decorative bulb and socket assemblies, and threaded fastener, the expander being insertable into a mort... | 02/04/2003 |
| 6450745 | Dowel with a weakened section adjoining the leading threaded end thereof An expansion dowel has an expansion sleeve (7) insertable into an axially extending dowel body (1) which has a central through opening (2) and a collar (6). The leading end region (3) of the dowel body (1) in the setting direction (S) has an internal thre... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6299397 | Double ended expansion fastener An elongate fastener is provided for securing a pair of panels together wherein the panels includes respective bores therein. Each end of the fastener includes an expansible end portion thereon which is arranged to be received within the respective bore. ... | 10/09/2001 |
| 6273656 | Push pin fastener A fastener includes an upper retaining portion, a body and a pin. The upper retaining portion has an aperture. The body has first and second side portions. The first and second side portions have first and second ends. The first ends of the first and seco... | 08/14/2001 |
| 6273380 | Brick gripper A device useful for supporting decorative light strings or other articles from a brick wall, the device having an expander, retainer, hook and threaded fastener, the expander being insertable into a mortar groove, the retainer having teeth adapted to enga... | 08/14/2001 |
| 6270303 | Anchor bolt with a bevelled tooth expansion core to reduce friction An anchor bolt comprises a fixing rod (1), an expandable sleeve (2) and an expansion core (3) integral in translation with the fixing rod (1), intended to expand the sleeve (2). The sleeve (2) has a plurality of slots (9,9') widening towards the free end ... | 08/07/2001 |
| 6238128 | Dowel A dowel including an anchor rod (2) provided at front, in a setting direction, end with a head portion (4) widening in the setting direction, and a sleeve (5) having a through-bore and axially displaceable along the anchor rod, with the sleeve (5) having,... | 05/29/2001 |
| 6234734 | Blind fastener and blind fixing method A blind fastening method and device for use in clamping a component to a support plate, in which the fastener device is taken through aligned openings in the component and in the support plate, and comprises: a slotted sleeve; an apertured sleeve head at ... | 05/22/2001 |
| 6179536 | Expansion dowel An expansion dowel, including an expansion sleeve (2) having a rear section (3) provided with an inner thread (4), an opposite expansion section (5) with a plurality of expansion tabs (6) separated by axial slots, and a stepped bore (9,10) having in, the ... | 01/30/2001 |