The first commercial microwave oven was nearly 6 feet tall and weighed in at 750 pounds.
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8169685 | Thermally switched absorptive window shutter The thermally switched absorptive optical shutter may be a self-regulating “switchable absorber” device that may absorb approximately 100% of incoming light above a threshold temperature, and may absorb approximately 50% of incoming light below a threshold tempe... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8154788 | Thermochromic window structures An energy efficient, thermochromic device that may be used to allow sunlight or solar radiation into a building or structure when sunlight is absent or at high sun angles and substantially blocks solar radiation when sunlight is directly on the window. ... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8149494 | Two-photon absorption switch having which-path exclusion and monolithic mach-zehnder interferometer A monolithic Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) is provided for photon beam-splitting and beam-combining with accurate super-positioning of the outgoing beams, which creates the interference. The MZI includes a complimentary pair of right-isosceles triangular prisms,... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8144383 | Chromatic element and chromatic display device using the same A chromatic element includes a sealed enclosure, an isolation layer, a first heating element, a chromatic material layer and a second heating element. The isolation layer is disposed in the sealed enclosure and separates the sealed enclosure into a first chamber and... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8072672 | Thermally switched reflective optical shutter The thermally switched reflective optical shutter is a self-regulating “switchable mirror” device that reflects up to 100% of incident radiant energy above a threshold temperature, and reflects up to 50% of incident radiant energy below a threshold temperature. ... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8018639 | Ligand exchange thermochromic, (LETC), systems Ligand exchange of thermochromic, LETC, systems exhibiting a reversible change in absorbance of electromagnetic radiation as the temperature of the system is reversibly changed are described. The described LETC systems include one or more than one transition metal i... | 09/13/2011 |
| 7982939 | Beam steering using a thermally anisotropic medium Apparatus for steering a beam of radiation includes a thermally anisotropic element configured such that the shape of the optical element can be varied by varying the temperature of the element. The beam is reflected from or transmitted through the element in a mann... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7973998 | Temperature activated optical films The present invention discloses a multilayer dielectric optical structure wherein one of the optical materials in the multilayer structure shows an optically isotropic state above and a birefringent state below a characteristic temperature Tc near the room temperatu... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7933058 | Thermochromic component and thermochromic display apparatus using the same A thermochromic component includes a thermochromic module and a heater. The heater is thermally coupled with the thermochromic module. The heater includes a carbon nanotube structure. The carbon nanotube structure directly transfers heat to the thermochromic module.... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7911676 | Photochromic optical articles prepared with reversible thermochromic materials Provided is a photochromic optical articleincluding: (a) an optical substrate; (b) a thermally reversible photochromic material; and (c) reversible thermochromic material capable of at least partially filtering UV/visible light at or below room temperature and becom... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7864401 | Optical phase shifting plate An optical phase shifting plate includes: an optical substrate configured to change a refractive index for light which passes through the optical substrate by a thermooptical effect; a thin-film heater formed on a surface of the optical substrate; a wiring member di... | 01/04/2011 |
| 7817328 | Thermochromic window structures An energy efficient, thermochromic device that may be used to allow sunlight or solar radiation into a building or structure when sunlight is absent or at high sun angles and substantially blocks solar radiation when sunlight is directly on the window. ... | 10/19/2010 |
| 7813025 | Flash imaging devices, methods for making and using the same The invention provides flash imaging devices that include an optical change component that undergoes a change in response to an applied stimulus, a substrate and a stimulus element. Also provided are articles that include the subject devices, as well as methods of m... | 10/12/2010 |
| 7800808 | Preparation of light valves Light valves which are controlled by temperature are made by rapidly injecting between two closely spaced sheets, of e.g. glass, a low viscosity monomer+solvent solution, and then rapidly polymerizing the monomer to form a solid layer, which is transparent below a s... | 09/21/2010 |
| 7755829 | Thermally switched reflective optical shutter The thermally switched reflective optical shutter is a self-regulating “switchable mirror” device that reflects up to 100% of incident radiant energy above a threshold temperature, and reflects up to 50% of incident radiant energy below a threshold temperature. ... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7697192 | Method of spatially separating wavelengths of multi-wavelength signal using electronically controlled thermal structure A thin-film interference filter structure has a generally wavelength-dependent resonant response to incident optical energy in a predetermined range of wavelengths. The thin-film interference filter structure includes a thermally tunable layer having a thermally tun... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7675669 | Method and system for driving interferometric modulators Systems and methods for driving a display of MEMS devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, a display includes an array comprising a plurality of interferometric modulators, and a driving circuit coupled to said array, said driving circuit configured to provide actu... | 03/09/2010 |
| 7656572 | Method, array, and influencing unit for said array in order to modify a wavefront of an optical beam Disclosed is an array for modifying a wavefront of an optical beam (3) having a beam axis (15). Said array comprises an influencing unit (1) which can be introduced into the beam path of the optical beam (3) and a heat source (12) ... | 02/02/2010 |
| 7554714 | Device and method for manipulation of thermal response in a modulator By varying the spacing between two surfaces, one of which is disposed in front of the other, an interferometric modulator selectively creates constructive and/or destructive interference between light waves reflecting off the two surfaces. The desired spacing can be... | 06/30/2009 |
| 7542196 | Ligand exchange thermochromic, (LETC), systems Ligand exchange of thermochromic, LETC, systems exhibiting a reversible change in absorbance of electromagnetic radiation as the temperature of the system is reversibly changed are described. The described LETC systems include one or more than one transition metal i... | 06/02/2009 |
| 7538930 | Micro-mechanical thermo structure and method for manufacturing such micro-mechanical structure The invention relates to a micro-mechanical thermal structure for modulating a light beam and a method for manufacturing such a structure. The micro-mechanical structure comprises two layers of material with different thermal expansion coefficients in a first direct... | 05/26/2009 |
| 7538931 | Ligand exchange thermochromic systems containing exchange metals Ligand exchange of thermochromic, LETC, systems exhibiting a reversible change in absorbance of electromagnetic radiation as the temperature of the system is reversibly changed are described. The described LETC systems include one or more than one transition metal i... | 05/26/2009 |
| 7525717 | Multi-layer ligand exchange thermochromic systems Ligand exchange of thermochromic, LETC, systems exhibiting a reversible change in absorbance of electromagnetic radiation as the temperature of the system is reversibly changed are described. The described LETC systems include one or more than one transition metal i... | 04/28/2009 |
| 7408728 | System and method for focal length stabilization using active temperature control An optical metrological system having a heat-generating light source coaxially mounted near a heat-sensitive lens. The system uses a temperature sensor to monitor the lens temperature and a heating element to heat the lens such that the lens operating temperature is... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7355779 | Method and system for driving MEMS display elements Systems and methods for driving MEMS display elements are disclosed. In one embodiment, a display comprises an array of MEMS display elements, and a driving circuit coupled to said array, wherein said driving circuit configured to provide at lease a row signal and a... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7342732 | Optical mount An optical mount (1) for optical component (2) which has a edge contour (4) relative to extending radially optical axis (A), includes a rigid optical support (3) having an axially oriented stop edge (5), which is suitable for an ax... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7324713 | Apparatus for and method of controlling optical interferometer An apparatus and method for controlling an optical interferometer are provided. The method includes setting a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) temperature of the optical interferometer to a room temperature, obtaining an optimal temperature using a difference between two... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7320826 | Photochromic articles with reduced temperature dependency and methods for preparation Described are photochromic articles that include a substrate, a temperature dependent reducing amount of at least one organic photochromic material (b) that changes from more absorbing to less absorbing of radiation in its activating spectral absorbance as the tempe... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7301686 | Optically controlled optical-path-switching apparatus, and method of switching optical paths An optical signal optical path switching method comprising steps of using a thermal lens based on a distribution of refractive index produced reversibly caused by temperature increase generated in an area of the light-absorbing layer film of thermal lens forming dev... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7286233 | Spectrophotometer with micro-filters A spectrophotometer comprises selection means for selecting one or more of the components of a light beam corresponding to different wavelengths, formed by optical micro-filters. ... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7253939 | Superconductor-based modulator for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) A superconductor-based modulator includes a superconductor coupled to a cold reservoir to receive extreme ultra-violet (EUV) light beams. The light beams are modulated by altering transmission and reflection properties of the superconductor. Magnetic field, temperat... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7249856 | Electrostatic bimorph actuator An electrostatic bimorph actuator includes a cantilevered flexible bimorph arm that is secured and insulated at one end to a planar substrate. In an electrostatically activated state the bimorph arm is generally parallel to the planar substrate. In a relaxed state, ... | 07/31/2007 |
| 7221827 | Tunable dispersion compensator An optical dispersion compensator including: a spacer element having a top surface and a bottom surface; a thin film, multi-layer mirror formed on the top surface of the spacer element, the thin film mirror having a thermally tunable reflectivity; a highly reflectiv... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7221247 | Magnetically actuated microelectromechanical systems actuator A microelectrical mechanical system (MEMS) actuator having electrically conductive coils that create first magnetic fields that are opposed by a second magnetic field is disclosed. The actuator includes two coils having dual, interspersed Archimedean spirals. Within... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7216988 | Optical device and projector An optical device capable of efficiently cooling a light modulation element and preventing deterioration in an image formed on the optical modulation element having a light modulation device. The light modulation device includes a light modulation element to modulat... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7206490 | Electro-optic polymer waveguide devices incorporating organically modified sol-gel clads Electro-optic waveguide devices that comprise an electro-optic polymer core and a polymer buffer clad. The polymer buffer clad comprises an organically modified sol-gel and has a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the core. ... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7168249 | Microelectrical mechanical structure (MEMS) optical modulator and optical display system A microelectrical mechanical out-of-plane thermal buckle-beam actuator is capable of providing transverse-plane movement of shutters. The actuator includes a pair of structural anchors secured to a substrate and one or more thermal buckle-beams secured at respective... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7163726 | Laminate-controlling light autonomously and window using the same There are provided laminated bodies or laminated body-containing windows, which comprise isotropic aqueous solutions obtained by dissolving a water-soluble polysaccharide derivative having nonionic amphipathic functional groups in an aqueous medium composed of water... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7162108 | Planar lightwave circuit variable optical attenuator The invention relates to a variable optical attenuator constructed as a Mach Zehnder planar lightwave circuit, particularly including a channel waveguide support structure for heat isolation and stress relief to reduce polarization dependent loss (PDL) and power con... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7157301 | Semiconductor package security features using thermochromatic inks and three-dimensional identification coding Numerous embodiments of an apparatus and method for generating an identification feature are described. In one embodiment of the present invention, portions of an identification character printed with thermochromatic ink are distributed within a three-dimensional ma... | 01/02/2007 |