Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm David A. Tucker
  • Patent number: 6406017
    Abstract: In a recording medium transportation apparatus that transports a recording medium held attracted to a belt by air suction, the recording medium can be transported stably with generation of curling at the side end of the recording medium suppressed. A plurality of suction holes generating suction force by air suction are formed at the belt. A plurality of suction holes extending in one row over the belt running direction form hole rows. Each hole row is set to be located corresponding to the width dimension of a paper sheet of the size of A3, B4, A4, B5 defined by the Japanese Industrial Standard and post card. When a sheet of respective size is placed on the belt, the side end of the width direction is drawn by suction holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Yaneda
  • Patent number: 6403040
    Abstract: The main object of the present invention is to provide an ionizer that has been improved to allow reduction of ripples and of balance shift without degrading the capability of an ionizer. A grounded ground electrode that makes contact with the ions for capturing a portion of the ions is provided in the vicinity of a discharge electrode. Means for changing the area of contact between ground electrode and the ions is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Sasakura, Yasuo Mizokoshi
  • Patent number: 6397089
    Abstract: A portable terminal device includes a connector connected to a mobile telephone terminal device providing a signal that changes its output depending upon whether power is turned on or not, a power-on detection device connected to the connector, a power supply circuit under control of the power-on detection device, and a data communication device receiving power supply from the power supply circuit, and under control of the output of the power-on detection device. The data communication device includes a processor that activates system software when power supply is initiated. The system software activates communication software in response to an output of the power-on detection device. The portable terminal device can include a data adapter unit coupled between the data communication device and the connector. The data adapter unit may have power controlled by the output of the power-on detection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Kabe
  • Patent number: 6396960
    Abstract: An image composite processing method for composing a plurality of images, each having a duplicate portion, into a single composite image based on a retrieved duplicate portion, wherein the duplicate areas of every two adjacent composite subject images are compared and one of the duplicate areas is adopted based on the comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideyoshi Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 6391821
    Abstract: An oxidation catalyst according to the present invention is prepared, for example, by heat processing a gold compound at 150° C. to 80° C., yielding ultrafine gold particles, which are then mixed with a palladium compound and a compound containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkaline metals and the elements of Groups IIA, IIIA, VIA, IIB, VB, and VIII of the Periodic Table. By an oxidation reaction between a benzyl compound such as p-xylene and a carboxylic acid such as acetic acid in the presence of oxygen and the oxidation catalyst prepared as above, a benzyl ester such as p-methylbenzyl acetate or p-xylylene diacetate can be produced. Consequently, it is possible to provide an oxidation catalyst suitable for use in industrially producing the foregoing benzyl esters, a method of preparing the foregoing oxidation catalyst, and a method of producing the foregoing benzyl esters efficiently and at low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuuichi Satoh, Jun Tatsumi, Toshiya Iida, Toshio Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6388416
    Abstract: A motor current detection amplifier detects a motor current's areas in two phase periods with reference to a motor voltage. A controlling microcomputer computed the ratio of the motor current areas of the two phase periods and provides the same as phase difference information which is in turn used to control a motor drive voltage to apply a sine wave of a predetermined period to the motor's coil to allow 180°-driving including a sine wave conduction resistant to noise and achieving a reduced cost hike.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaji Nakatani, Hideshi Ohtsuka
  • Patent number: 6380090
    Abstract: A method and a structure for protecting a work piece in a semiconductor manufacturing process includes a cassette for mounting therein the work pieces and a sheet piece for shielding the work pieces; and a working platform for mounting thereon said cassette. Furthermore, there is a lid covering the working platform in order to prevent a contaminant from entering the cassette during the semiconductor manufacturing process so that the gate oxide loss of every wafer in the cassette will be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Winbond Electrinics Corp
    Inventors: Mei-Hui Sung, Shih-Kuan Tai
  • Patent number: 6362812
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: a key input section having a plurality of keys; a first display section for displaying a display data; a first display control section for controlling the first display section; a communication section for transmitting the display data to a display device, the display device being separable from the electronic device and including a second display section for displaying the display data and a second display control section for controlling the second display section; a main data memory for storing a main data; a table memory for storing a table of key names in association with the keys; a key name memory for storing, as a key name data, a key name retrieved from the table memory when a key corresponding to the key name is pressed; and a main control section for allowing the first display section and the second display section to display data which are stored in the main data memory and in the key name memory, via the first display control section and the second display control se
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuya Shiraki, Masanori Sano
  • Patent number: 6362803
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel including a signal side substrate having an arrangement of a plurality of signal electrodes, a scanning side substrate positioned opposite to the signal side substrate and having an arrangement of a plurality of scanning electrodes crossing the plurality of signal electrodes, a liquid crystal layer positioned between the signal side substrate and the scanning side substrate, and a signal side driving circuit and a scanning side driving circuit for applying driving pulse voltage signals for displaying data to the plurality of signal electrodes and the plurality of scanning electrodes, respectively for driving these electrodes. When data is displayed, at least one of the driving pulse voltage signals is provided with a correction pulse voltage signal such that the effective voltage value of each part of the liquid crystal display panel attains an optimum level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Tomomura, Tahei Nakaue, Nobuaki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6357861
    Abstract: To provide an image forming device for forming images by stably supplying a developing agent in a high density cloud form and by controlling the flight/non-flight at a low voltage and in which the influence of the position of the control electrodes upon the accuracy is less. A developing agent carrier carries a developing agent T which is charged to a given polarity. The developing agent is placed in a electric field for causing the developing agent to fly in a direction of an arrow, which is formed by an opposing electrode (not shown) so that it forms images upon a recording medium (not shown) which is moving on the opposing electrode. A first and second control electrode layers are provided between the opposing electrode and a developing agent carrier. Control electrodes which control the passage of the developing agent through the gates of respective layers are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Adachi Katsumi
  • Patent number: 6356325
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal cell including homeotropic alignment films which are provided on substrates interposing an N-type nematic liquid crystal layer on the liquid crystal layer side; a pair of polarizing plates provided so as to interpose the liquid crystal cell; and a phase difference compensation element provided between at least one of the pair of polarizing plates and the liquid crystal cell, wherein one principal axis of three principal axes of an index ellipsoid of the phase difference compensation element is inclined from a normal to a surface of the liquid crystal cell, and a refractive index along the one principal axis is smaller than a refractive index along another principal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Fumikazu Shimoshikiryo
  • Patent number: 6330048
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is provided, in which a liquid crystal layer made of liquid crystal having negative dielectric anisotropy is provided in a gap between a pair of substrates each having an electrode, wall-shaped convex portions are provided so as to surround display pixels on at least one of the substrates, a homeotropic alignment film is provided on a surface of each of the substrates contacting the liquid crystal layer, liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are aligned substantially in a direction perpendicular to the pair of substrates when a voltage is not applied, and the liquid crystal molecules are axially symmetrically aligned in each of the display pixels formed by opposing portions of the electrodes when a voltage is applied. In this device, the gap between the substrates is maintained by spacers dispersed on one of the substrates after the alignment film is formed, and the number of spacers in each of the display pixels is zero or one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Shiomi, Takako Adachi
  • Patent number: 6327227
    Abstract: A magnetic recording-reproduction apparatus in accordance with the present invention, which carries out recording and reproducing processes on and from a magnetic recording-reproducing medium on which a perpendicular magnetic recording layer made of a ferrimagnetic material whose magnetic compensation temperature is set to approximately room temperature is formed, is arranged so that the length direction of the main magnetic pole of the head is made coincident with the information track direction. The magnetic recording-reproduction apparatus is also provided with a recording-reproducing magnetic head constituted by at least two single magnetic pole heads that are aligned side by side, and a means for raising the temperature of one portion of the magnetic recording-reproducing medium facing the main magnetic pole of each single magnetic pole head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Katayama
  • Patent number: 6324351
    Abstract: In an image-forming section, a communication device is attached to the top surface of a developing cartridge that is detachably attached to a developing device, and a main body side communication device is attached to a copying machine main body in a manner so as to face the top portion of the communication device. When a loading operation of the developing cartridge to the copying machine main body is carried out, the main body side communication device detects this operation, and sends an electric wave for an electrical supply to the developing cartridge. The communication device transmits individual information of the developing cartridge by means of radio waves, and the main body side communication device receives, demodulates and reads this information. Based upon the results thereof, it makes a judgment as to conformity and suitability of the developing cartridge, and displays the results of the judgement or gives a warning as to the results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Kurimoto, Syouichi Fujita, Hirofumi Sakita, Hideji Saiko
  • Patent number: 6320378
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for generating and displaying undistorted images of a field of view containing undesirable motion and/or time varying magnetic field inhomogeneities, uses a time series of magnetic resonance (MR) image signals, corresponding to a time series of MR images, generated by a single-shot imaging technique without shot-to-shot phase encoding. Signals are stored and analyzed to identify missing and/or deteriorated images (including image portions, image lines or image line segments). Identified missing and/or deteriorated images are compensated for by replacement, repair or otherwise. MR image signals representative of a specified time series are selected. Then, selected signals of corresponding portions of the field of view are averaged. The invention may be used to present: a continuously updated time series of images; a time series of images with only a specified portions of the image updated in each display; or an entire time series of images re-created in any desired sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Brigham & Women's Hospital
    Inventors: Stephan E. Maier, Ferenc A. Jolesz, Daniel F. Kacher
  • Patent number: 6319741
    Abstract: A Ni film for a ground metal film is formed on an insulating substrate by direct current magnetron sputtering process, which prevents occurrence of minute protrusions on a surface of the ground metal film. Next, a Ni film is patterned into a specified interconnection form to obtain a patterned Ni film. Then, an anti-corrosive Au film having low resistance is formed on the patterned Ni film by electroless plating process. Further, an inexpensive Cu film having low resistance is formed on the Au film by electroplating process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Izumi, Yoshimasa Chikama
  • Patent number: 6313895
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a reflecting plate having excellent reflecting characteristics and a reflection type liquid crystal display apparatus having an improved display quality. A mask has a plurality of basic uneven spot patterns for individual pixels, and two or more uneven regions for at least one basic uneven spot pattern are formed. Any two of the two or more uneven regions appear at least in a relation of parallel displacement in which the uneven spot patterns are displaced in parallel with each other, among relations of parallel displacement, rotational displacement and reversal of uneven spot pattern, and the uneven regions are irregularly arranged. A reflecting plate and a reflection type liquid crystal display apparatus both having convexes are manufactured by an exposure of a photosensitive resin film using the mask. Even in the case where an exposure step is repeated in different positions, no seam is observed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Tsuda, Mariko Ban, Naofumi Kimura, Seiichi Mitsui
  • Patent number: 6311025
    Abstract: To meet a main unit downsized and provided with a lot of functions and an interchangeable part made to be versatile by simplification of manufacturing work, thereby preventing increase of the manufacturing cost and decrease of practical utility. When a toner cartridge is mounted to a developing section, a detecting electrode contacts the surface of a first dielectric layer at a position opposed to a pattern electrode of a recognizing portion, and a return electrode of a detecting section contacts the surface of the first dielectric layer at a position opposed to an entire electrode of the recognizing portion. The first dielectric layer is interposed between the detecting electrode and the pattern electrode, and the first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer are interposed between the return electrode and the entire electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Nagata, Toshihide Morimoto, Hisashi Kunihiro, Hideaki Hagihara
  • Patent number: 6308023
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus has a display device which displays the information item as to image magnification conversion with a key set for setting the condition as to the magnification conversion in the approximately central area in the background frame. Further, the information item as to image density conversion with a key set for setting the condition as to the image density conversion in the approximately lower left area in the background frame. Arranged further in the approximately upper left area in the background frame are keys for commanding image processes including a duplex mode key and an edition mode key. The information items with key sets are adapted to be depicted with a color which is modified as to brightness and/or chroma from the green hue of the background frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuo Nomura, Kouki Fukuda
  • Patent number: 6298024
    Abstract: A controller instructs a spindle motor to start rotating, and instructs a servo control section to start a focus servo control. When a light beam crosses information tracks on an optical disc with a rotation of the optical disc, an amplitude indicating signal generating section detects changes in the amplitude of a readout signal output from an optical pickup. A disc type identifying section identifies types of optical discs having different track pitches of the information tracks in starting the rotation of each optical disc based on the peak value and bottom value or the amplitude of the readout signal. Consequently, the types of optical discs having different information recording densities, particularly different track pitches, can be identified at an early stage without waiting for reproduction of information recorded on each optical disc. It is therefore possible to shorten the time for starting an optical disc device, or prevent an increase in the starting time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaru Nomura