Patents Examined by Gary O'Neill
  • Patent number: 8960906
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an identification unit configured to identify periodicity of a fundus image obtained by capturing an image of a fundus of an eye, and an information acquisition unit configured to acquire information indicating an imaging state of photoreceptor cells in the fundus image based on the periodicity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiko Yonezawa, Kazuhide Miyata
  • Patent number: 8960898
    Abstract: This disclosure generally relates to systems and/or methods to restrict light entering an opening of an eye pupil by detecting pupil dilation, detecting incoming light intensity or direction, and adjusting light restricting properties of one or more light restricting regions of the contact lens based upon the detected pupil dilation parameters and incoming light intensity or direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: James Etzkorn, Brian Otis
  • Patent number: 8953245
    Abstract: A selectably transmissive internally focused intermediate image lens and a lens based optical window include a number of such lenses. Each selectably transmissive internally focused intermediate image lens in a lens based optical window includes a first and second lens portion. The first lens portion receives light and focuses it into a focused image at a focal plane that is coplanar with a second side of the first portion. A second lens portion has an image side adjacent to the second side of the first lens portion and an opposite side opposite the image side. The second lens portion refracts the focused image as an image projected through its rear side. Each lens further includes a selectably transmissive shutter that is located at the internal focal plane and that is controllable to block at least a portion of light passing therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventor: Jens König
  • Patent number: 8953246
    Abstract: An image augmenting window and method of operation. An image augmenting window has at least one selectably transmissive internally focused intermediate image lens with a first portion that receives light and focuses it into a focused image on an internal focal plane. An output optical structure refracts the focused image out as a projected image. A selectably transmissive shutter located in the internal focal plane selectably blocks at least a portion of light passing through the lens. At least one controllable light source has a respective light source lens that is separate from and positioned adjacent to a lateral side of a respective selectably transmissive internally focused intermediate image lens and that emits an afocal projection of respective projected light. A controller independently controls each shutter and each controllable light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventor: Jens Koenig
  • Patent number: 8947760
    Abstract: A thermotropic optical shutter device incorporates coatable, thin-film polarizers with a thermotropic depolarizer. The coatable polarizers provide a mechanism for adjusting the polarizer properties (i.e., absorption, reflection, or diffusion) by changing the thickness of the coating. For example, a thicker film may have a higher relative polarizing efficiency while a thinner film may have a lower relative polarizing efficiency. Using the same base materials and manufacturing process, the contrast ratio and other properties of a thermotropic or thermochromic shutter device (e.g., a liquid crystal-based smart window film) may be adjusted in real time on the manufacturing line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Ravenbrick LLC
    Inventor: Wil McCarthy
  • Patent number: 8941934
    Abstract: A lens connection module is disclosed, which can be magnetically installed on an image capture device having a light entry opening and a first magnetic unit, and comprises a lens connection body and a second magnetic unit installed on the lens connection body for magnetically connecting to the first magnetic unit. The lens connection body includes a light collecting pathway corresponding to the light entry opening and extending along a light axis, the first magnetic unit has at least one ferromagnetic component arranged on the front face in a radially asymmetric manner, and the second magnetic unit has a magnetic component corresponding to the ferromagnetic component and installed on a joint face. As such, the lens connection module allows quick installation onto and detachment from the image capture device, thereby increasing application flexibility and operation convenience of the image capture device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Lumos Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chih-Yi Yang
  • Patent number: 8934175
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes: an eyeglass-type frame worn by a head of a viewer; and an image display apparatus attached to the frame, wherein the image display apparatus includes an image formation device, and an optical device on which light that exits from the image formation device is incident, through which the light is guided, and out of which the light exits, the frame is formed of a front portion, two temple portions extending from both ends of the front portion, a nose pad, and an attachment member, the attachment member is attached to a central section of the front portion, the optical device is attached to the attachment member, and the nose pad is so attached to the attachment member that the nose pad is movable upward and downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takaaki Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8913332
    Abstract: A lens optical system including first, second, third, fourth, and fifth lenses that are sequentially arranged between an object and an image sensor on which an image of the object is formed. The first lens may have a positive refractive power and may be biconvex. The second lens may have a negative refractive power and may have a meniscus shape that is convex toward the object. The third lens may have a positive refractive power. The fourth lens may have a positive refractive power and may have a meniscus shape that is convex toward the image sensor. The fifth lens may have a negative refractive power, and at least one of an incident surface and an exit surface of the fifth lens may be an aspherical surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Kolen Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Pil Sun Jung, Hyoung Bae Park, Chi Ho An, Jae Hoon Cho, Ji Eun Kim
  • Patent number: 8908299
    Abstract: A method of tuning a mold for an optical component, the method comprising: (a) molding an optical component comprising at least: (i) a body portion defining a first face; (ii) at least one optical element on the first face, the optical element having a certain geometry; (iii) at least one alignment element on the first face selected from one of an alignment hole or an alignment pin; and (iv) at least one inspection element in a position fixed relative to the at least one alignment element on the first face; (b) measuring the location of the inspection element on the front face relative to the optical element; (c) comparing the location to a standard to determine a difference; and (d) if the difference is significant, adjusting a component of the mold to change the location of the alignment element relative to the optical element and reiterating steps (a)-(c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Aaron Kadar-Kallen
  • Patent number: 8899763
    Abstract: A device for concentrating solar radiation (4) with longitudinal mirrors (7) and a longitudinal receiver (1), has mirrors with a circular cross-section with a radius of curvature that is twice the transverse distance from the center (35) of each mirror to the central point (3) of the receiver. The width of the receiver is 1% of the transverse distance from the central point to the center (89) of the furthest mirror (32). The width of each mirror is determined according to the drift of the rays reflected when the mirror focuses the sun, prescribing an equal width for all mirrors, which is: equal to the width of the active face (2) of the receiver when mounted according to the meridian; and triple the width of the active face (2) of the receiver when mounted according to the parallel of latitude. The mirrors are installed in a contiguous manner and the receiver is installed at a height on columns (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignees: Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia
    Inventors: Jose Maria Martinez-Val Peñalosa, Manuel Valdes Del Fresno, Alberto Abanades Velasco, Ruben R Amengual Matas, Mireia Piera Piera Carrete, Maria Jose Montes Pita, Antonio Rovira De Antonio, Javier Muñoz Anton
  • Patent number: 8882268
    Abstract: A method implemented by computer means for determining a virtual wearer-ophthalmic lens-ergorama system associated with an optical function of an ophthalmic lens for a given wearer, comprising: a prescription data providing step, an optical reference surface data providing step, a virtual wearer-ophthalmic lens-ergorama system determining step, a criteria selecting step, a target value defining step, an evaluation step, and a modification step, in which at least one parameter of the virtual wearer-ophthalmic lens-ergorama system different from the base curve of the ophthalmic lens is modified, in order to minimize the difference between the target value and the evaluation criterion value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Essilor International (Compagnie Generale d'Optique)
    Inventors: Laurent Calixte, Cyril Guilloux
  • Patent number: 8885264
    Abstract: A zoom lens including, in order from object side to image side: a first positive lens unit which does not move for zooming; a second negative lens unit which moves during zooming; a third positive lens unit which moves during zooming; a fourth lens unit which moves during zooming; and a fifth positive lens unit which does not move for zooming. The second unit passes through a point at which magnification of the second unit becomes ?1 during zooming from wide-angle end to telephoto end, and ?1<?34<?0.3, and 4.0<|m2/m3|<15 are satisfied where ?34 represents a magnification of a combined unit including the third and fourth units at a zoom position fz at which the magnification of the second unit becomes ?1, and m2 and m3 respectively represent displacements of the second and third units on optical axis at the zoom position fz with reference to the wide-angle end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Nakamura, Shoichi Takemoto
  • Patent number: 8879160
    Abstract: An optical device with a deformable membrane including an anchor zone on a support contributing to trapping fluid, a central zone reversibly deforming from a rest position, and an actuating mechanism to displace fluid acting on the membrane in an intermediate zone between the anchor and central zones. The actuating mechanism includes a principal actuation mechanism and supplementary actuation mechanism each arranged in at least one ring mounted around the central zone, each ring including one or plural piezoelectric actuators, and being anchored on the intermediate zone, only the supplementary actuation mechanism may be anchored to the support, these actuation mechanisms and the membrane to which they are anchored forming at least one piezoelectric bimorph, such that they contract or expand in the radial direction during actuation such that when the fluid moves, it deforms the central zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives
    Inventors: Sébastien Bolis, Stéphane Moreau
  • Patent number: 8876288
    Abstract: The invention relates to a finished or semi-finished lens which comprises: a disc containing all the points of the lens that have the same abscissa and the same ordinate as points located within a circle in the reference plane having a diameter of 30 millimeters and centered on the prism reference point; a progression length of less than 14.5 millimeters; a first specific point having a cylinder value equal to the maximum cylinder value of all the points of the lens located in the nasal area and in the disc; and a second specific point having a cylinder value equal to the maximum cylinder value of all the points of the lens located in the temporal area and in the disc; a first ratio between: the maximum gradient of the cylinder for the points of the lens that have the same abscissa and the same ordinate as the points located on segments connecting the mounting cross to the first and second specific points, and surface addition of less than 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Essilor International (Compagnie Generale d'Optique)
    Inventors: Marie-Anne Berthezene, Bernard Bourdoncle, Laurent Calixte, Cyril Guilloux, Soazic Mousset, Damien Paille
  • Patent number: 8870375
    Abstract: A method for calculating or optimizing an ophthalmic lens design comprising the steps of providing a given ophthalmic lens design and assessing the given design by a computer comprising a media suitable for storing electronic instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Essilor International (Compagnie Generale d'Optique)
    Inventors: Cécile Petignaud, Benjamin Rousseau, Mathieu Guillot, Pauline Colas, Jean Sahler, Valérie Parmentier, Gilles Garcin, Cécile Pietri
  • Patent number: 8867115
    Abstract: Light emitting elements in an illumination unit of a display may be blanked during updates of pixels of a spatial light modulator (SLM). Updates of pixels in different segments of the SLM may be coordinated with blanking of corresponding segments of the illumination unit. Updating of segments of a light source (30A-30D) may be coordinated so that not all segments are updated in each frame (34A-37D) of a video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Steve Margerm, Neil W. Messmer
  • Patent number: 8857983
    Abstract: Antennas and antenna systems may be designed and configured for incorporation into mechanical devices, including medical devices, such as ophthalmic devices, including contact lenses. These antennas and antenna systems may be utilized to transmit data from the mechanical device to a receiver, to receive data from a transmitter, and/or to inductively charge an electromechanical cell or the like incorporated into the mechanical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall Braxton Pugh, Daniel B. Otts, Frederick A. Flitsch, Adam Toner, Scott Robert Humphreys
  • Patent number: 8857988
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing the effects of motion on functional optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging are described. Embodiments including post-processing and motion tracking are presented. A preferred embodiment in which functional OCT data is collected and analyzed for motion as a multiple scan unit is described. An extension of the invention to the collection of large field of view or montaged functional OCT data sets is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.
    Inventors: Utkarsh Sharma, Matthew J. Everett
  • Patent number: 8861100
    Abstract: A junction type compound lens using glass and resin is used. By properly controlling the difference between refractive indices and the difference between Abbe numbers of the resin and glass, interface reflection that occurs when a ray with a large incidence angle is incident is restricted, and generation of a flare or a ghost image is restricted. Further, by properly controlling the difference in refractive index and the difference in Abbe number, various aberrations, such as spherical aberration, field curvature, and chromatic aberration, which may deteriorate optical performance, can be corrected. Thus, a small and high-performance imaging lens can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Seikoh Giken Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomomi Hirao, Tatsuya Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 8854737
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a laser light source and others for decreasing wavelength-by-wavelength differences of focal positions of focused components in collimating and then focusing polychromatic light with a wide spectrum width. The laser light source includes a collimator device, in which relative positions of emergence of a laser beam emitted from a polychromatic light source and a collimating lens composed of an achromatic lens can be adjusted at a 10 ?m level or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigehiro Nagano, Motoki Kakui