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!
PatentStorm News
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 |
| 8082791 | Method and device for determining the softness of sanitary papers and textiles The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for determining the softness of a hygienic paper or textile with at least one ply, wherein an element (106) is arranged relative to a positionally fixed sample (P), with at least one ply, of the hygienic pape... | 12/27/2011 |
| 7987717 | Method for noncontact testing of the degree of hardening of ink and coating films For more efficient and energy-saving drying of ink and/or coating films in printing machines, the drying or hardening process must be better monitored. Therefore a method is proposed for determining the degree of hardening of one or more printed ink and/or coating f... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7565841 | Operating frequency selection method for hardness measurement system, operating frequency selection apparatus, and hardness measurement system In a hardness measurement system, selecting an operating frequency is facilitated by using a phase shift circuit. A hardness sensor is connected to an operating frequency selection apparatus and in a free end state the amplitude versus frequency characteristic is ac... | 07/28/2009 |
| 7365552 | Surface mount package fault detection apparatus A fault detection apparatus for surface mount packages is provided. The apparatus can include a retainer for releasably securing a circuit board such as a printed circuit board having an electrical component mounted thereon via a ball grid array surface mount packag... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7319043 | Method and system of trace pull test The present invention provides an efficient test method and system for testing the IC package, such as BGA types of packages. With the present invention, manufacturer can have an easier way in testing various types of packages, including newer types. Manufacturer al... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7228747 | Device for detecting rail movement A device for holding a transmitter and a receiver for detecting a deformation state of a component. The device includes a first holding part and a first receptacle, the transmitter being disposed on the first holding part via the first receptacle, wherein the first ... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7168885 | Control system and method for a vibratory mechanism A method is provided for controlling a vibratory mechanism. The method includes sensing a vibratory amplitude of the vibratory mechanism and determining a decoupling point of the vibratory mechanism. An output signal is generated based on the determination of the de... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7107159 | Systems and methods to determine elastic properties of materials The present invention provides systems and methods to used a measured driving-point response of a nonlinear material to determined one or more elastic properties of the material. The present invention takes advantage of the full information represented by the transi... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7089823 | Vibratory mechanism controller A controller for use in a vibratory mechanism includes an amplitude control circuit that generates an amplitude control signal that varies from a minimum value to a maximum value. The vibratory mechanism is adapted to vibrate at an amplitude based on an amplitude co... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7073374 | Soil compaction measurement on moving platform An apparatus and method are provided for the in-situ measurement of the stiffness of a surface. The apparatus includes a platform, which is movable relative to the surface. A stiffness measurement device is supported by the platform in a stationary position relative... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7026943 | Acoustic wave ice and water detector An acoustic wave sensor utilizes one or more acoustic waves trapped in an acoustic wave cavity to detect the presence of one or more substances on a surface of the acoustic wave cavity. To detect the presence of ice, a trapped torsional acoustic wave is used. To det... | 04/11/2006 |
| 6998559 | Detection system for sorting apparatus The present invention relates to a system for determining characteristics of products of generally unequal size, e.g. apples, which are conveyed on product carriers, such as rollers of a conveying apparatus, and pass the system, the system comprising a detection dev... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6976387 | Hardness measuring device comprising a housing and a penetration body in particular a manual device The hardness measuring device (18) is provided with a) a penetration body (20), which penetrates a workpiece (28) along a penetration vector (58) during a measuring process, b) a housing (30) which embodies a guide track (32... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6912903 | Soil compaction measurement An apparatus and method are provided for the in-situ measurement of the stiffness of a layer of soil or other surface of interest. The apparatus includes a contact foot for engaging the surface and a drive transducer coupled to the contact foot for applying a vibrat... | 07/05/2005 |
| 6895066 | Measuring head and measuring assembly for a nuclear fuel rod A measuring head is used in measuring an assembly part of a nuclear facility, such as a fuel rod, a fuel assembly box, or a spacer of the fuel assembly. The measuring head is capable of augmenting a comparatively large data base representing the overall aging state ... | 05/17/2005 |
| 6854331 | Substance characteristic measuring method and substance characteristic measuring instrument The present invention facilitates measurement of characteristic values corresponding to hardness of a material to be measured inside a living body using the response of a vibration transmission characteristic without the need to remove other tissue materials of the ... | 02/15/2005 |
| 6817246 | Distortion detector A device for detecting different conditions of a component, such as distorted conditions, movements and loaded conditions. Said device comprises a transmitter and a receiver which are located independently on at least one component at a distance from one another and... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6807861 | Instrument for noncontact measurement of physical property A noncontact physical property measurement instrument which easily and accurately measures physical properties of an object using a nondestructive, noncontact sensor. A noncontact physical property measurement instrument 1 is provided with a transmitting sect... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6790186 | Device for evaluating the dynamic, mechanical properties of materials A device (10) for evaluating dynamic, mechanical properties of materials includes an elongate cylindrical housing (12) projecting from a handle (14). The housing (12) defines a passage (16). One end of the passage (16) is cl... | 09/14/2004 |
| 6675112 | Cure monitoring A method and apparatus for monitoring the progress of the solidification of a solidifying material involves using a transmitter to transmit a relatively low frequency compression wave to the solidifying material. A receiver is provided for detecting the r... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6664067 | Instrument for high throughput measurement of material physical properties and method of using same An apparatus and method for screening combinatorial libraries of materials by measuring the response of individual library members to mechanical perturbations is described. The apparatus generally includes a sample holder for containing the library member... | 12/16/2003 |
| 6619125 | Method and device for determining the degree of compaction during ground compaction A method and a device are provided for determining the degree of compaction during ground compaction with a roller or a vibrating plate compactor comprising a top section and a vibrating plate. The method involves determination of one or more amplitude va... | 09/16/2003 |
| 6585666 | Arthroscopic diagnostic probe to measure mechanical properties of articular cartilage A mechanical diagnostic probe is used to determine the thickness of articular cartilage, so that any degeneration in the articular cartilage can be detected at an early stage. The probe advantageously allows for calibrating the speed of the ultrasound in ... | 07/01/2003 |
| 6551019 | Device for checking the compaction for vibration compaction devices A device for checking the compaction, in particular, of black top pavement in street and roadway construction, using a vibration roller drum that is provided with a compaction checking device is provided. In the compaction of black top pavement, the measu... | 04/22/2003 |
| 6539781 | Method and device for determining the hardness of products such as fruit In a method for determining the hardness of a product, for instance fruit, during a measuring cycle, comprising: supporting the product, tapping the product with a tapping device at least one position of the product, as a result of which the product as a ... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6405595 | Apparatus for measuring torsional stiffness of a golf shaft An apparatus for determining the torsional stiffness of a shaft comprises a rigid frame having a collet for securing one end of the shaft to be measured the rigid frame. A second collet secures the opposite end of the shaft to an inertial weight, which is... | 06/18/2002 |
| 6289734 | In-situ non-destructive audiosonic identification system for visco-elastic materials The present invention provides a portable test system for in-situ, non-destructive identification of visco-elastic material. The system includes a probe-like member coupled to a controller, wherein the controller is responsive to an output signal from the... | 09/18/2001 |
| 6173601 | Method and device for characterizing granule strength The present invention provides a method and device for measuring granule impact strength by vibrating a small container of granules at a well-controlled amplitude in order to inflict reproducible damage to the granules. Damage to the granules is measured ... | 01/16/2001 |
| 6004076 | Method and apparatus for monitoring soil compaction A method of monitoring of the level of compaction of a soil surface undergoing compaction by an impact compactor which includes a rotatable, multi-sided compactor mass that applies periodic impact blows to the soil surface when rolled over that surface. I... | 12/21/1999 |
| 5942679 | Compaction index In compacting an asphalt layer which is continuously deposited by a paver machine, a compacting machine reciprocates behind the paver. With the aid of signals from sensors (3) for temperature, sensors (5) for movement velocity of the compacting machine, s... | 08/24/1999 |
| 5918266 | Method and apparatus for non-destructive measurement of firmness index and calculation of firmness A firmness measuring method and device for non-destructive testing of objects (such as fruits) is disclosed. The device comprises the following components: a means to affect the size and/or shape of the object(s) through application of a compressive force... | 06/29/1999 |
| 5766137 | Frequency deviation detecting circuit and measuring apparatus using the frequency deviation detecting circuit A hardness measuring apparatus in which a frequency deviation detecting circuit is used has a contact element, an oscillator, a self-oscillating circuit and a gain variation compensating circuit. The self-oscillating circuit feeds back oscillation informa... | 06/16/1998 |
| 5691473 | Method and equipment for measuring firmness of fruits and vegetables The invention relates to non-destructive measurement of the firmness of fruits and vegetables, particularly to methods and equipment for measuring the firmness of such edible objects in order to establish their ripeness or maturity stage, not only after t... | 11/25/1997 |
| 5533398 | Method and apparatus for testing lead connections of electronic components To test the quality of solder bonded lead connections of a package by applying a shearing force to the leads using ultrasonic vibration and by measuring the resultant strain. A probe 32 is pressed against the surface of a lead 12 and vibrated by a piezoel... | 07/09/1996 |
| 5495771 | Elasticity measuring method and elasticity measuring apparatus There are provided an elasticity measuring method of measuring an elastic constant of elasticity of an elastic body, for example, an elastic rubber, an organism or a living body, etc., which is soft and rather incompressible, by means of measuring an inte... | 03/05/1996 |
| 5365457 | In situ dynamic material property measurement system Material is periodically indented by a probe driven at an oscillation frency by a shaker regulated by an analyzer to which input measurement data is fed from a sensing head connecting the shaker to the probe for in situ measurement of material resistance... | 11/15/1994 |
| 5359879 | Scanning micro-sclerometer A scanning micro-sclerometer measures changes in contact stiffness and correlates these changes to characteristics of a scratch. A known force is applied to a contact junction between two bodies and a technique employing an oscillating force is used to ge... | 11/01/1994 |
| 5177415 | Apparatus and method for controlling a vibratory tool An apparatus 400 and a method are provided for increasing the density of a compactible material 10 while continuously evaluating the density of the material. The evaluation of material density is carried out by calculating the total of the static, dynamic... | 01/05/1993 |
| 5164641 | Apparatus and method for controlling the frequency of vibration of a compacting machine An apparatus and a method are provided for controlling the frequency of vibration of a compacting machine. The frequency control is carried out by the apparatus which determines the actual time at which a ground contacting member of the compacting machine... | 11/17/1992 |
| 5161521 | Oscillation degree measuring apparatus An oscillation degree measuring apparatus measures the fixing state of an object to be measured as a numerical value of the degree of oscillation and comprises an ultrasonic exciter for generating ultrasonic waves which shock the object and exciting oscil... | 11/10/1992 |
