Patents Represented by Law Firm Thompson, Birch, Gauthier & Samuels
  • Patent number: 4417561
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically changing and disposing of used engine oil for a diesel engine. An oil conduct means is provided which conducts a portion of the engine oil circulating through the lubrication system of a diesel engine to the fuel system to be mixed with the fuel. The oil/fuel mixture is burned in the combustion chamber. An oil tank is provided outside of the lubricant system. An oil supply means is provided which automatically supplies oil from the oil tank to the lubricant system when the amount of oil within the lubricant system decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seishi Yasuhara
  • Patent number: 4418377
    Abstract: A meter has a polarizing filter so that only light having a substantially horizontal wave motion is emitted therefrom. The meter is positioned beneath a canopy which prevents light from impinging on the vehicle windshield so that polarized light impinges on the side window where reflection thereof is attenuated due to the angle of incidence thereof. A non reflective surface is located adjacent the side window which adds to the attenuation of the reflected light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takeo Tamura
  • Patent number: 4416388
    Abstract: A pressure relief device is disclosed for a container having a cylindrical side wall which is closed at one end by an internally concave bottom wall. The device comprises an externally protruding first cup formed as an impression in the container bottom wall. The first cup has a first circular wall which is joined at one end to the container bottom wall and which is closed at the opposite end by a first base portion; A tab member is located in the first base portion. The tab member is partially circumscribed by a line of reduced material thickness along which the first base portion is adapted to separate in response to an overpressurization of the container contents, thus freeing the tab member for outward deflection to provide an outlet through which the contents may escape. A second element having a second circular wall is forcibly received within the first circular wall of the first cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1983
    Assignee: Sexton Can Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Walter J. Mulawski
  • Patent number: 4416313
    Abstract: A double acting log splitter has a longitudinally extending frame with a pair of mutually spaced fixed splitting components located along the length thereof. A movable splitting component is mounted on a carriage which is movable in opposite directions along the length of the frame between the fixed splitting components. The movable splitting component is arranged to coact with either of the stationary splitting components to split a log placed longitudinally therebetween. The carriage is driven in opposite directions by an operating mechanism which includes a nut carried by the carriage for movement therewith and a screw having one end fixed axially by and rotatably supported in bearings located at one end of the frame. The screw extends through the nut in threaded engagement therewith, with the opposite end of the screw preferably extending in an unsupported cantilever fashion beyond the nut and carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1983
    Assignee: Armatron International, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard E. Seeger
  • Patent number: 4416885
    Abstract: A method for the chemotherapy of muscular dystrophy which includes administrating orally an effective amount of 2 isopropylaminopyrimidine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1983
    Inventor: Pierre M. Huve
  • Patent number: 4416179
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument comprising a tone generator, an accumulator and a digital filter. The tone generator generates musical tone signals each represented by sampled values, corresponding to depressed keys. The accumulator accumulates the sampled values of the musical tone signals at predetermined timings. The digital filter modifies an output of the accumulator in accordance with the amplitude-frequency characteristic of a predetermined formant characteristic. A musical tone is produced based on an output of the digital filter circuit, thereby the formant characteristic is imparted to the musical tone.This utilization of the digital filter for the musical instrument makes it possible to impart a formant characteristic to a musical tone without a complex circuit construction. Moreover the insertion of the accumulator following the tone generator makes it possible to use the digital filter of a low speed type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1983
    Assignee: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masatada Wachi
  • Patent number: 4414829
    Abstract: A device for locking a rectangular electric meter box having an openable front cover. The device has an L-shaped lock housing which includes a first leg fixed to the front cover of the box and a second leg which is detachably fastened to the side wall of the box when the front cover is closed. A barrel lock is inserted into the second leg of the lock housing to block unauthorized removal of the detachable fastener from the side wall of the meter box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Anker J. Nielsen, Jr., Richard E. Hoyt
  • Patent number: 4413490
    Abstract: A front entry meter locking ring assembly for locking electric meters. A circular split locking ring has a U-shaped cross-section and two downturned parallel legs of equal length. A take-up fastener engages and draws the downturned legs towards each other. A lock receptacle having a hollow cylindrical portion is affixed to the interior of one downturned leg. A removable protective housing is fitted over the downturned legs and has a front aperture in axial alignment with the front opening of the lock receptacle. An unlocked conventional barrel lock is inserted into the front aperture of the housing. Then the barrel lock is locked. This radially extends the locking balls of the barrel lock into secure engagement with the lock receptacle. An elongated sealing tab is fixed within the housing by the take-up fastener. The sealing tab extends down through a narrow slot in the bottom of the housing where the tab is engaged by a tell-tale seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 8, 1983
    Assignee: Omco Inc.
    Inventor: Anker J. Nielsen, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4412758
    Abstract: A tunnel knife shield has a support frame, and a plurality of knives positioned side-by-side on the support frame. Each of the knives is associated with a double-acting hydraulic ram, the rams being used for advancing the knives, and for causing the support frame to follow up the advance of the knives. Hydraulic control means are provided for controlling the extension and retraction of the rams. Each ram has first and second working chambers, pressurization of which is effective to extend and retract that ram. The hydraulic control means comprises respective first supply lines for supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to the first working chambers, respective second supply lines for supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to the second working chambers, and respective discharge lines for discharging hydraulic fluid from the first working chambers. Each discharge line is provided with a flow-regulation valve and a pilot-operated non-return valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1983
    Assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia
    Inventors: Herbert Heitkamp, Walter Hohn
  • Patent number: 4413286
    Abstract: A method and apparatus involving the generation of a digital screen at different screen angles for reproducing an image in raster form as a series of adjacent picture elements disposed along a plurality of adjacent parallel lines. The digital screen is generated by the repetition of one screen cell in first and second directions, each cell being divided into a series of unique address locations and each location being characterized by a selected optical density value. A memory array is provided for storage of the optical density values at address locations which correspond to address locations in the digital screen. The digital values of the actual picture elements in the image, which are obtained by scanning of the image, are compared to the screen values stored in the memory at corresponding addresses in order to generate output data signals defining the image to be reproduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1981
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1983
    Assignee: Optronics International, Inc.
    Inventor: William T. Boston
  • Patent number: 4412293
    Abstract: An experimental robot system using vision and a parallel jaw gripper acquires randomly oriented cylindrical workpieces piled in bins. Binary image analysis guides the gripper into multilayered piles of workpieces. Complementary information is provided by sensors on the gripper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1983
    Inventors: Robert B. Kelley, John R. Birk, Henrique Martins, Richard P. Tella
  • Patent number: 4410070
    Abstract: In a disc brake of a type having a caliper slidably supported and having, on one side of a disc, a cylinder containing therein a piston for loading an inner pad against the disc and, on the other side of the disc, a limb portion for loading an outer pad against the disc, the flexural rigidity of the limb portion is made less on a leading side thereof located upstream with respect to the rotational direction of the disc for loading a leading or upstream side of the outer surface of the outer pad relating to a trailing side of said limb portion located downstream with respect to the rotational direction of the disc for loading a trailing or downstream side of the outer surface of the outer pad, so as to prevent frictional vibrations of the outer pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Hagiwara, Tetu Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 4407146
    Abstract: A lock assembly for preventing the unauthorized disconnection of a gas line where it is connected to the gas meter. The lock assembly has telescoping male and female shrouds, a bolt type lock and an end cap inserted transversely through the side walls of the telescoped shrouds to lock the two shrouds together to securely enclose the gas line threaded connection, and two turned back ears on the male shroud closed end which cover the female shroud open end side edges to prevent the female shroud and the male shroud from being pried apart by a pair of screwdrivers or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1983
    Assignee: Omco, Inc.
    Inventor: Anker J. Nielsen, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4406214
    Abstract: A ventilator air outlet door having a curved portion, a downstream deflecting portion, and support portions is pivotally disposed within the bypass passageway formed within an air distribution housing and is pivotally swung between a first position closing a ventilator outlet when the defrosting or heating mode is selected, and a second position within the bypass passageway, opening the ventilator outlet when the ventilating mode is selected thereby the ventilator door guiding the air flowing through the bypass passageway desirable direction when the ventilating defrosting or heating mode is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1980
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukio Sakurai
  • Patent number: 4406344
    Abstract: An engine mounting buffer rod is constructed to constitute two suspended masses interconnected by elastomeric means to endow on the rod two resonance frequencies. The resonance frequencies are selected to span the vibrational range in which resonance noise is apt to occur in the vehicle cabin so that a first change in the phase of vibration passing through the buffer rod causes an interference with the vibration passing through the main engine mounting brackets to soften the mounting arrangement as a whole and absorb vibrations which would otherwise induce cabin resonance noise. The effect of the second resonance overlaps the first to prolong the softening effect until the second phase change induced thereby occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masao Fukushima
  • Patent number: 4406277
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to the provision of an improved stove insert for a fireplace opening, having means associated therewith for precisely controlling draft, thereby enabling the stove insert to be used for coal as well as wood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1983
    Assignee: Russo Manufacturing Corp.
    Inventor: Richard A. Russo
  • Patent number: 4404997
    Abstract: A waste binding yarn take-up device for a shuttleless loom, comprises a traction device for pulling waste binding yarns at a constant traction speed, a rotary traverse roller rotatable at a peripheral velocity slightly higher than the traction speed of the traction device, and formed at its outer surface with a guide groove along which the waste binding yarns from the traction device is guided to make traverse motion thereof, and a rotatable core member on which a cheese of the waste binding yarns from the traverse roller is capable of being formed, the core member being biased so that the outer surface of the cheese contacts the outer surface of the traverse roller, thereby wounding up the waste binding yarns on the core member, holding in tension the waste binding yarns without causing the slackening of the waste binding yarns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Ushiro, Takeki Tsubokura
  • Patent number: 4403386
    Abstract: A bolt type lock puller for removing jammed bolt type locks from lock housings. This lock puller is necessary to correct situations in which a thief has tried to open a bolt type lock by driving a nail into the keyhole. The lock is usually distorted by the nail and jams in the locked position. Therefore, the lock cannot be removed by the security key. The lock puller utilizes split jaws with opposed teeth which clamp around the head of the lock. A longitudinally extending stud is drawn axially to cause the split jaws to pull the clamped lock out of the lock housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1983
    Assignee: Omco, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard E. Hoyt
  • Patent number: 4402634
    Abstract: A mineral mining installation comprises a longwall conveyor, and a plurality of roof support units positioned side-by-side along the goaf side of the conveyor. The roof support units are positioned to define an access area between the conveyor and the roof support units. A plurality of hydraulic bracing rams act on the conveyor to brace the conveyor longitudinally. Each of the bracing rams is pivotally attached to a floor sill of a respective roof support unit. The hydraulic bracing rams are positioned at the goaf-side edge portion of the access area. The bracing forces are transmitted from the bracing rams to the conveyor via respective transverse arms attached to the bracing rams and to the conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1983
    Assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia
    Inventors: Gerhard Merten, Horst Schlusener, Kunibert Becker, Herbert Beyer
  • Patent number: 4401139
    Abstract: A weft picking device of an air jet loom, comprises a plurality of air guide members in alignment with the direction of weft picking, each air guide member being spaced predetermined distances from adjacent air guide members to define respective spaces therebetween, the air guide members being respectively formed with air guide openings to define a weft guide channel to which a weft yarn from a weft inserting nozzle is inserted, at least one auxiliary nozzle being disposed in a first section of a space between two adjacent air guide members, the space having a second section which is located opposite the first section relative to the axis of the weft guide channel, the width of the second section being less than that of the first section, thereby preventing the weft yarn from getting out of the weft guide channel to effectively accomplish weft picking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Koriyama, Kimimasa Ohnishi, Takao Ishido