Patents Assigned to Sharp Laboratories
  • Patent number: 8945980
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming an alkali metal-doped solution-processed metal chalcogenide. A first solution is formed that includes a first material group of metal salts, metal complexes, or combinations thereof, dissolved in a solvent. The first material group may include one or more of the following elements: copper (Cu), indium (In), and gallium (Ga). An alkali metal-containing material is added to the first solution, and the first solution is deposited on a conductive substrate. The alkali metal-containing material may be sodium (Na). An alkali metal-doped first intermediate film results, comprising metal precursors from corresponding members of the first material group. Then, thermally annealing is performed in an environment of selenium (Se), Se and hydrogen (H2), hydrogen selenide (H2Se), sulfur (S), S and H2, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), or combinations thereof. The metal precursors in the alkali metal-doped first intermediate film are transformed, and an alkali metal-doped chalcogenide layer is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Vail, Gary Foley, Alexey Koposov
  • Patent number: 8947465
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems, methods and devices for display-mode-dependent adjustment of image code values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Louis Joseph Kerofsky
  • Patent number: 8947333
    Abstract: A switchable viewing angle display method is provided. The method provides a front panel array of display pixels. Also provided is an array of microlenses underlying the array of display pixels. Each microlens has a focal point and each microlens is associated with a corresponding block of display pixels. A backlight panel has an edge-coupled waveguide pipe with an optical input connected to a column of light emitting diodes (LEDs). The backlight panel includes a top array of selectively enabled extraction pixels, a planar mirror underlying the waveguide pipe, and a bottom array of selectively enabled extraction pixels interposed between the waveguide pipe and the planar mirror. In response to accepting a display viewing angle change command, an extraction pixel is enabled from either the top array or the bottom array, and a waveguide pipe light extraction position is formed, changing the viewing angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jiandong Huang, Apostolos T. Voutsas
  • Patent number: 8947339
    Abstract: A method for displaying an input image on a display includes receiving the input image to be displayed on the display. The image is modified with a first process to determine a driving signal for a two-dimensional backlight array of independently selectable light emitting elements of the display. The first modified image is modified with a second noise reducing process to determine a driving signal for a two-dimensional liquid crystal layer defining pixels of the display. The two-dimensional backlight array has a different density of light emitting elements than the two-dimensional liquid crystal layer defining the pixels of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiao-fan Feng, Scott J. Daly
  • Patent number: 8947453
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for correcting artifacts in a camera-captured image of a document or image of an object exhibiting document-like content. A mobile device may capture an image and send the image to a cloud computing system for processing. According to a first aspect of the present invention, the mobile device may provide real-time feedback cues to assist in the capture of an image. The mobile device may detect a region-of-interest in the captured image, and a user may refine or confirm the detected region-of-interest. The captured image, information identifying the region-of-interest and a metadata tag, referred to as a region-of-interest modification tag, indicating whether, or not, the region-of-interest was refined by a user may be sent to the cloud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence Shao-hsien Chen, Richard John Campbell, Ahmet Mufit Ferman
  • Patent number: 8949899
    Abstract: A collaborative information system in which a first display device provides a recommendation of programming content to a viewer of a second display device, where the recommendation is based on content characteristics of the recommended content, and where the recommendation is based on assigning those content characteristics respectively different weights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: James H. Errico, M. Ibrahim Sezan, George R. Borden, Gary A. Feather, Mick G. Grover
  • Publication number: 20150029229
    Abstract: A scrollable display is provided with an adjustable screen size and an associated image scaling method. The display includes a case or housing, with an exit slot. The display also includes a flexible electronic screen having an input to accept electronic image signals, and a surface to display images. A screen extension mechanism is embedded in the case and connected to the flexible electronic screen interior edge. The screen extension mechanism is configured to permit the extension of the flexible electronic screen, through an exit slot, into a plurality of exposed widths. An image scaler has an input to accept a screen width measurement corresponding to an exposed width of the flexible electronic screen. The image scaler has an output to supply electronic image signals scaled to the screen width measurement, to form an image on an exposed section of the flexible electronic screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2013
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Apostolos Voutsas
  • Patent number: 8942754
    Abstract: A User Equipment (UE) for allocating power for uplink transmission to an evolved Node B (eNB) is described. The UE includes a processor and memory that is in electronic communication with the processor. Executable instructions are stored in the memory. The UE obtains a power headroom. The UE also obtains a threshold. Also, the UE reduces power consumption if the power headroom is less than the threshold. The power headroom is based on the difference between a maximum uplink transmit power and an estimated uplink transmit power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Atsushi Ishii, Louis Joseph Kerofsky, Sachin G. Deshpande
  • Patent number: 8941580
    Abstract: A backlight display has improved display characteristics. An image is displayed on the display which includes a liquid crystal material with a light valve. The display receives an image signal and modifies the light for a backlight array and a liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Feng Li, Xiao-Fan Feng
  • Publication number: 20150023229
    Abstract: A User Equipment (UE) for performing carrier aggregation is described. The UE includes a processor and instructions stored in memory that is in electronic communication with the processor. The UE determines a duplex method of each serving cell for frequency-division duplexing (FDD) and time-division duplexing (TDD) carrier aggregation. At least one serving cell is a TDD cell and at least one serving cell is a FDD cell. The UE also determines physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement/Negative Acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) transmission timing for a serving cell. When a primary cell is a TDD cell, the PDSCH HARQ-ACK transmission timing for the serving cell is determined based on a downlink (DL) association set for the serving cell. The UE further sends PDSCH HARQ-ACK information based on the PDSCH HARQ-ACK transmission timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhanping Yin, Shohei Yamada
  • Patent number: 8934424
    Abstract: An evolved Node B (eNB) for reconfiguring a subframe allocation is described. The eNB includes a processor and instructions stored in memory that is in electronic communication with the processor. The eNB determines whether to adjust a subframe allocation. If it is determined to adjust the subframe allocation, then the eNB determines whether to adjust the subframe allocation with a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration or a physical (PHY) layer reconfiguration. The eNB also adjusts the subframe allocation for the PHY layer reconfiguration. The eNB further adjusts the subframe allocation according to a standard configuration for the RRC reconfiguration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhanping Yin, Shohei Yamada
  • Patent number: 8928567
    Abstract: A switchable viewing angle display method is provided, using arrayed microlenses and a waveguide pipe with selectable light extraction positions. The method provides a front panel array of display pixels. Also provided is an array of microlenses underlying the array of display pixels. Each microlens has a focal point and each microlens is associated with a corresponding block of display pixels. A backlight panel has an edge-coupled waveguide pipe with an optical input connected to a column of light emitting diodes (LEDs). The backlight panel includes an array extraction pixels, each extraction pixel underlying a corresponding microlens, and the backlight panel also includes a planar mirror underlying the waveguide pipe. In response to a display viewing angle change command, a waveguide pipe's light extraction position is selected, which is the distance between the extraction pixels and their corresponding microlenses, and the display viewing angle is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jiandong Huang, Apostolos T. Voutsas
  • Patent number: 8929464
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for gracefully degrading video quality in a video entropy decoding system. The method comprises: accepting a sequence of coded video frames; measuring the speed at which the video frames are decoded; in response to the decoding speed, varying the degree of data decoded in each macroblock (MB) of a frame; and, supplying decoded video data from every MB in the frame. Though the degree of data decoded in each MB of the frame may vary, predictions from a first MB in a frame can still be used to decode a second MB in the frame. That is, synchronization is maintained between the first and second MB. Varying the degree of data decoded in each MB of the frame includes: decoding a minimal amount of data in each MB in the frame; and, varying the level of decoding performed on each MB in the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Louis Joseph Kerofsky
  • Publication number: 20150005464
    Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating a metalloporphyrin polymer on a substrate. The method creates a functionalized substrate by attaching an anchor group of a linker, including a terminal alkyne group, to a substrate surface. The functionalized substrate is then exposed to metalloporphyrin monomers, where each metalloporphyrin monomer includes at least two terminal alkyne groups. A plurality of metalloporphyrin monomers (e.g., zinc porphyrin monomers) are thus linked via the metalloporphyrin monomer terminal alkyne groups, forming a metalloporphyrin polymer attached to the substrate. In one aspect, linking the plurality of metalloporphyrin monomers via the metalloporphyrin monomer terminal alkyne groups includes forming butadiyne groups between adjacent metalloporphyrins. Then, forming the metalloporphyrin polymer attached to the substrate includes attaching the metalloporphyrin polymer, via a metalloporphyrin monomer terminal alkyne group, to the terminal alkyne group of an associated linker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Andrew Vail, David R. Evans, Jong-Jan Lee
  • Patent number: 8921839
    Abstract: A method is provided for fabricating an organic light emitting device (OLED) with a spherical back mirror. The method forms a spherical curvature in the substrate and deposits a metal film overlying the spherical curvature, forming a spherical back mirror. A transparent isolation layer is formed overlying the spherical back mirror having a planar top surface. A transparent first electrode layer is formed overlying the isolation layer, and a transparent second electrode layer is formed overlying the first electrode layer. A stack is interposed between the first and second electrode layers. The stack is made up of an electron transport layer adjacent the cathode, a light-emitting (electron injection) layer adjacent to the electron transport layer, a hole transport layer adjacent to the light-emitting layer, and a hole injection layer adjacent to the hole transport layer. The order of the stack layering is dependent which electrode is the anode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jingyu Zhang, Ken Hoshino
  • Patent number: 8924034
    Abstract: An energy management system includes a controller that receives a signal representative of current electrical generation. A storage source stores energy from the current electrical generation associated with the controller. The controller predicts the amount of storage of energy in said storage source over time, receives pricing information, includes a model of a temperature system of a building, and includes a comfort model of a user. The controller selects a desirable temperature based upon the current electrical generation, the stored energy, the pricing information, the building model, and the comfort model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sachin G. Deshpande, Louis Joseph Kerofsky
  • Patent number: 8922474
    Abstract: A method for modifying an image to be displayed on a display includes receiving an image to be displayed on the display having a backlight and a transmissive panel. A backlight signal is provided to the backlight for causing the backlight to selectively illuminate different portions of the backlight with different characteristics. The characteristics include at least one of a different color and a difference luminance. A panel signal is provided to the panel for causing the transmissive panel to selectively change its transmittivities. At least one of the backlight signal and the panel signal are modified in a manner to reduce off-axis artifacts in selected regions of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Louis Joseph Kerofsky
  • Patent number: 8922594
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems, methods and devices for increasing the perceived brightness of an image. In some embodiments this increase compensates for a decrease in display light-source illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis Joseph Kerofsky, Scott James Daly
  • Patent number: 8923224
    Abstract: A method for quantizing a relative phase and a relative amplitude is described. A received symbol is obtained. A relative phase is determined from the received symbol. A relative amplitude is also determined from the received symbol. A quantized relative phase is obtained for the relative phase. A quantized relative amplitude is obtained for the relative amplitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmad Khoshnevis, Sayantan Choudhury, John M. Kowalski
  • Patent number: 8918853
    Abstract: Automatic recovery from loss of a security token on an embedded device is achieved by having a service provider (SP) server send to a device server a backup copy of the security token in conjunction with sending to an embedded device a primary copy of the security token, and retrieving from the device server and sending to the embedded device the backup copy of the security token upon detecting that the primary copy of the security token has been lost. The method and system obviate the need for a user to have to re-input on the embedded device a credential that is represented by the security token in the event the primary copy of the security token is erased from the embedded device or otherwise becomes inaccessible to the embedded device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Renjit Tom Thomas