Patents Represented by Attorney Steven P. Koda
  • Patent number: 6236661
    Abstract: Portions of the internet are embedded onto a transportable media, then delivered periodically to subscribing clients. The contents are indexed to relate a given document to a URL and a time stamp. During on-line access to the internet, the transportable media serves as a read only cache. After issuing a command to view a document at a given URL, a test is performed to see if the document stored on the media is up to date. A command is sent over the internet to identify the date for the most recent update of the document. If the identified date is more recent then the corresponding time stamp, the media version is out of date. So the document is downloaded and displayed. If, however, the time stamp is the same or more recent then the identified date, the document as stored on the media is displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Acceleration Software International Corporation
    Inventor: Clinton L. Ballard
  • Patent number: 6220711
    Abstract: An augmented display includes an image display source and a silhouette display source. The image display source generates a virtual image to be perceived by a viewer. The silhouette display source occurs in the path of the background light. The silhouette display source generates a mask corresponding to the image content of the image display. The mask is a darkened area reducing or blocking background light. As the light from the virtual image is overlaid onto the background, there is less background light in the portion where the image appears.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Charles D. Melville
  • Patent number: 6204832
    Abstract: A point source array generates an array of output beams defining a plurality of image pixels. A microlens array receives the output beams and direct them toward desired pixel locations. Either one or both of the point source array and microlens array are scanned over time to form an image of pixels. An image is composed of an array of image portions. Each image portion includes a plurality of pixels. For each image portion, there is a corresponding point source of light and a corresponding microlens. The corresponding point source and microlens scan light within the area of the image portion to generate all of the pixels for such image portion. The microlens array is an integral array. Each lens moves together with each image portion being scanned concurrently by the microlens array an point source array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Charles D. Melville, Michael Tidwell, Richard S. Johnston
  • Patent number: 6204829
    Abstract: A scanned retinal display includes an optical scanning array to generate multiple exit pupils in conjunction with an eyepiece. The multiple exit pupils expand the effective exit pupil. As a user moves their eye the eye moves from one exit pupil to another. A scanning array creates the multiple exit pupils to maintain a clear line of sight for an augmented display. Also, a viewer's eye position is tracked. To achieve a larger effective exit pupil and the pin hole effect advantage of a small exit pupil, only one exit pupil of the multiple pupils is active to enter the user's eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Michael Tidwell
  • Patent number: 6191761
    Abstract: Apparent distance of a pixel within an optical field of view is determined. Incoming light is scanned along a raster pattern to direct light for a select pixel onto a light distance detector. The distance is sampled for each pixel or for a group of pixels. The light distance detector includes a concentric set of rings sensors. The larger the spot of light corresponding to the pixel, the more rings are impinged. The diameter of the spot is proportional to the distance at which the light originated (e.g., light source or object from which light was reflected). Alternatively, a variable focus lens (VFL) adjusts focal length for a given pixel to achieve a standard spot size. The distance at which the light originated correlates to the focal length of the VFL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Charles D. Melville, Michael Tidwell, Richard S. Johnston, Joel S. Kollin
  • Patent number: 6182050
    Abstract: Matching between advertisement and target consumer is achieved in a system which maintains consumer privacy. Such system includes computer end users, an advertising service provider and advertisers. Computer end users subscribe to the advertising service provider. The advertising service provider sells time or other accountable units to the advertisers. The advertiser provides the advertisement. Each advertisement has accompanying demographic information or a desired affinity ranking. The end user completes a demographic questionnaire and ranks various categories of products and services. The advertising service provider sends executable filter programs which run on the end user computer to test whether a corresponding advertisement is to be downloaded and displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Acceleration Software International Corporation
    Inventor: Clinton L. Ballard
  • Patent number: 6166841
    Abstract: The scanner includes a first spring plate and a second spring plate of common size and shape symmetrically aligned and spaced. A first reflective surface is located at an end of first spring plate. A counter balance mass is located at a corresponding end of the second spring plate. The first spring plate and counter balance mass have common mass and volume and are symmetrically aligned about an axis of symmetry. During a drive cycle, the first spring plate and second spring plate are deflected equally in opposite directions. The first reflective surface and counter balance mass move equally in opposite directions causing the respective movement of the first reflective surface to be counter balanced by the movement of the counter balance mass. The motion is driven by electromagnetic circuits or piezoelectric circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Charles D. Melville
  • Patent number: 6157930
    Abstract: WAN documents are stored locally in cache with a document expiration date. Ideally, content is unchanged prior to the expiration date and has changed after the expiration date. When requesting to view a WAN document while on-line, the document first is displayed from cache for display and verify mode. The web browser then sends a request to the web server to verify whether the document has been modified. If still valid, then the document is already displayed and time has been saved. If invalid, then the document is downloaded from the web server, stored in cache, and optionally or automatically displayed in place of the invalid document. A signal is communicated to the user, for example, to give the option to reload the document. Because document expiration times may be absent or unreliable, a soft and a hard expiration time are derived and adjusted dynamically based upon their reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Acceleration Software International Corporation
    Inventors: Clinton L. Ballard, Timothy W. Smith
  • Patent number: 6157352
    Abstract: A display device is achieved using a simplified optical system which generates an expanded exit pupil without compromising magnification or resolution. Modulated light from a source is converged toward a focal point by an optics subsystem. A scanning subsystem deflects the converging light, and thus the focal point, along a raster pattern to define a curved intermediate image plane. An exit pupil expanding apparatus defines a curved surface which coincides with the curved image plane. Impinging light rays at a given instant in time span a given incidence angle. Exiting light rays span a larger angle. As a result, the exiting light spans a larger surface area of an ensuing eyepiece. In turn an expanded exit pupil occurs beyond the eyepiece. Embodiments of the expanding apparatus include a curved diffractive optical element, fiber optic face plate, lens array and diffuser. The diffractive optical element generates multiple exit pupils, while the other embodiments generate enlarged exit pupils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Joel S. Kollin, Richard S. Johnston, Charles D. Melville
  • Patent number: 6154321
    Abstract: Light emitted from a virtual retinal display light source passes through a beamsplitter to a scanning subsystem and on to an eyepiece and the viewer's eye. Some of the light is reflected from the viewer's eye passing back along the same path. Such light however is deflected at the beamsplitter toward a photodetector. The reflected light is detected and correlated to the display scanner's position. The content of the reflected light and the scanner position for such sample is used to generate a map of the viewer's retina. Such map includes `landmarks` such as the viewer's optic nerve, fovea, and blood vessels. The map of the viewer's retina is stored and used for purposes of viewer identification. The viewer's fovea position is monitored to track where the viewer is looking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Charles D. Melville, Richard S. Johnston
  • Patent number: 6097353
    Abstract: A scanned beam tracking system is included in a virtual retinal display. An infrared light source generates light for scanning the viewer's environment in the direction the viewer is looking. A visible light source generates visible light which is scanned on a viewer's retina to generate a virtual image. A common scanning system is used to scan both the non-visible light and the visible light. The visible light is directed into the viewer's eye. The non-visible light is directed away from the viewer's eye into the environment. Infrared reflectors are positioned in the environment. When the infrared light from the virtual retinal display scans over a reflector the reflector directs the infrared light back toward the virtual retinal display. The current pixel of the scanning cycle when the infrared return light is detected corresponds to the position of the reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Charles D. Melville, Richard S. Johnston
  • Patent number: 6069725
    Abstract: Two piezoelectric sensors are mounted on the back of a spring-plate of a mechanical resonance scanner on respective sides of a center line coinciding with an axis of rotation. As the scanner mirror rotates back and forth the two sensors are accelerated and decelerated at a 180.degree. phase difference. Each sensor's output voltage crosses a zero level when the acceleration is unchanging. A differential amplifier detects the zero crossings for motion along the axis of rotation. Common mode rejection eliminates the non-rotational accelerations associated with external vibrations and shocks, and prevents masking the mirror's zero-crossings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Charles D. Melville
  • Patent number: 6061163
    Abstract: Two piezoelectric sensors are mounted on the back of a spring-plate of a mechanical resonance scanner on respective sides of a center line coinciding with an axis of rotation. As the scanner mirror rotates back and forth the two sensors are accelerated and decelerated at a 180.degree. phase difference. Each sensor's output voltage crosses a zero level when the acceleration is unchanging. A differential amplifier detects the zero crossings for motion along the axis of rotation. Common mode rejection eliminates the non-rotational accelerations associated with external vibrations and shocks, and prevents masking the mirror's zero-crossings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Charles D. Melville
  • Patent number: 6049407
    Abstract: A first piezoelectric actuator is located on a first support of a mirror. The first support is elongated having a first portion to one edge of the mirror and a second portion to an opposite edge of the mirror. The actuator drives mirror movement about a first axis of rotation which is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the first support. A second piezoelectric actuator is located on a second support of the mirror. The second support is elongated having a first portion to one edge of the mirror and a second portion to an opposite edge of the mirror. The second support is orthogonal to the first support. The second actuator drives mirror movement about a second axis of rotation which is orthogonal to the first axis of rotation and to a longitudinal axis of the second support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Charles D. Melville
  • Patent number: 6046720
    Abstract: A scanning display device directly scans a light source along at least one scanning path, rather than scanning a light beam emitted from such source along such scanning path. By scanning the light source a smaller, lighter weight scanner without a mirror can be used to achieve light source scanning along the desired scan path. A resonant cantilever translates one or more point sources (e.g., one for a monochromatic display; red, green and blue for an RGB display). The cantilever motion is driven by an electromagnetic drive circuit or by a piezoelectric drive actuator. The light source is one or more light emitting diode point sources, one or more a fiber optic point sources, or one or more light emitting polymer light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Charles D. Melville, Michael Tidwell
  • Patent number: 6042556
    Abstract: Phase of each transducer element of a high intensity focused (HIFU) transducer array is controlled to compensate for phase change introduced by varying velocity through differing tissue along a path towards a treatment volume. The echo of a specific harmonic of ultrasound pulses of moderate intensity and less than HIFU intensity are used to measure the propagation path transit time of each HIFU transducer element that will converge in a treatment volume through nonhomogeneous tissue. The moderate intensity is outside the linear region between molecular velocity fluctuations and pressure fluctuations. Thus, specific harmonic echoes are distributed in all directions from the treatment volume. Temporal delay in the specific harmonic echoes provide a measure of the propagation path transit time to transmit a pulse that will converge on the treatment volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Kirk W. Beach, Katherine G. Brown, Melani I. Plett, Michael J. Caps
  • Patent number: 6044439
    Abstract: Computer system activity is monitored to identify triggers. A trigger is an event or sequence of events which is a reliable predictor of the subsequent occurrence of a specific repeated disk-intensive interval. A disk-intensive interval is an interval of time in which disk read and/or disk write operations occur at a much greater than average rate. Once a trigger and a corresponding repeated disk-intensive interval are identified, a time log constructor is invoked. The time log rearranges the input/output for faster access and loading of the cache. This reduces disk drive latency. When the trigger is detected, instead of waiting for the data request the computer processes the time log to preload the disk data into cache in advance of the data request. When the data request occurs thereafter, the data is already present in the cache.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Acceleration Software International Corporation
    Inventors: Clinton L. Ballard, Timothy W. Smith
  • Patent number: 6043799
    Abstract: A scanned retinal display includes an optical scanning array to generate multiple exit pupils in conjunction with an eyepiece. The multiple exit pupils expand the effective exit pupil. As a user moves their eye the eye moves from one exit pupil to another. A scanning array creates the multiple exit pupils to maintain a clear line of sight for an augmented display. Also, a viewer's eye position is tracked. To achieve a larger effective exit pupil and the pin hole effect advantage of a small exit pupil, only one exit pupil of the multiple pupils is active to enter the user's eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Michael Tidwell
  • Patent number: 6007499
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for enabling substantially bloodless surgery and for stemming hemorrhaging. High intensity focused ultrasound ("HIFU") is used to form cauterized tissue regions prior to surgical incision, for example, forming a cauterized tissue shell around a tumor to be removed. The procedure is referred to as "presurgical volume cauterization." In one embodiment, the method is particularly effective for use in surgical lesion removal or resection of tissue having a highly vascularized constitution, such as the liver or spleen, and thus a propensity for hemorrhaging. In further embodiments, methods and apparatus for hemostasis using HIFU is useful in both surgical, presurgical, and medical emergency situations. In an apparatus embodiment, a telescoping, acoustic coupler is provided such that depth of focus of the HIFU energy is controllable. In other embodiments, apparatus characterized by portability are demonstrated, useful for emergency medical situations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Roy W. Martin, Lawrence A. Crum, Shahram Vaezy, Stephen J. Carter, W. Scott Helton, Michael Gaps, Peter J. Kaczkowski, Andrew Proctor, George Keilman
  • Patent number: 5995264
    Abstract: The scanner includes a first spring plate and a second spring plate of common size and shape symmetrically aligned and spaced. A first reflective surface is located at an end of first spring plate. A counter balance mass is located at a corresponding end of the second spring plate. The first spring plate and counter balance mass have common mass and volume and are symmetrically aligned about an axis of symmetry. During a drive cycle, the first spring plate and second spring plate are deflected equally in opposite directions. The first reflective surface and counter balance mass move equally in opposite directions causing the respective movement of the first reflective surface to be counter balanced by the movement of the counter balance mass. The motion is driven by electromagnetic circuits or piezoelectric circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventor: Charles D. Melville