Patents Examined by Richard A. Wintercorn
  • Patent number: 5229884
    Abstract: A kaleidoscope kit for assembly by the user into a personalized kaleidoscope having a hollow eye piece barrel in which a personalized photograph or a design sheet may be inserted, a mirror configuration for insertion into the hollow tubular barrel, a connector piece which is releasably secured by friction and by pressure tabs to the hollow tubular barrel, a view cup which is releasably secured to the connector piece, such that objects to be viewed can be chosen and substituted by the user within the view cup, the connector piece having a transparent interior wall preventing communication between the view cup and the hollow tubular barrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1993
    Inventors: Ann M. Kelderhouse, Charles D. Kelderhouse
  • Patent number: 5229810
    Abstract: A virtually transparent magnetic layer is included as an additional layer in a photographic film strip. Information exchange between various users of the film such as, for example, the film manufacturer, the camera user, the dealer and photofinisher, is facilitated by plural longitudinal magnetic tracks on the film that begin and end within individual frames. Each track is dedicated to the writing and reading of a predetermined set of parameters relating to the corresponding frame, for easy access by a particular one of the various users. Each user has the capability to read and/or write information in self-identifying data fields in the corresponding tracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1993
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Robert P. Cloutier, William C. Atkinson, Michael L. Wash, Arthur A. Whitfield
  • Patent number: 5229811
    Abstract: An exposing apparatus for exposing the periphery portion of a substrate on which resist is uniformly applied while rotating the substrate by a rotating device around a substantially central portion of the substrate, comprising: an irradiating device capable of irradiating a light beam, which is not sensed by the resist, toward the periphery portion of the resist; a light receiving device disposed to confront the irradiating device, receiving the light beam and outputting a light receipt signal in accordance with the quantity of received light; a detection device for detecting the rotational angle of the resist and outputting an angular signal; a moving device for relatively moving the light beam irradiated and the substrate in a radial direction; and a control device, wherein the substrate is disposed between the irradiating device and the light receiving device so as to shield a portion of the light beam and a control device controls the moving device in accordance with the light receipt signal and the angul
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1993
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Hattori, Kesayoshi Amano, Masao Nakajima, Masayoshi Naito
  • Patent number: 5227839
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing arbitrarily large circuit patterns using small field optics. The use of small field imaging optics allows the use of high NA lens designs capable of printing smaller geometries than otherwise would be possible. The field size in a first axis is extended by scanning an object and image past the lens; the field size in a second axis is extended by stitching the scans together in an overlapped fashion. This overlapped printing technique averages many random and systematic errors and allows the placement of field adjacencies within die boundaries. The effective field size of such a system is limited only be reticle size and stage mechanics. The apparatus further includes error correction loops for enhancing stage synchronization accuracy and for reducing field adjacency errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1993
    Assignee: Etec Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul C. Allen
  • Patent number: 5225934
    Abstract: A kaleidoscope in a housing includes inner and outer object wheels with transparent portions and visible patterns, mounted to turn in opposite directions when a crank extending from a side of the housing is manually turned. A diffusion filter is mounted at an end of the housing to project diffuse illumination through the wheels when this end is held toward a light source. Elongated, inward directed reflective surfaces extend between the inner object wheel and a viewing hole in an end of the housing opposite to the filter. A shaft extends inward, within the housing, from the outer object wheel to an attached outer wheel drive gear. An inner wheel drive gear, turns on the shaft in engagement with the inner object wheel. The crank engages a crank drive gear engaging the inner and outer wheel drive gears on opposite sides of the crank drive gear, so that the inner and outer object wheels are rotated in opposite directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Inventor: Frederick H. Kroll
  • Patent number: 5225868
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a document transporting mechanism which transports documents one by one from a document feed tray, to the exposure location on a platen and which prefeeds the next document to a position before the platen, and a control mechanism which in response to an instruction of stopping the image form operation controls the operation of the document transporting mechanism so as to transport a document prefed to the position before the platen, in a predetermined direction. When a trouble occurs in the main body of the image forming apparatus during the image forming operation and the stop instruction is issued, a document on the platen is immediately transported to a document discharge tray, and also a document which has been prefed to the position before the platen is transported to a predetermined position (onto the platen, the document discharge tray or the document feed tray).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Syuzi Maruta
  • Patent number: 5223889
    Abstract: The apparatus is a visual design system for reliably reproducing kaleidoscope-type images. A design element is fixed rotationally, vertically and horizontally with various gradients in a projection system and illuminated. The resulting image is projected through a bellows, also including various possible configurations. An image receiving system with height and longitudinal adjustment and corresponding gradients receives the image on a translucent viewing screen. The image is received between two kaleidoscope-type mirrors with an adjustable angle therebetween. A camera records the resulting image.An opaque wedge in a filter-like position, along with an appropriate aperture and resulting depth of field, is used to assure an evenly illuminated image. Similarly, the focal plane can be inclined in order to reduce any distortion caused by the increase in object distance for a portion of the image caused by the kaleidoscope-type mirrors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1993
    Inventor: John Mouner
  • Patent number: 5223892
    Abstract: A photographic printing method in which a plurality of image frames photographed on a negative film by a camera, which photometrically measures different areas on an object by a plurality of photometric elements and which determines an exposure, is printed onto photographic paper. Printing processing is effected at an average exposure of the plurality of image frames. Namely, all of the image frames of the negative film are photometrically measured. Average densities of each of R, G, and B of an entire image surface are calculated. An average value of the average densities of all of the image frames of the negative film is calculated. An amount of printing exposure is determined using this average value. Printing processing of all of the image frames is effected at this amount of printing exposure. Accordingly, a large proportion of prints having appropriate densities can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1993
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinpei Ikenoue, Takaaki Terashita
  • Patent number: 5220377
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus for recording an image on an image receiving sheet with use of a photosensitive microcapsule sheet on which microcapsules being photohardenable upon exposure and being hardened by heating are applied, is disclosed.The image recording apparatus comprises an exposing means for rendering the microcapsules hardenable upon exposure thereby, a heating means for forming a latent image on the photosensitive sheet by heating the exposed hardenable microcapsules, a feeding means for feeding the photosensitive sheet to the image receiving sheet through a feeding path and a pressure means for transferring the latent image on the image receiving sheet by pressurizing both photosensitive sheet and the image receiving sheet in superposing the sheets.In such the image recording apparatus, the feeding means is located downstream the heating means on the feeding path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsutomu Suzuki, Shigeyuki Hayashi, Takeshi Izaki, Yoshiya Tomatsu
  • Patent number: 5220457
    Abstract: The apparatus is a visual design system for reliably reproducing kaleidoscope-type images. A design element is fixed rotationally, vertically and horizontally with various gradients in a projection system and illuminated. The resulting image is projected through a bellows, also including various possible configurations. An image receiving system with height and longitudinal adjustment and corresponding gradients receives the image on a translucent viewing screen. The image is received between two kaleidoscope-type mirrors with an adjustable angle therebetween. A camera records the resulting image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1993
    Inventor: John Mouner
  • Patent number: 5218400
    Abstract: A developing apparatus of photoresist for controlling development of a photoresist formed on a light-transmitting substrate and having a latent image produced by exposure thereof to an irradiation for equi-pitch patterns, adapted to detect monitor light diffracted by the equi-pitch patterns produced as development of the resist advances after the diffracted light is totally reflected at the opposite surface to the surface through which it is let in and diffracted again by the equi-pitch patterns and the developing process is controlled according to a signal obtained as the result of the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1993
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kashiwagi, Kohtaroh Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 5218401
    Abstract: An instant photocopying apparatus that allows scanning of an optical means to be carried out plural times continuously by one copying starting operation in the instant photocopying apparatus for sequentially imaging and copying fine areas of an object on an instant photosensitive material by scanning the optical means in parallel to the object is provided.A scanning number setting means 57 is provided and a control circuit 48 is programmed so that it scans continuously by the number of times set by the scanning number setting means 57. An user set any scanning number by the scanning number setting means 57. Then when a start switch SW3 is pressed, the control circuit 48 lights up an illuminating means 24 and issues a command to a motor driving circuit 54 to scan continuously by the preset number of times from one end to the other end of a copying area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1993
    Assignee: Seikosha Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masuo Ogihara, Hiroaki Ishida, Hajime Oda
  • Patent number: 5214469
    Abstract: A method of reenlargement of microfilm originals stored in form of microimages includes providing a plurality of microimages on a carrier, selecting microimages from the plurality of microimages for reenlargement on a receiving medium, positioning a selected microimage in an image window suitable for the reenlargement, transferring the microimage on the receiving medium by an objective focused on the image window, during the transfer of the microimage on the carrier positioning a second microimage located on another carrier in a second image window and after the transfer of the first mentioned microimage, transferring the second microimage on the receiving medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1993
    Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert AG
    Inventors: Helmut Klocke, Traugott Liermann
  • Patent number: 5214468
    Abstract: A photographic film carrier is provided for a printer-processor which is switchable in three operation modes, i.e., in a fully automatic mode, an automatic mode, and a manual mode. The photographic film carrier carries a photographic film on which an image frame is consecutively recorded, and positions each image frame at a printing position in order. The photographic film carrier is provided with a control unit to detect an abnormality that the image frame can not be accurately positioned. The control unit determines in response to the cause of the abnormality detected according to a current operation mode of the printer-processor whether or not an abnormality signal should be output. The control unit outputs the abnormality signal when it is determined in response to the detected abnormality that the abnormality signal should be output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1993
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Seto
  • Patent number: 5212518
    Abstract: Herein disclosed is a tonal conversion method for a faded color original picture useful upon producing a printed picture in a halftone from a faded color photographic original in a continuous tone. As picture information of tonal conversion, unfaded light intensity values (Xn) of a pixel in a faded color photographic original, instead of density information values (D.sub.Fn) of a corresponding pixel of the same, are used. The light intensity values (Xn) may be rationally determined, utilizing an assumption of dye loss and density characteristic curves (S-DCC) of a photographic photosensitive material. The light intensity values (Xn) are then converted into halftone dot area % values by conduction of a specific tonal conversion formula.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1993
    Assignee: Yamatoya & Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Numakura, Iwao Numakura
  • Patent number: 5210641
    Abstract: Disclosed is a front projection display screen formed from a multiplicity of optical cells juxtaposed to define a surface. Each of the cells comprises a directional filter and light converging optics. The directional filter, which covers substantially all of the face of the optical cell, is adapted to pass light from the direction of the projector and to absorb light from other directions except at a small, transparent return aperture. The light converging optics are adapted to focus the substantially parallel light from the projector at the return aperture part of the directional filter and to spread it into a large solid angle. The combination provides an image of improved visual contrast by absorbing background light and returning image light to viewers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Inventor: Richard B. Lewis
  • Patent number: 5208629
    Abstract: According to this invention, illumination light for illuminating a mask on which a micropattern is drawn is inclined at an angle corresponding to a numerical aperture of an optical projection lens located below the mask with respect to an optical axis. The illumination light is obliquely incident on the mask to expose the micropattern on an object located below the optical projection lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1993
    Assignee: Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation
    Inventors: Seitaro Matsuo, Yoshinobu Takeuchi, Kazuhiko Komatsu, Emi Tamechika, Katsuhiro Harada, Yoshiaki Mimura, Toshiyuki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 5208627
    Abstract: A recording apparatus for recording images of an object on a plurality of recording media records the object images on the recording media at different reduction factors. It also records an object image independently on each of the recording media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1993
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Yoshihara, Masahiro Shirai
  • Patent number: 5206761
    Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a large-screen projection type display capable of reducing the moire interference due to the periodical structure of the linear Fresnel lenses and lenticular lenses. Since the moire interference is attributed to the shades S generated from the Fresnel sheet 1, these shades are diverged at a divergence angle .epsilon. by the action of the small-pitch lenticular lenses 4, so that the shades can be eliminated on the light-incident side surface of the lenticular sheet 3 which is located at a distance D from behind the Fresnel sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1993
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masanori Ogino
  • Patent number: 5206760
    Abstract: There is provided the construction of a multiprojection apparatus composed of a plurality of projection units arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions, in which a transparent holding strip having an H-shaped cross section is inserted between screens each composed of a lenticular sheet and a Fresnel lens, and the right and left ends of a multiscreen are supported by elastic support members, or in which a receive member for receiving the screen in the direction of the optical axis and a screen holding device are provided, the receive member has such a shape as not to block projection light corresponding to an image on the screen and is located near a joint of the screen and another screen, and the holding device is disposed on a black stripe of the lenticular sheet and always pulled by an elastic member toward the receive member. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to restrict the missing of information due to joints of the screens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1993
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Video & Information System, Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Nakashima, Junichi Ikoma, Yasutoshi Nakashima, Sadayuki Nishimura, Yoshihisa Hosoe, Tatsumi Hasebe, Akira Okamoto