Patents Issued in December 11, 2007
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Patent number: 7307596Abstract: A one-dimensional electromagnetic band gap (EBG) waveguide phase shifter electronically scanned array (ESA) horn antenna utilizes a linear array of EBG waveguide phase shifters for scanning and radiating a beam. A linear array feed feeds the linear array of EBG waveguide phase shifters. A horn directs radiation from the linear array of EBG waveguide phase shifters. Each of the EBG waveguide phase shifters is a waveguide with vertical and horizontal sidewalls. EBG devices are located on the vertical waveguide walls to shift phase to scan the beam.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.Inventor: James B. West
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Patent number: 7307597Abstract: An antenna is provided which includes a radiation conductor; a basebody provided on the radiation conductor, and including a dielectric section made of a dielectric material and a magnetic section made of a magnetic material; and a power supplier connected to the radiation conductor, wherein the magnetic section is provided on a part where a current distribution of the radiation conductor is higher, and the dielectric section is provided on a part where a voltage distribution of the radiation conductor is higher.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Motoyuki Okayama
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Patent number: 7307598Abstract: An antenna device includes a prism-shaped or plate-shaped base member made of a dielectric or magnetic material, band-shaped first and second radiation conductors wound around the base member and connected to each other, and a third radiation conductor wound around the base member and connected to the second radiation conductor. The first and second radiation conductors include a plurality of divided portions, and the divided first radiation conductor portions are connected in series by first variable capacitance elements, the divided second radiation conductor portions are connected in series by second variable capacitance elements, and a node between the first and second radiation conductors is used as a feeding end.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2006Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: ALPS Electric Co., Ltd.Inventor: Makoto Shigihara
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Patent number: 7307599Abstract: A display apparatus includes a display unit, a time setting unit, a detection unit and an image changing unit. The display unit is configured to display a color image. The time setting unit is configured to set a time. The time to be set by the time setting unit can be changed by a user. The detection unit is configured to detect whether the time set by the time setting unit is passed. The image changing unit is configured to change a color image to be displayed on the display unit to a monochrome image so as to warn the user that the time set by the time setting unit is passed, if the detection unit detects that the time set by the time setting unit is passed.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yasuhiro Tamekuni, Akihiro Fujiwara, Tsuyoshi Morofuji
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Patent number: 7307600Abstract: An electronic device such as a portable phone has a casing, a display element provided in the casing, and a panel attached to the casing to cover the display element. A half mirror layer and a shading layer are formed on the panel. An opening of the shading layer is above the display element. The surface of the panel is seen in a substantially continuously uniform color when no electricity is supplied to the display element, and a display produced by the display element can be seen through the panel when electricity is supplied to the display element.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2002Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Fujitsu LimitedInventors: Hisamitsu Takagi, Kazuhiro Kakuguchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi
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Patent number: 7307601Abstract: In an address driving circuit including a power recovery circuit, the voltage of the address electrode is reduced through a transistor, and the voltage of the address electrode increases through the current formed by the body diode of the transistor. In addition, the ground voltage is not applied to the address electrode in the power recovery circuit after the voltage of the address electrode is reduced. As a result, the resonance for raising the voltage of the address electrode and the resonance for reducing the voltage of the address electrode can be performed through the same transistor, and the transistor for applying the ground voltage to the address electrode can be eliminated.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.Inventors: Jun-Young Lee, Jin-Sung Kim, Nam-Sung Jung
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Patent number: 7307602Abstract: There is disclosed the priming or conditioning of an AC gas discharge plasma display panel for improved selective write and selective erase which comprises addressing n number of rows in an order or sequence that is changed from frame to frame such that later rows to be addressed are advanced in the sequence with each subsequent frame. Each frame consists of the addressing of all n rows. Specific embodiments include the use of plasma-shells, plasma-tubes, and/or combinations thereof.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Imaging Systems TechnologyInventors: Carol Ann Wedding, Jeffrey W. Guy
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Patent number: 7307603Abstract: A first and a second signal line respectively supplying a first potential and a second potential to one end of a capacitive load, a waveform output circuit whose input terminal is connected to a supply line supplying a third potential, whose output terminal is connected to the first or the second signal line, and whose control terminal is connected to a waveform generating circuit, and a reactive current preventing switch connected between the control terminal and the output terminal or the input terminal of the waveform output circuit are provided. During a period when a reactive current is prevented from flowing, the reactive current preventing switch is bought into conduction to make a potential difference between the control terminal and the output terminal of the waveform output circuit smaller so that the waveform output circuit cannot be operated, which prevents the reactive current from flowing, leading to an improvement in the reliability of a driving circuit.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display LimitedInventors: Makoto Onozawa, Tomokatsu Kishi, Tetsuya Sakamoto, Akihiro Takagi
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Patent number: 7307604Abstract: A latch circuit is disposed to an output terminal of the respective stages of a shift register circuit, when a pulse is shifted to a stage to which an output is wanted to be outputted, a latch pulse is inputted and held there until a subsequent pulse is inputted, when the pulse is shifted to a stage to which an output is wanted to be outputted in the next time, a latch pulse is again inputted, and thereby an output stage is switched. Thus, a period to be selected and a stage to be selected can be arbitrary selected by changing a latch pulse without changing a clock frequency.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keisuke Miyagawa, Ryota Fukumoto
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Patent number: 7307605Abstract: A precharge circuit is provided with an N-channel transistor intended for switching. A reference potential is applied to either one of the source and drain of this N-channel transistor. The other of the source and drain is connected to a node. A precharge signal is applied to the gate of the N-channel transistor. The reference potential is set to a precharge output potential for the case of displaying black on a pixel, i.e., the potential when a minimum current flows through a P-channel transistor connected to the other of the source and drain of the N-channel transistor.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: NEC Corporation and NEC Electronics CorporationInventors: Masamichi Shimoda, Katsumi Abe, Koichi Iguchi
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Patent number: 7307606Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a display panel with 1,920×480 electron-emitting devices arranged in a matrix and a plurality of fluorescent substances for emitting light by electrons emitted by these electron-emitting devices includes, as one of circuits for driving the display panel, an I/P converter for converting an interlaced scanning signal input at an NTSC image frame rate by a double frame rate and converting the signal into a non-interlaced scanning signal. The signal is controlled to define the maximum time interval during which the fluorescent substances are continuously irradiated with electrons from the electron-emitting devices in units of rows in line-sequential scanning, so as not to substantially degrade the linearity of the luminance characteristic of the fluorescent substances that changes depending on an electron irradiation time for the fluorescent substances.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2000Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tatsuro Yamazaki, Naoto Abe, Makiko Mori
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Patent number: 7307607Abstract: To provide a passive self-luminous device having a function for correcting a degradation of a light emitting element, which is capable of performing display with uniformity across a screen without occurrence of brightness variance. A counter counts an accumulated illumination time or an accumulated illumination time and illumination intensity in each pixel using a first image signal to store the count result in a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. In a correction circuit, from the accumulated illumination time or the accumulated illumination time and illumination intensity, the first image signal is corrected according to a degree of degradation of each light emitting element based on correction data stored in advance in a correction data storage unit, to obtain a second image signal.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventors: Mitsuaki Osame, Jun Koyama
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Patent number: 7307608Abstract: Apparatus for driving a cholesteric liquid crystal display wherein the display includes cholesteric liquid crystals having a first planar reflective state and a second transparent focal conic state, which is respectively responsive to different applied fields. The apparatus further includes an addressing structure having rows and columns of conductors arranged so that when a column and a row overlap, they define a selectable pixel or segment to be viewable or non-viewable, and a single drive chip responsive to a single input voltage for applying selected voltages to rows and columns of conductors, so that selectable unipolar fields are applied across the cholesteric liquid crystals of the pixels to selectively change the state of the cholesteric liquid crystal.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2002Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Industrial Technology Research InstituteInventors: Stanley W. Stephenson, David M. Johnson, Xiang-Dong Mi
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Patent number: 7307609Abstract: An improved stereoscopic display apparatus and methodology includes an array of reflective liquid-crystal-based pixels that are cleared (i.e., placed in a “dark” state) before being loaded with the desired analog voltage potential signals for display during both left perspective image display periods and right perspective image display periods. In this manner, cross-frame image interference between the left and right perspective images is avoided and the quality of the stereoscopic viewing experience is improved. In another aspect, an improved stereoscopic display apparatus and methodology includes a plurality of arrays of reflective liquid-crystal-based pixels. During each successive display period, the pixels of the arrays display an image while being loaded with analog voltage potential signals corresponding to the image to be displayed in the subsequent display period. Such operations avoid cross-frame image interference and expand the left and right perspective image display periods.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Inventor: Sin-Min Chang
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Patent number: 7307610Abstract: A display driving device includes: a tone voltage generating circuit generating as many standard voltages as tones; and a DA converter circuit selecting one of the standard voltages in accordance with display data and outputting the selected standard voltage, and applies a tone display voltage to data signal lines of an active matrix scheme display panel. In the tone voltage generating circuit are there provided: a resistance dividing circuit generating as many standard voltages as tones, the standard voltages having voltage values between an upper limit voltage and a lower limit voltage; and an adjusting circuit generating the upper limit voltage and the lower limit voltage. A reference voltage regulated by an electronic volume control provided externally to the tone voltage generating circuit is supplied to the adjusting circuit, and both the upper limit voltage and the lower limit voltage are varied in accordance with the reference voltage.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Nobuhisa Sakaguchi
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Patent number: 7307611Abstract: A driving method for LCD panels is disclosed, wherein the driver circuit includes multiple data line drivers and at least two gate line drivers, and the first gate line driver produces a normal image with sequential line scanning starting from the beginning of a frame, and the second gate line driver produces a dimmed image starting from a predetermined number of lines below at the same time to emulate one full sweep across a CRT. Therefore, a dimmed image is inserted into every digitized image, where a dimmed image is defined to be a digitized image with each pixel having a fraction 1/N of the original pixel value. The LCD panel drive using this driving method achieves performance closer to the impulse approach used in CRT displays, and the flickering phenomenon can be significantly rectified.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: VastView Technology Inc.Inventors: Liang-Chen Chien, Cheng-Jung Chen, Chang-Cheng Lin
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Patent number: 7307612Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which can be used in a miniaturized portable equipment, wherein the liquid crystal display device integrally incorporates a drive circuit therein so that a circuit scale can be miniaturized. A liquid crystal drive circuit includes a first drive circuit and a second drive circuit which is mounted on one side of the liquid crystal display panel. One output of the first drive circuit is connected to a plurality of signal lines and the second drive circuit supplies signals to the first drive circuit. The liquid crystal display panel includes holding capacitive elements and signals are supplied to the holding capacitive elements from the second drive circuit. The second drive circuit includes a booster circuit for supplying signals to the first drive circuit and the holding capacitive elements.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignees: Hitachi Displays, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Mitsuru Goto, Yuichi Numata, Masato Sawahata, Akira Ogura
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Patent number: 7307613Abstract: In a technique of partially serializing video data to transfer it from a display control circuit to a signal-line driving circuit such as a source driver, data comparisons {circle around (1)} and {circle around (2)} in the data order after serialization are made sequentially in a stage of parallel data prior to making a parallel-to-serial conversion of the video data, and determination is made as to whether or not the bit inversion number of the data is more than half to take a control of an inversion/noninversion for the transfer data. An operational speed of a comparator, an inversion/noninversion determination circuit, etc. can be reduced as compared with the case in which a control is taken of the inversion/noninversion for the data of which an operation speed became high by partially serializing the video data.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: NEC Electronics CorporationInventors: Yoshiyuki Teshirogi, Takashi Nose
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Patent number: 7307614Abstract: Describe is a device for a multiplexing, output current-sensed, boost converter circuit which may be used as an LED driver. A boost converter LED driver circuit using a single set of passive external LC components for controlling the current through, and thus the output of, one and more than one bank of LEDs. The present invention allows for regulated current in one and more than one bank of LEDs by sensing current in the controller. The output voltage of a switcher adjusts it's level automatically until the current to the LEDs is set to the desired LED threshold requirement.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Micrel Inc.Inventor: Charles Vinn
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Patent number: 7307615Abstract: A pointing device is provided for use in computing devices comprising a printed circuit board, a tracking device adapted to generate a tracking signal in response to a user vocal input and relay the tracking signal to the printed circuit board, and a selection device adapted to generate a selection signal in response to a user manipulation and relay the selection signal to the printed circuit board.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.Inventors: Narayan L. Gehlot, Victor B. Lawrence
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Patent number: 7307616Abstract: A sensor for a coordinate input device includes an x-direction loop coil group including a plurality of loop coils arranged in an x direction, each loop coil having at least two linear sections perpendicular to the x direction, and a y-direction loop coil group including a plurality of loop coils arranged in a y direction, each loop coil having at least two linear sections perpendicular to the y direction. A terminal portion including a plurality of terminals is provided in the vicinity of an edge portion of the x-direction or y-direction loop coil group. Lines are disposed between the linear sections of the loop coils of the x-direction loop coil group or the y-direction loop coil group to provide connections between the terminals of the terminal portion and the corresponding loop coils of the x-direction loop coil group and the y-direction loop coil group.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Wacom Co., Ltd.Inventors: Obl Katsuhito, Toshihiko Horie, Koborl Takeshi
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Patent number: 7307617Abstract: A system and process for selecting objects in an ubiquitous computing environment where various electronic devices are controlled by a computer via a network connection and the objects are selected by a user pointing to them with a wireless RF pointer. By a combination of electronic sensors onboard the pointer and external calibrated cameras, a host computer equipped with an RF transceiver decodes the orientation sensor values transmitted to it by the pointer and computes the orientation and 3D position of the pointer. This information, along with a model defining the locations of each object in the environment that is associated with a controllable electronic component, is used to determine what object a user is pointing at so as to select that object for further control actions.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Andrew Wilson, Steven Shafer, Daniel Wilson
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Patent number: 7307618Abstract: The present invention provides a system that increases a user's control over character animation. Time-dependent signals are accepted from a user input device. The input is processed in real-time such that the user's input can be used to directly control the animation of an animated character. For example, the animation of a three-dimensional rendered character swinging a golf club in a golf game can be changed in mid-swing according to the user's operation of an input device. In general the system accepts user continuous and real-time user input. The user is given improved control and visual feedback on the movement being animated. One embodiment of the invention includes an analog input module, a control state machine module and an animation state machine module. The analog input module is configured to receive user analog input (e.g., from an analog joystick) related to animated character display and to normalize the user analog input to create a normalized user analog input.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Electronic Art, Inc.Inventors: Colin Boswell, William Alexander Karweit, Mike Ryan Olsen, Todd William Growney
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Patent number: 7307619Abstract: A palpation simulator comprises an interface for interfacing a user with a computer running a palpation simulation. The computer generates a graphical environment comprising a cursor and a graphical representation of at least a portion of a living body. In one version, a method comprises providing an object in communication with the computer, controlling the cursor in relation to manipulation of at least a portion of the object by the user, and outputting a haptic sensation to the user when the cursor interacts with a region within the graphical representation to provide the user with haptic feedback related to a simulated palpation of the region.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2006Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Immersion Medical, Inc.Inventors: Richard L. Cunningham, Robert F. Cohen, Russell H. Dumas, Gregory L. Merril, Philip G. Feldman, Joseph L. Tasto
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Patent number: 7307620Abstract: A one-handed thumb-supported mobile input device for a computing device includes an input mechanism and a thumb loop or an elastic band in which a thumb of a hand may be inserted. The thumb loop or elastic band is attached to an adjustable thumb loop holder that is enclosed within a thumb loop holder and is adjustable with respect to the thin sections of the input mechanism. The thumb loop holder is attached to one of the sections of the input mechanism. The input mechanism has a folded position and an unfolded position, and includes a number of thin sections containing a number of keys, and which may have one or more folds. The device may further include a display mechanism having a folded position and an unfolded position, and including a thin section containing a display and that is foldable with respect to the sections of the input mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Inventor: Shakoor N. Siddeeq
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Patent number: 7307621Abstract: A portable computer system is disclosed comprising a central processing unit, a keyboard input unit coupled with the central processing unit, a display system coupled with the central processing unit, means to turn the display system on and off, wherein normal operation of the keyboard does not turn the screen on once the display is turned off.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2002Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Dell Products L.P.Inventors: Daniel E. Stivers, Timothy S. Masters
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Patent number: 7307622Abstract: A coordinate detection device is provided, which device includes an input unit which has a surface thereof to which a coordinate value is input by an input means, a calculation unit which calculates a difference between previous and current coordinate values input by the input unit, and a setting unit which sets, in the calculation unit, a coordinate value input last before the input means is detached from the surface of said input unit as the previous coordinate value to a coordinate value input first after the input means is detached from the surface of the input unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2000Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Fujitsu Takamisawa Component LimitedInventor: Takuya Uchiyama
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Patent number: 7307623Abstract: Using a touch-panel capable of detecting coordinate values of a plurality of points, as well as changes therein, on the display screen, a data block as a target for the information processing is selected based on the coordinate values of a plurality of the points which are specified by the user on the display screen, and is then subjected to a predetermined processing. This allows the user to handle the data through an operation closely simulating actual motion in the real world.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.Inventor: Shigeru Enomoto
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Patent number: 7307624Abstract: A field linearization pattern and a touch sensor incorporating same are disclosed. The touch sensor includes a polygonal field linearization pattern disposed around a touch sensitive area. The field linearization pattern includes a first side and a second side that intersect at a first corner. The field linearization pattern further includes an inner row and an outer row of discrete conductive segments. The inner row includes a conductive corner segment at the first corner. The conductive corner segment extends along a portion of the first and second sides of the linearization pattern. The touch sensor further includes electronics configured to detect a location of an input touch applied to the touch sensitive area by generating an electrical current in the linearization pattern. A current flowing from the first side to the second side of the linearization pattern is substantially confined within the linearization pattern.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties CompanyInventors: Bernard O. Geaghan, Bülent Bulat, Kenneth J. Keefer
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Patent number: 7307625Abstract: A touch panel includes: a first layer and a second layer that are arranged to face each other, with a predetermined gap being formed between the first layer and the second layer; a first resistance film that is formed on a surface of the first layer, the surface facing the second layer; a second resistance film that is formed on a surface of the second layer, the surface facing the first layer; and a power supply unit that is provided on the first resistance film. In this touch panel, the first resistance film and the second resistance film form an antenna.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Fujitsu Component LimitedInventors: Shigemi Kurashima, Shinichiro Akieda, Hiroto Inoue, Takashi Arita
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Patent number: 7307626Abstract: A method for determining the location of a touch made to a capacitive touchscreen in which the touchscreen includes a plurality of electrodes distributed around a touch sensitive area of the touchscreen, and a control circuit connected to the plurality of electrodes. The control circuit includes circuitry for measuring capacitance on the sensor, and provides a control signal indicating coordinates of a touch position on the screen, and includes multiple input/output connections, and multiple sub-circuits, where one sub-circuit is associated with one electrode. The method includes using a first switching element of each sub-circuit, when closed, to connect an electrode to an energy storage element which is in turn connected to a reference or ground, and using a second switching element, when closed, to connect the energy storage element to a detector.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Tyco Electronics CorporationInventor: Detelin Martchovsky
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Patent number: 7307627Abstract: An individual acoustic wave switch includes a body with a top section having an acoustic wave cavity formed therein and a base section extending downwardly from the top section. An acoustic wave transducer is mounted adjacent to a surface of the acoustic wave cavity opposite the touch surface thereof so as to generate an acoustic wave in the acoustic wave cavity and to pick up a signal representing the acoustic wave energy in the cavity. The acoustic wave switch is readily mounted in an aperture of a substrate through which the base of the switch extends.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Illinois Tool Works, Inc.Inventors: Terence J. Knowles, Charles F. Bremigan, III
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Patent number: 7307628Abstract: Graphics processing devices and methods are provided for culling small primitives that do not cover any pixels. A boundary (e.g., a diamond) is defined around a pixel center, with pixel coverage being determined for some types of primitives based on whether the boundary is crossed. The boundaries divide the raster into internal regions and external regions. Each region is assigned a unique canonical identifier. Each vertex of a primitive is assigned the canonical identifier corresponding to the region that contains that vertex. The canonical coordinates of the vertices are used to cull primitives that do not satisfy the boundary crossing coverage rules for any pixels.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Christopher J. Goodman, Craig M. Wittenbrink, Robert J. Hasslen, Thomas M. Ogletree, Scott R. Whitman
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Patent number: 7307629Abstract: Domain characterization generated by Voronoi tessellation, which is very close to realistic geology and computation of gravity response of such domain, has a three dimensional fractal basin structure, and is favorable for oil exploration. Interfaces or tessellating domains are represented by a set of parameters, which are referred as Voronoi centers. These parameters can be perturbed by any amount without getting into representational problems. To accomplish such representation Voronoi tessellation is used, which in two dimensional space involves enclosing every Voronoi center by a Voronoi polygon such that the common edge of adjacent polygons is a perpendicular bisector to the line joining the Voronoi centers on both the sides of that edge. Instead of using conventional Euclidian distances, the notion of Voronoi tessellation is generalized by using Lp distances, where p can hold any real value so that Voronoi domains are not necessarily polygonal.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Council of Scientific and Industrial ResearchInventors: Ravi Srivastava, V. Dimri
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Patent number: 7307630Abstract: An apparatus for rendering a two dimensional polygon image from volume data defining a volume and plane data defining a two dimensional plane which intersects the volume. The apparatus comprises a graphics processing unit (GPU). The apparatus is operable to generate triangle data comprising an indirect representation of each triangle of a set of candidate triangles. For a given plane/volume interaction a subset of the candidate triangles are valid triangles which are within the volume and on the given plane and the remaining triangles are invalid triangles. The GPU is operable to process the indirect representation of each triangle of the set of candidate triangles to output for a valid triangle for the defined plane a direct representation of the valid triangle and to output for an invalid triangle for the defined plane a direct representation of a degenerate triangle. The GPU is operable to reject each direct representation of a degenerate triangle from further processing.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Barco NVInventor: Laurent Lessieux
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Patent number: 7307631Abstract: An image is rendered which includes at least one light source, a first, shadow-casting object with a second, shadow-receiving object located on the side of the first shadow-casting object remote from said at least one light source. A shadow mask is generated which identifies for each of a plurality of pixels on the shadow receiving surface a grey level representing the intensity of shadow in each pixel. The intensity is determined utilizing the distance between the shadow-casting object and the shadow-receiving object.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: STMicroelectronics LimitedInventor: Mathieu Robart
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Patent number: 7307632Abstract: A method and apparatus for Font Emulation are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises stripping a first portion from a first font to emulate a second font upon request for such a second font. In an alternative embodiment, the apparatus comprises a processor and a memory, the processor stripping a first portion from a first font to emulate a second font. The method and apparatus may further include stripping a second portion from a first font, and such may be performed by the processor. Alternatively, the method may include copying a first font into memory.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2001Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Silicon Motion, Inc.Inventor: Frido Garritsen
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Patent number: 7307633Abstract: A method for animating soft body characters has a preparation phase followed by an animation phase. The preparation phase determines the skin deformation of a character model at skin contact points in response to impulse collisions. The skin deformation from impulse collisions are compactly represented in terms of the set of basis poses. In the animation phase, the skin impulse responses are used to create a final posed character. Regardless of the type of collision or the shape of the colliding object, the collision animation phase uses the same set of skin impulse responses. A subset of a set of skin points is selected as a set of skin collision points. A final collision response is determined from the skin collision points. The final collision response to the complete set of skin points.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2003Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: PixarInventors: John Anderson, Adam Woodbury
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Patent number: 7307634Abstract: The method of one embodiment for the invention is for the CPU to read a subset of consecutive pixels from RAM and cache each such pixel in the WC Cache (and load corresponding blocks into the L2 Cache). These reads and loads continue until the capacity of the L2 Cache is reached, and then these blocks (a “band”) are iteratively processed until the entire band in the L2 Cache has been written to the frame buffer via the WC Cache. Once this is complete, the process then “dumps” the L2 Cache (that is, it ignores the existing blocks and allows them to be naturally pushed out with subsequent loads) and the next band of consecutive pixels is read (and their blocks loaded). This process continues until the portrait-oriented graphic is entirely loaded.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Donald David Karlov
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Patent number: 7307635Abstract: A frame buffer stores X pixels per line and Y lines and is read using a burst of B pixels. The un-rotated image is rotated by 90 degrees for display by writing and reading pixels from a line buffer. The line buffer stores a block of B*Y pixels. The frame buffer is logically divided into X/B blocks that are B pixels wide. Blocks are read from the frame buffer from the bottom line to the top with a burst of B pixels per line. An offset locate pixels to read in the line buffer. The offset is B for the first block, and increases by a factor of B for each block read, but wraps around modulo B*Y?1. Pixels for a next block are written into the line buffer to locations vacated as pixels are read out. The increasing offset re-orders the pixels for the rotated display order.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: NeoMagic Corp.Inventors: Jimmy Yang, Bo Ye, Edward M. Jacobs
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Patent number: 7307636Abstract: An image file for storing a digital image and information related to the digital image includes digital image data; a user identifier; and affective information which relates to the feelings or emotions of the user toward the digital image.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2001Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventors: Tomasz A. Matraszek, Elena A. Fedorovskaya, Serguei Endrikhovski, Kenneth A. Parulski
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Patent number: 7307637Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying pixel position and geometry in 3D systems have been disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: White Rabbit 3D LLCInventor: Lawrence Arnold Gunn
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Patent number: 7307638Abstract: A graphics system including a custom graphics and audio processor produces exciting 2D and 3D graphics and surround sound. The system includes a graphics and audio processor including a 3D graphics pipeline and an audio digital signal processor. The graphics pipeline renders and prepares images for display at least in part in response to polygon vertex attribute data and texel color data stored as a texture images in an associated memory. An efficient texturing pipeline arrangement achieves a relatively low chip-footprint by utilizing a single texture coordinate/data processing unit that interleaves the processing of logical direct and indirect texture coordinate data and a texture lookup data feedback path for “recirculating” indirect texture lookup data retrieved from a single texture retrieval unit back to the texture coordinate/data processing unit.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.Inventors: Mark M. Leather, Robert A. Drebin, Timothy J. Van Hook
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Patent number: 7307639Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing bit rates by replacing original texture in a video sequence with synthesized texture. Reducing the bit rate of the video sequence begins by identifying and removing selected texture from frames in a video sequence. The removed texture is analyzed to generate texture parameters. New texture is synthesized using the texture parameters in combination with a set of constraints. Then, the newly synthesized texture is mapped back into the frames of the video sequence from which the original texture was removed. The resulting frames are then encoded. The bit rate of the video sequence with the synthesized texture is less than the bit rate of the video sequence with the original texture. Also, the ability of a decoder to decode the new video sequence is not compromised because no assumptions are made about the texture synthesis capabilities of the decoder.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: AT&T Corp.Inventors: Adriana Dumitras, Barin Geoffry Haskell
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Patent number: 7307640Abstract: A graphics system including a custom graphics and audio processor produces exciting 2D and 3D graphics and surround sound. The system includes a graphics and audio processor including a 3D graphics pipeline and an audio digital signal processor. Emboss style effects are created using fully pipelined hardware including two distinct dot-product computation units that perform a scaled model view matrix multiply without requiring the Normal input vector and which also compute dot-products between the Binormal and Tangent vectors and a light direction vector in parallel. The resulting texture coordinate displacements are provided to texture mapping hardware that performs a texture mapping operation providing texture combining in one pass. The disclosed pipelined arrangement efficiently provides interesting embossed style image effects such as raised and lowered patterns on surfaces.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2005Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd.Inventors: Eric Demers, Mark M. Leather, Mark G. Segal
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Patent number: 7307641Abstract: Methods and systems for transforming data in a system are provided. In one implementation, the method includes providing a first frame buffer, and providing a second frame buffer that is separate from the first frame buffer. The first frame buffer is configured to support a first format compatible with a format associated with an application program interacting with the system, and the second frame buffer is configured to support a second format compatible with a format associated with an output device coupled to the system. The method further includes transforming data provided by the application program from the first format supported by the first frame buffer to the second format supported by the second frame buffer for output on the output device to provide compatibility between the application program and the output device.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2007Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Thomas E. Dowdy
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Patent number: 7307642Abstract: A method of manipulating a vector graphics data file representative of at least one graphics element defined by a set of co-ordinate values in a graphics image, the method comprising the step of scaling down the at least one graphics element by applying a scaling factor to the set of co-ordinate values defining the at least one graphics element.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2002Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Ideaworks 3D Ltd.Inventors: Adrian Sack, Srikanth Bandi
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Patent number: 7307643Abstract: The present invention relates to an image display control unit comprising a screen size information obtaining section, an image information obtaining section for obtaining information on vertical and horizontal sizes of an image, an arithmetic section for calculating an image magnification ratio so that at least one of the vertical and horizontal sizes of the image substantially conforms with at least one of vertical and horizontal display-possible sizes of a display screen, and a display control section for displaying the image at the magnification ratio calculated in the arithmetic section on the display screen. With this arrangement, in displaying an image on a display screen, the image can be displayed automatically at the optimal magnification ratio on the display screen. Accordingly, the wasteful use of the display screen is avoidable, and the image appears on the display screen in an easy-to-see condition.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2001Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Fujitsu LimitedInventors: Jun Moroo, Tsugio Noda
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Patent number: 7307644Abstract: A method and a system for frame data to a frame sequential display device without using a frame buffer at the display device and while still maintaining the ability to use a standard interface capable of running at standard bandwidths is disclosed herein. A display system may be used to convert a multiple color frame to a plurality of single color component frames for sequential display on a display device. The display system includes a data system, a display controller, and a display device. The data system provides graphics data to the display controller. The display controller converts the graphics data into single color component frames and then transmits the single color component frames sequentially in sets of parallel data to the display device for display. The display device receives the sets of parallel data and converts the parallel data into sequential data. The sequential data is then output to a frame sequential display.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2002Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: ATI Technologies, Inc.Inventor: David I. J. Glen
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Patent number: 7307645Abstract: A control circuit to vary the intensity of an electro luminescent display. The circuit is connected between a power source and a display and comprises a pair of conductors to be connected to the display for applying a voltage from a voltage generator. A switch controls application of the voltage from the generator to the conductors. A gating circuit connects selectively one or other of the conductors to the voltage source. A controller operates upon the switch to vary the duty cycle and upon the gating circuit to alternate periodically the relative polarity of the conductors. The voltage source includes an inductor and the switch controls current flow through said inductor.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2004Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: Psion Teklogix Inc.Inventor: Lawrence D. Forsythe