Patents by Inventor Kirstin Ann Saynor

Kirstin Ann Saynor 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).

  • Broadband optical retardation device
    Patent number: 6735017
    Abstract: A broadband optical retardation device, such as may be used for polarisation encoding of display information or in diffractive optical systems, includes a patterned uniform half wave plate retarder in combination with a non-patterned uniform quarter wave plate retarder having an optic axis oriented at 90° to the xz plane. The patterned retarder consists of alternating first and second regions having first and second optic axes at different orientations to a reference axis, for example at +22.5° and −22.5° to the xz plane. Considering light of wavelength &lgr;° incident on the retarder and linearly polarised in the xy plane, such light is differently polarised by the regions, and the light output by the device includes regions in which the light is right circularly polarised and regions in which the light is left circularly polarised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Elizabeth Jane Acosta, Emma Jayne Beynon, Adrian Marc Simon Jacobs, Michael Geraint Robinson, Kirstin Ann Saynor, Martin David Tillin, Michael John Towler, Harry Garth Walton
  • Reflective liquid crystal device
    Patent number: 6577364
    Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal device comprises a polarizer and a mirror between which are disposed several retarder. At least one of the retarders is a variable liquid crystal element whose optic axis is switchable so as to switch the device between a reflective state and a non-reflective state. In the non-reflective state, the total retardance of the retarders between the polariser and the mirror is equal to an odd number of quarter wavelengths for a wavelength at or adjacent the middle of the visible spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Inventors: Martin David Tillin, Michael John Towler, Kirstin Ann Saynor, Sandra Gilmour
  • Reflective liquid crystal device
    Patent number: 6204904
    Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal device comprises a polariser and a mirror between which are disposed several retarder. At least one of the retarders is a variable liquid crystal element whose optic axis is switchable so as to switch the device between a reflective sate and a non-reflective state. In the non-reflective state, the total retardance of the retarders between the polariser and the mirror is equal to an odd number of quarter wavelengths for a wavelength at or adjacent the middle of the visible spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Martin David Tillin, Michael John Towler, Kirstin Ann Saynor, Sandra Gilmour
  • Optical device with combined alignment and anisotropic layers
    Patent number: 6157427
    Abstract: An optical device of the present invention, includes: an anisotropic layer containing anisotropic molecules, and an alignment layer adjacent the anisotropic layer. The alignment layer serves to align the anisotropic molecules in an adjacent surface region of said anisotropic layer. The alignment layer also includes a twisted molecular structure so as to define a twisted optical retarder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kirstin Ann Saynor, Martin David Tillin, Michael John Towler, Lesley Anne Judge