Patents Examined by Jean Lesperance
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Patent number: 7209104Abstract: A black-level reference-voltage generation circuit is disposed in a vicinity of an input-and-output pad section, and a power-supply line for the black-level reference-voltage generation circuit is connected to a power-supply line for a reference-voltage generation circuit for the other gradation levels at a position in a vicinity of the input-and-output pad section. With this, the resistance of the wiring resistor of the power-supply line of the black-level reference-voltage generation circuit is made as low as it can be ignored. As a result, a voltage drop caused by the wiring resistor of a black-level reference voltage is eliminated.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2003Date of Patent: April 24, 2007Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Yoshiharu Nakajima, Yoshitoshi Kida
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Patent number: 7205985Abstract: A reflow tool employs layout information from an ink analyzer to determine a relationship between different units of electronic ink, such as words. The reflow tool then collects this relationship information into an ink relationship data structure for later use. When the reflow area containing the electronic ink is resized, or when an edit space is inserted into or deleted from the electronic ink, the reflow tool uses the relationship information from the data structure to intelligently segment the electronic ink for reflow. In this manner, the reflow tool ensures that units of electronic ink, such as words, which are associated with larger groupings of electronic ink, such as paragraphs, are not segmented from those larger groupings to which they belong.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2004Date of Patent: April 17, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Steve Dodge, Arin J Goldberg, Haiyong Wang
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Patent number: 7205961Abstract: Means for inverting levels of R, G and B signals that are analog signals, and are primary color signals of video signals, in response to an instruction signal for inverting luminance, and means for displaying the above-described inverted video signals are included.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2000Date of Patent: April 17, 2007Assignee: Pioneer Plasma Display CorporationInventors: Junichi Yashiro, Makoto Imajou
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Patent number: 7202880Abstract: An image display device is capable of preventing the occurrence of flickers on a display screen by automatically adjusting a common voltage applied to common electrodes without providing light receiving elements. A plurality of dummy pixels which are arranged in the periphery of an image display part include pixel electrodes. A potential difference is detected between a voltage of the pixel electrodes of the dummy pixels to which a gray scale voltage of positive polarity is written and a common voltage applied to the common electrodes, a potential difference is detected between a voltage of the pixel electrodes of the dummy pixels to which a gray scale voltage of negative polarity is written and the common voltage, and the common electrodes are controlled so as to make the first potential difference and the second potential difference equal to each other.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2004Date of Patent: April 10, 2007Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.Inventor: Hiroyuki Takahashi
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Patent number: 7202846Abstract: A data signal line drive circuit is provided with: a shift register belonging to a system, whose stages correspond to respective sampling units for driving odd-number-th data signal lines; and a shift register belonging to another system, whose stages correspond to respective sampling units for driving even-number-th data signal lines. On the occasion of low-resolution mode, only either of the shift registers is operated, and in accordance with the outputs from the respective stages of the shift register which has been operated, timing signals, which are supplied to the sampling units corresponding to the stages of both shift registers, are generated. With this arrangement, even if one of input signals each having different signal line resolution is inputted, a signal line drive circuit which consumes a small amount of electric power can be realized, while it is possible to specify the timings of the operation of signal line drive sections for driving signal lines, in accordance with the input signal.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2003Date of Patent: April 10, 2007Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuhiro Maeda, Sachio Tsujino, Keiji Takahashi, Hajime Washio
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Patent number: 7202862Abstract: A digitizer pen (100) has a pressure sensor (104) that includes a flexible first printed component (600) and a flexible second printed component (700), on which are printed or otherwise disposed traces of non-carbon ink. The non-carbon ink on at least one of the printed components is a resistive non-carbon ink (606 and 706). The first printed component has a circular sensor section (602) that opposes a circular sensor section (702) of the second printed component. The non-carbon ink on the circular sensor section of at least one of the printed components forms a pattern of pie-shaped traces (711–716) symmetrical about a center (1000) of the circular sensor section. A stylus (130) transfers force from a writing tip (136) to the pressure sensor, at or near the center of the circular sensor section, either directly or through an elastomer (148), and presses the circular sensor sections together.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2004Date of Patent: April 10, 2007Assignee: Finepoint Innovations, Inc.Inventors: Steven M. Palay, Lynn H. Rockwell
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Patent number: 7196683Abstract: In an image display device which employs pulse width modulation driving, a voltage which is less than a voltage supplied to signal lines is applied to pixel electrodes. Tones are displayed by shifting phases of waveforms of the signal lines and scanning lines, and polarities of pixels in a signal line direction are inverted alternately. This prevents increase in power consumption which is caused by pulse intervals which become too small at high tone levels, in addition to preventing change in tone level due to external factors such as temperature, or signal delays in a driver or wiring.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2001Date of Patent: March 27, 2007Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiko Yamamoto, Hisashi Nagata, Youji Yoshimura, Noboru Noguchi, Hideki Ichioka, Koji Fujiwara, Naoto Inoue, Keiichi Tanaka
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Patent number: 7196697Abstract: The present invention provides a drive circuit of a display device that reduces power consumption while restraining the occurrence of cross talk at the same time. The drive circuit can include a plurality of scanning lines that are bundled into a block, and the polarities of the selection voltages of scanning signals Yi, Yi+1, Yi+2, and Yi+3 supplied to the scanning lines that belong to the same block are alternately inverted. Furthermore, the polarity of the selection voltage of the scanning signal Yi+3 supplied to the scanning line selected last in the block is the same as the polarity of the selection voltage of the scanning signal Yi+4 supplied to the scanning line selected first in a block following the aforesaid block. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce power consumption while restraining the degradation in display quality at the same time.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2002Date of Patent: March 27, 2007Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Katsunori Yamazaki
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Patent number: 7190358Abstract: In a picture display device, a picture having high gradation is obtained by using an alternating method which can deal with a video signal having a high frequency band region. On the basis of an input signal, a signal processing circuit outputs a pair of analog video signals (a signal reversal frequency is one frame), which have inversion relationships with each other, to a signal line drive circuit, and the signal line drive circuit applies one of the inputted pair of video signals to an odd signal line, and applies the other of the video signals to an even signal line, so that source line reversal drive is carried out.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2003Date of Patent: March 13, 2007Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masaaki Hiroki
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Patent number: 7184009Abstract: A combined input/output device having a display mode in which it operates as a matrix display and sensing mode in which it receives optical input, comprising multiple picture element circuits arranged as a matrix display and multiple optical sensors arranged as a sensor matrix. The optical sensors and pixel circuits are integrated on the same substrate and the control lines used for controlling the pixel circuits are advantageously re-used for controlling the optical sensors. A plurality of optical sensors are enabled at a time, thereby allowing for the discrimination of inputs by gesture.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2002Date of Patent: February 27, 2007Assignee: Nokia CorporationInventor: Johan Bergquist
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Patent number: 7180488Abstract: A liquid crystal display device with no flicker and with bright excellent display is provided. A polarity pattern of a conventional frame inversion driving is one kind of display. A polarity pattern of a conventional source line inversion driving is two kinds of display, and a disclination pattern is one kind of display. On the contrary, in a circuit structure of the present invention, polarity patterns are made to have not less than four kinds, and disclination patterns are made to have not less than two kinds. By this, bright display in which flicker is not included and poor display due to disclination is improved, can be obtained.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2002Date of Patent: February 20, 2007Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventor: Yoshiharu Hirakata
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Patent number: 7176884Abstract: A displayed viewing area switching device has a switch support, at least three button switches disposed separately in a radial manner on the switch support, each with operating buttons toward the center of the switch support, a manipulation lever having a plurality of manipulation projections corresponding to the operating buttons of the button switches a lever guide supporting the manipulation lever to slide radially, and a spring member having an elastic force resistant to the radial sliding motion of the manipulation lever. This configuration allows the manipulation projections to press the corresponding operating buttons by the radial sliding motion of the manipulation lever to generate movement signals moving the displayed viewing area in radial directions.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2003Date of Patent: February 13, 2007Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventor: Bum-su Park
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Patent number: 7176869Abstract: A drive circuit for use in a liquid crystal display supplies source signals from a source driver to pixel electrodes through switching by means of TFTs according to scan signals from a gate driver, includes a reference voltage generator circuit for adjusting potential differences between the pixel electrodes and a common electrode so as to compensate for the effects of variations in drain voltages caused by parasitic capacity in the TFTs and compensate for irregularities in DC voltage caused by asymmetry in properties between an active matrix substrate and an opposite substrate sandwiching a liquid crystal layer. The reference voltage generator circuit is composed of a reference voltage generator circuit for shifting the voltage levels of the source signals supplied by the source driver equally for all the pixel electrodes.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2001Date of Patent: February 13, 2007Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kouji Kumada, Toshihiro Yanagi, Takashige Ohta
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Patent number: 7176894Abstract: A keyboard having a plurality of first keys on one side and second keys on the other, separated by a circuit board and a plurality of domes. The circuit board can be activated for entering information in an electronic device by pressing one or more keys on either side via the domes. The keyboard can be fixedly mounted on the cover of the electronic device such that the first keys can be used when the cover is closed and the second keys can be used when the cover is open. The keyboard can also be removably mounted so as to allow a user to change the keyboard side to be used. Alternatively, one side of the keyboard has a touch pad instead of keys.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2003Date of Patent: February 13, 2007Assignee: Nokia CorporationInventors: Toni Österg{dot over (a)}rd, Seppo Salminen, Jaakko Nousiainen
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Patent number: 7167154Abstract: The present invention provides a display device including a scanning driving circuit which exhibits the high degree of freedom in designing of waveforms of scanning signals while ensuring the reduction of power consumption. A shift register served for a scanning driving circuit is driven at a voltage lower than a voltage amplitude of scanning signals. Booster circuits are provided corresponding to respective stages of the shift register. To each booster circuit, a common scanning signal which is in common with other booster circuits is inputted as a signal separate from a shift register output. The scanning signal is selected from the common scanning signal during a period in which the scanning signal is selected in response to the shift register output and the selected scanning signal is outputted to respective gate lines.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2003Date of Patent: January 23, 2007Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co. Ltd.Inventors: Tomohiko Sato, Toshio Miyazawa, Hideo Sato, Masahiro Maki
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Patent number: 7167145Abstract: In a method of resetting a plasma display panel including a front substrate and a rear substrate separated from each other and facing each other, in which a first electrode line and second display electrode line are formed parallel to each other on the front substrate and address electrode lines are formed perpendicular to the first electrode line and the second display electrode lines, a voltage applied to the first display electrode lines is gradually increased up to a first voltage. Then, a voltage applied to the second display electrode lines is gradually increased up to a second voltage higher than the first voltage while the voltage applied to the first display electrode lines is gradually increased up to a third voltage lower than the first voltage. The voltage applied to the first display electrode lines is maintained at the first voltage while the voltage applied to the second display electrode lines is gradually decreased down to a fourth voltage lower than the third voltage.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2005Date of Patent: January 23, 2007Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.Inventors: Joon-koo Kim, Hak-ki Choi, Seong-charn Lee, Nam-sung Jung
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Patent number: 7164413Abstract: A mouse having X- and Y-position encoders, and associated circuitry for generating X- and Y-movement data, additionally includes an optical sensor for producing grey-scale image data, thereby allowing the mouse to serve both as a positioning device and an optical input device. Desirably, the substrate on which the optical sensor is formed also includes a steganographic decoder. This decoder can enable a variety of functionality, such as linking to web addresses steganographically encoded in print media (e.g., by subtle inking variations or by texture). In other embodiments, such a peripheral is provided without mouse-like functionality, and again permits reading machine-readable indicia printed in catalogs and the like.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2004Date of Patent: January 16, 2007Assignee: Digimarc CorporationInventors: Bruce L. Davis, Geoffrey B. Rhoads, Phillip Andrew Seder
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Patent number: 7164396Abstract: There is disclosed a method and apparatus of driving a plasma display panel that is adaptive for expressing linear gray levels by way of preventing a gray level inversion. A driving method of a plasma display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes allocating a first brightness weight to the sub-fields; and setting a second brightness weight by way of subtracting the amount of light generated during the address period from the first brightness weight.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2003Date of Patent: January 16, 2007Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.Inventors: Sung Hee Park, Ki Sang Hong, Joong Seo Park
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Patent number: 7161569Abstract: This invention is a driving method of a liquid crystal display panel in which a liquid crystal layer is sealed between a transparent first substrate formed with a plurality of scanning electrodes and a transparent second substrate formed with a plurality of data electrodes, the electrodes being formed on respective inner faces opposing each other, and portions where the scanning electrodes and data electrodes oppose each other with the liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween constitute pixel portions respectively, and which performs display by an electrooptical change having a memory property in the liquid crystal layer at each pixel portion, in which selection signals are applied to the plurality of scanning electrodes and a data signal is applied to the data electrode in correspondence with the selection signal of each scanning electrode to control the individual pixel portion independently, and a plurality of selection signals having different selection periods each for selecting one scanning electrodType: GrantFiled: January 19, 2001Date of Patent: January 9, 2007Assignee: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kanetaka Sekiguchi
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Patent number: 7158094Abstract: A method and apparatus for supporting multiple displays per a drawing surface begins by receiving capability parameters regarding a first display of the multiple displays. The capability parameters include resolution, pixel depth, and/or refresh rate. Typically, the first display will be the primary display associated with a video graphics card. The processing continues by substituting selected display capabilities for the capability parameters of the first display. The selected display parameters are such that it exceeds the display capability parameters of each display, or monitor, coupled to the video graphics card. The processing continues by providing the selected display capabilities to an operating system. The operating system then stores the selected display capabilities in the display register associated with a particular video graphics card.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 1998Date of Patent: January 2, 2007Assignee: ATI International SRLInventor: Barry G. Wilks