Abstract: A system for mitigating electrostatic discharge (ESD) that may occur during egress from vehicles is provided. One embodiment comprises a narrow conductive electrode that is galvanically connected to the vehicle chassis, and that is applied to that one edge of a seat which is next to the door nearest that seat. For example, in the U.S., this edge will normally be the left edge of the driver's seat, or the right edge of the front passenger's seat. The electrode is substantially located on a normally unoccupied surface of the seat cushion. Other embodiments further include pointed shapes on the electrode to increase the electric field intensity, which may promote more complete discharging.

Abstract: Disclosed are improved designs for incorporating static dissipative qualities into footwear. A novel static dissipative shoe may be made by incorporating a conductive layer or element that spans the exposed side surface of the sole on the outside of the finished shoe, in at least one location along the perimeter of the sole. A unique advantage is that static dissipative qualities may be incorporated into many existing shoe designs with no tooling changes, by adding a step to the manufacturing process, such as a pad printing step, for instance. Another advantage is that static dissipative qualities may be included at a lower cost, because fewer conductive parts and less conductive material are required, as compared to prior art. Yet another advantage is that, unlike for prior art, most embodiments have a negligible effect upon basic shoe performance characteristics, such as shock absorption, support, or wear resistance.

Abstract: A system for mitigating electrostatic discharge (ESD) that may occur during egress from vehicles is provided. One embodiment comprises a narrow conductive electrode that is galvanically connected to the vehicle chassis, and that is applied to that one edge of a seat which is next to the door nearest that seat. For example, in the U.S., this edge will normally be the left edge of the driver's seat, or the right edge of the front passenger's seat. The electrode is substantially located on a normally unoccupied surface of the seat cushion. Other embodiments further include pointed shapes on the electrode to increase the electric field intensity, which may promote more complete discharging.

Abstract: An improved, low-cost system for mitigating electrostatic discharge (ESD) that may occur during egress from vehicles is provided. One embodiment comprises a narrow conductive electrode that is galvanically connected to the vehicle chassis, and that is applied to that one edge of a seat which is next to the door nearest that seat. For example, in the U.S., this edge will normally be the left edge of the driver's seat, or the right edge of the front passenger's seat. The electrode is substantially located on a normally unoccupied surface of the seat cushion. Other embodiments further include pointed shapes on the electrode to increase the electric field intensity, which may promote more complete discharging. Certain embodiments may allow a manufacturer to easily retrofit an existing seat design with an electrode by simply adding a manufacturing step. The system is simpler, less expensive, and more effective than prior art ESD mitigators.

Abstract: In an apparatus that issues maintenance warnings, such as the low-battery audio warnings issued by smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a system for insuring that warnings are issued only at times of day when it is likely that residents will be awake, so as not to interrupt sleep. In the simplest embodiments, the system may comprise an oscillator, a 24-hour timer, and control logic, most of which may be contained in a microcontroller. One embodiment allows manual selection of the time of day of inhibiting warnings by pressing a pushbutton once. In other embodiments the starting time for the issuing a warning is close to the time of day at which the battery was installed, or the time of day that the detector was last tested. The latter embodiments are automatic, and require no user configuration.