Patents Examined by Afroza Y Chowdhury
  • Patent number: 7492341
    Abstract: A semiconductor circuit with the reduced scale of circuitry and a semiconductor integrated circuit chip which is obtained by integrating the semiconductor circuit and enables chip size reduction are provided. For this purpose, a two-decode method is used. The method uses: a pre-decode circuit comprising a first decoder of the preceding stage which decodes an arbitrary bit of an address signal of eight bits and a second decoder of the preceding stage which decodes the remaining bits; level conversion circuits which shift the output of the pre-decode circuit; and post-decode circuits which decode the decode outputs of the decoders in the pre-decode circuit, level-converted through the level conversion circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Renesas Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Toshikazu Tachibana, Yoshitaka Iwasaki, Kazuya Endo, Goro Sakamaki
  • Patent number: 7489292
    Abstract: When respective bits of grayscale data Dx1 are ‘0’ which represents black, upon detection, a NOR circuit of a voltage supply circuit sets an output signal active. Then, a transistor is turned on, and a black voltage VBr is supplied to a data line. By this embodiment, since all transistors of a current supply circuit are turned off, a current is not outputted. Meanwhile, in the case in which a grayscale level to be displayed is other than black, a current Idata is outputted from the current supply circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Kasai
  • Patent number: 7474297
    Abstract: A contaminant-neutralizing cradle comprises a base and a support surface configured to removably receive a coherently-illuminated mouse. A neutralizing element is disposed on the support surface for alignment with at least one exposed surface of an optics module of the mouse and is configured to neutralize the optical effect of a contaminant on the at least one exposed surface. A method of neutralizing contaminants for an optical mouse comprises providing a mouse containing an optics module having at least one surface exposed to an opening of the mouse and interposing a barrier in the mouse between a contaminant and the at least one exposed surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore) Pte.
    Inventors: Vincent C. Moyer, Mark M. Butterworth, Michael J. Brosnan, Roopinder Singh Grewal, Paul Michael Welch, Marshall T. Depue, Tong Xie
  • Patent number: 7463247
    Abstract: A portable electronic device arrangeable between an open position and a closed position. The portable electronic device includes a display screen that is positioned such that it is at least partially viewable by a user when the portable electronic device is in both the closed position and in the open position. In one embodiment of the invention, the portable electronic device includes a substantially transparent viewing region that enables the user to both view and manipulate the display screen when the portable electronic device is in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventor: Onni Berry
  • Patent number: 7456806
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a multi-screen plasma display panel having improved structures of a sustain electrode and a scan electrode used in configuration of a multi-screen, thereby improving an operation characteristic and a brightness. In a unit plasma display panel, a front panel whereon a sustain electrode and a scan electrode are formed are sealed with a rear panel whereon an address electrode is formed. A multi-screen is formed by combining a plurality of the unit plasma display panels. End portions of the sustain electrodes to receive scan signals form a common electrode connected to the scan electrode, and the sustain electrode is configured to receive a sustain signal from the common electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Orion PDP Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seok Joon Moon, Min Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 7453424
    Abstract: A matrix display device comprises an array of addressable pixels (10) each having a display element (20) and a control circuit for controlling the operation of the display element. The control circuit includes a charge storage capacitor (36) and a photosensitive device (40) coupled to the storage capacitor for regulating charge stored on the storage capacitor (36) in accordance with light falling on the photosensitive device (40). The control circuit further comprises means for independent voltage control (42) of a gate terminal of the photosensitive device (40), preferably a phototransistor. In this way a more efficient and flexible biasing of the phototransistor is possible. The means preferably comprise a second row line (42) being connected to the gate terminal of the photosensitive device (40). This additional line allows also the use of transistors of the same polarity for this type of pixel circuit, saving additional process masks (and costs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Mark Thomas Johnson, Andrea Giraldo
  • Patent number: 7443379
    Abstract: An input device contains a resistance-element series formed by series-connected resistance elements, low resistors opposing the resistance elements, an operating object which brings one of the low resistors into contact with one of the resistance elements and changes the contact area therebetween, an output point at the midpoint between resistance elements, and a controller. When the resistance element and low resistor are not in contact, the input device enters a sleep mode in which the resistance-element series or low resistors have a high potential and the other a low potential. In the sleep mode, determination that the operating object has been operated occurs when a change in voltage or current on the low potential side is detected. A voltage is applied across ends of the resistance-element series, and the device enters a detection mode in which the output is based on the contact area change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junichi Inamura, Isao Sato
  • Patent number: 7439964
    Abstract: Herein disclosed is a display controlling apparatus, comprising: data output units (140) to be electrically connectable to respective display apparatuses; an information inputting unit (110) to be operable to have inputted therein information to be required for said display apparatuses to display on screens; a controlling unit (120) for producing contents to be displayed by said display apparatuses from said information inputted by said information inputting unit; and a video memory (130) having stored therein said contents produced by said controlling unit, wherein said controlling unit (120) is operative to adjust the resolution of each of said contents to be displayed by said display apparatuses on the basis of the number of said display apparatuses electrically connected to said signal outputting units, and to output said contents to be displayed at said adjusted resolution by said display apparatuses through said data output units (140).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Nojiri, Kenji Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 7432888
    Abstract: A display device including a plurality of scan lines provided in a first direction for transmitting select signals, a plurality of data lines provided in a second direction for transmitting data signals, and a plurality of pixel circuits respectively coupled to the scan lines and the data lines. At least one of the pixel circuits includes at least two emit elements, and a capacitor for charging voltages corresponding to data signals is provided in an area between the emit elements. The emit elements have a rectangular shape, and have short sides in the first direction and long sides in the second direction. The capacitor is disposed between the long sides of the emit elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Won-Kyu Kwak
  • Patent number: 7408542
    Abstract: The method of the invention generates an address signal for addressing columns or rows of a PDP. In the case of addressing a column, for example, the method comprises the following steps. For a phase T1, a DC voltage V1 is applied across the terminals of a solenoid L, so that the latter stores energy, and applies a voltage A across the terminals of a selected column. During a phase T2, some of the energy stored in the solenoid L is discharged into the column until the voltage across the terminals of the column becomes about zero. During a phase T3, an approximately zero voltage is maintained across the terminals of the column. According to one embodiment the selection of the column(s) during this phase is modifiable. During a phase T4, the solenoid L is charged with current stored in a capacitor until the voltage across the terminals of the column is zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Dominique Gagnot, Gérard Rilly, Ana Lacoste
  • Patent number: 7400321
    Abstract: An active matrix type display panel is a hold type display panel which has a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form, and holds and displays an electrical signal pixel by pixel for a predetermined time. A frame rate conversion circuit converts a video signal having a first vertical frequency (60 Hz) into a video signal having a second vertical frequency (120 Hz) which is m/n-fold (wherein m is an integer of 2 or more, n is an integer of 1 or more, and conditions of m>n are satisfied) of the first vertical frequency. A time base emphasizing circuit subjects an output from the frame rate conversion circuit to time base emphasis. A drive circuit displays the video signal having the second vertical frequency in a display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, Limited
    Inventors: Hideki Aiba, Kenji Kubota
  • Patent number: 7394447
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention can provide an electro-optical device having n image signal lines to which n serial to parallel converted image signals are supplied. A driving circuit has a sampling circuit that can include a plurality of thin film transistors. Each of the thin film transistors can have (i) a drain connected to a drain wiring line arranged from a data line in a direction in which the data line extends, (ii) a source connected to a source wiring line arranged from the image signal line in a direction in which the data line extends, and (iii) a gate arranged to be sandwiched between the drain wiring line and the source wiring line in a direction in which the data line extends, and the plurality of thin film transistors can be arranged to correspond to the plurality of data lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Mochizuki, Masahide Uchida, Yasuji Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 7375720
    Abstract: In a coordinate input apparatus including the detection unit of a sensor unit (1R, 1L) arranged at a corner of a coordinate input region (4), a retroreflecting member (3) arranged at the peripheral portion of the coordinate input region (4) to retroreflect incident light, the light projecting unit of the sensor unit (1R, 1L) which projects light to the coordinate input region (4), and a control/arithmetic unit (2) which executes a coordinate acquisition operation for obtaining the coordinate position of a pointer (6) having a light-emitting function in the coordinate input region (4) on the basis of a light amount distribution obtained from the detection unit of the sensor unit (1R, 1L), a light-receiving IC (5) detects a light emission signal from the pointer (6), and the control/arithmetic unit 2 controls the coordinate acquisition operation on the basis of the detection result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7369125
    Abstract: A current supply circuit providing a data line with a current corresponding to a digital signal composed of data bits includes a current control circuit, a precharge switch and a precharge regulating circuit. The current control circuit responds to control signals reflecting respective data bits to control the amount of current along the data line. The precharge switch precharges the data line to a predetermined voltage prior to current supply. The precharge regulating circuit exchanges with the data line electric charge corresponding to the control signals to move the voltage on the data line closer to a steady voltage corresponding to the data bits. In this way, an analog current corresponding to digital data can be promptly produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidetada Tokioka, Masafumi Agari, Ryuichi Hashido, Masashi Okabe
  • Patent number: 7365721
    Abstract: The present invention provides an inexpensive projection display that allows a pixel grid as ineffective portions of respective pixels of a light valve to be made inconspicuous. The projection display includes a birefringent element (43) for spatially separating light from a transmission liquid crystal light valve (39). The birefringent element (43) includes a first birefringent plate (40) that the light from the liquid crystal light valve (39) enters, a second birefringent plate (41) that light from the first birefringent plate (40) enters, and a third birefringent plate (42) that light from the second birefringent plate (41) enters. A polarization direction of the light entering the first birefringent plate (40) forms an angle of n×45° (n is an integer other than 0) with an optic axis of the first birefringent plate (40) projected on an incident surface of the first birefringent plate (40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takaaki Tanaka, Atsushi Hatakeyama, Shigekazu Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 7362318
    Abstract: The decode circuit includes decode paths corresponding to gray-scale voltages. Each decode path has decode transistors connected serially and corresponding to display signal bits. In a selected decode path, the decode transistors connected serially are all turned on to transmit the corresponding gray-scale voltage to output node of the decode circuit. The gate of each of the decode transistors is connected to one signal line of first and second signal lines transmitting the corresponding display signal bits and inverted signals of the corresponding display signal bits, respectively. The other signal line not connected to the gate is disposed so as to create a parasitic capacitance similar to a gate capacitance between a node connected to the source or drain of the decode transistor and the other signal line. Accordingly, noise resistance in the decode circuit for gray-scale expression can be enhanced with suppressing increase in circuit area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Youichi Tobita
  • Patent number: 7339578
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive display device (10) is characterized in that it is constituted by a stack of layers (1, 4), an insulating layer (2) comprising recesses (21) for the displacement of blades (12) connected to a touch plate (1) being positioned between the touch plate (1) and a layer (3) comprising pancake coils (31) that can be addressed selectively. By modifying the value of currents sent to the different coils (31), the feel of the touch plate (1) can be modified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Commissariat A l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: Moustapha Hafez, Jean-Marc Alexandre, Mohamed Benali Khoudja
  • Patent number: 7330167
    Abstract: In order to provide a method for driving a display panel capable of improving durability of a driving device for driving a display panel, when a scan pulse is applied in superposition with a base pulse to one of row electrodes of one row electrode pair among row electrode pairs while the base pulse is applied to one of the row electrodes of all the row electrode pairs in the display panel and a pixel data pulse corresponding to an image signal is applied to the row electrode at the same timing as that of the scan pulse to set discharge cells to either one of a light-on mode and a light-off mode, a change ratio of a voltage value in a fall period in the base pulse is smaller than a change ratio of a voltage value in a fall period in the scan pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sakata, Hideto Nakamura, Hideki Tanaka, Yoshichika Sato, Tsutomu Tokunaga, Mitsushi Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 7304637
    Abstract: The present invention includes a pointing device having a first surface on which a puck field of motion is defined, a moveable puck, and a position detector. The moveable puck is confined to move on the first surface within the puck field of motion. The position detector determines a position of the puck in the puck field of motion and an angle of rotation of the puck about an axis perpendicular to the first surface. In one embodiment, the puck includes a puck electrode on a second surface on the puck that is parallel to the first surface. The first surface includes first, second, and third electrodes that are parallel to the puck electrode, the puck electrode overlying a portion of each of the first, second, and third electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Inventors: Jonah Harley, Dale Schroeder
  • Patent number: 7289087
    Abstract: A current driver to which image data including a plurality of grayscale values is input and which outputs an electric current according to the grayscale values of the image data, the current driver comprising: a first input section to which a first reference current is input, a current value of the first reference current being changed according to the grayscale values of the image data; a second input section to which a second reference current is input, the second reference current having a current value different from that of the first reference current; and a current divider circuit which uses the second reference current and the first reference current to output an electric current, the electric current having a value equal to or higher than that of the first reference current and equal to or lower than that of the second reference current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshito Date