Patents Examined by Michelle Nguyen
-
Patent number: 6554435Abstract: An image display device comprising at least one adjusting mechanism for adjusting a light modulation panel with respect to a prism, wherein the adjusting mechanism includes two plates extending transversely to the light modulation panel. The first plate has at least two points of fixation which can each be moved in the plane of the plate by means of a parallelogram mechanism. The second plate has at least one point of fixation which can be moved in the plane of the second plate by means of a parallelogram mechanism. Connected to the points of fixation is a bearing plate which can be moved in a direction transversely to the bearing plate by means of said three parallelogram mechanisms and can be tilted about axes extending in the plane of the bearing plate.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2001Date of Patent: April 29, 2003Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Richard van der Laan, Hans Alphonsius Maria Steijaert
-
Patent number: 6553186Abstract: A viewfinder informs the photographer when a camera is tilted relative to a subject to be photographed. The viewfinder includes a pair of front and rear openings optically aligned to view the subject through the two openings, and a translucent element surrounding the front opening to permit a halo of light around the front opening which can be seen through the rear opening. The rear opening is dimensioned sufficiently smaller than the front opening to prevent one from viewing through the rear opening various portions of the halo of light depending on whether the camera is tilted up, down, right or left. Thus, one is alerted when the camera is tilted relative to the subject.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2002Date of Patent: April 22, 2003Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventor: David J. Cornell
-
Patent number: 6547403Abstract: A stereo slide mount and a stereo slide viewer in which a pair of right and left film holders are adjusted in either a direction of separation or a direction of approach by a film pitch-adjusting device to enhance the operability.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2001Date of Patent: April 15, 2003Inventor: Minoru Inaba
-
Patent number: 6540361Abstract: A display optical apparatus has an illumination optical system, a light modulating device, a projection optical system, and pixel shifting means. The illumination optical system includes a color separator, and emits, as illumination light, light polarized uniformly in a predetermined polarization direction after separating it by the color separator in such a way that light components of different wavelength ranges travel in different directions. The light modulating device has a display surface on which an optical image to be illuminated with the illumination light is displayed, and has, on the display surface, pixels corresponding to three primary colors, namely R, G, and B, arranged in a recurring pattern. The projection optical system focuses projection light exiting from the light modulating device on an image plane. The pixel shifting means shifts the projection light focused on the image plane by a predetermined number of pixels at a time.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2000Date of Patent: April 1, 2003Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kohtaro Hayashi
-
Patent number: 6542700Abstract: A front cover of a camera is constituted of two parts, namely a base member and a cover plate. The base member comprises a frame portion, a grip portion and a support portion. The frame portion is formed so as to surround side faces of a camera body. The support portion supports a part of the inside of the cover plate. A front face of the base member is adapted to be an opening except the grip portion and the support portion. The cover plate is attached to the base member so as to cover the opening. An overlapping portion of the cover plate and the base member is a little so that a thickness of the front cover is prevented from increasing.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2001Date of Patent: April 1, 2003Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.Inventor: Toru Ito
-
Patent number: 6536903Abstract: An off-axis projection system includes a polarizer, a reflective light modulator, an analyzer, and an aberration compensation element. The polarizer polarizes an illumination beam to form a polarized illumination beam. The reflective light modulator receives the polarized illumination beam along a first optical path, modulates the polarized illumination beam to form an imaging beam, and reflects the imaging beam along a second optical path not parallel to the first optical path. The aberration compensation element is disposed in either or both of the polarized illumination beam and the imaging beam. The separation of the illumination beam and the imaging beam provided by the off-axis architecture facilitates the use single-pass aberration compensation elements, including liquid crystal compensation films and wave retarders. A multi-color projection system is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2001Date of Patent: March 25, 2003Assignee: Aurora Systems, Inc.Inventor: Matthew F. Bone
-
Patent number: 6536901Abstract: A technique capable of easily manufacturing a projector without deteriorating too much the optical characteristics of the projector. A projector includes an illuminating optical system for emitting illumination light, an electro-optical device for modulating light from the illuminating optical system according to image information, and a projection optical system for projecting a modulated light beam flux obtained by the electro-optical device. The electro-optical device includes a single-crystal sapphire substrate having nearly a rectangular shape, and a polarizer provided on the single-crystal sapphire substrate on at least one side of a light incidence surface and a light emission surface. The single-crystal sapphire substrate includes a c-axis substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate, and the c-axis has an inclination of about 3° to about 7° with respect to an reference side selected from perpendicularly intersecting two sides of the nearly rectangular shape.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2001Date of Patent: March 25, 2003Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Takeshi Takezawa, Toshiaki Hashizume, Motoyuki Fujimori
-
Patent number: 6539175Abstract: A highway crash barrier includes a collision sensor that detects when a vehicle collides with the crash barrier. A transmitter is coupled with the collision sensor to transmit a radio frequency signal to a remote location when this collision sensor detects a collision. This radio frequency signal includes a fault message that is forwarded automatically to a user responsible for maintenance of the crash barrier. A camera is controlled in response to the collision sensor to store an image of the crash barrier shortly after the collision.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2000Date of Patent: March 25, 2003Assignee: Energy Absorption Systems, Inc.Inventors: Jeffrey A. Geary, David A. Smith
-
Patent number: 6527461Abstract: A lens cover assembly for a folding camera includes a main frame assembly and a lens assembly pivotally mounted on the main frame assembly and movable between a closed position in which the lens assembly is disposed at least in part within the main frame assembly and an open position in which the lens assembly upstands from the main frame assembly, the lens assembly having a lens therein. A lens cover member is pivotally mounted on the lens assembly and is movable between a first position in which the lens cover member completely covers the lens, and a second position in which the lens cover member is removed from the lens. A mechanical linkage interconnects the main frame assembly and the lens cover member and is operative, upon moving the lens assembly from the closed position to the open position, to move the lens cover member to the second position, and further operative, upon moving the lens assembly from the open position to the closed position, to move the lens cover member to the first position.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2001Date of Patent: March 4, 2003Assignee: Polaroid CorporationInventors: Kenneth J. Launie, Robert L. Stephansky
-
Patent number: 6523958Abstract: A technology is provided which makes it possible to easily produce an optical component without considerably deteriorating the optical characteristics of the optical component. The optical component includes a glass substrate, an optical member which is connected to the glass substrate, and a connecting layer used to connect a surface of the glass substrate and a surface of the optical member together. The connecting surface of the glass substrate is defined as the surface which passes light processed by the optical component, and has a roughness of approximately 3 nm to approximately 10 nm in terms of the rms value.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2001Date of Patent: February 25, 2003Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Takeshi Takezawa, Toshiaki Hashizume
-
Patent number: 6526230Abstract: A compact camera for producing images on self-developing film, said camera comprising an assembly including a light-tight main frame, a first housing member, and a second housing member; wherein said assembly is arranged to minimize the height of said camera.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2001Date of Patent: February 25, 2003Assignee: Polaroid CorporationInventors: Norman D. Staller, Frank A. Nado
-
Patent number: 6520642Abstract: A camera dolly has a steering unit which provides conventional, crab, and round steering modes, selected by the operator via use of a single steering/shifting handle. The steering unit includes first and second transmissions and a differential. Chains link sprockets on the transmissions and differential, to steer the wheels of the camera dolly to appropriate angles, so that the dolly can roll easily and without wheel scrubbing. A dolly leg position compensator adjusts the amount of steering angle correction provided by the differential, to compensate for changes in the dolly wheelbase/tread dimensions. Sprockets in the differential are locked into offset positions, during conventional and round steering, to maintain proper steering angle correction, even under heavy loads. Active idlers are mechanically linked within the steering unit to automatically maintain appropriate chain tension, in all steering modes.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2000Date of Patent: February 18, 2003Assignee: Chapman/Leonard Studio EquipmentInventor: Leonard T. Chapman
-
Patent number: 6517260Abstract: A belt clip is suitable for use with a camera that includes a pair of front and rear cover parts, a main body part between the front and rear cover parts, and a particular device on the main body part that needs electrical energy to be able to operate and has a power switch with a movable switch element that is moved to change the power switch from a normal state to a working state in order to provide electrical energy to the device. The belt clip has a clip portion for holding one's belt between the clip portion and the rear cover part, an actuating portion for moving the movable switch element to change the power switch from its normal to working state, and an intermediate portion between the clip and actuating portions.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2001Date of Patent: February 11, 2003Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Wayne E. Stiehler, Paul Teremy
-
Patent number: 6513932Abstract: An improved motion picture film projector (100) comprises a Geneva Mechanism (120), which intermittently drives a film (114). A light source (116) projects light through the film (114) and a shutter (106) periodically interrupts the light source (116). The shutter (106) has a blade with a shaped edge, which matches the frame shape on the film (114) thus, increasing the amount of light that is transmitted through the film (114). A second edge of the blade also matches the frame shape on the film (114) further increasing the amount of light transmitted through the film (114).Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2000Date of Patent: February 4, 2003Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Franklin D. Ehrne, Andrew F. Kurtz
-
Patent number: 6507712Abstract: A camera in which a magazine can be loaded into a magazine chamber in the direction along a winding shaft thereof in a state in which a film leader is wound thereon. During such magazine loading, the film leader is inserted along the outer periphery of a film guide disposed in the magazine chamber. After the magazine has been loaded, the film leader is temporarily rewound into the magazine. Then, it is fed toward a spool chamber. The film leader that has reached the spool chamber is advanced by the spool and film loading is completed. By employing such a loading mechanism, it is possible to provide a camera incorporating a film loading mechanism with a simple structure which is capable of reliable film loading and making it possible, in cameras using 135-type film magazine, to load a magazine in the axial direction thereof.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2001Date of Patent: January 14, 2003Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ikko Mori, Tetsuya Takagi, Kazuki Sakurai, Moriya Katagiri
-
Patent number: 6505003Abstract: In cameras and methods, a plurality of image pairs are captured. Each image pair has an archival image in a film unit and a corresponding electronic image. The electronic images are stored in memory disposed in the camera independent of the film unit. Photofinishing metadata is generated for the image pairs. The metadata is written to both the film unit and the memory, in association with corresponding images. The film unit is removed from the camera. The metadata in the memory is irreversibly erased concurrent with the removal. The corresponding electronic images are retained following the erasing.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2001Date of Patent: January 7, 2003Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventor: Stephen G. Malloy Desormeaux
-
Patent number: 6501911Abstract: In cameras and methods, a plurality of image pairs are captured. Each image pair has an archival image of a scene and an electronic image of the same scene. The electronic images are stored in camera memory. Photofinishing metadata and image metadata is generated for the image pairs. One or more of the electronic images are downloaded to provide downloaded files. Photofinishing metadata is excluded from the downloaded files.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2001Date of Patent: December 31, 2002Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventor: Stephen G. Malloy Desormeaux
-
Patent number: 6494626Abstract: A focal plane shutter capable of carrying out electric automatic exposure control and mechanical manual exposure control comprises a selecting member for selecting an automatic exposure position and a plurality of exposure time period positions, a switching member operated by the selecting member for switching a mechanical exposure time period control mechanism in correspondence with respective exposure time period positions, an electromagnetic device for electrically driving the switching member, and an electronic circuit for controlling the electromagnetic device. In operation, when the selecting member is disposed at the automatic exposure position, the switching member is controlled to be driven by the electromagnetic device, and when the selecting member is disposed at an exposure time period position, the switching member is driven by the selecting member.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2000Date of Patent: December 17, 2002Assignee: Seiko Precision Inc.Inventor: Tadashi Nakagawa
-
Patent number: 6496655Abstract: In cameras and methods, a series of archival images are captured in a film unit in the camera. A series of electronic images corresponding to the archival images are captured in the camera. The electronic images are stored in memory of the camera. Unloading of the film unit from the camera is detected. Responsive to the unloading, selective clearance of the electronic images in memory is enabled.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2001Date of Patent: December 17, 2002Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventor: Stephen G. Malloy Desormeaux
-
Patent number: 6491449Abstract: A film feeding apparatus for a camera has a spool chamber, a spool, and a motor. The spool is rotated in the spool chamber for winding up a film. The motor is arranged within the outer diameter of the film winding of the spool to expose the outer periphery in the spool chamber.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2001Date of Patent: December 10, 2002Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.Inventor: Moriya Katagiri