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...When G.G. Hubbard learned of his future son-in-law's invention, he called it "only a toy." His daughter was engaged to a young man named Alexander Graham Bell.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7897905 | System and method for connecting electrical devices using fiber optic serial communication A system and method for communicating between serially connected electrical devices of a network is provided. The network includes a series of electrical devices, and fiber optic connectors between electrical devices of the series of electrical devices forming a clo... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7732747 | Tool with contactless switch An electric tool has a handle, and an element for varying tool functions located in the handle and including a photoelectric cell incorporated onto the handle in such a way that if the photoelectric cell is completely or partly covered, a tool function is achieved o... | 06/08/2010 |
| 7564020 | System and method for laser detector with marker A light detector system for use with a work-piece is provided. The light detector system can include a housing and at least one sensor coupled to the housing. The sensor can be responsive to a light source to generate a signal that indicates a location of the light ... | 07/21/2009 |
| 7415338 | Apparatus for controlling auxiliary equipment of vehicle An apparatus for controlling operation of auxiliary equipment of a vehicle by receiving an output of a surroundings detection sensor for detecting the surrounding of the vehicle and an output of the vehicle information sensor, for detecting operation of the vehicle,... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7388189 | System and method for connecting electrical devices using fiber optic serial communication A system and method for communicating between serially connected electrical devices of a network is provided. The network includes a series of electrical devices, and fiber optic connectors between electrical devices of the series of electrical devices forming a clo... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7335871 | Low power switching for antenna reconfiguration Methods and systems for low power switching are provided. In one embodiment, an optical switching system is provided. The system comprises at least one optically controlled switch adapted to maintain one of an open state and a closed state based on an associated lig... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7262429 | Thz detection employing modulation doped quantum well device structures An improved THz detection mechanism includes a heterojunction thyristor structure logically formed by an n-type quantum-well-base bipolar transistor and p-type quantum-wellbase bipolar transistor arranged vertically to share a common collector region. Antenna elemen... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7214922 | Semiconductor photosensor device and information apparatus with sensitivity region for wide dynamic range A semiconductor photosensor device includes a plurality of photodiode sections, a switch, and an output section is provided. The plurality of photodiode sections have different illuminance-output characteristics. The switch selects any one of the plurality of photod... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7164110 | Diode-based light sensors and methods The present invention provides an illumination management system that includes a first LED that outputs a first signal when exposed to a first spectrum of light, the first signal indicating an intensity of light from the first spectrum; a second LED that outputs a s... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7138903 | Lock module using colored light rays to identify the application of an accurate key A lock module includes a transmitting module to continuously transmit multiple colored light rays, a key adapted to be inserted into the keyhole of the lock and having multiple colored optical lenses each permitting a specific colored light ray to pass therethrough ... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7116459 | Field diode detection of excess light conditions for spatial light modulator An improved SLM that is capable of detecting when light incident on the SLM exceeds a predetermined threshold. A diode is fabricated around, or within the pixel array. Light incident on the array (and the diode) results in a current increase through the diode, which... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7079189 | Image sensing apparatus For providing a longer lifetime and sensing an image with less noise, there is provided an image sensing apparatus having a flat panel sensor for detecting radiations, a first power circuit for supplying an electric power to the flat panel sensor, a read-out circuit... | 07/18/2006 |
| 6927924 | Imaging optical instrument An imaging optical instrument causes light emitted from a plurality of light sources arranged adjacent an object to image on recording surfaces of a photosensitive or thermosensitive material. The optical instrument includes a two-sided telecentric optical system ha... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6816647 | Compact fiber pigtailed terahertz modules An industrially hardened terahertz electromagnetic transmitter and receiver module (29) is disclosed. The electromagnetic wave module has an optic (30) which relays an optical pulse from the delivery fiber (32) to the terahertz device. The relay... | 11/09/2004 |
| 6774396 | Thin film transistor type optical sensor A image detector comprises a light source for radiating light in accordance with a predetermined signal; a window for transmitting the light from the light source; a thin film phototransistor for generating an optical current in accordance with the intensity of exte... | 08/10/2004 |
| 6614013 | Illumination management system The present invention provides an illumination management system that includes a first LED that outputs a first signal when exposed to a first spectrum of light, the first signal indicating an intensity of light from the first spectrum; a second LED that ... | 09/02/2003 |
| 6366365 | Waveguide array-based image sensor for document scanner scan head A scan head that comprises an elongate light source, an elongate light sensor array and a planar waveguide array The light source is disposed perpendicular to the scan direction. The light sensor array is disposed parallel to the light source. The planar ... | 04/02/2002 |
| 6118115 | Photoelectric conversion apparatus A photoelectric conversion apparatus is provided which can reduce FPNs as much as possible even if there is an unbalanced quantity between the capacitance values of a light signal capacitor CTS and a noise signal capacitor CTN, and can suppress FPNs as mu... | 09/12/2000 |
| 6114684 | Laser listening device detector A laser listening device detector is provided including a window of a room and a jamming mechanism abutting the window for vibrating the same upon the actuation thereof. Such vibration imparts perturbations on light directed at the window for jamming a la... | 09/05/2000 |
| 5998779 | Photoelectric conversion apparatus Disclosed is a photoelectric conversion apparatus including a photoelectric conversion unit, a plurality of output lines to which a signal output from the photoelectric conversion unit is read out, a unit for resetting the plurality of output lines to a f... | 12/07/1999 |
| 5963135 | Proximity detecting device The present invention relates to a proximity detecting device for detecting the presence of an object in a target area, comprising a low voltage power source, a circuitry for generating electrical pulses and supplying them to a light emitting diode (LED) ... | 10/05/1999 |
| 5914664 | Optically sensing auxiliary switch An auxiliary switch provides an output or feedback signal indicative of the position or logical state of a contactor, disconnect or other principal device to which it is coupled. The switch is formed as a modular unit which can be fixed directly to the pr... | 06/22/1999 |
| 5894175 | Photo-control apparatus and circuit A photo-control apparatus comprising a photo-control circuit that includes two or more photo-cells connected in parallel that respond to ambient light. The circuit includes a switch that connects a power source to a load. When the photo-cells are exposed ... | 04/13/1999 |
| 5793906 | Switching using optical tunnels In a supercomputer that employs a large number of processors operating in parallel, groups of processors are assembled in clusters. Each processor in a cluster is provided with an array of lasers, a different one targeted for a particular detector associa... | 08/11/1998 |
| 5646596 | Interactive window display An interactive window display enables a person to activate one or more electrical devices located inside an enclosure from outside of the enclosure. Each electrical device is electrically connected to an infrared sensor located inside the enclosure. Each ... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5563406 | Optical sensor and a method of operating an optical sensor having an electronic switching circuit An optical sensor and a method of operating an optical sensor. The sensor comprises a multitude of pixels, a multitude of optical detectors, an amplifier and a switching circuit. Each of the pixels includes an optical detector for generating an electric s... | 10/08/1996 |
| 5555136 | Interior rearview mirror for motorized vehicles An interior rearview mirror for a motorized vehicle has a mirror housing with a mirror member and a mirror support connected to the mirror housing. At least one sensor for sensing solar radiation entering the interior of the motorized vehicle through the ... | 09/10/1996 |
| 5522167 | Switch apparatus A tritium switch that can be easily fitted to standard laser sight that can be easily adapted to fit standard semi-automatic handguns or to standard military rifles such as an M-16. The switch is also useful as a safety interlock switch on machinery requi... | 06/04/1996 |
| 5401953 | Optically-switched submillimeter-wave oscillator and radiator having a switch-to-switch propagation delay A submillimeter wave-generating integrated circuit includes an array of N photoconductive switches biased across a common voltage source and an optical path difference from a common optical pulse of repetition rate f0 providing a different opti... | 03/28/1995 |
| 5382791 | Dual mode switch for handicapped A dual mode switch for use as a communication aid for the handicapped. The switch can be light activated or around activated, each have a momentary mode and a latching mode. In the momentary mode, the light switch is activated by a given change of impingi... | 01/17/1995 |
| 5347418 | Fuse blowout detector circuit A fuse blowout detector circuit wherein the primary side of an insulated signal coupler, such as a photocoupler, is connected in parallel with a series circuit connection of a power supply and a fuse, whereby a fuse blowout detection signal is output from... | 09/13/1994 |
| 5341133 | Keyboard having touch sensor keys for conveying information electronically A keyboard for an electronic device includes a first key having a touch surface which, in one mode, is responsive to pressing by a user's finger to indicate a selection associated with the first key, and an array of sensors exposed at the touch surface to... | 08/23/1994 |
| 5313056 | Electronically controlled frequency agile impulse device An electronically controlled frequency agile impulse source utilizing pulse sharpening techniques to increase its versatility in radiating impulse energy at a variety of center frequencies and bandwidths in the megahertz to the gigahertz range. Such pulse... | 05/17/1994 |
| 5281808 | Device for the non-contact control of a sanitary fitting A device for the non-contact control of a sanitary fitting comprises in an emitting/receiving unit, in addition to an emitter and a receiver and their associated detection circuit as is known, a second receiver which can be reached directly by the radiati... | 01/25/1994 |
| 5256913 | Low power optoelectronic device and method Methods and devices are disclosed for selectively varying the load to a photodetector such as a phototransistor which forms part of a photosource/photodetector pair and for selectively using to advantage or compensating for the parasitic capacitance of th... | 10/26/1993 |
| 5223728 | Optical switch integrated circuit An optical switch integrated circuit (32) fabricated as a monolithic integrated circuit is used to couple a load (18) to a voltage source (17). The optical switch integrated circuit (32) comprises a SCR for coupling the load (18) to the voltage source (17... | 06/29/1993 |
| 5214275 | Optically controlled microwave switch and signal switching system Disclosed is an optically activated microwave switch (10) which includes a field-effect transistor (12) that is switched between conducting and nonconducting states by a photodiode (14) that is connected between the field-effect transistor gate and drain ... | 05/25/1993 |
| 5189296 | Optical receiver having a low capacitance integrated photodetector The present invention relates to an interconnected array of photodetector cells in which each cell of the photodetector array contains a photodetector for detecting light pulses and a photodetector for switching on the photodetector cell. Each cell has a ... | 02/23/1993 |
| 5179269 | Bar code reader having an automatically actuated visible light laser beam A wand type bar code reader has a semiconductor laser which emits a visible laser beam in order to read bar code information of an object based on scanning of the visible laser beam and a control and drive circuit which controls the semiconductor laser, w... | 01/12/1993 |
| 5164768 | Method and apparatus for converting a conventional copier into an electronic printer A "conversion" device is described that enables a conventional, dedicated copier designed for the singular purpose of making copies to be employed additionally as an electronically-driven printing apparatus, thereby offering a standard issue copier the ad... | 11/17/1992 |
