Reshaping Patents (Class 65/64)
  • Publication number: 20090325774
    Abstract: A fluorophosphate glass having a fluorine content of 25% or more by anionic %, which is produced from a glass raw material containing 0.1 to 0.5%, by anionic %, of a halide containing a halogen element selected from chlorine, bromine or iodine, and a phosphate glass having a fluorine content of less than 25% by anionic %, which is produced from a glass raw material containing 0.1 to 5% by anionic %, of a halide containing a halogen element selected from chlorine, bromine or iodine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Mikio Ikenishi
  • Publication number: 20090314032
    Abstract: A glass ribbon producing apparatus (1) which feeds molten glass (Y) to a forming member (2) and causes the molten glass (Y) to flow downward from the forming member (2) to form a sheet-like glass ribbon (G) includes reheating portion (5) provided on a transport route for the glass ribbon (G) caused to flow downward from the forming member (2), and is configured so that the glass ribbon (G) is reheated by the reheating portion (5) to cause the sheet thickness of the glass ribbon (G) below the reheating portion (5) to be smaller than that of the glass ribbon (G) thereabove.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS CO., LTD
    Inventors: Masahiro Tomamoto, Hidetaka Oda
  • Patent number: 7603876
    Abstract: An optical glass that has high-refractivity and high-dispersion properties, that is less colored and that is suitable for a shapable glass material for press-shaping and various optical elements, the optical glass containing, as glass components and by mass %, 10 to 32% of P2O5, 27 to 65% of Nb2O5, 10 to 30% of BaO, 0 to 12% of B2O3, more than 0% but not more than 20% of TiO2, more than 0% but not more than 10% of total of Li2O, Na2O and K2O, and more than 0% but not more than 1%, based on the total content of the said glass components, of Sb2O3, and having a light transmittance that is 50% at a wavelength of 420 nm or shorter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20090190216
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a glass composition and articles made from the composition that are both polarizing and photorefractive. The glass has, for example, a composition consisting essentially of, in weight percent (“wt. %”) of 70-73 SiO2, 13-17% B2O3, 8-10% Na2O, 2-4% Al2O3, 0.005-0.1% CuO, <0.4% Cl, 0.1-0.5% Ag, 0.1-0.3% Br. In another embodiment the composition consists essentially of 70-77% SiO2, 13-18% B2O3, 8-10% Na2O, 2-4% Al2O3, 0.005-0.1% CuO, <0.4% Cl, 0.1-0.5% Ag, 0.1-0.3% Br. The glass can be used make articles or elements that can exhibits both the photorefractive effect and the polarizing effect within a single element or article, and can be used to make a variety of optical elements including Bragg gratings, filtering elements, and beam shaping elements and light collection elements for use in display, security, defense, metrology, imaging and communications applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Nicholas Francis Borrelli, Joseph Francis Schroeder, III, Thomas P. Seward, III
  • Publication number: 20090113935
    Abstract: Included are a reducing-heterogeneous-layer removing process of removing at least a part of a reducing heterogeneous layer in a surface of a plate glass manufactured through a float process, and a heating drawing process of heating and softening the plate glass from which at least the part of the reducing heterogeneous layer is removed in a heating furnace to draw the plate glass to a desirable thickness to form a glass strip. Thus provided is a method of manufacturing a glass strip capable of manufacturing a thin, rod-like glass strip with an excellent flatness even when a plate glass to be subjected to the heating drawing is a plate glass manufactured through the float process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2006
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: THE FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Suzuki, Toshiaki Tateisi, Tetsuya Kumada
  • Publication number: 20090095022
    Abstract: Disclosed are synthetic silica glass body with a birefringence pattern having low fast axis direction randomness factor and glass reflow process. The glass reflow process comprises steps of: providing a glass tube having a notch; and thermally reflowing the glass tube to form a glass plate. The process can be advantageously used to produce fused silica glass plate without observable striae when viewed in the direction of optical axis. Also disclosed are optical members comprising the fused silica glass body and a process for reflowing glass cylinders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Inventors: Steven Roy Burdette, Polly Wanda Chu, James Gerard Fagan, Thomas William Hobbs, Sumalee Likitvanichkul, Daniel Raymond Sempolinski, Terry Lee Taft, Michael John Walters
  • Publication number: 20090084137
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a silver-containing polarizing boroaluminosilicate glass composition that has been doped with a noble metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Os, Ir, Rh and Ru, including mixtures thereof, to nucleate and precipitate silver ions to silver metal without the need for a reducing atmosphere step. The invention is further directed to a method for making the glass composition of the invention. Using the composition and method of the invention, one can prepare a glass having a selected null transmission range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Inventors: Nicholas Francis Borrelli, George Bigelow Hares, David John McEnroe, Joseph Francis Schroeder, III
  • Patent number: 7490485
    Abstract: An optical glass whose refractive index is high and whose coloring is decreased comprising, by weight %, 2 to 45% of B2O3, 0 to 30% of SiO2 provided that the content of B2O3>the content of SiO2, 10 to 50% of La2O3, 0 to 30% of TiO2, 0 to 15% of ZnO, 0 to 15% of ZrO2, 0 to 35% of Nb2O5, 0 to 35% of BaO, 0 to 5% of SrO, 0% or more but less than 8% of CaO, 0% or more but less than 13% of MgO, provided that the total content of BaO, SrO, CaO and MgO is 0 to 40%, 0 to 20% of Gd2O3, 0 to 15% of Y2O3, 0 to 18% of Ta2O5, 0% or more but less than 0.5% of WO3, 0% or more but less than 1.5% of a total of Na2O, K2O and Li2O, 0 to 10% of GeO2, 0 to 20% of Bi2O3, 0 to 10% of Yb2O3, 0 to 10% of Al2O3, 0% or more but less than 2% of Sb2O3 and 0 to 1% of SnO2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Michio Endo
  • Publication number: 20090007599
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a technical glass part, particularly meeting high requirements with respect to contour accuracy and surface quality, particularly a precision lens, wherein a blank including a cast-on section is produced using an injection molding process, wherein the blank is cooled down and subsequently heated, and wherein the blank subsequently is blank molded, particularly on both sides, into a technical glass part meeting high requirements with respect to contour accuracy and surface quality, particularly a precision lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventors: Peter Muhle, Wolfram Wintzer
  • Patent number: 7451620
    Abstract: An optical glass having a high refractive index and high dispersion characteristics that is suited to application to precision press molding to precisely mold the shape of final products for objectives not requiring grinding or polishing. An optical glass exhibiting a refractive index in the range of from 1.75 to 2.0, an Abbé number in the range of from 20 to 28.5. Optical parts comprised of this glass; press-molding materials comprised of this glass; methods of manufacturing the same; and methods of manufacturing molded glass products employing these materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Xuelu Zou, Hiromasa Tawarayama, Kazutaka Hayashi, Hiroshi Kawazoe
  • Publication number: 20080226863
    Abstract: Glass enamels, methods of manufacture, methods of application, and articles including glass enamels applied thereto are described. According to one or more embodiments, the glass enamel comprises a glass frit; a vehicle comprising a polymeric energetic binder; and an oxidizing agent. In one or more embodiments, the glass enamels may or may not include a pigment and can be applied to glass sheets such as windshields for automobiles or liquid crystal display glasses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Inventors: Robert Prunchak, Wojciech Wilczak
  • Publication number: 20080216515
    Abstract: In a heating drawing, a base material glass plate is heated and softened in a heating furnace, and drawn to a desired thickness to form a glass strip. In the heating drawing, the base material glass plate is heated so that the base material glass plate has a U-shaped temperature distribution in a width direction. Such process can be realized through heating by a heating element which has a non-heating portion at a position opposite to a central portion of the base material glass plate in the width direction and a heating portion on both sides of the non-heating portion. Thus provided is a method of manufacturing a glass strip, the method includes heating and softening the base material glass plate, and drawing the base material glass plate to a desirable thickness to form a glass strip, and is capable of manufacturing a thin, rod-like glass strip with an excellent flatness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2006
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: The Furukawa Electric., LTD
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kumada, Yasuhiro Naka, Toshihiro Nakamura, Toshiaki Tateishi
  • Patent number: 7415843
    Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a glass optical element by press-forming a glass material in a chamber by using a forming mold comprising upper and lower dies at least one of which is movable, where a surrounded space is formed between the glass material and at least one of the upper and the lower dies when the upper and the lower dies come into contact with the glass material, a pressure within the chamber is reduced before the glass material placed in the forming mold is heated to a press-forming temperature. After sealing the space as formed when the glass material is in contact with at least one of forming surfaces of the upper and the lower dies, a gas is introduced into the chamber. The glass material is heated in the gas and then press-formed under a pressing load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Yoneda
  • Patent number: 7415842
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for an optical glass element, in which molten glass 9 is pressed between a lower mold 1 and an upper mold 8, and the pressing process is carried out while maintaining a space 10 between a border area (5, 6) of a molding face 2 belonging to the lower mold 1 and a circumferential face 3 located on the periphery thereof and glass 9, and an optical glass element manufactured by such a method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Tadafumi Sakata, Tadashi Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 7155936
    Abstract: The present invention provides doped titania-doped silica glass articles having low thermal expansions and low variations in thermal expansion. According to one embodiment of the invention, a titania-doped silica glass article has a titania content of between about 5 wt % and about 9 wt %; a coefficient of thermal expansion of between about ?30 ppb/° C. and about +30 ppb/° C. at a temperature between 15° C. and 30° C.; and a variation in coefficient of thermal expansion of less than about 5 ppb/° C. at a temperature between 15° C. and 30° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Steven B. Dawes, Richard M. Fiacco, Kenneth E. Hrdina, Michael H. Wasilewski
  • Patent number: 7140205
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing ultraprecise lenses, including aspherical lenses, not requiring grinding or polishing after press molding. The method comprises heating a glass material to a temperature corresponding to a glass viscosity of from 105 to 109 dPaS so that the glass material is softened, and press molding the glass material with the pressing molds which are heated to a temperature corresponding to a glass viscosity of from 108 to 1012 dPaS. Provided that the glass material is not heated to a temperature as high as that corresponding to a glass viscosity of 105 dPaS when the pressing mold is heated to a temperature corresponding to a glass viscosity of 108 and that the glass material is not heated to a temperature as low as that corresponding to a glass viscosity of 109 dPaS when the pressing mold is heated to a temperature corresponding to a glass viscosity of 1012 dPaS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Fujiwara, Zou Xuelu, Hiroyuki Sakai, Shinichiro Hirota
  • Patent number: 7122242
    Abstract: A glass sheet includes a first edge, an opposing, second edge, and an intermediate location between the first edge and second edge. The glass sheet has a first portion extending between the first edge and the intermediate location and a second portion extending between the intermediate portion and the second edge, wherein the first portion has a generally uniform thickness and the second portion has a varying thickness. The thickness of the second portion can either increase or decrease from the intermediate location to the second edge. A laminated transparency incorporating the glass sheet as well as a method of forming a glass ribbon having a changing thickness profile along at least a portion of the width of the ribbon are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald DiGiampaolo, James A. Zahler, Jennifer M. Garefino
  • Patent number: 7062942
    Abstract: A method of making an optical fibre including providing an increased diameter portion on a rod. The rod is assembled by positioning the rod in a tube such that an annular gap is defined between an outer surface of the rod and an inner surface of the tube, and such that the increased diameter portion of the rod engages the tube and supports the rod with respect to the tube, and supporting the rod and tube assembly by gripping the tube. At the lower end of the rod and tube assembly, portions of the tube are collapsed onto the rod such that the tube portions fuse to the rod forming collapsed portions of the rod and the tube assembly. The collapsed portions are drawn to form an optical fibre. The vertically oriented rod and tube assembly can also be collapsed to form an optical fibre preform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
    Inventor: Anna Zilnyk
  • Patent number: 7015164
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical glass comprising, expressed as weight percentages, greater than or equal to 18 percent and less than 30 percent of SiO2, greater than or equal to 12 percent and less than 23 percent of BaO, 22 to 37 percent TiO2, greater than or equal to 7 percent and less than 16 percent Nb2O5, 5 to 20 percent of Na2O, 0 to 6 percent of K2O, 0 to 5 percent of CaO, 0 to 5 percent of SrO, 0 to 4 percent of ZrO2, 0 to 3 percent of Ta2O5, 0 to 1 percent of Sb2O5, and greater than or equal to 0 percent and less than 0.5 percent of P2O5, and by essentially not comprising PbO, As2O3, and F. The optical glass exhibits a refractive index (nd) greater than or equal to 1.80 and an Abbé number (vd) less than or equal to 30. A method of manufacturing a glass material for press molding is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiko Kasuga, Kazuo Tachiwana, Hiroaki Yanagita
  • Patent number: 7007513
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing glass parts for connection of glass fibers is provided, which can improve the accuracy of the cross-sectional size of a through hole in the glass part. A mother glass having a similar cross section to a desired cross section of a glass part having a through hole is prepared, and the prepared mother glass is drawn while it is heated. The mother glass is made of a glass having a maximum devitrification speed of 100 ?m or less per minute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Mizuno, Katsuya Kamisaku, Masahiro Morishita
  • Patent number: 6854289
    Abstract: Methods and a device of manufacturing glass gobs with good productivity without defects in appearance from a glass melt. Glass gobs are manufactured from glass melt gobs by molding and cooling glass melt gobs in glass gob molding parts that are intermittently rotated. In one method, single intermittent rotation period of said glass gob molding part is in a range of 0.1 to 0.25 second, and the single intermittent rotation distance of said glass gob molding part is 0.8-7 cm. The device for molding glass gobs from a continuously flowing glass melt has a turntable intermittently rotated around a rotation axis and glass gob molding molds positioned on said turntable. The glass gob molding mold has multiple glass gob molding parts that receive glass melt on the upper surface thereof and mold the glass melt into glass gobs. The glass gob molding mold is positioned on a turntable so that said glass gob molding parts are disposed at equal intervals around a circumference centered on the rotation axis of the turntable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Keisuke Yoshikuni, Youji Touma, Yoshinori Iguchi
  • Patent number: 6813904
    Abstract: A process for fabricating a faceplate for a flat-panel display such as a field emission cathode type display is disclosed, the faceplate having integral spacer support structures. Also disclosed is a product made by the aforesaid process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason B. Elledge
  • Patent number: 6776006
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an EUV lithography element mirror includes sagging a plate of a glass material to produce an EUV mirror blank; and polishing a top face of the EUV mirror blank to produce a polished EUV mirror. A method for manufacturing an EUV lithography element mirror includes grinding a top face of a piece of a glass material; sagging a plate of the glass material over the top face of the piece to produce an EUV mirror blank; and polishing a top face of the EUV mirror blank to produce an EUV polished mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Michael E. Best, Claude L. Davis, Jr., Mary J. Edwards, Thomas W. Hobbs, Gregory L. Murray
  • Publication number: 20040112088
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an improved blank such that an optical member of a high homogeneity can be obtained therefrom, and to provide a vessel and a heat treatment method for heat-treating a highly uniform synthetic quartz blank. In a first aspect of the invention a special designed blank is provided showing a concave shaped outer surface. In a second aspect of the invention a special designed vessel for heat-treating blanks is provided, whereby the degree of heat emission at the center is set higher than that of the surroundings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Inventors: Tetsuji Ueda, Akira Fujinoki, Hiroyuki Nishimura, Martin Trommer, Stefan Ochs
  • Publication number: 20040079114
    Abstract: In one aspect, a method is provided for molding from glass complex optical components such as lenses, microlens, arrays of microlenses, and gratings or surface-relief diffusers having fine or hyperfine microstructures suitable for optical or electro-optical applications. In another aspect, mold masters or patterns, which define the profile of the optical components, made on metal alloys, particularly titanium or nickel alloys, or refractory compositions, with or without a non-reactive coating are provided. Given that molding optical components from oxide glasses has numerous drawbacks, it has been discovered in accordance with the invention that non-oxide glasses substantially eliminates these drawbacks. The non-oxide glasses, such as chalcogenide, chalcohalide, and halide glasses, may be used in the mold either in bulk, planar, or power forms. In the mold, the glass is heated to about 10-110° C., preferably about 50° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2002
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Inventors: Bruce G. Aitken, Dilip K. Chatterjee, Daniel H. Raguin
  • Patent number: 6631627
    Abstract: A process for fabricating a face plate for a flat-panel display such as a field emission cathode type display is disclosed, the face plate having integral spacer support structures. Also disclosed is a product made by the aforesaid process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason B. Elledge
  • Patent number: 6629435
    Abstract: A method for forming an optical glass element by pressure molding a glass pre-form using top and bottom molds, has steps of heating a glass pre-form held at a position separated from the top and bottom molds by a holding member within the top and bottom molds, pressing the glass pre-form while the glass pre-form is held by the holding member, and moving the bottom mold independently in an upward direction and pressing the glass pre-form again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2003
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshiya Tomisaka
  • Publication number: 20030154744
    Abstract: Disclosed are 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 109 poises, preheating molds at a temperature at which the glass material has a viscosity of from 109 to 1012 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° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Publication date: August 21, 2003
    Inventors: Shin-Ichiro Hirota, Ken Uno, Hiroaki Takahara, Tadayuki Fujimoto, Hiroshi Enomoto
  • Patent number: 6595026
    Abstract: A molten glass (8) is successively supplied from a nozzle (5) to a plurality of molding dies (7) and gradually cooled to form glass masses. Each glass mass is reheated in an air atmosphere to a temperature corresponding to a viscosity of 104-106 poises and press-molded by a mold to produce a press-molded product. The press-molded product is polished to form a final glass product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Shogo Tsukada
  • Publication number: 20030131628
    Abstract: A process for stably and efficiently producing quality glass articles such as preforms at high yields, and a process for producing an optical device from the preform obtained by the above process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Publication date: July 17, 2003
    Inventors: Akira Murakami, Katsumi Utsugi, Yoshinori Iguchi, Masahiro Yoshida, Yoshikane Shinkuma, Atsushi Watabe
  • Patent number: 6592785
    Abstract: An optical component molding device and method is disclosed. The molding device includes a heating section, a heating/pressing section, and a cooling section. A carrying member sequentially conveys molding units between these treatment sections. Either the molding units or the carrying member is provided with coded information pertaining to the treatment each molding unit is to receive. A sensor scans the coded information and relays it to a master control unit that controls the operation of the various sections. The device automatically accommodates different height molds, as well as allows for different length pressing strokes, as well as different pressures, temperatures and rates of heating and cooling, and different durations of pressing to be individually controlled for each mold unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsunori Mukasa
  • Publication number: 20030121286
    Abstract: A glass material (4) is placed in a forming die including a pair of upper and lower dies (1, 2) and a control member (3) for controlling the space between the upper and the lower die, and then heated, softened, and molded by pressure into a glass substrate in the shape of a parallel plate. The amount of thermal contraction of the control member is smaller than that of the glass material. Therefore, the glass substrate is released from the die when cooled after molding. The present invention can provide a glass substrate that is excellent in smoothness and form accuracy of the surface, and that is suitable for recording media such as magnetic disks that are inexpensive and suitable for mass production.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2003
    Publication date: July 3, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Takagi, Kunio Hibino, Tomokazu Tokunaga, Fujio Okuyama, Minoru Onoda
  • Patent number: 6564586
    Abstract: A process for fabricating a face plate for a flat panel display such as a field emission cathode type display is disclosed, the face plate having integral spacer support structures. Also disclosed is a product made by the aforesaid process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason B. Elledge
  • Patent number: 6546752
    Abstract: A method of making an optical device comprises the steps of providing a body of vitreous material that is generally tubular along an axis. A portion of the body is molded with external mold structure for forming a bulbous portion when the interior of the tube is pressurized. An axial portion is cut from the bulbous portion to form a first coupling device with first and second axially oriented openings. This method can produce optical coupling devices with excellent optical quality in an economical manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Fiberstars Incorporated
    Inventors: Juris Sulcs, John M. Davenport, Roger F. Buelow, II
  • Patent number: 6539750
    Abstract: A glass material (4) is placed in a forming die including a pair of upper and lower dies (1, 2) and a control member (3) for controlling the space between the upper and the lower die, and then heated, softened, and molded by pressure into a glass substrate in the shape of a parallel plate. The amount of thermal contraction of the control member is smaller than that of the glass material. Therefore, the glass substrate is released from the die when cooled after molding. The present invention can provide a glass substrate that is excellent in smoothness and form accuracy of the surface, and that is suitable for recording media such as magnetic disks that are inexpensive and suitable for mass production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Takagi, Kunio Hibino, Tomokazu Tokunaga, Fujio Okuyama, Minoru Onoda
  • Patent number: 6526780
    Abstract: To increase the strength of the glass panel of a CRT, the temperature of the glass panel is reduced during reforming from a temperature above, preferably at least 30° C. above the annealing point, to a temperature well below, preferably at least 80° C. below the strain point. This induces high surface compression in the glass panel, paired with a low rate of compaction. The glass panel is subsequently not subjected to the usual annealing step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Mohammed Khalil
  • Publication number: 20030000252
    Abstract: Methods and a device of manufacturing glass gobs with good productivity without defects in appearance from a glass melt. Glass gobs are manufactured from glass melt gobs by molding and cooling glass melt gobs in glass gob molding parts that are intermittently rotated. In one method, single intermittent rotation period of said glass gob molding part is in a range of 0.1 to 0.25 second, and the single intermittent rotation distance of said glass gob molding part is 0.8-7 cm. The device for molding glass gobs from a continuously flowing glass melt has a turntable intermittently rotated around a rotation axis and glass gob molding molds positioned on said turntable. The glass gob molding mold has multiple glass gob molding parts that receive glass melt on the upper surface thereof and mold the glass melt into glass gobs. The glass gob molding mold is positioned on a turntable so that said glass gob molding parts are disposed at equal intervals around a circumference centered on the rotation axis of the turntable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Applicant: HOYA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Yoshikuni, Youji Touma, Yoshinori Iguchi
  • Publication number: 20020134108
    Abstract: A process for manufacture of a component made of opaque synthetic quartz glass, and a quartz glass tube manufactured according to said process. The process comprises (i) providing a starting material in the form of granulated material of highly pure, synthetic SiO2 comprising at least partially porous agglomerates of SiO2 primary particles, the granulated material having a compacted bulk density of no less than 0.8 g/cm3, (ii) filling the granulated material into a mold and converting it to an opaque quartz glass preform through a process of melting, and (iii) reshaping the preform in a heat reshaping process to obtain a component made of opaque quartz glass. A quartz glass tube is made of quartz glass consisting of a granulated material of synthetic SiO2 with a lithium content of no more than 100 wt-ppb, and the wall thickness of said component being in the range of 0.5 mm to 15 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2001
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Inventors: Waltraud Werdecker, Udo Gertig, Johann Leist, Helmut Leber
  • Publication number: 20020129621
    Abstract: An optical lens manufacturing method according to the present invention is characterized by including the first optical member preform forming step of forming a first optical member preform 40 formed of a first transparent material into a columnar shape and having a first optical acting portion 11 that forms a curved surface on a side surface thereof, the primary drawing step of drawing the first optical member preform formed by the first optical member preform forming step, and the first optical member forming step of slicing the first optical member preform drawn 40 in the primary drawing step, thus forming a first optical member 2 with a columnar shape. According to this optical lens manufacturing method, the shape of the optical lens, and particularly the shape of the first optical acting portion 11, can be determined at the stage of the preform before primary drawing. Thus, the preform can be machined with a sufficiently large size, and machining operations can be performed simply and accurately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2002
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Applicant: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventor: Yutaka Kusuyama
  • Patent number: 6442975
    Abstract: There are disclosed a method of manufacturing a thin-plate glass having a good flatness with a high mass productivity and a method of manufacturing a high-quality and high-performance glass substrate for an information recording medium and a magnetic recording medium with a high mass productivity. A glass gob is press-formed between upper and lower dies to form a thin-plate glass. The press forming is finished when the inside of the thin-plate glass is at a softening point Ts or a higher temperature. Subsequently, warp modification pressing is performed to modify a warp of the thin-plate glass. The warp modification pressing is finished when the inside of the thin-plate glass is at a transition point Tg or a higher temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Murakami, Takeo Otagiri, Toshio Sekiba, Shizuo Suzuki, Takumi Yata, Tetsuya Saito, Jun Saito, Katsuya Nagakura, Tomomasa Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20020104331
    Abstract: To provide a substrate having V-shaped grooves having multi-angled V-shaped grooves in which a slant face of the V-shaped grooves has two or more angles. A cross section of the V-shaped grooves is formed so that the angle that a straight line forming a groove above a contact point of a fiber with the V-shaped grooves makes with a tangential line at the contact point is an acute angle smaller than 180 degrees. The cross section of the V-shaped grooves may be formed so that the angle that a straight line forming a groove below a contact point of a fiber with the V-shaped grooves makes with a tangential line at the contact point is an acute angle smaller than 180 degrees. The substrate having V-shaped grooves having a slant face shape with two or more angles can be manufactured by grinding a glass substrate by using a diamond grinding stone having several types of tip end angles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2001
    Publication date: August 8, 2002
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Fukuyama, Kazutoshi Tohyama
  • Patent number: 6425269
    Abstract: A method for forming glass sheets is performed by a system (10) that includes a furnace (12) having a heating chamber (14) in which a topside transfer device (20) has a downwardly facing surface (22) to which vacuum and pressurized air are supplied to receive and support a heated glass sheet from a conveyor (16) without any direct contact. A forming station (24) located externally of the furnace has a vertically movable upper mold (28) whose temperature is not greater than 500° C. The upper mold (28) cooperates with a horizontally movable lower ring (34) that transfers the heated glass sheet from the topside transfer device (20) to the forming station under the control of a first actuator (40). A second actuator (42) moves the upper mold (28) downwardly to cooperate with the lower ring (34) in forming the glass sheet. The external forming station (24) includes heat loss reducing apparatus (43) for reducing heat loss of the hot glass sheet during the forming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Glasstech, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald A. McMaster, Michael J. Vild, Donivan M. Shetterly, Paul D. Ducat
  • Patent number: 6422040
    Abstract: A method for forming glass sheets is performed by a system (10) that includes a furnace (12) having a heating chamber (14) in which a vacuum platen (20) has a downwardly facing surface (22) to which a vacuum is supplied to support a heated glass sheet received from a conveyor (16). A forming station (24) located externally of the furnace has a vertically movable upper mold (28) whose temperature is not greater than 500° C. The upper mold (28) cooperates with a horizontally movable lower ring (34). A first actuator (39) moves the vacuum platen (20) vertically to transfer a heated glass sheet from the conveyor (16) to the lower ring (34) which is then moved by a second actuator (40) to the forming station (24). A third actuator (42) then moves the upper mold (28) downwardly to cooperate with the lower ring (34) in forming the glass sheet. The forming station (24) includes apparatus (43) for reducing heat loss of the glass sheet during the forming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Glasstech, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald A. McMaster, Michael J. Vild, Donivan M. Shetterly, Paul D. Ducat
  • Publication number: 20020073735
    Abstract: Provided are a process for the production of a precision press-molded article having a high transmittance and a method of treating a glass to color or decolor the glass, the process comprising heat-treating a press-molded article containing at least one selected from WO3, Nb2O5 or TiO2 in an oxidizing atmosphere to produce a glass molded article, and the method comprising heat-treating a colored glass containing at least one oxide of WO3 and Nb2O5 in an oxidizing atmosphere to decolor the glass, or heat-treating a glass containing at least one oxide selected from WO3, Nb2O5 or TiO2 in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to color the glass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2001
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Kazutaka Hayashi, Hiromasa Tawarayama, Xuelu Zou, Hiroshi Kawazoe
  • Patent number: 6393869
    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: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason B. Elledge
  • Patent number: 6385997
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a mold tool for molding optical elements is taught which comprises heating a mold tool blank made from a vitreous material to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the vitreous material; generating an axial viscosity gradient in the mold tool blank; pressing a punch into an optical quality mold surface of the mold tool blank, the punch including a pressing surface with a predetermined geometry for forming an optical feature; cooling the mold tool blank to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the material; and removing the punch from the mold tool blank thereby creating the optical feature in the optical quality mold surface. The axial viscosity gradient is achieved by creating an axial thermal gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jayson J. Nelson, Eugene G. Hill, Paul O. McLaughlin, John C. Pulver, Michael K. Budinski
  • Publication number: 20020043080
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an EUV lithography element mirror includes sagging a plate of a glass material to produce an EUV mirror blank; and polishing a top face of the EUV mirror blank to produce a polished EUV mirror. A method for manufacturing an EUV lithography element mirror includes grinding a top face of a piece of a glass material; sagging a plate of the glass material over the top face of the piece to produce an EUV mirror blank; and polishing a top face of the EUV mirror blank to produce an EUV polished mirror.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Publication date: April 18, 2002
    Inventors: Michael E. Best, Claude L. Davis, Mary J. Edwards, Thomas W. Hobbs, Gregory L. Murray
  • Publication number: 20020014092
    Abstract: There are provided a method of manufacturing an optical glass element, for which flatness and smoothness of the surfaces of the optical glass element can be improved while securing the similarity of the cross-sectional shape of the optical glass element to that of the mother glass, and for which continuous production involving few steps can be carried out, and an optical glass element manufactured using the method. A mother glass is prepared, which has a cross-sectional shape substantially similar to a desired cross-sectional shape of the optical glass element, and the mother glass is drawn while heating to a predetermined temperature such that the mother glass has a viscosity of 105 to 109 poise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Applicant: NIPPON SHEET GLASS CO., LTD
    Inventors: Masahiro Morishita, Katsuya Kamisaku, Toshiaki Mizuno
  • Patent number: 6332338
    Abstract: Disclosed is a process for producing a glass substrate for an information recording medium by press-shaping a molten glass which gives a glass containing 0.1 to 30 mol % of TiO2, 1 to 45 mol % of CaO, 5 to 40 mol % of total of MgO and the above CaO, 3 to 30 mol % of total of Na2O and Li2O, 0 to 15 mol % of Al2O3 and 35 to 65 mol % of SiO2 and having properties of a liquidus temperature of 1,360° C. or lower and a viscosity of at least 10 poise in a shaping-allowable temperature range, or by preparing a preform formed of a glass which contains 0.1 to 30 mol % of TiO2, 1 to 45 mol % of CaO, 5 to 40 mol % of total of MgO and the above CaO, 3 to 30 mol % of total of Na2O and Li2O, 0 to 15 mol % of Al2O3 and 35 to 65 mol % of SiO2 and has properties of a liquidus temperature of 1,360° C. or lower and shaping the preform in the form of a disc by a re-heat pressing method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuaki Hashimoto, Xuelu Zou
  • Patent number: 6279348
    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: August 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason B. Elledge