Patents Examined by Rochelle-Ann Blackman
  • Patent number: 7401924
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for projecting a three dimensional image. A projection system may include a holding tank for storing a reservoir containing a projection medium and a projector including a plurality of valves for projecting the medium from the holding tank. The projection system may also include an illumination device for illuminating the projected medium and a receiving mechanism for receiving the projection medium after illumination. The projection system may also include imaging data computation apparatus for computing layered imaging data, communication and control tools for communicating the layered imaging data to the projector in order to control valves for dispersing the projection medium, and an illumination control unit that controls an illumination device for illuminated the dispersed medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: James Reichert
  • Patent number: 7401925
    Abstract: An image projector system includes an LED controller and first and second LEDs, a dichroic mirror. The LED controller controls the first and the second LED to emit first and second color lights, respectively. The second color light is of high luminance and is decomposed by a dichroic mirror into third and forth color lights having luminance close to that of the first color light. Each color light is guided through a light valves to adjust the spectral transmittance of the color light. A light-combining device, such as an x-cube, receives and combines the first color light, the third color light, and the forth color light, to form light images, and transmits the images to a display through a projector lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Asia Optical Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Chien-feng Lu
  • Patent number: 7399087
    Abstract: A color wheel includes a plurality of color filter segments disposed so as to form a disk configuration, and a support member to fixedly set the plurality of color filter segments in place. Each of the color filter segments has a circular outer circumference, an inner circumference measuring shorter than the outer circumference, and two sides each connecting between the outer circumference and the inner circumference. In the color wheel described above, a chamfer is provided at the innermost portion of at least one of the two sides. The chamfer provides a clearance between opposing sides of any two adjacent color filter segments, so as to house burrs that are often formed at the sides, and therefore the opposing sides are fitted closely to each other even when burrs are formed at the sides. Consequently, spokes generated between two adjacent color filter segments can be minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Niwa, Kuniyuki Takao
  • Patent number: 7399090
    Abstract: A projector includes a main body, a lens unit and a lens cover. The main body includes a housing and a groove formed on a bottom face of the housing. The lens unit is provided to the main body. The lens cover is configured to cover the lens unit. The lens cover is further configured to be fitted to the groove so that the lens cover rotatably supports the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akihiro Oda
  • Patent number: 7396167
    Abstract: A lens retracting structure includes a housing, an image-forming lens set moveably supported on two parallel guide rods inside the housing, and a driving mechanism for moving the image-forming lens set along the parallel guide rods between a first position and a second position by means of the engagement of a threaded coupling member of the image-forming lens set with a threaded shaft which is rotatably driven by a motor of the driving mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Genius Electronic Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Gary Cho
  • Patent number: 7396137
    Abstract: A projector including a main body and a height adjuster in a bottom of the main body. The height adjuster includes a guide housing connected to the bottom of the main body; a front leg slidably accommodated in the guide housing; a spring between the guide housing and the front leg and providing elasticity to support a weight of the main body; and a stopper to prevent the front leg from separating from the guide housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seon-woo Lim
  • Patent number: 7396131
    Abstract: Projection assemblies are provided herein for use in a display system. According to one exemplary embodiment, the projection assembly includes an illumination source and a plurality of co-planar modulator panels. A method of modulating light is also provided herein that includes generating multi-component light, splitting the multi-component light into a plurality of component beams, and modulating the component beams with a plurality of co-planar modulator panels to form a plurality of sub-images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Scott Lerner, Anurag Gupta
  • Patent number: 7394977
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a apparatus and method for generating 3-dimensional image, which comprises a image photographing part composed of a camera part, a turn table part, a photographing angle adjustment part, a X-axis adjustment part, and a Y-axis adjustment part; a image photographing control part that creates movement control signals, transmits to said image photographing part, and receives plural digital images photographed by said camera part; a 3-dimensional image generating part that creates 3 dimensional images by using said plural digital images; and a storage part that stores said plural digital images and said 3-dimensional images. The present invention thus provides 3-dimensional images to consumers to see a certain product with its actual view by rotating at a wanted angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Openvr Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Joo Park, Se-Yern Oh
  • Patent number: 7393109
    Abstract: Embodiments of methods and apparatus for cooling optics are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: InFocus Corporation
    Inventor: Esteban Arboix
  • Patent number: 7390093
    Abstract: A single panel display may have discrete, dedicated segments associated with each of the primary colors. The segments may not be equally sized in some embodiments. The light from a light source may be split into color portions that are adjusted to accommodate to the differently sized segments dedicated to different colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Cynthia S. Bell, Martin Randall
  • Patent number: 7390094
    Abstract: An absorptive layer is added to an image display system. The absorptive layer is selected to compensate for tint in a black state of a displayed image. In a Liquid Crystal On Silicon (LCOS) based light engine, blue wavelengths may cause a predominate tint in black portions of an image (or an entirely black image is tinted blue), and the absorptive layer is calculated to absorb an amount of blue equivalent to the tint. The absorptive layer is, for example, an unbalanced magenta dichroic, or a yellow filter. The yellow filter may be placed at any point in the light chain, including input/output of a kernel, input/output of a projection lens, or portions of a light engine or display screen. An unbalanced magenta may be constructed by adding a yellow filter to an existing magenta dichroic in the kernel design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: LightMaster Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Arthur Berman, Ying-Moh Liu, Samson Yang
  • Patent number: 7391967
    Abstract: The present invention provides a camera system, which can simplify an ordering procedure. An IC memory comprising a contactless interface is mounted on a camera, or an image recording medium, such as memory card or film. In a case where a customer has carried the camera to a photo lab, image data is read out of the memory card or is acquired by reading the developed film, by an image data acquisition component. Moreover, individual information, order information, account information, and the like, are read out of the IC memory over wireless communication by a reader and writer and are affixed to the image data, whereupon the resulting image data is stored in a database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Shizukuishi
  • Patent number: 7390095
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention can provide a projector that includes three optical modulators which modulate respectively red light, green light, and blue light, a color-synthetic optical system which synthesizes the light modulated by the three optical modulators, and a projection optical system which projects the light synthesized by the color-synthetic optical system. The color-synthetic optical system can include a first reflection film that reflects the green light, and a second reflection film that reflects the blue light, the first reflection film and the second reflection film are arranged in the shape of an X character, and a wavelength in which a reflectance factor of the first reflection film comes to 50% can be longer than a wavelength in which a reflectance factor of the second reflection film comes to 50%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kanji Yoshida, Hidemasa Yamakawa, Joji Karasawa, Masafumi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 7387389
    Abstract: An image display device includes an image processing unit, a light source assembly, an optical modulator assembly, and a projection lens assembly. The image processing unit is configured to receive a video signal and generate image data and control signals. The light source assembly and optical modulator assembly are each controlled by the control signals such that the light source assembly generates illumination in a spatial distribution pattern that is coupled to optical modular assembly via a homogenizing device. The projection lens assembly is configured to project an image from the optical modulator assembly onto a viewing surface. The optical modular assembly is configured to maximize the amount of illumination coupled from the light source assembly, and includes at least one optical modulator surface configured to have a substantially 1:1 aspect ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Anurag Gupta, David L. Erickson, Scott A Lerner
  • Patent number: 7387388
    Abstract: An apparatus and method is discloses for providing a substantially uniform, homogenous, polarized light. A beam of substantially un-polarized light is provided by a conventional light source. The un-polarized light is converted to at least four real images by using a light pipe and appropriate lensing. Each of the real images have a light region and one more dark regions at a first image plane. A portion of light from a light region in each real image is directed to one or more dark regions in each of the real images in a polarization dependent manner and the altered image is into a single image of substantially polarized light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Newell, UnSig Min
  • Patent number: 7387391
    Abstract: An optical device that includes an optical element, an imager, and a prism bracket. The optical element includes an optical element having first and second prisms coupled together. The imager is arranged adjacent to the first prism and configured to receive light from or to transmit light to the optical element, wherein the first prism is spaced between the second prism and the first imager. The prism bracket is coupled between the second prism and the first imager to hold the first imager in a desired positional alignment relative to the optical element. The optical device may further include additional sets of an optical element, imager, and prism bracket, wherein all of the sets are coupled to a color light combiner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Michael K. Domroese, Michael P. Keyes, Jiaying Ma
  • Patent number: 7384155
    Abstract: An image display, includes: an image display section for forming and displaying an image in accordance with image information to be input; and a casing for housing the image display section, in which the casing includes: a lateral portion visible from an outside, the image display section being exposed from the lateral portion; and a bottom portion extending from a lower end of the lateral portion toward a rear side of the device, an opening for introducing air outside the casing is formed in the bottom portion, and an air filter for cleaning the air passing the opening is provided at the opening such that the air filter can be inserted to/removed from the lateral portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeyuki Seki
  • Patent number: 7386228
    Abstract: An image taking apparatus installed with an image blur correction unit for correcting image blur by combining images, so image taking time in a case of continuous shooting of the images is prevented from being long and operations are carried out in a manner in which a photographer does not feel disorder. Combination of a second frame and a third frame that are taken with split-exposure is started from a frame that is prior by two frames in terms of time. Thereby the number of times of split-exposure operations necessary to obtain three combined images is eight, so the image taking time is made to be shorter compared to a case of simple continuous combination of the images. Further, the three combined images produced in this way include a portion overlapped in terms of time, however, the combined images are images different from one another that are continuous in terms of time, so the photographer does not feel disorder as long as setting is made as to how many frames are shifted for combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kouji Okada
  • Patent number: 7384153
    Abstract: A light source device is provided comprising: a light-emitting element; a support member having the light-emitting element flip chip mounted thereto; and a thermally conductive filling agent between the light-emitting element and the support member. By injecting the filling agent between the light-emitting element and the support member, the thermal conduction is supplemented by the filling agent. As such, heat generated by the light-emitting element can be efficiently removed outside the light source device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Norio Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7380997
    Abstract: A monitor camera (1) has a front glass (13) and a glass hold-down plate for holding the front glass (13). The glass hold-down plate has an outer surface in a region continues to the front glass (13), and the outer surface is flush with or stepped back from an outer surface of the front glass (13). Further, the glass hold-down plate has a hold-down portion vertical to the direction of the thickness of the front glass (13), the hold-down portion presses the held-down portion stepped back from the outer surface of the front glass (13). The above structure prevents the field of vision of the monitor camera (1) from being hindered by natural substances including snow lying on the front glass and enhances waterproof property of the monitor camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masami Takahashi, Toshio Nagashima