Patents Assigned to Sharp
  • Patent number: 7471407
    Abstract: A system for monitoring an imaging job and for implicit network address discovery is disclosed. The system includes a computing device and an imaging device in electronic communication with the computing device. Executable instructions on the imaging device are configured to receive the imaging job sent to the imaging device. An implicit network address is discovered from the imaging job without using an explicit address embedded in the imaging job. The imaging job is started at the imaging device. A status message for the imaging job is sent to the network address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew R. Ferlitsch
  • Patent number: 7470946
    Abstract: A triple-junction complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) filterless color imager cell is provided. The imager cell is made from a bulk silicon (Si) substrate. A photodiode set including a first, second, and third photodiode are formed as a triple-junction structure in the Si substrate. A transistor set is connected to the photodiode set, and detects an independent output signal for each photodiode. Typically, the transistor set is formed in the top surface of the substrate. For example, the Si substrate may be a p-doped Si substrate, and the photodiode triple-junction structure includes the first photodiode forming a pn junction from an n+-doped region at the Si substrate top surface, to an underlying p-doped region. The second photodiode forms a pn junction from the p-doped region to an underlying n-well, and the third photodiode forms a pn junction from the n-well to the underlying p-doped Si substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sheng Teng Hsu, Jong-Jan Lee
  • Patent number: 7469897
    Abstract: A shifter is equipped with a rack and a stopper. A transmission gear transmits power from an electric motor to the rack. A retention pin extends vertically downward from the transmission gear. When the shifter slides to an origin, the retention pin locks the stopper, which causes the electric motor to step out. On detecting the step-out of the electric motor, the position control device recognizes that the shifter has reached the origin (the reference position) and has been fixed at the position, thus setting the shifter position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Hiramoto, Kayo Kamei, Masatsugu Hatanaka, Shigeru Yoshida, Motokazu Nakao
  • Patent number: 7470981
    Abstract: The present invention is concerned with a method for producing a semiconductor device wherein lower-layer wirings and upper-layer wirings are formed with an interlayer insulating film therebetween, and the lower-layer wirings are electrically connected to the upper-layer wirings via via-hole plugs. Over a semiconductor substrate, the interlayer insulating film is formed to cover the lower-layer wirings. In the interlayer insulating film, via-holes for exposing surfaces of the lower-layer wirings are formed, and simultaneously, in a region of the interlayer insulating film where no via-holes exist, dummy via-holes which are not deep enough to reach down to the lower-layer wirings are formed. The dummy via-holes are formed in such a manner that the density of the dummy via-holes gradually decreases from a region where the via-holes are formed. Over the semiconductor substrate, a metal layer is formed to fill the via-holes and the dummy via-holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuhiko Egusa
  • Patent number: 7471845
    Abstract: An image de-ringing filter system and method are provided. The method comprises: accepting image pixels; collecting data from a first group of pixels neighboring a test pixel; in response to the first group data, deciding if the test pixel includes image ringing artifacts; collecting data from a second group of pixels neighboring the test pixel; in response to the second group data, generating a filtered value (FV); and, replacing the test pixel actual value with FV. Typically, collecting data from the first and second group of pixels includes the performance of a mathematical operation. For example, a matrix may be defined for the multiplication of the first group of pixels. Values of pixels on a first side of the coordinate axis may be subtracted from pixels on a second side of the coordinate axis, opposite of the first side. Then, the difference is compared to a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Sachin Govind Deshpande
  • Patent number: 7471920
    Abstract: There is provided a developing apparatus wherein supplied toner is dispersed properly with agitation so that toner is electrically charged evenly with a constant concentration. The developing apparatus includes a developer container for housing therein a developer containing toner and carrier; a developer carrying body for holding the developer; and agitating/conveying members for conveying the developer with agitation along an axis direction of the developer carrying body. The developer container includes a development region facing the developer carrying body and an extension region formed adjacent in the direction of the developer carrying body in the development region. Also disposed therein is a developer-flow blocking plate acting as a partition between the development region and the extension region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shuichi Akedo
  • Patent number: 7471292
    Abstract: A system that receives a first video stream of a scene having a first viewpoint and a second video stream having a second viewpoint wherein camera calibration between the first viewpoint and the second viewpoint is unknown. A viewer selects a viewer viewpoint generally between the first viewpoint and the second viewpoint, and the system synthesizes the viewer viewpoint based upon the first video stream and the second video stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Baoxin Li
  • Patent number: 7470998
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor device in which an electrode of a device formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and an electrode of a wiring structure such as an interposer are connected to each other through a connecting electrode extending through the substrate, and a method of manufacturing the same. A semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises a first substrate including a front surface and a back surface, a first device having a first electrode being formed on the front surface; and a wiring structure formed with a second electrode, the wiring structure having a principal surface. The first electrode of the first device and the second electrode of the wiring structure are connected to each other by a connecting electrode extending through the first substrate from the front surface to the back surface thereof. Substantially all the back surface of the first substrate is bonded to the principal surface of the wiring structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignees: Octec Inc., Tokyo Electron Limited, Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Ibiden Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuya Okumura, Koji Maruyama, Kazuya Nagaseki, Akiteru Rai
  • Patent number: 7471346
    Abstract: A transflective type liquid crystal display panel used as a displaying liquid crystal panel in a 2D/3D switching type liquid crystal panel, wherein a color filter having a colored layer and a transparent layer is provided on an opposing substrate. The transparent layer is formed to face only the reflective region of an active matrix substrate (region where a reflective electrode is formed), and serves as a diffuser processed layer. Accordingly, a liquid crystal display panel having a 2D/3D switching function and a transflective function can prevent moire in 2D display and at the same time provide good 3D display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Tanaka, Kanae Suenaga, Toshihiro Matsumoto, Ikuji Konishi
  • Patent number: 7471610
    Abstract: An optical pickup includes: a first projector for projecting a first light beam of a first wavelength so as to record and reproduce information with respect to an optical disk having a first light transmissive layer; a second projector for projecting a second light beam of a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength so as to record and reproduce information with respect to an optical disk having a second light transmissive layer; an objective lens common to the first and second light beams; and a diffraction optical element made of a lens with a diffraction grating and a refracting face and disposed in an optical path between the first and second projectors and the objective lens. The diffraction optical element is set to satisfy a predetermined equation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumito Nishioka, Nobuo Ogata, Ikuo Nakano
  • Patent number: 7470573
    Abstract: A method of making CMOS devices on strained silicon on glass includes preparing a glass substrate, including forming a strained silicon layer on the glass substrate; forming a silicon oxide layer by plasma oxidation of the strained silicon layer; depositing a layer of doped polysilicon on the silicon oxide layer; forming a polysilicon gate; implanting ions to form a LDD structure; depositing and forming a spacer dielectric on the gate structure; implanting and activation ions to form source and drain structures; depositing a layer of metal film; annealing the layer of metal film to form salicide on the source, drain and gate structures; removing any unreacted metal film; depositing a layer of interlayer dielectric; and forming contact holes and metallizing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jong-Jan Lee, Jer-Shen Maa, Douglas J. Tweet, Yoshi Ono, Sheng Teng Hsu
  • Patent number: 7471966
    Abstract: A cellular phone includes a first case and a second case, which are connected in a foldable manner through a hinge. When the cellular phone is in a folded state, a second display unit displays an image with the side (upper side) closer to the hinge as the upper side. Accordingly, the user can hold the second case of the cellular phone in his/her hand regardless of whether the cellular phone is in a folded state or in an open state. The user can easily switch between a folded state and an open state with respect to the first case and the second case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kohji Sawayama, Satoshi Mizuno, Yonosuke Amano, Tamaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7471348
    Abstract: There is provided an MVA type liquid crystal display device having high brightness and excellent display quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsunori Misaki, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Yoshihisa Taguchi, Kenichi Nagaoka, Manabu Sawasaki
  • Patent number: 7471911
    Abstract: An embodiment of a fixing apparatus according to the present invention is a fixing apparatus provided with a roller for fixing and a plurality of heat sources that heat a surface of the roller, in which a surface temperature of the roller is detected and controlled at a prescribed temperature while a sheet of recording paper is subjected to pressure and heat by the roller to fix a developer onto the sheet of recording paper, comprising: a plurality of temperature detection means for detecting the surface temperature of the roller, wherein at least one of the temperature detection means is arranged in a position of the roller that does not overlap any of the heat sources when viewed from a peripheral surface side of the roller, or is arranged in a position away from a region of the roller to be controlled at the prescribed temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Ide, Koji Aoki
  • Patent number: 7471677
    Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing a metadata station for an internet radio service are disclosed. An exemplary method involves exposing a plurality of Internet radio stations and a metadata station. Requests are received for the metadata station. The Internet radio stations that will have metadata information included in the metadata station are selected. The metadata information for the selected Internet radio stations is obtained, and the metadata information for the selected Internet radio stations is sent on the metadata station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Sachin G. Deshpande
  • Publication number: 20080316414
    Abstract: In a wiring figure pattern of a display panel, each wiring is separated into bands of optimal widths by slits of a constant width as a wiring figure pattern so that minimum light irradiation for curing a photocuring sealing material can be carried out without increasing the electric resistance of the wiring. The optimal width means a resistance such that light coming from both sides of the band cures the sealing material on the upper surface of the band-without influencing the driving and display of liquid crystal. At a point where the width of wiring becomes two times or more of the optical width between the start point and end point of intersection of the wiring and the sealing material region, the wiring is divided by the slit. A first branch forms the band of the optimal width extending from the branch point to the end point, whereas the second branch extends to the end point and is spaced apart from the first branch by the width of the slit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2005
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Nakagawa, Naoshi Yamada
  • Publication number: 20080318390
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device according to the present invention is a method for fabricating a semiconductor device including a substrate layer including a plurality of first regions each having an active region and a plurality of second regions each being provided between adjacent ones of the first region. The fabrication method includes an isolation insulation film formation step of forming an isolation insulation film in each of the second regions so that a surface of the isolation insulation film becomes at the same height as that of a surface of a gate oxide film covering the active region, a peeling layer formation step of forming a peeling layer by ion-implanting hydrogen into the substrate layer after the isolation insulation film formation step, and a separation step of separating part of the substrate layer along the peeling layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasumori Fukushima, Masao Moriguchi, Yutaka Takafuji
  • Publication number: 20080316235
    Abstract: A display device which exhibits functional effects in which color separation between sub-pixels constituting a pixel is hardly recognized and white line display is easily recognized as one line, in enlargement of the color reproduction range in image display using multi-primary colors, and thereby improves display quality, and provides a liquid crystal display device including such a display device. The display device displays an image constituted by pixels each including sub-pixels of four or more colors, wherein the pixels constituting the display device mainly include a pixel arranging a sub-pixel of a color having the highest brightness value in a central region of the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2005
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoji Okazaki, Yoshihiro Okada, Kenji Nakamura, Kozo Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20080316346
    Abstract: A color solid-state image pickup device includes a pixel section having sets of a total of four adjacent pixels arrayed 2×2 in horizontal and vertical directions. Each of the sets consists of an first pixel serving as an upper left pixel and having a first spectral characteristic, a second pixel serving as an upper right pixel and having a second spectral characteristic, a third pixel serving as a lower left pixel and having a third spectral characteristic, and a fourth pixel serving as a lower right pixel and having a fourth spectral characteristic. The pixel section is formed by arraying the sets in the horizontal and vertical directions so that the sets form a matrix. The color solid-state image pickup device uses, as a unit of addition, a total of 16 pixels consisting of four adjacent sets arrayed 2×2 in the horizontal and vertical directions. The color solid-state image pickup device adds up and reads out respective pixel signals of the pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20080316406
    Abstract: When radiating light onto a liquid crystal composition containing a photosensitive material, the alignment of liquid crystal molecules is adjusted by applying a voltage to the liquid crystal composition layer, to achieve substantially orderly alignment of the liquid crystal molecules, or the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is made uniform by adjusting the structure of the liquid crystal display device, or any display defect is driven out of the display area. When radiating light to the liquid crystal composition containing the photosensitive material, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules can be adjusted so as to achieve substantially orderly alignment of the liquid crystal molecules, and the liquid crystal display device can thus be driven stably.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Inoue, Kenichi Nagaoka, Yuji Nakahata, Yoji Taniguchi, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Yohei Nakanishi, Kazutaka Hanaoka, Yuichi Inoue, Masakazu Shibasaki