Did You Know...
...that Robert Adler has the dubious distinction of being the Father of the Couch Potato? Back in 1955 Adler was employed by what was then Zenith Radio Corp., where he was charged to invent something that would allow viewers to turn down the TV volume without leaving their chairs. After a series of flops (such as a wired contraption that people tripped over), Adler hit on the idea of using sound waves. Thus the Remote Control 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 |
| 7913578 | Vehicle seat and passenger's weight measurement device for vehicle seat The submarine phenomenon can be prevented and the accuracy of a passenger's weight measurement is improved. A vehicle seat includes a pair of fixed lower rails fixed on the floor of a passenger compartment, a pair of movable upper rails that are engaged with the fix... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7886621 | Digital foam A displacement sensor element and a haptic sensor arrangement using two or more displacement sensor elements are provided. The arrangements can be used for real-time capture of the shape of haptic deformation of the sensor arrangement. Although examples described in... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7793557 | Vehicle seat and passenger's weight measurement device for vehicle seat The submarine phenomenon can be prevented and the accuracy of a passenger's weight measurement is improved. A vehicle seat 1 comprises a pair of fixed lower rails 3 fixed on the floor of a passenger compartment, a pair of movable upper rails ... | 09/14/2010 |
| 7779705 | Elastic joint with a translating spherical hinge and force and moment sensor improved by means of the said joint An elastic joint with a translating spherical hinge, i.e. a spherical hinge with a sliding joint, comprising an elastic articulated plane (13), a support (16) to which the elastic articulated plane (13) is rigidly constrained, and an axial eleme... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7726209 | Force or pressure sensor and method for applying the same The invention relates to a force or pressure sensor and a method for applying the same. The pressure sensor comprises a substantially rigid, mechanical-load resistant frame (1), a flexible diaphragm (2) secured over its peripheral rim to the frame (... | 06/01/2010 |
| 7716997 | Parasitic tags for action annotation A sensing device is used to consolidate and time-synchronize Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or other clinical data from patient monitoring devices provided by a plurality of different vendors having proprietary event data formats. The automation of logging of events due ... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7677116 | Force sensor device in a two-wheeled vehicle A force sensor apparatus in a two-wheeled vehicle in which a main frame that connects a front wheel to a rear wheel is attached to at least one additional frame component for accommodating persons and belongings, has a bearing body with an integrated force sensor at... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7543511 | Concurrently measuring a force exerted upon each of a plurality of teeth A system and method for concurrently measuring a force exerted upon a tooth is disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, the system includes a target tooth attached to a force gauge which is coupled to a motion module for adjusting the tooth to a reference position... | 06/09/2009 |
| 7523679 | Switch-based seat sensor for occupant presence detection A switch-based sensor apparatus is disposed between the bottom cushion and frame of a seat. The sensor apparatus includes upper and lower rigid and generally parallel force translation plates biased apart by a set of springs, and a switch assembly. The force transla... | 04/28/2009 |
| 7461564 | Method and apparatus for proof testing a sheet of brittle material Disclosed is a method of proof testing a sheet of brittle material such as a glass or glass-ceramic based material. The method comprises bending the glass sheet over at least one arcuate member to detect sheets having a strength greater than a predetermined value. T... | 12/09/2008 |
| 7441467 | Compression strain sensor A sensor is disclosed for sensing an applied load. The sensor includes a rigid substrate. A strain sensitive resistor is mounted to the substrate. The resistor has a pair of ends. The resistor has a length and a width that defines an area. A pair of conductors are c... | 10/28/2008 |
| 7437955 | Device for determining the rotation angle of a shaft in an aircraft Nowadays position pickup units are commonly used in order to measure the rotation position of a shaft for operating a landing flap or landing slat or a brake flap in an aircraft. In the case of failure of such a position pickup unit (PPU) the corresponding drive mot... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7439871 | Hand tool with at least two alarm devices A hand tool with at least two alarm devices comprises a flat handle with having a rectangular shape which is formed by has two first parallel surfaces and two second parallel narrow surfaces connected between the two first surfaces; at least one end of the handle be... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7373844 | Switch feel measurement apparatus A measuring system that relate to the measurement of relatively small one degree of freedom mechanisms, such as pivoting and rotary switches, is disclosed. In particular end effectors and a kit for assembling various end effector assemblies is disclosed, that allow ... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7360460 | Sensor device for a vehicle seat In a vehicle seat, in particular a motor vehicle seat, a sensor device (11) is arranged between the superstructure of the vehicle seat and the seat rail (3) of the vehicle seat, in order to measure forces transmitted from the superstructure into the se... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7355519 | Body force alarming apparatus and method A device and method to detect force and provide feedback to a runner or jogger so that the person can judge whether to adjust his or her stride in order to lessen the impact on his or her body. The device includes a housing, a power supply, a piezo sensor, a control... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7339474 | Deflection sensing system The system incorporates wire deflection, taut wire detection for perimeter security applications. Generally, the system of the invention provides intrusion detection by an internal mechanism. The internal mechanism can detect wire deflection in any direction. In tur... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7325361 | Apparatus and method for providing a modular sliding door mechanism A modular drive assembly for a sliding door, comprising: a guide track having a hinge slidably received therein; a pair of pulleys disposed on either end of the guide track; a pair of cables each having an end that is secured to the hinge and the other end is secure... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7320257 | Load measuring device for rolling bearing unit and load measuring rolling bearing unit Revolution speeds nca, nib of rolling elements 9a, 9b are sensed by a pair of revolution speed sensors 21a, 21b. Also, a rotational speed ni of a hub 2 is sensed by a rot... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7320256 | Load measurement on rolling bearing with particular revolution speed measurements Revolution speeds of rolling elements in respective rows are sensed, and then the axial load or the radial load is derived based on the revolution speeds. In case the acting directions of these loads are displaced, the contact angles of the rolling elements in respe... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7263895 | Strain detector and method of manufacturing the same A fluid pressure sensor (1) for measuring the pressure of a fluid comprises a diaphragm portion (12) which is a strain generating body, a silicon oxide film (21) as an insulating film, and a strain gauge (20) made of crystalline silicon, ... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7255015 | Occupant weight sensor for vehicular seats, method for making and system therefor An occupant weight sensor (1) for placement between a frame (7) fixed to the chassis of a vehicle and a second frame (8) supporting a vehicle seat has a sense element having a first body (12, 22, 28, 34, 50, 62, 64, 68) formed with a plan... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7241117 | Motor shaft assembly and method A method for assembling a motor shaft with a bearing, a motor housing, and an impeller is disclosed. A motor shaft extension is used to retain the impeller axially on the motor shaft and allows the motor shaft to drive an additional component, such as an impeller, l... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7234342 | Fully digital controller for cantilever-based instruments A controller for cantilever-based instruments, including atomic force microscopes, molecular force probe instruments, high-resolution profilometers and chemical or biological sensing probes. The controller samples the output of the photo-detector commonly used to de... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7216553 | Apparatus and method for setting the drag of a fishing reel An apparatus and method of reliably and consistently setting the drag of a fishing reel for a specified strength of fishing line. The invention utilizes a resilient member that can be moved between a resting position and a stressed position. The fishing line is coup... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7216554 | Physical quantity sensor having enhanced temperature compensation capability A physical quantity sensor according to the invention includes a first member, a second member, a sensing member, a temperature detector, a correcting circuit, and a heat conduction path thermally connecting the sensing member and the temperature detector. The sensi... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7214893 | Load cell system A load cell system for stationary or moving equipment is disclosed, wherein undesirable bending, shear, and torsion loads are minimized and an accuracy of the load cell system is maximized. ... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7210358 | Force sensor assembly A force sensor assembly includes a force sensor, a first support member, a threaded portion, an opening made in the first support member, a nut, a restricting member and a spacer. The nut is screwed onto the threaded portion which is inserted through the opening. Th... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7202425 | Under-pillow-block load cell An under-pillow bearing (UPB) load cell for controlling tension in the winding process for a continuous web of material. The load cell has a deflection and sensor assembly that is quickly and easily removable from the load cell for maintenance and repair. The deflec... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7194923 | Strain detector and pressure sensor A thin-film resistor (5) provided on a strain-generating part (2) via an insulating film (4) and an electrode thin-film (6) including an electrode pad (10) arranged in the thin-film resistor (5) are provided. The thin-film r... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7146866 | Magnetostrictive strain sensor and method A magnetostrictive strain sensor (10) includes a magnetostrictive core (12) comprising a magnetostrictive material, such as a nickel-iron alloy, able to conduct a magnetic flux and whose permeability is alterable by application of a strain. A conductiv... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7131340 | Device for low-vibration force measurement in rapid dynamic tensile experiments on material samples A device for force measurement in dynamic tensile experiments on material samples is disclosed. The device includes a force measurement cell in which at least one force measurement sensor is integrated. The force measurement cell has at least one one-piece connectin... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7121147 | Force detection device Forces and moments are detected in a distinguishing manner by a simple structure. A supporting member (20) is positioned below a force receiving member (10), which receives forces to be detected, and between these components, at least two columnar forc... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7086299 | Multi-load beam apparatus to prevent improper operation due to off-axis loads A multi-load beam transducer includes a fixed member, a movable member, and a plurality of load beams positioned between the members, each beam separated by a given distance normal from each other and positioned about a longitudinal axis between the members. The plu... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7061389 | Seat weighing device A seat weighing device wherein a load transmitting member for transmitting the seat load to a load sensor is formed without extremely high precision required, thereby enabling simple manufacturing of the load transmitting member. The seat weighing device includes a ... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7047825 | Sensor assembly for measuring weight applied to a vehicle seat Weight sensor assemblies for measuring weight on a vehicle seat are mounted at the connecting points between a seat bottom frame and a seat mounting member. The weight sensor assemblies each include a beam member having a bendable center body portion for supporting ... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7049529 | Occupant classification sense element An occupant classification sense element is provided. The sense element has a body having a center portion, a first attachment portion connected to the center portion by a first flexible beam, and a second attachment portion connected to the center portion by a seco... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7044006 | Seat weight measuring apparatus A seat weight measuring apparatus includes a base frame and a sensor portion which is mounted on the base frame and configured to detect a load applied to a vehicle seat. The sensor portion includes a sensor plate provided with a plurality of measuring gauges, and t... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7038146 | Fixing device including a screw arranged with clearance in a fixing hole, and a weight measuring apparatus using the same According to a fixing device of the present invention, a screw penetrates through a first fixing hole of a first fixing section and a second fixing hole of a second fixing section to be coupled with a weight measuring machine, and is tightened with a nut, so that th... | 05/02/2006 |
| 7037410 | Process and apparatus for destructive distillation of rubber An improved process and apparatus for the destructive distillation or pyrolysis of rubber, such as used rubber tires, to produce liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons and a solid carbonaceous char. A heat transfer gas circulating in a circulation loop is used to cool the ... | 05/02/2006 |
