Building Materials Investment Corporation

Simply Sound

Steven D Kerr

Sudhir B Railkar

Matti Kiik

Margie Ann Beerer

An asphalt-based shingle is formed with a substrate saturated with asphalt, an asphalt coating on the saturated substrate, and a top film bonded to the surface of the asphalt coating covering at least a portion of the shingle to be exposed when installed. The top film may be configured to mimic the appearance of traditional clay granules on the shingle or another shingle surface. More specifically, the top film is printed or coated with an image that mimics the appearance of a clay granule bed and is embossed, pressed, or molded to mimic the texture of a clay granule bed. The top film is UV resistant to protect the asphalt below from deterioration. An anti-stick film may be bonded to the back of the shingle to prevent shingles from sticking together when stacked into a bundle. A method of fabricating the shingle may include applying pre-fabricated film to the shingle substrate during shingle manufacturing or extruding a polymer film onto the substrate and subsequently printing and embossing the film during shingle manufacturing.

Shingle with film covered surfaces

An electronic percussion instrument includes a chair having a seat, a first arm disposed on one side of the seat, and a second arm disposed on an opposite side of the seat. A set of piezoelectric triggers is arrayed along each of the first and second arms and the triggers are positioned to be struck by the thumbs of a percussionist while sitting on the seat of the chair. The triggers are connected to an electronic drum machine. Sequential striking of the triggers with the thumbs of a percussionist sitting in the chair causes corresponding percussion sounds to be played by the electronic drum machine. Additional triggers are disposed on the floor and can be struck with the feet of the percussionist to produce additional percussion sounds. Thus, drum rhythms can be played easily and naturally while sitting in the chair.

Electronic percussion instrument

A passive personal vocal monitor is described for enhancing the sound of a singer's voice to the singer during a performance. The monitor has an earpiece with a nipple configured to be disposed snuggly within the singer's ear and having an internal channel terminating in an open end adjacent the singer's eardrum. A tubular acoustic waveguide extends from the earpiece to an open end that is positionable adjacent the singer's mouth when the nipple is in the singer's ear. A canal in the earpiece couples the tubular waveguide to the channel of the nipple so that sounds of the singer's voice are conveyed along the waveguide and to the user's eardrum during a singing performance. An adjustable ambient sound inlet is provided on the earpiece so that a singer may admit a desired amount of ambient sound to be mixed with his voice as he sings.

Growing community of inventors

Atlanta, GA, United States of America

Steven D Kerr