Patents Assigned to Sharp Laboratories
  • Patent number: 8913089
    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 16, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis Joseph Kerofsky, Scott James Daly
  • Patent number: 8907081
    Abstract: A long wavelength absorbing porphyrin/metalloporphyrin molecule is provided, made up of a porphyrin macrocycle and an anchor group for attachment to a substrate. A molecular linking element is interposed between the porphyrin macrocycle and the anchor group. The porphyrin/metalloporphyrin molecule also includes an (aminophenyl)amine group, either N,N-(4-aminophenyl)amine or N-phenyl-N-(4-aminophenyl)amine, where an amino moiety of the 4-aminophenyl group is derivatized by an element such as hydrogen, haloalkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, heteroarenes, halogenated heteroarenes, or combinations of the above-mentioned elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Andrew Vail, David R. Evans, Wei Pan
  • Patent number: 8902149
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention relate to methods and systems for controlling power consumption with a power controlling display device. Some aspects relate to a power controlling display device that receives a notification of a power control event that may control internal display components as well as connected power consuming devices. Some aspects relate to methods and systems for automatically compensating a displayed image when display backlight levels are modified in response to a power control event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Louis Joseph Kerofsky
  • Patent number: 8896065
    Abstract: A bottom-contacted top gate (TG) thin film transistor (TFT) with independent field control for off-current suppression is provided, along with an associated fabrication method. The method provides a substrate, and forms source and drain regions overlying the substrate, each having a channel interface top surface. A channel is interposed between the source and drain, with source and drain contact regions immediately overlying the source/drain (S/D) interface top surfaces, respectively. A first dielectric layer is formed overlying the source, drain, and channel. A first gate is formed overlying the first dielectric, having a drain sidewall located between the contact regions. A second dielectric layer is formed overlying the first gate and first dielectric. A second gate overlies the second dielectric, located over the drain contact region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Hidayat Kisdarjono, Apostolos T. Voutsas
  • Patent number: 8896907
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming a reflective plasmonic display. The method provides a substrate and deposits a bottom dielectric layer. A conductive film is deposited overlying the bottom dielectric layer. A hard mask is formed with nano-size openings overlying the conductive film. The conductive film is plasma etched via nano-size openings in the hard mask, stopping at the dielectric layer. After removing the hard mask, a conductive film is left with nano-size openings to the dielectric layer. Metal is deposited in the nano-size openings, creating a pattern of metallic nanoparticles overlying the dielectric layer. Then, the conductive film is removed. The hard mask may be formed by conformally depositing an Al film overlying the conductive film and anodizing the Al film, creating a hard mask of porous anodized Al oxide (AAO) film. The porous AAO film may form a short-range hexagonal, and long-range random order hole patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J. Tweet, Akinori Hashimura, Paul J. Schuele, Apostolos T. Voutsas
  • Publication number: 20140343446
    Abstract: A model-based method for assessing acoustic signal quality in a heart monitoring device. The personal heart sound interval distribution of a person being actively monitored is compared with a modeled global heart sound interval distribution shared by most human beings after which processing action is taken consistent with the quality assessment. The error in the best fit between the personal interval distribution and the global interval distribution is presumed to be caused predominantly by noise, allowing the quality of the fit to serve as a proxy for the level of noise in the acoustic signal and used in making processing decisions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan Severt Hallberg, Frederick Norman Hill
  • Patent number: 8890853
    Abstract: A video display is provided with a planar piezoelectric transmitter to transmit ultrasound signals, and a display panel including a plurality of pixels. Each pixel has a data interface to accept a video signal with a variable voltage associated with a range of light intensity values, and to supply a touch signal with a variable voltage derived from a range of reflected ultrasound signal energies. Each pixel is made up of a light device to supply light with an intensity responsive to the video signal voltage, and a storage capacitor to maintain a video signal voltage between refresh cycles. A piezoelectric transducer accepts a reflected ultrasound signal energy and maintains a touch signal voltage between refresh cycles. In one aspect, the storage capacitor and the piezoelectric transducer are the same device. The light device may be a liquid crystal (LC) layer or a light emitting diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Schuele, Themistokles Afentakis, John Hartzell
  • Publication number: 20140334351
    Abstract: A user equipment (UE) for receiving time-division duplexing (TDD) uplink/downlink (UL/DL) configurations is described. The UE includes a processor and instructions stored in memory that is in electronic communication with the processor. The UE receives a primary TDD UL/DL configuration for a serving cell and reconfiguration information. The UE determines a downlink (DL)-reference TDD UL/DL configuration based on the primary TDD UL/DL configuration and the reconfiguration information. The UE determines an uplink (UL)-reference TDD UL/DL configuration based on the primary TDD UL/DL configuration and the reconfiguration information. The UE performs Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) operations based on the DL-reference TDD UL/DL configuration. The UE performs Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) operations based on the UL-reference TDD UL/DL configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhanping Yin, Shohei Yamada, Ahmad Khoshnevis
  • Publication number: 20140334391
    Abstract: A method for reporting uplink control information (UCI) on a user equipment (UE) is described. A Type 2 channel state information (CSI) report is generated for a CSI reference resource. The Type 2 CSI report is sent to a base station. The Type 2 CSI report is computed from a channel measurement based on a non-zero power reference signal on a single subframe within a configured CSI-RS resource associated with a CSI process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmad Khoshnevis, Shohei Yamada, Zhanping Yin
  • Publication number: 20140332760
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming an epoxy-based planarization layer overlying an organic semiconductor (OSC) film. Generally, the method forms a fluoropolymer passivation layer overlying the OSC layer. A photopatternable adhesion layer is formed overlying the fluoropolymer passivation layer, and patterned. A photopatternable planarization layer, comprising an epoxy-based organic resin, is formed overlying the photopatternable adhesion layer and patterned to expose the fluoropolymer passivation layer. Then, the fluoropolymer passivation layer is plasma etched to expose the OSC layer. More explicitly, the method can be used to fabricate a bottom gate or top gate organic thin-film transistor (OTFT). Top gate and bottom gate OTFT devices are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Karen Nishimura, Lisa Stecker, Themistokles Afentakis, Kurt Ulmer
  • Publication number: 20140335872
    Abstract: A method for re-establishing a connection by a user equipment (UE) is described. The method includes establishing a first connection between the UE and an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN). The method also includes establishing a second connection between the UE and the E-UTRAN. The method also includes informing the E-UTRAN of a failure of the second connection when a failure of the second connection is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Shohei Yamada
  • Patent number: 8879619
    Abstract: A system encoding and decoding video that uses a parallel encoding and decoding technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Segall, Jie Zhao
  • Patent number: 8875166
    Abstract: A method and cloud security framework for implementing tenant license verification. The method and framework conduct tenant license verification transparently to cloud resources and users who request them. An exemplary method comprises receiving by the framework from a client device a request for access to a cloud resource and user information; authenticating by the framework a user of the device using the information; obtaining by the framework a security context for the user including a tenant identifier identifying a multi-user enterprise to which the user belongs using the information; transmitting by the framework to an outside entity over a web services interface a tenant license verification request including the identifier; receiving by the framework from the entity a verification that a tenant license associated with the identifier is in good standing; and granting by the framework to the device access to the resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Boguslaw Ludwik Plewnia
  • Patent number: 8873864
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for automatic content-boundary detection in a digital image. According to one aspect of the present invention a received image may be preconditioned to form a normalized image from which image-content edges may be detected. Projection histograms in the direction of a known skew angle associated with the image and the normal to the skew angle may be formed to determine image-content boundaries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Dolan, Lawrence Shao-hsien Chen
  • Patent number: 8873617
    Abstract: A system encoding and decoding video that uses a parallel encoding and decoding technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Segall, Jie Zhao
  • Patent number: 8867844
    Abstract: A method for image processing includes determining edge pixels of a model image and determining features for the edge pixels of the model image. The image processing includes determining edge pixels of an input image and determining features for the edge pixels of the input image. The system matches the features of the model image with the features of the input image to determine candidate locations of an object within the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Petrus J. L. Van Beek, Xinyu Xu, Chang Yuan, Xiao-fan Feng
  • Patent number: 8861597
    Abstract: A system for transmitting video from a plurality of transmitters to a plurality of receivers over a shared wireless channel includes a plurality of transmitters each receiving a respective video stream to transmit over the shared wireless channel. Distortion-related information is associated with each of the respective video streams and each of the plurality of transmitters having access to the distortion-related information for the respective video stream while not having access to the distortion-related information for other the video streams. Each of the plurality of transmitters using the respective distortion-related information of the respective the video stream to determine how to modify the video stream for transmission based upon a channel time constraint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaoqing Zhu, Petrus J. L. van Beek
  • Patent number: 8860744
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for enhancing an input image that includes modifying the relatively lower frequency aspects of the input image based upon a brightening process, where the brightening process is based upon a brightening selection which is based upon a combination of an under brightening term and a clipping term and a joint saturation boost and brightening. The method modifies the relatively higher frequency aspects of the input image based upon reducing lower amplitude noise and enhancing the noise reduced higher frequency aspects of the input image, and combines the modified relatively lower frequency aspects of the input image and the modified relatively higher frequency aspects of the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis Joseph Kerofsky, Xinyu Xu
  • Patent number: 8862723
    Abstract: A system and method are presented for monitoring handheld devices in a testing environment. At least one handheld device is provided, typically several, that is capable of performing a first plurality of functions in a non-test mode, and a more limited number of functions in a test mode. In a test environment the handheld device should be set to perform in the test mode. In the event of the handheld device mode being changed from the test mode to non-test mode, the handheld device generates a non-test mode signal. A monitoring software application records the non-test mode signal. In one aspect, the monitoring application is embedded in a remote proctor device. The remote proctor device monitoring application may send a mode interrogation message to the handheld device, and the handheld device generates the non-test mode signal in response to the mode interrogation message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Helen Jan Crowell, Dane Nelson Wenzel
  • Publication number: 20140301478
    Abstract: A video decoder provides decoding of encoded video that includes reference pictures and picture sample values corresponding to one of at least two digital video formats having different color characteristics The decoder includes a bit depth scaling operator that provides bit depth scaling of reference pictures in the encoded video and bit depth scaling of picture sample values in the encoded video to improves handling of differing color characteristics (e.g., resolution, quantization bit-depth, and color gamut) employed in different digital video formats.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sachin G. Deshpande, Louis J. Kerofsky