Patents Issued in November 6, 2007
  • Patent number: 7292375
    Abstract: A show-through is removed as follows. Resolution of the color image is reduced and the color coordinate system is transferred to a one having a high independence. Then, edge intensity is calculated, edge-detection is performed. Then, color threshold processing is performed on a region except the edge to estimate a background color image, and the show-through removed image is synthesized. Edge difference image is calculated from respective edge intensity of the original image and the show-through removed image, any portion where the image is degraded due to inadequate processing is detected, a scale for processing (the size of a window) around such portion is reduced and the same processing is performed again. A show-through portion is then identified by calculating a difference between the show-through removed image and the reduced original image, the show-through portion is removed, and the image is printed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirobumi Nishida
  • Patent number: 7292376
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for digitally generating images on photosensitive material comprising a light source, a liquid crystal display (LCD) unit and imaging optics. According to the invention, the LCD unit and the imaging optics are mounted in the same lens tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Agfa-Geveart Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Adolf Fleck, Ekkehard Gross, Ulrich Klueter, Rainer Regber
  • Patent number: 7292377
    Abstract: A power control circuit (120) is driven by electric power supplied from a controller (200) as an external device via a cable (150), and controls opening/closure of a switch (104) in accordance with instructions from the controller (200). A DC power supply (105) converts an AC voltage supplied via the switch 104 into a DC voltage and provides it to individual units such as a reader (140).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noriyoshi Chizawa
  • Patent number: 7292378
    Abstract: The image reader according to the present invention comprises a housing having substantially a box-shape and having an image reading surface contacting a document, a document detecting section provided to this image reading surface for detecting a document P, and an image reading section for reading an image on the document when the document P is detected by the document detecting section 105. This image reader enables improvement in convenience for users, operability, and adaptability for handling, and also it is small in size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Hirotaka Chiba, Tsugio Noda, Yoshiro Ishikawa, Kenichiro Sakai
  • Patent number: 7292379
    Abstract: The image reader reads photoelectrically an original image including a visible image and an invisible image. The image reader includes an image reading device for reading said original image with visible light and invisible light and a detecting unit which generates correlational pixel distribution information based on visible light signals and invisible light signals read by the image reading device and detects noise components in the original image by use of said pixel distribution information. The image reading method shortens time to perform processing for washing off silver components remaining in a film upon developing an original image on the film and eliminates an influence of residual silver components remaining in an original image on a developed film by image signal processing subsequent to reading of the original image on the developed film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7292380
    Abstract: A compact zoom lens that include: a first lens group having a negative refractive power; a second lens group having a positive refractive power; and a third lens group having a positive refractive power, wherein the first through third lens groups are arranged sequentially from an object when zooming is performed from a wide angle position to a telephoto position, a distance between the first lens group and the second lens group decreases and a distance between the second lens group and the third lens group increases, and the zoom lens includes at least one plastic lens and satisfies the inequality 1 ? ( G ? ? 1 + G ? ? 2 + G ? ? 3 ) f w ? 1.8 where G1 denotes a thickness of the first lens group, G2 denotes a thickness of the second lens group, G2 denotes a thickness of the third lens group, and fw denotes an overall focal length at the wide angle position. Accordingly, the zoom lens can ensure a high zoom ratio, and be made compact and light at low manufacturing costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Techwin Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dong-woo Kim
  • Patent number: 7292381
    Abstract: Described is a method for conforming electronics to arbitrary shapes. The method comprises acts of forming a device structure to have a growth substrate, an etch stop layer affixed with the growth substrate, and a micro-electronic array. The micro-electronic array comprises a plurality of components atop the etch stop layer. The micro-electronic array is thereafter embedded into a shrinkable layer. The shrinkable layer is then mounted onto a handle wafer that includes a layer of adhering film with the shrinkable layer being pressed into the layer of adhering film. The growth substrate and the etch stop layer are thereafter removed. The adhering film is then dissolved to demount the micro-electronic array and shrinkable layer. Finally, the shrinkable layer is shrunk to conform the micro-electronic array to a three-dimensional shape, with the growth orientation flipped such that metal interconnects may be made to both the top and bottom of the chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventors: Pamela Patterson, Andy Hunter, Angela Shum, Peter David Brewer
  • Patent number: 7292382
    Abstract: A light control unit comprises: a substrate; an insulating film; a first transistor; a reflecting film formed on the insulating film; a light modulating film formed on the reflecting film; a plurality of pairs of electrodes arranged two-dimensionally on the light modulating film; and a polarizing plate formed on a first electrode. Here, the light modulating film is made of a material that varies in refractive index in accordance with the intensity of an electric field applied thereto. For such a material, PLZT containing Pb, Zr, Ti, and La as constituent elements may be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Fujimori, Ken Nakahara, Takashi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7292383
    Abstract: A contained resonant cavity. The contained resonant cavity includes a first surface and a second surface that are partially transmissive and partially reflective, One or more reflective sidewall, are positioned between the first surface and the second surface. In a specific embodiment, the first surface and the second surface are substantially parallel and represent input and output surfaces, respectively, of the contained resonant cavity. The one or more sidewalls are approximately perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface and include a first sidewall having a first substantially reflective planar surface that faces a second substantially reflective planar surface of the second sidewall. A third sidewall and a fourth sidewall have fourth and fifth substantially reflective Lacing sidewalls, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Inventors: Ravi Verma, Massimo A. Sivilotti, Michael Emerling
  • Patent number: 7292384
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for providing a three-dimensional moving image display. In one embodiment, a display having a plurality of pixels is provided. In addition, a refractive index controller is provided for controlling a modifiable and reversible index of refraction of at least one of the pixels. The refractive index controller is used for modifying the index of refraction of the at least one of the pixels to a first extent to manipulate the phase of a first photon and to a second different extent to manipulate the phase of a second photon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Philip J. Kuekes, R. Stanley Williams
  • Patent number: 7292385
    Abstract: A deformable mirror comprises i) an electrically insulative substrate having a substantially plane front face, ii) a first stage comprising at least two plane electrodes placed at chosen places on top of said front face of the substrate, iii) a first layer of electro-active material placed in contact with the front face of the electrodes of said first stage and adapted to be deformed locally under the action of a chosen local difference of electric potential, iv) an electrically conductive reflecting layer, defining a ground electrode connected to an electric ground and placed on top of the front face of said first electro-active layer, and v) first electric power supply circuits each connected, on the one hand, to said electric ground and, on the other hand, to at least one of the electrodes of said first stage in such a manner as to impose locally, on command, a chosen potential difference adapted to deform locally an area of the first electro-active layer placed substantially in line with said electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventor: Jean Dupuis
  • Patent number: 7292386
    Abstract: A mixture of a first material having high chemical affinity for the electrophoretic particles 6a and a second material having low chemical affinity therefor is used as a binder for fixing microcapsules 5 between a first electrode 3 and a second electrode 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Sadao Kanbe
  • Patent number: 7292387
    Abstract: Frequency conversion methods are taught wherein non-collinear phase matching configurations may be implemented in non-linear crystals used in three wave mixing processes such that the frequency conversion efficiency is enhanced through walk-off compensation while also maximizing conversion efficiency. The harmonic conversion techniques are especially applicable to sum frequency process, and in particular to third harmonic generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Spectra-Physics, Inc.
    Inventors: Hanna J. Hoffman, David S. Spence, Alan B. Petersen, James D. Kafka
  • Patent number: 7292388
    Abstract: As a preliminary stage in manufacturing a lens or lens part for an objective, in particular a projection objective for a microlithography projection system, an optical blank is made from a crystal material. As a first step in manufacturing the optical blank, one determines the orientation of a first crystallographic direction that is defined in the crystallographic structure of the material. The material is then machined into an optical blank so that the first crystallographic direction is substantially perpendicular to an optical blank surface of the optical blank. Subsequently, a marking is applied to the optical blank or to a mounting element of the optical blank. The marking has a defined relationship to a second crystallographic direction which is oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the first crystallographic direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Birgit Enkisch, Hartmut Enkisch, Toralf Gruner
  • Patent number: 7292389
    Abstract: Systems and methods for producing circular extinction (CE) contrast images of anisotropic samples. Microscope systems for determining circular extinction (CE), the differential transmission of left and right circularly polarized light resulting from circular dichroism (CD) of an anisotropic sample, include mechanically driven optical components and an image detector such as a monochromatic CCD camera to detect light intensities. In one aspect, optical components include a tunable filter, a rotatable linear polarizer and a variable retarder. The tunable filter is adjustable to provide light at a specific desired wavelength. The linear polarizer is adjustable to provide linearly polarized light with a specific wave vector, and the variable retarder is adjustable to produce near perfect circular polarized light at every selected wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Werner Kaminsky, Bart Kahr
  • Patent number: 7292390
    Abstract: A confocal microscope system that is inherently fiberoptic compatible is described which has line scanning aided image formation. An incoherent fiberoptic bundle maps a line illumination pattern into a dispersible group of separate sources, and then remaps this confocally selected remitted light to the original line. Fibers, not confocal with the illumination, carry light to be rejected from the image back on itself upon double passing, while separate fibers carry light from non-confocal sample planes. The transformation allows efficient rejection of unwanted photons at a slit aperture. The fiber bundle and an objective lens provide a flexible probe for imaging internal tissue for pathological examination on a cellular level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation
    Inventors: Charles P. Lin, Robert H. Webb
  • Patent number: 7292391
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing the lens substrate with straight light control portions 1A that is provided with a plurality of convex lenses (microlenses) 32 on a surface thereof and is used so that light enters the lens substrate from the side of the surface thereof on which the plurality of convex lenses 32 are provided includes the steps of: preparing a substrate having a plurality of concave portions on one surface thereof; forming the plurality of convex lenses 32 using the substrate having the plurality of concave portions; and forming a straight light control portion 4 in the vicinity of the apex of each of the plurality of convex lenses 32. The straight light control portion 4 is used for controlling the ratio of straight light in the light entering each of the plurality of convex lenses 32.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7292392
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: an image display unit including a display device having an image display surface that displays a two-dimensional image and a microlens array disposed in spaced-apart relation to the image display surface, the image display unit that displays a stereoscopic two-dimensional image by allowing the light emitted from the image display surface to form an image on an image forming plane in a space located on a side opposite to the display device with respect to the the microlens array; at least one switch; at least one illumination device that illuminates the space when the switch is turned on; and a controller that controls the display device to change the two-dimensional image displayed on the image display surface in accordance with an illuminating state of the illumination device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Isao Tomisawa, Masaru Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7292393
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for illuminating a sample. In one embodiment, this apparatus includes a laser for outputting an incident laser beam towards a sample and a first diffractive element having a plurality of diffraction pattern portions. The first diffractive element is movable so that each of its diffraction pattern portions can be selectively positioned in the incident beam's path and the diffraction pattern portions of the first diffractive element are designed to cause the incident beam to have different spatial illumination profiles at a pupil plane of the incident beam while reducing effects caused by the incident beam's coherence. The apparatus further includes an illumination profile element configured to spatially distribute light at an illumination plane of the incident beam and a plurality of illumination optical elements for directing the incident beam towards the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Damon F. Kvamme
  • Patent number: 7292394
    Abstract: A lens system (10) includes a main lens (12) having a first surface (12a) and a second surface (12b) configured opposite to each other, a first film lens (11) and a second film lens (13) respectively secured on the first surface and the second surface of the main lens. The first film lens and/or the second film lens are radial gradient index lenses, which refractive index progressively decreases from the centers to the outmost sides. All of the main lens, the first film lens and the second film lens are converging lens, and the axles of them are overlapped one to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Charles Leu
  • Patent number: 7292395
    Abstract: A dual-focus switchable lens is provided and includes: in order from the object side, a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power and a third lens group having a positive refractive power. The first lens group includes a lens having a negative refractive power and a lens having a positive refractive power in order from the object side, at least one of the lenses being an aspherical lens. The second lens group includes a cemented lens and a single lens having an aspherical surface and having a negative refractive power in order from the object side. The third lens group is a positive lens. Two focal points of the dual-focus switchable lens is switched by moving the second lens group while maintaining the first and third lens groups substantially stationary, and the dual-focus switchable lens satisfies specific conditional expressions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Fujinon Corporation
    Inventor: Takayuki Noda
  • Patent number: 7292396
    Abstract: A first lens holder is connected with a rotary barrel through a helicoid mechanism, and moves in an optical axial direction when the rotary barrel rotates. A second lens holder is connected with the rotary barrel through a cam mechanism. The cam mechanism is constituted of a cam portion that is disposed on a front end surface of the rotary barrel and cam followers that are disposed on a rear end surface of the second lens holder. The cam portion is formed to have sloped surfaces inclined along a circumferential direction and these sloped surfaces are in contact with the cam followers. When the rotary barrel rotates, the cam followers shift in the optical axial direction along the sloped surfaces, thereby moving the second lens holder back and forth in the optical axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation, Fujinon Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Ito, Yoji Naka, Mitsuo Manabe
  • Patent number: 7292397
    Abstract: A beam-shaping optical element employing an aspherical profileis presented to minimize aberration. A beam-shaping optical element according to the present invention includes an entrance surface and the exit surface, both having a non-circular cross-section in any plane comprising the optical axis. A beam-shaping optical element according to one embodiment of the present invention, has the optical axis coinciding with the Z-axis of a three-axis rectangular XYZ system of coordinates, and the entrance surface and/or the exit surface represented by a mathematical equation comprising a term representing a non-rotationally symmetric aspherical profile, at least one correction term comprising a function of variable X alone and at least one correction term comprising a function of variable Y alone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Kouei Hatade, Petrus Theodorus Jutte, Jacobus Maria Antonius Van Den Eerenbeemd
  • Patent number: 7292398
    Abstract: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an optical system which includes at least one first refractive optical element, which includes a solid material satisfying the following conditional expression (1), and at least one second refractive optical element, which includes a solid material satisfying the following conditional expression (2): ?1.33×10?3×?d+6.7×10?1<?gF ??(1) ?1.63×10?3×?d+6.2×10?1>?gF ??(2) where ?d and ?gF indicate the Abbe number and the partial dispersion ratio, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Misaka
  • Patent number: 7292399
    Abstract: A lens is fitted into a metal ring that covers the outer peripheral surface of the lens and can be soldered to a fixture member. The side cylindrical part of the metal ring is expanded toward the outer peripheral direction thereof by the pressure of the optical material put inside it, and, thus expanded, it defines the final dimension of the metal ring. One of the two openings formed on both sides of the side cylindrical part of the metal ring is so designed as to have a curving cylindrical part that extends from the side cylindrical part, and this curving cylindrical part is folded toward the optical functional face of the optical device to construct a metal ring-fitted optical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motohiko Otsuki, Kimihiro Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7292400
    Abstract: A read/write device for a disk drive is disclosed. The read/write device includes a pre-amplifier and a recording head. The read/write device also includes a write signal path between the pre-amplifier and the recording head. The write signal path includes a write current. The read/write device also includes a read signal path between the pre-amplifier and the recording head. The read signal path includes an induced current related to the write current. The read/write device also includes a shunt path in the pre-amplifier to draw a part of the induced current from the read signal path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Andrew Bishop
  • Patent number: 7292401
    Abstract: A system and method for determining head-disk contact (HDC) in a disk drive uses the signal from the magnetoresistive (MR) read head and does not require the presence of magnetic transitions on the disk. The method thus has application in head-disk testers or “spin stands” to facilitate the design and testing of slider-suspension assemblies and fly-height actuators, as well as in disk drives to take corrective action before HDC and/or to control fly-height actuators. The invention is also a magnetic recording disk drive that has a fly-height actuator and a low-pass filter and comparator circuit for the MR signal. When the output of the filter exceeds a threshold the comparator circuit output indicates the onset of HDC. The comparator circuit output is input to a digital processor or controller. When the controller determines the onset of HDC or that HDC has occurred, it generates a control signal that can be used to cause the disk drive to take corrective action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Yong Shen, Jing Zhang
  • Patent number: 7292402
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention enables the trimming and writing of servo bursts in a null burst servo pattern as multiple portions in multiple passes while still demodulating each of the servo bursts as a single burst to obtain PES. Alternatively, the servo bursts can be trimmed and written using different currents in different passes respectively so that a gap can be created in the radial direction between the servo bursts. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Richard M. Ehrlich, David Rutherford
  • Patent number: 7292403
    Abstract: A servo control device for a disk drive capable of effectively compensating for a low frequency disturbance incoming to the disk drive is provided. The servo control device includes: a state variable estimator calculating a position estimation error based on a control input for controlling motion of a head and a position error signal by using a predetermined state equation; an estimation filter calculating a disturbance estimation value from the position estimation error by using a mathematical relation between a disturbance and the position estimation error; and a subtractor subtracting the disturbance estimation value from the control input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-eun Baek, Sang-min Suh, Jun-seok Shim, Chang-ik Kang
  • Patent number: 7292404
    Abstract: A signal reproducing method reproduces servo information recorded on a recording medium by use of a head. A current calculation related to a current and an observer calculation related to a position and a velocity of the head are made based on reproduced servo information, and a current value for driving the head is calculated based on the above calculation result. Only computations which require a demodulation result of a present sample are made during a first time after demodulation of the position of the head to a time when the current value is output, and computations which require a demodulation result of a past sample are made during a second time other than the first time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Tomoaki Saito
  • Patent number: 7292405
    Abstract: Disclosed is a data cartridge library system capable of using a data cartridge holder. The data cartridge holder comprises a bottom and side walls wherein the side walls are attached to the bottom wall at one end and form a terminal edge at another. The terminal edge defines an opening through which a plurality of data cartridges can be inserted and removed from the data cartridge holder. In one embodiment, the data cartridge holder can comprise at least a pair of hook-like structures on opposite sides of the data cartridge holder to engage a mounting structure in the data cartridge library. The data cartridge holder can further be adapted to be covered by a dust cover wherein the dust cover can be capable of engaging the data cartridge holder in a first and second position without impeding either the insertion or extraction of a data cartridge or the engagement with the mounting structure of the library.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Spectra Logic Corporation
    Inventors: Clark D. Brace, Eric A. Rinard, Gregory S. Rinard, Brian A. Ruff
  • Patent number: 7292406
    Abstract: A disk drive includes a spindle motor, a pivot bearing cartridge, and a laminated cover. The laminated cover includes a first cover layer attached to the spindle motor, and a second cover layer attached to the pivot bearing cartridge. The cover further includes a damping layer disposed between the first and second cover layers for mechanically insulating the spindle motor and the pivot bearing cartridge from each other to mitigate vibration through the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Yao-Hsin Huang
  • Patent number: 7292407
    Abstract: A data recording disk drive has one or more capacitive sensors for sensing out-of-plane vibration of the disk or disks. The sensors are attached to a support structure that is attached to the disk drive housing. Each sensor is associated with a disk and faces a surface of the disk near the outer perimeter of the disk and close to the recording head. The support structure can be made of a metal or a high-strength plastic and can be a separate structure mounted to the housing, or integrated as part of the single-piece housing casting. If it is metallic, as would be the case if it were integrated with the housing, then layers of insulating material separate the sensors from the support structure. A support structure that serves other functions in the disk drive can also function as the support structure for the capacitive sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Toshiki Hirano, Tetsuo Semba, Matthew T. White
  • Patent number: 7292408
    Abstract: A magnetic write head for use in a data recording system having first and second magnetic pole, the first pole having a P1 pedestal. An electrically conductive coil passes through a space between the first and second poles for inducing a magnetic flux through the yoke formed by the first and second poles. A bi-layer insulation layer disposed between the poles includes a layer of photoresist for preventing voids and a layer of alumina formed thereover to provide a structural brace to prevent recession of the P1 pedestal during manufacturing operations such as soda blast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Andrew Chiu, Edward Hin Pong Lee, John Jaekoyun Yang, Michael Ming Hsiang Yang, Sue Siyang Zhang
  • Patent number: 7292409
    Abstract: A magnetic head for a disk drive is disclosed that has a first soft magnetic pole layer disposed in the head adjacent to a medium-facing surface and extending perpendicular to the medium-facing surface; a second soft magnetic pole layer disposed closer than the first pole layer to the trailing end, the second pole layer magnetically coupled to the first pole layer in a backgap region; a soft magnetic pedestal adjoining the second pole layer, disposed closer than the second pole layer to the medium-facing surface and extending less than the second pole layer extends from the medium-facing surface, the pedestal separated from the first pole layer by a nonferromagnetic gap, the pedestal having a thickness that is less than four hundred and fifty nanometers between the gap and the second pole layer. Longitudinal and perpendicular recording embodiments are disclosed, as well as solenoidal, single-layer and dual-layer reversed-current coil structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Western Digital (Fremont), LLC
    Inventors: Kroum S. Stoev, Francis H. Liu, James H. Wang, Marcos M. Lederman, David J. Seagle
  • Patent number: 7292410
    Abstract: A tape drive head cleaner has a brush that is driven to sweep over a write/read head in the direction of longitudinal grooves on the write/read head. Debris that are within the grooves are swept out of the grooves by the movement of the brush in the direction of the grooves. The brush is carried by a tape drive head cleaner mechanism that includes a lead screw driven by a stepper motor that engages the half nut attached to a brush carriage that carries the brush. The brush carriage is guided by fixed guide shafts so that the brush is precisely swept over the write/read head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Certance, LLC
    Inventors: Ashok B. Nayak, Somsack Vilaysack
  • Patent number: 7292411
    Abstract: A head suspension for a disk drive includes a base (5) to be attached to a carriage, a load beam (3) having a rigid part (9) and a resilient part (11) supported by the base, to apply load on a data read/write head (19) arranged at a front end of the rigid part, a flexure (7) attached to the load beam and being provided with the head, and a guide face (27) formed on an edge (9a) of the rigid part where a jig is inserted, to guide the jig without wearing away the jig. The guide face is formed by providing the edge of the rigid part with an integral thin part that is thinner than the rigid part and bending the thin part, or by partly removing the edge of the rigid part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Nojima
  • Patent number: 7292412
    Abstract: In a helical scanning type magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus for selecting one of output signals of two reproducing heads that are disposed at positions different by of 180° and transferring the selected output signal with a rotary transformer of one channel, a rotor side winding of a reproducing signal channel of a rotary transformer is divided into two portions. The divided portions are connected at two positions that are opposite to output terminals of head amplifiers that amplify output signals of reproducing heads and that have self short-circuit switches. Without use of extra wirings, the head amplifiers are directly connected to the rotary transformer. An output signal of the reproducing head is selected by short-circuiting a self short-circuit switch of a head amplifier corresponding to a head that does not reproduce a signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kyoko Suzuki, Tadashi Ozue
  • Patent number: 7292413
    Abstract: A disk drive suspension has a base portion, a spring portion, and a beam portion carrying a slider at a disk. The base portion is a laminate of two inextensible outer layers and an inner layer that is extensible in shear. Microactuators that expand or contract are attached by their opposite ends in angled or parallel relation to the respective outer layers to shift the outer layers relative to each other as a function of shearing in the inner layer to shift the slider at the disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Magnecomp Corporation
    Inventor: Warren Coon
  • Patent number: 7292414
    Abstract: A disk includes a perpendicular recording disk, a head having a read portion to read information recorded on the perpendicular recording disk, a sensor in the read portion, and a coil structure, coupled to the read portion, to provide bias flux to the sensor. The coil structure may include two coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Mallary
  • Patent number: 7292415
    Abstract: A magnetoresistive film includes a pinned ferromagnetic layer, a free ferromagnetic layer, an intermediate layer interposed between the pinned and free ferromagnetic layers, and a pinning layer contacting the pinned ferromagnetic layer. The free ferromagnetic layer is made of a ferromagnetic layered material including a cobalt nickel iron alloy layer, and a cobalt iron alloy layer laid over the cobalt nickel iron alloy layer. It has been demonstrated that the cobalt nickel iron alloy layer serves to reliably establish the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the cobalt iron alloy layer. Moreover, even if the thickness of the cobalt nickel iron alloy layer as well as the cobalt iron alloy layer is reduced, the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy can surely be maintained in the ferromagnetic layered material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Kenji Noma
  • Patent number: 7292416
    Abstract: A magnetoresistive head comprises a free magnetic layer that has first and second free magnetic films sandwiching a non-magnetic intermediate film therebetween, the respective magnetizing directions of the first and the second free magnetic films are antiparallel. The length of the free magnetic layer in the direction of the track width is 200 nm or less, and a difference between a product of saturation magnetic flux density and a film thickness of the first free magnetic film, and that of the second free magnetic film is within a range from 1 to 3 nmT. By this structure, the variation of output and the variation of asymmetry is greatly decreased at a track width of 200 nm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayoshi Ohtsu, Satoshi Shigematsu, Kouji Nishioka, Takao Imagawa, Kouji Kataoka, Masatoshi Arasawa, Norifumi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 7292417
    Abstract: The magnetoresistance effect element is of a multilayered structure having at least magnetic layers and an intermediate layer of an insulating material, a semiconductor or an antiferromagnetic material against the magnetic layers, and the magnetoresistance effect element has terminals formed at least on the opposite magnetic layers, respectively, so that a current flows in the intermediate layer. The film surfaces of all the magnetic layers constituting the magnetoresistance effect element are opposed substantially at right angles to the recording surface of a magnetic recording medium. Therefore, the area of the magnetic layers facing the recording surface of the magnetic recording medium can be extremely reduced, and thus the magnetic field from a very narrow region of the high-density recorded magnetic recording medium can be detected by the current which has a tunneling characteristic and passes through the intermediate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoichi Nakatani, Masahiro Kitada, Hisashi Takano, Hideo Tanabe, Noboru Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7292418
    Abstract: An appliance leakage current interrupter (ALCI) includes components for preventing sustained over-voltage and sustained over-current conditions. A current interruption threshold is inversely proportional to voltage supplied to the appliance. A microprocessor measures the voltage level of the incoming AC mains supply. The microprocessor is coupled to a sub-circuit for intentionally inducing a current mismatch between the two power lines monitored by the ALCI. Upon detecting an over-voltage of sufficient magnitude and duration, the microprocessor induces a current mismatch in the power lines, thereby causing the ALCI to interrupt power. A second current sensing transformer monitors one of the power lines. The microprocessor also receives the output of the second current sensing transformer. Upon detecting a current level exceeding a variable threshold, the microprocessor induces a current mismatch in the power lines and causes the ALCI to interrupt power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: J. David Egner
  • Patent number: 7292419
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for making fault interrupter receptacles tolerant to miswiring errors. By employing redundant sense elements plus a special switch configuration, the device obtains a symmetry that makes it unnecessary to designate specific line and load terminals. The addition of open neutral protection, ground assurance, transposed conductor protection and end-of-life protection provides enhanced performance with the addition of only a few parts relative to a conventional fault protection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Inventor: David C. Nemir
  • Patent number: 7292420
    Abstract: A ground fault interrupter, including a current difference sensor and a current generator electrically coupled to the current difference sensor. The current generator provides a predetermined difference current to the current difference sensor. At least one contactor is electrically coupled to the current difference sensor. A controller is electrically coupled to the current difference sensor, the current generator and at least one contactor. The controller operates at least one contactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Msx, Incorporated
    Inventor: Thaddeus M. Jones
  • Patent number: 7292421
    Abstract: Methods and circuits are disclosed for providing distributed ESD protection switchable between a capacitive decoupling state and an ESD protection state. The invention provides electronic circuitry with a selectable capacitive decoupling path and an ESD shunting path responsive to the detection of the presence or absence of an electrostatic discharge event. Circuits of the invention include one or more control circuits, electrostatic discharge devices, and control nodes operably coupled to responsively switch the circuit from a decoupling state to an electrostatic discharge state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Jeremy Charles Smith
  • Patent number: 7292422
    Abstract: A method and occupancy-based control device in a trip unit of a main circuit breaker, with the circuit breaker coupled to an electrical distribution system including at least one feeder circuit breaker and a load circuit. The occupancy-based control device comprises an input device associated with the electrical distribution system and coupled to the trip unit. A selector is coupled to the trip unit and configured to select a first set of parameters and a second set of parameters, with each set of parameters defining a mode of operation of the trip unit. A means for selecting one of the first set of parameters and a second set of parameters in response to a signal from the input device is provided wherein, the trip unit operates based on the selected set of parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc.
    Inventors: John Louis Culligan, Ray Montgomery Clark
  • Patent number: 7292423
    Abstract: The present invention is concerned with an underwater communication device, that is simple in design, in operation, powered solely from the hand against the resistance of a spring or elastic band, is low maintenance, is resistant to accidental sound generation, offers a wide margin of safety, reliability, and enables audible communication. The present invention is concerned with a device containing a housing (3) an acoustic signature generating means (1) to produce an audible sound when struck. A strike element (2) powered by a kinetic energy generating means (4) causing it to impact the acoustic element (1). A gripping attachment (5) attached to strike (2) pulled away from the acoustic signature generating means (1) increasing tension in the kinetic energy generating means (4). Upon gripping attachment (5) release, increased tension of kinetic energy generating means (4) powers strike element (2) to impact acoustic signature generating element (1), creating distinguishable sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Inventor: Andres Etchenique
  • Patent number: 7292424
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an arcing horn system having a highly efficient dynamic current shutoff property including a dynamic current shutoff capability, for example, enough for the short circuit fault and other object thereof is to provide an arcing horn system capable of repeatedly maintaining the good dynamic current shutoff capability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignees: Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., Nippon Katan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Takasu, Takashi Chino, Osamu Usuda, Toshio Watanabe, Tomoyasu Hasegawa, Kazuhiko Shimoda, Satoru Doi, Takehiko Kikuchi, Katsuyuki Urasawa, Hiroaki Kanatsuji, Yoshihiko Ota, Hiroki Sakamoto, Ryoji Matsushita