Patents by Inventor George E. Smith

George E. Smith has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7408718
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an optical sensor, a lens system, and an optical stop system. The optical sensor includes photocells each of which has a respective photocell active area in a capture plane. The lens system includes lenses each of which is operable to focus light from a respective subfield of a scene into a corresponding focused beam. The optical stop system includes aperture systems each of which confines a corresponding one of the focused beams to a respective illumination area in the capture plane. In a method, light from respective subfields of a scene is focused into corresponding focused beams. Corresponding ones of the focused beams are confined to respective non-overlapping illumination areas in the capture plane. Optical data is generated from light of the focused beams illuminating the illumination areas. Motion measures indicative of movement in relation to the scene are produced from the optical data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Avago Technologies General Pte Ltd
    Inventor: George E. Smith
  • Publication number: 20080074755
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an optical sensor, a lens system, and an optical stop system. The optical sensor includes photocells each of which has a respective photocell active area in a capture plane. The lens system includes lenses each of which is operable to focus light from a respective subfield of a scene into a corresponding focused beam. The optical stop system includes aperture systems each of which confines a corresponding one of the focused beams to a respective illumination area in the capture plane. In a method, light from respective subfields of a scene is focused into corresponding focused beams. Corresponding ones of the focused beams are confined to respective non-overlapping illumination areas in the capture plane. Optical data is generated from light of the focused beams illuminating the illumination areas. Motion measures indicative of movement in relation to the scene are produced from the optical data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Inventor: George E. Smith
  • Patent number: 7274808
    Abstract: An imaging system for imaging a fingerprint operates in at least two different modes to provide both finger recognition and finger navigation applications. A light source illuminates a swipe interface having an elongated sensing area upon which a user swipes a finger. Light reflected from the finger is captured by an optical image sensor as image data representing a sequence of images resulting from motion of the digit over the sensing area of the swipe interface. The captured image data is output by the optical image sensor for processing of the data in one of the at least two different modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore)PTE Ltd
    Inventors: Izhak Baharav, Travis N. Blalock, Akihiro Machida, George E. Smith, Jin Kiong Ang
  • Patent number: 7271643
    Abstract: An electrically blowable fuse circuit having a fuse which may be placed in a condition to be blown. The circuit includes a first transistor having a body, a source, a drain, and a gate. The source is connected to one end of the fuse and the drain is connected to ground. The first transistor further includes a controllable parasitic device in its body. A second transistor is connected to the parasitic device such that when the second transistor is turned on, the parasitic device turns on the first transistor, allowing the fuse to be blown when the fuse is placed in a condition to be blown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Adrian O. Robinson, George E. Smith, III
  • Patent number: 7247492
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for observing a chemical substance. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a vessel having a base portion and an at least partially transparent wall portion depending from and extending away from the base portion. The base portion and the wall portion define an interface region at an interface between the base portion and the wall portion. The vessel can further include a background material fixedly attached to the base portion and/or the interface region, with the background material having a surface visible through the wall portion from a region exterior to the vessel. The background material can be attached to an inner surface or an outer surface of the vessel, or the background material can be integrated with a medium that forms the base portion and the wall portion of the vessel. The background material can have a single color, such as white or black, or the background material can have a plurality of hues to make the contents of the vessel more clearly visible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: George E. Smith
  • Patent number: 7164782
    Abstract: An apparatus for imaging a fingerprint operates in a selected mode to provide a finger recognition and/or a finger navigation application. Multiple light sources are capable of being sequentially selected for illumination of corresponding partitions of a finger interface upon which a user places a finger (or thumb). The selection of light sources is based on the selected mode of operation. A single sensor captures light reflected from the digit in all illuminated partitions as sequential partition images. The sensor further outputs image data corresponding to the captured partition images for processing in the selected mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2007
    Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Izhak Baharav, Akihiro Machida, George E. Smith
  • Patent number: 7158659
    Abstract: An apparatus for imaging a fingerprint operates in a selected mode to provide a finger recognition and/or a finger navigation application. At least one light source illuminates at least one partition of a finger interface upon which a user places a finger (or thumb). Light reflected from the finger is captured by at least one image sensing region aligned to receive reflected light emitted from the illuminating light source(s). The illuminating light sources are selected depending on the selected mode of operation to illuminate only those partitions of the finger interface necessary for operation of the selected mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Izhak Baharav, Travis N. Blalock, Akihiro Machida, George E. Smith, Jin Kiong Ang
  • Patent number: 7084696
    Abstract: A state detection circuit for a fusible element includes a differential sensing circuit that compares voltage at a detection point in a path containing the fusible element with that at a reference point in a path establishing a non-zero reference voltage. The paths are similarly configured except one contains the fusible element while the other contains a device establishing the reference voltage. The two paths in any given sensing circuit are located in close proximity to each other so that even though element parameters in the paths of different sensing circuits may vary significantly, those values track each other in the given sensing circuit. As a result, the normal non-zero value of the voltage at the reference point maintains a relationship to that at the detection point that enables the differential sensing circuit to detect between a fused and an unfused element irrespective of variation in circuit element parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Seth A. Erlebacher, Paul D. Muench, George E. Smith, III, Gary Steinbrueck
  • Patent number: 7084462
    Abstract: A first or primary field effect transistor (“FET”) is separated from a body contact thereto by one or more second FETs that are placed electrically in parallel with the first FET. In this way, the body of the first FET can be extended into the region occupied by the second FET to allow contact to be made to the body of the first FET. In one embodiment, the gate conductor of the first FET and a gate conductor of the second FET are integral parts of a unitary conductive pattern. The unitary conductive pattern is made desirably small, and can be made as small as the smallest predetermined linewidth for gate conductors on an integrated circuit which includes the body-contacted FET. In this way, area and parasitic capacitance are kept small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James D. Warnock, George E. Smith, III
  • Patent number: 7078887
    Abstract: A test circuit within an existing design to enable the test circuit to test directly within the circuit. This invention provides a way to test and measure the leakage of the PLL loop filter capacitor leakage during test with a simple digital tester using existing pins. The test PLL circuit has circuit a plurality of capacitors and responsive amplifiers circuits for measuring leakage including a first capacitor set having multiple transistors coupled in series and with a reference resistor circuit coupled to a first amplifier and a second capacitor set having multiple transistors coupled in series and said reference resistor circuit coupled to a second amplifier to measure the leaking across the respective capacitors coupled to said first and second amplifiers and to provide an output of the leakage for measurement with the output of said first and second amplifiers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James P. Eckhardt, Paul D. Muench, George E. Smith, III, Alamgir A. Tamboli
  • Patent number: 7059491
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for observing a chemical substance. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a vessel having a base portion and an at least partially transparent wall portion depending from and extending away from the base portion. The base portion and the wall portion define an interface region at an interface between the base portion and the wall portion. The vessel can further include a background material fixedly attached to the base portion and/or the interface region, with the background material having a surface visible through the wall portion from a region exterior to the vessel. The background material can be attached to an inner surface or an outer surface of the vessel, or the background material can be integrated with a medium that forms the base portion and the wall portion of the vessel. The background material can have a single color, such as white or black, or the background material can have a plurality of hues to make the contents of the vessel more clearly visible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: George E. Smith
  • Patent number: 6972614
    Abstract: An identification circuit for establishing and sensing the state of a fusible element used in on chip identification of the chip's type comprising: a circuit establishing control signals for turning the identification circuit on and off; dual paths energized by the control signals generated by the level setting circuit to energize one path through the fusible element to provide a state level and the other path through a reference path which provides a reference voltage level which is distinguishable from both the blown and unblown states of the fusible element; a differential sensing circuit for comparing the reference voltage level to the state level to provide a signal indicating the state of the fusible element; and protection circuitry to protect the circuit during an operation in which the state of the fusible element is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark E. Anderson, II, Sundar K. Iyer, Chandrasekara Kothandaraman, Edward P. Maciejewski, George E. Smith, III
  • Patent number: 6816824
    Abstract: Low-conductance and high-conductance IV characteristics (models) are created using the low and high end of their body voltage ranges, respectively. The body voltage of the device (FET) is initialized to the low end of range at time zero, and then a transient, two dimensional sweep of gate and drain voltages is performed. Drain currents are measured in this two dimensional region and are used to create a piecewise, linear IV model of device. The process is repeated for the highest body voltage. This process differs significantly from prior art bulk device characterization techniques, which did not have to initialize body voltage or perform a transient analysis. The body voltage is modulating during the switching event due to the gate-to-body and diffusion-to-body coupling; and thus only a transient analysis can properly model these coupling effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ching-Te K. Chuang, Brian W. Curran, George E. Smith, III
  • Publication number: 20040208347
    Abstract: An apparatus for imaging a fingerprint operates in a selected mode to provide a finger recognition and/or a finger navigation application. Multiple light sources are capable of being sequentially selected for illumination of corresponding partitions of a finger interface upon which a user places a finger (or thumb). The selection of light sources is based on the selected mode of operation. A single sensor captures light reflected from the digit in all illuminated partitions as sequential partition images. The sensor further outputs image data corresponding to the captured partition images for processing in the selected mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Izhak Baharav, Akihiro Machida, George E. Smith
  • Publication number: 20040208348
    Abstract: An imaging system for imaging a fingerprint operates in at least two different modes to provide both finger recognition and finger navigation applications. A light source illuminates a swipe interface having an elongated sensing area upon which a user swipes a finger. Light reflected from the finger is captured by an optical image sensor as image data representing a sequence of images resulting from motion of the digit over the sensing area of the swipe interface. The captured image data is output by the optical image sensor for processing of the data in one of the at least two different modes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Izhak Baharav, Travis N. Blalock, Akihiro Machida, George E. Smith, Jin Kiong Ang
  • Publication number: 20040208346
    Abstract: An apparatus for imaging a fingerprint operates in a selected mode to provide a finger recognition and/or a finger navigation application. At least one light source illuminates at least one partition of a finger interface upon which a user places a finger (or thumb). Light reflected from the finger is captured by at least one image sensing region aligned to receive reflected light emitted from the illuminating light source(s). The illuminating light sources are selected depending on the selected mode of operation to illuminate only those partitions of the finger interface necessary for operation of the selected mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Izhak Baharav, Travis N. Blalock, Akihiro Machida, George E. Smith, Jin Kiong Ang
  • Patent number: 6785061
    Abstract: Converging air lens structure includes a first refractive medium that has a first index of refraction. A second refractive medium that has a second index of refraction is immersed in the first refractive medium. The second refractive index is less than the first index of refraction. The lens structure features converging lens properties. An aperture stop is disposed in the second refractive medium, which is preferably air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George E. Smith
  • Publication number: 20040100701
    Abstract: Converging air lens structure includes a first refractive medium that has a first index of refraction. A second refractive medium that has a second index of refraction is immersed in the first refractive medium. The second refractive index is less than the first index of refraction. The lens structure features converging lens properties. An aperture stop is disposed in the second refractive medium, which is preferably air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Inventor: George E. Smith
  • Patent number: 6717735
    Abstract: Lens structures for flux re-distribution and for optical low pass filtering. The lens structure has a surface that includes a seamless profile, which is devoid of cusps. The surface includes a plurality convex elements and concave elements (e.g., an array of alternating elements and concave elements). The convex elements include a positive surface curvature area, and the concave elements include a negative surface curvature area. The lens structure can include a surface for producing a controlled amount of under-corrected spherical aberration and over-corrected spherical aberration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George E. Smith
  • Publication number: 20030078763
    Abstract: Low-conductance and high-conductance IV characteristics (models) are created using the low and high end of their body voltage ranges, respectively. The body voltage of the device (FET) is initialized to the low end of range at time zero, and then a transient, two dimensional sweep of gate and drain voltages is performed. Drain currents are measured in this two dimensional region and are used to create a piecewise, linear IV model of device. The process is repeated for the highest body voltage. This process differs significantly from prior art bulk device characterization techniques, which did not have to initialize body voltage or perform a transient analysis. The body voltage is modulating during the switching event due to the gate-to-body and diffusion-to-body coupling; and thus only a transient analysis can properly model these coupling effects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 1999
    Publication date: April 24, 2003
    Inventors: CHING-TE K. CHUANG, BRIAN W. CURRAN, GEORGE E. SMITH