Patents by Inventor Horatio N. Crooks

Horatio N. Crooks has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Detection of defects in a circular or spiral diffraction grating
    Patent number: 4541716
    Abstract: Topographical defect detecting apparatus and process for optically inspecting a circular or spiral track surface defining a diffraction grating such as exists on a video disc or optical disc record. Light from a substantially point source illuminates the track surface. Diffracted reflections from the surface are viewed by the human eye with or without the aid of a TV camera and monitor.Non-uniformities in track spacing and deviation from average surface flatness are readily observable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Horatio N. Crooks, Martin J. Kelly, Jr.
  • Video disc player having record side identifying apparatus
    Patent number: 4352175
    Abstract: The record side identification device for a video disc player includes a pair of switches. The order of closure of the switches depends upon which side of the record carrying caddy is uppermost in the player. A circuit means, responsive to the sequence of operation of the switches, lights appropriate one of the lamps to provide an indication of the record side subject to play.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1982
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventor: Horatio N. Crooks
  • Apparatus for discerning the noticeable presence of spatial fluctuations of intensity within a two-dimensional visual field
    Patent number: 4282511
    Abstract: The spatial field is sequentially convolved at each of a plurality of uniformly-spaced intervals along a field dimension with a given type of limited spatial extent kernel function which preferably has a one-octave spatial bandwidth. Convolution combining means derives an output only if the q'th power of the sequential convolutions exceed a threshold corresponding to the just-noticeable presence of spatial frequencies within the spatial bandwidth of the kernel function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1981
    Assignee: RCA Corporation
    Inventors: Peter D. Southgate, Horatio N. Crooks