Patents Examined by Vincent E. Kovalick
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Patent number: 6515639Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 7, 1999Date of Patent: February 4, 2003Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc.Inventor: Luis Martinez
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Patent number: 6515641Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 23, 2000Date of Patent: February 4, 2003Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Osamu Sagano, Naoto Abe
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Patent number: 6512504Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 18, 2000Date of Patent: January 28, 2003Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laborayory Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yukio Yamauchi, Takeshi Fukunaga
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Patent number: 6507338Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 13, 2000Date of Patent: January 14, 2003Assignee: Dell USA, L.P.Inventors: Reynold Liao, Sean O'Neal
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Patent number: 6504533Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 17, 2000Date of Patent: January 7, 2003Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Murayama, Tadashi Fujimoto
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Patent number: 6504651Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 12, 2000Date of Patent: January 7, 2003Assignee: NEC CorporationInventor: Ken-ichi Takatori
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Patent number: 6504524Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 8, 2000Date of Patent: January 7, 2003Assignee: E INK CorporationInventors: Holly Gates, Barrett Comiskey, Peter T. Kazlas, Jonathan D. Albert, Paul S. Drzaic
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Patent number: 6501483Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 29, 1998Date of Patent: December 31, 2002Assignee: ATI Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Daniel Wong, Milivoje M. Aleksic
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Patent number: 6501463Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 15, 2000Date of Patent: December 31, 2002Assignees: Siemens Technology -to-Business Center LLC, Siemens AktiengesellschaftInventors: Andrew Dahley, Victor Su, Bjoern Magnussen, Cyril Valfort
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Patent number: 6498592Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 10, 2000Date of Patent: December 24, 2002Assignee: Sarnoff Corp.Inventor: Dennis Lee Matthies
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Patent number: 6496162Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 4, 2001Date of Patent: December 17, 2002Assignees: Koha Co., Ltd., Toyoda Gose Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shingo Kawakami, Junichi Mizutani, Hideki Mori
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Patent number: 6492977Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 22, 1998Date of Patent: December 10, 2002Inventor: Timothy John Marshall
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Patent number: 6473062Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 22, 2000Date of Patent: October 29, 2002Assignee: Storage Technology CorporationInventors: Jacques Debiez, Francois Lerat
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Patent number: 6469687Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 28, 1998Date of Patent: October 22, 2002Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventor: Peter Janssen
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Patent number: 6459426Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 17, 1998Date of Patent: October 1, 2002Assignee: Genesis Microchip (Delaware) Inc.Inventors: Alexander Julian Eglit, Tzoyao Chan, John Lattanzi
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Patent number: 6452592Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 21, 2001Date of Patent: September 17, 2002Assignee: SmartASIC, Inc.Inventors: Biao Zhang, Chin-Cheng Kau
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Patent number: 6452577Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 5, 1999Date of Patent: September 17, 2002Assignee: Kopin CorporationInventors: Ronald P. Gale, Gary J. Swanson
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Patent number: 6448957Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 4, 2000Date of Patent: September 10, 2002Assignee: Darfon Electronics Corp.Inventor: Liu Chia-Hung
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Patent number: 6445362Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 5, 1999Date of Patent: September 3, 2002Assignee: Microvision, Inc.Inventor: Clarence T. Tegreene
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Patent number: 6445382Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 20, 2000Date of Patent: September 3, 2002Assignee: CTS CorporationInventors: David L. Poole, Robert M. Vandenboom