Patents Examined by Vipin M. Patel
  • Patent number: 7525735
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to an on-axis or near on-axis optical head mounted projection display optical assembly for transmitting and magnifying a real image to an eye. The assembly comprises a miniature display, a projection lens for receiving the light rays from the display, a second lens positioned to receive the light from the projection lens, a beam splitter positioned for receiving and splitting the light rays from the second lens, a retro-reflective screen positioned for receiving the reflected portion of the split light rays from the beam splitter, and then reflecting the portion of split light rays wherein the portion of split light rays passes through the beam splitter. A third lens is positioned to receive the portion of split light rays from the retro-reflective screen and through the beam splitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Robert Anthony Sottilare, Ricardo F. Martins
  • Patent number: 7515365
    Abstract: A lens unit is inserted to be arranged in a holder portion substantially in a cylindrical shape. The lens unit is rotatably attached with an adjuster. The adjuster is able to be screwed into the holder portion. By rotating the adjuster while being screwed in the holder portion in a state of inserting to arrange the lens unit in the holder portion, the lens unit 5 moves in an axial direction of the holder portion to adjust a position thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignees: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd., Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Morioka, Masatoshi Koike
  • Patent number: 7506976
    Abstract: A polarized optical element is disclosed comprising an upper portion and a lower portion defined at opposite parts with respect to a median line passing through the geometric center of the optical element, wherein: a) in the upper portion and at a distance of at least 10 mm from the median line the factor of luminous transmittance is between 3% and 20%; b) in the lower portion and at a distance of at least 10 mm from the median line the factor of luminous transmittance is between 15% and 65%; c) the ratio of the luminous transmittance measured in the lower portion at a distance of at least 10 mm below the median line and the luminous transmittance measured in the upper portion at a distance of at least 10 mm above the median line is not lower than 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Intercast Europe S.P.L.
    Inventors: Paolo Baiocchi, Graziano Marusi, Federico Menta
  • Patent number: 7508589
    Abstract: An apparatus including an autostereoscopic image selection device having a plurality of lenticules is provided. The autostereoscopic image selection device has an opaque material applied thereto in gaps between the plurality of lenticules. The opaque material is applied to the autostereoscopic image selection device in a soft aperturing manner, the soft aperturing manner comprising applying the opaque material such that the opaque material is tapered from the gaps over the plurality of lenticules. The opaque material can be applied in accordance with a windowing function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Real D
    Inventors: Michael G. Robinson, Lenny Lipton
  • Patent number: 7495833
    Abstract: According to embodiments, scanned beam source may include a first beam shaping optical element aligned to receive a composite beam of light carrying a plurality of wavelength components and a second beam shaping optical element aligned to receive the composite beam of light from the first beam shaping optical element and configured to modify the first plurality of wavelength components of the composite beam to a plurality of dimensions proportional to wavelength. The first beam shaping optic may be, for example, a top-hat converter. The second beam-shaping optic may be, for example, a polarization-sensitive clipping aperture, a wavelength-dependent clipping aperture, and/or an achromatic corrector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Karlton D. Powell, Amjad Malik, Christopher A. Wiklof
  • Patent number: 7492538
    Abstract: A camera module having a holder including a leans unit and upper and lower leaf springs for displaceably supporting is provided. Each of the leaf springs has an outer annular portion, an inner annular portion, and bridge portions couple between the outer annular portion and the inner annular portion for resiliently support the inner annular portion with respect to the outer annular portion. The inner annular portion of the lower leaf spring is attached to an lower cylindrical end portion of the holder mechanically and reliably, and the inner annular portion of the upper leaf spring is attached to the upper cylindrical end portion of the holder in a state that the inner annular portion is fixedly held between an upper cylindrical end portion of the holder and a stopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Ishizawa, Tomohiko Osaka
  • Patent number: 7490933
    Abstract: In hingeless eyeglasses, especially safety glasses, wherein the temples are formed as one piece with a top frame piece, and the top frame piece has provided on it fastening means for the lens, it is provided, with a view to obtaining cost-effective production, that said fastening means for the lens are injection-molded from plastic in one piece with an intrinsically elastic top frame piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Uvex Arbeitsschutz GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Bruck
  • Patent number: 7471476
    Abstract: A barrel assembly for a lens device includes a stationary barrel, first and second barrel components, and a coupling pin. The stationary barrel surrounds an axis and has a first surface, and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a guide slot formed through the first and second surfaces. The first barrel component engages sleevingly the stationary barrel and has a third surface. The second barrel component engages sleevingly the stationary barrel, and has a fourth surface that faces the second surface, and a cam slot that is formed in the fourth surface, and that is cooperatively defined by first and second slide surfaces, and first and second abutting portions. The coupling pin extends radially from the first barrel component through the guide slot in the stationary barrel to the second barrel component, and has a retaining section slidable along the first and second slide surfaces, and a reinforcing section extending between the first and second abutting portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Asia Optical Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Tsung-Li Chen
  • Patent number: 7471455
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for shaping a laser beam for interaction with a film in which the laser beam travels along a beam path and defines a short-axis and a long-axis. In one aspect, the system may include a first short-axis element having an edge positioned at a distance, d1, along the beam path from the film and a second short-axis element having an edge positioned at a distance, d2, along the beam path from the film, with d2<d1. An optic may be positioned along the beam path between the second element and the film for focusing the beam in the short-axis for interaction with the film. In another aspect, a system may be provided having a mechanism operative to selectively adjust the curvature of one or both of the edges of the short-axis element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Cymer, Inc.
    Inventors: Palash P. Das, Albert P. Cefalo, David S. Knowles, Vitaliy Shklover, Holger Muenz
  • Patent number: 7466466
    Abstract: An optical scanning method and system and method for correcting optical aberrations introduced into the system by a beam deflector are provided. The optical scanning method and system utilize a tilt-corrected, off-axis beam deflector. The scanning system includes an off-axis acousto-optic beam deflector with a walk-off angle operated at high speed and post-scan optics used to focus the scanned beam. A tilted in-scan focus plane resulting from beam width variation through the scan and the cylindrical lens effect is corrected with one or more tilted lens elements within the post-scan optical train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: GSI Group Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan S. Ehrmann, Donald B. T. Kilgus
  • Patent number: 7461935
    Abstract: Eyewear includes an outer frame having a right temple arm and a left temple arm. An outer lens is secured to the outer frame. An inner frame is removably secured to the outer frame. An inner lens is positioned in the inner frame. A portion of the outer lens engages the inner frame to removably secure the inner frame to the outer frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Collier, Kyle Schepke
  • Patent number: 7460304
    Abstract: The invention is a thermal imaging camera lens that has an LCD display mounted on the opposing side of the camera, which is integrated into a fire mask visor. The fire mask visor is used in conjunction with an oxygen mask. The thermal imaging lens is directed along the same line of sight as the user's, which provides for greater ease of use in hazardous situations. However, the thermal imaging lens can be rotated to a desired angle and line of sight of the end user. A sealant can be applied to the perimeter of the thermal imaging system housing and the visor to prevent the introduction of smoke and/or hazardous gases from entering the interior side of the visor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Inventors: Jay F. Epstein, Halie Epstein
  • Patent number: 7458679
    Abstract: The clip-on lens assembly has a pair of lenses connected together by a uniquely shaped, spring-biased nose bridge wire that has a profile that substantially matches the profile of the nose bridge portion of a pair of eyewear. The bridge wire is connected to either the rear or front surfaces of the lenses and doubles-back on itself before forming a bridge portion, which may include curling over from the front surface to the rear surfaces of the lens. The lenses may be tinted for use as sunshades or could be also optically enhanced for use as an auxiliary corrective lens. At the outer edges of each lens is a pair of hooks used to retain the clip-on lens assembly against a pair of eyewear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: The Hilsinger Company
    Inventor: D. Michael Lennox
  • Patent number: 7460305
    Abstract: A heads-up display that includes a scanner and a projection assembly. The scanner generates an image by sweeping a beam of electromagnetic energy, and the projection assembly directs the image into a predetermined viewing space having a region with a substantially uniform intensity profile. Such a heads-up display can often be made smaller than a conventional heads-up display, and can often generate an image having a higher quality than an image generated by a conventional display. Furthermore, one can often calibrate and recalibrate such a display without physically modifying or replacing a component of the display or of a vehicle incorporating the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Karlton D. Powell, Hakan Ürey, Amjad Malik, Russell J. Hannigan
  • Patent number: 7457042
    Abstract: A projection optical system which uses, for example, an ArF excimer laser beam and can ensure a good imaging performance for an extended period while avoiding the variations in refractive index and the effect of the intrinsic double refraction of a fluorite containing a high-frequency component. A projection optical system for forming the demagnified image of a first plane (R) on a second plane (W). A first light transmitting member (L23) disposed closest to the second plane side and having almost no refraction power is provided. When the distance between the first light transmitting member and the second plane is WD, a numerical aperture on the second plane side NA, and the center wavelength of a light used L×10?6, the condition 0.06<WDNA/L<0.23 is satisfied. Or, a first light transmitting member disposed closest to a second plane side and having almost no refraction power, and a second light transmitting member (L22) disposed adjacent to the first plane side are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Omura
  • Patent number: 7453652
    Abstract: A linear motor table is provided in a lens switching apparatus of a laser repair apparatus. The linear motor table is fixed with respect to a table and a laser oscillator and moves a lens holder in a horizontal direction. Six objective lenses with magnifications different from each other are provided and are held in a lens holder in a row such that the optical axes thereof are parallel to each other. The objective lens placed in the light path of laser light is switched by the linear motor table moving the lens holder. Because of this, a member, such as a lens, can be positioned with high accuracy and if positional shifting occurs, it can be quickly cancelled using a simple mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Laserfront Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Masakazu Nozaki
  • Patent number: 7436598
    Abstract: A variable lens system includes a chamber with an optical axis extending through the chamber. The chamber contains a first fluid and a second fluid in contact over a meniscus extending transverse the optical axis. The perimeter of the meniscus is fixedly located on an internal surface of the chamber. The fluids are substantially immiscible and have different indices of refraction. A pump is arranged to controllably alter the shape of the meniscus by altering the relative volume of each of the fluids contained within the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Stein Kuiper, Bernardus Hendrikus Wilhelmus Hendriks
  • Patent number: 7433128
    Abstract: An adaptive light-path surface tilt sensing configuration is provided that identifies when a ray bundle is projected along a direction normal to a workpiece surface. As a result, the tilt of the workpiece surface may be determined. The surface tilt sensor may comprise an illumination and detector portion and an objective lens. The illumination and detector portion may comprise a light source, a collimating lens, a beamsplitter, a controllable ray bundle position control portion, and a photodetector configuration. These elements are configured to provide a ray bundle alignment sensing arrangement that provides a signal indicating when a projected ray bundle and a reflected ray bundle have the best degree of alignment, in addition to other functions. The best degree of alignment corresponds to a ray bundle that is projected along the direction normal to the workpiece surface provides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph Daniel Tobiason
  • Patent number: 7423815
    Abstract: An adjustable lens device includes a fixing seat, an adjusting seat sleeved on the fixing seat, and first and second lens modules mounted to the fixing seat. The fixing seat is formed with a plurality of positioning projections, and a plurality of guide slots that extend parallel to an axis. The adjusting seat is formed with an annular groove for movably receiving the positioning projections, and a plurality of driving slots that extend spirally and that correspond to the guide slots. Guide components on the second lens module pass through the guide slots and the driving slots. By virtue of the guide slots, the driving slots and the guide components, rotation of the adjusting seat relative to the fixing seat can move the second lens module for zoom adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Asia Optical Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Ming-Hsin Chang
  • Patent number: 7420741
    Abstract: An image display device is including a display panel in which a plurality of display units including at least pixels for displaying an image for a first point of view and a second point of view are arrayed in a matrix shape, a lens for distributing lights transmitted through pixels for the first point of view and lights transmitted through pixels for the second point of view into mutually different directions, and an illuminating member which is arranged on a back of the display panel and on whose face toward the display panel a plurality of convexes or concaves are formed, wherein a following formula is satisfied regarding the distance V between adjoining convexes or concaves in the illuminating member, where S is the distance between the pixels and the convexes or concaves, f is the focal distance of the lens, and L is the array cycle of the lens V?L×S/f.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Shin-Ichi Uehara, Naoyasu Ikeda, Nobuaki Takanashi