Celebrity Inventors
Glam girl Heddy Lamar may have used her good looks to good effect on the silver screen, but she put her smarts to better use as an inventor. During World War II, she co-patented a frequency-switching system for torpedo guidance that was considered years ahead of its time.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8065876 | Heat engine improvements An engine and a method for operating the engine comprising a chamber defined by at least one fixed wall and at least one movable wall, the volume of the chamber variable with movement of the movable wall; an injector arranged to inject liquid into the chamber while ... | 11/29/2011 |
| 8061133 | Piston steam engine with internal flash vaporization of a work medium The invention relates to a piston steam engine having flash vaporization. Said inventive piston steam engine can be operated with various working mediums and at different temperatures. The liquid working medium is successively injected into individual prechambers of... | 11/22/2011 |
| 7905090 | Steam engine A steam engine has a pipe shaped fluid container, a heating and cooling devices respectively provided at a heating and cooling portions of the fluid container, and an output device connected to the fluid container, so that the output device is operated by the fluid ... | 03/15/2011 |
| 7685817 | Method and system for providing a rotational output using a non-combustion heat source A system and method for providing a rotational output using a non-combustion heat source. The system may include a sealed chamber and a triggering element. The sealed chamber may contain a substance that expands when heated and contracts when cooled. The sealed cham... | 03/30/2010 |
| 7587895 | Micro heat engine and method of manufacturing The present invention relates generally to micro heat engines (MHEs) and methods of manufacture. More particularly, the present invention relates to an MHE including a substrate having a sealed microchannel for operatively containing a liquid droplet within the micr... | 09/15/2009 |
| 7415824 | Steam engine A steam engine has a pipe shaped fluid container, a heating and cooling devices respectively provided at a heating and cooling portions of the fluid container, and an output device connected to the fluid container, so that the output device is operated by the fluid ... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7347135 | Water pressure driven generator A fluid pressure driven generator which includes a generator housing and a rotor positioned within the generator housing. A power shaft is positioned in the rotor with a moment arm connected between the power shaft and rotor. A high fluid pressure inlet will be form... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7329959 | Micro power generator and apparatus for producing reciprocating movement There is provided a micro power generator enhanced in efficiency and power generation output, and having an increased temperature range for operation. The micro power generator comprises: a high-temperature heat source; a low-temperature heat source; an enclosed bod... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7293412 | Electrically variable pneumatics structural element The internal pressure p1 of the hollow body of a pneumatic structural element that comprises a hollow body (1), at least two traction elements (4) and at least one compression member (2) can be electrothermally varied by means of a fl... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7237380 | Compact actuator A compact electrothermal actuator includes a housing having a longitudinal axis. A slot extends through the housing. A chamber within the housing contains a working fluid that changes phase upon heating. A piston is slidably disposed within the housing and movable a... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7222561 | Pyromechanical cutting element A pyromechanical cutting element has a housing (2) in which an electrical conductor (3) is arranged, a cutting plunger (5) with a cutting tool (8) to cut through the electrical conductor (3), and pyrotechnic charge (13) to d... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7188558 | Pyromechanical separating element The invention relates to a pyromechanical separating element having a hermetically sealed pyrotechnic pressure element (2), which is installed in a housing (1) and has a gas-forming pyrotechnic charge, and a detachable latching pin (5) which is ... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7185491 | Steam engine A steam engine has a looped fluid container, in which working fluid is filled. A heating device, a cooling device and an output device are arranged at the fluid container. A lower side valve is provided at a fluid passage of the fluid container between the heating d... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7119451 | Self-powered miniature liquid treatment system with ultraviolet dosing A liquid treatment system that may be self-powered includes a filter, an ultraviolet light source and a hydro-generator. A flow of liquid may be filtered with the filter and used to rotate the hydro-generator to generate electric power. The ultraviolet light source ... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7080512 | Heat regenerative engine A heat regenerative engine uses water as both the working fluid and the lubricant. In operation, water is pumped from a collection pan and through a coil around a cylinder exhaust port, causing the water to be preheated by steam exhausted from the cylinder. The preh... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7076950 | Internal explosion engine and generator using non-combustible gases Internal explosion engine and generator having an explosion chamber, a movable member forming one wall of the chamber, a charge of non-combustible gas sealed inside the chamber, means for repeatedly igniting the gas in an explosive manner to drive the movable member... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7067936 | Self-powered miniature liquid treatment system with multiple liquid flow paths A liquid treatment system that may be self-powered includes a filter, an ultraviolet light source and a hydro-generator in a first flow path. The first flow path may provide treated liquid at a first outlet of the liquid treatment system. A second flow path included... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7019415 | Electrical power generation system and method for mitigating corona discharge A power generation system including a housing defining a cavity and having an inlet for receiving a fluid that is used to cool and pressurize the cavity and an outlet for removing the fluid from the cavity. The system also may include a rotor having a first end posi... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7000389 | Engine for converting thermal energy to stored energy The engine for converting thermal energy to stored fluid energy includes expansion cylinders (61a–f) with expansion chambers (62a–f) and flexible membranes (63a–f). Heating and cooling of working fluid inside the cylin... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6997010 | Regenerative heat pump system The present invention provides a regenerative heat pump system including a heat pump cycle, first storage vessel for storing a heat storage material, heat exchange device between first refrigerant and heat storage material for heating and decomposing the heat storag... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6994030 | Pyrotechnic microactuators for microsystems The technical field of the invention is that of microactuators designed for mechanical, chemical, electrical or thermal functions in microsystems, for microelectronic applications such as chips, or biomedical applications such as cards incorporating microfluidics. T... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6978611 | MEMS closed chamber heat engine and electric generator A heat engine, preferably combined with an electric generator, and advantageously implemented using micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technologies as an array of one or more individual heat engine/generators. The heat engine is based on a closed chamber containi... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6927501 | Self-powered miniature liquid treatment system A liquid treatment system that may be self-powered includes a filter, an ultraviolet light source and a hydro-generator in a first flow path. The first flow path may provide treated liquid at a first outlet of the liquid treatment system. A second flow path included... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6755020 | Shockproof mechanism, in particular for use in space sector The invention concerns a device forming a mechanism, in particular for use in the space sector, characterised in that it comprises in combination: a material (300) with low melting point capable of producing a soldering joint, at least heating means (400 | 06/29/2004 |
| 6739131 | Combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system with closed loop control A combustion-driven hydroelectric generating system has one or more combustion cylinders that contain a liquid (such as water) and receive a combustible fuel/oxidizer mixture that is ignited and the explosive force of the combustion acts on the surface of the liquid... | 05/25/2004 |
| 6536213 | Micromachined parylene membrane valve and pump A micromachined fluid handling device having improved properties. The valve is made of reinforced parylene. A heater heats a fluid to expand the fluid. The heater is formed on unsupported silicon nitride to reduce the power. The device can be used to form... | 03/25/2003 |
| 6499297 | Micromachined parylene membrane valve and pump A micromachined fluid handling device having improved properties. The valve is made of reinforced parylene. A heater heats a fluid to expand the fluid. The heater is formed on unsupported silicon nitride to reduce the power. The device can be used to form... | 12/31/2002 |
| 6474058 | Warren cycle engine This is the mechanization of an external combustion hot air engine cycle known as the "Warren Cycle". The "Warren Cycle" has four parts. They are: 1. cooled compression; 2. stored heat released from a regenerator and heat added to the working fluid at con... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6470679 | Apparatus and method for transferring entropy with the aid of a thermodynamic cycle The invention relates to regenerative working and thermal processes, the drive energy of which is supplied by external combustion of the fuel. The heat supply for this, almost always assumed to be isothermic, is achieved only in exceptional cases, since t... | 10/29/2002 |
| 6463731 | Two stroke regenerative external combustion engine This invention is a two stroke, regenerated, external combustion, reciprocating engine. Each unit of the engine has cylinder 12 that is closed at one end by cylinder head 4 and contains power piston 18 that is connected to power output shaft 22, and plung... | 10/15/2002 |
| 6405532 | Metal hydride artificial muscles New artificial muscles and actuators, that are operated by hydrogen gas as working fluid stored interstitially in metal hydrides as a hydrogen sponge. These artificial muscles and actuators are operated both electrically and thermally. The artificial musc... | 06/18/2002 |
| 6397595 | Pyrotechnic actuator with a deformable membrane A pyrotechnic actuator comprises a deformable membrane (24) separating a first chamber (20), which is able to receive pyrotechnic combustion gases, from a second chamber (22) containing a control member (32) displaceable by the membrane (24) during the op... | 06/04/2002 |
| 6345502 | Micromachined parylene membrane valve and pump A micromachined fluid handling device having improved properties. The valve is made of reinforced parylene. A heater heats a fluid to expand the fluid. The heater is formed on unsupported silicon nitride to reduce the power. The device can be used to form... | 02/12/2002 |
| 6332318 | Solidification engine and thermal management system for electronics A thermal management system is disclosed by selectively breaking the thermal connection between the heat sinks and the electronics being cooled. This preserves the excess heat generated by the electronics rather than dissipating it, thereby maintaining th... | 12/25/2001 |
| 6073445 | Methods for producing hydro-electric power A process for producing power by displacing water from a tank for operating a hydro-electric apparatus such as a turbine or Pelton wheel. In one embodiment, combustion products from fossil fuels are utilized to displace water from a reservoir or tank. The... | 06/13/2000 |
| 6070409 | Engine for powering by water An engine for powering by water that includes a stator, a rotor rotatably mounted in the stator, and a plurality of blades movably mounted in the rotor. The stator has a throughchamber. The rotor is rotatably mounted in the throughchamber. By virtue of a ... | 06/06/2000 |
| 6052992 | Heterogeneous structure for accumulating or dissipating energy, methods of using such a structure and associated devices The invention relates to a heterogeneous structure for energy accumulation-dissipation (10), the structure being constituted by a porous capillary solid matrix (11) of open capillary porosity and of controlled topology, with capillary passages (12) of var... | 04/25/2000 |
| 5367878 | Transient energy release microdevices and methods A microdevice in the form of an electrical switch. A microdevice for providing switching at a high repetition rate, including a cell divided into two chambers by a bistable movable membrane. A charge of gas in the cell and a source for directly heating th... | 11/29/1994 |
| 5186001 | Transient energy release microdevices and methods A microdevice in the form of a microactuator or micropump. A microdevice for providing reciprocating motion at a high repetition rate, including a cell having an output wall with at least a portion movable, such as a diaphragm or inlet and outlet valves. ... | 02/16/1993 |
| 5016441 | Heat regeneration in engines This invention concerns a high efficiency piston-cylinder engine whose cylinder is equipped with means to add heat to a working gas in the cylinder. Other important components include: a heat regenerator, one end of which is connected to the cylinder; and... | 05/21/1991 |
