Did You Know...
...Chester Carlson was a patent agent who tired of having to make multiple copies of patent applications using the only duplication method available at the time: carbon paper. In 1959 he came up with a new copying system and took it to IBM for evaluation. The "experts" at IBM determined potential sales to be only 5,000 units because people wouldn't want to use a bulky machine when they had carbon paper. Carlson's invention was the xerography process, the company founded on the system is Xerox.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8106277 | Sound generating instrument A sound generating instrument having at least three resonant struts, each resonant strut having a length, terminal ends, longitudinal axis along said length and cross section. At least nine tension elements are provided causing the resonant struts to be compressivel... | 01/31/2012 |
| 7612272 | Xylophone A xylophone has a frame, multiple spacers, multiple bars, multiple sleeves and multiple fasteners. The frame has two panels and multiple supports. Each support is attached between the two panels and has a top surface and a trough. The trough is longitudinally formed... | 11/03/2009 |
| 7534948 | Method and apparatus for a device to create a musical noise A musical instrument that having a shaker that is adapted to house a plurality of impact particles. The instrument employs a spring mass system where the mean mass of the impact particles provide a force due to the accelerations as the impact the lower portion of th... | 05/19/2009 |
| 7534949 | Acoustic sculpture An acoustic sculpture 10 having a main frame structure 12 including an upper support member 14 and a lower support member 16, and a plurality of tube assemblies 24 of varied mass. A tube assembly 24 includes a vertical chime... | 05/19/2009 |
| 7405351 | Event activated wind chime system and method of use An event activated wind chime system and method of use are disclosed. In one form, an event activated wind chime system includes a wind chime assembly including at least one wind chime element proximally located to a striker operable to contact the wind chime elemen... | 07/29/2008 |
| 7336157 | Illuminated wind indicator An illuminated wind indicator that provides visual indication of wind motion even at night. One or more chime members and a pendulum assembly are suspended from a support or housing, and arranged so that the chime members and the pendulum assembly are capable of col... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7252571 | Deer rattle A device for the simulation of the sound of interacting antlers which comprises a plurality of bound rods encircling a cam rod, and wherein the cam rod is attached to a crank, and wherein the crank extends from its attachment to the cam rod to facilitate manipulatio... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7220904 | Bell and clapper for bells A clapper for a bell is hollow on the inside for receiving objects, such as a personal dedication. The clapper may also be provided with a coating for damping the volume of the bell strike, or at least change the sound. ... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7211720 | Adjustable bass drum beater A bass drum beater may include a shaft having a length, a beater head fixable to a selected position along the length, and a connector engageable to the beater head and to the shaft to secure the position. The beater head may form an angle with respect to the shaft ... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7180248 | Inductively coupled ballast circuit A ballast circuit is disclosed for inductively providing power to a load. The ballast circuit includes an oscillator, a driver, a switching circuit, a resonant tank circuit and a current sensing circuit. The current sensing circuit provides a current feedback signal... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7161078 | Bass mallet percussion instrument This disclosure relates to a bass mallet percussion instrument which is physically compact as compared to previous instruments, where percussion bars are removeably fixed above a resonance box that is divided into a plurality of resonance spaces, and the resonance s... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7084743 | Machine for automated generation of movement of chimes A machine for automated generation of movement of chimes with a base, an power source in the base electromagnetically connected to a post, chimes disposed about the post for receiving electromagnetic energy, a control circuit for generating intermittent electric pow... | 08/01/2006 |
| 6995308 | Electric keyboard assembly and method of manufacturing weight members provided in keyboard assembly There is provided an electric keyboard assembly having a construction which is capable of reducing a height of a keyboard and at the same time facilitating key scaling to key-touch response while maintaining the degree of freedom in designing the keyboard. A key is ... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6872118 | Game call device A frictional-type game calling apparatus, wherein a striking plate is adapted to be frictionally contacted by a striker for reproducing the mating, gathering, and feeding calls of wild turkeys. The present apparatus and method allows for easy, one-handed operation, ... | 03/29/2005 |
| 6838604 | Wooden bars arranged for percussion instruments A prescribed number of bars are arranged in a percussion instrument such as a xylophone and marimba, wherein each bar is formed by a base layer, a fiber reinforced plastic layer, and a surface layer that are combined together using an epoxy adhesive therebetween. Bo... | 01/04/2005 |
| 6833502 | Wind chime apparatus A wind chime constructed according to the invention includes a rotating wind bell apparatus having a downwardly opening bell that is adapted to be suspended from a separate support structure. A bell-striking mechanism in the form of a striker is suspended movably fr... | 12/21/2004 |
| 6768416 | Machine for automated generation of movement of chimes A machine for automated generation of movement of chimes with a base, an power source in the base electromagnetically connected to a post, chimes disposed about the post for receiving electromagnetic energy, a control circuit for generating intermittent electric pow... | 07/27/2004 |
| 6664457 | Percussion instrument aid The present invention, a percussion instrument aid is useful to aid in the creation of acoustic vibrations, or more generally, music. The subject instrument includes a striking pad and a striking tip, positioned distally on a lever arm. Further, the lever... | 12/16/2003 |
| 6640742 | Device for producing signal tones by means of chimes suspended from a shared oscillating carrier plate The invention relates to known signal appliances comprising chime tubes which are fixed in a circle and chime by means of a centrally mounted, motor-driven striking element. The aim of the invention is to use a novel arrangement that omits striking elemen... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6489546 | Musical instrument and method of making same There is provided a musical instrument according to the present invention having body wall with a single welded seam on the underside opposite the striking or playing side. This construction method allows for a vibrating surface of continuing proportions ... | 12/03/2002 |
| 6441284 | Vertical draft random chiming mechanism A powered random chiming mechanism, related to the traditional outdoor wind chime that includes a body (10) by which a pendulum (20) is suspended centrally to a plurality of chimes (11a). A fan (14), integral to the device, generates a vertically rising c... | 08/27/2002 |
| 6392129 | Musical instrument and method of making same There is provided a method for producing a musical and/or toy shaker made with a thermoplastic material. The shaker is injection or blow molded in the form of a substantially continuous body that defines an internal, hollow portion. In addition, the body ... | 05/21/2002 |
| 6365810 | Shaker instrument There is provided a shaker instrument having a single, contiguous body with a sounding chamber that is in communication with an elongated hollow neck or handle. The hollow handle has an opening or aperture through which a fill material may be introduced t... | 04/02/2002 |
| 6346664 | Knockdown hand bell Knockdown hand bell including two casings, a ram body and a hook member. The ram body serves to hit the casings and create a sound. The hook member serves to hook the ram body. The casings have multiple patterns and are replaceably mated with each other t... | 02/12/2002 |
| 6328626 | Game call apparatus A game call having a striking member and a body member, the body member forming an enclosure about a central cavity and having a pair of opposing edges defining a longitudinal opening that is contiguous with the central cavity. The body member has an inne... | 12/11/2001 |
| 6271449 | Musical instrument There is provided a musical instrument having a tubular body and a handle. The tubular body has an annular wall that defines a sound chamber. The handle is designed to shelter the hand of the player or serve as a mounting for use with a mounting cradle. T... | 08/07/2001 |
| 6169237 | Scratch board musical instrument and playing implement A scratch board musical instrument (1) and playing implement (2) having a playing surface (5) with a plurality of horizontal ripples, ridges and valleys (8, 6, 7), a border (9) surrounding the playing surface and a handle (4) on one side for holding the m... | 01/02/2001 |
| 6112382 | Combination lawn/garden ornament and cremation container A combination lawn/garden ornament and cremation container comprises a decorative structure adapted to be displayed outdoors on a lawn or in a garden of a loved one of a deceased and an openable and closable compartment adapted to contain cremated remains... | 09/05/2000 |
| 6103962 | Hummingbird wind chime with horizontal wind baffle and rigidly attached striker A wind chime, which includes an annular array of chimes, a superior horizontal wind baffle positioned above the chime array, a striker, positioned below the wind baffle. The wind baffle is positioned beneath a commercially available hummingbird feeder. Hu... | 08/15/2000 |
| 6011206 | Musical instrument--the ribbon harp The ribbon harp is a mouth-blown musical instrument consisting of a thin ribbon-like textile or polymeric object. When held between the thumbs and blown on by mouth, the ribbon harp vibrates in the audible frequency range and produces a musical note. The ... | 01/04/2000 |
| 6005177 | Handchime with damper block A handchime includes a main tube with a clapper assembly for striking one of two tines at the end of a tubular body. An elastomeric damper block is fitted in compression between the inside surfaces of the side walls of the tine which the clapper strikes. ... | 12/21/1999 |
| 5986194 | Handchime instrument A hand held musical instrument is capable of emitting sound through the combination of three elements: a hollow tube, a striking member, and a hinge to secure the striking member to the tube. The hollow tube is constructed of an ergonomic shape that allow... | 11/16/1999 |
| 5980056 | Outdoor lighting fixture providing audio and visual effects An outdoor lighting fixture for providing coordinated visual and audio effects which includes a first housing adapted to be carried by a ceiling support, an electric light source mounted in the housing for directing light downwardly therefrom and a plural... | 11/09/1999 |
| 5955125 | Confectionary holder The present invention relates to a confectionary holder which simulates the sound of rain as the holder is vertically positioned. The holder comprises a transparent tube having ends, two sides, and at least two sets of indents directed inward toward the c... | 09/21/1999 |
| 5925838 | Musical device with undamped sound A musical device includes a mounting base, a plurality of sound producing bodies, and a plurality of striking mechanisms for striking the sound producing bodies to create a melody. Each striking mechanism includes two striking arms, each for striking a re... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5744736 | Windchimes An improvement to windchimes is provided which comprises a supporting bracket. A cluster of chimes with different notes are hanged under the peripheral edge of the supporting bracket. Characterized in that an electric powered main pendulum is hanged under... | 04/28/1998 |
| 5648624 | Wind chime having a rotating striker A wind chime having a rotating striker. A rotating member is suspended from the striker. The rotating member is actuated by air currents or wind, which in turn, effect rotation of the striker. The striker strikes a multiplicity of chimes, producing musica... | 07/15/1997 |
| 5612500 | Music bell A music bell has a dangling member surrounded by a plurality of bell plates. The upper end of the dangling member links an annular chain, and the lower end of the dangling member connects a bob vane. All the bell plates have various thickness. The upper e... | 03/18/1997 |
| 5569867 | Musical education toy A musical education toy capable of receiving balls in a prearranged order, separating them according to size, and then guiding them to corresponding xylophone bars in order to play selected tunes. The toy has a track on which to place a plurality of balls... | 10/29/1996 |
| 5550319 | Decorative display and ornament therefor A display, such as a Christmas display, comprises a plurality of ornaments (14), each including a striker (18), a pair of bells (26, 27) disposed in spaced relation from the striker (18) and a means (46) responsive to an electrical signal from a control u... | 08/27/1996 |
