Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7984643 | Process for evaluating fouling caused by refinery feedstocks The fouling caused by a refinery feedstock on one or more refinery processes, said process comprising: (i) providing a plurality of refinery feedstocks and/or a plurality of fractions of one or more refinery feedstocks, (ii) providing an array comprising a plurality... | 07/26/2011 |
| 7594430 | Methods for monitoring fouling of aqueous systems including enhanced heat exchanger tubes Novel methods for monitoring and recording fouling of aqueous systems are disclosed. The methods employ a heat transfer test assembly including an outer tube member, a heating rod positioned within the outer tube member, a ribbed tube sleeve fitted over the heating ... | 09/29/2009 |
| 7523648 | Apparatus and methods for solids deposition and analysis Apparatus and methods are described for solids deposition study. One apparatus embodiment of the invention comprises an internal and an external cylinder positioned between first and second end portions, at least one of the cylinders being rotatable and thus forming... | 04/28/2009 |
| 7493801 | Artificial finger print liquid, testing method for optical information medium using it, and optical information medium A low-cost artificial fingerprint liquid for quantitatively and with a good reproducibility evaluating an anti-staining property, and a fingerprint adhering property or a fingerprint removing property on the surface of an optical disk such as a reproduction-only opt... | 02/24/2009 |
| 7389706 | Method to detect and characterize contaminants in pipes and ducts with interactive tracers A method and an apparatus for detecting, locating, and quantifying contamination in a fluid flow system like a pipe or duct. This characterization technique uses a conservative and one or more interactive tracers that are injected into the fluid flow system and then... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7360463 | Process condition sensing wafer and data analysis system A measuring device incorporating a substrate with sensors that measure the processing conditions that a wafer may undergo during manufacturing. The substrate can be inserted into a processing chamber by a robot head and the measuring device can transmit the conditio... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7347086 | System and method for burner-based accelerated aging of emissions control device, with engine cycle having cold start and warm up modes A method for accelerated aging of an automotive catalytic converter under conditions incorporating cold start simulations. ... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7334452 | Method for characterizing materials by using a mechanical resonator Methods for monitoring a fluid composition include placing a mechanical resonator in the fluid composition and oscillating the resonator. The resonator can be a tuning fork resonator having tines oscillated in opposite directions and in opposite phases. A variable f... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7331248 | Method and apparatus for detecting and locating explosives, biological, and chemical substances in ducts and structures using tracers A method and an apparatus for detecting, locating, and quantifying explosive materials and devices, and naturally occurring and man-made dangerous or hazardous biological and chemical materials and devices in ducts or piping systems, or other fluid flow systems in b... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7317989 | Method and apparatus for chemometric estimations of fluid density, viscosity, dielectric constant, and resistivity from mechanical resonator data The present invention provides a chemometric equation to estimate fluid density, viscosity, dielectric constant and resistivity for a formation fluid sample downhole. The chemometric estimates can be used directly as estimated values for fluid density, viscosity, di... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7305868 | Method and system for evaluating lyophobicity of inner wall of fine tube including lyophobic film A method for evaluating lyophobicity of an inner wall of a fine tube having a lyophobic film formed on the inner wall includes a step of setting up a fine tube having a lyophobic film extending from an end of the inner wall of the fine tube to a predetermined positi... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7275419 | Rotation rheometer of viscosimeter A rotational rheometer or viscometer has a measuring motor for driving a measuring shaft which carries a measuring system, particularly a measuring head supported by a shaft portion, which may be contacted with a substance to be examined. Measuring data are introduc... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7257991 | Sample testing device A sample testing device has a buffer container that can hold buffer fluid, a filter with a securement for holding a test strip, the test strip, a test strip container having a receptacle to accommodate the filter, so that when the filter is held therein the test str... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7254990 | Machine fluid sensor A sensor for sensing one or more properties of a vehicle fluid has a tuning fork resonator adapted to contact the fluid. The tuning fork resonator comprises two tines and is operable to oscillate so that the two tines move in opposite phase at a frequency of less th... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7253644 | Apparatus and method for measuring electrochemical and viscoelastic properties of a liquid An apparatus for measuring electrochemical and viscoelastic properties of a liquid includes two sensing components, an electrochemical impediance spectroscopy component and a quartz crystal microbalance component positioned within a housing for receiving a liquid fo... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7240546 | Method and apparatus for downhole detection of CO2 and H2S using resonators coated with CO2 and H2S sorbents A formation fluid sample is exposed to a rigidly-supported semi-permeable membrane such as silicone rubber to permit diffusion of gases and vapors from the formation fluid into a vacuum chamber, while at the same time, blocking the passage of any liquids. The membra... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7223826 | Amide-functional polymers, compositions, and methods Amide-functional polymers, and compositions including such polymers, are disclosed. The compositions, which optionally may be hardenable, are useful for treating a surface. ... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7213650 | System and method for scale removal in oil and gas recovery operations A system and method for stimulating a formation surrounding a well and vibrating a device for supporting a gravel pack in the well, according to which a build up of scale on the device is sensed and a corresponding signal is output. A driver is provided for driving ... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7207206 | Chemically-functionalized microcantilevers for detection of chemical, biological and explosive material A chemically functionalized cantilever system has a cantilever coated on one side thereof with a reagent or biological species which binds to an analyte. The system is of particular value when the analyte is a toxic chemical biological warfare agent or an explosive.... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7150183 | Compositional characterization and quantification of solid deposits from hydrocarbon fluids A technique includes providing a deposition measuring device having a deposition from a fluid sample on an interior surface of the device. The technique also includes operating the device with a solvent to produce a solvent solution that contains the deposition. The... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7140239 | System and technique for ultrasonic characterization of settling suspensions A system for determining properties of settling suspensions includes a settling container, a mixer, and devices for ultrasonic interrogation transverse to the settling direction. A computer system controls operation of the mixer and the interrogation devices and rec... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7105358 | Apparatus and method for visually identifying micro-forces with a palette of cantilever array blocks An apparatus to measure micro-forces includes a cantilever palette with a set of cantilever array blocks. Each cantilever array block includes a set of cantilevers, with each cantilever including a set of cantilever fingers surrounded by a frame with frame fingers. ... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7093481 | Method for roller burnishing a heater tube A process for placing a roller burnished finish on the central portion of an unfinished lathe-turned heater tube includes controlling the rotational speed of the burnishing rollers and the pressure of the burnishing rollers against the central portion of the heater ... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7077563 | Deposition sensor based on differential heat flux measurement An apparatus and method for the monitoring and measurement of chemical and/or biological deposition in heat exchangers and other fluid processing vessels. The new and original sensing system includes at least two hollow fluid vessels conductively mounted across a co... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7047830 | Method to detect and characterize contaminants in pipes and ducts with interactive tracers A method and an apparatus for detecting, locating, and quantifying contamination in a fluid flow system like a pipe or duct. This characterization technique uses a conservative and one or more interactive tracers that are injected into the fluid flow system and then... | 05/23/2006 |
| 6978663 | Fouling test apparatus and process for evaluation of anti-foulants An apparatus and process are described to test the effect of anti-foulant additives on scale information in industrial fluid streams. An apparatus of at least two cells plumbed in parallel is used in which at least one cell is a reference cell. The apparatus and pro... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6976558 | Method and system for performing gearbox final assembly clean check A clean check is performed on a gearbox by flushing an oil-based fluid through the gearbox and then through a filter. The filter is then weighed to determine the weight of contaminants collected in the filter. The contaminant weight is compared to a predetermined le... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6959588 | Couette device and method to study solids deposition from flowing fluids We disclose a method of measuring an emulsion or solids deposition in a fluid sample, comprising charging the sample to a Couette device; subjecting the sample in the Couette device to a pressure, a temperature, and a shear comparable to field conditions; changing a... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6942782 | Method and apparatus for measuring deposit forming capacity of fluids using an electrochemically controlled pH change in the fluid proximate to a piezoelectric microbalance A method and apparatus for measuring the deposit forming propensity of a continuously flowing fluid having a bulk pH of about 1 to about 12 comprising measuring the rate at which deposit forms on a quartz crystal microbalance having a top side comprising a working e... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6938470 | Method and apparatus for downhole fluid characterization using flexural mechanical resonators The present invention provides a downhole method and apparatus using a flexural mechanical resonator, for example, a tuning fork to provide real-time direct measurements and estimates of the viscosity, density and dielectric constant of formation fluid or filtrate i... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6928877 | High throughput microbalance and methods of using same A method and apparatus for measurement of mass of small sample sizes. The method and apparatus is particularly adapted for providing microbalance measurement of solid materials as part of a combinatorial research program. The method and apparatus contemplate monitor... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6886393 | Method and device for detecting deposit in a conduit The invention relates to an installation for implementing a method for detecting a deposit (D) that might form inside a fluid transport pipe (2). According to the invention, the installation comprises: at least one productio... | 05/03/2005 |
| 6799124 | Method of optimizing risk informed inspections of heat exchangers A probabilistic method for optimizing the inspection of a heat exchanger that determines the maximum number of degraded tubes that can be permitted to remain in service for a contemplated interval of time without exceeding an allowable probability of a tube burst, b... | 09/28/2004 |
| 6668618 | Systems and methods of monitoring thin film deposition Systems and methods of monitoring thin film deposition are described. In one aspect, a thin film deposition sensor includes an acoustical resonator (e.g., a thin film bulk acoustical resonator) that has an exposed surface and is responsive to thin film ma... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6651488 | Systems and methods of monitoring thin film deposition Systems and methods of monitoring thin film deposition are described. In one aspect, a thin film deposition sensor includes an acoustical resonator (e.g., a thin film bulk acoustical resonator) that has an exposed surface and is responsive to thin film ma... | 11/25/2003 |
| 6644848 | Pipeline monitoring systems An oil pipeline, which connects a Christmas tree at its lower end to an oil rig at its upper end, is fitted with a stainless steel tube sheathed telecommunications grade optical fiber, forming part of a distributed temperature measurement device, such as ... | 11/11/2003 |
| 6611763 | Method of early predicting paraffin deposition risks during production and transport Method of predicting paraffin deposition risks during hydrocarbon production and/or transport, applicable at an early reservoir characterization and production stage. It comprises forming a database characterizing the hydrocarbons in the formation, includ... | 08/26/2003 |
| 6571611 | High temperature diesel fuel test apparatus and method Tortuous passageways are provided in a substrate component that is retained within a holding chamber. Fuels and fuel mixtures to be comparatively tested are introduced into the holding chamber and into the tortuous passageways of the substrate component. ... | 06/03/2003 |
| 6566142 | Laboratory test for assessing the tendency of a gasoline, optionally containing an additive, to cause deposits while the engine is running A new laboratory test for evaluating the tendency of a gasoline, which may contain additives, to produce deposits during running of an engine involves the following steps: a tube is placed in the injector oven of a gas chromatograph; said tube is kept at ... | 05/20/2003 |
| 6405582 | Biosensor and deposit sensor for monitoring biofilm and other deposits A method and apparatus for determining the deposition of organic and inorganic contaminants, such as biofilm, on a coupon is disclosed. The method and apparatus include a coupon suspended from a weight sensor within a reservoir tank. The reservoir tank in... | 06/18/2002 |
