...that the x-ray was discovered purely by accident? When German physicist Wilhelm Konrad von Roentgen was experimenting with cathode rays in 1895, he put an activated Crookes tube in a book and went out to lunch. When he returned, he discovered that a key that had also been placed in the book showed up as an image on the developed film!
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7254851 | Patient support structure having a tabletop with a breast positioning aperture for a laser imaging apparatus A patient support structure for a laser imaging apparatus, comprises a tabletop to support a female patient in front-down, prone position. The tabletop includes an opening adapted to permit a breast of the patient to be vertically pendant below the tabletop. The ope... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7210176 | Patient transfer device having inclined upper surface A patient transfer device includes a top sheet inclined in a head end portion such that a patient's torso is elevated with respect to the feet. The mattress may include relatively narrow chambers in an intermediate portion for increased strength and stability. The m... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7194778 | Breast comfort padding system A breast comfort padding system is provided which includes a compressible body having an upper surface sized to support at least a chest area of a user thereon, at least a pair of recesses formed in the compressible body which are positioned with respect to each oth... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7127764 | Maternity air mattress with adjustable bellows system An improved multiple chambered maternity mattress (10) is specially configured to include a bellows (24) for providing fine-grained adjustability of size and firmness of its centrally disposed womb well region (AWW). The bellows (24) consisting ... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7065816 | Mattress A mattress (10) comprises a support base (12) defining an interface surface (14) at the top thereof and a softer compressible layer (22) overlying the interface surface. The thickness of the support base varies along a longitudinal direct... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7065817 | Body bed A body bed is provided for use by pregnant women and other persons for sleeping on their stomachs. A mattress includes a tummy well formed in the central region thereof and a tummy well strap including VELCRO attached to both ends of the strap. The bottom surface of... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7062808 | Systems and methods for encasing mattresses Zipper-less encasing systems for a mattress are disclosed. One such system includes a bottom encasing configured to fit snugly over a bottom portion of the mattress and a top encasing configured to fit snugly over a top portion of a mattress and overlap with a porti... | 06/20/2006 |
| 6959464 | Pregnancy air mattress/raft A pregnancy air mattress/raft is inflatable which is useful for floating in water or sunning on the beach. The air mattress is inflatable and deflatable and is adjusted by adjusting air pressure. The mattress has a rectangular cavity reaching through the mattress, a... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6938287 | Lounge chair with body-accommodating openings A beach or lounge chair includes a generally horizontal component for supporting a user thereon and a leg assembly for holding the supportive component above the ground. The supportive component includes a first opening for accommodating the breasts of a female user... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6934988 | Therapeutic table A therapeutic table having rotatable breast recesses is a massage table with special recessed areas or “pockets” to accommodate and support a woman's breasts when she is lying face down. Two recessed pockets are provided only on one side of a panel that is situa... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6691354 | Inflatable body support An inflatable therapeutic mattress for supporting a resting body in the prone position while maintaining proper spinal alignment, features an upper surface with a pair of opposing slanting surfaces originating from an elevated ridge, one slanting surface ... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6581229 | Modular maternity mattress system A mattress system constructed of synthetic foam is described especially for use as a maternity mattress. The mattress system has a main mattress portion with a specifically shaped central opening through the center thereof. At least two modular plugs have... | 06/24/2003 |
| 6568015 | Prone positioning mattress A mattress for comfortably supporting an individual with an abdominal condition requiring minimal contact between the mattress and the individual's abdomen, while also providing a structure for facilitating the turning of the individual between supine and... | 05/27/2003 |
| 6408470 | Adjustable maternity mattress An improved maternity mattress has a recess formed therein which accommodates a woman's expanding abdomen as a pregnancy progresses. The recess may be filled in by a plurality of stackable pads with each pad having approximately the same thickness. A slid... | 06/25/2002 |
| 6233768 | Multiple air chamber contoured maternity mattress An improved maternity mattress is formed from a number of separately inflatable air chambers and a number of internally disposed shape retaining and weight supporting structures which functionally combine to significantly increase the comfort and well bei... | 05/22/2001 |
| 6185768 | Female cushion support A cushion support to be placed on a bed or other horizontal support surface which allows a woman to lie or sleep in a face-down position without exerting pressure on the breasts. The cushion support includes an elongated block of foam material, the front ... | 02/13/2001 |
| 6052847 | Mattress with a concavity for the breasts A mattress having a wedge-shaped mattress body with an inclined upper surface, the upper surface divided by a transverse breast concavity into a head-supporting portion and a body-supporting portion. The mattress has a flat position in which the concavity... | 04/25/2000 |
| 6038722 | Pressure adjustable, anatomically contoured mattress A pressure adjustable, anatomically contoured mattress includes an elongate body supporting member that has a resilient, air pressure adjustable, self-inflating foam core and a flexible covering that encloses the core. The body supporting member further i... | 03/21/2000 |
| 5890246 | Inflatable pre-natal support mattress A personal support device adapted for permitting a pregnant woman to lie on her stomach or abdomen even during the third trimester of pregnancy is formed of an inflatable mattress with an isolated section defined by a cylindrical wall. A portion of the ou... | 04/06/1999 |
| 5819348 | Modular maternity mattress with inflatable abdominal support A modular, adjustable maternity mattress designed to accommodate a pregnant woman at rest in a prone or side lying position; comprised of a sectioned base cushion and corresponding relocatable upper cushions as a head cushion, an inflatable abdominal cush... | 10/13/1998 |
| 5720061 | Female anatomical mattress A female anatomical mattress including a generally rectangular body supporting structure. The body supporting structure has a pair of side walls with a continuous central section. The central section has an upper panel and a lower panel. The upper panel a... | 02/24/1998 |
| 5438715 | Lounger for pregnant women A new and improved jack relax relief lounger having a first frame assembly, a second frame assembly, and a third frame assembly together forming a frame component. A support pad is secured to the frame component. The support pad has a circular recess ther... | 08/08/1995 |
| 5425147 | Adjustable air cushion maternity mattress A maternity mattress having three concentric inflatable cells where the cells are each independently adjustable and may be inflated or deflated by turning a selective valve and pressing the appropriate button on a pump switch.... | 06/20/1995 |
| 5412824 | Expandable support mattress, particularly to support women during pregnancy An adjustable mattress, adapted to support a substantial portion, including the breasts, abdomen, hips, thighs and knees of the body of a pregnant female user in a prone position, comprising a generally horizontal upper mattress portion with a first cavit... | 05/09/1995 |
| 5400449 | Prone pregnancy cushion A prone pregnancy cushion, for allowing a pregnant woman to lay on her abdomen, comprising an early stage segment, a later stage segment, and an attachment mechanism connecting the early stage segment and later stage segment. The early stage segment and l... | 03/28/1995 |
| 5369824 | Maternity mattress A reversible mattress for use by a pregnant woman. The mattress includes a planar first face having a cavity therein for accommodating the abdomen of the pregnant woman when the mattress is positioned with the first face facing upward and the pregnant wom... | 12/06/1994 |
| 5237712 | Maternity mattress with inflatible portion A maternity mattress which provides a cavity for accommodating the protruding abdomen of a pregnant woman as she lies in a frontally downward position upon the mattress surface. The invention includes a multi-chambered inflatable vessel centrally position... | 08/24/1993 |
| 5185897 | Inflatable maternity mattress An inflatable mattress construction having use as a maternity mattress. The mattress is provided with a central, generally cylindrical cavity which extends through the thickness of the mattress. The lower end of the cavity is enclosed by a bottom panel, w... | 02/16/1993 |
| 5095569 | Cover sheet for face down pillow A compliant cover sheet is provided for a face-down pillow which has a wedge shape and contains primary and secondary air passageways which facilitate breathing by the user of the pillow. The sheet is fabricated of a single piece of flat compliant thin ma... | 03/17/1992 |
| 4819287 | Mattress to support a woman during pregnancy The present invention is directed to a mattress for pregnant women which has a main mattress section with an opening therein for serial cushions for abdominal support. A plurality of cushions are serially arranged within one another and are located within... | 04/11/1989 |
| 4737999 | Maternity mattress The present invention is directed to a mattress for pregnant women which has a main mattress section of the conventional configuration, but with an opening therein for serial, adjustable cushions for abdominal support. A plurality of inflatable and deflat... | 04/19/1988 |
| 4596384 | Spinal adjustment table The invention relates to a table specifically constructed and designed for use in the practice of osteopathy. Particularly, the table includes separate support surfaces for the head, chest-abdomen and hip areas wherein the spring rate for the chest-abdome... | 06/24/1986 |
| 4489452 | Prenatal mattress A prenatal mattress enabling a pregnant woman to lie more comfortably and safely upon her abdomen during the pregnancy term is disclosed. The mattress can comprise a lower layer of cloth carrying releasable fasteners, a fluid-fillable abdominal cushion, a... | 12/25/1984 |
| 4382306 | Prenatal mattress A prenatal mattress enabling a pregnant woman to lie more comfortably and safely upon her abdomen during the pregnancy term is disclosed. The mattress can comprise a lower layer of cloth carrying releasable fasteners, an abdominal cushion, a head cushion,... | 05/10/1983 |
| 4207635 | Relaxing furniture especially designed for the ventral and/or dorsal decubitus The present invention relates to relaxing furniture particularly for the ventral and/or dorsal decubitus comprising a rest surface which is substantially flat and adapted to receive the body in stretched out position and comprising, in a zone substantiall... | 06/17/1980 |
| 4051566 | Mattress with modifiable cavity for pregnant women A mattress structure with modifiable cavity extending therethrough for accommodating the expandable abdomen of a woman during a full term pregnancy. An insert is movably mounted in the cavity such that the bed may have its normal plane surface configurati... | 10/04/1977 |
| 4021872 | Maternity mattress A maternity mattress provided with a cavity for accommodating the abdomen of a pregnant woman as she lies upon the mattress in a prone position. The mattress tick includes a removable portion which normally lies conterminously above the cavity to readily ... | 05/10/1977 |
| 3988793 | Device for preventing and treating toxemia in pregnant women A mattress device designed for treating a pregnant woman by releasing the pressure ordinarily produced by the pregnant uterus and the abdominal wall on the abdominal aorta, thereby helping to prevent complications of pregnancy, such as toxemia and fetal d... | 11/02/1976 |
| 3967335 | Sunbathing aid A cushion or pillow of foam rubber has two circular holes cut therein to receive the mammary glands of a woman lying thereon. The cushion is covered with terry cloth for sunbathing or covered with satin for sleeping. The cushion extends upward to form a s... | 07/06/1976 |