Patents Assigned to Sigma, Incorporated
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Patent number: 8850897Abstract: A sensor and method of sensing dimensional changes, stress changes or pressure changes on a substrate uses a sensor in the following manner. Temporarily and non-destructively attach a piezoresistant sensor to a surface. The piezoresistant sensor has an electrically conductive elastic body having at least one pair of opposed ends, and the elastic body contains conductive nanotubes homogeneously distributed therein. The elastic body has at least one surface with two opposed ends and electrodes at each of the opposed ends. A current is passed through the elastic body between the two electrodes. The current passing through the elastic body is sensed (e.g., a voltmeter). A mechanical step is performed with or on the substrate, and the sensor measures changes in the current between the electrodes, indicating strain or pressure on the sensor.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2012Date of Patent: October 7, 2014Assignee: 7-Sigma IncorporatedInventors: Wade R. Eichhorn, Kristian G. Wyrobek
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Publication number: 20130218050Abstract: A sensor and method of sensing dimensional changes, stress changes or pressure changes on a substrate uses a sensor in the following manner. Temporarily and non-destructively attach a piezoresistant sensor to a surface. The piezoresistant sensor has an electrically conductive elastic body having at least one pair of opposed ends, and the elastic body contains conductive nanotubes homogeneously distributed therein. The elastic body has at least one surface with two opposed ends and electrodes at each of the opposed ends. A current is passed through the elastic body between the two electrodes. The current passing through the elastic body is sensed (e.g., a voltmeter). A mechanical step is performed with or on the substrate, and the sensor measures changes in the current between the electrodes, indicating strain or pressure on the sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 16, 2012Publication date: August 22, 2013Applicant: 7-SIGMA INCORPORATEDInventors: Wade R. Eichhorn, Kristian G. Wyrobek
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Patent number: 8260183Abstract: A soft pressure roller for use in a printer fusing system having an inside diameter and an outside diameter, wherein the roller is fabricated of LIM silicone elastomer having a softness of between 15 and 35 Asker C and wherein the distance between the inside diameter and the outside diameter is between 2 mm and 10 mm.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2008Date of Patent: September 4, 2012Assignee: 7-Sigma IncorporatedInventors: Wade R. Eichhorn, Boris Avrushchenko, Kristian G. Wyrobek, David Winters
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Patent number: 6012981Abstract: In a mah jong game apparatus for a single player, a predetermined number of tiles randomly selected from a plurality of tiles are supplied to only the single player, and the player completes a hand by combining own tiles while exchanging the supplied tiles and an arbitrary tile in a randomly supplied tile, thereby going out. Thus, the player can enjoy the game while concentrating on making hands independently.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 1997Date of Patent: January 11, 2000Assignee: Sigma IncorporatedInventors: Tatsuhiko Fujioka, Kuniyoshi Sato
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Patent number: 5713572Abstract: A pusher game apparatus provides at least one jackpot detecting section which detects a disk dropped from a guiding means. The stroke of reciprocation of the pusher is changed according to whether or not the disk is detected by the jackpot detecting section, thereby varying the maximum number of medals which can be acquired. Accordingly, the pusher game apparatus can provide the game with unexpectedness, giving much stronger impact on players.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 1997Date of Patent: February 3, 1998Assignee: Sigma, IncorporatedInventor: Takashi Hagiwara
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Patent number: 5618233Abstract: A running body having an animal model with four legs such as a horse model for a horse racing game, and a racing game apparatus using a plurality of the running bodies, are disclosed. Each running body comprises a movable body which can be transferred along a track formed on a table, and an animal model having four legs, of which the fore and hind legs can be swung back and forth accompanying the movement of the movable body and which can move on or above the track. The animal model comprises: a pair of upper limbs of fore legs, each of which conducts a predetermined swinging back and forth on a shaft attached to a barrel of the animal model; a pair of lower limbs of fore legs, each of which conducts a predetermined swinging back and forth on a shaft attached to a lower portion of the upper limb, by the swinging of the pair of upper limbs; and a swinging mechanism for swinging the pair of upper limbs by changing the transfer movement of the movable body to a swinging movement.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 1995Date of Patent: April 8, 1997Assignee: Sigma, IncorporatedInventors: Kouichi Iimura, Yu Haijima
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Patent number: 5591081Abstract: A card game amusement device simulates a card game in which a card the number or the suit of which matches with a number or a suit of a card displayed on a second screen region of a graphic screen is selected from cards displayed on a first screen region, and in which the card is moved onto the card displayed on the second screen region, and in which selecting and moving a card is repeated until all cards are moved to the second screen region or until a card the number or the suit of which matches with the number or the suit of the card displayed on the second screen region is not present on the first screen region.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 1994Date of Patent: January 7, 1997Assignee: Sigma, IncorporatedInventor: Hirokazu Suzuki
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Patent number: 5507490Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a highly entertaining game apparatus by introducing unexpectedness to the development of game. The present invention provides a game apparatus characterized in that the apparatus employs a slot (1) for allowing insertion of a medal (12) therethrough, a guide member (5, 14) for guiding the inserted medal (12) downward, a plate (6) arranged substantially horizontally below the guide member (5, 14), a fall-in groove, provided at at least one end of the plate (6), for discharging the medal (12) to an outside, a slidable member (8) which moves reciprocally on the plate (6) in a predetermined direction, and a medal (12) which falls through the guide member (5, 14) while the slidable member (8) moves, thereby causing the medals (12) on the plate (6) to fall into the fall-in groove, and characterized by including scattering mechanism (10) for scattering the medals (12) on the plate (6).Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 1995Date of Patent: April 16, 1996Assignee: Sigma IncorporatedInventor: Takashi Hagiwara
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Patent number: 5423539Abstract: This invention relates a game machine in which a combination of characters stopped along a winning line is judged based on a winning table showing winning combinations of characters to determine the presence of a win and a payment of coins. In this game machine, a substitutable character can be used as another character, and when its substitution makes a combination of characters a winning combination, a payment of coins for the combination is increased or decreased to determine a new payment of coins.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 1993Date of Patent: June 13, 1995Assignee: Sigma, IncorporatedInventor: Yuji Nagao
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Patent number: 5382021Abstract: A plurality of carriers are towed by a traction car moving along a guide portion provided under a travel road surface plate through flexible pulling members. Mobile models on the travel road surface plate are attracted to the towed carriers by magnets. Hence, the mobile models on the travel road surface plate travel in accordance with the movement of the traction car. Furthermore, when a plurality of winch units provided to the traction car are separately operated to take up and rewind the pulling members, the plurality of mobile models travel at different speeds.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 1994Date of Patent: January 17, 1995Assignee: Sigma, IncorporatedInventors: Hiroyuki Tatesaka, Takanao Moritsu
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Patent number: 5209479Abstract: The present invention provides a slot machine for determining winning or losing by selecting predetermined symbols from symbol trains arranged on X reels, in accordance with a random number, in which the X reels have symbol trains of different numbers of symbols arranged thereon.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 1992Date of Patent: May 11, 1993Assignee: Sigma, IncorporatedInventors: Yuji Nagao, Yoshihiro Kinoshita
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Patent number: 5050881Abstract: This invention relates to a slot machine which comprises random number generating unit and X reels each having a plurality of symbols. All the combinations of the symbols among the reels made when one symbol of each reel is selected are identified by respective numbers, and one random number is generated by the random number generating unit, so that a combination of the symbols bearing an identification number corresponding to the random number is selected.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 1990Date of Patent: September 24, 1991Assignee: Sigma, IncorporatedInventor: Yuji Nagao
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Patent number: 4928964Abstract: A reel driving device which comprises a drive disk having a drive shaft fixing boss for prohibiting the drive shaft from idling, and impact mitigating bosses for mitigating an impact force exerted by the motor, provided therein opposed to each other with respect to the drive shaft fixing boss; a reel having holes for receiving the drive shaft fixing boss and the impact mitigating bosses provided at corresponding positions thereof; and reel fixing means for prohibiting the reel from moving along the drive shaft.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 1988Date of Patent: May 29, 1990Assignee: Sigma IncorporatedInventor: Kikuo Nakamura
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Patent number: 4874172Abstract: The reel tape fixing device according to this invention comprises reel tape fixing means for securing the reel tape wound on the reel frame, slide means having a flat surface which slides on a side surface of the circular reel frame, radial means for retaining a position in the radial direction, projected from the slide means, and engaged in a groove formed in the reel frame in the circumferential direction thereof, guide means for guiding the radially positioning means into the groove, projected in parallel with the slide means from a position opposed to the radial means, and circumferential means for retaining a position in the circumferential direction in mesh with a plurality of detents formed partially on the periphery of the reel frame on the opposite side of the groove.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 1988Date of Patent: October 17, 1989Assignee: Sigma, IncorporatedInventor: Kikuo Nakamura