Patents Represented by Attorney Michael Best & Friedrich LLC
  • Patent number: 6359672
    Abstract: This invention is related to an active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) or an X-ray imaging device having a high aperture ratio, and method of making same. The imager or display has an increased aperture ratio because electrodes are formed over dual insulating layers so as to overlap portions of the array address lines and/or TFTs. Both the manufacturability and capacitive crosstalk of the device are improved due to the use of a photo-imageable organic insulating layer between the pixel electrodes and the address lines. An intermediate inorganic insulating layer is provided between the photo-imageable organic insulating layer and the overlapped TFTs in order to prevent the organic insulating layer from directly contacting semiconductor material in the TFTs thereby reducing potential voltage swings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Guardian Industries Corp.
    Inventors: Tieer Gu, Willem den Boer
  • Patent number: 6356731
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a latent image is formed on a rotatable photosensitive body and treated with a liquid developer containing a carrier solution and toner particles, whereupon a visible image is formed on the body. The visible image is transferred from the photosensitive body to a record medium through the intermediation of an intermediate transfer body. The transfer body has a surface that serves as a transfer medium. As the transfer medium is pressed against the body in a transfer position, the visible image is transferred from the photosensitive body to the transfer medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Haisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Yasushi Shinjo
  • Patent number: 6352442
    Abstract: In a connector for use in connecting a FPC having a plurality of pads, a plurality of contacts (16, 17) are held by a housing (15) and become in contact with the pads, respectively. The FPC is tightly held between the housing and an actuator (18) which has a pivot portion (18c) pivotally held to the housing and a locking portion (18e) making engagement with the housing in a state of tightly holding the FPC. The locking portion is spaced from the pivot portion with a first distance. The first distance is determined greater than a second distance which is determined between the pivot portion and a distal edge (18d) of the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
    Inventor: Takaaki Kudo
  • Patent number: 6353213
    Abstract: A water heating unit uses a voltage transformer type heating unit to heat water. The water flows from a water reservoir to a wound transformer where the water passes through metal tubing that is also the secondary winding of the transformer. The secondary winding is shorted and an erect-magnetic field induces a current in the transformer generating heat that heats the water flowing through the metal tubing. The turns of the primary winding of the heating unit can be separated with spacer material and a cooling fan can be included adjacent to the heating unit for forcing air in between the turns of the primary winding to remove excess heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: BMG Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Blair Miller, Thomas J. Mayer
  • Patent number: 6352163
    Abstract: A rack is provided having a track which is adapted to removably support a plurality of items in a predetermined pattern or order. The track comprises a plurality of interconnected levels so that the items may move along the track between the different levels and the items are readily accessible from all locations on the track. Clips may be used to sectionalize the rack and to balance the load on the rack while it spins. Alternatively, one or more vertical rods secured to and extending between at least several levels of the track may be provided to strengthen the track and sectionalize the track into segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: L & P Property Management Company
    Inventors: Ricklef E. Barrett, Steven C. Thompson, Martin L. De Land, Steven T. D. Oatman
  • Patent number: 6345996
    Abstract: A connector engaging/disengaging device comprises a plurality of carrier plates, a pair of side blocks, and a pair of sliders. Each of the carrier plates has lock springs holding cable connectors thereon, and a pair of engaging bosses engaging with the sliders. The sliders have slider grooves engaging with the bosses. Each of the side blocks supports each of said carrier plates slidable in vertical direction, and guides each of said sliders in horizontal direction, and supports a printed circuit board having mating connectors thereon. When the sliders slide in the horizontal-direction, slider grooves of the sliders push up or down the carrier plates to connect or disconnect cable connectors to the mating connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuki Saito, Shin Kamiyamane
  • Patent number: 6340594
    Abstract: Desiccated mature gymnosperm somatic embryos, preferably coniferous somatic embryos having a moisture content of less than about 55%, are prepared by water stressing immature embryos in a medium comprising a metabolizable carbon source and a suitable growth regulator influencing embryo development, for a period of time and under conditions sufficient to yield mature viable somatic embryos having a moisture content in the specified range. The water stressing should may be environmental, as by controlled declining relative humidity. Or a suitable osmotic or non-osmotic water stress agent can be used. The use of a non-permeating osmotic water stress agent such as polyethylene glycol of molecular weight at least about 1,000 is preferred, in which case the water stress should simulate a non-osmotic water stress. An example of a suitable preferred growth regulator is abscisic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Assignee: CellFor, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen M. Attree, Lawrence C. Fowke
  • Patent number: 6339220
    Abstract: A thermal infrared detecting device includes a lower layer portion having a readout circuit, and an upper layer portion having a bolometer thin film covered with an insulating protective film to perform heat/resistance conversion. The upper layer portion and the lower layer portion are spaced apart from each other while sandwiching a vacuum or sealed gas to form a thermal isolation structure, and also electrically connected to each other through an electrode film formed on the insulating protective film or in the insulating protective film. The bolometer thin film also serves as an infrared absorption film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Naoki Oda
  • Patent number: 6336724
    Abstract: In a projector device for magnifically projecting onto a screen a beam of light emitted from a light source which is irradiated at a mirror reflecting type light modulator after being color-separated into light beams of three primary colors and after respective light beams of primary colors modulated in the mirror reflecting type light modulator are synthesized by a color prism, a light beam emitted from a first light source is polarized into an “p” polarization by a polarization converter and a light beam emitted from a second light source is polarized into a “s” polarization by the polarization converter, thereby both light beams are synthesized by a polarization beam splitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Eisaku Shouji, Takayuki Matsumoto, Katsuyuki Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6331811
    Abstract: A thin-film resistor that enables a pattern to be simply formed by means of wet etching, that has an excellent resistance temperature characteristic, and that can be easily manufactured, and a method for manufacturing this thin-film resistor, as well as a wiring substrate with this thin-film resistor formed therein. A thin resistor film according to this invention has a structure in which crystal grains deposit in the matrix of amorphous titanium nitride. The thin resistor film is formed on a substrate. The crystal grains includes at least one of crystal titanium nitride and crystal titanium. The thin resistor film can be manufactured using a simple process and can provide a wide range of resistance values with a small tolerance and a temperature coefficient of resistance close to zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Akinobu Shibuya, Koji Matsui
  • Patent number: 6328625
    Abstract: A toy figure having multiple articulating limbs connected to the torso by pivot joints that are molded in a vertical injection molding step that forms and pivotally interconnects, in situ, one member of the pivot joint to a second, preformed member of the pivot joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: C. J. Associates, Ltd.
    Inventors: James S. W. Lee, Chiu Keung Kwan
  • Patent number: 6329300
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a conductive pattern layer, a conductive layer is deposited on a substrate, and an etching mask layer is coated onto the conductive layer. First, the conductive layer is etched by a first etching solution using the etching mask layer to expose the substrate a sidewall of the conductive layer. Then, the conductive layer is etched by a second etching solution using the etching mask to retard the sidewall of the conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 6322909
    Abstract: An organic electroluminescent device comprising a pair of a cathode and an anode and therebetween, at least one organic thin-film layer containing an emitter layer, wherein said at least one organic thin-film layer contains a squarylium compound represented by the following formula (1) or (2): wherein R1 to R5 each independently represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a nitro group, a cyano group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, aryl group or a halogen atom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshikazu Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 6318121
    Abstract: Jewelry and a method of setting gemstones in the jewelry include an anchor gemstone and a touch gemstone that is held in place with no metal from the setting visible between the gemstones. The anchor gemstone is held in place using a conventional setting arrangement such as channel walls or prongs. The gemstones are positioned in the setting with the upper pavilion of the anchor gemstone overlapping and contacting the crown of the touch gemstone so that the contact between the gemstones holds the touch gemstone in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Fantasy Diamond Corp.
    Inventor: Werner Pachauer
  • Patent number: 6315826
    Abstract: Disclosed are a structure of a semiconductor substrate and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor substrate preventing a reduction of gettering capability due to a high-temperature heat treatment. In a semiconductor substrate containing a highly concentrated impurity having a polysilicon layer to be a gettering site on a rear surface side and an epitaxial layer 6 on a front surface side, an impurity concentration is lower near the rear and front surfaces and higher at the center in a cross section of the semiconductor substrate. The method of manufacturing the semiconductor substrate comprises the steps of: performing the heat treatment of a silicon substrate at a temperature of 1100° C. or more and a melting temperature or less of the silicon substrate before forming the polysilicon layer 4 and the epitaxial layer 6; forming the polysilicon layer 4 on the rear surface side of the silicon substrate; and forming the epitaxial layer 6 on the front surface side of the silicon substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Satoru Muramatsu
  • Patent number: D452370
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Giochi Preziosi S.p.A.
    Inventor: Gaetano La Greca
  • Patent number: D453145
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
    Inventors: Yukiko Sato, Yoshifumi Kubota, Osamu Takagi
  • Patent number: D453321
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
    Inventor: Yuko Nakatomi
  • Patent number: D453500
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
    Inventor: Yuko Nakatomi
  • Patent number: D454114
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
    Inventors: Koji Hayashi, Masaaki Takaku