...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8147183 | Drivetrain for generator in wind turbine A wind turbine and a drivetrain for a generator is provided. The drivetrain includes a hub configured to provide an input rotational speed, and a planetary gearbox in communication with the hub. The planetary gearbox includes a stationary or rotatable carrier and a ... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8118542 | Method of moving the rotating means of a wind turbine during transportation or stand still, method of controlling the moving of the rotating means, nacelle, auxiliary device, control and monitoring system and use hereof Methods of moving a rotating device of a wind turbine during transportation or standstill are provided. The methods include securing at least one auxiliary device to a position and connecting the device to one or more shafts of the rotating device at transportation ... | 02/21/2012 |
| 7396209 | Continuously variable transmission A variable speed transmission having a plurality of tilting balls and opposing input and output discs is illustrated and described that provides an infinite number of speed combinations over its transmission ratio range. The use of a planetary gear set allows minimu... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7338400 | Motor belt tensioning construction for an air handling unit A belt tensioning system for a motor and a belt-driven blower each secured inside an air handling unit. The blower rotatably carries a first shaft, a first sheave and a bladed arrangement being secured to the first shaft. A second sheave secured to a second shaft is... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7253536 | Water supply apparatus A water supply apparatus includes an apparatus body disposed in a flow passage for sucking water to an indoor facility and a power generation unit installed in the apparatus body. Further, the power generation unit further comprises a rotating shaft extended in a di... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7183665 | Direct drive wind turbine A wind turbine is provided that minimizes the size of the drive train and nacelle while maintaining the power electronics and transformer at the top of the tower. The turbine includes a direct drive generator having an integrated disk brake positioned radially insid... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7090465 | Planet carrier assembly for wind turbine drive assembly A drive assembly for a wind turbine (10) comprises a rotor hub (14), supporting structure such as a turbine nacelle (15), a planetary type gear transmission unit comprising sun, planet (47, 48) and ring gears (49) and a planet carr... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7083378 | Wind generator The present invention relates to a wind generator. The wind generator comprises a body installed freely rotatably at a tower, blades installed at a leading end of the body, a gearbox for receiving rotational forces from the blades, and a generator connected to the g... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7017693 | Drive device for hybrid vehicle A hybrid vehicle drive system is designed to have dimensions that are shorter in an axial direction and improved centering accuracy of a rotor, in order to prevent deterioration of motor performance. A rotor support plate (15) has a flat-plate shaped disk por... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6935450 | Hybrid vehicle driving device A motor/generator is arranged radially outward of a middle portion of a front cover of a torque converter so that at least a part of the motor/generator axially overlaps the torque converter, with a predetermined gap (C) between the front cover and the rotor of the ... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6872049 | Wind turbine comprising a planetary gear A wind turbine with a rotor, a nacelle and a tower. The nacelle comprises a planetary gear (4) with a planetary holder (5), on which the hub (6) of the rotor is rigidly secured, and which can be connected to the shaft of an electric generator. T... | 03/29/2005 |
| 6824353 | Water turbine A water turbine includes a casing, a rotor, a primary drive shaft, a speed-reduction gear set, and an output drive unit. The casing confines a water compartment, and is formed with a water inlet for admitting pressurized water into the water compartment, and a water... | 11/30/2004 |
| 6616403 | Floating electric generator A device for obtaining electric power from moving water, made up of a floating cylindrical body having a first end extending to a second end along a cylindrical surface having at least two blades. Each end of the floating cylindrical body is fixedly conne... | 09/09/2003 |
| 6524068 | Variable pitch aircraft propeller control with two-speed transmission A variable pitch aircraft propeller control uses a two-speed planetary gearbox between a turbine engine and an adjustable pitch propeller. For maximum efficiency, the rotation rate of the propeller is high at aircraft take-off to generate maximum static t... | 02/25/2003 |
| 6179553 | Multiple stage centrifugal pump Multiple stage centrifugal pumps have a plurality of rotors arranged on a drive shaft are shown. At least one rotor is formed as a hollow shaft which is rotatably journalled on the drive shaft and which rotates with a speed of rotation n2 which... | 01/30/2001 |
| 6092985 | Connection for a torque converter A driving connection is provided for torque transfer in the drive line of a motor vehicle for releasable connection of a crankshaft with a pump wheel of a coaxially mounted hydrodynamic torque converter in which the pump wheel is mounted so that it is rot... | 07/25/2000 |
| 5855470 | Wind wheel with rotationally faced plates This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a wind wheel (1) having at least one planetary gear wheel (10) affixed rigidly to a wind-wheel axle (2) from which gear trains for each of a plurality of wind-wheel plates (9) are rotated to maxi... | 01/05/1999 |
| 5482432 | Bearingless automotive coolant pump with in-line drive A coolant pump system features a pump impeller supported on a pump shaft without bearings, and an axially in-line drive shaft with bearings coupled to the pump drive shaft. The system minimally includes a pump body having a bore therein, a coolant pump im... | 01/09/1996 |
| 5232337 | Slip joint for maintaining concentricity A slip joint connects coaxially oriented tubular members in a manner to allow axial slippage while maintaining concentricity without generating large axial loads. The joint comprises a first tubular member having a smaller outside diameter than an inside ... | 08/03/1993 |
| 5201844 | Rotor and bearing assembly A gas turbine engine rotor assembly is provided for rotatably mounting a rotor mounted power takeoff gear of an inlet gear box and a forward end of a high pressure rotor within an engine frame. The gear and rotor are mounted to forward and aft portions re... | 04/13/1993 |
| 5163811 | Brake mechanism for vehicles A brake mechanism used in a vehicle comprises: a gear connected to an engine of the vehicle; a casing; a radial compressor disposed in the casing and having an impeller, an impeller shaft extending from the back of the impeller in the casing, a suction po... | 11/17/1992 |
| 5154574 | Gearless air motor A gearless air motor utilizes a high speed rotor having turbine buckets defined in epoxy rather than metal to substantially avoid the danger inherent in high speed rotor fragmentation. The unit has a housing which contains the compressed air chamber, the ... | 10/13/1992 |
| 5154571 | Geared turbocompressor A multistage turbocompressor with a two-stage transmission with a double intermediate cogwheel (5) consisting of two cogwheels (51 and 52). The first cogwheel has a larger module than the second cogwheel and engages only a central cogwheel (2) that drives... | 10/13/1992 |
| 5106261 | Turbine with planetary gearing A turbine has a housing, an impeller centered on and rotatable about an axis in the housing, and an axle assembly in the housing having a large-diameter mounting part and a small-diameter bearing stem centered on the axis and extending into the impeller. ... | 04/21/1992 |
| 5088887 | Turbine with spur gearing A turbine has a housing, an impeller centered on and rotatable about an axis in the housing, and a small-diameter bearing stem centered on the axis, fixed on the housing, and extending from an attachment location on the housing toward the impeller. A pini... | 02/18/1992 |
| 5084189 | Method and apparatus for separating fluids having different specific gravities An axial flow-type pump for separating immiscible fluids having different specific gravities and a discharge manifold fluid connected to the fluid pump for drawing of the fluid having the heavier specific gravity. The fluid pump employs a rotatable impell... | 01/28/1992 |
| 5082423 | Paddlewheel apparatus This invention is a paddlewheel apparatus having epicyclic gear trains in rotatable holders at opposite ends of a plurality of paddles. The paddles are maintained substantially vertical throughout the rotation of the holders and they are completely unobst... | 01/21/1992 |
| 5040945 | Plastic hydraulic turbine There is disclosed a hydraulic turbine which is constructed primarily of plastic and uses water to lubricate the bearing joints and gear meshings. The invention provides a turbine which is light in weight for easier installation, low in cost and virtually... | 08/20/1991 |
| 4815931 | Overhung radial-flow steam turbine wheel with toothed and bolted shaft connection The present invention includes an overhung turbine wheel which is provided with at least one ring of turbine blades and is connected with a shaft. In order to control the thermodynamically required circumferential speeds necessary to achieve maximum effic... | 03/28/1989 |
| 4648788 | Device in fluid pressure generators A device in fluid pressure generators comprising an annular casing which is peripherally mounted and driven in a through-flow channel. The inner face of said annular casing forms part of the wall of the through-flow channel. The annular casing is provided... | 03/10/1987 |
| 4563622 | Simple brushless DC fan motor A simplified fan and brushless DC motor employs an annular permanent magnet magnetized in segments about its circumference. Each segment is oppositely radially magnetized with respect to the preceding segment as one proceeds around the magnet. Fan blades ... | 01/07/1986 |
| 4367413 | Combined turbine and generator An electrical machine which can be run as a synchronous generator or as a pump is disclosed. The machine is a true hybrid of a turbine and synchronous generator in that the turbine blades are designed to carry magnetic flux. To that end the blades are mad... | 01/04/1983 |
| 4296602 | Apparatus for extracting energy from water waves Apparatus for extracting energy from water waves includes an elongate water wheel mounted rotatably so that at least a portion of the wheel is above the level of the water, and a ramp extending substantially the length of the wheel to shield the wave side... | 10/27/1981 |
| 4272685 | Generating means A generating means as a form of utilizing water to generate electricity. There is a water dam which backs up a sizeable depth and water pressure, and a water outlet pipe near the bottom of the dam. A plurality of electric generating stations are positione... | 06/09/1981 |
| 4242979 | Screw propeller with no shaft boss and ship thruster using such screw propeller A propeller with no shaft boss comprising a substantially cylindrical rotatable member and several propeller blades extending radially of the cylindrical member close to the center axis thereof, and a ship thruster system adapted with the propeller having... | 01/06/1981 |
| 4232991 | Rotary motor A rotary motor which is propelled by a jet of high-pressure fluid comprising an annular rotor having a diameter much greater than its thickness and its width and a roughened annular surface, a housing having a smooth annular surface apposed to the roughen... | 11/11/1980 |
| 4219303 | Submarine turbine power plant A power plant for the generation of electricity from the flow of water currents uses turbine wheels within nozzles submerged in the water current, anchored to the bottom of the water course, as for example, the ocean, and self-buoyed to a level well below... | 08/26/1980 |
| 4166596 | Airship power turbine Power is mechanically transmitted from a tethered airship carrying wind turbines to electrical generators on the ground at the anchor point of the tether, by the use of endless power-transmission cables bridging between drive sheaves at the turbine wheels... | 09/04/1979 |
| 4163904 | Understream turbine plant An understream turbine plant is provided for generating electrical power by means of the flow of an understream effluent, such as the Gulf Stream off the Atlantic seaboard coast. Each turbine plant has a large central opening within which is mounted a lar... | 08/07/1979 |
| 4123666 | Rim-type hydroelectric machine The disclosure concerns a hydroelectric machine including a tube-type hydraulic machine having a bladed wheel which rotates about a horizontal axis and is provided with fixed blades which are encircled by, and connected with, a rim to which the rotor of a... | 10/31/1978 |