Patents Examined by Jennifer L. Doak
  • Patent number: 8531748
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a lens system for an apparatus for reading from and/or writing to holographic storage media, and more specifically to a lens system optimized for an apparatus with a coaxial common aperture arrangement of an object beam and a reference beam. According to the invention, the lens system, which Fourier transforms an object beam and focuses a reference beam into a hologram layer of a holographic storage medium, and which focuses a servo beam onto a servo area of the hologram layer, includes a moving part acting on the object beam, the reference beam and the servo beam, and a fixed part acting only on the servo beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Gabor Szarvas, Laszlo Domjan
  • Patent number: 8523371
    Abstract: In a conventional vehicle outside mirror device, there has been a problem that a frictional wear occurs. According to the present invention, an interposing member 6 is provided between a shaft holder 9 and a gear case 11. An electrically rotation range restricting mechanism is a mechanism in which an electrically driven rotation range of a mirror assembly 4 is restricted, and is comprised of abutment faces 33, 34, 43, 44 which are provided at the interposing member 6 and the shaft holder 9. A buffering mechanism is a mechanism which causes the mirror assembly 4 to rotate for the sake of buffering, and is comprised of engagement portions 38, 45 which are provided at the interposing member 6 and the gear case 11. The electrically driven rotation range restricting mechanism and the buffering mechanism are separated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ikuo Sakata
  • Patent number: 8526086
    Abstract: A metallised film includes at least one reflective layer (14, 17) of printed metallised ink, wherein the layer (17) of printed metallised ink includes a hardened binder incorporating at least one charge of metallised particles exhibiting a reflective metallic appearance, and the charge of metallised particles includes particles in the general form of platelets exhibiting reflective faces, and wherein the layer (17) of printed metallised ink is applied in contact with a layer (14, 15) exhibiting a surface tension greater than 40 dynes/cm and a smooth surface quality of specular reflection greater than 50%, measured in accordance with standard ISO 2813 with an angle of 60°. A process for manufacturing this film is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Fasver
    Inventors: Francois Trantoul, Jean-Yves Leroy, Laurence Bes
  • Patent number: 8520282
    Abstract: During one cycle of reciprocating operation of a MEMS mirror, a light receiving sensor detects a falling time at which a laser beam reflected by an upstream-of-sensor mirror and scanned in one direction passes an edge of a regulation portion, and a rising time at which the laser beam scanned in the other opposed direction passes the edge of the regulation portion. A controller executes an arithmetic operation on the basis of the two times detected by the light receiving sensor and controls the operation of the MEMS mirror, which is performed by the driver, such that the detected two times are held at respective setting times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Obara, Junya Azami
  • Patent number: 8517539
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a light emitting unit that emits light; a light scanning unit having at least one actuator, wherein the actuator irradiating and scanning the light reflected on a light reflector onto an image forming plane by rotation of a movable plate; a drive pattern generating unit that generates a drive pattern of the light emitting unit, wherein the light emitting unit can emit the light with emission timing and emission time to suppress density of the pixels in each portion of the image to be formed on the image forming plane from becoming ununiformity; and a controlling unit that controls operation of the light emitting unit based on the drive pattern generated by the drive pattern generating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Wakabayashi, Norio Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8508874
    Abstract: An optical mirror element includes an optically transmissive element having a first surface and a second surface, and a reflective coating layer on the first surface that defines a mirror surface. A first portion of the first surface does not include the reflective coating layer such that the first portion defines an optically transmissive window in the mirror surface. Q method of forming an optical mirror element having a window portion includes providing an optical element, masking a first portion of a first surface of the optical element, and thereafter applying a reflective coating to the first surface so as to define a reflective surface, wherein the masked portion defines a transmissive region in the reflective surface. The exposed portion of the first surface may be coated with an anti-reflective coating, either before or after the reflective coating is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: LI-COR, Inc.
    Inventors: Tyler Anderson, Ahmed Bouzid
  • Patent number: 8508826
    Abstract: A meandering oscillator includes a plurality of oscillating plates bent and coupled in predetermined directions and piezoelectric actuators each including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric body, and an upper electrode stacked on the oscillating plate in this order, and wherein the piezoelectric actuators are alternately arranged on the oscillating plates. Thus, even when an element is made smaller, electrodes can be easily arranged. As a result, the productivity can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Jirou Terada, Shinsuke Nakazono, Kazuki Komaki, Kiyomi Furukawa
  • Patent number: 8493643
    Abstract: A multi-beam light scanning apparatus includes incident optical systems each of which allows a light beam to enter a deflection surface of a rotational polygon mirror in a sub scanning section from above and below directions obliquely with respect to a surface perpendicular to a rotation axis of the rotational polygon mirror at a finite angle, and a light source unit which is disposed for each of the incident optical systems and has light emitting portions. A light emitting portion corresponding to printing of a head line in the sub scanning direction among the light emitting portions of the light source unit that are disposed obliquely in the upward direction, and a light emitting portion corresponding to the printing of the head line in the sub scanning direction, that are disposed obliquely in the downward direction are different from each other in the sub scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Ishibe
  • Patent number: 8488224
    Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an electric comb drive scanner comprises a scanning body comprising a mirror supported by one or more flexures along a first axis and one or more support structures coupled to the one or more flexures. One or more drive combs are disposed on the one or more support structures, wherein the drive combs cause the mirror to rotate about the first axis in response to a drive signal applied to the drive combs. The one or more support structures are tuned to reduce non-uniformity of warping of the support structures to reduce variation in disengagement of the drive combs along a length of the drive combs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventor: Dean R. Brown
  • Patent number: 8481232
    Abstract: The present invention is provided to enhance security of a volume hologram by recording therein individualized information such as information of character, numerical character, picture pattern, biometric matter and/or the like by irradiating laser light to the volume hologram thereby modifying the same physically or chemically, and is related to a laser marking hologram comprising a volume hologram layer 2 including interference fringes recorded therein, wherein the volume hologram layer 2 includes information of character, numerical character, picture pattern, biometric matter, and/or the like recorded therein having a contrast between an irradiated portion and a non-irradiated portion thereof provided by selectively irradiating laser light 10 to the volume hologram layer 2 in a manner to modify 11 the irradiated portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masachika Watanabe, Kenji Ueda, Hiroyuki Ohtaki
  • Patent number: 8480245
    Abstract: An exterior rearview mirror for vehicles, in particular for passenger vehicles, has a mirror foot which can be fixed on a front door below a vehicle belt line. The vehicle has a door formed of an outer panel which is provided with an opening, and an inner reinforcement. An extremely rigid, play-free and simply configured connection of the mirror foot to the inner reinforcement of the door is obtained in that a lower end region of a supporting part of the mirror foot is guided through the opening in the outer panel and is connected within the door directly to the inner reinforcement of the door via a self-centering mounting and a central fastening screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. H.C. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Marcus Müller
  • Patent number: 8477412
    Abstract: A collector mirror exchanging apparatus is capable of safely and easily exchanging a collector mirror for collecting extreme ultra violet light emitted from plasma generated within a chamber of an extreme ultra violet light source apparatus. The collector mirror exchanging apparatus includes: a supporting base for supporting a collector mirror or a collector mirror structure; and a guiding rail disposed on the supporting base and regulating a moving direction of the collector mirror or the collector mirror structure; wherein at least the collector mirror is taken out of the chamber by moving the collector mirror or the collector mirror structure along the guiding rail on the supporting base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Gigaphoton Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Someya, Tamotsu Abe, Takashi Suganuma, Hideo Hoshino, Akira Sumitani
  • Patent number: 8477439
    Abstract: An image display device capable of maintaining continuity of images of adjacent image display elements on a display screen that is composed of a plurality of image display element includes image display elements (1, 2) and a prism (3). The prism (3) is an L-shaped prism having two planar surfaces, and image display elements (1, 2,) are arranged on the portion of the prism that corresponds to the rear side as seen from the viewing direction (9). Image display elements (1, 2) are arranged such that the virtual images (5, 6) of the image display portions of each are optically continuously connected in the prism (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Imai
  • Patent number: 8472100
    Abstract: A deformable element for use in microelectromechanical systems comprises a core layer and a protective layer. The protective layer is capable of deterring combinations of undesired chemical components in operational environments with the core layer of the deformable element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Patrick Ian Oden, Larry Joseph Hornbeck, Simon Joshua Jacobs
  • Patent number: 8472099
    Abstract: A scanning optical apparatus includes: a light source; a first optical element configured to convert light emitted from the light source into a beam of light; a second optical element configured to convert the beam of light having passed through the first optical element into a linear image extending in a main scanning direction; a deflecting mirror configured to deflect the beam of light having passed through the second optical element in the main scanning direction; and a third optical element configured to convert the beam of light having been deflected by the deflecting mirror into a spot-like image and focus it on a target surface to be scanned. The third optical element is a single lens having a pair of opposite lens surfaces, and each of the pair of lens surfaces is aspheric in a main scanning plane to satisfy the formula: ? ( 1 - S k ? ( y 1 , y 2 ) f t ? ( y 1 , y 2 ) ) · h ? ( y 1 , y 2 ) ? < r e ? min 2 .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Fujino, Yoshifumi Nakamura, Hiroyuki Ominato, Hiroki Yukawa
  • Patent number: 8465161
    Abstract: An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a reflective element, a bezel portion positioned around the perimeter of the reflective element, and a user input module disposed at the bezel portion. The bezel portion has a recess established at its surface that faces generally toward a driver of a vehicle when the mirror assembly is normally mounted in the vehicle. The user input module is attached to the bezel portion at the recess and is at least partially received in the recess. The user input module includes at least one user input that is actuatable by a user to engage and actuate electronic circuitry of the user input module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Darryl P. DeWind, John T. Uken
  • Patent number: 8467117
    Abstract: A pattern generation system includes an optical system and a rotor. The optical system is configured to project a laser image onto an optical scanner. The rotor has a plurality of optical arms arranged at a first angle relative to one another, and further includes the optical scanner. The laser image is sequentially reflected by the optical scanner into each of the plurality of optical arms of the rotor to generate a pattern on a workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Micronic Mydata AB
    Inventors: Jonas Walther, Torbjörn Hedevärn
  • Patent number: 8462414
    Abstract: A micromechanical component includes: a mirror element with a reflective surface on a first outer side of the mirror element, which is designed in such a way that a first potential is applied to a first electrode surface on a second outer side of the mirror element opposite from the first outer side; a counterelectrode situated adjacent to the second outer side of the mirror element and which is designed in such a way that a second potential is applied to a second electrode surface of the counterelectrode; and a voltage control unit configured to apply a temporally varying voltage signal between the first electrode surface and the second electrode surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Reinhold Fiess, Joerg Muchow
  • Patent number: 8451522
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the same, overcoming spot rotation due to scanning line curvature and wavefront aberration deterioration, including an incident optical system for guiding beam emitted from a light source to a deflector, and an imaging optical system for forming image of the beam deflected by the deflector on a scanning surface. In sub-scanning section, the beam enters the deflecting surface obliquely to plane perpendicular to a deflector axis. Each of incident and exit surfaces of an imaging optical element is a surface in which a tilt angle of sagittal line changes from on-axis toward off-axis in sub-scanning direction, the tilt angle indicating gradient of normal to sagittal line on meridian line with respect to main scanning section. The incident and exit surfaces each have the same sign for a difference between change rates of axial and off-axial tilt angles of sagittal line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tokuji Takizawa
  • Patent number: 8451525
    Abstract: An optical apparatus includes: a sealing case having chambers partitioned by a partition wall; a polar liquid having polarity and a nonpolar liquid having no polarity which are respectively sealed in a predetermined amount in each of the chambers; and electrodes pulling the polar liquid by an electrowetting phenomenon upon application of a driving voltage. One of the polar liquid and the nonpolar liquid is colored with a color having a light-blocking property, and the other has a light-transmitting property, at least a part of the partition wall is positioned in an optically effective area including the optical axis, and when a driving voltage is applied to a predetermined electrode among the electrodes, the polar liquid is moved in the chamber between closed and open positions where the optically effective area is closed and open, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Keita Kaifu, Kazuhiro Tanaka, Hiroshi Koizumi