With Element Casing Open Over Contact Track Patents (Class 338/161)
  • Patent number: 9396847
    Abstract: A resistor, resistor assembly, and a method of making them are described, with advantages over existing resistors, resistor assemblies, and methods. The resistor includes a helical resistor element wound on an insulator. The insulator has a regularly spaced plurality of teeth on each of two opposite sides, with the helical resistor element situated within the teeth. The insulator provides support for the helical resistor element without use of a separate core within the insulator. The resistor may be assembled by inserting two toothed insulator pieces into a helical resistor element and separating the two insulator pieces such that turns of the helical resistor element are within the teeth of the first and second insulator pieces. Alternatively, the resistor may be assembled by winding a helical resistor element onto a toothed insulator piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Vishay Dale Electronics, LLC
    Inventor: Daniel Featherstone
  • Patent number: 6078247
    Abstract: In conventional multi-direction input devices, the operating shaft is formed as a cylinder by machining using a lathe or the like, so that the machining takes a lot of time, resulting in a rather high cost.Disclosed is a multi-direction input device in which the operating shaft 14 is formed of a plate material by stamping using a press or the like, so that the operating shaft has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional configuration, where it is possible to produce a large number of operating shafts 14 in a short time and with high dimensional accuracy, therefore achieving a reduction is cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hisato Shimomura
  • Patent number: 5963124
    Abstract: A position sensor for sensing the position of an attached device. There is a housing having terminals and a cover attached to the housing. Resistors, conductors and conductive traces are located on the cover and electrically connected to the terminals. A rotor is positioned between the housing and the cover, and has a contactor mounted thereon for contacting the resistor and the conductor such that as the rotor rotates a resistance value indicative of the sensor position is varied. The cover has a terminal insert which connect between the conductive traces and the terminals. A leaf spring rotates the rotor back to a starting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: CTS Corporation
    Inventors: Gary L. Buss, John R. Gietzen, James E. Haugh, Murray Kaijala, William G. Osmer, John Zdanys, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5952912
    Abstract: Rotary potentiometers known in the art having sensitive adjustment of the control knob require a stepdown gearing and have differing moments of friction that vary between devices. By contrast, in a rotary potentiometer of this invention a control knob (3) is mounted on at least three balls (6) that move, guided by a cage disk (7), in a housing groove (8) formed by a radial wall (9) and an axial wall (10), against which the balls (6) are urged by a load pressure of a conical bearing surface (11 or 12) of the control knob (3). The radial and axial wall bearing surfaces have contact and resistive strips (13, 14) that are short circuited by the balls (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Preh-Werke GmbH & Co., KG
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Bauer, Reinhold Moret, Ulrich Brueggemann
  • Patent number: 5781100
    Abstract: A resistor substrate in which a resistor layer having an electroconductive powder and carbon fibers dispersed in a heat resistant resin is molded into a substrate comprising a heat resistant thermosetting molding material, and the surface of the resistor layer is in a mirror-finished state. The resistor substrate is manufactured by printing the resistor layer on a metal plate and heat-curing the same, molding the resistor layer formed on the metal plate in a die into a substrate shape with a heat resistant thermosetting resin and peeling the metal plate and transferring the resistor layer to the substrate molded from the heat resistant thermosetting resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hisasi Komatsu
  • Patent number: 5673015
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sliding type variable resistor in which the shaking of a knob portion is prevented, and in which the slider is able to slide smoothly. A sliding type variable resistor is provided having a structure comprising a resin substrate having a carbon film resistor printed on the surface in a straight line and lead terminals for external lines, a slider having a main body portion provided with a sliding shoe which slides in abutment against the carbon film resistor and a knob portion, and a frame body which holds the slider main body portion and the resin substrate inside and in which only the knob portion of the slider protrudes outside. A guide rail is provided in parallel to the sliding direction of the slider on the side surface of the frame body and a depressed part which is to be engaged with the above-mentioned guide rail is provided on the side surface of the slider main body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: Tubame Musen Inc.
    Inventors: Masao Imamura, Satoshi Hayasi
  • Patent number: 4977387
    Abstract: A potentiometer has a parallelepiped casing provided with recesses for fitting connecting terminals which are secured to the casing by plastically deformed studs projecting outward from the casing. Slots are formed in the casing so that the ends of the terminals may project into the casing and be deformed into contact with a resistive plate within the housing. The collector preferably comprises a plate substantially coextensive with one face of the parallelepiped housing, and which is secured to the housing by deformable flanges formed at its edges. A central hole formed in the housing constitutes a bearing for the rotor-actuated cursor. Assembly of the potentiometer may be performed continuously by assembling the terminals, cursors and collectors on a continuous band. The resistive plate is preferably obtained from an electrically insulating substrate on which a resistive paint is first applied and then a silver glaze, with intermediate drying phases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 11, 1990
    Assignee: Aragonesa de Componentes Pasivos, S.A.
    Inventor: Emelio C. Molia
  • Patent number: 4774490
    Abstract: In a rotary electric device such as a trimmer capacitor or a variable resistor comprising a rotor contained in a case which is provided with an opening for receiving a screwdriver for rotating the rotor from the outside with a clearance being defined between an edge defining the opening and the rotor, a cover sheet is formed in a state covering the clearance and bonded to both of the case and the rotor, whereby the rotary electric device is closed. When the rotor is rotated in an adjusting stage, the cover sheet is readily broken and respective broken and separated parts of the cover sheet are individually retained by the case and the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1988
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukihiro Azuchi
  • Patent number: 4426634
    Abstract: A variable resistance device wherein a slide member is disposed slidably within an elongated case, resistance and collector elements are disposed on an insulating substrate, and a contactor attached to the slide member rides over the resistance and collector elements. A common conductor and a pair of staggered change-over conductor strips are also disposed parallel to each other on the substrate, and a pair of change-over contactors engage with the common conductor and one of the change-over conductors, respectively. A pair of polar light source means disposed within the operating means of the slide member are connected in parallel with opposite polarity, and connected in common to the change-over contactors. One of the change-over contactors engages alternately with one or the other of the change-over conductors in accordance with the linear movement of the slide member, thereby the light source means changes its light alternately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1984
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutae Okuya, Yoshiyuki Ito
  • Patent number: 4404540
    Abstract: A slide rheostat wherein a movable insulating plate and a leaf spring which are centrally provided with holes for receiving a lever of a slide piece receiver are made unitary by mounting a flat portion of the leaf spring on the movable insulating plate by outsert molding, the unitary movable insulating plate and leaf spring have the lever inserted therethrough. Resilient protuberant pieces are disposed at the four corners of the flat portion of the leaf spring and held in resilient contact with the upper surface of the slide piece receiver, and the movable insulating plate is held in resilient contact with the upper rear surface of a case through the action of the leaf spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1983
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutae Okuya, Nobuaki Anzai
  • Patent number: 4369424
    Abstract: A slide rheostat comprising a metal case whose lower surface is open and which is formed with a longitudinal slot in its upper surface portion, an insulating frame which includes an upper surface portion sufficiently larger in width and length than the slot and a pair of elastic engaging pieces slightly inclining outwardly of its end surface portions, an insulating substrate on which an elongate resistor and an elongate collector are formed, a slider which includes elastic metal members adapted to slide in contact with the resistor and the collector respectively, and an insulating slider carrier to which the slider is fastened. When the frame, the slider carrier and the insulating substrate are assembled with the case, the resistor and the collector are shielded from the slot of the case by the upper surface portion of the frame. The slide rheostat is installed on a mounting plate by snapping the elastic engaging pieces of the frame into a hole provided in the mounting plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1983
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 4274074
    Abstract: Disclosed is a variable resistor of the slide type incorporating a pair of resistor units carried on the same base plate and disposed in parallel with respect to each other. A plurality of conductive taps angle outwardly from a resistance member provided in each of the resistor units and a pair of sliders can be slidingly moved along and in contact with the series of the plurality of conductive taps in the pair of conductor units, respectively, but do not contact the resistance members directly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1979
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1981
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nozomu Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 4200780
    Abstract: An electronic amusement game incorporating manually operated control circuit devices. A control panel in the game housing is formed with slots through which operating handles of the devices project. A circular protective cover is rotatably mounted between the device and inside surface of the panel. The operating handle projects through a radial slot formed in the cover so that linear movement of the handle rotates the cover. In all positions of the handle the cover provides a shield beneath the panel slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1978
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1980
    Assignee: Atari, Inc.
    Inventor: John V. Romano
  • Patent number: 3996550
    Abstract: A slidable avriable resistor to be used in television receiver and in stereophonic set comprises a lower case member of an insulating material having a resistor member and a conductor on it disposed in lengthwise direction, a upper metallic cover having a long opening in lengthwise direction at the top of the cover, a slidable member of an insulating material with an arm projecting through the opening from the top of the slidable member having a brush extending from the lower side of the slidable member and sliding on the resistor and the conductor for electric conduction, and a flat rectangular plate of insulating material slidably disposed through a passage in the slidable body. By this construction should any metallic piece enter through the opening, the metallic piece is prevented from making contact with the resistor member or the conductor. Thus unexpected electric shock or damage can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1975
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1976
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Yano, Shozo Watanabe