Patents Represented by Attorney Leading-Edge Law Group, PLC
  • Patent number: 8291677
    Abstract: Drainage under a deck can be performed by a structure that includes hanging components and corrugated panels. For example, a hanging component can have connected first and second portions, with the first portion being connected to hang from one of the joists and extending downward to where it connects to the second portion, which is below the joist. The second portion can be connected to support of at least one of the panels from above. The upper surfaces of panels are sloped so that drainage occurs from a high part to a low part. The direction of slope and the direction of corrugations are not perpendicular, and can be approximately the same. The hanging components can, for example, be L-shaped brackets, U-shaped, or inverted T-shaped, and can be integrally formed by extrusion of plastic or can be metal. The panels can be corrugated plastic or metal sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Onduline
    Inventors: John D. Adair, Jr., L. Paul Nelson, II
  • Patent number: 8176644
    Abstract: An archery sight can include a scope with a Venturi-like inner opening, smaller in diameter at a narrow position and increasing in diameter toward each end, to provide a circular field of view through a range of off-axis angles. Archery sights with pins, such as extending into a scope, can include sight pin components that include bodies, tube-like parts extending to sight pin ends, optical fibers in the bodies and tube-like parts, and flexible, light-transmissive tubing that engages the bodies and surrounds the fibers along most of their exterior length. Each tube-like part can be attached to its body by inserting it into a portion of the body that surrounds it and then bending the portion of the body to produce one or more bends or kinks but without reducing inside diameter, so that a fiber can then be threaded through the tube-like part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Inventors: Gregory E. Summers, Daniel Edward Ellgass
  • Patent number: 8171648
    Abstract: An archery sight can include a scope with a Venturi-like inner opening, smaller in diameter at a narrow position and increasing in diameter toward each end, to provide a circular field of view through a range of off-axis angles. Archery sights with pins, such as extending into a scope, can include sight pin components that include bodies, tube-like parts extending to sight pin ends, optical fibers in the bodies and tube-like parts, and flexible, light-transmissive tubing that engages the bodies and surrounds the fibers along most of their exterior length. Each tube-like part can be attached to its body by inserting it into a portion of the body that surrounds it and then bending the portion of the body to produce one or more bends or kinks but without reducing inside diameter, so that a fiber can then be threaded through the tube-like part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Inventors: Gregory E. Summers, Daniel Edward Ellgass
  • Patent number: 8161656
    Abstract: An archery scope includes a housing open at both ends and having a longitudinal axis. The housing has a tapered inner surface defining a narrow portion intermediate the ends of the housing. The tapered narrow portion provides a Ventrui-like effect where the interior of the housing appears substantially circular when viewed from various angles relative to the housing axis. A sight assembly is adjustably connected with the narrow portion of the housing inner surface and includes a ring having a diameter corresponding with an inner diameter of the housing and a sight portion coaxial with the ring and housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Inventor: Daniel E. Ellgass
  • Patent number: 7993215
    Abstract: A golf club head can, for example, include a striking component with a forward surface to strike golf balls and an arrow-like component, such as a stylus, behind the forward surface; a user can see the arrow-like component pointing approximately in an optimal direction for striking a ball. Also, in addition to a front part with a forward surface between its lateral ends, a club head can include two parts that extend rearward from the lateral ends and support a weight part at a distance from the forward surface. Also, to prevent twisting about a lateral center of mass when a ball is hit, the front part can include upper and lower lobe-like portions with connections at their lateral ends and with a less connected region between, such as a gap or a thin connecting portion. A hosel can be connected to the upper lobe-like portion between the end connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Inventor: Marc T. Rentz
  • Patent number: 7950201
    Abstract: Drainage under a deck can be performed by a structure that includes hanging components and corrugated panels. For example, a hanging component can have connected first and second portions, with the first portion being connected to hang from one of the joists and extending downward to where it connects to the second portion, which is below the joist. The second portion can be connected to support of at least one of the panels from above. The upper surfaces of panels are sloped so that drainage occurs from a high part to a low part. The direction of slope and the direction of corrugations are not perpendicular, and can be approximately the same. The hanging components can, for example, be L-shaped brackets, U-shaped, or inverted T-shaped, and can be integrally formed by extrusion of plastic or can be metal. The panels can be corrugated plastic or metal sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: OFIC North America Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Adair, Jr., L. Paul Nelson, II
  • Patent number: 7833800
    Abstract: Thermal sensing devices can include two subsets of thermal sensors connected in a bridge by circuitry on the same support layer or surface with the sensors. Each thermal sensor can be formed in a patterned layer of semiconductor material, and the bridge circuitry can include leads formed in a patterned layer of conductive material, over or under the semiconductor layer. In one implementation, the bridge circuitry includes conductive portions that extend across and electrically contact the lower surface of each sensor's semiconductor slab. The bridge circuitry can also include pads that can be electrically contacted, such as by pogo pins. The device's reaction surface can be spaced apart from or over the thermal sensors. The device's components can be shaped and positioned so that the bridge's offset voltage is below the sensitivity level required for an application, such as by left-right symmetry about an axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Alan Bell, Richard H. Bruce, Eric Peeters, Michal V. Wolkin, Dirk De Bruyker
  • Patent number: 7784173
    Abstract: A layered structure is produced on a support structure's surface. The layered structure can include a component that responds electrically to thermal signals, such as a thermistor, and can also include a layer part that has a printed patterned artifact such as an uneven boundary or an alignment. A layered structure can be produced by depositing a layer of material, printing a mask, and removing the exposed part of the layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Michal V. Wolkin, Ana C. Arias
  • Patent number: 7786430
    Abstract: Layered structures such as photosensing arrays include layers in which charge carriers can be transported. For example, a carrier-transporting substructure that includes a solution processing artifact can transport charge carriers that flow to or from it through charge-flow surface parts that are on electrically conductive regions of a circuitry substructure; the circuitry substructure can also have channel surface parts that are on semiconductive channel regions, with a set of the channel regions operating as acceptable switches in an application. Or a first substructure's surface can have carrier-active surface parts on electrode regions and line surface parts on line regions; a second substructure can include a transport layer on carrier-active surface parts and, over it, an electrically conductive layer; to prevent leakage, an open region can be defined in the electrically conductive layer over the line surface part and/or an electrically insulating layer portion can cover the line surface part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael L. Chabinyc, Tse Nga Ng
  • Patent number: 7771803
    Abstract: Various structures, such as microstructures and wall-like structures, can include parts or surfaces that are oblique. In some implementations, a cantilevered element includes a spring-like portion with a uniformly oblique surface or with another artifact of an oblique radiation technique. In some implementations, when a deflecting force is applied, a spring-like portion can provide deflection and spring force within required ranges. Various oblique radiation techniques can be used, such as radiation of a layer through a prism, and structures having spring-like portions with oblique radiation artifacts can be used in various applications, such as with downward or upward deflecting forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Jurgen Daniel, David K. Fork, Armin R. Völkel
  • Patent number: 7763856
    Abstract: An excitation component or arrangement can provide excitation to a moving object so that information is encoded in time variation of light emanating from the object. For example, in each of a sequence of segments, it can provide a respective non-binary excitation spectrum, and the spectra can be different with a non-interference-like transition between them; because the object emanates light differently in response to the different spectra, photosensing results can be obtained that include encoded information about the object. The non-binary spectra could be different intermediate intensities, such as different gray levels or different intensities of one color or could be different colors. The excitation can be provided in a pattern with non-interference-like transitions between regions, and object motion can also be controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Peter Kiesel, Markus Beck, Michael Bassler, Noble M. Johnson
  • Patent number: 7755156
    Abstract: A layered structure can include laminated first and second substructures and an array with cell regions. The first substructure can include layered active circuitry, the second a top electrode layer. One or both substructure's surface that contacts the other can be on a polymer-containing layer, structured to generate free charge carriers and/or to transport charge carriers. A cell region of the array can include portions of each substructure; the cell region's portion of the first substructure can include a subregion of electrically conductive material and a subregion of semiconductive material, its portion of the second can include part of the top electrode layer. The layered structure can include one or more lamination artifacts on or in the polymer-containing layer; the lamination artifacts can include artifacts of contact pressure, or heat, or of surface shape, and the interface surface can be without vias.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael L. Chabinyc, Tse Nga Ng
  • Patent number: 7754492
    Abstract: Thermal detectors and thermal sensing cells can include a region of a support layer or support structure. Within the region can be reaction surfaces or other reaction regions, as well as contact pads and circuitry connecting the contact pads to other components. Also, a cell region can include a structure with reaction regions, contact pads, and control/detection circuitry connected to the contact pads; the control/detection circuitry controls occurrence of reactions in response to control signals, such as by drop merging, and also allows electrical detection of thermal signals from the reaction regions. The control/detection circuitry can include reaction control components such as drop merger electrodes and also thermal sensors such as thermistors, or it can include control/sensor elements such as semiconductor slabs that perform both functions. Each cell in an array can have control/detection circuitry that does not extend or connect outside the cell except through contact pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Alan Bell, Richard H. Bruce, Eric Peeters
  • Patent number: 7727768
    Abstract: A method for detecting chemical reactions uses a nanocalorimeter having a substrate including thermal isolation capability residing on the substrate, thermal equilibration regions residing within the thermal isolation capability, and thermal measurement capability residing within each of the thermal equilibration regions. The thermal measurement device is connected to detection electronics. The method includes depositing drops of potentially reactive chemical solutions within the thermal equilibration region. These potentially reactive solution drops are merged through the use of drop merging electrodes residing within the thermal isolation region. The thermal change occurring within the merged solution drops is then measured with the detection electronics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Alan G. Bell, Richard H. Bruce, Scott A. Elrod, Eric Peeters, Francisco E. Torres
  • Patent number: 7718948
    Abstract: To monitor light pulses from a light source, such as a laser, sense signals are provided to a photosensing component or array, causing photosensing during a series of one or more sense periods for the light pulse. Each light pulse can be provided through a transmission structure, such as a layered structure, that provides output light with an energy-dependent position on the photosensing component. A pulse's sensing results can be used to obtain a set of one or more differential quantities; for example, with a photosensing array, two cells of the array can be read out and compared. For a narrow band light pulse, a transmission structure can provide a spot on the photosensing component, and the light spot position can be sensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Peter Kiesel, Oliver Schmidt
  • Patent number: 7710371
    Abstract: Cells can include variable volumes defined between a flexible structure, such as a polymer layer, and a support surface, with the flexible structure and support surface being attached in a first region that surrounds a second region in which they are unattached. Various adhesion structures can attach the flexible structure and the support surface. When unstretched, the flexible structure can lie in a flat position on the support surface. In response to a stretching force away from the support surface, the flexible structure can move out of the flat position, providing the variable volume. Electrodes, such as on the flexible structure, on the support surface, and over the flexible structure, can have charge levels that couple with each other and with the variable volume. A support structure can include a device layer with signal circuitry that provides a signal path between an electrode and external circuitry. One or more ducts can provide fluid communication with each cell's variable volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Ping Mei, Jurgen Daniel, James B. Boyce, Kathleen Dore Boyce, legal representative, Jackson Ho, Rachel Lau, Yu Wang
  • Patent number: 7701590
    Abstract: Response to light with laterally varying photon energy distribution is based on position, such as position on a detector of a respective light spot or intensity maximum for a wavelength or photon energy subrange. A layered structure such as a coating over the detector can produce the laterally varying distribution, such as due to a laterally varying transmission property. A differential output or quantity can be obtained using sensing results from the detector and can then be used to monitor a light source's wavelength. The light source can, for example, be a pulsed or continuous laser, in which case an optical component between the light source and the detector can be structured to prevent inhomogeneities such as speckle and also reflection back to the laser that could cause feedback. A tunable light source can be tuned in response to positions at which its light is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Peter Kiesel, Oliver Schmidt
  • Patent number: 7701580
    Abstract: A filter arrangement can transmit and/or reflect light emanating from a moving object so that the emanating light has time variation, and the time variation can include information about the object, such as its type. For example, emanating light from segments of a path can be transmitted/reflected through positions of a filter assembly, and the transmission functions of the positions can be sufficiently different that time variation occurs in the emanating light between segments. Or emanating light from a segment can be transmitted/reflected through a filter component in which simpler transmission functions are superimposed, so that time variation occurs in the emanating light in accordance with superposition of two simpler non-uniform transmission functions. Many filter arrangements could be used, e.g. the filter component could include the filter assembly, which can have one of the simpler non-uniform transmission functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael Bassler, Markus Beck, Peter Kiesel, Alex Hegyi, Tobias Buergel, Noble M. Johnson
  • Patent number: 7654254
    Abstract: Bowstring release is accomplished with systems, apparatus, devices, products, and methods. A system can, for example, include a release component that can hold and release bowstrings, a light component that can emit light, and a connecting component that can connect the release component and the light component. The light component can, for example, emit predominantly blue, green, or red light to preserve night vision. The release and light can be connected by a handle structure with two telescoping parts whose length can be adjusted to fit one's hand. A bowstring release can pivot or be fixed in position relative to a handle structure. A glove-like structure can have a finger opening and an attached tube-like structure adjacent to the finger opening; in use, the tube-like structure contains the handle structure, which is held by fingers extending through the finger opening. The handle structure can also fit into a concho-type grip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Inventors: Marc T. Rentz, Gregory E. Summers, Randy V. Summers
  • Patent number: 7633629
    Abstract: A tunable optical cavity can be tuned by relative movement between two reflection surfaces, such as by deforming elastomer spacers connected between mirrors or other light-reflective components that include the reflection surfaces. The optical cavity structure includes an analyte region in its light-transmissive region, and presence of analyte in the analyte region affects output light when the optical cavity is tuned to a set of positions. Electrodes that cause deformation of the spacers can also be used to capacitively sense the distance between them. Control circuitry that provides tuning signals can cause continuous movement across a range of positions, allowing continuous photosensing of analyte-affected output light by a detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Peter Kiesel, Oliver Schmidt, Michael Bassler, Uma Srinivasan