Other

Motorola Corporation

Oneac Corporation

Synchro-start Products, Inc.

Amphenol Corporation

Extel Corporation

Vanguard Research Associates, Inc.

Melvin A Lace

Thomas McCartney

Ephraim Broyer

George Smejkal

Raj B Patel

Fernand Flavien Pelletier

Gannady Volkov

Lawrence W Markus

Mark Stanford

Richard J Bellet

Alex Y Bekker

A voltage compensation system for an A.C. power line supplying one or more air conditioners, a telephone system or other telecommunication system, a battery charger, or some other utilization system that should have an input voltage within a given normal range. The voltage compensation system includes a transformer unit containing a transformer having at least two windings coupled electromagnetically by a transformer core; one of those windings preferably is in two segments that are connectable in series or in parallel. One winding is connected to an input terminal and to an output terminal. The other winding adds to the A.C. line voltage when the line voltage drops below a low voltage threshold and/or subtracts from the line voltage when the A.C. line voltage exceeds a high voltage threshold. If the A.C. line voltage is in the range required by the utilization system, the other transformer winding is effectively shorted out or otherwise disconnected. In automated versions, a line voltage sensor actuates a switching circuit to effect the desired compensation action. The voltage compensation system may handle under-voltage conditions, over-voltage conditions, or both. For chronic under-voltage or over-voltage conditions, direct winding connections may be employed instead of relays.

Voltage compensation system

A voltage compensation device for a two-conductor A.C. power line supplying one or more air conditioners, a telephone system or other telecommunication system, or some other utilization system that requires an input voltage within a given range. The device includes a transformer having electromagnetically coupled primary and secondary windings with the primary and secondary each connected to at least one output terminal. One winding is connected to add voltage to the A.C. line voltage when the line voltage drops below a given low voltage threshold, and in bucking (subtractive) relation when the A.C. line voltage exceeds a given high voltage threshold. When the A.C. line voltage is in the range required by the utilization system, the one winding is effectively shorted out or otherwise disconnected. A sensor for the line voltage actuates one or more relays connected to the transformer to effect the desired compensation action. The voltage compensation device may handle either under-voltage conditions or over-voltage conditions, or both. In one embodiment the one winding is split to afford two levels of voltage compensation both for under-voltage and over-voltage conditions.

Voltage compensation device

A signal blender that combines the pickup signals generated by three pickups for a musical instrument (e.g., a guitar) in plural combinations and multiple amplitudes to develop a blend signal. The device comprises a main blending resistance with plural connection taps, one for each pickup when the main resistance is a complete 360.degree. ring, one more tap if the main resistance is less than 360.degree.. Each pickup is connected to a tap. A rotary contact engages the main resistance to generate the blend signal; the blend signal is applied to an output amplifier.

Signal blender for three or more musical instrument pickups

An electrical connector jack for a conventional two-conductor electrical connector plug; the plug is inserted into the jack in a given direction to connect a signal source to an amplifier with minimal or no noise when the connection is made. The plug has concentric electrically isolated tip and ring electrodes, with the tip projecting beyond the ring in the direction of insertion. The jack includes two signal contacts (one may be grounded) engageable individually with the tip and ring electrodes of the plug when the plug is fully inserted into the jack; these signal contacts are electrically connected to a signal source such as a guitar pickup. A shorting contact engages and interconnects the tip and ring electrodes until the plug is fully inserted. The signal contacts and the shorting contact may have a common insulator support.

Electrical connector jack

Surge protection for a data transmission line, typically a telephone line including two data signal conductors, incorporates a primary protector circuit for high voltage, high energy surges and a secondary protector circuit for low voltage surges. The primary protector circuit includes a normally non-conductive 'breakdown' or 'crowbar' device having a high breakdown voltage, a solid-state triac, or a thyristor, driven conductive by a surge exceeding its breakdown voltage; the crowbar device is connected from one or both conductors to ground. An inductance is connected in the circuit to extend the time in which the circuit reduces a surge to near zero voltage, and thus dissipates power from the surge. The second protector circuit includes at least one avalanche diode, Zener diode, or other threshold device in parallel with the primary protector circuit. The threshold device(s) in the secondary circuit have thresholds much lower than the primary breakdown voltage; typical values are ten to seventy volts for the threshold devices and two to three hundred volts for the primary breakdown devices. In all instances, impedances, particularly resistances, in series in the data signal conductors are avoided. The spacing between the primary and secondary protector circuits is at least two meters.

Surge protection for data lines

An electromagnetic pickup for a musical instrument, such as a guitar, strung with ferromagnetic strings, comprises an elongated laminated ferromagnetic (steel) core long enough to span all of the strings; there are at least four and usually six thin steel laminations in the core. An electrical pickup coil is wound in a coil form, usually plastic, that encompasses the core, and a vertically magnetized main permanent magnet engages the bottom edge of the core. The magnet is preferably formed of a resin impregnated with magnetic particles, is magnetized transversely, and maintains the core at a given polarity. A housing encloses the core, the coil, and the main magnet and provides for mounting the pickup in spaced relation to the strings so that the magnetic field encompasses the strings and string movement generates electrical signals to the coil. Preferably, there are additional permanent magnets to shield the sides of the core. Dual-coil humbucker embodiments of the pickup are described.

Electromagnetic pickup for a plural-string musical instrument

An electromagnetic pickup for a musical instrument (e.g. a guitar) having a plurality of ferromagnetic strings coplanar and parallel with each other, the pickup being adapted to be mounted adjacent to but spaced from the strings includes an elongated electrical pickup coil having a longitudinal central opening, the opening having a length at least as great as the span S of the strings. The pickup also includes an elongated main permanent magnet having a length L such that L&gt;S and an elongated ferromagnetic shell having a length at least as great as S. The main permanent magnet, the pickup coil, and the shell are assembled together in an electromagnetic pickup assembly in which at least one side of the pickup coil is enclosed by the shell, and the main permanent magnet is parallel to the central opening of the coil; the assembly generates a magnetic field which encompasses at least one portion of the pickup coil. A housing mounts the pickup assembly on the musical instrument with the top of the coil facing the instrument strings, which intercept a portion of the magnetic field.

Electromagnetic musical pickups with central permanent magnets

An electromagnetic pickup for a musical instrument, such as a guitar, strung with ferromagnetic strings, comprises an elongated ferromagnetic (steel) core of U-shaped or double U-shaped transverse cross-section. An electrical pickup coil in a non-magnetic coil form encompasses one core leg; transversely magnetized main permanent magnets engage the top edges of the core legs. The magnets, which may be integral with each other, are preferably formed of a resin impregnated with magnetic particles; they maintain adjacent core legs at opposed polarities. The main magnets may be mounted in or on the top of a housing that encloses the core and the coil; the housing provides for mounting the pickup in spaced relation below the strings so that the pickup produces a magnetic field that encompasses the strings and string movement generates electrical signals in the coil. There may be additional permanent magnets to shield the coil. Dual-coil humbucker embodiments of the pickup are described. Frequency response, 'sustain', signal-to-noise, and amplitude characteristics of the pickup are varied by selection of thickness and material of core members, by the shield magnets, by the size of wire used in the coil, and by the compositions and magnetization patterns of the main permanent magnets.

Electromagnetic musical pickup having U-shaped ferromagnetic core

An electromagnetic pickup assembly for a musical instrument, such as a guitar, strung with ferromagnetic strings, comprises an elongated high permeability ferromagnetic (steel or iron) core long enough to span all of the strings. An elongated, annular electrically conductive pickup coil is wound in a coil form, usually plastic, that encompasses the core. An elongated, unitary, annular permanent magnet closely encompasses all sides of the coil; it is transversely magnetized to maintain the core and the coil in a magnetic field of a given polarity. There is no permanent magnet engaging the core. A housing or other mounting is used to mount the core, the coil, and the permanent magnet in spaced relation to the strings so that the pickup generates a magnetic field that encompasses all of the strings, whereby movement of any string or combination of strings generates electrical signals in the coils. The housing may include a steel shell around the permanent magnet.

Electromagnetic musical pickup with wraparound permanent magnet

An electromagnetic pickup assembly for a musical instrument, such as a guitar, strung with ferromagnetic strings, comprises two elongated high permeability ferromagnetic (steel or iron) cores each long enough to span some but not all of the strings; preferably, there are several thin steel laminations in the core. Two electrically conductive pickup coils are wound in coil forms, usually plastic; one such coil form encompasses each core. There are two vertically magnetized main permanent magnets, each having a high energy product (BxH); each main magnet engages the bottom edge of one core and maintains that core at a given polarity. A housing or other mounting members mount the cores, the coils, and the main permanent magnets in spaced relation to the strings so that the pickup generates two magnetic fields that, together, encompass all of the strings, whereby movement of any string or combination of strings generates electrical signals in the coils. Auxiliary permanent magnets of low energy product (BxH) material shield the sides of the cores and their coils; one such auxiliary permanent magnet may shield both cores.

Electromagnetic musical pickup using main and auxiliary permanent magnets

An add-on device that modifies the operating characteristics (e.g., amplitude, frequency response, 'sustain') of the output signal of an electromagnetic pickup for a stringed musical instrument, such as a guitar with steel strings; the modification device includes one or more transversely magnetized thin, flat permanent magnets. The signal modification device covers most or all of the top surface of an electromagnetic pickup. In one form the signal modification device comprises a thin, flat permanent magnet member formed of resin impregnated with particulate permanent magnet material and magnetized transversely to its thin dimension, either uniformly or in a predetermined pattern; in another form the device includes one or more discrete thin, flat permanent magnets for each instrument string, mounted on a base sheet that may also have permanent magnet characteristics or that may be non-magnetic. The add-on device may include one or more mounting elements for mounting it on a pickup; in the simplest form the mounting element may comprise a rim or one or more steel plates. The steel plate(s) may also function to modify the output signal of the pickup.

Add-on modification device for string instrument pickup

A connector guard is provided for a telephone line overvoltage protection device of the type having a plurality of terminals for electrical and mechanical connection with a telephone connector block. The connector guard comprises a housing including a plurality of walls extending in an axial direction between a first end and a second end. The housing is formed of electrically insulative material. The housing walls define a plurality of terminal receiving channels that extend between the first and second ends of the housing. The terminals are slideably inserted into the channels from the first end and are retained in snap-fit engagement with the housing. The housing walls electrically insulate adjacent ones of the terminals. The connector guard channels are dimensioned to provide contact pressure on the terminals to maintain effective electrical connections. The connector guard is dimensioned to facilitate electrical testing access to the terminals.

Connector guard for a telephone line overvoltage protection device

Overvoltage protection arrangements are provided for a pair of telephone lines effective for suppressing noise and transient voltage signals occurring above data and voice signals carried on the telephone lines and that avoids current flow between the telephone lines responsive to common mode voltage signals on the lines so that audible hum is avoided. The overvoltage protection arrangements include first voltage clamping circuitry for clamping voltage signals on the lines at a first predetermined voltage potential and second voltage clamping and filter circuitry for clamping voltage signals on the lines at a second predetermined voltage potential and for filtering noise and transient signals from the voltage signals only when the voltage signals exceed the second predetermined voltage potential. The second voltage clamping circuitry substantially avoids current flow between the lines responsive to common mode voltage signals on the lines.

Telephone lines overvoltage protection apparatus

A surge/transient protector for an N-line data cable (e.g., N=16) or other group of N data lines having two data conductors and a return conductor for each line includes individual conductor segments for each data line conductor; conventional multi-pin connectors are used to connect the protector in series in the lines. The protector has a positive bus, a negative bus, and a ground bus; each data conductor segment is coupled by a pair of oppositely polarized diodes to the positive and negative buses, and each return conductor is coupled to the reference bus by two oppositely connected diodes. Two large capacity energy storage devices (e.g. 10,000 microfarad capacitors) are connected between the reference bus and the positive and negative buses, each paralleled by a Zener diode to establish a discharging threshold just slightly greater than one-half the voltage range for the data lines. There are also N gas tubes, each connected between two data conductor segments and ground, and N supplemental energy storage devices, which may be metal oxide varistors functioning as large, threshold-limited capacitors; all of the protector apparatus, including a power supply, is mounted in one compact housing, with the two large-capacity energy storage devices serving all of the data lines.

Surge/transient protector for a plurality of data lines

An electroplating apparatus for high-speed electroplating a cathodic strip of metal passed therethrough. The apparatus includes an elongated cell subdivided into a plurality of sub-cells defined by bottom and side walls and slotted partition walls for passage of the strip from one sub-cell to the next. Each sub-cell is provided with a pair of anodes, and means are provided for circulating electrolyte continuously in and through each sub-cell. The elongated cell is mounted within a surrounding sump tank which functions to collect and remove the overflowing electrolyte. The anode pairs present in each sub-cell are preferably activated in time sequence, proceeding from one end to the other of the cell.

Growing community of inventors

Prospect Heights, IL, United States of America

Melvin A Lace