Patents Assigned to Sonic Systems, Inc.
  • Patent number: 6738483
    Abstract: An overhead loudspeaker system is achieved which controls and shapes the ultimate acoustical wave form produced thereby, by providing at least one loudspeaker driver, mounted in a housing or enclosure, and a uniquely constructed wave shaping and controlling member formed as an integral component of the speaker assembly. In this way, broad band, acoustical wave shaping and control is realized. In accordance with a present invention, the wave shaping/controlling member is cooperatively associated with the drivers of the loudspeaker in a way which effects the critical acoustical loading and atmospheric coupling thereof, while controlling and shaping the ultimate acoustical wave form so that a hemispherical polar coverage pattern results. In the preferred configuration, the polar coverage pattern produced by the present invention is provided across the loudspeaker system's entire power bandwidth, beginning at an approximate distance of about three times the diameter of the acoustical source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert W. Betts
  • Patent number: 6636610
    Abstract: By providing an enclosure having an acoustically optimum size and an effective or virtual air volume for optimum performance, a loudspeaker system is realized which is able to faithfully reproduce desired input signals, particularly, lower frequencies or bass sounds, in a seemingly small or undersized enclosure. In addition, the loudspeaker system of the present invention eliminates the distortion components found in prior art systems. Preferably, the loudspeaker enclosure of the present invention is cylindrical in cross-section, comprises the loudspeaker or driver mounted at one end of the cylinder, and an inwardly extending hemispherical baffle sealingly mounted to the opposed end of the cylindrical enclosure. In addition, a plurality of holes or vents are formed in the rear baffle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert W. Betts
  • Patent number: 6603862
    Abstract: By providing a spherically shaped housing or enclosure containing one or more drivers or speakers motors, and cooperatively mounting the housing in association with a uniquely constructed reflector, a spherical loudspeaker system is achieved which controls and shapes the ultimate acoustical waveform produced thereby. The loudspeaker system of the present invention controls and distributes the acoustical energy of the driver and housing, while shaping the acoustical energy field into a true hemispherical pattern, within the system's power bandwidth. By employing the present invention, the point of summation of the hemispherical pattern is approximately eight times the diameter of the reflector, thereby achieving the desired hemispherical polar coverage patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert W. Betts
  • Patent number: 6597797
    Abstract: By providing a spherically shaped loudspeaker and/or closure containing one or more drivers or speaker motors, mounted in cooperative association with a uniquely constructed reflector, a loudspeaker system is achieved which controls and shapes the ultimate acoustical waveform produced thereby. The system of present invention controls and distributes the acoustical energy of the driver, while shaping the acoustical energy field in a true hemispherical pattern, within the system's power bandwidth. By employing the present invention, the point of summation of the hemispherical pattern is approximately eight times the diameter of the reflector, thereby achieving the desired hemispherical polar coverage patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert W. Betts
  • Patent number: 5952620
    Abstract: A loudspeaker including a generally spherical cabinet and at least one speaker driver contained in the cabinet and dividing the cabinet into a major sound chamber and a minor sound chamber. The cabinet has at least two sound propagation ports communicating with the major sound chamber and at least two sound propagation ports communicating with the minor sound chamber. The spherical cabinet of the loudspeaker provides an omni-directional radiation pattern. According to one possible embodiment, the at least one speaker driver comprises two speaker drivers facing each other and connected out of electronic phase so as to operate as a single push-pull unit. The loudspeaker, therefore, utilizes the rear sound waves created by its speaker drivers. One of the speaker drivers is substantially contained in the minor sound chamber and the other of the speaker drivers is substantially contained in the major sound chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter A. Hamilton, Mikhail Malkovitch
  • Patent number: 5359158
    Abstract: A ceiling-mounted loudspeaker includes upper and lower sound-directing structures having walls acting as a radial horn to provide a wide included angle of coverage for sound energy generated by a loudspeaker driver assembly having a piston for directing generated sound energy upwardly into the horn. The lower structure further has a continuously convex bottom configured and dimensioned to define a diffraction path for at least some of the sound energy exiting the output mouth of the radial horn, so that the convex bottom acts as a downwardly-directed diffractor. The radial horn and convex bottom together produce an oblate spheroid of sound energy affording a substantially uniform amplitude of sound within a large finite horizontal plane at the level of a listener.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 25, 1994
    Assignee: Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel L. Queen
  • Patent number: 5268538
    Abstract: A loudspeaker system having the ability to uniformly direct high-frequency as well as low-frequency sound hemispherically is described. The acoustical centers of a low-frequency and a high-frequency driver are aligned in space to provide a common source of sound to be directed through a common sound-guiding structure. The high-frequency sound is guided by the formation of an acoustical horn between the spherical mounting structure of the low-frequency driver and the reflector generally employed in reflecting and diffracting low-frequency sounds. One side of the acoustical horn has an acoustic path length smaller than the other, forcing sound to further diffract upon passage from the horn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1993
    Assignee: Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Queen
  • Patent number: 4214705
    Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning tanks which is inserted into an opening at the top of the tank to be cleaned. The apparatus has an elongated cylindrical housing with an upper fluid inlet portion and a lower portion having a cylindrical rotary member coupled for rotation to the housing. The apparatus includes an air motor in the upper portion. In the lower portion, the main component is a high pressure block with an elongated axial aperture and a plurality of feed tubes disposed parallel to the axial aperture are held by the block. There is a central rotating vertical main tube in the central aperture which carries high pressure liquid. At the end of the high pressure block is a bevel housing gear and a nozzle tube is coupled at right angles to the central vertical tube. This nozzle tube has vertically disposed spray nozzles at one end and a bevel gear at the other end which is engaged with the bevel housing gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1978
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1980
    Assignee: Chemdet Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Grady Watts, Michael Robinson
  • Patent number: D341592
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1993
    Assignee: Sonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel L. Queen