Patents Examined by William M. Shoop, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5942703
    Abstract: The present invention concerns an adjustment lever or bar for use in connection with a tremolo device. The lever of the present invention serves to facilitate the manipulation or adjustment of the tremolo device while a user is playing the musical instrument. In a preferred embodiment the lever comprises a post for attachment to the base portion of a tremolo device. Extending substantially perpendicular to the post is a first arm and extending at a position substantially diametrically opposed to the first arm is a second arm. The post includes an attachment device or means for removing and attaching the post to the base portion of the tremolo device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: John F. Boehnlein
    Inventors: John F. Boehnlein, Francis G. Boehnlein
  • Patent number: 5942867
    Abstract: A gate operator which provides for an opening and closing movement of a gate in response to an external opening and closing signal. The gate operator of the invention cushions the movement and reduces the impact against a fixed member at the fully opened and/or fully closed positions with a magnetically operable gate repelling and gate attracting arrangement. The repelling and attracting arrangement functions as a switching system and comprises a first magnetically operable member, such as a permanent magnetic, on a fixed member at the end position, or otherwise on the gate, and an electromagnet on the other of the fixed member or gate. In this way, the magnetically operable system applies a momentary force to the gate in opposition to the movement to that end position and then releases the force to reduce impact with any abutment at that end position. The magnetic force is then reversed and provides a magnetic locking action when the gate is at that end position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Doorking, Inc.
    Inventor: Moscow K. Richmond
  • Patent number: 5942706
    Abstract: The present invention, a sheet music turning apparatus, comprises a base, a first spindle on one end of the base, and a second spindle opposite the first spindle on the base. A rotation means for rotating the first spindle in a direction is also provided such that a supply of sheet music mounted on the second spindle is transferred to the first spindle by the rotation of the first spindle, thereby causing consecutive pages of sheet music to be viewed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Inventor: Franklin Leckie
  • Patent number: 5942705
    Abstract: A mounting construction of an elongated leaf spring deformed in an S-letter configuration and engaged at opposite ends thereof with a pair of spaced support members in a compressed condition to effect outward biasing forces acting of the support members, wherein three nodes are formed at the opposite ends and an intermediate position of the leaf spring in a longitudinal direction to form a pair of antinodes between the opposite ends and intermediate position of the leaf spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Kumano, Tsuyoshi Sato
  • Patent number: 5942869
    Abstract: When a difference between sums of distance measurements detected by the left and right side sensors of a robot 1 is greater than a reference value, the turn is performed to avoid an obstacle ahead. If the direction of the current turn is opposite to that of the previous turn, since the angle of turning in the current turn is decreased, the robot 1 prevents redundant turn and can thus run through between obstacles. If the (swivel) turn has been repeated a given number of times in a zigzag movement, an escape motion from the deadlock state is commenced which includes a backward running of a predetermined distance and a (swivel) turn following the backward running.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hironori Katou, Ichirou Ueno
  • Patent number: 5940576
    Abstract: The invention is concerned with an electronic control unit (1) for the electric motor of a vacuum pump (100) comprising a suction port (119), an exhaust port (120) and pumping stages formed by rotor disks (113, 114) secured to a rotating shaft driven by an electric motor, and stator rings (115, 116) secured to a pump housing (101) and cooperating with said rotor disks. The unit (1) comprises: a housing (2), first leads (50) for electrically feeding the control unit, second leads (60) for electrically feeding the motor of the pump (100), a circuit for generating a voltage adapted to feed the motor, the circuit generating drive signals (A, B, D, E, G, H, PWM) and providing at least a pulsating signal (PWM the width of which for combining said drive signals can be modulated, and means (201, 202, 203) for combining the, pulsating signal (PWM) with at least one of the drive signals (A, D, G) so as to change the rms voltage of said voltage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Varian, Inc.
    Inventor: Mauro de Simon
  • Patent number: 5939653
    Abstract: A bridge and tremolo arm assembly for an electric guitar, including a bridge body mounted on a bottom block to hold a tremolo arm, a set of tension screw seats transversely adjustably mounted on the bridge body by screws, each tension screw seat having an elongated slot, which guides a respective string, a plurality of tension screw studs respectively mounted in respective vertical locating holes on the tension screw seats to support respective strings being guided out of the tension screw seats to the head of the electric guitar, and a plurality of adjustment nuts respectively mounted in respective horizontal slots at the tension screw seats and threaded onto the tension screw studs, the adjustment nuts being rotated to change the elevation of the respective tension screw studs in adjusting the tension of the respective strings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Inventor: I-Ping Chang
  • Patent number: 5939652
    Abstract: A device for a stringed instrument to maintain the tone emitted from the instrument which is otherwise dampened by the user's body. The device includes a plate having an outer contour approximately matching that of a back surface of the instrument and at least one space. The plate remains in place against the back surface of the instrument while the instrument is being played. The device may also include a plurality of pads that space the plate from the back surface of the instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Robert L. Jones
    Inventor: Robert L. Jones
  • Patent number: 5936180
    Abstract: A waveform-data dividing device, employed by an electronic musical instrument providing a waveform memory, is used to automatically divide waveform data into registers. The device provides a division-data table in which a plurality of division data are respectively written at locations which are arranged in connection with the registers. When a new waveform is inputted so that corresponding new waveform data are stored in the waveform memory, one division data is created based on the waveform data and is written into the division-data table at the location which is determined responsive to a pitch of the waveform data. Herein, one new waveform is divided into multiple sections so that detection of pitch is performed with respect to each of the sections. When the same pitch is detected with respect to two consecutive sections, that pitch is used as the pitch representing the waveform data as a whole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Tokiharu Ando
  • Patent number: 5936372
    Abstract: In an armature current limit value calculator section, limitation is applied to a pre-limitation torque command ST in correspondence with a presently detected speed SPD, to calculate a torque command STC. Meanwhile, in a field current calculator section 12, a pre-correction field current command value SF is decreased in correspondence with the detected speed SPD when the speed is large. In addition, a coefficient K.tau. which increases when the torque command is large is calculated on the basis of the pre-limitation torque command ST at this time. Further, a field current command is calculated from an equation SFC=K.tau.*SF. A current command calculator section 3 prepares a current command on the basis of the torque command STC and the field current command SFC supplied, and drives an electric motor 5 via a current control section 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Okuma Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Nashiki, Akiyoshi Satake
  • Patent number: 5936174
    Abstract: A cymbal fixation device includes a wing nut threaded onto a threaded stem on a cymbal stand to fix a cymbal in place, a holding down block mounted in a chamber in the wing nut, a split locating pin inserted into a pin hole on the wing nut and a pin hole on the holding down block to hold the holding block in place, and a tightening up screw threaded into an oblique screw hole on the wing nut and stopped against a beveled bottom edge of the holding down block to force the holding down block into engagement with the threaded stem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: HWA Shin Musical Instrument Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tsun-Chi Liao
  • Patent number: 5936178
    Abstract: A humidity control device for use in maintaining a desired humidity, the device including a protective case, a water vapor permeable pouch and a thickened saturated solution, the solution having a suitable humidity control point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Humidi-Pak, Inc.
    Inventor: Albert L. Saari
  • Patent number: 5936370
    Abstract: An electromagnetic rotating machine driven by an electromagnetic action between a stator and a rotor has drive windings fitted to the stator for generating a rotating magnetic field for rotatably driving the rotor, position control windings fitted to the stator for generating a magnetic field having a different number of poles than that of the drive windings, a magnetic force generation circuit for generating a magnetic force to act on the rotor by supplying the position control windings with an electric current effective to unbalance the magnetic field on the stator side, a circuit for detecting an induced voltage or current generated in the one or more position control windings in response to radial displacement of the rotor and the rotating magnetic field generated by the drive windings, a circuit for detecting radial displacement of the rotor based on the induced voltage or current and the magnitude and speed of the rotating magnetic field, and a position control circuit for controlling the radial positio
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Nikkiso Co., Ltd., Seiko Seiki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Fukao, Akira Chiba, Chikara Michioka
  • Patent number: 5936173
    Abstract: A three-point harness for suspending a musical instrument, such as a guitar, about the body of a musician, with a first connector for attaching the harness to one attachment point on the instrument, a second connector for attaching the harness to another attachment point on the instrument, and a third connector between the first and second connectors, attached to the instrument for limiting the extent to which the instrument can be displaced from the harness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Inventor: Thomas S. Tonon
  • Patent number: 5936181
    Abstract: This invention relates to a system and method for altering the harmonic referent of segments of a music composition while maintaining the register of the musical segments and their conformity to a harmonic rule-base. By combining the three novel notions of a "role-preserving" transformation "shape-preserving" transformation, and a "register" preserving transformation, a novel operation enabled by the present invention can be described. Essentially, the invention allows a pitch to be moved from one harmonic context to another. The pitches are then constrained to take on values that have the same harmonic function as their corresponding original pitches, while remaining, as much as possible, within the same register as their corresponding original pitches. Secondly, when a group of pitches are moved together as a melody, the operation can preserve not only the function and register of the pitches but the shape of the melody.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Steven R. Abrams, Daniel V. Oppenheim, Donald P. Pazel, James L. Wright
  • Patent number: 5936176
    Abstract: In a percussion instrument arm adapter, the combination comprising a longitudinally extending arm; a first clamp unit carried at one end of the arm, and a second clamp unit carried at the opposite end of the arm; at least one of the units having primary elements including a carrier, a primary clamping plate and a secondary clamping plate, a primary fastener interconnecting the carrier and primary clamping plate to laterally retain the primary clamping plate to the carrier, and allow adjustable rotation of the primary clamping plate relative to the carrier, and a secondary fastener adjustably interconnecting the secondary clamp plate and first clamping plate, the plates defining rod clamping surfaces; and whereby a rod may be carried by an adapter by reception and retention by and between the plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Drum Workshop, Inc.
    Inventor: Donald G. Lombardi
  • Patent number: 5936177
    Abstract: A foot pedal for a drum set such as a bass drum is constructed using a pedal frame which contains a frame body and two support members. Herein, the two support members project upwardly from both ends of the frame body. A rotation shaft is rotatably supported by beating portions which are provided at upper end portions of the two support members respectively. A foot board is provided for the pedal frame and is operated in response to step force applied thereto. A rocker is fixed to a selected position of the rotation shaft and is equipped with a beater by means of a beater rod. So, when a person depresses the foot pedal by a foot, step force applied to the foot pedal is transmitted to the rocker by means of a step force transmission member such as a chain, so that the rocker rotates together with the rotation shaft. In response to rotation of the rocker, the beater strikes a drum head of the bass drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Fumihiro Shigenaga
  • Patent number: 5936172
    Abstract: A mechanism including a sustaining bar (112) directly engaging a row of damper supports (104); and a harmonic bar directly engaging a row of escapements (13) each of which is combined with one of the damper supports. Both bars (111, 112) are actuated by a common pedal (1) to which they are connected by a linkage system (18, 20, 5) linking the movement of the harmonic bar (111) to that of the sustaining bar (112) so that when the pedal is depressed beyond a so-called "harmonic" position in which the pedal is half-depressed, the sustaining function is applied to all the notes whose keys are depressed, and once the pedal has been fully depressed and is therefore in a so-called "forte" position, then very slightly released, all the escapements are in engagement with the harmonic bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignees: Denis M.X. de la Rochefordiere, Eric Drulang
    Inventor: Denis M. X. de La Rochefordiere
  • Patent number: 5936378
    Abstract: A motor controller comprising drive unit for supplying power to the stator windings of a motor based on a current command, a stator current detection unit for detecting the stator current flowing in the stator windings, a saturation degree production unit for producing the saturation degree data indicating the extent to which the stator current deviates from the current command based on the current command and the stator current, a reference value production unit for producing a reference value of the saturation degree, a gain production unit for producing a gain indicating the rate at which the current command is changed, and a current command production unit for producing the current command data based on the saturation degree, the reference value and the gain, wherein the gain production unit produces the gain data based on at least one of the rotational speed of the motor and the current command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomokuni Iijima, Kazushige Narazaki, Yoshiaki Igarashi, Satoshi Tamaki, Masaki Tagome, Mineaki Isoda
  • Patent number: 5936365
    Abstract: A circuit to control a motor having phase inputs. A respective control signal for each phase input of the motor is generated such that each phase input is cyclically driven and undriven. Additionally, changes at each phase input relative to a reference potential are measured, and changes at each phase input during time intervals in which noise is expected are ignored: timing information based on the measured changes at the phase inputs is generated, and timing information to carry out the step of generating a respective control signal is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Chin Li, Larry B. Li