Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7248720 | Method and system for generating a combined retina/iris pattern biometric A method and system generates correlated biometric information by capturing an image of a retinal vessel pattern and simultaneously capturing an image of an iris minutia pattern. Retinal biometric data and iris biometric data are generated from the images. The retin... | 07/24/2007 |
| 6063072 | Methods and systems for correction of hyperopia and/or astigmatism using ablative radiation Methods and apparatus for corneal reprofiling are disclosed in which a beam-swapping assembly is employed to redirect rays of ablative radiation passing through the assembly. Essentially, the beam-swapping assembly turns the beam profile "inside out" redi... | 05/16/2000 |
| 5993441 | Control of photorefractive keratectomy A method and system are described for performing photorefractive keratectomy procedure employing pulses of photoablative radiation to selectively ablate corneal tissue of a patient's eye in an ablation zone on the anterior corneal surface to produce a des... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5947928 | Drug delivery system A drug delivery system includes a container having proximal and distal ends and a rapidly openable divider, replaceably disposed within the container to separate the container into a proximal chamber that is selectively gas impermeable and able to receive... | 09/07/1999 |
| 5885275 | Medical spacing guide A system is provided to position an energy delivery handpiece a desired distance from a treatment site while at the same time protecting the handpiece, and energy transmitting optical fibers, from soiling due to tissue debris. The system includes one or m... | 03/23/1999 |
| 5830208 | Peltier cooled apparatus and methods for dermatological treatment An apparatus for treating dermatological conditions with radiation includes a Peltier device for cooling the treatment area of the patient's skin. The Peltier cooling device has a cold surface in thermal communication with the treatment area and a hot sur... | 11/03/1998 |
| 5613965 | Corneal reprofiling using an annular beam of ablative radiation Methods and systems are disclosed for corneal reprofiling employing an annular beam of ablative radiation to correct refractive errors in vision, and/or create "blend zones" in order to reduce any surface discontinuities on the cornea following hyperopia-... | 03/25/1997 |
| 5505723 | Photo-refractive keratectomy Methods and apparatus as disclosed for shaping the cornea of a patient's eye such that the epithelial tissue of the patient's cornea is shaped into a preliminary shape, corresponding to a desired final stromal shape, using photoablative radiation, and the... | 04/09/1996 |
| 5437658 | Method and system for laser thermokeratoplasty of the cornea The invention is a system and method for modifying the corneal curvature by irradiating the cornea to deliver thermal energy to the stroma. The system includes multiple irradiation ports for introducing electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength suitable f... | 08/01/1995 |
| 5423801 | Laser corneal surgery A method and system for reshaping Bowman's membrane, which lies directly below the anterior epithelial surface of the cornea, to provide correction of refractive errors in the eye by photoablation of selective regions of the Bowman's membrane without subs... | 06/13/1995 |
| 5324281 | Laser reprofiling system employing a photodecomposable mask A laser system for reprofiling a surface, such as the corneal surface of an eye, comprising a laser and a photoreactive mask disposed between the laser means and the surface for providing a predefined profile of resistance to laser radiation, such that, u... | 06/28/1994 |
| 5296514 | Corneal treatment agents Aliphatic alcohols are disclosed for promoting corneal healing following injury to the eye. Such compositions ameliorate corneal discomfort, alleviate visual artifacts, and/or reduce irritation caused by the eye injury. The compositions also promote the r... | 03/22/1994 |
| 5214071 | Corneal treatment agents Aliphatic alcohols are disclosed for the treatment of discomfort and visual artifacts following laser surgical procedures on the cornea of the eye. Such compositions reduce the inflammation associated with photorefractive keratectomy and promote the regro... | 05/25/1993 |
| 5098896 | Corneal treatment agents Aliphatic alcohols are disclosed for the treatment of discomfort and visual artifacts following laser surgical procedures on the cornea of the eye. Such compositions reduce the inflammation associated with photorefractive keratectomy and promote the regro... | 03/24/1992 |
| 5019074 | Laser reprofiling system employing an erodable mask A laser system for reprofiling a surface comprising a laser and an erodable mask disposed between the laser means and the surface for providing a predefined profile of resistance to erosion by laser radiation, and control for controlling the laser such th... | 05/28/1991 |
| 4994058 | Surface shaping using lasers A laser system and masking apparatus for reprofiling surfaces, such as corneal surfaces. The system includes a laser and a mask disposed between the laser and the surface to be reprofiled, the mask providing a pre-defined profile of resistance to laser ra... | 02/19/1991 |
| 4862886 | Laser angioplasty A laser therapy system having improved effectiveness in surgical use, particularly in laser angioplasty, can be formed by employing a pulsed source of radiation. The pulsed energy source is preferably an excimer laser having a coherent beam of ultraviolet... | 09/05/1989 |
| 4856513 | Laser reprofiling systems and methods A laser system for reprofiling a surface (18) comprising a laser (10) and an erodible mask (14) disposed between the laser and the surface (18) for providing a predefined profile of resistance to erosion by laser radiation, and a controller (22) for contr... | 08/15/1989 |
| 4719641 | Multiple chamber laser containment system A laser system is disclosed in which the laser medium is operated at high pressures, for example, at pressures of about 3 atmospheres or above, to yield high performance. High pressure operation is achieved by employing a two or more stage containment sys... | 01/12/1988 |
