Patents Examined by Mathieu D. Vargot
  • Patent number: 8257639
    Abstract: A process for making a stimuli responsive liquid crystal-polymer composite fiber comprising mixing a liquid crystal, a polymer, and a solvent; processing the mixture in the presence of an electric potential across a collection distance; phase separating a polymer and said liquid crystal; and encapsulating said liquid crystal within said polymer. The fiber generally comprises a liquid crystal core and a polymer shell wherein the liquid crystal is responsive to chemical changes, thermal and mechanical effects, as well as electrical and magnetic fields. A liquid crystal containing fiber can be utilized as optical fibers, in textiles, and in optoelectronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Kent State University
    Inventors: Ebru A. Buyuktanir, Margaret W. Frey, John L. West
  • Patent number: 8246867
    Abstract: Methods for assembling an optoelectronic device are provided. The optoelectronic device includes a first transparent substrate, a second substrate, and environmentally sensitive components. The methods comprise the step of applying a fill material to a surface of at least one of the substrates, and lowering a viscosity of the fill material. The methods further comprise the step of pressing the first transparent substrate and the second substrate together such that the fill material substantially fills an area between the first transparent substrate and the second substrate and substantially encapsulates exposed portions of the environmentally sensitive components. The methods still further comprise the step of sealing the first transparent substrate and the second substrate together to hermetically seal the fill material within the area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: John W. Botelho, Diane K. Guilfoyle, Linda F. Reynolds-Heffer, Brian P. Strines, Kathleen A. Wexell
  • Patent number: 8231814
    Abstract: A process and method for fabricating a master lens array for use in the manufacture of duplicate lens arrays is provided. The fabrication methods provided herein are capable of maximizing the quality of the master lens array in an efficient and cost effective manner, thereby reducing the propagation of errors in the lenses formed using the master lens array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Pelican Imaging Corporation
    Inventor: Jacques Duparre
  • Patent number: 8202452
    Abstract: A mold for processing optical film includes a substrate, a copper oxide film, and a hydrophobic fluorinated self-assembled monolayer film. The substrate has a copper surface. The copper oxide film is formed on the copper surface. The hydrophobic fluorinated self-assembled monolayer film is formed on the surface of the copper oxide film. The mold provides easy release of the hydrophobic fluorinated self-assembled monolayer film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chia-Ling Hsu
  • Patent number: 8202451
    Abstract: A first lens having a first bottom surface and a first top surface at opposite sides thereof; and a first supporter having a first supporting surface and a second supporting surface at opposite sides thereof, the first supporting surface being flat, the second supporting surface being in contact with the first bottom surface, the first supporter being made of transparent material, and a refraction index of the first supporter being different from a refraction index of the first lens. A lens assembly array and method of making the lens assembly array are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sei-Ping Louh
  • Patent number: 8192808
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and related method for manufacturing an optical preform. The present invention embraces a novel insert tube that is strategically positioned within a quartz substrate tube during the internal vapor deposition process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Draka Comteq, B.V.
    Inventors: Marco Korsten, Marc Jansen, Eric Aloysius Kuijpers
  • Patent number: 8178010
    Abstract: An optical device having a sub-wavelength grating formed in a specified region is disclosed that is able to prevent wave front degradation accompanying a phase difference of a polarized light beam passing through the optical device. The optical device includes a circular-belt-like region where the sub-wavelength diffraction grating is formed, and a center portion where the sub-wavelength diffraction grating is not formed. A vertically polarized light beam used for operations on a blue-light optical recording medium A has a phase difference in the sub-wavelength diffraction grating to be an integral multiple of 2? and hence is transmitted through the sub-wavelength diffraction grating. A horizontally polarized light beam used for operations on a blue-light optical recording medium is diffracted by the sub-wavelength diffraction grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Ricoh Optical Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideaki Hirai, Kazuhiro Umeki
  • Patent number: 8173060
    Abstract: A directional conductivity nanocomposite material, apparatuses and processes for making such material are generally described. A directional conductivity nanocomposite material may comprise a supporting material such as ceramic or polymer, with directionally conductive nanorod structures running through the supporting material. The material may be made by orienting nanorods in an electrophoretic gel using an electrical or magnetic field to align the nanorods, removing the gel, reinforcing the nanorods, and flowing in supporting material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC
    Inventor: Ezekiel J. J. Kruglick
  • Patent number: 8168094
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a disc includes the steps of performing laser exposure of an inorganic resist master on which a photosensitive layer is formed using an inorganic material, which protrudes in an exposed region, and a surface coat layer is formed on the surface of the photosensitive layer in order to control the shape of protrusion, transferring the shape of protrusion formed by the laser exposure on the inorganic resist master to produce a stamper on which a portion corresponding to the shape of protrusion is a depression, forming a resin substrate using the stamper so that a portion corresponding to the shape of protrusion is a protrusion, and forming a predetermined layer structure on the resin substrate to produce an optical disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shin Masuhara
  • Patent number: 8162656
    Abstract: Disclosed are a microlens array, and a method of positioning and aligning the microlens array on another device. Generally, the microlens array comprises an array of injection molded microlens elements, and a supporting flange. Each of the microlens elements has a generally spheroid or spherical shape, and the supporting flange connects together the array of microlens elements to facilitate positioning that array of lenses on a printed circuit board, semiconductor package or wafer. This array is well suited for use with vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs); and, in particular, the preferred embodiment of the invention addresses the problem of VCSEL laser array alignment by using arrays of microlenses elements fabricated by injection molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence Jacobowitz, Casimer DeCusatis
  • Patent number: 8158040
    Abstract: An optical sheet and a method for fabricating the optical sheet, wherein a diffusion pattern is formed to diffuse and condense light. The optical sheet includes a prism pattern having a plurality of mountains and ravines to condense light generated from a light source and a plurality of diffusion patterns irregularly formed on the prism pattern to diffuse the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong Hoon Kim, Jin Sung Choi
  • Patent number: 8153035
    Abstract: An apparatus for wetting and coating ophthalmic lenses having a tank with a cleaning or coating solution and a handling system for sequentially moving a lens and the solution in relation to each other, to wet the lens. A master control module is coupled to the handling system and configured execution a wetting profile. The wetting profile moves the lens to obtain a generally consistent lens surface wetting speed so that the lens coating has a more uniform thickness. According to a method, lenses are wetted in a liquid bath. The lens is placed in a handling system which moves the lens with respect to the bath according to a wetting profile. The wetting profile is based on the incremental vertical lens surface slope with respect to the surface of the solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Gentex Optics, Inc.
    Inventor: Russell F. Weymouth, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8147728
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for making colored silicone hydrogel contact lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Novartis AG
    Inventors: Michael Hugh Quinn, Gregory Carlson, Barry L. Atkins
  • Patent number: 8142691
    Abstract: An optic is produced by the steps of placing a polymer inside a rotateable cylindrical chamber, the rotateable cylindrical chamber having an outside wall, rotating the cylindrical chamber, heating the rotating chamber forcing the polymer to the outside wall of the cylindrical chamber, allowing the rotateable cylindrical chamber to cool while rotating producing an optic substrate with a substrate surface, sizing the optic substrate, and coating the substrate surface of the optic substrate to produce the optic with an optic surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Randy M. Hill, Todd A. Decker
  • Patent number: 8124000
    Abstract: A method for removing and modifying a protrusion by using a short pulse laser is provided for modifying a color filter. In a color filter modifying method, a transparent substrate (2) is scanned with a beam in a parallel direction, while irradiating a protrusion (8) generated on the color filters (3-1, 3-2, 3-3) formed on a transparent substrate (2) with a beam collected by a high NA condensing lens (18), and a protrusion (8) is removed or modified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Cyber Laser Inc.
    Inventors: Susumu Tsujikawa, Yoshio Otani, Tetsumi Sumiyoshi
  • Patent number: 8119043
    Abstract: The method of the present invention includes: an exposing process in which an inorganic resist layer 101 formed on a substrate 100 is irradiated with recording laser light modulated by an information signal corresponding to an information signal of an information concave and convex pattern formed on an optical disc to form an exposed pattern corresponding to the information concave and convex pattern on the optical disc, and after the above process a development process in which development processing is performed on the inorganic resist layer to form a concave and convex pattern corresponding to the information concave and convex pattern of the inorganic resist layer; in the above exposing process, after a trial exposure is performed on a non-recording area of the above resist layer, the exposed portion is irradiated with evaluation laser light and a recording signal characteristic of the above resist layer is evaluated from the reflected light to determine based on the evaluation result an optimum focus pos
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Kai, Katsuhisa Aratani, Akira Kouchiyama, Kenzo Nakagawa, Yoshihiro Takemoto
  • Patent number: 8110128
    Abstract: Disclosed is an anti-glare anti-reflection film having a low haze and reduced in unevenness and dazzle. The film contains a thermoplastic resin film and at least a hard coat layer and an anti-reflection layer provided on a first surface of the thermoplastic resin film. In the film, a first convexoconcave structure that can give an anti-glare property is provided on the first surface of the thermoplastic resin film or the surface of a layer provided on the first surface of the thermoplastic resin film, and a second convexoconcave structure that can give an anti-glare property is provided on a second surface which is the other surface of the thermoplastic resin film or the surface of a layer provided on the second surface of the thermoplastic resin film. The anti-glare anti-reflection film has an average film thickness of 20 to 70 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Masayuki Kurematsu, Toshiaki Shibue, Sota Kawakami, Katsumi Maejima
  • Patent number: 8105526
    Abstract: A method for making a forming structure. The steps of the method include providing a forming unit, providing a backing film, providing a foraminous element, employing liquid photosensitive resin to form the forming structure, and laser machining a plurality of generally columnar protrusions into the forming structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Keith Joseph Stone, Brian Francis Gray, Julie Ann O'Neil, Timothy Paul Fiedeldey
  • Patent number: 8100685
    Abstract: An imprint embossing alignment system. In one embodiment, the system includes a die having a bottom surface, an embossing foil positioned above the bottom surface, and a mandrel, to receive the substrate, having a rod portion that extends through a central portion of the die. The system also includes a ball bushing positioned around the rod portion and a ring portion positioned between the ball bushing and the embossing foil to hold a precise alignment of a centerline of the rod portion and a centerline of the embossing foil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: WD Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce M. Harper, Toshiyuki Max Saito
  • Patent number: 8097188
    Abstract: A method of producing and optical film, comprises the steps of: mixing a resin and grains, heating a mixture of the resin and the grains and kneading the heated melted mixture, thereby preparing a mixture material of the resin and the grains; dissolving the mixture material in a solvent, thereby preparing a resin solution; and casting the resin solution so as to form an optical film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventor: Nobuo Kubo