Patents Examined by Releigh W. Chiu
  • Patent number: 9498692
    Abstract: An athletic training system used when practicing athletic training activities. The athletic training system includes a belt and means for maintaining the belt in place and prevent the belt from rotating or slipping during application which can occur due to the forces placed on the belt during application. The belt is secured beneath the user's waist and partially surrounds each of the user's thighs. To further maintain the belt in place, a pair of thigh straps depend about the inside of the users thighs to partially surround the thighs. First and second hip members outwardly extend from the side-ends of the belt. Each of the hip members form a triangle configuration with a part of the triangle extending from above the user's hip joint and a part of the triangle extending from below the user's hip joint during application. An elastic resistance band includes one end that is secured to a support, and an opposite end releasably attached to one or both of the hip members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Inventors: Hunter Bledsoe, Lantz Wheeler
  • Patent number: 6050897
    Abstract: A rotary manual controller for use with a game machine has a steering wheel manually operable by the game player to rotate a shaft in one direction or the other between a neutral position and a manipulated position, for entering information about a game player's rotary control action to develop a game played on the game machine. The rotary manual controller includes a biasing mechanism for biasing the shaft to return to the neutral position, and a restricting mechanism for restricting angular movement of the shaft. The biasing mechanism has a cam of a partly elliptical, elongate rectangular shape concentrically mounted on the shaft, a pair of abutment members extending transversely across the shaft and held in slidable contact with respective cam surfaces of the cam, and a helical spring for biasing the abutment members into slidable contact with respective cam surfaces of the cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshifumi Suzuki, Yuusuke Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 5316296
    Abstract: An energy-absorbing game racket designed as a pair of planar surfaces extending from a handle constructed as a sandwich design within a frame, with a set of coil springs compressed within the space defined between opposing surfaces. One of the surfaces is mounted to move within the frame against the springs such that it has a springy characteristic, while the other surface is stiff. In a racket ball game volley, either surface may be directed so that the ball impacts it. When the springy surface is directed toward the ball, it partially absorbs the impact force thereof, while the stiff surface does not. This design enhances the player's ball control options in delivering the return volley. An additional feature of the inventive game racket is the provision of an audio indication associated with impact of the ball on a particular area of the racket surface. A lamp and counter may also be provided for this purpose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 31, 1994
    Inventors: Liora B. Ben-Zirma, Yoram Levanon, Samuel Ronen