Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Morgan & Finnegan
  • Patent number: 7216446
    Abstract: The invention is directed to an inflatable display that has a plurality of inflatable compartments. A first inflatable compartment is continuously inflated by a first fan element and at least a second inflatable compartment is periodically inflated by a second fan element. The inflatable display may be produced from permeable material and configured to represent a predetermined shape or design when inflated, such as a witch and caldron, Santa Claus and a chimney, or the Easter Bunny and an Easter egg. Further, the inflatable display may include a string of lights enclosed within a plastic shell to avoid damaging the inflatable display material by heat or fire. Also, the period associated with the operational inflation/deflation may be controlled by a variable controller connected to the second fan element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Chrisha Creations, Ltd.
    Inventor: William Machala
  • Patent number: 7088766
    Abstract: A DSSS system determines transmission reliability of a communication channel in real time. A DSSS transmitter (f0=1/T) generates a Pseudo Noise (PN) code and modulates a carrier source [cos. (2??c)] with a selected chip rate. The transmitter bandwidth is a direct function of the chip rate. The PN coded carrier signal is further modulated by a data signal [m(t)] to provide an output signal [s(t)] to a correlator via a communication channel for purposes of determining the transmission characteristic of the channel. The correlator running a variable length pseudo noise code combines the code and the carrier which relates the incoming data signal to a correlation value for detecting the data signal. The correlation value is compared to a threshold value based upon experience of reliable transmission of data through the communication channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carrie E. Aust, Hayden C. Cranford, Jr., Martin L. Schmatz
  • Patent number: 7072299
    Abstract: A receiver may be adapted to prevent overflow or underflow of its data storage by generating a transmit rate value as a feedback to the sender. Speed adjustments are performed periodically with a fixed time period denoted by Dt. Transmission rates are explicitly 0, Max/2, and Max. The receiver queue is itself drained at a rate R that at any time satisfies 0<=R<=Max. The level of occupancy of the receiver storage queue is denoted by Q. The maximum capacity of the receiving queue is designated Qmax, so at any time, 0<=Q<=Qmax. Two thresholds T1 and T2 (with 0<T1<T2<Qmax) of levels of the receiver queue value Q are determined. A transmit rate is then determined by the level of the receiver queue Q compared to the thresholds. The transmit rate feedback value achieves the desired goal of avoiding overflow and, once the value of Q has been positive at least once, avoiding underflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Mitchell Bass, Clark Debs Jeffries, Michael Steven Siegel
  • Patent number: 6876147
    Abstract: A color display improves the contrast of a shown image without decreasing an open area ratio. A color electroluminescent display of the present invention has electroluminescent elements provided on a black insulation layer. A predetermined space exists between each adjacent pair of the electroluminescent elements. Filter elements are provided on the electroluminescent elements. The interface between each adjacent pair of the filter elements extends along the thickness direction of the color electroluminescent display and is aligned with one of the spaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
    Inventor: Tetsuya Utsumi
  • Patent number: 6773534
    Abstract: This invention prevents defects generated when a bonded substrate stack having a separation layer is separated. A bonded substrate stack (101) having a porous layer (101b) is separated in two steps of the first and second processes. In the first process, a jet is ejected to the porous layer (101b) while rotating the bonded substrate stack (101) to partially separate the bonded substrate stack (101) while leaving the central portion of the porous layer (101b) as an unseparated region. In the second process, the jet is ejected to the porous layer (101b) while rotation of the bonded substrate stack (101) is stopped. A force is applied to the unseparated region from a predetermined direction to completely separate the bonded substrate stack (101). Also, the first region (peripheral portion) and second region (central portion) of the bonded substrate stack (101) having the porous layer (101b) are separated using a jet and ultrasonic wave, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazutaka Yanagita, Takao Yonehara, Kazuaki Omi, Kiyofumi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 6772254
    Abstract: A multi-master computer system having overlapped read and write signal with scalable address pipelining programmable increases the depth of address pipelining independently on two overlapped read and write data busses up to “N” deep requests. The system includes a local bus having an address bus, a read bus, and a write bus. Master devices are coupled to separate address, read data and write data buses. Slave devices are attached to the data busses through shared, but decoupled address, read and write data buses. An arbiter is coupled to the data bus and allows masters to compete for bus ownership. The arbiter includes read and write pipeline logic for processing and priortizing master and slave read and write data transfers across the data bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Gerard Hofmann, Jason Michael Hopp, Peter Dean LaFauci, Dennis Charles Wilkerson
  • Patent number: 6727982
    Abstract: Disclosed is an illumination system which includes a first optical system for combining plural light fluxes from plural light sources and for projecting the plural light fluxes to a surface to be illuminated, a second optical system for separating a portion of one of the combined plural light fluxes, and a first detecting system for detecting the light quantity of the portion separated by the second optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Haruna Kawashima, Kazuhito Isobe, Kazuki Furuta
  • Patent number: 6714550
    Abstract: Signals are evenly distributed and transmitted using a plurality of channels. Multicast and broadcast communications are efficiently made. Signals from each sub transmission paths are distributed onto a plurality of channels to send them via these channels. Furthermore, signals are inserted into the channels by finding empty packets from the channels, thus allowing input of signals to the channels that transfer various kinds of signals. Upon multicast or broadcast communications, an input signal is copied in correspondence with a plurality of channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noboru Yamamoto, Toru Nakata, Kazuhiko Hojo
  • Patent number: 6690652
    Abstract: A WCDMA system includes a Base Station (BS) transmitter, or forward transmitter and a pilot channel that transmits control signals between the BS and a Mobile Station (MS) to reconfigure their transmitter/receiver. Reconfiguration is performed according to the prediction of the channel attenuation and the threshold set at the BS or MS based on its channel power probability density function separated into three distinct equal probable regions. In one embodiment, Seamless Rate Change (SRC)/Transmitter Power Control (TPC) logic uses the predicted channel attenuation to signal both the transmitter and the receiver in a channel to reconfigure their transmit power level according to the power density function (pdf) of the channel power and threshold level. A transmission rate is reduced when the power level is below the threshold and increased when the channel power is above threshold. The pilot channel is used to signal the mobile station and the base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Ali S. Sadri
  • Patent number: 6690418
    Abstract: Two image signals from a non-interlace scanning type CCD at predetermined horizontal and vertical sampling frequencies are respectively inputted to automatic gain controllers, then to a color separator where the input signals are separated into luminance signal and color difference signals. The luminance signal is processed by a two-dimensional filter which traps frequency components having ½ of the horizontal and vertical sampling frequencies. Accordingly, a variation in amplification characteristics of the automatic gain controllers is compensated as a variation of luminance signals having Nyquist frequencies in the horizontal and vertical directions. Thereby, bad effect due to variations in amplification characteristics of the automatic gain controllers is reduced even through two output signals from the non-interlace scanning type CCD are processed by the respective automatic gain controllers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken Terasawa, Yuichiro Hattori
  • Patent number: 6683652
    Abstract: An interchangeable lens video camera system which can stably focus on a main target object under any conditions of the object or the environment. The camera system includes a lens assembly detachably attached to a camera for photoelectrically converting incident light to sense an image and output an image signal. The camera system further includes a zoom lens and a focus lens controlled on the basis of an automatic focus evaluation value and data associated with exposure which are received from the camera while referring to a lens cam data unit which stores locus information of the zoom lens and the focus lens in advance. The interchangeable lens video camera system allows for the reduction of blurring and degradation of image quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroto Ohkawara, Hirofumi Suda
  • Patent number: 6666560
    Abstract: A reflection type magnification projection optical system includes five light-reflecting mirrors arranged from an object side to an image side in a sequence of a concave mirror (M1), a convex mirror (M2), a concave mirror (M3), a convex mirror (M4), and a concave mirror (M5) such that those mirrors basically form a coaxial system, and forming no intermediate image, and wherein an object point and an image point are respectively on opposite sides across an optical axis, and the object point and the image point are kept 400˜1500 mm apart with respect to a direction orthogonal to the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6651333
    Abstract: An aluminum based header plate, for a tubular heat exchanger for a motor vehicle, has an external coating on its outer face. An end portion of each heat exchanger tube is received in a corresponding through hole in the header plate. The tube end portions have a predetermined cross section and an external coating, and secured to the header plate by brazing. Each through hole is made by a slitting operation followed by configuration of the through hole within a selected zone of the header plate, this zone being press-formed so as to form in the outer face of the header plate a collar portion in that zone. The internal transverse cross section of each collar portion is substantially identical to the predetermined cross section of the corresponding tube end portion. After the tube has been introduced into the through hole, which extends through the collar portion, there is surface contact between the respective external coatings of the collar portion and of the tube end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: Valeo Thermique Moteur
    Inventors: Frédéric Letrange, Carlos Martins
  • Patent number: 6644812
    Abstract: The present invention provides a display apparatus which can prevent the unevenness of the quantity of light in case of display giving priority to color reproducibility and can also correct the unevenness of the up rate to the brightness in display attaching importance to color reproducibility in case of display giving priority to brightness. In the display apparatus, light from a light source 1 is separated into three colors R, G and B by dichroic mirrors DM1, DM2, and liquid crystal display elements 8R, 8G and 8B corresponding to the color-separated three colors are illuminated with these lights, and the three color lights are modulated by these display elements to thereby form a color image, and the dichroic mirrors DM1 and DM2 include a dichroic mirror DM1 subjected to inclination correction movable in its inclined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kodama, Atsushi Okuyama
  • Patent number: 6636361
    Abstract: It is an object of this invention to provide a zoom lens capable of projecting an original projection image displayed by a liquid crystal display element onto a screen surface with high optical performance, and an image projection apparatus using the zoom lens. A zoom lens includes a first lens unit having negative refractive power, a second lens unit having positive refractive power, a stop, a third lens unit having negative refractive power, a fourth lens unit having negative refractive power, and a fifth lens unit having positive refractive power, which are sequentially arranged from the enlargement side and having one or a plurality of lenses. When the magnification is to be changed from the wide angle end to the telephoto end, the second, third, and fourth lens units and the stop move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ken Wada
  • Patent number: 6611835
    Abstract: A system and method for updating search engine information that is more efficient, less time-consuming, and less costly than prior techniques. In order to carry out the method a uniform resource locator indicating a Web page for which the search engine information is to be updated is selected. The selected uniform resource locator is transmitted to a server on which the Web page is located. A response code indicating a status of the Web page is received and the search engine information is updated based on the response code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Anita Wai-Ling Huang, Neelakantan Sundaresan
  • Patent number: 6608622
    Abstract: An image processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following steps: the multi-viewpoint image input step for inputting images obtained from a plurality of viewpoint positions arranged on different straight lines, the detection step (2, 7, 17, 8) for detecting a viewpoint position and its view direction in which a user is seeing at the viewpoint position, and the image generation step (11, 12, 13, 8) for generating a virtual image viewed from the predetermined viewpoint by using the images input in the multi-viewpoint image input step on the basis of the detected predetermined viewpoint position and the view direction. In the image generation step, optimal corresponding points are obtained by detecting a straight line having a width on an epipolar plane image corresponding to the input images, thereby generating an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Katayama, Hiroaki Sato, Koichiro Tanaka, Eita Ono, Shinya Urisaka
  • Patent number: 6570879
    Abstract: In order to make it possible for communications quality required for communication to be selected optimally in conformity with the states of a plurality of networks, which network is to be used for communication is selected based upon a plurality of communications qualities and communication is performed upon reserving the communications resources of the selected network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toru Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 6537852
    Abstract: A spacer-connector stud comprises a stacked array of glass epoxy laminates, each laminate having a copper layer laminated thereto. The top and bottom laminates of the stud include a spatial array of thermal contacts suitable as a footprint for C4 bump technology. A location is selected on a circuitized base card to accommodate the laminated stud. The stud has a thickness greater than twice the thickness of the components attached to the card. The thermal contacts on the stud, typically solderable, join to a wiring array on the card. A second multi-chip module card having attached and interconnected components on both sides of the second card is mechanically aligned with the based card and pressed against the contacts on the top layer of the stud to form an assembly. The assembly is heated causing the second card to become soldered to the contact footprint on the stud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Leslie Cohn, Dennis Jay McBride, Robert Kevin Montoye
  • Patent number: 6539086
    Abstract: The system and method of the present invention completes at least two calls originating from terminal equipment located at a premises and connected by a point-of-attachment having a single phone number to a public switched telephone network where a dial tone is provided to the premises. Multiple calls are now allowed with an analog interface to the public switched telephone network. At least two calls and control channel are combined into a modulated analog signal having a separate channel for each call and transmitted through a modulation/demodulation device as a modulated analog signal to the public switched telephone network. The modulated analog signal is split into respective calls and control channel. Each call is forwarded to a respective remote device based on the identity information and auxiliary information received through the control channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: Frederick Murray Burg, Anthony Schiano, Mostafa Hashem Sherif, Kamlesh T. Tewani