Patents Examined by Prabodh Dharia
  • Patent number: 7015886
    Abstract: A scanning line driver circuit is provided that can narrow intervals of its scanning lines to values exceeding the limitation value of its output pitch without harming the versatility of a data line driver circuit. A first scanning control signal generation circuit can generate a first scanning control signal for scan-driving a first group of scanning lines, and a second scanning control signal generation circuit can generate a second scanning control signal for scan-driving a second group of scanning lines. A selection output circuit can select and output one of the first scanning control signal and the second scanning control signal as a scanning control signal based on positional information inputted from a data line driver circuit. A scanning driving circuit can supply scanning signals for scan-driving to the respective scanning lines based on the scanning control signal that has been selected and outputted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shigoru Matsuyama
  • Patent number: 7012583
    Abstract: An apparatus for testing pixels of a flat panel display has a palette for holding a TFT substrate, drive signal source units, and predetermined voltage source units. The palette is grounded. One of the predetermined voltage source units applies a predetermined voltage to a Cs electrode of each of pixels constituting the TFT substrate so that the predetermined voltage is used as a reference voltage of the TFT substrate 11. The drive signal source units supply drive signals to a gate electrode G and a source electrode S respectively in each of the pixels constituting the TFT substrate. The voltages of the drive signals are floated by predetermined voltages given by the corresponding predetermined voltage source units respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Guillermo Toro-Lira, David Baker
  • Patent number: 7012590
    Abstract: An auto-adjusting light system includes an inputting sub-circuit, a photosensitive sub-circuit, a controlling sub-circuit, a starting sub-circuit, and a display. The inputting sub-circuit is used to input a setting value. The photosensitive sub-circuit is used to catch variations of the light source in the background. The controlling sub-circuit is coupled with the inputting sub-circuit and the photosensitive sub-circuit to receive the setting value and the variation value and generates a controlling signal. The starting sub-circuit is coupled with the controlling sub-circuit to receive the controlling signal and generates a starting voltage. The display is coupled with the starting sub-circuit to receive the starting voltage lightening the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Aiptek International Inc.
    Inventor: Huang-Tsun Chen
  • Patent number: 7009594
    Abstract: A universal input device is described. The universal input device provides a common user interface for a variety of different computing platforms including printed documents. Using the present system, one may use the universal input device to control various computing devices as well as capture handwritten electronic ink and have the electronic in be associated with new or stored documents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jian Wang, ChunHui Zhang
  • Patent number: 7006064
    Abstract: A common electrode driving circuit is provided on a TFT substrate as a first substrate. Striped common electrodes are formed along the layout of pixels, such as data lines (or scanning lines), on a common substrate as a second substrate. The common electrode driving circuit inverts a common electrode voltage that is applied to a common electrode of an odd-number order, relative to a common electrode voltage that is applied to a common electrode of an even-number order. The common electrode driving circuit inverts these common electrode voltages to match the polarity inversion period at the same time. Based on this, a common inversion driving system is realized, and flicker is reduced according to a lengthwise line (or crosswise line) inversion driving system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromi Enomoto, Susumu Okazaki, Hongyong Zhang
  • Patent number: 6999106
    Abstract: A negative bias voltage may be utilized to bias a spatial light modulator and to enable the spatial light modulator to be modulated using relatively low supply voltages. During the negative frame, a positive bias voltage may be utilized and during the positive frame, a negative bias voltage may be utilized. This avoids damage to the liquid crystal material. The necessary modulating voltages may be within the range available from leading edge silicon technologies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Samson X. Huang
  • Patent number: 6995734
    Abstract: An apparatus/method for driving a metal insulator metal device, which are capable of removing an electric charge in a pixel cell inside a panel. The apparatus includes a data supply unit which supplies video data to a plurality of data lines, a scan driving unit for sequentially supplying a scan pulse synchronized with the video data to at least one scan line among the plurality of scan lines which cross the data lines, and a switching unit for controlling an output impedance of the scan driving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Seong Hak Moon
  • Patent number: 6989817
    Abstract: An image display unit includes an image display section and a support structure. The support structure has a higher part and a lower part, wherein the higher part and the lower part individually have circuits, and the circuit having the maximum height is arranged on the lower part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisao Tajima
  • Patent number: 6985141
    Abstract: In order to obtain a satisfactory image by making a peak luminance of an image to be displayed large and suppressing an occurrence of unnecessary period, there is provided a display driving method for driving a display with a plurality of scanning wirings and a plurality of modulation wirings, comprising: a step of supplying a scan selection signal to a scanning wiring selected out of the plural scanning wirings for each horizontal scanning period; and a step of supplying a modulation signal modulated in accordance with image data to the plural modulation wirings for each horizontal scanning period, in which the selection period of the scan selection signal varies between at least two horizontal scanning periods in a vertical scanning period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Abe, Osamu Sagano, Muneki Ando, Hiroshi Saito
  • Patent number: 6982704
    Abstract: With the aim of offering a video display technique by which stable and high contrast video images are reproduced, contrast adjusting circuitry is constructed. The contrast adjusting circuitry detects a maximum picture level (MPL) and an average picture level (APL) of analog-to-digital converted luminance signals for a predetermined period, determines one of the predefined luminance regions within which the MPL falls and one of the predefined luminance regions within which the APL falls, and, based on the thus determined luminance regions of both MPL and APL, carries out a contrast adjustment of video images by changing the gain of luminance signals and color depth correction by changing the gain of color signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Aoki, Ryo Hasegawa, Takaaki Matono
  • Patent number: 6980177
    Abstract: An image altering apparatus which provides confidential viewing of a video display by means of time multiplexing the fundamental display image with a color-inverted image thereof on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Electronic circuitry and/or software are utilized to modify the fundamental image signal by time multiplexing its color data components with corresponding inverse color data components to generate a compound image signal which is representative of a substantially featureless image. Different multiplexing sequences of color data components and inverse color data components may be utilized at varying duty cycles to generate a compound image which is highly confidential and secure from unauthorized viewing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Waterstrike Incorporated
    Inventor: David A Struyk
  • Patent number: 6977641
    Abstract: The present invention mainly relates to a backlight module for use in a liquid display device. The backlight module comprises a plurality of lamps located above a reflecting plate. Each lamp comprises two ends while each end comprises an electrode. Voltage required for the lamps is provided by at least one inverter board located at least one of two sides of the reflecting plate; wherein the electrodes electrically connect to the at least one inverter board directly. Sizes of the backlight can be reduced in the present invention. Furthermore, costs of material and manufacturing are also reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Kuo-Shu Fan, Ta-Chin Huang
  • Patent number: 6977646
    Abstract: Disclosed is a touch screen calibration system and method that applies a signal to a the terminals of a touch screen and applies a calibration impedance to those terminals; the effect of the calibration impedance applied to the terminals is sensed; the X, Y position for each terminal is calculated upon application of the calibration impedance and the offset error for each terminal is calculated and applied to obtain the corrected touch position for a measured touch position; in addition the gain error may be calculated for each terminal and applied to obtain the corrected touch position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Co.
    Inventors: Karl P. Hauck, Luke David Ronald Hares
  • Patent number: 6975283
    Abstract: An example information communication system is provided in which a user has access to a data communication network through a communication device. Titles of content and summary of information on the communication network, for example, are displayed on a display screen of the communication device so that the user can check for the presence of desired data. When the user has found desired data, the user inputs instructions for downloading the data through a control portion to start the downloading of the data to an information device. When no desired data is found, the user can continue to search for desired data or disconnect from the data communication network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Matsui, Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 6972741
    Abstract: This invention discloses an arrangement for suppressing an erroneous display and suppressing damage to an image display apparatus when a power source is turned on, the power source is turned off, an outlet is removed, or power fails. Particularly, this invention discloses an arrangement for stopping, for a predetermined time, input of a scanning signal or modulation signal to a display panel or application of an accelerating potential in turning on the power source. This invention discloses an arrangement for stopping input of a scanning signal or modulation signal to the display panel, and then stopping supply of power in turning off the power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Aoji Isono, Tatsuro Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6970160
    Abstract: This invention is directed to a lattice touch-sensing system for detecting a position of a touch on a touch-sensitive surface. The lattice touch-sensing system may include two capacitive sensing layers, separated by an insulating material, where each layer consists of substantially parallel conducting elements, and the conducting elements of the two sensing layers are substantially orthogonal to each other. Each element may comprise a series of diamond shaped patches that are connected together with narrow conductive rectangular strips. Each conducting element of a given sensing layer is electrically connected at one or both ends to a lead line of a corresponding set of lead lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Roger C. Mulligan, Massoud Badaye, Alex K. Wong, Brian G. Lim
  • Patent number: 6967668
    Abstract: A monitor includes a main body and a base member supporting the main body. The monitor also includes at least one coupling part protruding from the base member toward the main body, and an elastic supporting member provided at the main body to elastically support the coupling part. Therefore, a monitor in which a base member is easily combined to and removed from a main body has an improved combining structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dae-hyoun Byoun, Young-tae Kim
  • Patent number: 6963322
    Abstract: In a liquid-crystal display device, one of substrates has pixel electrodes and TFTs for driving the pixel electrodes, and the other substrate has opposing electrodes formed thereon. The orientation of the liquid crystal is controlled to exhibit bistability in which bistable states having different transmittances are maintained when no voltage is applied as a result of applying a voltage exceeding a threshold value, and to exhibit a continuous response characteristic in response to an applied voltage in a predetermined range which does not exceed the threshold value. The voltage applied to the liquid crystal can be selectively controlled between a voltage equal to or higher than the threshold value and a voltage lower than the threshold value, and a two-gradation display using the bistability and a multi-gradation display using the response characteristic are made.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Sakaigawa
  • Patent number: 6961035
    Abstract: A liquid crystal projector apparatus is presented, which can display an image free from an influence of a temperature variation of a liquid crystal panel without the necessity to directly measure the temperature of the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal projector apparatus includes a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature at a location in the liquid crystal projector apparatus except liquid crystal panels, a memory for storing temperature detection data obtained by the temperature sensor within a period from a power supply starting time to a steady operation entering time, an arithmetic operation device for estimating a temperature of each of the liquid crystal panels based on the temperature detection data stored in the memory, and liquid crystal drive sections for correcting drive voltages for driving the liquid crystal panels with output signals of the arithmetic operation device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Endo, Yoshiki Shirochi, Shigeki Ohno
  • Patent number: 6956542
    Abstract: An independently functional secondary device may be coupled to a personal computer (“PC”) system. In one embodiment, the secondary device may be capable, when coupled to the PC system, of displaying output data from the PC system on the secondary device display. The secondary device may also perform independent processing when decoupled from the PC system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: James Okuley, Britney D. Edwards