Patents Examined by P. J. Stanzione
  • Patent number: 5410940
    Abstract: A music chord indicating calculator assists in determining finger placement to play musical chords on a multi-stringed musical instrument containing a finger board. The device has an outer slide member and an inner base member which slides through the outer slide member. The slide member contains a number of columns of spaced viewing ports on both side faces. The inner base member has a number of columns of spaced indicia which are coded to correspond to various chords. A chord selector has one of the indicia on a column of indicia on the base member and can be viewed through a viewing port which has a chord identifying name associated with it. By sliding the base member and slide member relative to each other such that chord selector is viewed through a viewing port which identifies a chord by name, the finger placement of that chord can be viewed through the viewing ports by coding of the indicia on the base member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1995
    Assignee: Perfect Products Pty. Ltd.
    Inventor: Janos Havas
  • Patent number: 5331878
    Abstract: In construction of a connecting unit of a stand for percussion musical instruments such as snare drums, a clutch base at one end of the first supporting element is coupled, via cylindrical projection/circular bore engagements, to a clutch arm at one end of the second supporting element, an arm base is coupled, via square projection/square depression engagement, to the clutch base while sandwiching the clutch arm, and the three elements are fastened together in the direction of their combination. The cylindrical projection/circular bore engagement allows free combination of the two supporting elements at any selected cross angle whereas the square projection/square depression engagement assures long maintenance of the combination despite frequent application of vibrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Kurosaki
  • Patent number: 5320020
    Abstract: A set of hand-held plastic laminated disks which provide for visually displaying selected combinations of musical information such as musical notes of scales and chords. The display is composed of two disks. The top disk functions as a template and is fastened to the lower disk at the center by a metal eyelet. The lower disk displays the twelve notes of the chromatic scale on several concentric circles. Apertures on the top disk display subsets of the chromatic scale as diatonic scales or chords. By rotating the bottom disk relative to the top disk, the notes of all twelve diatonic scales and their associated chords are displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1994
    Inventor: Steven T. Corley
  • Patent number: 5309810
    Abstract: A mounting and resonance adjusting bracket is disclosed for use with drums of the type comprising a hollow drum shell, a plurality of lugs, a drum head fitted over at least one end of the shell, and a counterhoop fitted over the drum head and adjustably secured to the lugs. The bracket comprises a steel band to be secured in a position substantially surrounding a drum shell and having a split portion with bent ends movable between an opened position and a closed position and operated by a threaded screw member. The steel band has a soft elastomeric covering along its upper edge and notches along its lower edge sized and spaced to fit over the drum lugs. A substantially U-shaped plate member is adjustably secured on the steel band having elongated slots on opposite ends thereof and threaded members in the slots securing the plate member to the band. A rod shaped bumper member is secured on the plate member for engaging the drum shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1994
    Inventor: Randall L. May
  • Patent number: 5271308
    Abstract: The Soft Attack guitar and bass pick includes hard plastic guitar pick and hard felt bonded by silicone glue.The Soft Attack pick helps produce better picking techniques, an easier grip, and different musical tones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1993
    Assignee: Kent Balog
    Inventor: Kent Balog
  • Patent number: 5266733
    Abstract: A high hat includes a ground supported stand with a vertical hollow tube through which a cymbal rod is operably mounted. A lower cymbal is mounted on the upper end of the tube with an upper cymbal connected to the upper end of the cymbal rod such that vertical movement of the cymbal rod will cause the upper and lower cymbals to contact one another for a percussive sound. A spring is connected to the cymbal rod to bias the rod into its upper position, wherein the upper cymbal is spaced upwardly away from the lower cymbal. An operable foot pedal is utilized to move the cymbal rod and cause the upper and lower cymbals to contact one another. The foot pedal includes a foot plate pivotally connected at a heel end to a base. A pair of sprockets are connected together and rotatably mounted on a shaft above the toe end of the foot plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1993
    Inventor: Lucas A. Jacobson
  • Patent number: 5260749
    Abstract: A toner cartridge for supplying a toner to the toner hopper of a developing apparatus incorporated in image forming equipment. A take-up roller is rotatably mounted on a case which stores a toner therein. A seal member covers an opening formed in the bottom of the case and is affixed to the take-up roller at one end thereof. The seal member is automatically attached to and detached from the case without resorting to manual operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1993
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masasumi Yahata
  • Patent number: 5245393
    Abstract: A combination fusing and media direction control method and apparatus wherein a fuser roller is positioned adjacent to a pair of idler pressure rollers located at predetermined locations adjacent to the surface of the motor driven fuser roller which is operative to receive printed media from a photo-conductive drum within a printer housing. The printed media enters a location between the surface of the fuser roller and one of the idler pressure rollers where it then traverses an approximately 90.degree. contoured path around approximately one-quarter (1/4) of the surface area of the fuser roller where it then exits the fuser roller at the intersection of the fuser roller and the second idler pressure roller. From this point, the direction of media travel is maintained substantially in a horizontal direction until the time the media comes to rest in an output paper collection tray of the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1993
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Chris A. Storlie, Richard F. Beaufort
  • Patent number: 5229816
    Abstract: An original image reading device includes an original mount, a feeder for separating and feeding originals on the original mount, a first feed path for guiding each separated and fed original to a reading position, and an inlet for introducing the original discharged from the reading position. A second feed path having a joining portion to join the first feed path guides the original introduced from the inlet to the joining portion while reversing the surface of the original. An original density detection sensor is provided between the joining portion and the reading position in the first feed path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Fujimoto, Masataka Naitou, Katsuaki Hirai
  • Patent number: 5229821
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided with a detachable process cartridge having an electrophotographic photoconductive drum and a plurality of developing units. Each of the developing units has a signal generating device for generating a signal corresponding to the amount of toner in the developing unit, and an output signal of the signal generating device is transmitted to a toner amount discriminating circuit mounted in the body of the image forming apparatus through a common line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Haruo Fujii
  • Patent number: 5227845
    Abstract: An apparatus for performing a copying operation contains a photosensitive drum, a focusing optical system for directing reflected light from an original image onto the photosensitive drum, a lamp for lighting the original image, a light quantity sensor for detecting the quantity of reflected light from the original image and for controlling the quantity of light of the lamp on the basis of the detected value of the quantity of reflected light, a first filter provided in an optical path of the focusing optical system so as to cut-off light having a wavelength not longer than a predetermined value, and a second filter provided on a light-detection surface of the light quantity sensor. The second filter has a cut-off wavelength point shorter than the first filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1993
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Susumu Hiranuma, Koji Fukushima, Yoshihiro Maekawa
  • Patent number: 5221946
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming a toner image. The apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a laser device for forming a latent image on the photosensitive drum, a developing device for developing the latent image with a toner agent/and for cleaning the toner agent remaining on the photosensitive drum therefrom while the latent image is developed, a transfer device for transferring the developed image on the photosensitive drum to a recording medium such as a paper sheet, a disordering and charging device for disordering the toner agent remaining on the photosensitive drum after transfer of the developed image by the transfer device so as to render the developed image unreadable or nonpatterned, and for charging the photosensitive drum at a predetermined potential while the toner agent remaining on the photosensitive drum is disordered and a bias source for supplying the disordering and charging device with a bias voltage having an AC bias voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1993
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Mitsuaki Kohyama
  • Patent number: 5220385
    Abstract: A process cartridge is provided for use in an electrographic apparatus having control means therein which is actuable responsive to insertion of the process cartridge in the apparatus to control operation of selected elements in the apparatus. The process cartridge is typically provided with a rotatable photosensitive drum upon which an image to be reproduced is formed and a plurality of processing components for acting on the drum. A toner hopper assembly is provided which includes a housing provided with a cavity having toner particles therein for deposition on the drum. The toner hopper defines one of the processing components, and actuating means is secured on the toner hopper for engagement with the control means in the apparatus for actuation thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Inventor: Tyrone N. Surti
  • Patent number: 5216474
    Abstract: A single tray serves both as an intermediate tray, for temporarily stacking paper sheets between copying operations thereon when such paper sheets are copies plural times, and as a paper discharging tray for stacking paper sheets subjected to final copying. The tray is arranged on the upstream side of a paper resupplying device. The tray includes a first paper stacking portion and a second paper stacking portion separable from each other. A paper discharging device is provided with a branching guide arranged at an upstream side of a paper discharging location for branching a paper sheet of maximum size on which an image has been formed toward the tray and positioned so that a leading end of the paper sheet when housed in the tray will not reach a paper resupplying roller of the paper resupplying device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiko Nakao
  • Patent number: 5212331
    Abstract: A hand-operated musical instrument has a hollow tubular member with closed ends and a plate spacedly located adjacent one end thereof. An aperture in the plate allows the flow of loose filler particles from the first chamber formed between the plate and the first end of the tubular member into a second chamber formed between the plate and the opposite second end of the tubular member. Resonant tone pegs are mounted in and extend through the second chamber in the tubular member. The ends of the tone pegs are spaced from an opposite side wall of the tubular member. The tone pegs are struck by the filler particles flowing through the second chamber to generate musical sounds. In one embodiment, a door is pivotally mounted in an intermediate plate fixed in the second chamber in the tubular member to momentarily delay the flow of filler particles flowing between the opposite ends of the tubular member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1993
    Inventor: Geoferey S. Waldo
  • Patent number: 5208636
    Abstract: A printing machine in which two electrostatic latent images are recorded on a photoconductive member. One of the latent images is a charged area latent image with the other image being a discharged area latent image. A magnetic developer unit develops the charged area latent image with black toner particles. A non-magnetic developer unit develops the discharged area latent image with toner particles of a color other than black. The toner particles from both latent images are transferred substantially simultaneously to a sheet and fused thereto forming a color high lighted document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1993
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: James D. Rees, Cyril G. Edmunds, Charles H. Tabb, Paul A. Garsin
  • Patent number: 5206695
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed. In this apparatus, setting of documents on a document table, and designation of a numeric value more than "1" as the number of copies are detected. In accordance with this detection, a message for inquiring whether to set a sort/stack mode is displayed. An operation is started in accordance with a mode designated by a user in response to this display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1993
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Iwata
  • Patent number: 5203248
    Abstract: A page turning device for turning over the pages of a music score, periodicals etc. The device uses a battery powered, reversible electric motor. Several torpedo tabs ride on an endless belt to turn the pages. Forward and backward page turning is accomplished, as well as multiple page turning. The device further includes a foot actuated, programmable mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1993
    Inventors: Douglas J. Carr, Lincoln Lucero
  • Patent number: 5191376
    Abstract: An optical unit including a lens and a mirror unit installed within an image forming apparatus, the lens and mirror unit moving together according to a desired power of magnification so as to expose a photoconductor to the light reflected from the original to form an image corresponding to the desired magnification, wherein the optical unit includes a cam device for moving the mirror unit, the cam device including a cam which is connected to a driving source and rotates according to the various power of magnification, and a cam follower which moves around the cam to reciprocate the mirror unit; and a lock means on the circumferential surface of the cam, the lock means engaging the cam follower to prevent the mirror unit from moving when a specific variable power of magnification is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tatsushi Hayashi
  • Patent number: 5186446
    Abstract: A recycling automatic document feeder (RADF) for use with a copier or similar equipment for feeding a stack of documents to an illuminating position one by one, then returning each document, and repeating the cycle to illuminate the documents a plurality of times. A gate pawl is located movable into and out of contact with a document table. A feeding section has feeding means for feeding, a stack of documents on the table one by one. A transporting section transports the document fed from the feeding section to a predetermined illuminating position and, then, discharges the document. A returning section turns over the document transported by transporting means. The returning section returns the document discharged to the top of the stack of documents. Sensors sense a condition in which the documents are fed or transported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shiro Saeki, Yukitaka Nakazato, Hiroyuki Ishizaki, Fumitaka Hyodou, Kunihiro Uotani