Patents by Inventor W. J. Alford

W. J. Alford 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).

  • Beam characterization by wavefront sensor
    Patent number: 5936720
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for characterizing an energy beam (such as a laser) with a two-dimensional wavefront sensor, such as a Shack-Hartmann lenslet array. The sensor measures wavefront slope and irradiance of the beam at a single point on the beam and calculates a space-beamwidth product. A detector array such as a charge coupled device camera is preferably employed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Inventors: Daniel R. Neal, W. J. Alford, James K. Gruetzner