Patents Examined by Edward P. Westin
  • Patent number: 6064064
    Abstract: A process and system for flame detection includes a microprocessor-controlled detector with at least three sensors. A wide band infrared sensor is used as the primary detector, with near band and visible band sensors serving to detect false-alarm energy from nonfire sources. Digital signal processing is used to analyze sensed data and discriminate against false alarms. A multistage alarm system can be provided, which is selectively triggered by the microprocessor. Spectral recording and analysis of prefire data is provided for. The detector can be housed in an enclosed, sealed, removable, plastic housing that may include an integral plastic window lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Fire Sentry Corporation
    Inventor: David A. Castleman
  • Patent number: 6064061
    Abstract: Many applications of radiant energy transducer systems call for specific performance characteristics over desired fields of view or footprints on identified surfaces. Constructive occlusion utilizes a mask sized and positioned to occlude an active optical area, such as an aperture of a diffusely reflective cavity, so as to provide a tailored performance characteristic. Use of principles of constructive occlusion alone or in combination with several other techniques enable tailoring of the illumination distribution or the sensitivity profile of a radiant energy transducer system to meet the demands of specific applications. One mechanism used to further tailor performance involves a non-diffuse reflective shoulder along a peripheral section of the mask and cavity type system. Another technique involves using a retro-reflective surface, for example along a portion of the periphery of the system, to limit the angular field of view and to redirect light back into the system for emission within the desired field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Advanced Optical Technologies, L.L.C.
    Inventors: David P. Ramer, Jack C. Rains, Jr., Albert Green, E. Alan Phillips, John F. Reim
  • Patent number: 6060846
    Abstract: A diode modulator circuit which is adapted to supply an acceptable S-correction of the S-linearity error of the line scanning of a picture tube (CRT) at substantially different line scan widths. A known diode modulator has two loops. The first loop includes a series arrangement of a line deflection coil (LD) and an S-capacitor (CS), which series arrangement is arranged in parallel with a first flyback capacitor (CF1) and a first diode (D1). The second loop includes a modulator coil (LB) arranged in parallel with a second flyback capacitor (CF2) and a second diode (D2). The two loops are arranged in series. An inner-pincushion capacitor (CSM) is arranged in a common path in which the line deflection current (Id) and a modulator current (Ib) flowing through the modulator coil (LB) flow in opposite directions. The amount of S-correction depends on the values of the S-correction capacitor (SC) and the inner-pincushion capacitor (CSM). The S-capacitor (CS) has been omitted in the subject diode modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Christianus H. J. Bergmans, Fransiscus M. J. Nooijen
  • Patent number: 6060672
    Abstract: A push button structure that is particularly suited for gaming equipment is tolerant of the spillage of food or beverage, or of continued operation thereof by individuals with soiled hands. The push button structure has an actuatable member having an outwardly extending flange and a manipulable portion. A retaining member is provided with an opening through which is exposed the manipulable portion of the actuatable member. A protrusion is formed on the inner surface of the retaining member or on the outer surface of the outwardly extending flange of the actuatable member to prevent the surfaces from communicating with each another over a large contact area. The reduction in the contact area reduces the strength of adhesion therebetween resulting from the contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Aruze Corporation
    Inventor: Reiji Sugihara
  • Patent number: 6060845
    Abstract: A raster distortion correction and deflection circuit arrangement includes a deflection coil adapted to be mounted on a cathode ray tube, a horizontal deflection coil driving circuit for passing a current of saw-tooth waveform of a horizontal deflection period through a horizontal deflection coil constituting the deflection coil, a flyback transformer the primary winding of which is connected between a power supply and an output terminal of the horizontal deflection coil driving circuit, an S-correction capacitor connected in series with the horizontal deflection coil, and an anode voltage detection circuit for detecting variations in an anode voltage of the cathode ray tube which is a secondary winding output of the flyback transformer. A raster distortion correction current based on an output voltage of the anode voltage detection circuit is injected into a connection point of the horizontal deflection coil and the S-correction capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Video and Information Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Masahisa Tsukahara, Toshimitsu Watanabe, Makoto Kitamura, Takeshi Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 6060702
    Abstract: Three folded Maksutov/Bouwers telescopes formed in a single housing to provide focused images from three angularly spaced fields of view. The fields of view are positioned 30.degree. from a central axis and are spaced 120.degree. apart in azimuth. Light enters the telescopes through a common upper aperture, in which a concentric corrector is installed, is reflected from a common lower plane mirror and from one of three inclined mirrors into one of three spherical primary mirrors. The spherical mirrors focus the respective beams onto three focal planes located outside the housing, through openings in the respective inclined mirrors. The concentric corrector compensates for spherical aberration in the spherical primary mirrors, without the need for holographic optical elements, resulting in a simple, compact, lightweight and low-cost device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Microcosm, Inc.
    Inventor: A. Phillip Simpson
  • Patent number: 6060704
    Abstract: For a multiple transmission communication system, how to individually isolate the transmitted lights and then to distribute to the terminals has been primary concerns to be solved. In the photodetector structure, an absorption layer may be configured as either multiple quantum well structures corresponding to operational wavelengths, or filter-based structure, allowing to select wavelengths in a 1:2:4:8 ratio as an absorptance for each wavelength. In case of using such four-fold lights, the determination as to which wavelength among four-fold wavelengths can be made based upon the total amounts of the current flow in such a photodetector. The photodetector employing such schemes is provided from the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Kyung-Sook Hyun, O-Kyun Kwon, Kwang-Joon Kim, El-Hang Lee
  • Patent number: 6060705
    Abstract: Improvements have been made to the Electrospray and Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization source chambers interfaced to mass spectrometers to simplify source performance optimization and source operation and to improve system sensitivity. The atmospheric pressure ion source procedure for optimizing performance has been simplified by adding windows along the sides of the atmospheric pressure ionization chamber allowing direct viewing of the Electrospray and Atmospheric pressure ion sources during operation. A cylindrical lens which extends along the side walls of the atmospheric pressure chamber has been configured to be semitransparent for viewing into the chamber. This cylindrical shaped side lens is electrically isolated from the Electrospray liquid introduction needle and Electrospray chamber endplate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Analytica of Branford, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig M. Whitehouse, J. Fred Banks, Jr., Clement Catalano
  • Patent number: 6057656
    Abstract: Disclosed is a novel composite magnet assembly for an insertion device of the Halbach type or hybrid type to be inserted into the linear part of, for example, an electron accelerator to generate a sine-curved periodical magnetic field in the air gap between two oppositely facing composite magnet block arrays. Different from a conventional magnet block assembly consisting of a plurality of permanent magnet blocks or alternate assembly of permanent magnet blocks and soft-magnetic pole pieces, the inventive magnet block assembly is composed of a plurality of oppositely facing composite magnet blocks each formed with a single base magnet block provided with a plurality of slits into which insert magnet pieces or insert pole pieces are inserted so that the dimensional accuracy in the length-wise direction of the magnet block assembly can be greatly decreased to improve the regularity of the periodical magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignees: Shin-Etsu Chemical Ci., Ltd., Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken Ohashi, Masayuki Kawai
  • Patent number: 6057548
    Abstract: To record an image on a thermally sensitive medium, the medium is subjected to radiation from a single radiation emitter to heat a first portion of the medium to a first temperature which is below a threshold temperature at which the medium records. The medium is also subjected to radiation from the same radiation emitter to heat a different portion of the medium to a second temperature, which is above the threshold temperature, to record the image on the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Agfa Corporation
    Inventor: Leah Schatzberg
  • Patent number: 6057655
    Abstract: A method for extracting a charged particle beam out of an isochronous cyclotron (1) comprising an electromagnet forming a magnetic circuit that includes at least a number of sectors (3, 3') known as "hills" where the air-gap is reduced, and separated by sector-shaped spaces (4) known as "valleys" where the air-gap is larger. According to the extraction method, the particle beam is extracted without using an extraction device as the magnetic field has a special arrangement produced by designing the electromagnet air-gap at the "hills" (3, 3') of the isochronous cyclotron in such a way that the aspect ratio between the electromagnet air-gap at the "hills" in the region of the maximum radius, and the radius gain per turn of the particles accelerated by the cyclotron at said radius is less than 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Ion Beam Applications, S.A.
    Inventor: Yves Jongen
  • Patent number: 6057549
    Abstract: A process and system for flame detection includes a microprocessor-controlled detector with at least three sensors. A wide band infrared sensor is used as the primary detector, with near band and visible band sensors serving to detect false-alarm energy from nonfire sources. Digital signal processing is used to analyze sensed data and discriminate against false alarms. A multistage alarm system can be provided, which is selectively triggered by the microprocessor. Spectral recording and analysis of prefire data is provided for. The detector can be housed in an enclosed, sealed, removable, plastic housing that may include an integral plastic window lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Fire Sentry Corporation
    Inventor: David A. Castleman
  • Patent number: 6057545
    Abstract: The present invention relates to time-of-flight mass spectrometers that use a pulser to provide an orthogonal acceleration to a continuous flow of a beam of ions so as to cause a packet of ions to flow out into an orthogonal direction and enter a detector. The invention makes the size of the emission outflow aperture of a pulser in the direction of the continuous flow of ions greater than the size of the aperture of the ion detector in the direction of the continuous flow of ions. In particular, the size of the ion emission aperture is at least twice as large as the size of the aperture of the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Naoki Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 6057540
    Abstract: A mouseless, optical and position translation type screen pointer control images a portion of the texture or fingerprint on one of the user's digits, which may be a thumb or a finger. Motion of the digit produces motion of the image that is detected by a movement sensor and is translated into corresponding motion of the screen pointer. The digit is placed onto an end of a rod lens that either extends upward amongst the keys: say, proximate the junction of the "H", "J", "Y" and "U" keys; or, horizontally outward from the front edge of the keyboard. As the image "moves" within the movement sensor a portion of it disappears from the field of view, and is replaced with other image patterns. A sufficiently changed image is maintained as a new current image, which then itself changes, and so on. A comparison between a reference frame (previous image) and the current frame (present image) allows detection of the amount and direction of image motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Co
    Inventors: Gary B. Gordon, Donald E. Morris
  • Patent number: 6054817
    Abstract: The present invention relates to improvements in a three-dimensional display system. A transformation technique is described wherein deflection coordinates defining the spatial locations of the images written into the display volume are determined by transformation from a coordinate system based on the display volume to a coordinate system based on the one or more electron guns. The application further relates to a technique by which the location of an electron beam within the display volume may be determined. These techniques involve positioning conductive material at various locations such as the screen and the enclosure of the display itself so that the impinging electron beam may be detected and thy the location of the beam in the display volume may be derived. Image enhancing techniques are described in conjunction with the location techniques whereby conductive films are evaporated onto the screen and/or the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Inventor: Barry George Blundell
  • Patent number: 6054712
    Abstract: Devices for X-ray topography determine structures and compositions of objects. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a scanning system forms images using small angle scattering. A spatial filter selects radiation an object scatters at small angles and blocks other radiation. A coordinate-sensitive detector behind the filter records the scattered radiation. An object image is constructed based on the small-angle scattering information and the compositions of regions of the object are determined from scattering curves for the regions. One embodiment of the invention includes a source of penetrating radiation, a detector system for radiation transmitted through an analyzed object, a detector system for radiation the object scatters at small angles, and a unit for moving the object during scanning. A three-dimensional absorption factor distribution is determined for the object by X-raying the object at different angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Quanta Vision, Inc.
    Inventors: Oleg V. Komardin, Albert F. Lawrence, Pavel I. Lazarev
  • Patent number: 6054708
    Abstract: The methods and apparatuses for the control of neutron beams are herewith presented. Through the application of the methods and apparatuses presented one can manipulate various characteristics of neutron beams such as shape, velocity, density, polarization and other traits. In general three sequential operations are performed on the neutron beam, although variations of these steps are described to suit various purposes. First, a neutron beam is passed through a gradient magnet field which causes rotation of the beam in phase space. Second, the spin direction of a neutron beam is reversed through the application of a spin flipper. Third, the neutron beam is compressed in the longitudinal direction of the neutron beam in phase space. This produces a neutron beam having small divergence in phase space. The resultant neutron beam corresponds to a thin dense beam in real space. Variations of this paradigm allow for the manipulation of many characteristics of neutron beams to suit ones purpose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
    Inventor: Hirohiko Shimizu
  • Patent number: 6054701
    Abstract: A target acquisition apparatus (10) having a laser beam source (12), wherein associated with the laser beam source (12) is an opto-mechanical tracking device (14) having a receiver (38) for reception of the laser beam which is reflected by a target (28). For evaluation of the signals of the receiver (38) there is provided an electronic evaluation device (18) which is connected together with the opto-mechanical tracking device (14). The receiver (38) has a photovoltaic four-quadrant detector (36) by which two orthogonal spatial direction co-ordinates (X, Y) are established. In order to compensate for dissimilar performance on the part of the quadrant detectors (E1, E2, E3, E4) of the four-quadrant detector (36) as is not to be ruled out for example due to temperature-induced or ageing-induced drift, the electronic evaluation device (18) is provided with switches (S1, S2, S3, S4) for signal inversion purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Diehl Stiftung & Co.
    Inventor: Martin Regensburger
  • Patent number: 6051840
    Abstract: An infrared heat emitting device comprising a container having a bottom, end and side walls extending upwardly from the bottom, a top rotatably interconnected with one of the walls and disposed remote from the bottom, insulation material disposed on the interior of the container, and a heat bag disposed intermediate the top and at least a portion of the insulation whereby infrared heat is emitted through the top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Heatmax, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey B. Henderson
  • Patent number: 6051833
    Abstract: A spindle scans a scanner unit comprising a slender tube portion, a thick tube portion and the like in x and y directions by receiving power from a movable member of a voice coil motor. A mechanical zoom switch is provided with a metal having a low melting point at inside thereof and connects a spring for zoom to the spindle when the metal is solidified. Therefore, the spring constant of the spring for zoom is added to the spring constant of the slender tube portion whereby zoom operation is caused. Meanwhile, when heat is applied from a heating coil to the switch, the metal having a low melting point is softened and the spring for zoom is separated from the spindle. Since the metal having a low melting point is used for the switch, the switch can be switched swiftly and the operational performance of the zoom mechanism is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Masatoshi Yasutake