Patents Examined by Andrea H. Evans
  • Patent number: 6688790
    Abstract: A keyboard input device comprises a lever-mounting plate for supporting the lower ends of a pair of lever members in an engaged manner, a circuit board on which the lever-mounting plate is placed and is forming a circuit pattern on a surface facing the lever-mounting plate, a hollow rubber spring adhered onto the circuit board, and a key top supported by the pair of lever members and is urged by the elastic urging force of the rubber spring in a direction to separate away from the circuit board, wherein the circuit board has an insulating layer for insulating and covering the circuit pattern, the insulating layer having a surface area larger than that of the lever-mounting plate permitting the lever-mounting plate to be placed thereon via an uppermost layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideki Ito
  • Patent number: 6684787
    Abstract: Sheets or strips of printed materials, with each sheet or strip having a printed image including plural individual copies, are inspected. Each copy is inspected by an inspection device. The sheets or strips of printed materials are separated into individual ones of the copies. Defective copies are sorted out based on the results of the inspection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Hartmut Karl Sauer
  • Patent number: 6681697
    Abstract: A device for aligning sheets on a feeder of a sheet-processing machine includes a plurality of pivotably disposed front lays and a plurality of pivotably disposed top lays, the top lays being vertically adjustable. The front lays and the top lays are respectively assigned to and combined with one another and have a common pivoting drive. A push rod vertically adjusts the top lays, and a wedge-like slide actuates the push rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Markus Möhringer, Jochen Renner
  • Patent number: 6682240
    Abstract: A self-positioning device for a keyboard includes two protrusions adapted to be respectively formed on opposite sides of a corresponding leg, two stops each formed on a corresponding one of the protrusions, and two sectorial bosses adapted to be formed on a corresponding one of the recessed seats to correspond to the two protrusions. Each sectorial boss has a first edge and a second edge to selectively abut a corresponding one of the two stops. The selective abutting of the stops to the first and second edges enables support of the keyboard on a plan surface horizontally and inclinedly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Behavior Tech Computer Corporation
    Inventor: Kuan-Nan Chou
  • Patent number: 6679637
    Abstract: An printing apparatus is equipped with a recording medium transport device for transporting a recording medium from a supply portion along a transport path; at least one printing device arranged on the transport path for selectively forming an image on the recording medium or an intermediate transfer medium for temporarily holding the image at a predetermined image forming position; and a transfer device arranged on the transport path for transferring the image formed on the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium. A mode setting device selects a mode between the first mode in which the printing device forms the image on the recording medium and the second mode in which the printing device forms the image on the intermediate transfer medium. An intermediate transfer medium moving device advances and retracts the intermediate transfer medium between the image forming position and a retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Nisca Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Tsuruta, Tsuyoshi Kubota
  • Patent number: 6676991
    Abstract: The present invention provides a printer and an inexpensive method for producing a printed circuit board using a printer configured to facilitate printing at least directly on a copper-clad substrate. The method includes the steps of feeding a copper-clad substrate into the printer, printing an inverse circuit image on the copper-clad substrate, allowing the inverse circuit image to dry, metalizing the copper-clad substrate to adhere a resist mask to exposed, uninked copper to form a metalized circuit image, and etching the copper-clad substrate that has been metalized to remove copper that forms the inverse circuit image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Maxwell S. DeHaven