Patents by Inventor Lawrence E. Thigpen

Lawrence E. Thigpen 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).

  • Polarized optical fiber and method of forming same
    Patent number: 4557742
    Abstract: A polarized optical fiber, having inherent birefringence provided by electrically induced orientation of its microcrystalline structure provides fixed polarization. In the method, an optical fiber having inherent birefringent characteristics is formed by heating a glass optical fiber preform to its drawing temperature, drawing the preform to reduce its diameter and cooling the resulting fiber in the presence of an applied electric field to fixedly orient the microcrystalline structure of the fiber to provide birefringent light transmitting characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1985
    Assignee: Polaroid Corporation
    Inventor: Lawrence E. Thigpen