Patents Represented by Attorney David G. Conlin
  • Patent number: 6793761
    Abstract: An oil strainer comprises upper and lower partial bodies, made of synthetic resin, joined together to form a roughly tube-shaped strainer main body, the interior of which is provided with a filter. The oil strainer has a flange section for attachment with bolts, and the flange section is provided with at least one bolt hole which passes through the interior of the roughly tube-shaped strainer main body. With this structure, it is possible to provide an oil strainer which can be installed on a small installation surface, which is able to reduce resin fatigue, and which can prevent impairment of the seal due to loosening of installation members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: G P Daikyo Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Iwata, Yoshihiro Takemoto, Yasumi Mototani
  • Patent number: 6795066
    Abstract: A method of driving a display apparatus including a screen which has pixels arranged in a matrix applies a scanning signal to scanning signal lines connected to the pixels and thus selects each line to scan the screen and also supplies a data signal to those pixels on the selected line via data signal lines, so as to produce a display. Under these conditions, after the screen is scanned twice or more, there is provided a idle period T2 in which all the scanning signal lines are caused to be in a non-scanning state for a period longer than a scanning period T1 in which the screen is scanned once.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kyoushi Tanaka, Hisashi Nagata
  • Patent number: 6793356
    Abstract: An omnidirectional vision sensor includes: an optical system including a body-of-revolution mirror having a convex portion and having a symmetrical structure with respect to a revolution axis, wherein the body-of-revolution mirror includes a cutaway section in the convex portion of the body-of-revolution mirror so as to allow light incident from surroundings of the revolution axis of the body-of-revolution mirror to be collected; and imaging means, including a light-receiving element for receiving the collected light and image processing means for converting an optical image generated from the collected light received by the light-receiving element into image data. The revolution axis of the body-of-revolution mirror and an optic axis of the light-receiving element coincide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Kumata, Shinichi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6792224
    Abstract: For performing double-side printing, an image forming apparatus forms an image on one side of a sheet and then reverses the sheet if the sheet has not been reversed, forms an image on the other side of the sheet and then reverses the sheet if the sheet has been reversed once, and performs idle conveyance in which an image is not formed on a sheet and then discharges the sheet if the sheet has been reversed twice. According to the image forming apparatus and a method of forming an image by this apparatus, procedures of image formation by a user can be prevented from becoming troublesome and the sheets can be discharged in order of the originals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Ueda, Yuji Okamoto, Kaoru Ishikura, Kenji Takahashi, Takashi Imai, Shuhji Fujii
  • Patent number: 6790705
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor apparatus manufacturing method capable of severing a base material without producing burrs. A multiplicity of semiconductor apparatuses are produced as follows. A multi-segment base material is obtained by mounting a multiplicity of semiconductor chips on a substrate having a wiring pattern, followed by sealing the semiconductor chips with resin, further followed by attaching a terminal portion having a terminal hole to a back surface of the substrate. A filler is charged in each terminal hole, and, after curing the filler, the base material is severed along a cutting line covering the terminal hole, whereupon the multi-segment base material is divided into separate semiconductor apparatuses. The terminal hole is left exposed along the cut surface of the semiconductor apparatus. Chilled water is applied to the filler filled in the terminal hole to remove it from the terminal hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junji Oka, Shigenori Kitanishi, Toshiharu Nishi
  • Patent number: 6790583
    Abstract: A method of producing a light absorbing pattern film coated article with a transmitted light spectrum distribution corresponding to the pattern of a photomask, wherein a light absorbing film coating solution, containing a silicon oxide raw material, a titanium oxide raw material, which contains titanium oxide microparticles, and a gold microparticle raw material, is coated onto the surface of a substrate, the photomask is positioned on top of said coated film, ultraviolet light is irradiated onto said coated film, and said coated film is thereafter heated. By the abovementioned method of producing, this invention can provide light absorbing film coated articles with various transmitted light spectra distribution while keeping the visible light reflectivity low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Kawazu
  • Patent number: 6788292
    Abstract: A display device capable of allowing a page to be turned to give a feeling as if a page is actually turned includes a memory for storing information, a display for displaying information, a page turn instruction unit for detecting that the unit itself is tilted to output a detection signal indicating the direction of the tilt, and a display control unit for receiving an instruction from the page turn instruction unit to read information of the next or previous page from the memory according to the direction of the tilt and display the read information on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Nako, Minako Kuwata, Keisuke Iwasaki, Shigeki Kuga
  • Patent number: 6788825
    Abstract: In a vertical direction processor 3A, subtracters 14A, 15A, and 16A calculate differences between the image data of four vertically adjacent pixels, and, on the basis of the absolute values and signs of the thus calculated differences, the values of these differences are changed. By using the thus changed differences, the image data of the four pixels are produced. In addition, in a horizontal direction processor 3B, subtracters 14B, 15B, and 16B calculate differences between the image data of four horizontally adjacent pixels, and, on the basis of the absolute values and signs of the thus calculated differences, the values of these differences are changed. By using the thus changed differences, the image data of the four pixels are produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hironobu Fujino
  • Patent number: 6788376
    Abstract: Pixel electrode fabricating processes are remarkably reduced. A pixel electrode 22 is formed without using any vacuum film forming apparatus by employing a sol-gel material and coating an insulating substrate with the sol-gel material by a spin-coating method or a dipping method, and this allows the fabricating processes to be reduced. During this course, by forming the pixel electrode before the formation of a scanning electrode 23, signal wiring lines and a TFT 24, the electrode wiring and the TFT 24 suffer no thermal damage even if they have a heat resistance temperature of about 350° C. Furthermore, by using a sol-gel material having photosensitivity, patterning processes are reduced by the elimination of the photoresist patterning process and the etching process. An investment for the equipment of a fabricating apparatus can thus be reduced to allow the cost reduction of the active matrix substrate itself to be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Izumi, Yoshimasa Chikama, Hisao Ochi
  • Patent number: 6784863
    Abstract: An active matrix liquid crystal display drives liquid crystal by writing through TFTs, etc. a source signal from a signal line drive circuit to display electrodes in display cells on a matrix substrate and applying a common signal supplied from a common signal generator to common electrodes on an opposite substrate, the common signal changing in polarity in each frame. After scanning is completed for scan lines corresponding to one frame, a controller controls the interval between scan periods and the cycle of change in polarity of the common signal so as to provide a non-scan period that is longer than the scan period. The provision of the non-scan period extends the duration in which a specified voltage is retained by the display cell. This reduces the effects of variations in retained voltages caused by parasitic capacitance which develops in reflective electrode structures in which the display electrodes partly overlook scan lines and signal lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Yanagi, Kouji Kumada, Takashige Ohta, Katsuya Mizukata
  • Patent number: 6785027
    Abstract: Featured is a method for driving a CCD imaging device, including a plurality of photodetector columns each including a vertical array of photodetectors, a plurality of vertical CCDs, and a horizontal CCD, in a monitoring mode where only the signal charges from some of the photodetectors are used. The method includes reading a first signal charge from any one of said some photodetectors into a corresponding first packet of a corresponding one of the vertical CCDs, dividing the first signal charge in the first packet into smaller portions and placing one or more of the signal charge portions of the first signal charge into one or more second empty packets of the corresponding one of the vertical CCDs, and vertically transferring the signal charge portions in the first and the one or more second packets by the total number of the first and second packets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takehiko Ozumi
  • Patent number: 6783628
    Abstract: A slot antenna plate is placed on a second dielectric for radiating microwave into a chamber interior, the slot antenna plate being provided on a side of the second dielectric that faces the chamber interior. The slot antenna plate is made of conductor and includes slots for passing the microwave there through to the chamber interior. In this way, a plasma processing apparatus is provided generating plasma by microwave, the plasma processing apparatus capable of easily adjusting ion irradiation energy for a material to be processed to achieve uniform plasma processing for the material within the plane of the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoko Yamamoto, Tatsushi Yamamoto, Masaki Hirayama, Tadahiro Ohmi
  • Patent number: 6784931
    Abstract: An amplification type solid state imaging device of the present invention includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix each of which includes: a photodiode for photoelectric conversion; a signal amplification MOS transistor which functions as an amplifier for amplifying a change in the potential of the photodiode; a pixel selection MOS transistor; and a reset MOS transistor for resetting the potential of the photodiode to a predetermined initial potential, gate terminals of the selection MOS transistors of the pixels along each row being commonly connected together with a predetermined signal read pulse being applied to the gate terminals, gate terminals of the reset MOS transistors of the pixels along each row being commonly connected together with a predetermined reset pulse being applied to the gate terminals, and terminals on one end of the selection MOS transistors of the pixels along each column being commonly connected together to form a signal line, wherein a shutter reset operation is performe
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroaki Kudo
  • Patent number: 6779482
    Abstract: A plasma deposition device 1 comprises electrodes 13 mounted on an electrode substrate 11, gas introducing holes 12 provided between said electrodes 13 for introducing material gas G to the interior, a deposition substrate 30 provided to oppose to said electrodes 13 from a predetermined distance d, and a power source 60 generating plasma from said material gas by providing energy thereto, wherein material gas G is resolved to active species R deposited on said deposition substrate 30, characterized in applying voltage to adjacent electrodes 13 so as to generate discharge DC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Sakai, Satoshi Okamoto, Toshio Akai
  • Patent number: 6780290
    Abstract: The prevent invention improves the film thickness distribution in the direction of revolution of substrates by a simple manner in a method for forming coating films, wherein a evaporating source 3 is disposed at a predetermined distance from substrates 2, and when a coating film material is applied from the evaporating source 3 onto the substrate surfaces while revolving the substrates 2, coating films are formed on the substrate surfaces in a condition where the radius of curvature of the substrates 2 obtained by bending the substrates 2 within the elasticity range is made equal to the radius of revolution of the substrates 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Ikadai, Etsuo Ogino
  • Patent number: 6776879
    Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a backing plate used for the sputtering apparatus and a sputtering method which can improve film deposition rate and film quality without increasing the size of the target with respect to the substrate. High sputtering power is applied to a target portion opposite to a location where a thin film is formed on a surface of a substrate, thereby a thin film having even film thickness and film quality can be formed without increasing the size of the target. Further, a cooling medium flow passage can eliminate temperature unevenness caused by different sputtering powers to be applied to a target surface. The problem caused by the temperature rise can be solved and the film deposition speed can be enhanced by increasing the sputtering power which can be applied to the target. Consequently, it is possible to improve productivity of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsushi Yamamoto, Takamitsu Tadera
  • Patent number: 6778472
    Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus includes a first optical system for recording or reproducing signals to or from a first optical recording medium; a second optical system for recording or reproducing signals to or from a second optical recording medium; a holder for accommodating the first optical system and the second optical system on substantially the same plane; a focusing driving device for moving the holder in a first direction parallel to an optical axis of the first optical system and the second optical system; a tracking driving device for rotating the holder in a second direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the first optical system and the second optical system; a switching device for placing the first optical system on an optical path for recording or reproducing signals to or from the first optical recording medium, and for placing the second optical system on the optical path for recording or reproducing signals to or from the second optical recording medium; and a variable distance driving d
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 6774183
    Abstract: The present invention provides copolyester compositions and novel methods employing such compositions. The copolymer compositions comprise a copolyester containing a low polarity block in the copolyester backbone, thereby resulting in adhesive and coating materials that exhibit improved flow and wettablility and superior initial adhesion and retained adhesion to various substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Bostik, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey T. Palumbo, Francis C. Rossitto, Eugene Gary Sommerfeld
  • Patent number: 6770978
    Abstract: There is provided is a metal line structure in which no defect of blistering occurs on a surface of a Cu/Ni film or a Cu/Au/Ni film even if an Ni plating thickness is reduced. According to this metal line 1, in a Cu/Au/Ni film structure in which an Au film 13 and a Cu film 15 are successively laminated by electroless plating on an Ni film 12 formed by electroless plating, the Ni film 12 has a phosphorus content x of 10 wt %≦x≦15 wt %. It was discovered through experiments that the so-called high phosphorus content type Ni film 12 having a phosphorus content x of 10 to 15 percent by weight became a fine smooth film under a condition of a film thickness of 0.1 &mgr;m or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Izumi, Yoshimasa Chikama, Satoshi Kawashima, Takaharu Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 6771576
    Abstract: An optical reproduction apparatus in accordance with the present invention has a gain control circuit for controlling a gain of an amplifier circuit which amplifies a reproduction signal in accordance with amplitudes of the reproduction signal from an optical recording medium. The amplitude is sent to a power control calculation circuit which controls the reproduction power of a light beam in accordance with the amplitude. The gain control circuit has a slower response speed than that of the power control circuit at least during a period when the power control circuit controls the reproduction power. This allows to provide an optical reproduction apparatus that can realize the stable reproduction power and automatic gain control even to the unevenness of the amplitudes of the reproduction signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Okumura, Shigemi Maeda