Patents Examined by Kim Lockett
  • Patent number: 6554100
    Abstract: A submuffler for a vehicle muffler system which comprises a housing, a pressure-reducing conduit disposed within said housing, said pressure-reducing conduit containing a plurality of apertures disposed on the surface thereof, an eddy-generating member disposed within the pressure-reducing conduit along a substantial length thereof, and pipe means connected to an inlet side and an exit side of the housing for introducing exhaust gas thereto and exiting exhaust gas therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Inventor: Young Tae Kim
  • Patent number: 6554098
    Abstract: A panel speaker includes an acoustic vibrating plate, and a vibration driver mounted off a center of the acoustic vibrating plate and applying vibration to the acoustic vibrating plate. A control unit may be provided to control the vibration driver to apply vibration to the acoustic vibrating plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Tatsumi Komura
  • Patent number: 6550572
    Abstract: An exhaust pipe includes an outer pipe and an inner pipe firmly fitted in the outer pipe. An air intake pipe and an outlet pipe having a comparatively small diameter are positioned respectively at two opposite ends of the outer pipe and respectively communicating with the front and the rear end of the inner pipe. Besides, a great number of through holes are bored around the wall of the inner pipe. Then an intermediate pipe having numerous through holes around the wall is fitted around the inner pipe, with a plurality of gaps formed between both the pipes. The muffling cotton is filled in a space between the outer pipe and the intermediate pipe. Thus, the intermediate pipe is easy to assemble, kept secured firmly for a long time and achieving effectual muffling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Inventor: Min-Chyr Lin
  • Patent number: 6552252
    Abstract: A swingable tremolo for a string instrument. A tremolo block connected with the tremolo body is in turn connected through a link with a sliding block on the bottom of the instrument. A first spring urges the sliding block against the tensile force of the strings. A movable stopper is engageable by the sliding block as it moves rearward. A second spring also urges the movable stopper forward. The tensile force of the instrument strings is greater than the opposite force of first spring but less than the sum of the spring forces of the first and second springs, whereby the tremolo body may be tilted up or forwardly to reduce string tension or tilted down or rearwardly to increase string tension, and upon release of the tremolo body, the forces of the springs acting on the sliding block and the movable stopper act against the tensile force of the strings to bring the tremolo body into an equilibrium state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Hoshino Gakki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinjiro Hirayama
  • Patent number: 6545205
    Abstract: An action mechanism is provided in which the longitudinal direction of a keyboard body having a keyboard portion at its one end, a middle part or the other end thereof is swingably held and, at the same time, a base of a hammer body is pivotally attached to the opposite side or the same direction side of the keyboard portion across the holding point of the keyboard body. A beak-like projecting piece is protrudingly provided in a base end of the hammer body, and at the same time, an engaging stepped portion is formed in an escapement member that is always biased toward the beak-like projecting piece of the hamner body. The pivotally attached portion of the hammer body pivots in accordance with a movement of the keyboard body by a key striking operation of the keyboard portion. At the same time, the beak-like projecting piece of the hammer body and the engaging stepped portion of the escapement member engage with each other so that the hammer body performs a pivotal operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Chono
  • Patent number: 6545204
    Abstract: A musical effect box pedal assembly includes a first pedal means adapted for operating a first musical effect box switch and a second pedal means adapted for operating a second musical effect box switch. A third pedal means, operatively connected to the first and second pedal means, allows independent operation of the first and second pedal means operating the associated first and second musical effect box switches. The third pedal means also simultaneously operates the first and second pedal means, thereby providing simultaneous operation of the associated first and second musical effect box switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Inventor: Paul Wadell
  • Patent number: 6545203
    Abstract: A front lid opening and closing assist which enables an easy and safe operation of opening and closing a front lid of a keyboard instrument. A buffer in the front lid opening and closing assist has a first damping mechanism for damping the front lid when pivoted from a neutral position to an open position, and a second damping mechanism for damping the front lid when pivoted from the neutral position to a closed position. When the front lid is pivoted beyond the neutral position, it spontaneously pivots toward the open or closed position by its own weight. However, this motion is damped by the first and second damping mechanisms, which results in a slowed pivot motion of the front lid. As a result, a user can safely open or close the front lid relative to a back lid, with only minimal force for supporting the front lid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Manabu Arimori
  • Patent number: 6543576
    Abstract: A multiple layer fiber filled sound absorber and method of manufacturing the absorber are disclosed. The sound absorber includes an outer housing, a porous or perforated inner tube or housing defining a passageway through which a gas may flow, and two layers of sound absorbing material, such as fiberglass wool, is positioned between the housings. The sound absorbing material adjacent the inner housing is selected to be more heat resistant than the material farther away from the inner housing. The sound absorber is filled with the sound absorbing materials using a direct fill process in which continuous fibers are injected into the sound absorber. In preparation for filling, a partition is positioned between the housings to define two chambers. Each chamber is filled with one of the sound absorbing materials. The partition may then be removed from the sound absorber, or may be left in place (in which case the partition is preferably porous or perforated).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignees: Owens-Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc., Owens-Corning Sweden AB, Futaba Industrial Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Cameron Gorrell Cofer, Goran Knut Knutsson, Kunio Komori, Yukihito Sakai
  • Patent number: 6540046
    Abstract: A screen-type spark arrestor (34) may be efficiently and compactly mounted in a muffler (10). A tubular screen is coaxial with an exhaust pipe (24) and has a first end (36) axially spaced from the pipe and star-crimped closed, and a second end (38) axially overlapping the pipe in concentric relation and crimped thereto by a crimp ring (40). The combination is mounted as a modular component by a flange (22) closing the muffler housing (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Nelson Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Kory J. Schuhmacher, Andrew D. Aleson
  • Patent number: 6538184
    Abstract: A self-alignment retaining device for a bass drum has a position plate securely engaged with the base, a first clamping plate pivotally connected with the position plate and having an arcuate recess defined to receive the arcuate top face of the position plate. The engagement between the first clamping plate and the position plate allows the entire retaining device to automatically mate with the peripheral edge of the bass drum when a second clamping plate is depressed toward the first clamping plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Inventor: Wu-Hong Hsieh
  • Patent number: 6538185
    Abstract: A pedal board assembly for receiving a plurality of musical sound effect generators generally comprises a box-like receptacle with a removable lid. The receptacle contains a top tier of flat, fixed pitch panels including a power supply and an audio circuit interface. A middle tier is of a fixed, tilted pitch and a lower tier is of selectively flat or tilted pitch mode, the tilted pitch mode matching the pitch of the middle tier so that large sound effect generators may be placed across to span both the middle tier and the lower tier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: MKS Professional Stage Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael K. Stratton
  • Patent number: 6538186
    Abstract: A music box container, comprising a box unit, a cover unit, a sound-emitting device, a transmission mechanism and a moving picture, wherein the transmission mechanism is installed in the box unit and the cover unit. The transmission mechanism includes a gear set and a connecting-rod mechanism. The gear set is joined between the sound-emitting device and the connecting-rod mechanism. The moving picture includes a frame unit and a plurality of moving objects. The frame unit is accommodated inside the cover unit. The moving objects are installed inside the frame unit and are connected with the connecting-rod mechanism. Thereby, the components include a music box container with a plurality of moving objects that swing leftward, rightward, upward, and downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Inventor: Wen Chu Huang
  • Patent number: 6536554
    Abstract: A loudspeaker comprises an electroacoustic driver in an enclosure having upper and lower ends. Plates are provided at one end and fixing devices are provided at the other end of the enclosure. The plates have holes which allow them to pass over fixing devices of a vertically adjacent loudspeaker. Each of the fixing devices comprises a pillar for passing through the hole of the plate of a vertically adjacent loudspeaker and a locking element connected to the pillar and moveable between an unlocked position for passing through the hole and a locked position for holding the plate on the pillar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Inventors: Anthony John Andrews, John Newsham, Toby Charles Colingwood Hunt
  • Patent number: 6534697
    Abstract: A cantilevered tail block/tailpiece for use with a stringed instrument such as an acoustic guitar. The tail block subassembly includes a tail block having first and second side edges, upper and lower edges, and inner and outer major planar surfaces. A cantilever having upper and lower surfaces, first and second side edges and front and rear ends extends outwardly from and substantially perpendicular to the outer major planar surface of the tail block. At least one support arm extends between the cantilever and tail block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Inventor: Kevin K. Ko
  • Patent number: 6533063
    Abstract: In video equipment, a video equipment speaker device that is almost invisible from a viewer and capable of placing, toward the front of the center portion of the screen, an acoustic image from a speaker 2 provided on at least either an upper or lower portion of a screen is provided. A speaker device 1 includes the speaker 2, a sound duct 3 positioned forward of the speaker 2 to externally output sound, a speaker baffle 4 provided in the vicinity of edges forming an opening of the sound duct 3 and formed to outwardly reflect the sound, a fin 5 provided forward of the speaker baffle 4, sound space 6 formed between the speaker baffle 4 and the fin 5, and slits 7 outwardly opened from the sound space 6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Ikeuchi, Tomio Shiota
  • Patent number: 6531650
    Abstract: A musical toy with electrical generator is composed a base, a musical set, a string roll, and a cover. The musical set comprises a coil base with a coil at the bottom portion, and a magnet on a spindle of the musical set. When the spindle spins, the magnet spins simultaneously with respect to the coil, thus generates electrical power to activate lighting devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Far Great Plastics Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ting-Hsing Chen
  • Patent number: 6530453
    Abstract: A flat acoustic resin insulator (A) is one-shot molded, with a sound absorbing structure composed of a rigid-connected combination of a plurality of independent sound absorbing cells each constituted with a mold cavity (C) defined by a rigid lateral wall (E), a rigid bottom wall (F), and a vibratory top surface layer (H), and an opening (B) formed through the surface layer (H) for acoustic external communication of the mold cavity (C). The opening (B) cooperates with the mold cavity (C) to serve for resonance absorption of sounds, and the surface layer (H) covering the mold cavity (C) serves for film-vibratory absorption of sounds. Characteristic curves of the resonance sound-absorption and the film-vibratory sound-absorption have their peaks at different audible frequencies and their slopes overlapping therebetween, with a superimposed sound-absorbing effect over a wide frequency range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Miura, Kouichi Nemoto, Shinkichi Torii
  • Patent number: 6528714
    Abstract: A hi-hat cymbal stand mainly having a rod for holding cymbals, a movable foot pedal located at a lower section of the rod, and a contractible tripod. One leg of the tripod may be detached for adding more equipment around the stand without interference. A sliding plate is provided to help anchor with other two legs on the floor. The depressing plate may be loosened to disengage two hooks of a bottom plate from the axis of a post plate so that the foot pedal may be turned and leaned on the rod to facilitate storing and carrying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Inventor: Tsun-Chi Liao
  • Patent number: 6528712
    Abstract: An upper pivot support for a guitar which is supported by a support system which holds the guitar in the front of the player's body with the strumming end of the guitar hanging downwardly. The pivot support encompasses an outwardly extending enclosed cushioned pivot secured to an upper front portion of an enclosed rigid backboard which is releasably mountable within the waistband on the player. The enclosed cushioned pivot extending outwardly places the guitar further away from the rib cage area providing a clearer view of the strumming end in a more comfortable and less tense position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Inventor: Randy A. Lehoux
  • Patent number: 6528713
    Abstract: A grand piano includes a pedal mechanism constituted by a lyre block attached to the lower surface of a piano case, pedal posts hung from the lyre block, a lyre box engaged with the pedal posts, pedals rotatably supported by the lyre box and pedal rods connected between the pedals and damper mechanism/keyboard accommodated in the piano case, wherein the lyre box is movable along the pedal posts, and a coupler is provided between the lyre box and the pedal posts so as to maintain the pedals at a position suitable for a pianist, whereby the pianist can adjust the pedals to the suitable position before fingering on the keyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuo Maehara