Patents by Inventor Ira D. McKinney

Ira D. McKinney 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).

  • Method and apparatus for bistable optical information storage for erasable optical disks
    Patent number: 4965784
    Abstract: A method and an optical device for bistable storage of optical information, together with reading and erasure of the optical information, using a photoactivated shift in a field dependent phase transition between a metastable or a bias-stabilized ferroelectric (FE) phase and a stable antiferroelectric (AFE) phase in an lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT). An optical disk contains the PLZT. Writing and erasing of optical information can be accomplished by a light beam normal to the disk. Reading of optical information can be accomplished by a light beam at an incidence angle of 15 to 60 degrees to the normal of the disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 23, 1990
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Cecil E. Land, Ira D. McKinney