Patents Represented by Attorney Sheridan Ross PC
  • Patent number: 6718805
    Abstract: A steering wheel locking device is attached to a smart ignition system to lock a steering shaft. The device has a key cylinder having a key insertion portion. The key cylinder is rotated between a locked position and an actuation position. A switch knob rotates the key cylinder. A lock bar locks the steering shaft. When the key cylinder is rotated from the locked position to the actuation position, the lock bar releases the lock of the steering shaft. When the key cylinder is rotated from the locked position to the actuation position, a locking lever maintains the lock bar unlocked. A slide body is moved by a key inserted in the key insertion portion. When the key cylinder is rotated from the actuation position to the locked position, the locking lever maintains the lock bar unlocked by the engagement of the key and the slide body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Masanari Okuno
  • Patent number: 6704960
    Abstract: A support device (10) includes a plurality of interconnected support units (12) arranged in a matrix. Each support unit (12) includes a plurality of support elements (16) configured to deform laterally outwardly when the support unit (12) is subjected to a compressive load in a load direction (54). A pre-compression is induced in the support units (12) by laterally pre-tensioning the support units (12) by means of springs (25) connected to a peripheral frame. Hence, when a support unit (12) is subjected to a compressive load in the load direction (54) it expands laterally which serves to relieve, at least partially, the pre-tension in the support units (12) connected thereto which then extend in the load direction under the influence of the springs (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Inventor: George D. Lumgair
  • Patent number: 6705014
    Abstract: A nail clipper, of which a fixed body is operated with a lever, is folded by a board spring, and unfolding angle between the fixing body and the lever is maintained in certain angle, so that the fingernail can be cut safely, at the same time, when the present invention is not used, a putting green is renewed by a cover board, which eliminates the angle, covering the said lever that maintains the angle by board spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Inventor: Kyunghan Park
  • Patent number: 6702541
    Abstract: A palletless rack-type parking system with a stacker crane comprises a plurality of racks each having a plurality of parking spaces in a lattice form and arranged on a support surface to be spaced apart from each another at a regular interval; a plurality of storage fork bars each including a first projection tab projected from a predetermined portion of a lower surface thereof to have a predetermined height and horizontally mounted on an upper surface of a first support beam in a regular interval through the first projection tap to cross the support beam in a right angle, at least one end of which is projected longer from the support beam of the rack in a beam form; a transporting fork including a plurality of transporting fork bars each having a second projection tap projected from a predetermined portion of a lower surface thereof to have a predetermined height and a second support beam arranged to cross the storage fork bar in a right angle and for supporting the second projecting tap facing its lower sur
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Inventor: Wan Young Lee
  • Patent number: 6700295
    Abstract: A rotor core includes a plurality of first core sheets and a plurality of second core sheets. The first core sheets and the second core sheets are laminated in the axial direction of the rotor core. Each first core sheet includes a plurality of first teeth laid out in a ring form on a same plane. Each second core sheet includes a plurality of second teeth laid out in a ring form on a same plane. Each first tooth is placed over the associated second tooth in the axial direction of the rotor core. Each tooth has a winding portion extending in the radial direction of the rotor core and an arm portion integrally provided at an outer end of the winding portion in the radial direction of the rotor core and extending in the peripheral direction of the rotor core. Each arm portion has a coupling portion at one end. Each first tooth is coupled to that one of the second teeth which is stacked on another first tooth adjoining in the peripheral direction of the rotor core by coupling of their coupling portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: ASMO Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazunobu Kanno, Shinsuke Muroi
  • Patent number: 6697915
    Abstract: A CD-ROM decoder for decreasing the load on a microcomputer. The CD-ROM decoder stores in a buffer memory in sector units digital data. The CD-ROM decoder includes a check head register for storing a first address of the buffer memory when storing the processed digital data in the buffer memory. A check sector counter counts the number of sectors of the processed digital data stored in the buffer memory to generate a count value. A command decision circuit decides whether digital data requested to be transferred is stored in the buffer memory based on the first address, the count value, and a head address of the digital data. The command decision circuit permits the CD-ROM decoder to transfer the processed digital data when deciding that the digital data requested to be transferred is stored in the buffer memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Suzuki, Hiroyuki Tsuda, Masayuki Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 6686570
    Abstract: A hot plate unit that cools within a short period of time without a complicated or enlarged structure. The hot plate unit (1) includes a hot plate (3), which is arranged in an opened portion (4) of a casing (2A) and has a resistor (10). The casing (2A) and the hot plate (3) form a space to enable the circulation of air. An inner bottom plate (41) is provided in the casing (2A).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masakazu Furukawa, Yasutaka Ito, Jo Saito
  • Patent number: 6677693
    Abstract: The motor has a motor housing. The motor housing supports therein rotatably an armature having a rotating shaft and a commutator. Brushes are brought into friction contact with the commutator. The brushes have brush holders for holding them respectively. The brush holders are attached to a base plate having a first side and a second side. A plurality of electric parts are mounted on the base plate. These electric parts are allocated to the first side and the second side of the base plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: ASMO Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mitsuaki Ooyama
  • Patent number: 6677959
    Abstract: A method is provided for enhancing a digital image without distortion of the color. The result is an adjusted image which preserves the essential color of each and every dot in the input digital image while varying the effective light gathering power—like a virtual flash. The image enhancement is performed in RGB color space and comprises determining the maximum strength of the R,G, and B of a dot's RGB triplet and similarly for all dots. The dot maximums are scaled through a scaling function which is constrained in domain and range to the system's dynamic range. The same scaling factor that is applied to a dot maximum is also applied to each of R,G and B in the triplet. Preferably, a continuous scaling function is provided which smoothly approaches the minimum and maximum of the system's dynamic range for providing an aesthetically pleasing enhancement while maintaining true color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Athentech Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Brian G. James
  • Patent number: 6676457
    Abstract: A method for connecting a connector to a printed-circuit board that maintains the optimal terminal alignment accuracy and improves the terminal soldering reliability. The method includes forming a fastener for fastening the terminals from a metal having a fusion point that is substantially the same as solder, fastening the terminals at predetermined positions with the fastener in a state in which the terminals are accurately aligned to one another, inserting the terminals into the through holes, and releasing the terminals by fusing the fastener.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Harehide Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6678056
    Abstract: A retroreflector has three mutually-orthogonal reflective surfaces arranged around an optical axis. The reflective surfaces stop short of the optical axis to provide a central region of the retroreflector which transmits incident light and a peripheral region of the retroreflector which retroreflects incident light. When the reflector is used in a Jamin-type interferometer with another reflector, this enables the interferometer to be used for measuring displacement between the reflectors. In the interferometer, a projected beam is disposed between a pair of return beams and/or one of the return beams is disposed between a pair of the projected beams. This enables a first contiguous area of a face of a beam splitter to be provided with a phase-shifting coating to produce a phase quadrature relationship between a pair of interferogram beams. This simplifies the masking required when applying the coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Inventor: Michael John Downs
  • Patent number: 6674465
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing image data including three complementary color components representing the three primary colors includes a distribution circuit for distributing the image data into first to third complementary color components. A multiplication circuit generates first to third products by multiplying the first and second complementary color components, the first and third complementary color components, and the second and third complementary color components. A square root circuit then calculates the square root of each of the three products. The calculated square roots represent the three primary colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Nakakuki
  • Patent number: 6662787
    Abstract: A device for monitoring the fuel/air ratio, wherein a vapour accumulator receives at the inlet fuel vapour coming from a tank and an air flow (and feeds from the outlet towards an intake manifold of an engine a mixture of air and vapour. An electronic processor receives at the input at least information correlated to the flow rate of air Qa aspirated into the accumulator so as to calculate, on the basis of the flow rate of air Qa, the percentage p of vapour fed to the manifold in relation to the total of vapour and air aspirated into the accumulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Dayco Fuel Management S.p.A.
    Inventor: Luigino Fiorio
  • Patent number: 6663154
    Abstract: A magnetic gripping device having a magnetic assembly in turn having an outer magnetic core, and an inner magnetic core mounted inside the outer magnetic core so as to rotate, about a given axis of rotation, between a first operating position, in which the inner magnetic core prevents the outer magnetic core from attaching magnetically to the surface of a generic part of ferromagnetic material, and a second operating position, in which the inner magnetic core allows the outer magnetic core to attach magnetically to the surface of the part; the gripping device also having a torque-control actuating device, which, on command, rotates the inner magnetic core in such a manner as to set it selectively to the first or second operating position, while controlling the value of the twisting torque employed in doing so.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Famatec S.r.l.
    Inventor: Italo Pancheri
  • Patent number: 6648070
    Abstract: A reverse flow insert assembly is provided wherein the flow trim of the choke valve is positioned horizontally within the tubular cartridge, so that the cage bore outlet is aligned with the valve body side opening. A collar is provided to throttle the flow ports of the cage. The valve stem assembly is adapted to bias the collar along the horizontal side wall of the cage. The resulting insert assembly can be positioned in the valve body to modify the valve for fluid injection service on a sub-sea wellhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Master Flo Valve Inc.
    Inventors: Harry Richard Cove, Loren G. Kowalchuk
  • Patent number: 6648354
    Abstract: The wheelchair incorporates a telescoping pivoting input lever. At its lower end, the lever carries a footrest for securement to the user's feet. At its upper end, the lever is connected to a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted to the wheelchair frame, at an elevation below the top surface of the seat. The user pivots his lower legs about the knee joints to produce an oscillating pivoting motion. A drive assembly, incorporating the shaft, engages the lever with a rear wheel of the wheelchair. The drive assembly functions to convert the oscillating pivoting motion to forward rotational motion and to transmit this motion to the wheel to drive it. The telescopic nature of the lever enables the user's knees to remain stationary. Means are provided to regulate the length of the lever so that the footrest supports the lower legs. Means are also provided for manually engaging or disengaging the drive assembly so that the user can put the wheels into free-wheeling mode, when desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Biomotion Ltd.
    Inventor: Kelvin B. James
  • Patent number: D482135
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Alfredo Salvatori S.r.l.
    Inventor: Gabriele Salvatori
  • Patent number: D482137
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Alfredo Salvatori S.r.l.
    Inventor: Gabriele Salvatori
  • Patent number: D483152
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: MacDonald Johnston Engineering Co., Pty Ltd.
    Inventors: Steven Martinuzzo, John Magree, Stewart Marshall, Simon Andresen
  • Patent number: D484441
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Inventor: Ben M. Hsia