Patents Represented by Attorney Griffin & Szipi, P.C.
  • Patent number: 7520242
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a micromotor for an indicator device comprising a hand of the type generally used in the instrument panels of motor vehicles. More specifically, the present invention concerns a micromotor of this type comprising a case wherein the thickness of one area is smaller than its maximum thickness, so as to form a free space or recess open on the exterior, in particular on the bottom of the case. This recess can be advantageously used for arranging components necessary for the operation of the instrument panel in which the micromotor is mounted, thereby saving space with respect to devices of the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Microcomponents SA
    Inventors: Marc Vuilliomenet, Albert Pages, Gérard Jacob, Andreas Hirt
  • Patent number: 7522476
    Abstract: The invention is a timepiece calendar mechanism for displaying the date and the day of the week, including a date indicator in the form of an internally toothed crown. The date indicator is driven by a first drive wheel having an external toothing so as to be able to be driven about an axis of rotation by a wheel set secured to an hour wheel of the timepiece. The toothing includes a prominent tooth, longer than the others, which abuts against a tooth of the inner toothing of the date indicator to move it forward one day in a time interval located around a determined time of the day. The mechanism also includes a day of the week indicator that moves forward one day during the time interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventors: Marc Kuepfer, Marco Bettelini
  • Patent number: 7509804
    Abstract: A turbocharger with a variable nozzle has a turbine impeller, a compressor impeller, a shaft coupling the turbine impeller and the compressor impeller, a bearing housing rotatably supporting the shaft, and a turbine housing accommodating the turbine impeller. The turbocharger further includes a variable nozzle mechanism, provided in a compressor impeller side in a radial-direction outer side of the turbine impeller, for adjusting a flow rate of an exhaust gas directed to the turbine impeller. The bearing housing has a radially expanded portion that extends to a radial-direction outer side to be coupled to the turbine housing at a radial-direction outer side portion thereof such that the variable nozzle mechanism is accommodated between the turbine housing and the radially expanded portion. Between the variable nozzle mechanism and the radially expanded portion, a heat shield plate is provided for preventing a heat transmission between them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 7471842
    Abstract: A pixel value array is provided, which includes an examined pixel value. Several reference pixel values are each subtracted from the examined pixel value to obtain several differences. The sampling pixels of these reference pixel values are spatially adjacent to the sampling pixel of the examined pixel value. The reference and examined pixel values represent the same color. The differences are compared with a reference value. When the absolute values of the differences are all greater than the reference value, the examined pixel value is determined as being wrong.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Via Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Don Wu, C M Chien
  • Patent number: 7403449
    Abstract: The movement (10) includes at least one display ring (12, 14) which is rotatably mounted on a bottom plate (16) and which carries markings that will appear in a display zone (22). The ring (12, 14) is fitted with an inner peripheral toothing (24, 26) which cooperates with drive means (20) and which cooperates with a jumper spring (32, 34). The jumper spring (32, 34) is drawn towards the radial abutment position by an elastic return element (40, 42). A holding plate (48) is secured on the bottom plate (16) so as to retain the jumper spring (32, 34) axially. The holding plate (48) is secured on the bottom plate (16) by a bayonet type assembly. The holding plate (48) includes at least one winding member (58) which cooperates with the stop device (32, 34) during the pivoting of the holding plate (48) from the non fixed angular position thereof to the fixed angular position thereof, so as to arm the associated elastic return element (40, 42).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventors: Christian Racine, Christophe Cattin
  • Patent number: 7359289
    Abstract: The invention concerns a watch including a case having a middle part and housing a watch movement having a time-setting stem in a first peripheral region, said movement further including a first and a second control member which are arranged on either side of the time-setting stem and which each have an angular shift of less than 90° with the time-setting stem in relation to the centre of the movement, the watch further including an actuation device including a first and a second push-button arranged on the case in proximity to the movement, for respectively actuating said first and second control members, said watch being characterized in that, between each of said first and second push-buttons and said time-setting stem, there is an angular shift greater than 90° in relation to the centre of the movement, in that said first and second push-buttons are arranged in a second peripheral region of said watch movement, in that said actuation device further includes a transmission mechanism extending between sa
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Tissot S.A.
    Inventor: André Saunier
  • Patent number: 7352077
    Abstract: There are provided with a motor rotor (22) fixed to a turbine shaft (12) and rotating together with the turbine shaft, a motor stator (24) surrounding the motor rotor and fixed within a bearing housing (16), an inverted (26) converting a dc power into an ac power, and an inverter controller (28) controlling a frequency and a voltage of the ac power by the inverter. The inverter and the inverter controller are accommodated in a driver container (29), and are coupled to a compressor housing (20) by an insulating coupling member (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Shibui, Yukio Takahashi, Narifumi Tojima
  • Patent number: 7287901
    Abstract: The mechanism includes, mounted to rotate freely on an arbour 6, a driving wheel (5) driven by an oscillating drive pinion (3) and a driven wheel (7) meshed with the first wheel set (1) of a kinematic chain and comprising a dome (11) for housing a coupling device (10) comprising at least one bent locking arm (12) one end (14) of which has a pivoting point (14a, 14b) on the driving wheel (5) and the other end (16) of which has a point of abutment (16a) against the inner wall (2) of the dome (11) of the driven wheel (7) via the action of a spring (20) integral with said arm (12). The pivoting point (14b) preferably moves along a cam (21). Application to automatic winding by an oscillating weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogėre Suisse
    Inventors: Jean-Luc Helfer, Thierry Conus
  • Patent number: 7035169
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece, of the wristwatch type, for providing information relating to an event comprising a plurality of scheduled events, like for example the Olympic Games, the football World Cup, or the public holidays across the world. The timepiece includes in particular a control circuit comprising storage means in which there is stored data relating to the scheduling of the plurality of scheduled events and comparison means for comparing the data stored with a time-related piece of information, the control circuit activating indicator means for designating one or more events in response to a control signal from comparison means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
    Inventor: Julien Gonzalez