Patents by Inventor Koichiro Shibata

Koichiro Shibata has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7985916
    Abstract: Electronic wind instrument includes: a breath flow detector detecting a flow of breath blown by a user; a tone generator forming a tone signal; a control section controlling the tone generator on the basis of an output signal of the breath flow detector; and a zero point compensation section that, when a predetermined condition has been satisfied, compensates a zero point of the output signal of the detector on the basis of the output signal generated by the detector at the time point the predetermined condition has been satisfied. The predetermined condition is satisfied when it is detected that a zero point compensation switch operable by the user has been turned on, that no performance is being executed by the user, that a value indicated by the output signal of the detector has decreased below a predetermined threshold value, or that the wind instrument has been turned on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 7781667
    Abstract: Electronic wind instrument includes a body section, and a blowing unit pivotably supported on the body section. The blowing unit includes a lip plate section that abuts with a lower lip part of a human player, and a blowing detection section that detects a flow rate of a breath blown by the human player. The blowing unit, which is pivotable about a longitudinal shaft of the body section, includes retaining elements that retain the blowing unit at a predetermined pivoting position, and scale marks for indicating a pivoting position of the blowing unit retained by the retaining elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 7772482
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes a performance operation portion that is operated by fingers of a performer, a contact portion that is adapted to be brought into contact with a lower lip of the performer, a contact pressure detection portion that detects the contact pressure at which the lower lip is brought into contact with the contact portion, and generates a pressure value in accordance with the detected contact pressure, and a control portion that specifies sound of a pitch in accordance with an operation status of the performance operation portion and changes the pitch of the sound in accordance with the pressure value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 7501570
    Abstract: Wind instrument includes a tubular body having a plurality of tone holes, and a plurality of keys capable of opening and closing the tone holes. Via a retaining member, detector units are provided within the tubular body in corresponding relation to the keys, and each of the detector units is generally opposed to the back surface of the corresponding key. Each of the detector units detects a relative distance to the back surface and outputs an electrical signal, on the basis of which an opening/closing state of the key can be detected. The retaining member, accommodated in the tubular body, positions and retains each of the detector units in such a manner that the keys and tubular body and the individual detector units are kept in non-contacting relation to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Publication number: 20080314226
    Abstract: Electronic wind instrument includes a body section, and a blowing unit pivotably supported on the body section. The blowing unit includes a lip plate section that abuts with a lower lip part of a human player, and a blowing detection section that detects a flow rate of a breath blown by the human player. The blowing unit, which is pivotable about a longitudinal shaft of the body section, includes retaining elements that retain the blowing unit at a predetermined pivoting position, and scale marks for indicating a pivoting position of the blowing unit retained by the retaining elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koichiro SHIBATA
  • Publication number: 20080072746
    Abstract: Electronic wind instrument includes: a breath flow detector detecting a flow of breath blown by a user; a tone generator forming a tone signal; a control section controlling the tone generator on the basis of an output signal of the breath flow detector; and a zero point compensation section that, when a predetermined condition has been satisfied, compensates a zero point of the output signal of the detector on the basis of the output signal generated by the detector at the time point the predetermined condition has been satisfied. The predetermined condition is satisfied when it is detected that a zero point compensation switch operable by the user has been turned on, that no performance is being executed by the user, that a value indicated by the output signal of the detector has decreased below a predetermined threshold value, or that the wind instrument has been turned on.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koichiro SHIBATA
  • Publication number: 20070137468
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument includes a performance operation portion that is operated by fingers of a performer, a contact portion that is adapted to be brought into contact with a lower lip of the performer, a contact pressure detection portion that detects the contact pressure at which the lower lip is brought into contact with the contact portion, and generates a pressure value in accordance with the detected contact pressure, and a control portion that specifies sound of a pitch in accordance with an operation status of the performance operation portion and changes the pitch of the sound in accordance with the pressure value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Publication date: June 21, 2007
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koichiro SHIBATA
  • Publication number: 20060283312
    Abstract: Wind instrument includes a tubular body having a plurality of tone holes, and a plurality of keys capable of opening and closing the tone holes. Via a retaining member, detector units are provided within the tubular body in corresponding relation to the keys, and each of the detector units is generally opposed to the back surface of the corresponding key. Each of the detector units detects a relative distance to the back surface and outputs an electrical signal, on the basis of which an opening/closing state of the key can be detected. The retaining member, accommodated in the tubular body, positions and retains each of the detector units in such a manner that the keys and tubular body and the individual detector units are kept in non-contacting relation to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2006
    Publication date: December 21, 2006
    Applicant: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 6801630
    Abstract: Audio signals of a plurality of input channels are received via corresponding input terminals. First adjusting section adjusts respective volume levels of the audio signals received via the input channels. First mixing section mixes the audio signals, having been adjusted in volume level by the first adjusting section, to thereby provide a mixed signal. The mixed signal is distributed to a plurality of channels. Second adjusting section also adjusts respective volume levels of the audio signals received via the input channels. For each of the channels, a second mixing section mixes the received audio signal, having been adjusted in volume level by the second adjusting section, with the mixed signal distributed to that channel. Thus, for each of the channels, there is provided an output signal comprising a mixture of the received audio signal and the mixed signal. The thus-provided output signals can be listened to or monitored via headphones or the like on a channel-by-channel basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 6782108
    Abstract: Audio signals of a plurality of input channels are received via corresponding input terminals. First adjusting section adjusts respective volume levels of the audio signals received via the input channels. First mixing section mixes the audio signals, having been adjusted in volume level by the first adjusting section, to thereby provide a mixed signal. The mixed signal is distributed to a plurality of channels. Second adjusting section also adjusts respective volume levels of the audio signals received via the input channels. For each of the channels, a second mixing section mixes the received audio signal, having been adjusted in volume level by the second adjusting section, with the mixed signal distributed to that channel. Thus, for each of the channels, there is provided an output signal comprising a mixture of the received audio signal and the mixed signal. The thus-provided output signals can be listened to or monitored via headphones or the like on a channel-by-channel basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Publication number: 20030059067
    Abstract: Audio signals of a plurality of input channels are received via corresponding input terminals. First adjusting section adjusts respective volume levels of the audio signals received via the input channels. First mixing section mixes the audio signals, having been adjusted in volume level by the first adjusting section, to thereby provide a mixed signal. The mixed signal is distributed to a plurality of channels. Second adjusting section also adjusts respective volume levels of the audio signals received via the input channels. For each of the channels, a second mixing section mixes the received audio signal, having been adjusted in volume level by the second adjusting section, with the mixed signal distributed to that channel. Thus, for each of the channels, there is provided an output signal comprising a mixture of the received audio signal and the mixed signal. The thus-provided output signals can be listened to or monitored via headphones or the like on a channel-by-channel basis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2002
    Publication date: March 27, 2003
    Applicant: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 4817878
    Abstract: Power lock tool retention apparatus for a food processor includes at least one flattened section on the drive shaft with an associated horizontal notch. A socket extending downwardly on the inside of the rotary tool hub is placed onto this drive shaft during manual installation of the tool so that rotation of the shaft will cause the tool to be rotated. At least one horizontal lip is provided in the socket at an elevation to become aligned with the notch on the drive shaft when the hub has been slid down vertically into its operating position on the shaft. The socket configuration is complementary to, but slightly different from, the flattened configuration of the drive shaft in order to permit a small amount of relative angular movement between the shaft and hub when the shaft commences to rotate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1989
    Assignee: Cuisinarts, Inc.
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 4393737
    Abstract: A julienne cutter is provided having a hub removably engageable with the drive of a food processor and a disc-like member secured to the hub. The disc-like member has an opening extending from a region near the hub to a region near the periphery and there is an elevated portion on the member located behind the opening with respect to the direction of rotation of the disc-like member. A unitary cutting structure is positioned in the opening for producing multiple closely spaced cuts and is formed of sheet metal having an elongated lower portion and an elevated elongated upper portion secured to the underside and to the elevated portion of the disc-like member, respectively. A plurality of relatively closely spaced blades extend upwardly generally perpendicular to and are located between and are integral wiht the elongated lower and elevated upper portions of the cutting structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 19, 1983
    Assignee: Cuisinarts, Inc.
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata
  • Patent number: 4367667
    Abstract: A French fry rotary cutter tool is provided for use in food processors having a hub removably engageable with the drive means of the food processor and a disc-like member secured to the hub having an opening extending from a region near the hub to a region near the periphery with an elevated portion located behind the opening. A cutting structure is positioned in the opening for producing multiple, elongated rectangular cuts in food applied thereto which pass through the opening into the bowl of the processor. The cutting structure is formed of a continuous strip of blade metal bent into a rectangular-wave shape having alternating, spaced flat, lower and lower portions which are secured, respectively, to the underside and elevated portions of the disc-like member. The bent strip defines a plurality of spaced, parallel blades which have a square-wave appearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1983
    Assignee: Cuisinarts, Inc.
    Inventor: Koichiro Shibata