Patents Examined by Robert K. Schaefer
  • Patent number: 4123898
    Abstract: A counterweight shell for clocks includes an elongated body of cylindrical shape, open at one end and having a bottom wall as an integral part of the body and having a central aperture. A rod with its opposite ends threaded is axially nested within said body with one end projected through said bottom wall, and receives a nut threaded thereon which bears against said bottom wall. A top cap having a central aperture and an integral annular flange is nested over the open end of the body, with the other end of the rod projected through said cap. A hook having an apertured shank receives and is threaded over the rod other end to retainingly engage the cap. The bottom wall has a central portion which is axially indented into the body for completely enclosing said nut. The body, bottom wall and cap are of aluminum, the body and bottom wall being drawn or extruded. The outer surface of the body, bottom wall and cap are annodized to a color simulating brass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1976
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1978
    Inventor: Paul C. Diels
  • Patent number: 4124103
    Abstract: An elevator system including an elevator car and electrical control for operating same. Capacitors continue to energize a car movement detector in the electrical control following an interruption in the electrical power supply, to enable any movement of the elevator car following such interruption to be detected and stored. A stored indication of car movement following an interruption in the electrical power supply is used to correct a car position device in the electrical control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1977
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1978
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Paul R. Otto, William N. Leang
  • Patent number: 4123667
    Abstract: A wave energy generator produces electric power from wave motion by means of a distortable underwater section thereof which has a plurality of flexible compartments containing liquid and gas and equipped with flexible internal one-way flow walls separating the compartments, so that in response to wave motion the internal liquid flows in one direction through the compartments and through a fluid flow-powered motor-generator combination. The underwater distortable flexible structure described is the lower portion of a body which also has an upper portion above water so that the combination thereof is useful as a breakwater or dock, when anchored, or as a barge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Inventor: Bert J. Decker
  • Patent number: 4123673
    Abstract: A control circuit for an electrical device which includes a switch that is electrically isolated from other components. The switch is connected in series with a photovoltaic cell and relay means. The photovoltaic cell is illuminated so that closing of contacts of the switch causes actuation of the relay means. The relay means is connected to actuate the electrical device. Voltage at the switch is limited by the voltage produced by the photovoltaic cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: Dentsply Research and Development Corporation
    Inventor: Donald I. Gonser
  • Patent number: 4123692
    Abstract: An adjustable speed AC electric motor drive has a static inverter energized from a unidirectional power source through a semiconductor series chopper and eliminates a filter between chopper and inverter and controls the fundamental inverter output frequency as a function of an analog speed reference signal and also pulse width modulates the series chopper at a constant frequency as a function of the speed reference signal and synchronizes the series chopper to the fundamental inverter freqency to provide variable voltage and variable frequency power to the motor. The drive has a shunt chopper at the output of the series chopper and switches it to the opposite conductive state from the series chopper so that it coacts with the feedback diodes to form substantially continuous, low impedance, bidirectional free-wheeling paths for motor current and provides constant harmonic content current to the motor with reduced ripple.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: Allis-Chalmers Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas P. Gilmore, Frederick A. Stich
  • Patent number: 4122743
    Abstract: In a digital type electronic musical instrument, a glide effect is produced by digitally frequency-modulating the frequency of a musical tone in such a manner that the frequency changes quickly and smoothly. Glide information used for effecting this frequency-modulation is produced on the basis of a glide code obtained by counting a clock pulse. The glide information which changes its contents uniformly is multiplied with the basic frequency information to effect the frequency-modulation. The glide effect can be controlled for each individual keyboard. According to an embodiment of the invention, the frequency-modulation is applied to an attack portion of a musical tone only and sustain and decay portions of the musical tone are reproduced with a normal frequency so that the musical tone will be provided with a crisp, vivid musical effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Tomisawa, Yasuji Uchiyama, Takatoshi Okumura, Toshio Takeda
  • Patent number: 4123693
    Abstract: There is disclosed a programmed microprocessor control apparatus and method for controlling the generated current of a transit vehicle electric motor in relation to a desired limit for the supply line voltage. The supply line volts are sensed and used for controlling the current generated by the transit vehicle motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Larry W. Anderson, James H. Franz, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4122919
    Abstract: A speed control apparatus for AC elevator comprises a multi-speed AC motor having two or more windings and a power running circuit for starting the motor by a low speed winding in the acceleration and switching to a high speed winding after accelerating it near the synchronous speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuo Anzai
  • Patent number: 4122664
    Abstract: An electronic watch with a body surrounded by a metallic ring. The ring is elastically deformable in at least some locations. Electrical contact blocks are positioned opposite the deformable portions of the ring. Pushers are operable on the ring to deform the same into contact with the blades to control functions thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: Ebauches Electroniques S.A.
    Inventor: Jean-Marcel Stampfli
  • Patent number: 4123695
    Abstract: An automatic machine including a two-dimensional positioning table, a device for measuring the dispositions attained by the table in each of said dimensions and a tool holder having an operative center in respect to said two dimensions. Furthermore means are provided for imaging a graticule means to an operative plane of the table so that the center of said image is substantially aligned with the operative center of the tool holder. A visual input device is positioned to view a part of said operative plane including said graticule image and comprises pattern recognition apparatus for:(a) identifying a predetermined mark on a flat surface of an object carried by said table, said flat surface lying in said operative plane,(b) identifying said graticule image, and(c) measuring the separation of said mark from said graticule image center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1975
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Jacques A. G. Hale, Alan Robert Turner-Smith
  • Patent number: 4122665
    Abstract: A pallet lever which is made by first stamping regions, the surfaces of which will be working surfaces and thereafter blanking out the shape of the lever to dimensions in excess of the area of the stamped portion so that the working surfaces of the stamped portion are protected against surface damage to the blanking out operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1978
    Assignee: ETA A.G. Ebauches-Fabrik
    Inventor: Urs Giger
  • Patent number: 4121490
    Abstract: A keyboard operated polyphonic tone synthesizer which is touch responsive to the force applied to the keyboard mechanism. Operation of a key operates through a pneumatic transducer to provide an air stream having a velocity proportional to the force applied to the key. A transducer responsive to the velocity of the gas produces an output pulse having a peak amplitude proportional to the peak velocity of the air. This voltage in turn is used to control the peak amplitude of a musical tone generated in response to the operation of the key so that a direct relation exists between the force with which the key is operated and the amplitude of the resulting sound generated by the instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Assignee: Kawai Musical Instrument Mfg. Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Ralph Deutsch
  • Patent number: 4122356
    Abstract: Radiant heat is converted to electricity by a heat pipe - turbogenerator combination. Specifically, a heat pipe having heat-sorbing wicking or other material in an evaporation section thereof from which the heat pipe liquid in contact with or adjacent said wicking may evaporate, has such wicking heated by radiant heat, as by solar heat, vaporizing the liquid to a gas, which passes through a turbogenerator to a condensation section wherein it is condensed to the liquid, which is returned to the evaporation section. The heat pipe - turbogenerator assembly is suitably externally insulated, as by a vacuum shield, to prevent heat losses and heat is recovered from the condenser portion of the heat pipe and returned to the evaporator portion.In an application of the generic invention it is employed in a building, such as a house, where it is utilized on wall and roof portions thereof and serves as at least a partial supporting structure for these.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Inventor: Bert J. Decker
  • Patent number: 4121414
    Abstract: Disclosed is an alarm timepiece having a manual switch adapted to be operated to different settings, each of the settings corresponding to one of a plurality of modes of control functions of alarm. Means are provided to detect to which mode a given setting operation of the switch corresponds and thereby to control the generation of an alarm sound. The different alarm modes include a normal alarm mode, a recurring temporal suspension of the alarm function, selective actuation of the alarm at any selected time, and termination of the alarm function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Seikosha
    Inventor: Hiroshi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 4122379
    Abstract: An analogue control device with at least one electric stroke control emitter for the abutment-free stroke limitation of machine tools, especially honing machines, with which either a tool carrier or the workpiece connected to the machine tool carries out a reciprocatory stroke of adjustable length. As stroke control emitter there is provided a simple resistor which is adjustable in conformity with the machining movement and which is passed through by electric current, while pre-set values of the current or of the voltage generated by the current on the resistor are employed for limiting the stroke. The device also includes a warming-up or conditioning control which makes it possible automatically to carry out a predetermined number of working strokes with changed stroke length, the number and/or stroke length being adjustable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Gehring Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft
    Inventors: Gunter Richter, Reinhard Froschle
  • Patent number: 4121489
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument comprises a plurality of tone generators for independently producing tone signals having slightly different frequencies, though fundamentally corresponding to the note of a key depressed on a keyboard; and a mixing circuit coupled to the outputs of the tone generators. The respective tone generators are provided with a control input and are brought to start in the same phase in response to application of an initial synchronizing pulse to the control inputs, thereby attaining clear rise of musical sounds immediately upon key depression. The synchronizing pulse may be produced necessarily at the instant of key depression only when an output of the mixing circuit has a amplitude level lower than a predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Assignee: Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Adachi, Masahiko Koike
  • Patent number: 4122357
    Abstract: The present invention is an electrical wiring system for incorporation into a motor vehicle which includes a junction harness having numerous terminals for individual connection with corresponding terminals of various loads, switches, the power source and units for electrical appliances of the motor vehicle through independent single wires so that complicated interconnections between such loads, switches, the power source and units for electrical appliances are collectively made within the junction harness for simplification of wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Assignee: Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shizuo Sumida
  • Patent number: 4122353
    Abstract: A bonnet structure for generator comprising a main wall enclosing the generator and an engine for driving the generator, a partition wall for dividing the bonnet into two chambers, each chamber containing the engine and the generator, respectively, and the cover wall provided on said main wall wherein a rotor-fan of the generator is positioned within the chamber containing the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
    Inventor: Tetsuo Noguchi
  • Patent number: 4122354
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine starting circuit for a system including a combination direct current motor generator unit having an armature coil and field coil in series therewith to be connected to a source of direct current to function as a starter motor when the ignition switch is first closed and to function as a generator when the internal combustion engine starts to bring the motor generator unit to generating speed is provided with a starting solenoid to be energized to close a contact for connecting the motor generator unit to the source when energized. An ignition switch is adapted to be closed to complete a circuit through one coil of a double coil starting relay having a normally open contact to be closed to energize the starter solenoid in series with the ignition switch and the source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Assignee: Thermo King Corporation
    Inventor: Leland L. Howland
  • Patent number: 4122381
    Abstract: A generator is driven by a miniature hydraulic turbine which, in turn, is driven by water flowing to, through or from the water system of a residential or commercial building. Electricity generated by the generator is stored in storage batteries for emergency or supplemental use. A distribution panel is operable to give a readout of the amount of stored electricity. The readout can be obtained by pushing a button on the distribution panel and such readout directly and immediately informs the reader of the number of hours a specific appliance can be operated by the stored electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Inventor: Zeynab Edda Sturm