Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Richard B. Main
  • Patent number: 5589838
    Abstract: A radio location system comprises a wireless transmitter that outputs two megahertz period bursts of two gigahertz radar carrier signals. A receiver system determines the position of the transmitter by the relative arrival of the radar bursts at several component receivers set up to have a favorable geometry and each one having a known location. One receiver provides a synchronizing gating pulse to itself and all the other receivers to sample the ether for the radar pulse. The rate of the synchronizing gating pulse is slightly offset from the rate of the radar bursts themselves, so that each sample collects one finely-detailed piece of information about the time-of-flight of the radar pulse to each receiver each pulse period. Thousands of sequential pulse periods provide corresponding thousand of pieces of information about the time-of-flight of the radar pulse to each receiver, in expanded, not real time. Therefore the signal processing can be done with relatively low-frequency, inexpensive components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventor: Thomas E. McEwan
  • Patent number: 5583281
    Abstract: A microminiature gas chromatograph (.mu.GC) comprising a least one silicon wafer, a gas injector, a column, and a detector. The gas injector has a normally closed valve for introducing a mobile phase including a sample gas in a carrier gas. The valve is fully disposed in the silicon wafer(s). The column is a microcapillary in silicon crystal with a stationary phase and is mechanically connected to receive the mobile phase from the gas injector for the molecular separation of compounds in the sample gas. The detector is mechanically connected to the column for the analysis of the separated compounds of sample gas with electronic means, e.g., ion cell, field emitter and PIN diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventor: Conrad M. Yu
  • Patent number: 5575929
    Abstract: A two-wafer microcapillary structure is fabricated by depositing boron nitride (BN) or silicon nitride (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) on two separate silicon wafers (e.g., crystal-plane silicon with [100] or [110] crystal orientation). Photolithography is used with a photoresist to create exposed areas in the deposition for plasma etching. A slit entry through to the silicon is created along the path desired for the ultimate microcapillary. Acetone is used to remove the photoresist. An isotropic etch, e.g., such as HF/HNO.sub.3 /CH.sub.3 COOH, then erodes away the silicon through the trench opening in the deposition layer. A channel with a half-circular cross section is then formed in the silicon along the line of the trench in the deposition layer. Wet etching is then used to remove the deposition layer. The two silicon wafers are aligned and then bonded together face-to-face to complete the microcapillary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1996
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Conrad M. Yu, Wing C. Hui
  • Patent number: 5563605
    Abstract: A timing generator comprises a crystal oscillator connected to provide an output reference pulse. A resistor-capacitor combination is connected to provide a variable-delay output pulse from an input connected to the crystal oscillator. A phase monitor is connected to provide duty-cycle representations of the reference and variable-delay output pulse phase. An operational amplifier drives a control voltage to the resistor-capacitor combination according to currents integrated from the phase monitor and injected into summing junctions. A digital-to-analog converter injects a control current into the summing junctions according to an input digital control code. A servo equilibrium results that provides a phase delay of the variable-delay output pulse to the output reference pulse that linearly depends on the input digital control code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 8, 1996
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventor: Thomas E. McEwan
  • Patent number: 5548257
    Abstract: A vacuum output window comprises a planar dielectric material with identical systems of parallel ridges and valleys formed in opposite surfaces. The valleys in each surface neck together along parallel lines in the bulk of the dielectric. Liquid-coolant conduits are disposed linearly along such lines of necking and have water or even liquid nitrogen pumped through to remove heat. The dielectric material can be alumina, or its crystalline form, sapphire. The electric-field of a broadband incident megawatt millimeter-wave radio frequency energy is oriented perpendicular to the system of ridges and valleys. The ridges, about one wavelength tall and with a period of about one wavelength, focus the incident energy through in ribbons that squeeze between the liquid-coolant conduits without significant losses over very broad bands of the radio spectrum. In an alternative embodiment, the liquid-coolant conduits are encased in metal within the bulk of the dielectric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Malcolm Caplan, Clifford C. Shang
  • Patent number: 5547715
    Abstract: A multilayer structure has a selectable, (i) propagating reaction front velocity V, (ii) reaction initiation temperature attained by application of external energy and (iii) amount of energy delivered by a reaction of alternating unreacted layers of the multilayer structure. Because V is selectable and controllable, a variety of different applications for the multilayer structures are possible, including but not limited to their use as ignitors, in joining applications, in fabrication of new materials, as smart materials and in medical applications and devices. The multilayer structure has a period D, and an energy release rate constant K. Two or more alternating unreacted layers are made of different materials and separated by reacted zones. The period D is equal to a sum of the widths of each single alternating reaction layer of a particular material, and also includes a sum of reacted zone widths, t.sub.i, in the period D.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Troy W. Barbee, Jr., Timothy Weihs
  • Patent number: 5538795
    Abstract: A multilayer structure has a selectable, (i) propagating reaction front velocity V, (ii) reaction initiation temperature attained by application of external energy and (iii) amount of energy delivered by a reaction of alternating unreacted layers of the multilayer structure. Because V is selectable and controllable, a variety of different applications for the multilayer structures are possible, including but not limited to their use as ignitors, in joining applications, in fabrication of new materials, as smart materials and in medical applications and devices. The multilayer structure has a period D, and an energy release rate constant K. Two or more alternating unreacted layers are made of different materials and separated by reacted zones. The period D is equal to a sum of the widths of each single alternating reaction layer of a particular material, and also includes a sum of reacted zone widths, t.sub.i, in the period D.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Troy W. Barbee, Jr., Timothy Weihs
  • Patent number: 5538915
    Abstract: Customizable neural network in which one or more resistors form each synapse. All the resistors in the synaptic array are identical, thus simplifying the processing issues. Highly doped, amorphous silicon is used as the resistor material, to create extremely high resistances occupying very small spaces. Connected in series with each resistor in the array is at least one severable conductor whose uppermost layer has a lower reflectivity of laser energy than typical metal conductors at a desired laser wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventor: Chi Y. Fu
  • Patent number: 5506573
    Abstract: A method for sensing the on/off status condition of a power switch in an appliance includes applying a series of alternating current (AC) voltage pulses to an appliance with an on/off switch that are synchronized to a source of AC power, sensing the presence of any series of AC current pulses that result if said appliance switch is closed, analyzing any AC current pulses detected in the step of sensing to determine if they resulted from the application of the AC voltage in the step of applying, and outputting an on/off status indication for the appliance switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1996
    Assignee: Server Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Carrell W. Ewing, Andrew J. Cleveland
  • Patent number: 5121179
    Abstract: An integrated circuit having MIS transistors that include pull-up and pull-down gate input resistors of a high enough resistance value to be useful. The high resistance values are obtained in spite of using self-aligned refractory metal silicide films by redefining available channel stoppers to form one electrode end of the resistor and a contact region in a lightly doped substrate or well region to form the second electrode end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1992
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Minoru Sasaki
  • Patent number: 5117444
    Abstract: A preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a pedometer having a housing, a weighted pendulum, a magnet and reed switch, a microprocessor, a LCD display, three push-bottons, a hinged door with a spring cam device that holds the door open and shut, and a replaceable belt hook. The entire unit is powered by an oversized lithium battery that has an expected life of seven years. A unique method of user calibration simplifies user input and provides maximum calibration accuracy regardless of operational or stride artifact variations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: W. Ron Sutton
    Inventors: William R. Sutton, Scott L. Noble
  • Patent number: 5068731
    Abstract: A video processing circuit which includes a video memory and is capable of arbitrarily enlarging or reducing a video signal in the vertical direction of the displayed image. A vertical sync signal in the video signal and a signal from the VCO in a PLL circuit, which is divided into 1/N by vertical sampling line value, N, are both supplied to the inputs of phase comparator of PLL circuit. A signal whose frequency is N times the frequency of vertical sync signal is then produced and this signal is utilized as a vertical address signal for the video memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kesatoshi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 5035116
    Abstract: An adaptor system for installing a window air conditioning (AC) unit mounted in a window case with a fixed window pane and a horizontally sliding window pane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1991
    Assignee: Silicon Joule Corporation
    Inventor: Richard B. Main