Patents Examined by Aung Moe
  • Patent number: 7095992
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a phase locked loop (PLL) includes an open loop test and a closed loop test. The open loop test includes providing an optimal control input to a controlled oscillator (CO) of the PLL; determining rate of output oscillation of the CO based on the optimal control input; comparing the rate of the output oscillation with rate of an optimal output oscillation; and when the comparing the rate of the output oscillation with rate of the optimal output oscillation is unfavorable, adjusting an oscillation point of the CO until the comparing is favorable to produce an open-loop adjusted CO oscillation point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Hea Joung Kim, Brima B. Ibrahim
  • Patent number: 7095440
    Abstract: Operation for global electronic shutter photodiode-type pixels. In a first mode of operation, lag is reduced through global reset of the photodiode array and fixed pattern noise is eliminated through comparison of the photosignal level and the reset level of the floating drain. In a second mode of operation, simultaneous integration and readout processes are achieved through cessation of spill charges over the transfer gate. In a third mode of operation, regulation of the reset photodiode and transfer gate enables voltage gain between the photodiode and the sense node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric R. Fossum
  • Patent number: 7092738
    Abstract: A method and machine readable storage for facilitating communications between a user and an interactive voice response (IVR) application. The method includes the step of configuring to be displayed on a wireless communications device having a graphical user interface (GUI) at least one menu which includes user selectable options correlating to available IVR options. Responsive to a communications link being established between the wireless communications device and the IVR application, the menu is forwarded to the wireless communications device for presentation to the user on the GUI. A user selection is received via the GUI and an IVR operation is performed corresponding to the menu selection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas E. Creamer, Brent L. Davis, Peeyush Jaiswal, Victor S. Moore
  • Patent number: 7075568
    Abstract: A digital camera of a digital camera system includes an image capture unit and a storing unit for storing the captured image in a memory. A computer of the system issues a capture command for capturing an image by the digital camera or a delete command for deleting the image stored in the memory. The digital camera generates an event signal indicating a change in stored content in the memory by a common sequence when stored content is changed in response to the capture or delete commands and when the stored content is changed in response to a digital camera operation. The computer issues a control command for collecting the stored content by a common sequence in response to the event signal when the stored content is changed in response to the capture or delete commands and when the stored content is changed in response to a digital camera operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Aizawa
  • Patent number: 7072632
    Abstract: A valid signal may be detected by initializing gain settings of the receiver section. The processing then continues by measuring received signal strength of a signal received by the receiver section to produce a 1st received signal strength indication (RSSI). The processing continues by adjusting the gain setting of the receiver section such that the 1st received signal strength indication is a predetermined offset less than a signal strength threshold. The process then continues by measuring the received signal strength of the gain adjusted representation of the signal to produce a 2nd received signal strength indication. The processing continues by appending a 2nd offset to the 2nd received signal strength value to produce an adjusted received signal strength indication value when the 2nd received signal strength value drifts from the signal strength threshold less the predetermined offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: VIXS, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Morris Astrachan, James Ward Girardeau, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7071975
    Abstract: In an image pickup apparatus capable of mounting a media card 101 having a nonvolatile memory and a communication circuit, when image data of a captured image is transmitted to an external, the image data corresponding to a data length of a packet is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the media card, and the image data is sent to the communication circuit 103 of the media card and divided into a plurality of packets to be transmitted to the external. When transmission of the image data is aborted, the image data still not stored in the nonvolatile memory is stored in the nonvolatile memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihiko Myojo
  • Patent number: 7071977
    Abstract: When a signal output by a solid-state image sensing device is clamped to a predetermined reference potential, a high voltage generated in a transfer suspension period after the clamping as generally supplied to an A/D converter is generated. A sample/hold output Va is clamped to a clamp level Vref over a period of time between a halfway point of time of a signal of a picture element preceding ahead by one line and the end of an inhibit period of transfer clocks of a signal output by an empty transmission unit via a first clamp pulse and a sample/hold output for the second picture element, or a subsequent one of an OPB unit is clamped to the clamp level via a second clamp pulse to prevent a signal output from exceeding a reference voltage from being supplied to an A/D converter at a later stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Yoshihara, Yasuhito Maki
  • Patent number: 7064784
    Abstract: For achieving high-speed continuous shooting and increasing the number of shots that can be picked-up continuously, within a limited buffer memory size, an image pickup apparatus is provided with a function of carrying out a first process of storing output data from an image pickup element on a first memory area and a function of carrying out a second process of processing data placed on the first memory area and storing the processed data on a second memory area, and is configured to perform the first and second processes in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Nakashita
  • Patent number: 7061525
    Abstract: In an image receiving apparatus, a command for operating a camera is detected on the screen of a monitor on which an image formed by the camera is displayed. The detected camera operating command is recognized and a camera control command is formed on the basis of the recognized camera operating command to be transmitted to an image transmitting apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Hiroki Yonezawa
  • Patent number: 7061536
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided that adjusts an angle of image device used with information processing equipment such as a portable computer, a computer for a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitor, and a Personal Digital Assistance (PDA). As a display device is rotated from a main body, a supporting member adjusts a position of the image device according to rotation of the display device to maintain a desired angle of the image device. The information processing equipment can include a main body with a plurality of key buttons and a display body including a display unit which is rotationally coupled to one side of the main body. An image device unit is installed on one side of the display body for holding the image device. A connecting link rotates the image device unit in accordance with the rotation angle of the display body against the main body. Therefore, the angle of image device such as a camera can be automatically controlled according to the movement of the display body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Soon Chul Cha
  • Patent number: 7057657
    Abstract: In a solid-state image pickup apparatus, an image pickup section includes a color separating section having color filters assigned to three primary colors for separating colors of light incident from a desired scene. The color filters assigned to the color G are arranged in stripes. A system controller controls an output of a drive signal generating section for each of an all pixel read mode and a photometry control mode in response to the stroke of a shutter release operation. In the photometry control mode, the image pickup device is supplied with drive signals in response to a horizontal timing signal fed from a timing signal generator and a control signal fed from the system controller. The image pickup device thus reads out only the signal charges representative of the color G in this mode, thereby especially implementing the signal charge reading at a doubled speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsuhiko Ishihara, Tomohiro Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 7057661
    Abstract: A digital camera in which a personal telephone or a card type communication medium can be mounted, and which disables communication access to a recording medium in the camera, when the recording medium is being replaced with the communication medium. A lid a having a notch is provided in a receptacle or a slot and the notch is formed so as to prevent interference with a connector portion of a connection cable when a communication PC card is inserted in the receptacle or slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takeshi Misawa
  • Patent number: 7050100
    Abstract: According to a driving method for an interline type CCD imaging device, the voltage level to be applied to a channel electrode in a vertical charge transfer line to which at least one photodiode is connected is controlled to form a shallower potential well just in the channel. At least the voltage levels applied to channel electrodes in the VCCD connected to the PDs are controlled such that potential wells formed within respective channels becomes shallower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Junzo Sakurai, Takayuki Kijima
  • Patent number: 7046284
    Abstract: A CMOS imager system including an active pixel sensor having an access supply which provides distributed feedback, a column buffer (having gain and FPN suppression), and an A/D converter co-located with the sensor such that the effective transmission path between the column buffer (or optional analog PGA) and the A/D converter acts as a resistor, rather than a reactance. The system may further include both an analog gain amplifier stage and a digital programmable amplifier stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Innovative Technology Licensing LLC
    Inventors: Lester J. Kozlowski, Markus Loose
  • Patent number: 7046296
    Abstract: A solid state imaging apparatus includes a solid state imaging element, an optical lens held by a frame, and a flexible printed circuit board having first and second surfaces. The solid state imaging element is mounted on the first surface of the flexible printed circuit board and the frame is mounted on the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp
    Inventor: Kohji Shinomiya
  • Patent number: 7038715
    Abstract: A digital still camera (10) receives and digitizes visible radiation (17) and sound waves (32) from a scene (12). When an operator actuates a shutter release (46), the camera detects and evaluates digitized information (22, 38) from the scene in a continuing manner, until a point in time when information representative of a human facial characteristic satisfies a specified criteria set by the operator through use of switches (47, 48) and a display (51). The camera then records in a memory (59) a digital image of the scene, which corresponds to the point in time. The stored image is a high-quality image, which can avoid characteristics such as eyes that are closed or a mouth that is open.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Bruce E. Flinchbaugh
  • Patent number: 7034864
    Abstract: In an image display system which has a management station for saving, in a server, management data that contains at least names, identification numbers, and connection numbers of image sensing devices, and is described in the data description language, and the display style of the management data, and a display device, and which displays a video obtained from an arbitrary one or more image sensing devices connected, the management data of the image sensing devices is read out from the server, the display style of the readout management data is read out from the server, and an image is generated and displayed by applying the management data to the display style.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7034879
    Abstract: The imaging device displays an image under imaging at present and also past images picked up before it on the display means, thus at the time of continuous imaging, even when the next imaging is started immediately after end of imaging, an image after the framing process is displayed, for example, as an image picked up just prior, so that the imaging condition, for example, whether closing of eyes is caused in the image picked up already can be checked. Therefore, the next imaging can be started without waiting for the time required for the framing process after imaging, so that the imaging can be speeded up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Mitsuo Yamashita
  • Patent number: 7034866
    Abstract: An image processing system includes a combined display-camera having an array of interspersed display elements and camera elements, arranged substantially in a common plane of a flat panel or other display. Each of at least a subset of the camera elements has one or more imaging angles associated therewith, with the one or more imaging angles being selected to provide a desired imaging operation for the combined display-camera. The imaging angles of the camera elements can be selected to provide an imaging operation which approximates that of a lens-based single-camera system, a pin-hole camera system or other type of system. Each of the camera elements may include multiple image sensors, such that different imaging angles can be set for the different image sensors of a given camera element, and different perspectives of a scene can be generated in the image processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Antonio J. Colmenarez, Mi-Suen Lee, Tomas Brodsky, Hugo J. Strubbe, Peter J. Janssen, Michael D. Pashley
  • Patent number: 7034880
    Abstract: A method and digital camera for capturing images to be provided to a service provider. The camera includes a capture device for capturing digital images; a memory for storing the captured digital images; an interface to a communications device for transmitting the stored images to a service provider; wherein the digital interface automatically transfers images to the network service provider during a specified time period. Rechargeable batteries may be provided for powering the digital camera; wherein the communications device recharges the batteries using the interface. The camera may further include a display for displaying digital files stored in the digital memory and displaying the at least one order status confirmation file on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jay A. Endsley, Steven M. Bryant, John R. Fredlund, Kenneth A. Parulski