Did You Know...
...that it was melting ice cream that inspired the invention of the outboard motor? It was a lovely August day and Ole Evinrude was rowing his boat to his favorite island picnic spot. As he rowed, he watched his ice cream melt and wished he had a faster way to get to the island. At that moment the idea for the outboard motor was born!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8171730 | External combustion engine An external combustion engine provided with a pipe-shaped main container with a heating portion and a cooling portion, an output part converting displacement of the liquid part of said working fluid generated due to the change in volume of said working fluid accompa... | 05/08/2012 |
| 8096121 | Micro-machine and a method of powering a micro-machine A rotatable micro-machine is comprised of a solvent reservoir, a porous evaporation region and a channel connecting the solvent reservoir to the evaporation region. The evaporation region may be constructed of capillary paths that enable a capillary action which pul... | 01/17/2012 |
| 7779632 | External combustion engine An external combustion engine 10 is disclosed, wherein a container 11 sealed with a working medium adapted to flow in a liquid state includes a heating unit 13 for generating a vapor of the working medium 12 by heating part of the working... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7716928 | External combustion engine An external combustion engine includes: a main container sealed with a working fluid in a liquid state adapted to flow; a heater for heating a portion of the working fluid in the main container and generating the vapor of the working fluid; a cooler for cooling and ... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7698892 | External combustion engine An external combustion engine comprises a container (11) with a working liquid (12) sealed therein in a state adapted to flow, a heater (13) for heating and vaporizing the working liquid (12) in the container (11), and a cooler ( | 04/20/2010 |
| 7694515 | Engine An engine is provided that utilizes an active heat exchanger such as a heat pump to transfer heat into and remove heat from a low boiling point liquid that is disposed in a pair of diametrically opposed containers. The addition of heat into the low-boiling point liq... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7669415 | External combustion engine An external combustion engine provided with a plurality of evaporators and stabilized in output and efficiency, that is, an engine provided with at least one main container, a plurality of evaporators heating the working medium to evaporate, condensers cooling the v... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7644582 | External combustion engine An external combustion engine including a container 10 sealed with a working medium 14 in liquid phase adapted to flow, a multiplicity of evaporators 201 to 204 for heating and evaporating part of the liquid-phase working medium 14... | 01/12/2010 |
| 7574861 | External combustion engine An external combustion engine formed with a plurality of heaters for improving output, provided with a container in which a working medium is sealed flowable in a liquid state, the container being formed with heaters for heating part of a working medium to generate ... | 08/18/2009 |
| 7481055 | Rotary actuator An electrothermal actuator producing linear and/or rotational movement includes a housing having a longitudinal axis. A chamber within the housing contains a working fluid that changes phase upon heating. A piston is slidably disposed within the housing and movable ... | 01/27/2009 |
| 7290853 | Inkjet printhead with a two dimensional array of ink ejection nozzle arrangements A printhead is provided for an inkjet printer. The printhead includes a wafer substrate assembly defining a plurality of spaced apart groups of ink inlet channels. Groups of ink ejection nozzle arrangements extend from the wafer substrate assembly and are in fluid c... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7229153 | Printhead chip with electro-thermal actuators incorporating heatsinks A printhead chip includes a substrate. Drive circuitry is positioned on the substrate. A plurality of nozzle chamber structures is positioned on the substrate. Each nozzle chamber structure defines a nozzle chamber and an ink ejection port in fluid communication wit... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7207658 | Printhead integrated circuit with electromechanical actuators incorporating heatsinks A printhead integrated circuit that has an array of nozzles and corresponding micro-electromechanical actuators for ejecting ink there through. Each of the micro-electromechanical actuators having an activation arm that is configured for thermal expansion by resisti... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7185493 | Solar energy power plant and method of producing electricity A power plant that uses a lens to focus solar energy onto a closed system loop is disclosed wherein a closed loop system is provided having a chamber that converts a liquid into a gas by absorbing heat. The heat being created has been generated by the focused solar ... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7146814 | Micro-machine and a method of powering a micro-machine A rotatable micro-machine is comprised of a solvent reservoir, a porous evaporation region and a channel connecting the solvent reservoir to the evaporation region. The evaporation region may be constructed of capillary paths that enable a capillary action which pul... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7131270 | Apparatus and method for a heat engine A heat engine includes a plurality of heating side expansion chambers and cooling side expansion chambers, positioned on opposite sides of an axis, for providing rotation of an apparatus about its axis when the fluids inside the chambers expand and contract on the s... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7117691 | Device for controlling liquid level position within condenser in rankine cycle apparatus In a liquid-level-position control device for a condenser in a Rankine cycle apparatus, first and second reference liquid level positions are set. When a position of the fluid level is lower than the first reference liquid level position, water is replenished to a c... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7109597 | Electrical energy generating system A system for generating electrical energy includes heating a liquid to produce a vapor. The vapor is transported past electron collecting structure which collects electrons from the vapor. Electrons are added to the vapor prior to the vapor reaching the electron col... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7025323 | Low power integrated pumping and valving arrays for microfluidic systems Low power integrated pumping and valving arrays which provide a revolutionary approach for performing pumping and valving approach for performing pumping and valving operations in microfabricated fluidic systems for applications such as medical diagnostic microchips... | 04/11/2006 |
| 6959983 | Printer with microelectromechanical printhead having electro-thermal actuators incorporating heatsinks A printer includes a microelectromechanical printhead incorporating a plurality of ink ejection nozzles. Each of the ink ejection nozzles includes an ink well to contain printing fluid and an electrically operated thermal ink ejection actuator assembly. The ink ejec... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6931852 | Steam engine A steam engine increases efficiency and prevents corrosion, abrasion, and the like in a part receiving steam pressure. A heater and a cooler are provided on one side of a U-shaped fluid container, and a piston for output is provided on its other side. The heater hea... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6931892 | Drainage control device for washing machines A drainage control device for washing machines is disclosed. This device controls the drain port, provided at the bottom of a washing tub, thus draining water from the washing tub in accordance with an operational mode of a washing machine. This drainage control dev... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6923527 | Integrated circuit device for ink ejection An integrated circuit device which comprises a substrate; drive circuitry arranged on the substrate; and a plurality of micro-electromechanical devices positioned on the substrate. Each micro-electromechanical device comprises an actuator connected to the drive circ... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6922998 | Apparatus and method for a heat engine A heat engine includes a plurality of heating side expansion chambers and cooling side expansion chambers, positioned on opposite sides of an axis, for providing rotation of an apparatus about its axis when the fluids inside the chambers expand and contract on the s... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6844054 | Thermal management material, devices and methods therefor The present invention provides thermal devices, materials and methods for use in transferring heat from heat sources. One embodiment comprises a thermal transfer body that has first and second end portions and includes a thermally anisotropic material that conducts ... | 01/18/2005 |
| 6112522 | Total flow liquid piston engine This invention uses a body force to trap the liquid component of a fluid in local potential minimums in a continuous cavity in an expander. Shaping of the cavity traps the vapor components of the fluid between these "liquid pistons". In the external combu... | 09/05/2000 |
| 6098404 | Liquid/vapor cycle An engine is provided including a heat exchanger capable of providing a first temperature and a second temperature, wherein the first temperature and the second temperature are different so as to define a temperature differential. A component of the engin... | 08/08/2000 |
| 6080927 | Solar concentrator for heat and electricity A solar concentrator for producing usable power as heat and/or electricity uses a self-steering heliostat 1502 to concentrate solar radiation 1509 onto an absorbing surface such as, or including, a solar cell array 1511 capable of absorbing power from the... | 06/27/2000 |
| 5927071 | Hydraulic pressure source apparatus and vehicle height control apparatus The hydraulic pressure to be supplied to a hydraulic actuator mounted on a vehicle, such as a hydraulic cylinder for vehicle height control, is arranged to be generated by utilizing a waste heat of a power source such as an engine of the vehicle or the li... | 07/27/1999 |
| 5881801 | Thermally driven liquid pressure generating apparatus A vessel of a liquid pressure generating apparatus is divided into two vessels of an upper liquid pressure generating vessel containing therein a liquid chamber whose volume can be varied, and a lower medium vessel into which is filled a medium which vari... | 03/16/1999 |
| 5692535 | Icing preventer with temperature adjustment washer Apparatus for automatically opening an orifice to allow flow when ambient temperature drops below a predetermined level, such as the freezing point of water. The apparatus is for connection to a liquid line that carries liquid at a selected pressure for p... | 12/02/1997 |
| 5671905 | Electrochemical actuator and method of making same A new and improved electrochemical actuator and method of using it enables a reversible electrochemical generation of gases for inducing a phase/volume change that can produce high actuation forces, long actuation distances, and remain at the last pressur... | 09/30/1997 |
| 5666810 | Electro-thermal actuator system An electro-thermal actuator has linear displacement of its actuator rod accurately controlled and monitored. The actuator includes a sealed chamber containing an expansible and contractible working fluid. The working fluid is heated by way of pulse width ... | 09/16/1997 |
| 5649423 | Micromechanism linear actuator with capillary force sealing A class of micromachine linear actuators whose function is based on gas driven pistons in which capillary forces are used to seal the gas behind the piston. The capillary forces also increase the amount of force transmitted from the gas pressure to the pi... | 07/22/1997 |
| 5452580 | Thermal energy differential power conversion apparatus A thermal energy differential power conversion apparatus. A parallel series of vessels hold a working liquid at a level intermediate the upper and lower ends of the vessel. A first tube operatively engages the uppers ends of the vessels for carrying a liq... | 09/26/1995 |
| 5442933 | Refrigerator through the door ice dispenser A through-the-door ice and cold water dispenser for domestic refrigeration units provides a housing positioned within a recess formed in the door insulation. The dispenser provides an actuation cradle formed with a smoothly curved concave surface in combi... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5423479 | Thermoelectric actuator for temperature control systems A temperature control system for a building or the like having a plurality of individually-controlled temperature zones wherein temperature variations from a set temperature generate actuating signals for valves, dampers or other regulating devices to var... | 06/13/1995 |
| 5396770 | Electrothermal actuator with latch mechanism An electrothermal actuator includes a housing containing a working fluid and a heater disposed in the fluid within the housing. A piston is slidably disposed in the housing for movement in response to heating and cooling of the working fluid. An output me... | 03/14/1995 |
| 5353596 | Low temperature heat engine A relatively hot and a relatively cold chamber are air evacuated and contain a low boiling point liquid. The temperature differential between the chambers results in a vapor pressure differential between the chambers. The vapor pressures inside the chambe... | 10/11/1994 |
| 5279123 | Apparatus for recovery and use of waste thermal energy Energy recovery apparatus for recovering and using thermal energy comprises multiple series of shape memory elements having decreasing transformation temperatures from one element to the next in the direction of a heating fluid to extract heat over a rang... | 01/18/1994 |
