Patents Examined by Vincent E. Kovalick
  • Patent number: 6515639
    Abstract: A cathode ray tube (CRT) display includes a display panel having a matrix of addressable carbon nanotubes, in which each individual nanotube can be selected to help draw a corresponding electron beam from a red, green, or blue electron gun to the desired portion of the display panel, thereby creating the desired image on through the display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Luis Martinez
  • Patent number: 6515641
    Abstract: An image display apparatus includes row wiring, a plurality of column wirings, a modulator, and a plurality of display devices. The plurality of display devices are commonly connected to the row wiring, each of the plurality of column wirings is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of display devices, and the modulator supplies a modulated signal to the column wirings. The modulator includes a pulse width modulator for generating a pulse signal having a time width corresponding to the tone of a signal to be displayed, and a potential setting circuit for setting the potential of the pulse signal in accordance with the type of signal to be displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Sagano, Naoto Abe
  • Patent number: 6512504
    Abstract: An EL display having high operating performance and reliability is provided. LDD regions 15a through 15d of a switching TFT 201 formed in a pixel are formed such that they do not overlap gate electrodes 19a and 19b to provide a structure which is primarily intended for the reduction of an off-current. An LDD region 22 of a current control TFT 202 is formed such that it partially overlaps a gate electrode 35 to provide a structure which is primarily intended for the prevention of hot carrier injection and the reduction of an off-current. Appropriate TFT structures are thus provided depending on required functions to improve operational performance and reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laborayory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Yamauchi, Takeshi Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 6507338
    Abstract: A computer touchpad includes a first portion usable for button functions to select items on a computer display panel. A second portion of the touchpad is usable for cursor movement and placement functions. An overlay member is detachably mounted on the touchpad. The overlay member includes a first part and a second part. The first part of the overlay member includes several defined sections and the second part of the overlay member includes a single defined section. The first part of the overlay member mounts on the first portion of the touchpad and the second part of the overlay member mounts on the second portion of the touchpad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.
    Inventors: Reynold Liao, Sean O'Neal
  • Patent number: 6504533
    Abstract: An image display apparatus capable of displaying an image signal of an unknown type. Characteristics of an input image signal are examined and, based on the examined characteristics, an attempt is made to identify the input signal as one of a known type. When the input signal can be identified as one of a known type, the signal is converted into a form suitable for display based on retrieved parameters corresponding to the signal's type. When the input signal can not be identified as one of a known type, the number of vertical lines in the signal is multiplied by a predetermined constant and the resulting product is used to convert the signal into a form suitable for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Murayama, Tadashi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6504651
    Abstract: A light modulator is comprised of two unit devices each using surface plasmon generated at the interface between thin metal films respectively formed on prisms and an electro-optical material, and a mirror. Both of the transmitted light due to absorption and re-radiation, and the reflected light arising from the unit devices are made into the outgoing light, the incident light on the next unit device, or the incident light on the mirror. Consequently, all light beams can be utilized as the final outgoing light beams with no loss of light. Further, the color of light can be spatially divided, and still further, it can also be temporally divided by changing the wavelength due to a voltage. As a result, the original light can be divided both temporally and spatially with almost no loss by combining two unit devices so configured as to re-radiate the absorbed light by surface plasmon using surface plasmon and a mirror, and thus utilizing both of the reflected light and the transmitted light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Ken-ichi Takatori
  • Patent number: 6504524
    Abstract: Novel addressing schemes for controlling electronically addressable displays include the use of addressing signals with additional signals having opposite polarity and equal integrated signal strength and addressing schemes that minimize the number of state changes that a display element undergoes. In one embodiment, pre-pulses are employed to apply a pre-stress to an display element that is equal and opposite to the electrical stress applied in addressing the element. In another embodiment, the addressing signal is followed by a post-stressing pulse. Methods for minimizing the number of display elements that must change state to change the image displayed include the determination of a set of elements that must be deactivated and a set of elements that must be activated to change the image depicted by a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: E INK Corporation
    Inventors: Holly Gates, Barrett Comiskey, Peter T. Kazlas, Jonathan D. Albert, Paul S. Drzaic
  • Patent number: 6501483
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for an anti-aliasing process that allows for super-sampling at a high subpixel resolution, but does not require the process and memory resources typically required for conventional super-sampling at this subpixel resolution. Each pixel is partitioned into an array that provides for a large number of subpixels, and a smaller set of super-samples from this set of subpixels are sampled and used to determine the resultant pixel values. Because the set of super-samples is substantially smaller in number (less than half) than the number of subpixels, the processing and memory requirements are substantially reduced. The set of super-samples are preferably determined so as to provide for a uniform sampling frequency in each of the major axes, and along each diagonal, even though the super-samples may not provide an uniform sampling of each pixel area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignee: ATI Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Wong, Milivoje M. Aleksic
  • Patent number: 6501463
    Abstract: An electronic whiteboard system using an electronic whiteboard having a foam sensor for measuring the input data drawn onto the whiteboard writing surface. The electronic whiteboard system includes a communications interface that allows the electronic whiteboard to serve as a network appliance. In particular, the electronic whiteboard's interface includes at least a network interface capable of communicating the measured input data, and also audio data in some embodiments, directly via a network to a server or to a networked computer, in response to a request to access a stored electronic whiteboard meeting. In some embodiments, the server stores the input data associated with an electronic whiteboard meeting and in other embodiments the electronic whiteboard has sufficient memory to store the input data of a meeting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignees: Siemens Technology -to-Business Center LLC, Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andrew Dahley, Victor Su, Bjoern Magnussen, Cyril Valfort
  • Patent number: 6498592
    Abstract: A tiled display structure is fabricated on a single substrate that also serves as a circuit board containing electronic components. Electrodes are formed on the substrate and the remainder of the display section is formed on the electrodes. The pixel elements use patterned display material, and occupy only a portion of the pixel structure. The electronic components are mounted on the substrate using exceptionally long leads to assist in thermal management of tiles. Alternatively, each tile includes a fin structure on the circuit board surface onto which electronic components are mounted and are not in contact with the substrate. Alternatively, each tile includes a flexible circuit board mounted on the substrate, a portion of which is bent away from the substrate. Electronic components are coupled to this portion of the flexible circuit boards such that the components are not in contact with the substrate to assist in thermal management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: Sarnoff Corp.
    Inventor: Dennis Lee Matthies
  • Patent number: 6496162
    Abstract: An LED display unit disclosed. A plurality of pixels are provided on an insulation substrate. Each pixel comprises vertically arranged green, red, and blue LEDs, wherein the green LED is above the red LED, and the blue LED is below the red LED. Each pixel is positioned in a corresponding one of cavities defined in a predetermined pattern on the insulation substrate, and each cavity provides a light reflection surface on the inner wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignees: Koha Co., Ltd., Toyoda Gose Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shingo Kawakami, Junichi Mizutani, Hideki Mori
  • Patent number: 6492977
    Abstract: An improved keyboard comprises a base, and a plurality of keys, and a grid surrounding some of the keys which can be projected onto a screen, and in which some of the keys control the functions of others of the keys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Inventor: Timothy John Marshall
  • Patent number: 6473062
    Abstract: Disclosed is a intelligent light source that is capable of providing a uniform illumination image across the surface of an illuminated object analyzed by an optical detector. This is accomplished by individually controlling each light-emitting element of a linear array of light elements. Calibration of the array is accomplished by sequentially illuminating each optical element of the source and building an array of normalized detected data. The matrix is then inverted and multiplied by a linear array of ones to generate the calibration data. The calibration data are then used to program a simple logic device that allows accurate digital control of the intensity of each individual light element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Jacques Debiez, Francois Lerat
  • Patent number: 6469687
    Abstract: In driver circuitry for driving an electro-optic display device having a row and column matrix array of pixels, including means for converting incoming digital display information signals into analog signals, sampling errors due to switch and column resistance and transmission delays are compensated by converting the digital samples for alternate columns (or rows) to analog signals having sampling errors of equal magnitude but opposite sign.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Peter Janssen
  • Patent number: 6459426
    Abstract: A monolithic integrated circuit for use in a digital display unit. The circuit may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a scaler and a clock recovery circuit. The present invention enables the integration of at least these components into a single monolithic integrated circuit while maintaining reasonable display quality. Specifically, the monolithic integrated circuit is designed for substantial immunity from noise, which may otherwise result from integration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Genesis Microchip (Delaware) Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Julian Eglit, Tzoyao Chan, John Lattanzi
  • Patent number: 6452592
    Abstract: A method and circuit generates a sampling clock signal that digitizes an analog video signal. The sampling clock signal is generated by a clock divider coupled to the horizontal synchronization signal of the analog video signal. A divisor calculator calculates a divisor for the clock divider to control the frequency of the sampling clock signal. Specifically, the divisor calculator selects an initial divisor for the clock divider. Then the divisor calculator calculates a new divisor based on the target pixel value provided by a mode detector and the measured pixel value from a counter. Some embodiments of the present invention provides fine tuning of the frequency by testing other possible divisors with a plurality of different phases. In addition, some embodiments of the present invention calibrate the phase of the sampling clock signal to generate a phase shifted sampling clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: SmartASIC, Inc.
    Inventors: Biao Zhang, Chin-Cheng Kau
  • Patent number: 6452577
    Abstract: A display viewer has an electronic display including an array of pixel electrodes having an area of less than 400 mm2. A light source can be used to illuminate the array of pixel electrodes of a liquid crystal display in a preferred embodiment. The viewer has a lens system that enlarges an image on the display and can also include a mirror that reflects the enlarged image from the lens. A display viewer in a preferred embodiment has a planar mirror and a viewing screen. The viewing screen has a diffuser and a Fresnel lens through which the image is viewed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Kopin Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald P. Gale, Gary J. Swanson
  • Patent number: 6448957
    Abstract: A pointing device of a keyboard which comprises a chassis board for mounting a plurality of keys. The chassis board comprises a hole positioned at its approximate center for mounting the pointing device. The pointing device comprises a pedestal installed below the hole of a chassis board, an elastic pad mounted between the chassis board and the pedestal with a hole positioned below the hole of the chassis board, and a control bar vertically fixed to the pedestal and protruding through the holes of the elastic pad and the, chassis board. The elastic pad is tightly clamped between the pedestal and the chassis board for preventing liquid above the chassis board from leaking into the space below the chassis board and the pedestal through the hole of the chassis board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Darfon Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Liu Chia-Hung
  • Patent number: 6445362
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes a scanning assembly that scans about two or more axes, typically in a raster pattern. A light source emits light toward the scanning assembly such that the scanning assembly simultaneously scans more than one of the beams. The light source is positioned such that its beam illuminates a discrete region of the image field. The image may be formed from a set of“tiles” where a single sweep of the scanning assembly scans a plurality of beams simultaneously. Various approaches to controlling the intensity of the light to compensate for variations in light source response or optical system response, or to balance the response of a tiles system are described. Among these approaches are scaling data in a buffer, active multiplication, or control of a D/A converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventor: Clarence T. Tegreene
  • Patent number: 6445382
    Abstract: A computer keyboard assembly has flexible membrane that is located adjacent a housing. The flexible membrane has circuit lines and an integral pointing stick cable. The circuit lines extend onto the pointing stick cable from the flexible membrane. Keys are electrically connected to the circuit lines. A backing plate structurally supports the flexible membrane. The membrane is located between the backing plate and the housing. A pointing module is attached to the backing plate. The pointing module is electrically connected to the pointing stick cable such that electrical signals from the pointing module are conducted to the circuit lines on the pointing stick cable. The pointing stick cable wraps around a side of the backing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: CTS Corporation
    Inventors: David L. Poole, Robert M. Vandenboom