Patents Assigned to Sharp
  • Patent number: 9494625
    Abstract: A management system for managing measurement information on power consumption in at least one electrical appliance which is associated with at least one meter includes a first storage module configured to store measurement information transmitted from each of the at least one meter associated with the at least one electrical appliance, on power consumption in the at least one electrical appliance, in correspondence with the at least one meter. The management system also includes a second storage module configured to store history information on association between each of the at least one meter and the at least one electrical appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Misuzu Doi, Yohhei Iwami, Yumiko Kawazoe, Satoshi Kishi, You Ka, Hirosuke Miki, Hiroyoshi Toda
  • Patent number: 9494724
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel, a pair of polarizing layers, a lighting device, and an output angle control member. The liquid crystal panel includes a pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal layer is interposed between the pair of substrates. The pair of polarizing layers is arranged on a light input side and a light output side of the liquid crystal layer. The lighting device is arranged on the light input side of the liquid crystal panel and radiates light toward the liquid crystal panel. The output angle control member is arranged on the light output side of the liquid crystal panel and controls an output angle of light which is output from the liquid crystal panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Emi Yamamoto, Tsuyoshi Maeda, Toru Kanno, Tsuyoshi Kamada, Shohei Katsuta
  • Patent number: 9496443
    Abstract: A solar cell module includes a light guide body that guides incident light to propagate therein, and a solar cell element that receives the light propagating within the light guide body, wherein the light guide body is made of a light-transmissive base material and has a curved surface in at least a part thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Kamada, Tsuyoshi Maeda, Hideki Uchida, Tokiyoshi Umeda, Hideomi Yui
  • Patent number: 9495929
    Abstract: A shift register is configured so that each of first and second intermediate stages includes (i) a first input terminal supplied with a clock signal, (ii) a second input terminal supplied with a clock signal different in phase from the clock signal supplied to the first input terminal, (iii) an output terminal connected to the first input terminal via an output transistor, and (iv) a setting circuit, which is connected to the second input terminal and the output transistor, for setting an electric potential of a control terminal of the output transistor, the second intermediate stage includes a control circuit which is (i) connected to the setting circuit of the second intermediate stage and (ii) supplied with a control signal, an operation period (i) starts at a time when a shift start signal supplied to an initial stage is activated and (ii) ends at a time when an output of a final stage changes from activation to inactivation, and when the clock signal supplied to the first input terminal of the second int
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Horiuchi, Shinya Tanaka, Akira Tagawa, Yasuaki Iwase, Takayuki Mizunaga, Akihisa Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 9493461
    Abstract: The present invention relates to compounds of formula I that are useful as hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase inhibitors, the synthesis of such compounds, and the use of such compounds for inhibiting HCV NS5B polymerase activity, for treating or preventing HCV infections and for inhibiting HCV viral replication and/or viral production in a cell-based system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.
    Inventors: Xing Dai, Hong Liu, Anandan Palani, Shuwen He, Zhong Lai, Ravi Nargund, Karen Marcantonio, Dong Xiao, Linda L. Brockunier, Nicolas Zorn, Qun Dang, Xuanjia Peng, Peng Li
  • Patent number: 9493317
    Abstract: A paper feed apparatus includes a paper feeding portion that sends-out a paper placed in a paper placing tray, and is used in an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine. The paper feed apparatus comprises a first regulating portion and a second regulating portion that are arranged in the vicinity of a downstream side of a paper feeding position by the paper feeding portion. The first regulating portion is arranged outside a second width paper passage area to regulate a movement of a first width paper such as A4 paper placed in the paper placing tray toward a feeding direction. On the other hand, the second regulating portion is arranged inside the second width paper passage area to regulate a movement of a second width paper such as a name card placed in the paper placing tray toward a feeding direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasumasa Morimoto
  • Patent number: 9495894
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is directed to reducing a memory capacity required for saving compensating data (data used for compensating variations and the like in characteristic of a drive transistor) compared to conventional examples, in a display device. An organic EL display device using an oxide TFT for a drive transistor is provided with: a low pass filter for extracting low frequency component data from pixel current data as data of a drive current of the drive transistor; a first computing portion for obtaining high frequency component data by obtaining a difference between the pixel current data and the low frequency component data; a down-sampling portion for extracting data from the low frequency component data at predetermined sampling intervals; and a high frequency signal compression processing portion for extracting only high amplitude data out of the high frequency component data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigetsugu Yamanaka, Shinji Nakagawa, Hiroyuki Furukawa, Yoshifumi Ohta
  • Patent number: 9497355
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a dividing process section (122) configured to divide a captured image into a plurality of partial images; a histogram creating section (123) configured to create a histogram representing a distribution of the number of pixels for density values with respect to each color component of each of the partial images; an adjustment value calculating section (124) configured to determine, for each of the partial images, an adjustment value based on a peak in the histogram; an adjusting section (127) configured to generate, for each of the partial images, tone correction data by replacing a specific input value in reference data with the adjustment value; and a correction process section (128) configured to generate a corrected image by tone-correcting each of the partial images with use of the tone correction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Makoto Hayasaki
  • Patent number: 9493872
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vapor deposition apparatus capable of preventing abnormal film formation due to scattering in vapor deposition streams; and a method for producing an organic electroluminescent element which includes forming a patterned thin film with the vapor deposition apparatus. The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus that includes a vapor deposition source equipped with a nozzle that ejects vapor deposition particles; an integrated limiting plate equipped with a first limiting plate including an opening that is in front of the nozzle, and with second limiting plates placed in the opening in the first limiting plate; and a mask including slits. The present invention also relates to a method for producing electroluminescent elements that includes a vapor deposition step of forming a patterned thin film with the vapor deposition apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Kawato, Satoshi Inoue, Takashi Ochi, Yuhki Kobayashi, Katsuhiro Kikuchi, Eiichi Matsumoto, Masahiro Ichihara
  • Patent number: 9494892
    Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a developer vessel that is provided with a first transporting path, a second transporting path and a third transporting path. The first transporting path and the second transporting path are communicated with each other, and a developer is circulated in the first transporting path and the second transporting path. The third transporting path has a developer discharge port and is provided in an upstream side in a transporting direction of the developer in the second transporting path. Furthermore, an annular plate-like first regulation portion is arranged in an end portion of the second transporting path in a third transporting path side and an annular plate-like second regulation portion opposite to the first regulation portion with a predetermined interval is arranged in an end portion of the third transporting path in a second transporting path side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shuichi Akedo
  • Patent number: 9493474
    Abstract: This invention relates to compounds of Formula I having the following general structure: Z1—Y1—(CH2)n1—R—(CH2)n2—Y2—Z2 wherein R represents a fused bicyclic or spirocyclic aliphatic diamine and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof which are inhibitors of the Renal Outer Medullary Potassium (ROMK) channel (Kir1.1). The compounds are useful as diuretics and natriuretics and therefore are useful for the therapy and prophylaxis of disorders resulting from excessive salt and water retention, including cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and chronic and acute heart failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.
    Inventors: Shawn P. Walsh, Alexander Pasternak, Zhi-Cai Shi, Brian Cato, Esther Y. Kim
  • Patent number: 9493441
    Abstract: The instant invention provides compounds of formula I which are JAK inhibitors, and as such are useful for the treatment of JAK-mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, COPD and cancer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.
    Inventors: Jason Brubaker, Joshua T. Close, Joon Jung, Michelle Martinez, Catherine White, Kevin Wilson, Jonathan R. Young, Hongjun Zhang
  • Patent number: 9495090
    Abstract: A touch control section (5) includes: an operation accepting section (51) which accepts a touch operation conducted with respect to an icon or the like; and an accepting operation control section (52) which controls the operation accepting section (51) to forbid an accepting operation in a case where screen scroll is started. In a case where screen scroll is started, the accepting operation control section (52) controls the accepting operation control section (52) to lift the forbiddance of an accepting operation before the screen scroll automatically stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyofumi Ohtsuka, Hirokazu Ishikawa, Megumi Yokogawa, Shinya Satoh, Tatsuo Kishimoto, Yuhichi Yabuki, Tadao Nagasawa
  • Patent number: 9497387
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for predicting high dynamic range (HDR) image blocks with block-specific prediction data, where the systems and methods may comprise low dynamic range (LDR) image data and HDR image data for a target image block, where a scaled, offset LDR image block may be combined with HDR residual image block to form an HDR image block corresponding to the target image block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP LABORATORIES OF AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Christopher A Segall
  • Patent number: 9495056
    Abstract: In a touch panel system (1) of the present invention, a stylus pen (3) produces output that indicates that a quantitative characteristic value is increased from the characteristic value of a previous output by using a waveform that corresponds to an (L+1)-th drive line (DLL+1) other than L numbers of drive lines (DL1 to DLL) and, meanwhile, produces output that indicates that the quantitative characteristic value is decreased from the characteristic value of the previous output by using a waveform that corresponds to an (L+2)-th drive line (DLL+2) other than the L numbers of drive lines (DL1 to DLL).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Michiaki Takeda
  • Patent number: 9494284
    Abstract: In a light emitting section, a phosphor layer including a first phosphor particle which receives excitation light and emits fluorescence with a first peak wavelength and a phosphor layer including a second phosphor particle which receives the excitation light and emits fluorescence with a second peak wavelength are stacked. In the light emitting section, when an upper surface is a surface from which illumination light is mostly emitted, the illumination light including the fluorescence emitted from the first phosphor particle and the fluorescence emitted from the second phosphor particle, a reflective member to reduce leakage of fluorescence is provided on a side surface of the light emitting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Takahashi, Yoshiyuki Takahira, Yosuke Maemura, Tomohiro Sakaue
  • Patent number: 9495921
    Abstract: Areas of a video signal that represent light emission are detected, the luminance levels at which said light emission areas are displayed are enhanced, emphasizing the areas, and the luminance stretching is controlled in accordance with the brightness of the surrounding environment, thereby increasing the resulting sense of brightness and improving the appearance of the video. A light emission detector counts pixels to generate a histogram of a prescribed feature quantity and identifies areas that fall within a prescribed range at the upper end of said histogram as being light emission areas. An area-active-control/luminance-stretching portion performs luminance stretching, increasing the luminance of a backlight portion and reducing the luminance of non-light emission areas of the video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Fujine, Yoji Shiraya
  • Patent number: 9494725
    Abstract: A light projection apparatus that can produce an elongate light projection pattern is provided. The light projection apparatus includes a fluorescent member which is excited with exciting light and a light projecting member which reflects or transmits the light emanating from the fluorescent member to project it outside. The fluorescent member includes an irradiated region which is irradiated with the exciting light, and the length of the irradiated region in a first direction is greater than its length in a second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Takahashi, Yoshiyuki Takahira
  • Publication number: 20160327825
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present invention, an active matrix substrate manufacturing method includes: a step (a) of forming a thin film transistor on a substrate; a step (b) of forming an interlayer insulating layer covering the thin film transistor; a step (c) of forming a first electrode after the step (b); a step (d) of forming, after the step (c), a photospacer by applying a photosensitive resin material to the substrate and patterning the photosensitive resin material; and a step (e) of performing, after the step (d), plasma processing using a gas that contains a fluorine-based gas but does not contain oxygen gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuhide TOMIYASU
  • Publication number: 20160329419
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor layered body includes a Si substrate having a surface, as the principal surface, inclined at an off-angle of 0 degrees or more and 4.0 degrees or less with respect to a plane and a nitride semiconductor layer disposed on the Si substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi OGAWA, Manabu TOHSAKI, Yohsuke FUJISHIGE, Nobuyuki ITO, Mai OKAZAKI, Yushi INOUE, Masayuki TAJIRI, Nobuaki TERAGUCHI