Patents Represented by Law Firm Sixbey, Friedman, Leedom and Ferguson
  • Patent number: 6003828
    Abstract: To prevent tilting or bending of a large mask frame holder and at the same time to prevent distortion when the mask holding frame is attached to a support base by ball plungers in three of the four corner areas of a mask holding frame that engage V groove bodies which face the ball plungers on the surface of the base, compression springs are provided in those three corners which pre-stress the mask holding frame toward the support base while a compression spring is provided between the remaining corner area of the mask holding frame and the base which acts in a direction pressing the mask holding frame away from the support base, thereby preventing the mask holding frame from bending or tilting. As an alternative, in each of the three pre-stressed corner areas of the mask holding frame, instead of a compression spring, an elastic attachment component in the form of a bracket with spring-like legs mounted to the supporting component can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Ushiodenki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Kawahashi, Hiromi Kai
  • Patent number: 6001432
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming films on a substrate is described. The apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber, an evacuating system connected to the vacuum chamber for maintaining a predetermined pressure in the vacuum chamber, a power supply for generating electric energy at high frequencies, a first electrode disposed in the vacuum chamber and connected to the power supply for receiving the electric energy as a cathode, the substrate to be coated being mounted on the first electrode, a second electrode disposed in the vacuum chamber and grounded as an anode, an electric discharging region being formed between the first and second electrodes in order to generate a plasma region therebetween, and a gas feeding system connected to the vacuum chamber for feeding a reactive gas into the vacuum chamber through a gas outlet port formed on the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Kenji Itoh
  • Patent number: 6002197
    Abstract: A light source device for a liquid crystal projector in which it is possible to prevent distinct appearance of a shadow of the conducting wiring of a lamp on a screen, even if an integrator lens is used, is achieved according to the invention by the fact that, in a light source device which has a metal halide lamp with bilateral sealed terminations in which seal areas are joined in one piece to two ends of an arc tube, and a concave reflector, in which one of the seal areas of the lamp is installed and held in a base opening of the concave reflector, and in which the other seal area extends in toward the front opening of the concave reflector, by conducting wiring connected to the outer lead pin which projects from the seal area toward the front opening of the concave reflector being positioned running toward the arc tube in a manner resting directly on this seal area, and then being drawn out in the vicinity of the arc tube with to behind the concave reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Ushiodenki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuo Tanaka, Kiyoyuki Kabuki, Tadatoshi Higashi, Tomoyoshi Arimoto
  • Patent number: 6001431
    Abstract: A process for depositing a diamond-like carbon film, which comprises providing a means for generating a sheet-like beam-type plasma region inside a vacuum vessel for depositing the diamond-like carbon film, and depositing the film on a substrate being moved through said plasma region. Also claimed is an apparatus for fabricating a magnetic recording medium by sequentially and continuously forming a magnetic layer and a diamond-like carbon film on a polymer substrate material, which comprises at least a first vacuum vessel for forming the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium and a second vacuum vessel for forming the diamond-like carbon film, provided that the pressure difference between the operation pressures for the first vessel and the second vessel is set in the range of from 10.sup.-2 to 10.sup.-5 Torr.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Itoh, Shigenori Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6001712
    Abstract: In an insulated gate field effect semiconductor device, the gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film includes the first and second semiconductor layers as a double layer. An impurity for providing one conductivity type is not contained in first semiconductor layer which is in contact with a gate insulating film and is contained at a high concentration in the second semiconductor layer which is not in contact with the gate insulating film. Accordingly, By existence of the first semiconductor layer is which the impurity is not doped, the impurity is prevented from penetrating through the gate insulating film from the gate electrode and diffusing into the channel forming region. Also, by existence of the second semiconductor layer in which high concentration impurity is doped, the gate electrode has low resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukio Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 6000696
    Abstract: A game machine enabled to make various responses by adding the psychosomatic state and emotion of the player as one of conditions for determining the responding manner. The psychosomatic state of the player is grasped to change the responses in accordance with the psychological state of the player by making use of both a chaos attractor obtained by numerically processing the information sampled from the player and the index indicating the degree how the chaos attractor matches the defining condition of the chaos.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Akiharu Miyanaga, Toshiji Hamatani
  • Patent number: 6001465
    Abstract: A light-shielding blade for use in cameras utilizes a film of para-type aromatic polyamide for its base material. The light-shielding blade has a single-layer structure using an aramid film as its blade material. The film is added with carbon black at a ratio of 2 to 10 percent by weight relative to a total weight of the blade material. Alternatively, the light-shielding blade has a laminated structure with a plurality of aramid films stacked each other and having a thickness of 2 to 30 microns each, a total thickness being set to a range of 50 to 200 microns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Copal Company Limited
    Inventors: Shigemi Takahashi, Nobuyoshi Inoue, Takao Ogawa, Noribumi Tachihara
  • Patent number: 6002101
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device by emitting a laser beam from an excimer laser, modifying an energy distribution by passing the beam through a lateral flyeye lens followed by a vertical flyeye lens, condensing the laser beam in two perpendicular sections by two cylindrical lenses to give the beam a rectangular shape, where the longer side can be in excess of 10 cm, then scanning the beam with a single direction over a semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hongyong Zhang, Hiroaki Ishihara
  • Patent number: 5997239
    Abstract: A sheet handling apparatus receives on a handling tray a plurality of sheets discharged from an image recording apparatus such as a printer, a copier or the like in a first direction, thereby forming a sheet stack of a series of sheets on the handling tray, and transfers the sheet stack onto an accumulation tray which is disposed with respect to the handling tray in a second direction which intersects the first direction. A first gripper grips the sheet stack on the handling tray and transfers it toward the accumulation tray in the second direction, and a second gripper which grips the sheet stack at an edge portion on the image recording apparatus side receives the sheet stack from the first transfer means after the first transfer means transfers the sheet stack by a predetermined distance in the second direction and transfers the sheet stack in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Nisca Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Mimura, Kazuyuki Kubota, Tsuyoshi Asahara, Hiroshi Saegusa
  • Patent number: 5996400
    Abstract: A leakage diagnostic system for making a judgement of leakage of a fuel purge system, which has in order from the side of a fuel tank a control valve, a canister and a purge valve disposed in a purge passage and a relief valve isolating the canister from the atmosphere, based on a rising rate of pressure in the purge passage between the fuel tank and the intake system isolated from the atmosphere after lowering and keeping the interior of the purge passage below specified negative pressure level for a specified period of time. When the interior of the fuel tank increases above a threshold level after a specified period of time, the leakage diagnostic system delivers a judgement of leakage of the purge system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Futoshi Nishioka, Katsuhiko Sakamoto, Tetsushi Hosokai, Shingo Shigihama, Susumu Takano
  • Patent number: 5999245
    Abstract: A proximity exposure device with a distance adjustment device in which sufficient determination sensitivity can be obtained even in areas with a low reflectance factor, such as on a glass surface, is achieved by a distance measurement part having a light source for measurement purposes, a pinhole plate, an objective lens, a light detection device and the like, light emerging form the light source for measurement purposes being emitted via the pinhole plate and objective lens onto the mask surface/workpiece surface, and light reflected thereby is detected via the objective lens and pinhole plate by the light detection device. If the mask surface/workpiece surface is located at the focal point of the objective lens on the object side, reflected light with high intensity is incident in the light detection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Ushiodenki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 5996837
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for forming a lid having an annular mounting portion, an annular trough region positioned radially inward of the annular mounting portion, an annular side wall extending upwardly from an inner periphery of the annular trough region to an annular ridge adjacent said annular side wall, and a crown region is set forth. The apparatus includes a forming die having an upper surface of a configuration conforming to the configuration of the lid, a forming ring for aiding in the forming of the lid, a positioning device for positioning the thermoformable sheet material adjacent the upper surface of the forming die between the forming die and the forming ring and a drive mechanism for lowering the forming ring into contact with the sheet material. The method includes contacting that portion of the sheet material which forms a lowermost region of the lid with the forming ring so as to carry the material down into the lowermost region of the forming die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Fort James Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Alan Freek, Scott Goodyear, Jack Patel
  • Patent number: 5999632
    Abstract: A fixation element secures to a patient's ear an implantable microphone having a cylindrical housing part with an acoustic inlet membrane after insertion into a hole which crosses a rear bony wall of the patient's auditory canal. The fixation element has a cylindrical sleeve part which surrounds the cylindrical housing part of the microphone and which has projecting, elastic flange parts which can be placed against the side of the wall of the auditory canal which faces the skin of the auditory canal. In use, the elastic flange parts are held in a bent position against an elastic restoring force of the flange parts, before implantation, by applying a holder to the flange parts which allows insertion of the flanges through the hole of the wall of the auditory canal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: IMPLEX Aktiengesellschaft Hearing Technology
    Inventors: Hans Leysieffer, Joachim W. Baumann, Rolf Martin Lehner, Gerd M. Muller, Gabriele Reischl
  • Patent number: 5998841
    Abstract: There is provided a combination of doping process and use of side walls which allows the source and drain of a thin film transistor of an active matrix circuit to be doped with only one of N-type and P-type impurities and which allows the source and drain of a thin film transistor used in a peripheral circuit of the same conductivity type as that of the thin film transistor of the active matrix circuit to include both of N-type and P-type impurities. Also, a thin film transistor in an active matrix circuit has offset regions by using side walls, and another thin film transistor in a peripheral circuit has a lightly doped region by using side walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideomi Suzawa
  • Patent number: 5998693
    Abstract: The flexible adhesive element (100) has a profile that is generally anchor-shaped, with an essentially rectilinear central branch (101) and with two curved side branches (102, 103). The central branch (101) is designed to extend to the peri-areolar zone of the breast concerned so as to cover said zone, and the two side branches (102, 103) are designed to extend along the fold beneath the breast to cover said fold at least in part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Inventor: Andre Zagame
  • Patent number: 5999241
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is characterized by comprising first and second substrates on a surface of which electrodes are formed, a liquid crystal material with ferroelectricity or antiferroelectricity interposed between the first and second electrodes, and an orientation film and disposed between the electrode or electrodes formed on the surface of said first and/or second substrate whose surface has been subjected to a process which gives optically uniaxial orientation to the liquid crystal material, wherein said orientation film has a pretilt angle of 1.6 to 3.1 degree with respect to a nematic liquid crystal. Further, a value of a polar term of surface tension on the surface of the orientation film ranges from 11 to 15 dyne/cm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nishi, Toshimitsu Konuma
  • Patent number: 5998740
    Abstract: A batching of currently supplied articles with non-uniform weights into portions of a uniform target weight is effected by passing the articles through a weighing station (6, 8) to a distribution system (12), in which the articles (4) are selectively allocated to a plurality of receiver bins (14). It is known to improve the capacity of such a system by way of probability calculations based on the normal distribution of the articles in the supply flow, but it is better to base such calculations on a regularly updated recorded histogram (28) of the weight distribution of a relatively high number of newly weighed articles. Thereby the target calculations will rely on factual rather than just expected conditions, and a result is that it is possible to effect batching even when the article weights in the supply flow are not normally distributed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Scanvaegt A/S
    Inventors: Thorkild Kvisgaard, John Bomholt
  • Patent number: 5992261
    Abstract: In a shift lever to which operating force for changing a transmission by a driver is applied, a basal end thereof is inserted in a hole formed in a lever holder. Movement of the shift lever in the axial direction is prevented by an elastic member. When large force acts in the axial direction of the shift lever, the elastic member deflects and the shift lever moves in the axial direction, thereby allowing absorption of the load applied to the shift lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Hajime Iwata, Hitoshi Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 5992995
    Abstract: The invention relates to apparatus for fixing lenses to a spectacles frame, the apparatus comprising, for each lens, a flexible rim element passing along an associated bezel and being secured to the frame on either side of the lens. According to the invention, each flexible element (20) is organized to have two end loops (23, 24) which are secured to the frame (2) on either side of the lens (V) in question, merely by engaging over said frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Inventor: Jean-Claude Perie
  • Patent number: 5995272
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle roof with a cover (14) having a transparent area, the transparency of which can be controlled by applying a voltage to it. The transparent area has an outwardly arched pane (16) and a flat inner pane (20) located under the outer pane and provided with an electrochromic element (22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
    Inventor: Werner Patz