Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) received Patent No. 121,992 for "An Improvement in Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments." He later received two more patents: one for a self-pasting scrapbook and one for a game to help players remember important historical dates.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7274444 | Multi mode inspection method and apparatus An inspection system for inspecting an object, the system comprising an illuminator including at least one pulsed light source, a detector assembly, and a relative motion provider operative to provide motion of the object relative to the detector assembly, along an ... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7274469 | Method and apparatus for calibrating laser 3D digitizing sensor A method for calibrating a laser three-dimensional digitizing sensor. First, a three-dimensional coordinator X-Y-Z is defined and a calibrating surface is provided. Second, a first mapping table of a two-dimensional digital image to the Z axis is established by tran... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7274472 | Resolution enhanced optical metrology A resolution enhanced optical metrology system to examine a structure formed on a semiconductor wafer includes a source configured to direct an incident beam at the structure through a coupling element. The coupling element is disposed between the source and the str... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7271902 | Generic interface for an optical metrology system An optical metrology system includes a photometric device with a source configured to generate and direct light onto a structure, and a detector configured to detect light diffracted from the structure and to convert the detected light into a measured diffraction si... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7269997 | Non-contact method and system for tire analysis A non-contact method and system for analyzing tire conditions. The system includes an emitter source for emitting radiation signals towards a tire having a treaded surface between two sidewalls. A detector is provided to receive signals reflected by the tire in resp... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7271882 | Shape measuring apparatus, shape measuring method, and aligning method A shape measuring method for measuring a shape of a surface of an object. The method includes a first measuring step for measuring the surface of the object by detecting light from the object, and a second measuring step for measuring the surface of the object by re... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7268894 | Image measuring method, image measuring system and image measuring program An image measuring method comprises making no stop of an imaging means relative to a measurement stage at measurement positions (MP1-MP3), and capturing instantaneous images to acquire information required for measurement. A first direction to a measur... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7268893 | Optical projection system There is provided an optical projection system for projecting an image onto an object that is being manufactured and/or inspected. The system includes an image-projecting device, a target-locating device for determining the orientation of the image-projecting device... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7268877 | Method and apparatus for orienting semiconductor wafers in semiconductor fabrication Described are systems and methods for orienting a semiconductor wafer during semiconductor fabrication with the aid of an optical alignment system, the semiconductor wafer having an alignment mark with regular structures, on the basis of which the position of the se... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7268892 | Method and device for the verification and identification of a measuring device The invention concerns a method and a reference object for the verification and identification of a measuring device for measuring the spatial position of one or several points situated in the measuring volume (9) of the measuring device, whereby the measurin... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7265850 | Fortified, compensated and uncompensated process-sensitive scatterometry targets A scatterometry target is provided in which a plurality of parallel elongated features are placed, each having a length in a lengthwise direction. A plurality of stress-relief features are disposed at a plurality of positions along the length of each elongated featu... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7265822 | Method and apparatus for determining presence of a component in a printed circuit board A method and apparatus for determining color, presence and/or polarity of a component in a printed circuit board includes a sensor and an LED positioned behind a faceplate. The faceplate abuts the component and light is reflected from the LED off the component and r... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7262837 | Noninvasive method for characterizing and identifying embedded micropatterns The invention relates to a method for noninvasively characterizing embedded micropatterns which are hidden under the surface of a wafer down to 100 μm. The micropatterns are identified with reference micropatterns from a previously produced reference library with t... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7262864 | Method and apparatus for determining grid dimensions using scatterometry A test structure includes a first plurality of lines and a second plurality of lines intersecting the first plurality of lines. The first and second pluralities of lines defining a grid having openings. A method for determining grid dimensions includes providing a w... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7262862 | Measurement of a 3d surface of an object during pressure exposure A method for measuring the 3D surface (15) of an object (14) in order to describe its form digitally. The object is pressed down on a membrane (6) so as to make an imprint to be transferred to a medium (4) below. Said medium can at the sa... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7262849 | Method of polishing thin film formed on substrate A method for polishing a thin film formed on a substrate includes planarizing a thin film formed on a reference substrate by a CMP process such that the thin film remains on the reference substrate. After the planarizing, the thin film is cleaned, and then values of... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7257996 | Device and method for a quality test of a body A surface of a body includes a structure bounded by edges and a substantially edge-free unevenness. The structure is considered a quality impairment and the unevenness a potential quality impairment. A device includes a means for generating a height representation o... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7259870 | 3-dimensional image acquisition apparatus and method, 3-dimensional reconstruction system, and light projection unit and light projection method therefrom A 3-dimensional image acquisition apparatus acquires images to be used for 3-dimensionally reconstructing an object by picking up the object by a camera twice or more in an image acquisition set including picking up at least once the object carrying a pattern projec... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7256898 | Method and device for determining the position of rotationally drivable tools To determine the position of rotationally drivable tools in machine tools, the moment of separation of the tool to be measured and a measuring beam, for example a laser beam of a light barrier, is used. The tool to be measured is first positioned in such a manner th... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7256891 | Sensor alignment apparatus for an analysis system An apparatus for analyzing a population of particles is set forth. The apparatus includes an emitter adapted to generate a beam of electromagnetic radiation, such as from a laser, and a particle chamber disposed in a path of the electromagnetic radiation beam. The a... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7253891 | Method and apparatus for simultaneous 2-D and topographical inspection Apparatus for sensing information regarding a surface including a first plurality of optical elements arranged to acquire two dimensional information about a surface, a second plurality of optical elements arranged to acquire topographical information about the surf... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7253901 | Laser-based cleaning device for film analysis tool A system for analyzing a thin film uses an energy beam, such as a laser beam, to remove a portion of a contaminant layer formed on the thin film surface. This cleaning operation removes only enough of the contaminant layer to allow analysis of the underlying thin fi... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7248375 | Critical dimension analysis with simultaneous multiple angle of incidence measurements A method and apparatus are disclosed for evaluating relatively small periodic structures formed on semiconductor samples. In this approach, a light source generates a probe beam which is directed to the sample. In one preferred embodiment, an incoherent light source... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7248373 | Workpiece configuration detection system and method An assembly includes a platform for supporting and moving a tire along therealong. A light emitter of a first detection assembly transmits a first signal from emitter around the tire in to determine the height of the tire. A light receiver of the first detection ass... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7248724 | Method for monitoring wounds A method of quantifying the extent of erythema around a wound of a patient is disclosed. An image (200) is captured that includes the wound, the erythema and surrounding skin. A border of the wound is identified (step 232) and a distance transform is p... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7245387 | Three-dimensional measuring instrument For measuring the three-dimensional shape of an object of measurement using a phase shift method, a three-dimensional shortening the measurement time. A printed state inspection device 1 includes a printed circuit board K printed with cream solder H, an illum... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7245386 | Object measuring device and associated methods A device for measuring one or more dimensions of an object. One or more light emitters direct light towards the object. At least one light blocking element, arranged between the light emitters and the object, blocks all but a bundle of light to form a light edge on ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7242484 | Apparatus and methods for surface contour measurement Apparatus and methods of measuring three-dimensional position information of a onto a surface of an object including two sources of radiation separated by a distance, each source having a spectral distribution, and being coherent with respect to the other of the sou... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7242483 | Smart spacecraft structures based on laser metrology A laser metrology system for estimating the deformation of a structure is provided. The system includes a plurality of laser beam position detectors distributed across a surface of the structure. Each laser beam position detector is intersected by a laser beam and i... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7240307 | Pattern size correcting device and pattern size correcting method A pattern size correcting device includes: a testing photomask (1) having a test pattern; a quantifying unit (2) that quantifies, using the testing photomask (1), size variation in the test pattern as a function of distance and in relation to an... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7239312 | Method, apparatus and program for processing a three-dimensional image An image processing apparatus and an image processing method reconstruct a three-dimensional image of an object which expresses a texture, glossiness, and three-dimensionality with realism. The image processing apparatus produces, from a physical object, data repres... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7236256 | Range finder and method A linearly polarized light projector system projects linearly polarized light onto a subject. While polarizing filters are used for removing light specular-reflected on the subject, a reflected image after removal of the specular-reflected light is captured by image... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7236255 | Method and instrument for measuring bead cutting shape of electric welded tube To precisely measure bead cutting shapes of electric resistance welded pipes without being affected by difference in luminance level between cut and uncut portions in optical cutting images, an image is obtained by overlaying an optical cutting image with the optica... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7235984 | Probe device and probe method A probe device 20 having a contact load monitoring device 10. This contact load monitoring device measures the displacement of a loading table caused by a contact load exerted on the mounting table from a probe in an overdrive by means of a displacemen... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7236244 | Alignment target to be measured with multiple polarization states An alignment target includes periodic patterns on two elements. The periodic patterns are aligned when the two elements are properly aligned. By measuring the two periodic patterns at multiple polarization states and comparing the resulting intensities of the polari... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7233390 | Scatterometry for samples with non-uniform edges A method for simulating the optical properties of samples having non-uniform line edges includes creating a model for the sample being analyzed. To simulate roughness, lines within the model are represented as combinations of three dimensional objects, such as circu... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7233389 | System and method for the measurement of the velocity and acceleration of objects A method and system is disclosed for determining a flight characteristic of an object in a flight path, the flight characteristic to be determined can be the object's position while in flight, a linear velocity, a rotational velocity or an acceleration of the object... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7230725 | Method and apparatus for imaging three-dimensional structure Determining surface topology of a portion of a three-dimensional structure is provided. An array of incident light beams passing through a focusing optics and a probing face is shone on said portion. The focusing optics defines one or more focal planes forward the p... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7230692 | Optical apparatus, method of determining position of optical element in optical system, and device manufacturing method An optical apparatus including an image forming optical system having a movable optical element, and a driving mechanism. A first block obtains a linear evaluation value by normalizing, by a first tolerance, an aberration expressed by a linear function of a position... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7230716 | Method for measuring the absorption coefficient and the reduced scattering coefficient of a multiple scattering medium In a method for measuring absorption and reduced scattering coefficients of a multiple scattering medium, a coherent light beam is outputted. The coherent light beam includes linear polarized P and S wave components having mutually orthogonal polarizations and frequ... | 06/12/2007 |