Patents Examined by W. B. Perkey
  • Patent number: 9151945
    Abstract: Provided are a micro electric liquid device and an apparatus including the device. The micro electric liquid device includes a first fluid that is opaque, a second fluid that is transparent a first channel configured to have the first and second fluid flow therein without mixing, a second channel overlapped and spaced apart from the first channel, wherein the second channel is configured to have the first and second fluids flow therein, and a connection part connecting the first and second channels, wherein an aperture is adjusted by a positional change of an interface between the first and second fluids in the first and second channels, and wherein the second channel includes a first sub channel configured to have the first and second fluids flow therein and having a non-uniform height and a second sub channel configured to have the second fluid to flow therein and having a uniform height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jong-hyeon Chang, Woon-bae Kim, Seung-wan Lee, Eun-sung Lee, Min-seog Choi
  • Patent number: 9143661
    Abstract: A balanced, modular camera mounting apparatus providing near hands free support and positioning of a mounted camera with infinite adjustment capability. The apparatus is comprised of a shoulder brace, at least one intermediate assembly plate, a camera mount plate, and a weight/accessory box. The shoulder brace includes curvature both longitudinally and laterally to ergonomically conform to the shoulder of the user. The rear end of the shoulder brace can be straight or curved and also includes a slot to adjustably connect the weight/accessory box. The shoulder brace further includes nonslip padding. Intermediate assembly plates vary in shape and size to allow for myriad adjustments providing balance and positioning according to a desired use. The camera mount plate is attached to an intermediate assembly plate. The weight/accessory box may contain extra assembly plates, camera equipment, or bagged weights as a counterbalance. Components are releasably attached to each other with hand-tightened thumbscrews.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Inventor: Leslie A. Pock
  • Patent number: 9143666
    Abstract: A surveillance device includes a front cover, at least two guide rods, a lens module, a mounting plate, a first balance spring, a circuit board, and a number of second balance springs. The guide rods are mounted in the front cover. The lens module is received the first through hole. The mounting plate is slidably mounted to the guide rods. The mounting plate defines a through hole. The first balance spring is positioned between the front cover and the mounting plate. The circuit board is mounted to the mounting plate and opposite to the first balance spring. The image sensor is mounted on the circuit board and faces the through and the lens module. The second balance springs are positioned between the mounting plate and the circuit board. The first balance spring and the second balance springs keep the image sensor being aligned with the lens module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: ShenZhen Treasure City Technology Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Shu-Ying Chen, Der-Cheng Weng
  • Patent number: 9134645
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of suppressing deterioration of a charger although an amount of use of the charger is actually small is provided. For that purpose, the image forming apparatus executes simple control of discharge current control in which at least one charging bias smaller in number than number of kinds of test biases in full control of the discharge current control is applied to the charger after a power source is turned on and before an image formation start signal is inputted, and on the basis of a current detected by the detector when the charging bias is applied, selects one from a plurality of modes including a first mode in which a charging bias is set by executing the full control of the discharge current control and including a second member in which the charging bias determined by full control of discharge current control without executing the full control of the discharge current control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Michihiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9134502
    Abstract: When a vibration-type actuator is in a non-driving period, at least one of a voltage amplitude and a phase difference of an alternate signal applied to an electrode of a piezoelectric element is set to be equal to a minimum value or a maximum value of a dead zone in terms of the voltage amplitude or the phase difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiromitsu Morita
  • Patent number: 9131161
    Abstract: A light emission control unit includes: a light emission control section configured to control a light emission timing of a flash used in an image pickup unit, in which the image pickup unit has a function of variably controlling, during exposure, an aperture diaphragm between a first diaphragm position and a second diaphragm position at which the aperture diaphragm is closed more than at the first diaphragm position, and the light emission control section allows the flash to emit light at a first timing at which the aperture diaphragm is closed to the second diaphragm position in an exposure section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ryunosuke Yokoya
  • Patent number: 9128351
    Abstract: A shutter apparatus includes a blade member, a blade moving member, a locking member, a cam member, and a restriction member. The cam member moves the locking member from the locking position to the non-locking position so that the blade moving member moves from the closing position to the opening position. The restriction member moves from the non-restriction position to the restriction position after the blade moving member moves from the closing position to the opening position. The cam member moves the locking member in a direction opposite to a direction from the non-locking position to the locking position so that the locking member moves the restriction member from the restriction position to the non-restriction position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masanori Sakai, Koichi Ito
  • Patent number: 9128350
    Abstract: A micro-iris unit may include: a support member disposed on a transparent substrate to form a fluid accommodating space in a central portion of the transparent substrate; a first fluid provided in the fluid accommodating space; and a second fluid provided in the fluid accommodating space and being movable by an electrical field or electromagnetic force. A side surface of the support member may include flexures or concave-convex portions to allow an area of contact with the first fluid or the second fluid to be significantly increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seung Seoup Lee
  • Patent number: 9122243
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a charging member, a transferring member, a first voltage applying part, a current measuring part, a fan, a cleaning member and a controlling part. The controlling part carries out an aging operation rotating the image carrier and bringing the cleaning member in sliding contact with the image carrier before forming an image. The controlling part lengthens a running time of the aging operation in a case where a current value measured by the current measuring part is equal to or less than a first threshold value when the fan blows an outside air to the image carrier and the first voltage applying part applies voltage to one of the charging member and transferring member, in comparison with another case where the current value measured by the current measuring part exceeds the first threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Shinki Miyaji
  • Patent number: 9121694
    Abstract: A position detection device includes a first member, a second member, a plurality of detected components, a detector group, and a controller. The second member is opposed the first member and is configured to move relative to the first member in a specific direction. The plurality of detected components are disposed on the first member and faces the second member. The detector group is disposed on the second member and includes a plurality of detectors configured to detect the plurality of detected components. The controller is configured to detect a relative position of the second member relative to the first member based on a detection pattern in which detection results of the plurality of detectors are arranged in a row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Mori, Jun Saiki
  • Patent number: 9122127
    Abstract: A lens hood which is integrated with a lens cover is provided. The lens hood is attached in front of an imaging lens, and is configured to prevent undesired light incident on the imaging lens. The lens hood includes a lens cover having an upper door and a lower door, and a hood body. The hood body supports the upper door and the lower door so as to rotate the upper door and the lower door in opposite directions to each other about an axis orthogonal to an optical axis of the imaging lens, and has a storage space that stores the upper door and the lower door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Shodai, Katsuya Kawakita, Koichi Muramatsu
  • Patent number: 9124788
    Abstract: Provided is a spherical camera, including a first shell, a second shell, and a first waterproof ring installed at the joint of the first shell and the second shell; the first shell comprises a first rotating shaft; the second shell comprises a second rotating shaft; the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft fit with an support bracket for installing the spherical camera, to allow the spherical camera to rotate to different areas to acquire images; the first waterproof ring is a planar closed-loop waterproof ring; the combination surface between the first shell and the second shell is a plane, and the combination plane passes through the sphere center of the spherical camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: ZheJiang Uniview Technologies CO., Ltd
    Inventors: Kaiyan Jin, Shouliang Yang
  • Patent number: 9122128
    Abstract: A studio arrangement including a plurality of paths having a common termination point wherein none of the paths are parallel to another, a plurality of mannequins each comprising a conveyance that is slidably engaged with a different one of the paths such that each mannequin can slide along the path to the termination point, a background comprising a white surface, the background located behind the termination point, an image capture device located at a first position on an axis that intersects a mannequin at a second position when the mannequin is positioned at the termination point, and one or more light sources each aimed at the background and positioned in front of the termination point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: ThredUP, Inc.
    Inventors: John Hugh Voris, Michael Santhanam, Vivek Daver, Gregory John Ward
  • Patent number: 9110355
    Abstract: Described herein are various configurations and designs for an external flash device. The external flash device can attach to a camera device, such as a mobile phone or smartphone, to provide enhanced flash performance to an internal flash of the camera device. An adjustable arm of the external flash device can include a sensor positionable to receive an optical transmission, such as a flash from the camera device. The adjustable arm can allow the external flash to function with various camera devices. In response to receiving and detecting the optical transmission, the external flash can activate one or more light emitting units to generate a flash that is synchronized with the capture of an image by the camera. One or more light emitting arrays can be included in the external flash to provide greater flash brightness or more than one color temperature of light emitting units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: BBY Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Farhad Nourbakhsh
  • Patent number: 9104088
    Abstract: Provided is a light amount adjusting apparatus wherein a base member has a plurality of supporting parts for supporting the plurality of light amount adjusting blades and a second contact part is located outside a circle extending through the plurality of supporting parts, wherein a contact part between the second contact part and a first contact part is constituted at the other surface of the base member with respect to a surface having a jointing part between a blade driving member and the base member, and wherein, when the blade driving member is pivoted in the circumferential direction of an opening, a part of the blade driving member overlaps at least one of the supporting parts for supporting the light amount adjusting blades at a position offset in a direction parallel to the center axis of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsuhiko Sato
  • Patent number: 9086613
    Abstract: A camera module in which a focal distance is adjusted by an actuator may include a permanent magnet and a coil. A neutral zone spatially dividing first and second polarities of the permanent magnet may be formed at a portion of the permanent magnet facing a sensing sensor sensing magnetic flux.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae Ho Baik, Shin Young Cheong, Yoo Chang Kim, Kyeong Jun Kim, Sung Hoon Kim, Hee Soo Yoon, Jung Seok Lee
  • Patent number: 9081259
    Abstract: A protective lens cover shields the body of a camera lens from damage. The protective lens cover resembles the shape of the lens being shielded and is essentially the same axial length as the lens—that is, the protective lens cover extends from the lens-camera joint to the outer lens element. Hence, the entire body of the lens is covered except for the lens elements and camera mount surface. On the interior surface of the protective lens cover is a cloth material, such as felt, cotton or velvet, affixed to the main body through an adhesive process like glue or tape. The cloth is the sole feature of the protective lens cover that contacts with the camera lens. The remainder of the interior of the protective lens cover provides a small empty space surrounding the lens body, thereby providing a barrier against damage. The protective lens cover being produced by 3D printing means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Inventor: Bravin Neff
  • Patent number: 9069230
    Abstract: There is provided a diaphragm unit, including a plurality of diaphragm blades structured to at least rotate, the plurality of diaphragm blades being capable of changing an area of an aperture, each of the diaphragm blades including portions on a part of an inner periphery, a R (radius) of a shape of one portion being at the opposite side of a R (radius) of a shape of the other portion, the inner periphery being a periphery forming an outer periphery of the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tatsuo Makii
  • Patent number: 9063346
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an anti-shake system provided with a first guide portion supporting a movable frame, supporting a front lens element, at three support points to allow the movable frame to move relative to a base member, which supports a reflector element; a second guide portion which allows the movable frame to move, relative to the base member, in a linear direction and rotate; a limit portion defining a range of movement thereof; and two actuators. The rotational axis of the second guide portion is positioned outside a support intra-region defined by three sides connecting the three support points; a point of intersection between two planes passing through the centers of the actuators and extending in the intersecting driving-force directions of the actuators is positioned inside the support intra-region; and the limit portion and the center of gravity of the movable frame are positioned inside the support intra-region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: HOYA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shinya Suzuka
  • Patent number: 9066005
    Abstract: A photographing device is disclosed. The photographing device includes a display configured to display live view of a subject, a focus adjuster configured to adjust a focus in a manual focus mode according to a user manipulation, a focus calculator configured to automatically calculate a target focus which corresponds to the subject, and a controller configured to display a manual focus guide including a first indicator indicating a current focus and a second indicator indicating the target focus on the display, and in response to the focus being adjusted by the user manipulation, change location of the first indicator within the manual focus guide according to the adjustment state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Il-kwon Park