Patents Represented by Attorney R. William Frohwitter Beard, Jr.
-
Patent number: 6122560Abstract: A method or device for computing material requirements which calculates various parts and materials necessary for products to be produced when a production plan is input, in order to reduce the processing time for a material requirements computation. In order to establish the object, the method or device of computing material requirements is provided, which can perform a parallel process without using conventional low level codes. Parts computing means are respectively assigned to items. When the lower parts computing means receives the computation result of the upper parts computing means, it independently executes the computing process if the computation result is sufficient for the parts computation.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 1997Date of Patent: September 19, 2000Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Takahiro Tsukishima, Hideaki Matoba, Mitsuhiro Enomoto, Mitsuharu Hayakawa, Masahiro Sato, Tetsushi Tomizawa, Yoshinao Arai
-
Patent number: 6118734Abstract: A train of clockwork with perpetual Julian date, characterized in that it comprises an adjusting device for causing a date indicator (2) to carry out adjusting steps, for automatically taking into account months with 28, 29, or 30 days, said adjusting device comprising a rotating cam (26) driven at least one step every twenty-four hours, said cam (26) having an outline (28) for controlling a sensor (30) bringing about: the oscillating motion of a mobile element (32) provided with a click spring system (34), for moving forward the date indicator (2) by the required supplementary step(s), and the forward movement of said cam (26) for causing it to make the number of steps equal to the number of adjusting steps of said indicator (2) for carrying out one complete round every year.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 1999Date of Patent: September 12, 2000Assignee: Girard-Perregaux, S.A.Inventors: Claude Ray, Christian Taillard
-
Patent number: 6113560Abstract: The invention concerns a method and device for generating shock waves by spark discharge between electrodes which are intermittently fed with electric current in a fluid medium such as water. The shock waves are focused on the object to be shattered in a body. According to the invention, conductive, semiconductive or polarisable particles (15) are introduced into the fluid medium (14) between the electrodes (3, 4) and retained there owing to the fact that the medium (14) and the particles (15) it contains are accommodated in a casing (11) around the electrodes (3, 4), said casing (11) being permeable to the shock waves. A voltage breakdown in the form of a spark discharge is attained even in cases in which the distance between the electrodes has increased beyond an otherwise critical extent.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 1997Date of Patent: September 5, 2000Assignee: HMT High Medical TechologiesInventor: Erwin Simnacher
-
Patent number: 6109895Abstract: The invention concerns a peristaltic pump comprising a rotor (109) provided with three turning rollers (110), means for driving the rotor, a support piece with a rounded portion arranged substantially concentric to the rotor and against which the rollers, when operating, come to compress a flexible pipe connected to a reservoir of liquid to push it outwards and means for turning said rotor by external means to air bleed the pipe. The rotor (109) is made of two concentric superposed parts the first (115) of which is coupled with drive means and the second (122, 123) bears the rollers. The rotor further comprises engaging-disengaging means (118, 120) whereby: when operating normally, its two parts co-operate for its rotation by its drive means; when it is rotated by external means, said parts are automatically disengaged. The invention is useful for subcutaneous or intravenous injection of medicinal solutions.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 1999Date of Patent: August 29, 2000Assignee: Conseil-Ray S.A.Inventors: Claude Ray, Christian Taillard
-
Patent number: 6108291Abstract: There are provided a plurality of information recording surfaces to be reproduced on one side of an optical disc to be reproduced, and when accessing control of an optical pickup over a plurality of recording layers is performed, first, a beam focal point of the optical pickup is moved using a moving device to the recording layer on which target information is recorded to thereby perform switching processing of information recording layers during reproduction, after which accessing control of the optical pickup is performed using control processing circuit similar to the access between the same recording layers, and with respect to the pausing operation, in a layer in which information is recorded from the inner circumference to the outer circumference, one track jumping is repeated toward the inner circumference, while in a layer in which information is recorded from the outer circumference to the inner circumference, one track jumping is repeated toward the outer circumference.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 1999Date of Patent: August 22, 2000Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Kazuhiko Ono, Eiji Ikeda, Hiroshi Minoda, Akio Fukushima, Hiroaki Shioyama, Shigeki Inoue
-
Patent number: 6101985Abstract: A water lance blower for cleaning heating installations, wherein a water lance (6) is movably (5) arranged with its mouth on or in a hatch (2) and can blow a water jet through the heating installation, which is in operation and is flowed through with flames and/or smoke, onto wall areas (A-E) which can be reached from the hatch (2), wherein the water lance (6) is configured in a shortened manner, in that the water supply (11, 10) is bent one or more times by in total more than 70.degree., preferably more than 90.degree. (20, 24; 39). In addition steadying of the flow profile is effected by an expanded calming volume (20) arranged in the end of the water lance (6) lying outside the heating installation, in particular an approximately spherical volume (20), so that the jet quality of the water lance is not impaired. The shortened water lance permits more simple drive mechanisms and adjustment to restricted spatial arrangements.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 1997Date of Patent: August 15, 2000Inventors: Friedrich Bude, Karl Albers, Stephan Simon
-
Patent number: 6103151Abstract: An extrusion die for extruding biodegradable material into a flexible, pliable and non-brittle structure, the extrusion die including: a cylindrical mandrel; a cylindrical outer ring positioned concentrically around the mandrel; an annular extrusion orifice between the mandrel and the outer ring; and a flow control device which controls flow of biodegradable material through the extrusion die, wherein the flow control device comprises a mechanism which translates the outer ring to adjust the width of the annular extrusion orifice, and wherein the flow control device further includes a flow control channel upstream of the extrusion orifice which throttles flow of the biodegradable material through the die.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 1998Date of Patent: August 15, 2000Assignee: Standard Starch, LLCInventors: Hans G. Franke, Donald R. Bittner
-
Patent number: 6092557Abstract: A pipeline comprising pipe with a bituminous composition laminated onto a surface thereof and mechanical means for preventing the pipe from moving under its weight relative to the composition, the composition being applied to a thickness that will substantially inhibit heat transfer between the contents of the pipeline and the environment, wherein the means for keeping the pipe from moving through the insulating composition is a sleeve positioned along the pipeline, and adjacent to the insulating composition, the sleeve being held in a fixed position relative to, and spaced away from the pipeline by mechanical means that contact the pipe and the sleeve.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 1998Date of Patent: July 25, 2000Inventor: Glen R. Sumner
-
Patent number: 6091678Abstract: For a disk of a land/groove scheme with land tracks and grooves appearing alternately, in order to enable stable and reliable reproduction of information as recorded on a disk by stably and reliably detecting a specific position at which a land track and groove change therebetween, a technique is employed for detecting the position whereat one land track is changed to a groove, or vice versa, by utilizing an HPP signal rather than an RF signal in cases where an optical head 103 attempts to reproduce certain information at the pit formation position of a disk 101. In addition, detect the polarity--positive or negative--of a pit signal appearing in the HPP signal, and then detect the position whereat the land track and groove change therebetween based on the position at which the order or sequence thereof changes, thereby permitting effectuation of optical head's tracking control and focus control by a method suitable for its respective parts.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 1998Date of Patent: July 18, 2000Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Video & Information Systems, Inc.Inventors: Tetsuya Fushimi, Toru Kawashima, Hisataka Sugiyama, Hiroyuki Minamura, Yoshio Suzuki, Hisamitsu Tanaka
-
Patent number: 6088479Abstract: An image processing method for automatically executing operation steps of repairing a defect of an image of a document which is read by a scanner and changing a background image in a short time and a recording medium for storing them. An image processing method comprising a step of separating background image data from said image data by processing by a maximum filter for comparing the brightness of each pixel constituting said image data with the brightness of peripheral pixels and replacing it with the maximum brightness; and a step of separating character and figure image data by subtracting the background image data obtained by the above step in (a) from the above image data.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 1998Date of Patent: July 11, 2000Assignee: Hitachi Ltd.Inventors: Nobuo Ikeshoji, Tatsuya Yamamoto, Toshiro Kamiuchi, Nagaharu Hamada, Koichi Honda, Hiromi Yamakawa
-
Patent number: 6081260Abstract: The present invention relates to an information processing system using a coordinate detection device and displays, and more specifically to an input-display integrated information processing system which allows the displays to be carried like paper and to be freely laid out and stacked together on a desk (coordinate input device). The system includes a layout determining unit for determining a layout of the display on said coordinate detection device , wherein the layout determing unit further comprises a display position coordinate detector that detects where in the coordinate space of the coordinate detection device the display for displaying an information is located , and a coordinate converter that converts the information into display coordinates. The layout detremination is done by using markers attached to three of the four corners of the display.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 1998Date of Patent: June 27, 2000Assignee: Hitachi Ltd.Inventors: Soushiro Kuzunuki, Hiroshi Shoujima, Toshimi Yokota, Toshifumi Arai, Masaki Miura, Keiko Gunji, Yasushi Fukunaga, Toshio Tanaka, Masaaki Kitajima
-
Patent number: 6078702Abstract: The present invention is concerned with image display apparatus capable of displaying the image of each of a television signal (TV signal) and an image signal (PC signal) from a personal computer. In addition, the present invention is to improve the performance of such apparatus, particularly to prevent the image from being deteriorated when the pixel number is converted, or changed to increase the pixel number of each of the TV signal and PC signal. In order to achieve this, the apparatus according to the invention has its pixel number conversion circuit provided with a plurality of conversion modes of different systems so that the pixel number conversion can be performed by properly switching the conversion modes in accordance with the type of the input image signal.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 1997Date of Patent: June 20, 2000Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Video & Information Systems, Inc.Inventors: Takaaki Matono, Tatsuo Nagata, Takeshi Sakai, Koichi Sudo
-
Patent number: 6073641Abstract: A water lance blower for cleaning heating installations, wherein a water lance (6) is movably (5) arranged with its mouth on or in a hatch (2) and can blow a water jet through the heating installation, which is in operation and is flowed through with flames and/or smoke, onto wall areas which can be reached from the hatch (2), wherein the water lance (6) is movable by at least one movement element, wherein path sensors are provided for precise determination of the position of the water lance (6), and wherein at least the area of the hatch (2) is sealed by a housing (31) to which blocking and flushing medium can be admitted. The water lance blower (6) can be guided along certain pre-calculated or previously memorised lines of movement at pre-calculated or previously memorised speeds, in particular dependent upon the position, by means of the measured values. The supply of blocking and flushing fluid can be controlled by pressure and/or temperature.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 1997Date of Patent: June 13, 2000Inventors: Friedrich Bude, Karl Albers, Richard Zachay
-
Patent number: 6065838Abstract: A liquid crystal projector, having a configuration in which an exhaust fan is arranged adjacently to a projection lens at an angle to the optical axis of the projection lens, a configuration including a plurality of tilted wind-directing plates, a configuration in which the arrangement of a first reflection mirror, a first lens array, a light source and the exhaust fan is substantially parallel and adjacent to the arrangement of the projection lens, a dichroic prism and a second dichroic mirror, and/or a configuration in which the lens array has the incident surface thereof made of a concave lens.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 1997Date of Patent: May 23, 2000Assignee: Hitachi Ltd.Inventors: Nobuhiro Konuma, Yutaka Matsuda, Masaharu Deguchi, Hisao Inage, Takashi Kakuda
-
Patent number: 6059502Abstract: The invention relates to a plastic nut for inserting into a through-hole in a panel-like component, the plastic nut comprising retaining parts, of which one is designed as a flange which can be pressed onto the component from the fitting side and another is designed as snap-action hooks which can be pressed on from the opposite side and are intended for latching in behind the component, the retaining parts being provided with a nut part which has a receiving bore for a screw, the flange being a constituent part of a flange part which encloses the nut part, and it being possible for the nut part to be pressed in the direction of the flange, in which case the nut part, which can be moved axially with respect to the flange part, is pressed in the direction of the flange part by an elastic supporting arrangement which forms a spring zone, it being the case that, once the plastic nut has been inserted, the spring zone brings the nut part and the flange part into abutment against the component, different thicknesseType: GrantFiled: July 10, 1998Date of Patent: May 9, 2000Assignee: EJOT Verbindungstechnik GmbH & Co.Inventors: Gottfried Konig, Stephan Weitzel
-
Patent number: 6057742Abstract: A low power oscillator having fast start-up times. The low power fast starting oscillator uses an oscillator circuit having an input and an output for generating a signal of a desired frequency. A start-up detect circuit is coupled to the output of the oscillator circuit for detecting when the oscillator circuit has reached steady state operation and for generating a start-up circuit output signal which adjusts the gain of the oscillator circuit when steady state operation has been reached by the oscillator circuit. A noise generator is coupled to the input of the oscillator circuit and to the start-up detect circuit for inputting a noise pulse into the oscillator circuit. The noise pulse is used for biasing the input of the oscillator circuit to approximately an optimal bias voltage level. The noise generator is further used for sending an enable start-up detect signal to the start-up detect circuit to activate the start-up detect circuit.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 1998Date of Patent: May 2, 2000Assignee: Microchip Technology IncorporatedInventor: Louis A. Prado
-
Patent number: 6049657Abstract: A marine pipeline comprising (a) pipe, (b) a coating that electrically insulates the pipe from sea water, and (c) an alternating current heating circuit comprising the pipe in series with ambient sea water, wherein the heat generated by alternating current flowing in the pipe is for improving flow of fluids through the pipeline. A marine pipeline comprising: a) pipe, b) a coating that electrically insulates the pipe from ambient sea water, and c) an alternating current heating circuit that is grounded to the ambient sea water and comprises the pipe in series with a return conductor, wherein the heat generated by the alternating current flow in the pipe is for improving flow of fluids through the pipeline.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 1996Date of Patent: April 11, 2000Inventor: Glen R. Sumner
-
Patent number: 6043972Abstract: Film capacitor of a film/foil or metallized embodiment with a wound or layered structure with a cup sheath or sheath made of thermosetting plastic material with axial or radial connecting wires, in which the sheathed film capacitor, which is a finished component once all the electrical parameters have been tested, is accommodated in a second sheath, which is designed as a cup, and the connecting wires are bent around onto mutually opposite outer sides of this second cup sheath and are in each connected to a connecting metal-sheet section.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 1998Date of Patent: March 28, 2000Inventor: Wolfgang Westermann
-
Patent number: 6035811Abstract: A water lance blower for cleaning heating installations, wherein a water lance (6) is movably (5) arranged with its mouth on or in a hatch (2) and can blow a water jet through the heating installation, which is in operation and is flowed through with flames and/or smoke, onto wall areas (A-E) which can be reached from the hatch (2), wherein the water lance (6) is movable by at least one movement element (8.1, 8.2, 8.3) which is stationarily fixed at one end outside a vertical plane through the point of movement (5) of the water lance (6) to the heating installation and by the other end (7.1, 7.2, 7.3) to the water lance (6), wherein path sensors are provided for precise determination of the position of the water lance (6). Preferably three movement elements (8.1, 8.2, 8.3) are provided, the fixing points (9.1, 9.2, 9.3) of which each form in particular an angle of approximately 80.degree. to 140.degree. to the point of movement (5) of the water lance (6).Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 1997Date of Patent: March 14, 2000Assignee: Clyde Bergemann GmbHInventors: Friedrich Bude, Karl Albers, Stephan Simon
-
Patent number: 6034507Abstract: The present invention provides a distributed secondary battery type power storage system capable of maintaining the soundness of the secondary battery and of efficient electric power charging and discharging operations. The secondary battery power storage system comprises a secondary battery connected to a load, a charge/discharge unit connectable to a power system and connected to the secondary battery, and a plurality of loads connected to the charge/discharge unit. A power receiving object is selected and a capacity is determined on the basis of information about the operating condition of the plurality of loads, and the surplus electric power remaining in the secondary battery after feeding electric power from the secondary battery to the load is fed to the selected power receiving object through the charge/discharge unit. The secondary battery power storage system is capable of maintaining the soundness of the secondary battery and of efficient charging and discharging operation.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 1998Date of Patent: March 7, 2000Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Kyoko Ikawa, Tatsuo Horiba