Did You Know...
...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8096164 | Apparatus and methods for management of fluid condition A method is provided for invoking condition monitoring and predicting parametric equipment and lube condition among a plurality of machines; relying on individual or multiple machine and or lube combinations; comprising establishing a based routine accepting informa... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8082776 | On-vehicle evaluation of oil formulation This invention is a method for determining the quality of lubrication oil added to a quantity of used oil in an operating engine or mechanism such as occurs during an oil change or when additional oil is added to maintain the vehicle manufacturer's specified total v... | 12/27/2011 |
| RE41398 | Design of viscoelastic coatings to reduce turbulent friction drag A method is provided to select appropriate material properties for turbulent friction drag reduction, given a specific body configuration and freestream velocity. The method is based on a mathematical description of the balance of energy at the interface between the... | 06/29/2010 |
| 7426855 | Method and apparatus for testing the adhesive strength of overlays of plain bearing bushings A method and an apparatus for testing the adhesive strength of overlays attached to the inside of plain bearing bushings. The method is characterized in specifying clearance between the plain bearing bushing tested and a rotating or oscillating pin extending through... | 09/23/2008 |
| 7398669 | Test apparatus and method of measuring surface friction of a brake pad insulator material and method of use of a brake dynamometer A test apparatus for measuring surface friction of a damping material such as brake pad insulator material includes a rotor configured to support the damping material for rotation therewith, an actuator pressurizable to apply axially-inward force to the damping mate... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7373800 | Friction test apparatus and method A friction test apparatus includes a base structure and a receptacle secured to the base structure. At least three lower friction surfaces are positioned in the receptacle. The friction test apparatus includes a motor having a rotatable shaft providing powered rotat... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7328604 | Microelectromechanical (MEM) fluid health sensing device and fabrication method A microelectromechanical (MEM) fluid health sensing device comprises a viscosity sensor which provides an output that varies with the viscosity of a fluid in which it is immersed, and at least one other sensor which provides an output that varies with another predet... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7322243 | Acoustic wave etch rate sensor system An acoustic wave sensor system for monitoring the etch rate or etch ability of a selective material has an acoustic wave sensing device having a piezoelectric substrate and at least one electrode coupled to the substrate for generating a propagating acoustic wave an... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7316156 | Limited slip differential performance simulation procedure A method of simulating a split μ axle test for limited slip differentials for automotive applications. The method includes treating a clutch pack for a limited slip differential in a lubricant composition for a first period of time at a predetermined temperature. T... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7293450 | Oil quality sensor structure for permanent applications An oil quality sensor system comprise an acoustic wave viscosity and an etch rate sensor. The etch rate sensor system includes a piezoelectric substrate and one or more sensing layers configured upon the piezoelectric substrate. A layer of gold is generally configur... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7290436 | Device for measuring the static and/or dynamic friction coefficient of a surface The present invention relates to a device for measuring the static and/or dynamic friction coefficient of a surface, in particular a natural or artificial grass surface, which device comprises a housing placed on supports, which is to be positioned on the surface to... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7287431 | Wireless oil filter sensor A wireless oil filter sensing system includes an oil filter and a sensing mechanism that is connectable to the oil filter. The sensing mechanism includes one or more acoustic wave sensing elements and at least one antenna that communicate with the acoustic wave sens... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7281407 | Sensing film material A sensor 30 has first and second electrodes 32A, 32B spaced to define a gap 34 therebetween. The electrodes are formed on a substrate which can be covered with a film of material. The width of the gap 34 is different at different p... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7281414 | Apparatus, a method, and measuring sensors for scanning states of engine oil The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and a sensor for scanning engine oil of a vehicle. An apparatus for scanning engine oil according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an oil property measuring part for measuring physi... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7275418 | Method for the quantitative detection of two contaminants in a fluid The quantitative determination of two contaminants of a fluid is carried out in the following steps: detection of permittivity ε and viscosity v of the fluid; determination of the quantity of the first contaminant 11e on the basis of a difference betw... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7267009 | Multiple-mode acoustic wave sensor A multiple-mode acoustic wave sensor apparatus includes an acoustic wave device comprising a piezoelectric substrate and at least one electrode on the substrate. When such sensor is used in a wireless configuration, a plurality of antennas can be configured on the s... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7257984 | Miniaturized sensor device for detecting characteristics of a fluid, in particular a lubricating oil A miniaturized sensor device comprises at least one pair of active projecting elements or cantilevers, which are set parallel to one another and at a micrometric or sub-micrometric distance apart and are designed to be submerged at least partially in a fluid. Each p... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7251893 | Tribological applications of polyelectrolyte multilayers One aspect of the present invention relates to an implantable medical device comprising a surface coated with a polyelectrolyte multilayer, wherein said surface is glass, metal, plastic, polymer, or fiberglass. Another aspect of the present invention involves a meth... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7243549 | Acoustic wave lubricity sensor A lubricity sensor includes a flexural plate wave device and a face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device, which is associated with and located proximate to the flexural plate wave device. The face shear mode bulk acoustic wave device and the flexural plate wave devi... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7219536 | System and method to determine oil quality utilizing a single multi-function surface acoustic wave sensor A method and system for detecting oil quality. The quality of engine oil can be determined utilizing an acoustic wave sensor to obtain viscosity and corrosivity data associated with the engine oil. The acoustic wave sensor is coated with a material that selectively ... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7204128 | Engine wear and oil quality sensor A viscosity and corrosivity sensor apparatus includes a substrate upon which one or more electrodes are configured. The electrode(s) are exposed to a liquid, such as automotive oil. An oscillator can be connected to the electrode, wherein the oscillator assists in p... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7188516 | Friction testing apparatus A testing apparatus for measuring the friction characteristics between two components in rolling or sliding contact with one another is disclosed herein. The testing apparatus includes a traction surface, a first support structure adapted to support the traction sur... | 03/13/2007 |
| 7143867 | Electronic oil level detection and replacement system An oil level monitoring and replenishment system for use with an internal combustion engine having an oil sump. The system as a sensor which continuously measures the sump level in the reservoir for holding a quantity of oil to be used in replenishment of the sump. ... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7066027 | Method and apparatus for determining thickness of a lubricant film A method and apparatus of determining the thickness of a lubricant film disposed between two bodies by measuring and performing a frequency spectrum analysis on a reflected or transmitted part of an ultrasound wave propagated towards said film is disclosed. ... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7047152 | Method and a system for evaluation of static friction A method for evaluation whether oscillations in a control process depend on static friction in an actuator. A signal from the actuator or the signal from the process is measured. The measured signal is signal processed for the purpose of detecting whether the measur... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7017712 | Apparatus and method for lubricant condition control and monitoring A volumetric lubricant dispensing apparatus for delivering a precise volume of lubricant, such as oil, to a rotating machine element. The delivery mechanism includes a piston and cylinder assembly. A plurality of sensors are utilized to record operating conditions o... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7013713 | Lubricity tester for diesel fuels An apparatus for testing lubricity of a fuel includes a testing chamber for holding a sample of the fuel to be tested; an inlet for admitting the sample to the testing chamber; and an assembly for sealing the testing chamber to prevent moisture transfer during admis... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7000451 | Friction testing device A device for the determination of the frictional characteristics of large surfaces comprising: a frame; a drive motor mounted atop the frame; a drive train; a horizontal measurement arm attached to the drive train and capable of circular rotation; a spherical fricti... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6995896 | Tilt mirror controlling apparatus and method The apparatus controls a tilt angle of a tilt mirror in high speed with high stability, realizing non-linearity compensation. The apparatus includes: a control signal producing unit, which produces a control signal, for feed-forward controlling of the mirror into a ... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6981401 | Method for testing properties of corrosive lubricants A method of testing corrosive lubricating media using a wear testing apparatus without a mechanical seal. The wear testing apparatus and methods are effective for testing volatile corrosive lubricating media under pressure and at high temperatures. ... | 01/03/2006 |
| 6980394 | Spindle motor and recording disk driving device comprising the same In the present invention, to reduce the noise of a spindle motor, a bush member is interposed between a base plate and an FDB unit. The base plate is a base of the spindle motor and of which a case of a hard disk drive is consisted. The FDB unit is a bearing unit wh... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6971257 | Machine for testing wear, wear-preventative and friction properties of lubricants and other materials A machine adapted for testing wear, wear-preventative and friction characteristics between a rotating specimen axially loaded against one or more non-rotated test specimens includes a load mechanism in the form of a low-friction, pneumatic diaphragm actuator, a load... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6907769 | Apparatus and method for detecting air contamination in fluid dynamic bearings Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for detecting air contamination within a fluid dynamic bearing used with a disc drive. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method to determine the amount of air contamination with hydrodynamic fluid by ... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6898959 | Lubricant applying system for a rolling bearing In a lubricant application system, a prescribed volume of lubricant is transferred from a lubricant discharge port 8 of a prescribed liquid volume discharge device to a rolling element 703 of a rolling bearing 700 in a state in which the lubrica... | 05/31/2005 |
| 6886392 | Single ball bearing lubricant and material evaluator A test apparatus provides an applied load to a monoball through a trolley which moves along a loading axis. While applying the load to the monoball, the torque meter is in communication with the spherical monoball, and a load cell senses the application of applied f... | 05/03/2005 |
| 6857306 | Four-ball wear and friction test apparatus A four-ball test apparatus for evaluation of friction and wear characteristics of lubricants is disclosed. The test apparatus includes a motor and adjustable weight assembly that is supported by the upper test ball on the lower test balls positioned in a test cup. A... | 02/22/2005 |
| 6840082 | Machine for testing wear, wear-preventative and friction properties of lubricants and other materials A machine adapted for testing wear, wear-preventative and friction characteristics between a rotating specimen axially loaded against one or more non-rotated test specimens includes a load mechanism in the form of a low-friction, pneumatic diaphragm actuator, a load... | 01/11/2005 |
| 6817223 | Compact tribology tester An apparatus for testing properties of materials under operating conditions of the materials. The apparatus includes a hermetically sealed vessel in which a tribology tester is mounted. The tribology tester includes a pair of lever arms having first and second ends ... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6804987 | Apparatus and method for air-contamination detection in disc drive hydrodynamic bearings A method for detecting air-contamination within a hydrodynamic bearing used with a disc drive comprises in one embodiment, a method to detect air-contamination with hydrodynamic fluid by measuring operating signals of the disc drive between different external air pr... | 10/19/2004 |
| 6776024 | Method of evaluating the wear of engine oil taking into account the addition of fresh oil A method of evaluating engine oil wear on the basis of viscosity measurement, accounting for the addition of fresh oil. Using an oil viscosity sensor, an amount of fresh oil added is detected, then the oil viscosity sensor determines a viscosity of the oil mixture o... | 08/17/2004 |
