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 |
| 7371148 | Automatically opening dollhouse In one example, the disclosure includes a playset. The playset may include a middle section having a movable front face; a first side section coupled to one side of said middle section, said first side section having a movable front face; a second side section coupl... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7333148 | Deployable monitoring device having self-righting housing and associated method A deployable monitoring device is provided comprising a self-righting housing having a video capturing device operably engaged therewith. The housing has a base and an opposed end disposed along an axis, with a center of gravity disposed about the base so as to be s... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7223251 | Massage device A massage device which substantially mirrors the hardness and deformation characteristics of the human thumb or palm and is particularly effective in relieving tender and painful muscle and connective tissue conditions, including but not limited to trigger points, f... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7175573 | Exercising device having multiple functions An exercising device includes a shaft, a rotation disk, a weight, two connecting members, two handles, two fixing members, and two pull cords. Thus, each of the two pull cords is attached to or removed from a respective one of the two fixing members, and one of the ... | 02/13/2007 |
| 6971332 | Birdcage attachments Birdcage attachments are mountable to a birdcage and present a bird with a variety of interesting and challenging activities. The toy attachments encourage birds to learn by experimenting. As a bird manipulates some parts of the toy attachments, the bird will discov... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6966814 | Hoop-type amusement device An improved hoop-type amusement system is disclosed wherein a plurality of variously sized and shaped connectable components may be selectively interconnected by the user to form simple and complex hoop configurations of a particular size and complex geometric shape... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6648647 | Toy having rotating element A toy is disclosed. In one embodiment, the toy includes a base. A rotating element is on the base and rotates about an axis. A child can cause the rotating element to rotate about the axis by pressing an actuator at the center of the rotating element. A s... | 11/18/2003 |
| 6231420 | Hula ring structure A hula ring includes a ring-shaped body and a plurality of recesses defined in an inside of the ring-shaped body. Each recess receives a roller therein which rolls on a user's body when the hula ring contacts the user's body.... | 05/15/2001 |
| 5727982 | Action figure with rotating arm mechanism The action figure disclosed includes a mechanism for rotating an armor other appendage relative to its torso. The arm is activated by pivoting one leg toward another against the bias of a spring to pivot an internal lever that imparts linear movement in a... | 03/17/1998 |
| 5608938 | Bottle brush assembly A brush assembly for the improved cleaning of the interior of a bottle includes a cap having a central opening and a twisted, elongated stem passing through the central opening. The stem has a brush assembly at one end and an operating assembly at the oth... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5609509 | Amusement and recreational apparatus An amusement and recreational apparatus includes a rotatable support having at least one elongated flexible member in engagement therewith which includes a flexible light transmitting portion spaced from the rotatable support. Chemiluminescent liquid mate... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5314338 | Shape-matching spin-action toy A shape-matching snap-action toy includes a generally cylindrical domed housing formed of a transparent material and having an exit opening defined therein. A plurality of geometrically shaped apertures are formed in the upper portion of the housing and r... | 05/24/1994 |
| 5238440 | Toy top with popping balls A toy top comprises a base plate having a plurality of apertures therein, a rotatable disk which is mounted beneath the base plate, a plurality of balls which are received on the base plate and a transparent dome enclosing the balls and the base plate. Th... | 08/24/1993 |
| 5222738 | Gambling device A gambling device has a base plate (1') and attached to the latter a spring rod (2) to be set moving in bending oscillations. Several disks (15 to 18) are arranged on the latter. The lowermost disk is formed as a catch disk (18) to which pin-shaped spacer... | 06/29/1993 |
| 5171181 | Spinner toy A spinner toy comprised of an elongated wire element looped back upon itself at its center and twisted to form a straight helical member, one end of which is the center loop and the other end of which is bent back upon itself and disposed in a plane passi... | 12/15/1992 |
| 5169354 | Self-righting toy carousel A self-righting carousel toy having an eccentrically mounted internal weight for inducing oscillation of the toy about an upright position upon rotation of the weight relative to the base. The toy includes a drive mechanism for selectively rotating a disp... | 12/08/1992 |
| 5134597 | Animated kinetic sculpture device An animated kinetic sculpture device in the form of a pedestal for support of another kinetic sculpture or other object, or as a stand alone advertising piece. The device comprises a supporting structure, a motor driven upright cylindrical helical coil sp... | 07/28/1992 |
| 5104347 | Carousel mechanism A carousel mechanism includes spaced upper and lower rotatable platforms, a plunger assembly for rotating the lower platform, and a plurality of rollers which are rotatably mounted between the upper and lower platforms and operative for communicating rota... | 04/14/1992 |
| 4995845 | Rocking display assembly An ornamental figure is mounted on a vertical support rod extending upwardly from a rocker base assembly comprised of a cross plate, a pair of cross braces and a pair of rocker members which may be quickly assembled without requiring glue or fasteners.... | 02/26/1991 |
| 4952189 | Spinable doll A spinable balleria doll having a body, legs, feet arms, hands and a head. A pushrod extends through the body and out of the head. The pushrod is mounted for reciprocal movement relative to the doll. The pushrod engages a square drive nut located in the b... | 08/28/1990 |
| 4942502 | Light projecting toy musical box A light projecting toy musical box projects a light pattern which is synchronized with musical sound generated by an acoustic mechanism. The projected light patterns are formed by providing a lamp within a base and rotatably mounting a dome over the lamp ... | 07/17/1990 |
| 4655723 | Child's activity ring toy A child's activity ring toy having first and second concentric ring portions, at least a part of at least one of the ring portions having thread segments along a multiple screw path with adjacent thread segments of adjacent screw paths overlapping in the ... | 04/07/1987 |
| 4639232 | Toy having an envelope enclosing a moving mechanism A toy includes an envelope having inside a rigid tubular member connected to the inner side of its wall and rod with a helical groove held by the tubular member in an axially movable position. The rod is passed through an opening of a transverse plate fix... | 01/27/1987 |
| 4610638 | Infant activity toy An activity toy, having a spherical housing which is flattened at its poles so as to be supportable at two places on a support surface, has an elongated helical member which extends within the interior from one of the poles to the other. A bushing is fitt... | 09/09/1986 |
| 4559020 | Inflatable toy with movable mechanism An inflatable toy comprises at least one external rotary assembly mounted outside the inflatable envelope and at least one internal movable object mounted inside the inflatable envelope. The external rotary assembly and the internal movable object are int... | 12/17/1985 |
| 4480400 | Bouncing toy A bouncing toy having a base supported by four springs-attached balls to give the base a bounce while maintaining stability. Central to the base is another spring attached ball having a cylindrical upright member mounted thereon. Within the cylindrical me... | 11/06/1984 |
| 4455781 | Sorting top A spinable hollow body with entry ports for receiving objects having prescribed configurations, including a base that is releasable by the spin generating mechanism in order to allow objects entered into selected entry ports to be released from the interi... | 06/26/1984 |
| 4440399 | Amusement game A game involving a rotating plate having triangular cutouts moving in a track on a vertical rod, with stabilizer plates on both ends of the rod and a ball.... | 04/03/1984 |
| 4355481 | Mechanical carousel top A toy mechanical carousel top having a base stand on which a turn table is rotatably mounted to rotate relative thereto, and which turn table is rotated by a drive that includes a driver and a unidirectional clutch assembly actuated by a reciprocating plu... | 10/26/1982 |
| 4309840 | Inflatable top An inflatable top is described having an attached manual rotation mechanism. The rotating body portion of the top includes an inflatable, plastic enclosure which expands to a desired shape when inflated with a gas. The rotation mechanism converts a linear... | 01/12/1982 |
| 4304064 | Toy spinning top A spinning toy or top includes a hollow rotating body with a generally low center of gravity caused by a mass positioned near the bottom of the body and having a portion thereof extending through the lower wall of the body to define a point on which the t... | 12/08/1981 |
| 4139967 | Amusement set An amusement set for use particularly by children comprises a carrying case having a pair of mating hollow housing members which are hingedly attached together to open and close along a peripheral seam line. Preferably, each of the housing members is form... | 02/20/1979 |
| 4042247 | Spin toy A spin toy has a screw threaded post with a magnet near the top to hold an iron spinner on the post by one edge so that it hangs at an angle. A flip of the finger starts the spinner on a constant speed gyratory travel down the post. The spinner can be use... | 08/16/1977 |
