US4378552A — Acoustic encoding apparatus

Claim 1

Independent Claim 181 words

An apparatus for generating a code representative of a mechanical motion comprising: a member for transmitting vibratory energy, said member having respective sides in relation to a midpoint of the member; means for inducing vibratory energy within said member in response to said mechanical motion, said inducing means being operable at a plurality of positions spaced along said respective sides of the member and at least a pair of said positions being in lateral symmetry about the midpoint, the vibratory energy forming separate wave fronts travelling in diverging directions; means operatively connected to said member for transducing said wave fronts into signals with an elapsed time therebetween, vibratory energy induced at symmetrical positions giving rise to identical elapsed times; and means connected to said transducing means to generate from said elapsed times a discrete output representative of occurrence of the mechanical motion at each of said positions, said output generating means including discriminating means responsive to signals from positions on a particular one of said respective sides and effective to provide a different output for each position of a symmetric pair.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 181 words

An apparatus for generating a code representative of a mechanical motion comprising: a member for transmitting vibratory energy, said member having respective sides in relation to a midpoint of the member; means for inducing vibratory energy within said member in response to said mechanical motion, said inducing means being operable at a plurality of positions spaced along said respective sides of the member and at least a pair of said positions being in lateral symmetry about the midpoint, the vibratory energy forming separate wave fronts travelling in diverging directions; means operatively connected to said member for transducing said wave fronts into signals with an elapsed time therebetween, vibratory energy induced at symmetrical positions giving rise to identical elapsed times; and means connected to said transducing means to generate from said elapsed times a discrete output representative of occurrence of the mechanical motion at each of said positions, said output generating means including discriminating means responsive to signals from positions on a particular one of said respective sides and effective to provide a different output for each position of a symmetric pair.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 32 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said signals are a leading signal transduced from a first arriving wave front and a following signal transduced from a second arriving wave front.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 14 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said member is an elongated member.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 15 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said elongated member is a cylindrical rod.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 15 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said cylindrical rod is made of metal.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 18 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 3 further including a pair of transducers equally spaced from said midpoint.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 56 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said output is in code form and said transducers are at the ends of said elongated member and said means included in said output means are responsive to one of said pair of transducers and effective to provide different codes for said symmetrical positions with identical elapsed times.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 28 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said transducing means includes a pair of transducers operatively connected to said member at unequal distances from said inducing means.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 15 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said transducers are of a piezoelectric material.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 19 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means to generate an output includes an electronic timing device.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 82 words

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said electronic timing device comprises a counter with code-form output, a clock source for operating the counter at a predetermined rate, means initiating counting by the counter at the predetermined rate in response to a leading signal transduced from the first arriving wave front and means operatively connected to the counter and effective to capture the then existing code-form output of said counter in response to the following signal transduced from the second arriving wave front.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 36 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 1 together with a depressible key, said mechanical motion arising upon a depression of the key and the said output being a code representative of said depression of the key.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 19 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said inducing means includes a striker for impacting said elongated member.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 21 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said striker impacting said elongated member produces an audible vibration within said member.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 39 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said striker includes a resilient elongated wire rigidly supported at one end and having a free end striking said elongated member in response to deflection and release of said free end.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 46 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein said inducing means is a flexible steel spring mounted for movement from a relaxed first position to a flexed second position and return toward said first position for striking said elongated member in response to said key depression.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 21 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein said inducing means includes means for guiding said movement of the steel spring.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 164 words

In a keyboard having at least two keybuttons, a device for providing a signal representative of the keybutton which is activated, which device comprises: a member for transmitting vibratory energy, said member having a midpoint; means activated by said keybuttons for imparting vibratory energy to said member at a different location for each keybutton, at least a pair of said locations being symmetrically disposed about said midpoint; means for detecting said transmitted energy at two spaced apart points and having the outputs thereof coupled to means for providing a signal representative of the difference in time of arrival of said transmitted vibratory energy at said detection means, said symmetrically-disposed pair of locations yielding identical differences in time of arrival, and means coupled to the detecting means at one of said two points and operable to modify said representative signal in response to detection of transmitted energy by the detecting means at said one point, whereby a unique signal is obtained for each keybutton activated.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 164 words

In a keyboard having at least two keybuttons, a device for providing a signal representative of the keybutton which is activated, which device comprises: a member for transmitting vibratory energy, said member having a midpoint; means activated by said keybuttons for imparting vibratory energy to said member at a different location for each keybutton, at least a pair of said locations being symmetrically disposed about said midpoint; means for detecting said transmitted energy at two spaced apart points and having the outputs thereof coupled to means for providing a signal representative of the difference in time of arrival of said transmitted vibratory energy at said detection means, said symmetrically-disposed pair of locations yielding identical differences in time of arrival, and means coupled to the detecting means at one of said two points and operable to modify said representative signal in response to detection of transmitted energy by the detecting means at said one point, whereby a unique signal is obtained for each keybutton activated.

Claim 21

Independent Claim 176 words

An apparatus for a keyboard having at least two depressible keys, the apparatus operable to generate a unique code representative of each key, comprising: an elongated member for transmitting acoustic energy, said elongated member having a midpoint defining first and second halves of the member; a striker corresponding to each said key and spaced along said elongated member in symmetric pairs about said midpoint, each said striker being adapted to impact said member and induce acoustic energy therein in response to depression of the corresponding key and the induced acoustic energy forming separate wave fronts travelling in diverging directions; means operatively connected to said elongated member for transducing said wave fronts into a leading and following signal with an elapsed time therebetween, each symmetric pair producing equal elapsed times; and means connected to said transducing means to generate therefrom said unique code representative of each key, said code generating means including discriminating means providing a different code in response to production of said leading signal by strikers along said first of the halves of the member.

Claim 22

Independent Claim 176 words

An apparatus for a keyboard having at least two depressible keys, the apparatus operable to generate a unique code representative of each key, comprising: an elongated member for transmitting acoustic energy, said elongated member having a midpoint defining first and second halves of the member; a striker corresponding to each said key and spaced along said elongated member in symmetric pairs about said midpoint, each said striker being adapted to impact said member and induce acoustic energy therein in response to depression of the corresponding key and the induced acoustic energy forming separate wave fronts travelling in diverging directions; means operatively connected to said elongated member for transducing said wave fronts into a leading and following signal with an elapsed time therebetween, each symmetric pair producing equal elapsed times; and means connected to said transducing means to generate therefrom said unique code representative of each key, said code generating means including discriminating means providing a different code in response to production of said leading signal by strikers along said first of the halves of the member.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 49 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein said transducing means includes a pair of transducers operatively connected to said elongated member at spaced apart locations and said striker corresponding to each key having a different location along said elongated member with unequal distances from said pair of transducers.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 28 words

The apparatus as defined in claim 20 wherein said discriminating means are responsive to production of said leading signal by a discrete one of said pair of transducers.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 159 words

In a keyboard having at least two keybuttons, a device for providing a signal representative of the keybutton which is activated, which device comprises: a member for transmitting vibratory energy, said member having a midpoint, a plurality of means activated by said keybuttons for imparting vibratory energy to said member, said means being disposed along said member about said midpoint with at least one of said plurality on an opposite side thereof, and each said means being at a discrete distance from said midpoint; means for detecting said transmitted energy at two spaced apart points in a temporal sequence determined by location of said activating means relative to said midpoint, said detecting means having respective outputs coupled to means for providing a signal representative of the difference in time of arrival of said transmitted vibratory energy at said detecting means, whereby a unique signal is obtained for each keybutton activated, said signal providing means operating independently of said sequence.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 159 words

In a keyboard having at least two keybuttons, a device for providing a signal representative of the keybutton which is activated, which device comprises: a member for transmitting vibratory energy, said member having a midpoint, a plurality of means activated by said keybuttons for imparting vibratory energy to said member, said means being disposed along said member about said midpoint with at least one of said plurality on an opposite side thereof, and each said means being at a discrete distance from said midpoint; means for detecting said transmitted energy at two spaced apart points in a temporal sequence determined by location of said activating means relative to said midpoint, said detecting means having respective outputs coupled to means for providing a signal representative of the difference in time of arrival of said transmitted vibratory energy at said detecting means, whereby a unique signal is obtained for each keybutton activated, said signal providing means operating independently of said sequence.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 27 words

A keyboard as defined in claim 22, wherein said plurality of means are disposed along said member in substantially equal numbers to each side of said midpoint.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 189 words

A keyboard as defined in claim 22, wherein said vibratory energy is acoustic energy, said signal is a unique code representative of the keybutton activated, said member is elongated and rectilinear, with said midpoint defining first and second halves of the member; said keybutton activated means comprises a plurality of strikers, one corresponding to each said keybutton and substantially half of the strikers being present in each said half of the member, each said striker being adapted to impact said member in response to activation of the corresponding keybutton and the resultant acoustic energy forming separate wave fronts travelling in diverging directions; said detecting means comprise first and second means operatively connected to a respective end of said member for transducing said wave fronts into a leading and a following signal with an elapsed time therebetween; and said signal providing means are connected to said transducing means and include means to generate said unique code representative of each key from said elapsed time, said code generating means being effective when said leading signal is transduced by said first transducing means and also when transduced by said second transducing means.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 22 words

The apparatus defined in claim 24, wherein said code generating means includes an OR-gate input from said first and second transducing means.

Claim 30

Independent Claim 159 words

An apparatus for generating signals representative of a mechanical motion comprising: a member for transmitting vibratory energy, said member having a midpoint; a plurality of means for imparting vibratory energy to said member, each selectively activatable in response to said mechanical motion, said means being disposed adjacent said member with each being at a discrete distance from said midpoint and at least one of said plurality being on an opposite side of said midpoint, means for detecting said transmitted energy at two spaced apart points in a temporal sequence determined by location of said activating means relative to said midpoint, said detecting means having respective outputs; means connected to said outputs for providing a signal representative of the difference in time of arrival of said transmitted vibratory energy at said detecting means, whereby a unique signal is obtained upon each selective activation of one of said plurality of means, said signal providing means being operative irrespective of said sequence.

Claim 31

Independent Claim 159 words

An apparatus for generating signals representative of a mechanical motion comprising: a member for transmitting vibratory energy, said member having a midpoint; a plurality of means for imparting vibratory energy to said member, each selectively activatable in response to said mechanical motion, said means being disposed adjacent said member with each being at a discrete distance from said midpoint and at least one of said plurality being on an opposite side of said midpoint, means for detecting said transmitted energy at two spaced apart points in a temporal sequence determined by location of said activating means relative to said midpoint, said detecting means having respective outputs; means connected to said outputs for providing a signal representative of the difference in time of arrival of said transmitted vibratory energy at said detecting means, whereby a unique signal is obtained upon each selective activation of one of said plurality of means, said signal providing means being operative irrespective of said sequence.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 27 words

An apparatus as defined in claim 26, wherein said plurality of means are disposed along said member in substantially equal numbers to each side of said midpoint.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 145 words

An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein said vibratory energy is acoustic energy, said signal is a unique code representative of the selected one of said plurality of means, said member is elongated and rectilinear, said plurality of energy imparting means comprises a number of strikers, each said striker being adapted to impact said member in response to said mechanical motion and the resultant acoustic energy forming separate wave fronts traveling in diverging directions; said detecting means comprise first and second means operatively connected to a respective end of said member for transducing said wave fronts into a leading and a following signal with an elapsed time therebetween; and said signal providing means include code generating means responsive to said elapsed time and effective when said leading signal is transduced by said first transducing means and also when transduced by said second transducing means.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 22 words

The apparatus defined in claim 28, wherein said code generating means includes an Or-gate input from said first and second transducing means.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1986-03-28	1986-09-27	1987-03-29	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1990-03-28	1990-09-27	1991-03-29	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1994-03-28	1994-09-27	1995-03-29	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Acoustic encoding apparatus

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag