Patents Represented by Law Firm Robin, Blecker, Daley & Driscoll
  • Patent number: 5633677
    Abstract: In a TV camera apparatus having an image sensor which photo-electrically converts image sensing light coming from an object, a signal processing circuit which converts a signal output from the image sensor into a luminance signal and color-difference signals and negative-to-positive inverters which invert the luminance signal and the color-difference signals from negative to positive, variable gain amplifiers are arranged within color-difference signal systems to amplify the color-difference signals; and the variable gain amplifiers are arranged to be controlled on the basis of the luminance signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadashi Okino, Kunio Ninomiya
  • Patent number: 5631687
    Abstract: A laser light radiation device has a light source for emitting laser light which is modulated according to an image signal, a collimator lens for collimating the laser light emitted from the light source, and a polygonal mirror for deflecting the laser beam emerging from the collimator lens. The device further has a diffraction grating in a laser optical path between the collimator lens and the polygonal mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mamoru Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5629735
    Abstract: An automatic focusing device which is capable of movably setting within an image sensing plane a focus detecting area for detecting the focused degree of an object image formed on the image sensing plane by a photo-taking optical system comprises a position detecting circuit for detecting the position of an object within the focus detecting area, a computing circuit for computing on the basis of information from the position detecting circuit a setting position for setting the focus detecting area, and a control circuit which is arranged to move the focus detecting area according to the output of the computing circuit and to vary and control at least one of the size, the moving range and the moving response speed of the focus detecting area according to information on the depth of field of the photo-taking optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kitahiro Kaneda, Akihiro Fujiwara, Kunihiko Yamada, Hirofumi Suda, Masamichi Toyama, Hideyuki Arai
  • Patent number: 5629811
    Abstract: An apparatus for digitizing video signals and recording the digitized video signals on a recording medium. Digital video signals corresponding to one picture are subjected to a first arrangement transformation in which the arrangement of signals is transformed in each picture, and then to a second arrangement transformation in which the arrangement of signals is transformed in a plurality of pictures. The digital video signals after the first and second transformations are recorded by successively forming a plurality of parallel tracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hidenori Hoshi
  • Patent number: 5628035
    Abstract: A moving body position detecting device is provided with at least three contacts and at least three conductors which are in contact respectively with the three contacts, connected in series to each other and disposed in parallel to each other, for detecting the position of a moving body according to the relative positional relationship between the three contacts and the three conductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Isao Nakazawa
  • Patent number: 5627705
    Abstract: A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing information on or from a tape-shaped recording medium includes a head arranged to record and/or reproduce information on or from the recording medium, and a rotary drum which has the head mounted thereon and is arranged to have the tape-shaped recording medium wrapped around the outer peripheral surface thereof. A plurality of grooves are formed in the outer peripheral surface in such a way as to surround the outer peripheral surface. The outer peripheral surface includes a first outer peripheral surface and a second outer peripheral surface which has a smaller diameter than the first outer peripheral surface. Each of the plurality of grooves are sandwiched in between the first and second outer peripheral surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoichi Ibaraki, Masahide Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 5627587
    Abstract: A solid-state camera of the type which uses a solid-state memory as an image recording device. The solid-state camera includes an examining circuit for examining whether image recording is possible in response to a first stage of a release operation, and a control circuit for executing a predetermined warning operation in response to the output of the examining circuit. The solid-state camera is arranged to effect recording on the solid-state memory in a second stage of the aforesaid release operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Murata, Kan Takaiwa, Hiroyuki Horii
  • Patent number: 5626268
    Abstract: A hanger consists of an elongate, one-piece body of plastic material, the hanger having a first portion defining a hook, and a tail portion extending downwardly of the first portion, the hanger having front and rear surfaces, the rear hanger surface being generally planar. The hanger has a given thickness between the front and rear surfaces in the tail portion exceeding the hanger thickness between the front and rear surfaces elsewhere in the tail portion. The tail portion defines a passage therethrough opening into the front and rear hanger surfaces and defines at a free end thereof a projection configured complementally with the passage to be insertable therein and retentively retained outwardly of the hanger rear surface, the projection having a dimension in the direction of the insertion exceeding the given thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: B&G Plastics, Inc.
    Inventors: Chester Kolton, Stuart S. Spater
  • Patent number: 5627516
    Abstract: An electronic article surveillance system has a receiver with a plurality of receiving coils. Each coil in the system is treated as a separate detection unit with its own noise environment which is distinct from the noise environments of the other coils in the system. The picture of the noise environment is preferably expanded to include examining noise per coil per phase. Control apparatus has facility for changing the interconnection and configuration of the receiving coils responsively to the per coil and per phase noise environment analysis. Noise analysis and coil configuration change can be practiced concurrently with EAS system operation or may be practiced during periods in which the EAS system is rendered inactive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Brent F. Balch, William R. Accolla, Scott A. Tribbey
  • Patent number: 5625341
    Abstract: A multi-bit electronic article surveillance marker includes an antenna circuit and is powered by an interrogation field generated by EAS detection equipment and received by the marker's antenna circuit. The marker generates a multi-bit signal by selectively disturbing the interrogation field. The disturbances may be created by selectively short circuiting the marker's antenna circuit. All of the marker circuitry, including a coil that is part of the antenna circuit, may be provided as circuit elements formed on a semiconductor integrated circuit substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Olin S. Giles, Hubert A. Patterson, Richard Frederick, David B. Ferguson
  • Patent number: 5623309
    Abstract: In the automatic focusing device having an object image variation detecting circuit for quantitatively detecting a variation of an object image on the image pickup plane of an image pickup element so that the focusing operation is controlled in accordance with the amount of variation of the object image detected by the object image variation detecting circuit, there are provided a stop control circuit for controlling the period for stopping the focusing operation when panning depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image is large or small, a characteristic varying circuit for varying the frequency band of the picked-up image signal to be used in the focus detection depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image at the time of the focusing operation is large or small, and a pass characteristic varying circuit for varying the focus detection area on the image pickup plane depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image is large or small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuji Yoshimura, Masamichi Toyama, Akihiro Fujiwara, Kunihiko Yamada, Hirofumi Suda
  • Patent number: 5623376
    Abstract: A digital information restoring device is arranged to detect time between level transition points of a digital signal which indicates digital information by means of variations in its period, output the resultant period data, calculate an average value of at least two period data among the output period data, and compare the average value with the aforesaid period data, and restore the digital information. The digital information restoring device is, therefore, capable of restoring the digital information at a high speed without using a high-speed PLL circuit or the like. The digital information restoring device may also be arranged to perform time-axis expansion of only part of the received period data, and input the resultant period data to a computing circuit to restore the digital information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shingo Ikeda, Shinichi Yamashita
  • Patent number: 5621494
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a camera having a light-source determining function for determining the kind of light source. According to the present invention, the light-source determining function of the camera is realized by using the output of a light receiving part of a remote control processing part of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jiro Kazumi, Toru Nagata, Kenji Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 5621462
    Abstract: In an image pickup device capable of effecting the exposure control with plural control parameters such as the iris aperture, shutter speed and gain, the set range of the control parameters is divided into plural areas according to the phototaking condition, and the exposure control information is operated by varying one of the plural control parameters while fixing other control parameters in each of the plural divided areas. Thus optimum exposure control is rendered always possible according to the phototaking situation or condition. Also since the variable parameter is selected according to the phototaking situation, the magnitude of calculation required in the control circuit does not increase in each situation, and compact and rapid control can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Takahashi, Kenji Kyuma, Kyoji Tamura, Yuji Tsuda
  • Patent number: 5620118
    Abstract: A garment hanger is comprised of a one-piece body having a hook portion for the receipt of a display rod, a central portion depending from the hook portion, the body defining in the central portion an opening therethrough and a garment support member disposed in the opening and movable relative to the body. A lower portion of the hanger defines a fold line segment depending from the central portion and a flap segment depending from the fold line segment, the central portion, the fold line segment and the flap segment jointly defining a slot in the body. The flap segment has a latching projection thereon and the central portion defines a passage therethrough for the flap projection, the central portion having a part thereof circumscribing the passage and in facing relation to the flap segment on folding thereof which is thickened with respect to adjacent parts of the central portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: B&G Plastics, Inc.
    Inventors: Chester Kolton, Stuart S. Spater
  • Patent number: 5621459
    Abstract: There is provided an image sensing apparatus which comprises a detecting part for detecting an optical characteristic of a photographic optical system, an image sensing part for converting an optical image photographed by the photographic optical system into an electrical signal, a combining part for combining character information with image information outputted from the image sensing part, and a control part for controlling a combining operation of the combining part in accordance with an output of the detecting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Ueda, Koji Takahashi
  • Patent number: 5619264
    Abstract: In the automatic focusing device having an object image variation detecting circuit for quantitatively detecting a variation of an object image on the image pickup plane of an image pickup element so that the focusing operation is controlled in accordance with the amount of variation of the object image detected by the object image variation detecting circuit, there are provided a stop control circuit for controlling the period for stopping the focusing operation when panning depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image is large or small, a characteristic varying circuit for varying the frequency band of the picked-up image signal to be used in the focus detection depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image at the time of the focusing operation is large or small, and a pass characteristic varying circuit for varying the focus detection area on the image pickup plane depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image is large or small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuji Yoshimura, Masamichi Toyama, Akihiro Fujiwara, Kunihiko Yamada, Hirofumi Suda
  • Patent number: 5615810
    Abstract: A hanger is comprised of an elongate, one-piece body of plastic material, the hanger having a hook portion, a logo display portion, a main body portion having arms extending oppositely, horizontally therefrom to respective free ends for receipt of closed suspender snaps, and a retention member. A fold line segment is defined in the body below the main body portion and a flap member is defined in the body below the fold line segment. The retention member and the flap member have interfitting securement parts and define a sidewardly open, horizontal slot therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignee: B&G Plastics, Inc.
    Inventors: Chester Kolton, Stuart S. Spater
  • Patent number: 5617188
    Abstract: A developing apparatus has a rotatable developing unit having a plurality of developing devices each provided with a containing portion for containing a developer and a carrying member carrying the developer, a light emitting element for applying light toward the containing portion, and a light receiving element provided discretely from the developing unit and common to the plurality of developing devices and for receiving the light transmitted through the containing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsugu Inomata
  • Patent number: 5617139
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus including a memory for storing color temperature data concerning an illuminating apparatus, a colorimetric circuit for measuring a color temperature of ambient light, an amplification circuit for controlling balance of color signals obtained from an image pickup element, and a controller for comparing the color temperature of the ambient light obtained from the colorimetric circuit with the color temperature data concerning the illumination apparatus and for controlling the amplification gain by the amplification circuit according to the comparison result to adjust the white balance, and further including a detecting circuit for detecting that the color temperature of the ambient light is not the color temperature along the black body radiation, wherein, depending on the detection of the detecting circuit, illumination is made by the illuminating apparatus to thereby take the white balance matched with the color temperature data concerning the illuminating apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tadashi Okino