Patents Examined by Iman Malakooti
  • Patent number: 10290442
    Abstract: A push switch includes a movable contact including a dome part that is shaped like a dome and configured to be inverted in shape when pressed, and a fixed contact including a first fixed contact, the movable contact being configured to be brought into contact with and away from the first fixed contact. The push switch is configured such that an operating load necessary to press the movable contact gradually increases after the movable contact starts to be pressed, decreases thereafter when the dome part is inverted, and increases again when the movable contact is further pressed, and the dome part contacts the first fixed contact after an inflection point at which the decreased operating load starts to increase again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: ALPS ALPINE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Yashima, Izuru Sadamatsu, Toshihiko Tazawa
  • Patent number: 10276324
    Abstract: A keypad device includes a circuit board having raised buttons disposed on a first surface of the circuit board, resilient switches disposed on a periphery of the first surface, and through-holes, wherein each of the raised buttons and switches, when actuated, closes a circuit on the circuit board and affects an input to the device. The keypad device includes a faceplate fastened to the circuit board, the faceplate having an array of openings configured to allow the buttons to pass through, bosses extending from a first surface of the faceplate toward the circuit board and positioned to pass through the through-holes on the circuit board, and plungers aligned above and in contact with the resilient switches such that when the plate is pressed toward the circuit board, in a region at or near a subject plunger, the subject plunger actuates the resilient switch that is in contact with the plunger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Jacobi Grillo
  • Patent number: 10276318
    Abstract: In accordance with certain embodiments, an improved switching mechanism and related components are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Innovative Switchgear IP, LLC
    Inventor: Roger L. Schafer
  • Patent number: 10269521
    Abstract: A mounting structure for an energy storage assembly of a circuit breaker comprises an energy storage lever and an energy storage spring, wherein one end of the energy storage lever is an energy storage end which is connected with the energy storage spring, and the other end of the energy storage lever is a driving end. An external force can be applied to the driving end, such that the energy storage lever rotates around a lever fulcrum in the middle of the energy storage lever, thereby extruding the energy storage spring at the energy storage end to finish energy storage. One end of the energy storage spring is connected and mounted with the energy storage lever, and the other end of the energy storage spring is mounted in a base support. An energy storage mounting shaft which can be considered as a rotating fulcrum is also arranged in the middle of the energy storage lever. The driving end is stressed, such that the energy storage lever rotates around the energy storage mounting shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignees: ZHEJIANG CHINT ELECTRICS CO., LTD, SEARI ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Binhua Pan, Jisheng Sun
  • Patent number: 10268230
    Abstract: In an actuating assembly (16) for a control element in a vehicle, in particular for a steering column stalk (10), having an actuating element (18) that is adapted to be shifted in an actuating direction (B), and a seat (20) in which the actuating element (18) is supported for being shifted hi the actuating direction (B) between a basic position and at least one actuation position, at least one separate spring element (28) is provided between the seat (20) and the actuating element (18) and presses on the actuating element (18) by a spring force (F) acting substantially transversely to the actuating direction (B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: TRW AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS & COMPONENTS GMBH
    Inventors: Markus Altmann, Peter Schulte
  • Patent number: 10252642
    Abstract: An input device has operation shafts whose tips project through a first elongate hole and a second elongate hole formed through an upper plate portion of a case main body and that are movable along the upper plate portion of the case main body. An operation knob is movably attached to the tips of the operation shafts. The case main body is provided with elastic support pieces that deform following the movement of the operation knob and elastically support the operation knob.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: ALPS ALPINE CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshiteru Takayanagi
  • Patent number: 10249416
    Abstract: A slide type variable resistor with a resistance adjusting member, comprising a housing, two side rails, a circuit module, a control member and a base. The housing includes a housing limiting hole and a space. The two side rails are disposed in the space. The circuit module is disposed in the space and has a resistive circuit. The control member is disposed in the space. The control member includes an object, at least one metal brush, a handle and an elastic member. The object having a bump, and the elastic member is sleeved at the bump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: TAIWAN ALPHA ELECTRONIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tzu-Hsuan Huang, Wei-Liang Liu, Chien-Chih Ho
  • Patent number: 10242775
    Abstract: A variable resistor with a light emitting element includes a circuit board, a housing and a slide assembly. The circuit board extending in a longitudinal direction has a circuit arrangement surface to arrange thereon a resistive circuit and a power circuit. The housing fixed to the circuit board so as to form a slide space has a sliding slot extending in the longitudinal direction. The slide assembly further includes a slidable member, a fader set, a light emitting element, a resistive circuit brush and two light-emitting element brushes. The fader set fixed at the slidable member penetrates the sliding slot. The light emitting element in an accommodating groove of the slidable member projects a light beam toward the fader set. The resistive circuit brush electrically connects the resistive circuit. The two light-emitting element brushes electrically bridge the power circuit and the light emitting element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: TAIWAN ALPHA ELECTRONIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tzu-Hsuan Huang, Wei-Liang Liu, Chien-Chih Ho
  • Patent number: 10242824
    Abstract: A safety lockout device for switchgear includes a movable member adapted to be moved from a first position to a second position. A switch is adapted to electrically isolate a motor in the switchgear and a blocking arm is coupled to a shaft of the motor. In the first position, the movable member engages the switch to close the electrical motor circuit and the blocking arm is free to rotate with the motor shaft. In the second position, the movable member moves away from the switch so that the switch is in an open circuit state disconnecting power to the motor and a portion of the movable member is moved to a position whereby the blocking arm engages the movable member to prevent rotation of the motor shaft and a change of state of the switchgear. The position of the movable member relative to the switch provides a visual indication of the operating state of the switchgear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Thomas & Betts International LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Gieger, Charles Bindics
  • Patent number: 10233123
    Abstract: A varistor composition free of Sb comprising: (a) ZnO; (b) B—Bi—Zn—Pr glass, or B—Bi—Zn—La glass, or a mixture thereof; (c) a cobalt compound, a chromium compound, a nickel compound, a manganese compound, or mixtures thereof; (d) SnO2; and (e) an aluminum compound, a silver compound, or a mixture thereof. By adjusting the ratio between the components, the varistor composition may be made into a multilayer varistor with inner electrodes having a low concentration of noble metals at a sintering temperature less than 1200° C. The multilayer varistor made from the varistor composition has good maximum surge current, good ESD withstand ability, and low fabrication cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Inventors: Yong-Ming Lin, Yan-Liang Shih, Tui-Ting Tu
  • Patent number: 10236138
    Abstract: A key structure includes a key cap, a bridge assembly, a first supporting part, a second supporting part, an attractable element and a magnet. The bridge assembly includes first and second hinge parts. The first hinge part has a first pivot coupling portion and a first connecting portion. The second hinge part has a second pivot coupling portion and a second connecting portion, wherein the first and second connecting portions are connected on an axis, and the first and second hinge parts rotate with respect to the axis. The first and second supporting parts are coupled to two ends of the first and second pivot coupling portions, respectively. The attractable element is disposed on the second hinge part. The magnet is correspondingly located under the attractable element for providing a magnetic force, so that the attractable element is attracted and positioned by the magnetic force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: LITE-ON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chun-Lin Chen, Hsin-Fu Liu
  • Patent number: 10234824
    Abstract: The present application discloses a waterproof smart watch having a hollow watch case; a cell phone core mounted inside the watch case; a through-hole provided on a lateral side of the watch case and in communication with a microphone of the cell phone core; an adjusting knob rotatably mounted at the lateral side of the watch case, a communication aperture being provided on the adjusting knob and in communication with the through-hole; and a sealing pad being provided between the adjusting knob and the watch case, a small hole being provided on the sealing pad and in communication with the through-hole. The adjusting knob can be rotated to a position where the communication aperture, small hole and through-hole are in communication with one another successively, and further rotation of the adjusting knob renders the communication aperture and the through-hole being sealed and separated by the sealing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Y.F. Company Limited
    Inventor: Yin Ning Chan
  • Patent number: 10229774
    Abstract: The subject matter of the invention concerns a varistor with an isolating arrester, wherein the isolating arrester can interrupt the flow of current through the varistor in the event of a fault, wherein the isolating arrester has a terminal contact that establishes an electrical contact to a first contact of the varistor, wherein the electrical contact is protected by a thermally softenable holding device, wherein the isolating arrester also has a detachment means which is biased by means of an energy accumulator and which, in the event of a fault, if the thermally softenable holding device softens, mechanically disconnects the terminal contact from the first contact of the varistor, and wherein the detachment means is embodied so as to be resistive in order to limit the current through the varistor and prevent electrical arcs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: PHOENIX CONTACT GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Rainer Durth
  • Patent number: 10224132
    Abstract: A chip resistor including an insulating film covering a resistor making contact with a pair of electrodes formed on an upper surface of an insulating substrate and a method for manufacturing same are provided. Both electrodes include a main electrode layer that contains silver as a main metal component an 10 weight % or more of palladium as another metal component, and an auxiliary electrode layer lower in specific resistance than the main electrode layer, a laminate part where the auxiliary electrode layer and the main electrode layer are laminated in order on a single surface of the insulating substrate; and an exposed part of the auxiliary electrode layer where a part of the auxiliary electrode layer is not covered with the main electrode layer on a far side from the resistor, and part that extend from a near side to the far side with respect to the resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: KOA Corporation
    Inventor: Kentaro Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10217580
    Abstract: A restraint system is used to restrain a movable switch blade of a disconnect switch in order to prevent accidental closure of the switch blade. In this regard, the restraint system has a sheath that is positioned over an end of the switch blade, and the sheath is tethered to a support structure so that tension in the tether resists movement of the switch blade toward a conductive jaw. Thus, current is prevented from flowing through the disconnect switch until the sheath is manually removed from the switch blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: TCI Sales, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry Edward Blain, Frank Joseph Kelly
  • Patent number: 10210970
    Abstract: Control of electrical conductivity is provided via electrically conductive magnetic domain walls between magnetic domains. The magnetic domains are identical except for their magnetic configuration. Altering a configuration of the magnetic domains (e.g., by thermal treatment, application of a magnetic field, etc.) can alter the electrical resistance of a device. Such devices can be used as non-volatile information storage devices or as sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignees: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, RIKEN
    Inventors: Yue Ma, Yongtao Cui, Kentaro Ueda, Jun Fujioka, Yoshinori Tokura, Zhixun Shen, Robert B. Laughlin
  • Patent number: 10204722
    Abstract: An electronic component and a method for producing an electrical component are disclosed. In an embodiment, the electronic component includes a functional body having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the second surface faces away from the first surface, and a contact electrically linked to the first surface, the contact having an edge region and a central region, wherein the functional body has a first electrical resistance between the first surface and the second surface in a first functional body portion, which overlaps the edge region of the contact as viewed in a plan view of the electronic component, that is greater than a second electrical resistance between the first surface and the second surface in a second functional body portion, which overlaps the central region of the contact as viewed in a plan view of the electronic component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: EPCOS AG
    Inventors: Franz Rinner, Yongli Wang
  • Patent number: 10204721
    Abstract: A resistor element includes a base substrate, a resistor layer disposed on one surface of the base substrate, a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer disposed on the resistor layer to be spaced apart from each other, a third electrode layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to be spaced apart from the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, a conductive resin electrode disposed on at least one end of the third electrode layer, and first to third plating layers disposed on the first to third electrode layers, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Young Key Kim, Jea Hoon Lee, Jung Min Nam, Hae In Kim
  • Patent number: 10180049
    Abstract: A high pressure switch for controlling electrical signals between elements of a gun for perforating hydrocarbon wells. The switch uses mechanical energy from an explosion to change from one electrical path to a second electrical path. The switch has a piston that translates from the shockwave to electrical connect a firing pin to a conductive member while opening an electrical path from the piston to the firing pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Inventor: Daniel S. Trafton
  • Patent number: 10175274
    Abstract: Disclosed is a device for detecting an output current of an inverter. The device for detecting an output current of an inverter according to the present disclosure includes a shunt resistor connected to an output end of a capacitor of a direct current (DC) link; a detector connected to the shunt resistor and configured to detect the output current; and a controller configured to control a sampling timing of a current in the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chun-Suk Yang, Chengde Xu