Patents by Inventor Merritt A. Robinson

Merritt A. Robinson 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: 5337433
    Abstract: A pool sweep having a continuously-cycling, flow-interrupting valve at the upstream entrance to an inertial flow chamber. The valve has an entrance mouth with one or more closure lips pivoting been open and closed positions to open and close the mouth. The lips are biased towards closure with low creep biasing means, as by materials having a strain at its elastic limit of below 0.5 such as one or more metal springs urging the lip toward closure. The magnitude of the opening bias throughout the range of movement of the lips between open and close under dynamic flow conditions is substantially less than the closing force created by the water flow through the valve mouth urging the lips towards closure and substantially greater than the closing force imparted by flow through the mouth during lip travel from full closure to the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 16, 1994
    Assignee: Jandy Industries
    Inventors: Robert F. Gould, Merritt A. Robinson
  • Patent number: 4941826
    Abstract: Apparatus for machining a human tooth includes a rotary cutter that is moved along a predetermined path dictated by motor energizing signals. The cutter is moved vertically by one drive, laterally by another drive and in or out by a third drive. The apparatus is clamped selectively to the patient's jaw or to a model thereof. The dentist's manual work is actually done on a model, with the apparatus being secured to the model in a fixed position. The vertical drive, the lateral drive, and the in or out drive are energized in response to the dentist's manipulation of a joy stick to move the cutter along paths necessary to achieve the desired tooth configuration. A second joy stick is manipulated to vary the attitude of the cutter, about roll and/or pitch axes. Signals proportionate to the extent of each drive operator are delivered to a computer in the sequence and for the period during which the drives are activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1990
    Inventors: William Loran, Merritt A. Robinson
  • Patent number: 4893996
    Abstract: The disclosure is of a rotary internal combustion engine constructed in three sections, a compressor section, a combustion section and an expander section. Each of the compressor and expander sections includes male and female rotors with complementary, single turn lobe and groove in which gas, e.g. first an air-fuel mixture and then the combusted mixture, traverse the section. In a lubrication system, a shaft rotates in a cylindrical lubrication gallery. Oil is carried along a helical groove around and along the shaft to small passageways that carry the oil to the rotors of the compressor and expander sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1990
    Inventors: William Loran, Merritt A. Robinson
  • Patent number: 4848295
    Abstract: The disclosure is of an axial flow rotary internal combustion engine constructed in three sections, a compressor section, a combustion section and an expander section. The compressor section includes male and female rotors with complementary, single turn lobe and groove in which an air-fuel mixture is compressed and discharged from a port at the end of the groove as the port overtakes and traverses an arcuate intake port in the cylindrical combustion block, which is rotating at a slower speed. After the intake port is traversed and sealed off, an ignition port in the combustion chamber exposes a spark plug and the mixture is ignited. Substantially complete combustion takes place while the combustion chamber is sealed off and isolated. Then an entry port into the helical groove of female expander rotor overtakes and traverses an arcuate combustion chamber exhaust port and the combusted gases are discharged and expanded into the expander section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1989
    Inventors: William Loran, Merritt A. Robinson
  • Patent number: 4832302
    Abstract: A guitar mounted music holder provides an adjustable support device to hold and display sheet music or other material adjacent an acoustic-type guitar or other musical instrument. The music holder comprises a bracket member having a plate portion with a first edge conditioned for placement against the lower edge of the fret board of the guitar neck, and a hook element to securely clasp to the rim of the guitar body sound hole. The bracket member also includes an arm portion extending generally outward and away from said plate portion remote from said plate portion first edge, and an adjustable strap portion conditioned to extend from the bracket member to a peg or other attachment point on the guitar body. The music holder further includes an easel member which connects to the arm portion of the bracket member so that sheet music or other material can be placed beneath a clip on the easel and visually displayed to the guitar player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 23, 1989
    Inventors: Yohann Anderson, Merritt A. Robinson
  • Patent number: 4245522
    Abstract: A steering and control member including a cross member adapted for connection to a stem member, a pair of hand-grip-control members each formed from at least two molded members joined to one another, and each control member including an upper hand grip member connected to the cross member, a lower hand grip member spaced below the upper hand grip member and a control housing member connected to the upper and lower hand grip members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1981
    Inventor: Merritt A. Robinson
  • Patent number: 4242170
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for attaching a wire to a paper including a paper feed mechanism for feeding paper across a fabrication station, a wire feed mechanism coordinated with the paper feed mechanism for feeding wire across the fabrication station in conjunction with the paper, an applicator for applying glue to the wire and a joining mechanism for joining the wire to the paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1978
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1980
    Assignee: Duane E. Harrington
    Inventors: Duane E. Harrington, Merritt A. Robinson