Appeal No. 2006-0651
Application 10/050,061
THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a tuned mass damper designed to counteract
mechanical vibrations. Representative claims 5, 8 and 9 read as follows:
5. A tuned mass damper, comprising:
a mass having predetermined inertia properties; and
a plurality of isolators arranged in a hexapod configuration, each isolator having
at least a first end and a second end, each isolator first end coupled to the mass and
each isolator second end adapted to couple to a structure that may experience
vibrations at particular frequencies and at particular locations on the structure in six
independent degrees of freedom,
wherein each of the isolators, in combination with the mass, is configured to be
tuned independent of the other isolators to reduce a first particular frequency of the
vibrations experienced by the structure at a first particular location on the structure.
8. The damper of claim 5, wherein:
each isolator comprises a spring having an adjustable spring constant;
each isolator second end is adapted to couple to the structure at a predetermined
location thereon; and
each isolator is individually tuned by adjusting its spring constant and the
predetermined location on the structure to which its second end will couple.
9. The damper of claim 5, wherein each isolator comprises:
a tubular damping strut coupled between the isolator first and second ends;
a first spherical pivot coupled to the isolator first end; and
a second spherical pivot coupled to the isolator second end.
THE PRIOR ART
The references relied on by the examiner to support the final rejection are:
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