Reshaping Or Surface Deformation Of Glass Preform Patents (Class 65/102)
  • Publication number: 20010009103
    Abstract: A method of producing a disk having a radius of r and a thickness of 2h from an oxynitride glass by pressing, said method being characterized in that the pressing load (F), the pressing temperature (T), and the pressing time (t) are defined by the expression below. 1 1900 ≥ T ≥ 100 × log 10 ⁡ ( 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Publication date: July 26, 2001
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Katsutoshi Takagi, Moriyoshi Kanamaru, Kazutaka Kunii, Naoya Fujiwara
  • Publication number: 20010008681
    Abstract: A glass diffuser is fabricated by first producing a metal shim submaster or other high temperature resistant diffuser having a surface relief structure on one surface. A glass substrate material is heated to a suitable temperature and at least one exposed surface is thereby softened to a desired degree. The submaster diffuser, and particularly the surface relief structure, is then placed in contact with the exposed and softened glass substrate material in order to replicate the surface relief structure in the glass material. The submaster diffuser and the glass substrate are separated and then the glass is allowed to cool to form a glass diffuser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 1998
    Publication date: July 19, 2001
    Inventor: GAJENDRA D. SAVANT
  • Patent number: 6230520
    Abstract: A method disclosed can mold glass optical elements having a good surface precision with a relatively short cycle time even where glass optical elements are manufactured in largely transforming a glass material. This method is, for example, a molding method for glass optical elements including the step of pressing a glass molding material softened by heat until the center thickness of the glass molded article becomes 70% of the center thickness of the glass molding material to produce the glass molded article. The preheat temperature of the mold is set to a temperature that the average of the temperatures around molding surfaces of upper and lower molds constituting the mold is a temperature that the glass molding material indicates a viscosity of X poises; the heating temperature of the glass molding material is set to a temperature that the glass molding material indicates a viscosity of Y poises; the viscosity X and the viscosity Y satisfy the following formulas. log X<10 log Y≧6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichiro Hirota, Ken Uno
  • Patent number: 6224662
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of novel glass compositions in preparing dental glass pillars and support pillars, and method for producing the glass pillars. The glass material comprises a high percent of boron trioxide which makes possible a reduced alkali oxide content. The dental glass pillars thus obtained are bio-compatible and can be used in the preparation of dental bridgework, most preferably when posterior teeth serving for support of the said bridgework are missing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Inventor: Laszlo Nemeth
  • Patent number: 6220058
    Abstract: A laser processing method for removing glass by melting, evaporation or ablation from sheet-like glass substrate for forming microscopic concavities and convexities. Diffraction grating and planar microlens array obtained thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Co., LTD
    Inventors: Tadashi Koyama, Keiji Tsunetomo, Masahiro Oikawa, Kenjiro Hamanaka
  • Patent number: 6216493
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for making an article such as the body of a needleless injector capsule, from a formable material, such as glass, the article having a cavity communicating with the exterior via an orifice. A blank (1a) having an open end is mounted on a first forming tool, and the open end is engaged by a second forming tool (22) while an end region of the blank (1a) adjacent the open end is in a condition to permit it to be formed. One of the tools (7a) has a pin (21) extending therefrom, and when the tools are brought together to form the end region into the desired shape of the pin (21) defines the orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Weston Medical Limited
    Inventors: Terence Edward Weston, Christopher John Briggs
  • Patent number: 6209354
    Abstract: A method of preparing a high purity massive synthetic silica glass article. The method includes a homogenizing step, wherein a rod shaped synthetic silica glass material has a greater optical homogeneity in a plane perpendicular to its rotational axis than a plane parallel thereto, a step of forming the homogeneous synthetic silica glass and a step of cutting the formed synthetic silica glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignees: Shin-Etsu Quartz Products Co., Ltd., Haraeus Quarzglas GmbH
    Inventors: Akira Fujinoki, Akihiko Sugama, Masaatsu Kataoka, Wolfgang Englisch
  • Patent number: 6199404
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a gas discharge type display panel makes it possible to manufacture an environmentally friendly substrate with high accuracy and yet at low cost. According to the manufacturing methods electrodes are formed on a back substrate by photolithography or printing, then a glass paste is printed to a height of approximately 10 &mgr;m-500 &mgr;m by printing. A barrier rib blanks are produced by rolling under pressure the glass paste by using a roller provided with grooves. The roller is heated in advance. The barrier rib blanks are sintered into the barrier ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Michifumi Kawai, Ryohei Satoh, Masahito Ijuin, Tomohiko Murase, Takao Terabayashi, Nobuyuki Ushifusa, Yoshihiro Kato, Shigeaki Suzuki, Seiichi Tsuchida, Yutaka Naito, Seiichi Yasumoto, Osami Kaneto
  • Patent number: 6167727
    Abstract: A process for producing a polarizing glass containing shape-anisotropic metallic particles dispersed in an oriented state therein, which comprises drawing a glass preform containing metallic halide particles dispersed therein while its viscosity being held above 2×106, but below 7×107 poises; and subjecting the drawn glass to a reducing treatment so that a part or all of the metallic halide particles are reduced to metallic particles, which process enables it to produce a polarizing glass with a high yield from a starting material of a glass containing metallic halide particles, while avoiding glass breakage or fracture during elongation as well as preventing the elongated metallic halide particles from returning to a spherical shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Hidemi Tajima, Takeshi Takahashi, Yukari Miyashita, Yoshihiko Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 6138476
    Abstract: The present invention provides a connecting member for facilitating connecting of optical fibers, and a connecting method in which the loss due to connecting is small. An optical fiber connecting member is composed of: a retaining portion having through-holes each of which has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of optical fibers to be connected; and introduction portions which are integrally formed with and on the opposite end sides of the retaining portion and each of which has introduction grooves communicated with the through-holes to thereby make it easy to insert ends of the optical fibers into the through-holes. Further, the inner diameter of each of the through-holes is reduced by heating the connecting member to thereby make axis alignment of the optical fibers automatically to obtain connecting in which the connecting loss is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Watanabe, Shinji Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6118590
    Abstract: A lens element is disclosed which satisfies the following three conditions______________________________________ .vertline..DELTA.h/R.vertline. .gtoreq. 0.1 . . . Condition (1) .PHI. .ltoreq. 8 mm . . . Condition (2) Tg .ltoreq. 530.degree. Centigrade . . . Condition (3) ______________________________________where .DELTA.h is the change in height of the lens element surface as measured from the lens element vertex to its edge, R is radius of curvature of the lens element near the optical axis, .PHI. is the outer diameter of the lens element, and Tg is the glass transition point of the lens element. Further, if the optical material of the lens element includes lead, then its glass transition point Tg must be no more than 490 degrees to avoid the lead being precipitated onto the surface of the mold during the pressing, thereby forming a defect in the lens element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Chiba
  • Patent number: 6105395
    Abstract: In a method for molding glass products having a fine structure as of an optical fiber holder with a high size precision, a mold used for the molding has the fine structure in a size such that a size difference occurring when the glass product is cooled down to a room temperature where at the end of molding with a pressure a size of the fine structure of the mold for glass product and a size of a fine structure of the glass product formed by transfer of the fine structure of the mold are the same as one another is so adjusted that a size of the fine structure of the completed glass product falls within a permissive size precision range. The mold may has a size satisfying, as a size of a fine structure at a room temperature, a formula [1+(.alpha.g-.alpha.m).times..DELTA.T+.alpha.g'.times..DELTA.T'].times.Sg, wherein Sg denotes a size of a fine structure of thc glass product at the room temperature; .alpha.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Yoshida, Teruo Yamashita, Lihong Zhang, Yoshiatsu Yokoo
  • Patent number: 6101846
    Abstract: A process for fabricating a face plate for a flat panel display such as a field emission cathode type display, the face plate having integral spacer support structures is disclosed. Also disclosed is a product made by the aforesaid process. The support structures are designed to be load bearing so as to prevent implosion of a planar, transparent face plate toward a parallel spaced-apart base plate when the space between the face plate and the base plate is sealed at the edges of the display to form a chamber, and the chamber is evacuated in the presence of atmospheric pressure outside the chamber. Unlike most spacer support structures proposed for such flat panel displays, the support structures are made from the same material as the substrate from which the face plate is fabricated. For a preferred embodiment of the process, a perforated laminar template is sealably sandwiched between a laminar silicate glass substrate and a manifold block to form a temporary sandwich assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason B. Elledge
  • Patent number: 6099765
    Abstract: A method of forming an optical component wherein imperfections in molding the optical component, such as a lens, are removed by: heating an optical material to its plastic state; forming the optical material into the desired shape by employing a mold apparatus and applying a molding pressure; releasing all pressure from the shaped optical material by separating sections of the mold in order to relieve internal stress in the optical material while the optical material is at its plastic state temperature; slowly and controllably reducing the temperature of the optical material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Yamanaka, Yasuhiko Sato
  • Patent number: 6079228
    Abstract: A method of molding a glass element in which a glass material is heated and then press-molded between an upper mold and a lower mold when a temperature of the heated glass material reaches a predetermined temperature. A first cooling of the glass element is performed with the glass element in contact with the pair of molds until a temperature of the glass element is within a range of .+-.20.degree. C. of a glass transition point of the glass material while a pressure applied to the glass element by the upper and lower molds is gradually reduced until the pressure becomes 0 kg/cm.sup.2. Subsequently, a second cooling of the glass element is performed without the upper and lower molds contacting the patterned surface on the glass element. The upper mold has a bottom surface and a sidewall surface with a lowermost end portion of the side wall surface, adjacent the bottom surface, being inclined with respect to a central axis of the upper mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshiya Tomisaka
  • Patent number: 6070436
    Abstract: Disclosed is a manufacturing method for molded glass articles including glass optical elements such as high precision lenses not requiring grinding and polishing after press molding. The manufacturing method according to the invention is a method for manufacturing the molded glass articles having a higher surface precision with a high productivity by pressing a glass material in a stepwise manner constituted of some steps depending on a temperature condition of the glass material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichiro Hirota, Ken Uno, Kishio Sugawara, Kohichi Saitoh
  • Patent number: 6053011
    Abstract: A system for tempering glass plates has preheating zone (1) in which several glass plates (7) stacked vertically in compartmented car (6) are heated together to a temperature below the tempering temperature of for example 650.degree. C. (for example 300.degree. C.). Preheated glass plates (7) are moved individually from preheating zone (1) into heating zone (2). In heating zone (2) glass plates (7) are heated to the tempering temperature, their being inclined to the vertical at an acute angle and being held by air cushions between two heating plates. On the lower edge of the two heating plates of heating zone (2) there is transport device which supports glass plates (7) simultaneously to the bottom. Glass plates (7) heated to the tempering temperature are moved into cooling zone (3) which has cooling plates aligned parallel to the heating plates and between which glass plate (7) is pushed for quenching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Inventor: Peter Lisec
  • Patent number: 6009725
    Abstract: Processes are disclosed for manufacturing glass optical elements by press molding a heated and softened glass material in preheated molds. In the process, the glass material is heated while it is floated by a gas blow and the heated and softened glass material is transferred to the preheated molds and then subjected to press molding. Alternatively, the process comprises: heating a glass material at a temperature at which the glass material has a viscosity of lower than 10.sup.9 poises, preheating molds at a temperature at which the glass material has a viscosity of from 10.sup.9 to 10.sup.12 poises, subjecting the heated and softened glass material to initial press in the preheated molds for 3 to 60 seconds, starting to cool the vicinity of molding surfaces of the molds at a rate of 20.degree. C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2000
    Assignees: Hoya Precision Inc., Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Shin-ichiro Hirota, Ken Uno, Hiroaki Takahara, Tadayuki Fujimoto, Hiroshi Enomoto
  • Patent number: 6003338
    Abstract: A molding method for optical element is disclosed in which a glass material prepared for weight is introduced into a mold and then heated to soften, and subsequently pressed with the mold to mold an optical element. The glass material is heated to have a viscosity of 10.sup.5 to 10.sup.7 dPaS and press-molded with the mold having a temperature equivalent to a viscosity of 10.sup.9 to 10.sup.11 dPaS of the glass material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Yamamoto, Takeshi Nomura, Sunao Miyazaki, Masashi Mashige
  • Patent number: 5992180
    Abstract: A glass plate is heated in a heating furnace and is bend-shaped to be a complexly curved glass plate while the glass plate is passed on curved rollers wherein support pads of a pushing mechanism push the complexly curved glass plate from an upstream side to a downstream side of a transferring device in a state that a rear edge of the complexly curved glass plate is supported by the support pads whereby the complexly curved glass plate is delivered to a cooling device side while a turning movement of the complexly curved glass plate is controlled during the transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Tsuchiya, Tsuyoshi Kawaguchi, Ken Nomura, Kohei Yoshino
  • Patent number: 5987923
    Abstract: Flat glass provided with precision structures is required for precision applications, especially for glasses with optical properties, for example for modern flat display screen glass. The process of the invention for hot forming precision structures in or on flat glass includes pressing a heated forming tool with a structuring surface into a surface of the flat glass. In this process the structuring surface of the forming tool is heated locally from the outside of the forming tool, prior to and/or during contacting of the forming tool with the glass surface until a predetermined surface depth corresponding to a height of the structures being formed has reached a process temperature at which a melting to form the structures occurs on contacting the forming tool to the glass surface. The local heating of the structuring surface (2) is performed by laser radiation which is passed through the flat glass (3) to the structuring surface (2). Alternatively an inductive or resistance heating can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Schott Glas
    Inventors: Heinrich Ostendarp, Marita Paasch
  • Patent number: 5987924
    Abstract: A lens device which can be used as an objective lens in an optical pickup apparatus includes an objective lens provided along a light path facing a disc and having a predetermined effective diameter, and light controlling means provided along the light path for controlling the light in an intermediate region between near and far axes of an incident light beam, thus providing a simplified and inexpensive device for using discs of differing thickness in a single disc drive, by reducing the spherical aberration effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chul-woo Lee, Dong-ho Shin, Kyung-hwa Rim, Chong-sam Chung, Kun-ho Cho, Pyong-yong Seong, Jang-hoon Yoo, Yong-hoon Lee
  • Patent number: 5987922
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for molded glass articles including glass optical elements such as high precision lenses not requiring grinding and polishing after press molding. The manufacturing method according to the invention is a method for manufacturing the molded glass articles having a higher surface precision with a high productivity by pressing a glass material in a stepwise manner constituted of some steps depending on a temperature condition of the glass material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichiro Hirota, Ken Uno, Kishio Sugawara, Kohichi Saitoh
  • Patent number: 5976425
    Abstract: Lens surfaces are transferred by press-molding a glass material (16) by an upper mold (1) and a lower mold (2). After the lens surfaces are transferred, the outer circumferential portions of the upper and lower molds (1, 2) are clamped and pressed sideways to correct a shift between the optical axes of the transfer molding surfaces of the upper and lower molds (1, 2) and an inclination of the optical axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Nomura, Kiyoshi Yamamoto, Masashi Mashige
  • Patent number: 5974833
    Abstract: A heat transfer method in a glass bending furnace, which has a top array of of successive heating sections (2) and under it a bottom array of successive cooling sections (3), and in which method glass sheets are conveyed on bending molds in mold carrying wagons on the top conveyor track from one heating section (2) to the next and on the bottom conveyor track from one section (3) to the next and the air heated by the bent hot glasses is sucked from cooling section (3) and blasted to the non-bent colder glasses in the heating sections (2). In order to intensify heat transfer, air sucked from the cooling section (3) is blasted as such, against the travel direction of the mold carrying wagons through the heating sections (2) to non-bent colder glass sheets in one of the heating sections (2) preceding the heating section (2) directly above the cooling section (3) from which the heated air is drawn as viewed in a direction of travel of the mold carrying wagons through the heating sections (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Glassrobots OY
    Inventors: Kari Vaha-Antila, Juha Karisola
  • Patent number: 5970746
    Abstract: A method of preparing a ball-shaped synthetic silica glass optical article. The method includes a step of providing a rod-shaped synthetic silica glass having end faces at both sides thereof and having fewer cords per unit volume viewed in a direction perpendicular to a line connecting the end faces relative to the number of cords per unit volume viewed in a direction along the line connecting the end faces. The synthetic silica glass being optically homogeneous in the direction perpendicular to the line connecting the end faces. The method includes the further step of establishing support portions at the end faces of the synthetic silica glass. The rod-shaped synthetic silica glass is thereupon heated while being rotated around an axis connecting the support portions wherein a molten zone is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignees: Shin-Etsu Quartz Products Co., Ltd., Haraeus Quarzglas GmbH
    Inventors: Akira Fujinoki, Akihiko Sugama, Masaatsu Kataoka, Wolfgang Englisch
  • Patent number: 5967871
    Abstract: A method and apparatus (50, 70, 90) for making a back glass substrate (24) for a plasma display panel (20) by forming hot sheet glass G heated above its annealing point and embodied either as a continuous ribbon (60) or discrete sheets (74). The hot forming provides the hot sheet glass G with gas discharge troughs (38) spaced by barrier ribs (40). The hot forming of the sheet glass G heated above its annealing point can be performed by a rotatable forming member (62) having curved projections (66) or by a press member (78) having elongated projections (84). The constructed plasma display panel (20) has a front glass substrate (22) and a back glass substrate (24) with the gas discharge trough and barrier rib construction made by hot forming above the annealing point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Photonics Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven A. F. Kaake, Robert D. Nicholson
  • Patent number: 5951732
    Abstract: A method of forming glass uses the steps of forming base glass from layered stacks of colored glass; V-Grooving a plurality of base glass layers; stacking the grooved layers; heating and maintaining at an elevated temperature for flow and air entrainment elimination; recutting the block to desired dimensions and reforming into sheet form. The glass has ribbons of color contained within a glass matrix, the ribbons being aligned perpendicularly to the face of the glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Inventor: Mark Duro
  • Patent number: 5948129
    Abstract: A living tissue replacement of crystallized glass having bioaffinity and mechanical strength is briefly obtained simply by pressure molding or machining without using a special equipment. A glass material having a softening point below its crystallization temperature and exhibiting viscous flow at temperatures below its melting point is heated at a temperature above its Tg and pressed at the temperature to mold to a desired shape, thereby manufacturing a living tissue replacement such as a dental crown. Molding can be done under a pressure of up to 20 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Nonami, Tatsuji Sano, Sadami Tsutsumi, Tetsuo Urabe, Masahiro Fukuma
  • Patent number: 5938807
    Abstract: In press molding, a shaft (metal mold 13) is moved by positional or torque control to cause upper and lower molds to reach a set position slightly before a position where the upper and lower molds are set in a final mold closed state. As soon as the upper and lower molds reaches the set position, the control is switched to torque control using a small force which does not deform a glass material to perform feedback control. For this reason, when the cooling process is started, the mobile shaft is moved by the same amount as a contraction amount of the shaft, the actual position of the shaft is moved. However, a tight contact state between the molds and the glass material is kept without changing the thickness of the glass material, and positional control and torque control can be apparently performed at once. Thereafter, when temperature reaches an almost glass transition point, final pressing is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshizo Komiyama, Tetsuya Tanioka, Toshihisa Kamano, Hirotaka Masaki
  • Patent number: 5904747
    Abstract: A method for press molding preforms to obtain optical articles in which each preform is prepared beforehand to have a diameter larger than that of an optically functional area of the optical article and edges of the preform to be press mold contact with molding surfaces of a pair of molds outside an area of each molding surface corresponding to the optically functional area of the optical article, thereby elongating the lifetime of molds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenao Kataoka, Makoto Umetani, Shoji Nakamura, Yoshinari Kashiwagi
  • Patent number: 5885315
    Abstract: A glass ceramic or glass-ceramic sheet is formed by progressively reducing the thickness of the sheet by passing the sheet between successive pairs of counterrotating rollers. The average viscosity of the sheet is maintained between 5.times.10.sup.4 and 10.sup.9 P during the sheet forming operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Allan M. Fredholm, Claude F.M. Gille, Gilbert D. Pujol
  • Patent number: 5873921
    Abstract: Processes for manufacturing glass optical elements by press molding a heated and softened glass material in preheated molds. In the process, the glass material is heated while it is floated by a gas blow and the heated and softened glass material is transferred to the preheated molds and then subjected to press molding. Alternatively, the process comprises: heating a glass material at a temperature at which the glass material has a viscosity of lower than 10.sup.9 poises, preheating molds at a temperature at which the glass material has a viscosity of from 10.sup.9 to 10.sup.12 poises, subjecting the heated and softened glass material to initial press in the preheated molds for 3 to 60 seconds, starting to cool the vicinity of molding surfaces of the molds at a rate of 20.degree. C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignees: Hoya Precisions Inc., Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Shin-ichiro Hirota, Ken Uno, Hiroaki Takahara, Tadayuki Fujimoto, Hiroshi Enomoto
  • Patent number: 5858051
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optical waveguide comprises a first step of laminating, on one major surface of a first glass material, a second glass material to a desired thickness, the second glass material having optical characteristics different from those of the first glass material, a second step of forming the second glass material to have a desired circuit pattern, and a third step of laminating a third glass material having optical characteristics similar to those of the first glass material on an entire surface of the first glass material on which the circuit pattern is formed by the second glass material. In at least one of the first and third steps, the glass material to be laminated is laminated by coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Assignee: Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshizo Komiyama, Isao Matsuzuki, Kazunori Urushibata, Toshihisa Kamano, Tetsuya Tanioka, Hirotaka Masaki
  • Patent number: 5851255
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a lens with a lens barrel having a stopper by forming a uniform optical function coating on both lens surfaces. The method includes the steps of forming a first optical function coating on one side of a lens material, then inserting the lens material into a lens barrel so that the surface coated with the first optical function coating will face the long barrel side of the lens barrel, press molding lens surfaces by heating the lens material over its softening point, and finally forming a second optical function coating on the lens surface facing the short barrel side of the lens barrel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motohiko Ohtsuki, Kimihiro Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 5851252
    Abstract: In a method of forming a mold release film on the surface of a glass blank from which an optical element is made by press molding, a carbon film having a thickness of less than 50 angstroms or, preferably, less than 10 angstroms is formed on the surface of the glass blank, thereby improving the releasability of the mold and the molded article with respect to each other. A glass blank (1) is subjected to ashing with an oxygen plasma so as to remove organic dirt attached to the glass blank (1). Then, plasma cleaning with an argon plasma is effected so as to remove inorganic dirt attached to the glass blank (1). Thereafter, the glass blank (1) is subjected to methane plasma processing such that a carbon film (2) having a thickness of less than 50 angstroms is formed on the surface of the glass blank (1) from which the dirt has been removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Sato, Hiroaki Fujita
  • Patent number: 5843321
    Abstract: Methods of manufacturing optical elements such as diffraction type lenses, aspherical lenses and diffraction gratings are disclosed. Deposited on a glass substrate is a workpiece film made of a material which can be machined much more easily than the substrate. Then the workpiece film is machined to form a predetermined shape or contour therein. After forming the predetermined shape or contour in the workpiece film, the workpiece film and substrate are subjected to etching to duplicate the predetermined shape or contour formed in the workpiece film into the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kamihara, Hitoshi Ohashi, Ayami Imamura
  • Patent number: 5843200
    Abstract: A glass preform, including a core glass adversely affected by interaction with a molding tool, is provided with a thin surface layer of glass components that are inert to the tool and have an index of refraction that matches the core glass. More specifically, the thin layer comprises glass components having respective indexes of refraction above and below the core index of refraction, in an amorphous mixture that matches the core index. According to certain features, the core glass is flint glass including greater than five percent by weight of titania, and the glass components include mixtures of silica or indium and tin oxide applied in a layer having a thickness between one hundred and one thousand angstroms. Other features of the invention provide a method for making the glass preform and a method for molding a precision optical element using the preform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: David A. Richards
  • Patent number: 5840096
    Abstract: A process for producing a polarizing glass containing shape-anisotropic metallic particles dispersed in an oriented state therein, which comprises drawing a glass preform containing metallic halide particles dispersed therein while its viscosity being held above 2.times.10.sup.6, but below 7.times.10.sup.7 poises; and subjecting the drawn glass to a reducing treatment so that a part or all of the metallic halide particles are reduced to metallic particles, which process enables it to produce a polarizing glass with a high yield from a starting material of a glass containing metallic halide particles, while avoiding glass to breakage or fracture during elongation as well as preventing the elongated metallic halide particles from returning to a spherical shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Hidemi Tajima, Takeshi Takahashi, Yukari Miyashita, Yoshihiko Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 5827343
    Abstract: A method for the controlled bending of anodically bonded two-dimensional composites of glass and metal or semiconductor materials. The composite is heated after bonding, for up to 200 hours to a temperature of from 250.degree. C. to Tg-10 K. As a result of this heating, controlled compaction of the glass body and, hence, bending of the composite, are achieved to reduce or reverse any distortion that has occurred during bonding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Inventors: Heinrich Engelke, Michael Harz
  • Patent number: 5827342
    Abstract: A method for forming a substantially flat planar lightwave optical circuit which has a substantially flat planar silica substrate and a sintered glassy lightguiding layer over the silica substrate. The structure is given a post treatment at an elevated temperature for a time sufficient to flatten said structure and overcome any distortion caused by the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate and any glassy layers formed over the substrate. Alternatively, the silica substrate may be heated and presagged to a predetermined degree to compensate for distortion or warpage which will occur in later processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Alain Marcel Jean Beguin, Heather Boek, Richard Orr Maschmeyer, Denis M. Trouchet
  • Patent number: 5817161
    Abstract: In forming a piano-convex lens from a column-like lens blank by heating the blank to a temperature higher than the transition temperature thereof and by pressurizing an upper die with a closed space formed between the blank and the upper die, there are alternately repeated operations of pressurizing the upper die and stopping the application of pressure thereto. Through the control of the amount of displacement of the upper die, the maximum pressure of gas in the closed space at each pressurizing step is so controlled: as to be low according to the surface viscosity of the blank to the extent that no local concave deformation in the surface of the blank is produced; and as to be high to the extent that gas caught in the closed space is discharged at each step of stopping the application of pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Takagi, Kenji Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 5788731
    Abstract: A process for producing a crystallized glass substrate for magnetic disks, including the steps of: (a) holding an amorphous glass plate having a uniform thickness and two principal flat surfaces thereof between a pair of pressing setters in a sandwiched fashion, which pressing setters are non-reactive with the amorphous glass and undeformable during heating for crystallization of the amorphous glass; (b) softening the amorphous glass plate in a sandwiched stack form by heating at a temperature above an annealing point of the amorphous glass, whereby the principal surfaces are fitted onto the flat surfaces of the pressing setters to rectify warping to flatten the amorphous glass plate; and (c) then, increasing the temperature to a crystal growth temperature to grow crystals within the amorphous glass, whereby the amorphous glass plate is crystallized as maintaining its warp-free state, followed by solidifying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomio Suzuki, Fuminori Takeya
  • Patent number: 5788732
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming an optical device of a desired shape presses a heat-softened optical material using a set of molds. The optical material is aligned with respect to the molds by two or more aligning members which move around the center of the mold relative to each other. The optical material may also be aligned by inserting a pin into an aligning hole which is fixed to the mold body and has been aligned with respect to the molds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Nomura, Nobuyuki Nakagawa, Kiyoshi Yamamoto, Sunao Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 5785729
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a large-sized primary treated quartz glass tube by perforating a cylindrical quartz glass mother material by a hot carbon drill press-in-process followed by etching and washing. The large-sized primary treated quartz glass tube is converted to a large-sized quartz glass preform by combining it with a core glass rod for an optical fiber. Another embodiment is a method for fabricating a large-sized quartz glass tube by heating, hot drawing or hot drawing under pressure using a tool-free drawing method under control of an inside pressure of the large-sized primary treated quartz glass tube at a temperature ranging from 1600.degree. C. to 3000.degree. C. to satisfy a specific equation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignees: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH, Shin-Etsu Quartz Products Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Yokokawa, Masaaki Aoyama, Gerhart Vilsmeier
  • Patent number: 5782946
    Abstract: In press molding, a shaft (metal mold 13) is moved by positional or torque control to cause upper and lower molds to reach a set position slightly before a position where the upper and lower molds are set in a final mold closed state. As soon as the upper and lower molds reaches the set position, the control is switched to torque control using a small force which does not deform a glass material to perform feedback control. For this reason, when the cooling process is started, the mobile shaft is moved by the same amount as a contraction amount of the shaft, the actual position of the shaft is moved. However, a tight contact state between the molds and the glass material is kept without changing the thickness of the glass material, and positional control and torque control can be apparently performed at once. Thereafter, when temperature reaches an almost glass transition point, final pressing is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshizo Komiyama, Tetsuya Tanioka, Toshihisa Kamano, Isao Matsuzuki, Hirotaka Masaki, Kazunori Urushibata
  • Patent number: 5770123
    Abstract: An energy beam is irradiated to a workpiece through a beam transmission hole defined in a mask. At that time, a relative position between an energy beam source and the mask or the mask and the workpiece is changed, so that machining depth of the workpiece is varied depending on machining portions of the workpiece, which correspond to amounts of irradiation of the energy beam. With this method, a machined product having locally different depths very easily can be made and further the product can be machined to desired depths with high accuracy by a single machining operation in a short time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Yotaro Hatamura
    Inventors: Masahiro Hatakeyama, Katsunori Ichiki, Tadasuke Kobata, Masayuki Nakao, Yotaro Hatamura
  • Patent number: 5766294
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing an optical element capable of performing a molding temperature control required for a plurality of independent molding blocks in a short period of time, and continuously and simultaneously producing a plurality of different optical elements having a high degree of accuracy at a low cost is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Takagi, Tadayoshi Yonemoto, Takashi Inoue, Shoji Nakamura
  • Patent number: 5762676
    Abstract: An improved tool is provided for pressing glass into a precision optical element having a strong concave surface. The tool is selected from ceramic and metal materials having coefficients of thermal expansion greater than the coefficient of the pressed glass. Preferred tools include a base material selected from Invar, steel and alumina with a surface layer selected from alumina, zirconia, chromium oxide and chromium carbide, having a finished thickness in the range between ten to two thousand angstroms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David A. Richards, John C. Pulver
  • Patent number: 5759221
    Abstract: A method of press-molding glass optical elements by press-molding glass, having a high melting point, at a temperature of 650.degree. C. and higher using a die for press-molding glass optical elements which includes a base material having a heat resistance and sufficient strength to withstand press-molding of optical glass elements, a cutting layer on the base material, and a surface protective layer on the cutting layer. The cutting layer is formed of an alloy film containing P and one metal selected from the group Ni, Co, and Fe, and one metal from the group Si, Ti, Cu, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, and Ir, or an alloy film containing Cu and 20 to 80 atom % of one metal selected from the group Ni, Co, Fe, Si, Ti, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, and Ir, or an alloy film containing Si and 20 to 80 atom % of one metal selected from the group Ni, Co, Fe, Cu, Ti, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, and Ir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinari Kashiwagi, Makoto Umetani, Hidenao Kataoka, Kenji Inoue, Shoji Nakamura, Satoru Morimoto