Patents Examined by Ashok Mannava
  • Patent number: 5844494
    Abstract: Method of diagnosing failures in a production process of a synthetic filament yarn, in which a first process parameter dependent on the process control is continuously measured and evaluated, and in which as a function of the evaluation or course derived therefrom an indication signal is generated, there being continuously measured and evaluated at least a second reference parameter dependent on the process control, and the indication signal being generated, when an error-typical behavior is found in the first and in at least one additional parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Barmag AG
    Inventors: Jorg Spahlinger, Manfred Mayer, Ulrich Enders, Bernd Neumann
  • Patent number: 5844475
    Abstract: An apparatus for alarming abnormality of tire air pressure, including: a display section capable of displaying information in a normal operation mode and information in a special operation mode; an input switch capable of entering ON/OFF information; and a non-volatile memory whose information in the special mode does not disappear even if an ignition is turned off wherein the apparatus is configured so that the special operation mode is entered by turning on the ignition while pressing the input switch, and the information in the special operation mode is displayed on the display section. The apparatus can prevent a dangerous action such that the driver reads a failure code or the position of a tire having abnormal internal air pressure while driving a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroto Horie
  • Patent number: 5844516
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for wireless remote control. A transmitter (1) with no batteries receives its operating power from a generator (3) which produces electrical energy inductively upon turning or pressing an operating element (4) manually. The same operating element can also be used for determining the direction and degree of control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Oy Helvar
    Inventor: Teijo Viljanen
  • Patent number: 5841390
    Abstract: The present invention provides a transmitter-receiver system which may selectively operate at one of a plurality of transmission frequencies and may selectively encode/decode the transmitted data in one of a plurality of data transmission formats. The present invention also provides a transmitter-receiver system in which a signal is transmitted using at least two different formats, so that manual selection of a specific transmission format is not required. Each transmitter and receiver includes a microcontroller which has been programmed to implement multiple encoding/decoding schemes and multiple data transmission formats in the unit. The microcontrollers may be programmed to implement any desired encoding/decoding scheme including the capability of emulating the encoding/decoding schemes and data transmission formats of transmitter-receiver systems currently in common use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Inventor: Philip Y. W. Tsui
  • Patent number: 5831519
    Abstract: A traffic supervision system for transport systems (17) of the type comprising a towing unit and one or more transporting or transported units, the towing unit having a data processing unit (1) with transmit and receive facilities adapted to read/write messages from stationarily located tags (10B) or to transmit information via a wireless transmission (7) in which the towed, transporting or transported unit or units have another data processing unit (15) having transmit and receive facilities capable of exchanging information with the data processing unit (1) in the towing unit via a wireless transmission (7) or via an interface (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Inventors: Heine Ewi Pedersen, John Harder, Flemming Lohmann-Jensen
  • Patent number: 5831521
    Abstract: An antomatic emergency signal device for vehicles including: a casing mounted in a vehicle, a movable weight movable in a groove longitudinally formed in the casing, a sensor actuated by the movable weight due to inertia of the movable weight upon a sudden or emergency braking of the vehicle for sensing a trigger signal, a controller electrically connected with the sensor for receiving the trigger signal output from the sensor, and at least a warning light provided at a rear portion of the vehicle and electrically connected to the controller to be controlled for the turning on or off of the warning light, whereby upon an emergency stop of the vehicle, the warning light will be automatically lit for an effective warning for the following car for enhancing traffic safety.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Inventor: Ting-Lung Huang
  • Patent number: 5825304
    Abstract: An emergency vehicle proximity warning and communication system including a transmitter mechanism situated in an emergency vehicle and adapted to emit an activation signal via free space. Further provided is a receiver mechanism situated within another vehicle and adapted to actuate upon the receipt of the activation signal via free space. An emergency citizen band radio receiver is connected to the receiver mechanism and is adapted to receive emergency instructions from a driver of the emergency vehicle upon the supply of power thereto. To ensure the driver is given proper indication and instruction, the emergency citizen band radio receiver is further adapted to playback a prerecorded warning message upon the supply of power thereto in combination with the lack of receipt of emergency instructions from the driver. Also included is a switch mechanism situated within the receiver housing and coupled to the receiver mechanism and the emergency citizen band radio receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Inventor: Renzo T. Marin
  • Patent number: 5825287
    Abstract: A brake condition monitoring system includes a central control receiving signals from each of the several brake actuators mounted on a vehicle. The control receives all of the signals, and sends a single signal to a display in the cab of the vehicle indicative of which of the brake actuators may be evidencing a malfunction. The signals from each brake actuators are unique such that the control can determine which brake actuator each signal is from. The control is also capable of monitoring conditions other than movement of a push rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignee: Indian Head Industries
    Inventors: Richard F. Zarybnicky, Sr., Alan C. Lesesky, Ronald S. Plantan
  • Patent number: 5821863
    Abstract: In a rain sensor, a sensor field is arranged between two windshield wiper blades which lie one above the other on a windshield. The sensor field is thus located outside of the field of view of the driver and is wiped by the lower windshield wiper blade. The sensor field is connected to an evaluation circuit arranged on a wiper motor by connecting lines which pass around the lower wiper blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: VDO Adolf Schindling AG
    Inventors: Hans-Joachim Schroder, Reinhold Berberich
  • Patent number: 5821879
    Abstract: A system for monitoring traffic flow on multi-laned roadways. The system includes a plurality of radiation sources such as light emitting diodes, LEDs and a corresponding set of radiation detectors such as photo diodes. The radiation sources and detectors form a crossed array as well as direct paths across the roadway. By correlating radiation beam interruptions including the time and order of interruption, a signal processor such as a computer is able to determine traffic parameters for each lane. Multiple beams in parallel aid the reliability of the system. Using retroreflectors with the radiation sources and detectors on the same side of the roadway simplifies installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: Pacific Sierra Research Corp.
    Inventor: Till W. Liepmann
  • Patent number: 5818326
    Abstract: A fire detection system cross correlates the responses of a temperature and smoke sensing units to achieve early-detection characteristics. The system also performs threshold-type detection on the smoke obscuration, temperature, and rate of temperature rise. If any of the thresholds are surpassed, the same alarm condition will be set. As a result, the detection characteristics of the resulting detector can be no worse than the conventional threshold-only systems. The system advantageously, however, provides for the early detection of fires that satisfy the cross correlation characteristics. Thus, it achieves the best performance characteristics of both approaches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: Simplex Time Recorder Company
    Inventors: Charles B. Winterble, Rony R. Seyouri
  • Patent number: 5815089
    Abstract: A transmitting device, for transmitting position detector signals, comprises a controller for processing signals on various kinds of data from an object of interest; a position detector that has a magnetic pole detecting portion and which detects position data on the object of interest; an up-down counter that counts in an ascending or descending order on the basis of two-phase output signals that are produced from the position detector in accordance with the change in the position of the object of interest; a converting circuit portion in which both the counter value as produced from the up-down counter or the change in the counter value per unit time and a magnetic pole position detection signal as produced from the magnetic pole detecting portion are converted to a serial signal; and a transmission path for transmitting the serial signal to the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sankyo Seiki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Takashi Katagiri, Tetsuo Momose
  • Patent number: 5815080
    Abstract: A communication apparatus comprehensively displays external equipments connected its own station and a destination station. A control CPU 26 repeatedly examines the presence or absence of the connected external equipments and the signal input status from the external equipments by a video input/output circuit 12, an audio input/output circuit 16 and a digital data input/output circuit 20 and stores that information in an internal status flag memory. Similar information from the destination station is also stored in the status flag memory. The available external equipments are displayed by icons on liquid crystal displays of a drawing tablets 64 and 66 in accordance with the information stored in the status flag memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomishige Taguchi
  • Patent number: 5815079
    Abstract: A description is given of a sturdy device for establishing and/or monitoring a predetermined filling level in a container, which device exhibits a housing (1), two oscillating rods (3, 4) projecting into the container, a first diaphragm (2) which is fixedly clamped, at its border, into the housing (1), a second diaphragm (6, 6') which is arranged parallel to said first diaphragm in the interior of the housing (1), a piezoelectric element (7, 7') which is arranged on the second diaphragm (6, 6') and is intended for receiving and converting oscillations into an electric output signal and for inducing bending oscillations in the second diaphragm (6, 6'), and in the case of which device the mode of oscillation produced by the piezoelectric element (7, 7') corresponds to the mode of oscillation utilized for inducing oscillation in the oscillating rods (3, 4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Igor Getman, Sergej Lopatin
  • Patent number: 5812050
    Abstract: A control apparatus produces an electrical signal representative of the position of a manually-operable control member, such as an accelerator pedal. The apparatus includes a rotary member which simulates the position of the control member and which engages a resilient obstruction when it is rotated to a threshold position. This obstruction offers substantial resistance when the rotary member engages it in a first direction, but not when the rotary member engages the obstruction in an opposite second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Inventor: Daniel S. Figgins
  • Patent number: 5808603
    Abstract: A computer input device is comprised of an upper shell a center body and a lower shell, wherein the upper shell is operated so to slide along x axle and y axle, thus the object of controlling the movement and positioning of a cursor on a computer screen is achieved. A structure for detecting the displacements on the direction of x axle and on the direction of y axle is arranged inside the computer input device, and an x axle photoelectric set and a y axle photoelectric set for detecting the action of optic grid piece is also arranged inside the computer input device, and the structure for detecting the displacements on the direction of x axle and on the direction of the y axle is arranged on the same plane by a design of bracing wires, thus the width of the whole structure is became thinner, and volume of the computer input device is reduced so that the computer input device of the present invention may be proper installed on the notebook type personal computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Inventor: Mei Yun Chen
  • Patent number: 5808546
    Abstract: A cancel mechanism of a turn indicator includes a projection adapted to rotate along an outer circumference of a steering wheel shaft. A bracket is positioned around at least portions of the outer circumference of the shaft. The bracket is rotatable in a generally circumferential direction around the shaft between an inactive position and an active position. A ratchet, having a first and second end, is positioned with its first and second ends in slidable engagement with associated first and second ends of the bracket. The ratchet also includes a projection retaining portion for retaining the projection when the shaft is turned in a canceling direction thereby returning the bracket to the inactive position. A biasing mechanism biases the ratchet toward the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Fumitaka Hayase, Kazuya Shioda
  • Patent number: 5808559
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for monitoring a characteristic of fluid flow through a fluid dispenser that permit adverse flow conditions to be monitored, analyzed and displayed to an operator. The monitor samples either the static or firing pressure a predetermined number of times and calculates an average static and firing pressure over the sampling period. The average pressure values are compared to high and low warning and alarm limits and warning and alarm error codes are produced as a function thereof. In addition, individual sampled values are compared to the high and low warning and alarm limits and pressure values exceeding the limits during a sampling period are counted. Warning and alarm error codes are produced as a function of the counted values exceeding predetermined count values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey M. Buckler
  • Patent number: 5805067
    Abstract: A proximity detector detects objects which may interfere with a wireless antenna beam. The proximity detector includes infrared sensors, sonar detectors, motion detectors and optical devices to determine a range and bearing of objects that may interfere with the antenna beam.When an object may be harmed or interfere with the antenna beam, an alarm may be activated to warn the user and/or the object of potential harm from the electro-magnetic energy transmitted by the directed antenna. Also, based on the proximity detector's outputs, an antenna beam pattern may be changed to reduce the power at the object or the transmitted power may be reduced to prevent harm to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: AT&T Corp
    Inventors: James Frederick Bradley, Paul W. Cooper
  • Patent number: 5801634
    Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus and method of monitoring a CVD process and providing an alarm signal normally used to terminate the CVD process in response to detecting the simultaneous occurrences of a command to initiate the CVD process, the initiation of the flow of a reactive process gas into the process chamber and the motion of a turret supporting the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph R. Young, Benjamin Garcia Rodriguez, James R. Barry