Bizarre Patents
Pillow with retractable umbrella
A pillow assembly having a supporting assembly and a retractable umbrella assembly that is easily transportable and allows a user to support his/her head while covering their face from sunlight.
PatentStorm News
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 |
| 7889356 | Two grating lateral shearing wavefront sensor Methods include simultaneously diffracting a beam in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction to form a once-diffracted beam, where the beam comprises a wavefront shaped by a test object, simultaneously diffracting the once-diffract... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7787131 | Sensitivity modulated imaging systems with shearing interferometry and related methods An imaging system. Implementations of imaging systems may include a laser light source, at least one imaging detector coupled to the laser light source, a shearing interferometer coupled to at least one imaging detector, and a timing system coupled to the at least o... | 08/31/2010 |
| 7643157 | Phase shift amount measurement apparatus and transmittance measurement apparatus A phase shift amount measurement apparatus able to further correctly measure a phase shift amount of a phase shifter, wherein a laterally offset interference image of a phase shift mask is formed by a shearing interferometer, the interference image is captured by a ... | 01/05/2010 |
| 7593114 | Device and method for focusing a laser light beam A device for focusing a laser light beam includes an emission source of a laser light beam along an optical emission path, first focusing means of the laser light beam in a focusing point (F) located at a focusing distance (D), means for adjusting the position of th... | 09/22/2009 |
| 7538891 | Surface characterization based on lateral shearing of diffracted wave fronts to measure in-plane and out-of-plane displacement gradient fields Apparatus and techniques for using an optical shearing interferometry to obtain full field mapping of in-plane and out-of-plane displacement field gradients of a sample surface of a sample. ... | 05/26/2009 |
| 7463366 | Digital holographic microscope A method and device for obtaining a sample with three-dimensional microscopy, in particular a thick biological sample and the fluorescence field emitted by the sample. One embodiment includes obtaining interferometric signals of a specimen, obtaining fluorescence si... | 12/09/2008 |
| 7433043 | Two-dimensional spectral shearing interferometry for ultrafast pulse characterization The phase spectrum of an ultrashort pulse is measured based on two-dimensional spectral shearing interferometry with zero delay. The measurement is performed utilizing an optical source pulse from which is extracted a short pulse and from which a chirped component i... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7420542 | Apparatus for capturing and analyzing light and method embodied therein An apparatus including an image sensor is disclosed. The apparatus includes a polarization filter, an image sensor, and a processor connected to the image sensor. The polarization filter is adapted to filter out light polarized in a first direction from a first scen... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7397571 | Methods and systems for laser mode stabilization Systems and methods are provided or use with a light source which generates a light beam. These systems may include a detector which detects light beam information and which determines whether multiple modes are present in the light beam so that the light source may... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7369251 | Full-field optical measurements of surface properties of panels, substrates and wafers Techniques and systems for using optical interferometers to obtain full-field optical measurements of surfaces, such as surfaces of flat panels, patterned surfaces of wafers and substrates. Applications of various shearing interferometers for measuring surfaces are ... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7365838 | System and method for the measurement of optical distortions An apparatus measures optical deviations caused by an aircraft canopy. In this apparatus, a light source generates a beam of light. A collimator, optically coupled to the light source, then collimates the beam of light. An optical assembly patterns the collimated be... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7355719 | Interferometer for measuring perpendicular translations An interferometer provides a large dynamic range for perpendicular displacement measurements. In operation, a measurement reflector on an object reflects a measurement beam to an overlying Porro prism, and a reference reflector on the object returns a reference beam... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7355616 | Polarization-direction-controlling element and exposure device A polarization-direction-controlling element comprising a ½ wavelength plate disposed with a crystal optical axis tilted at substantially 45 degrees with respect to a polarization direction of a beam of light separated by a polarization-separating element with a pa... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7352475 | Measuring method and apparatus using shearing interferometry, exposure method and apparatus using the same, and device manufacturing method A measuring apparatus for irradiating measuring light and for measuring optical performance of a target optical system includes a barrel for housing the target optical system, the barrel being rotatable around an optical axis of the target optical system, and an ill... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7352470 | Fourier transform spectrometry with a single-aperture interferometer A spectrometer that implements the functionality of a Fizeau interferometer, the spectrometer including a collection device that is configured to collect a wavefront, a deformable mirror disposed at an image plane of the collection device, the deformable mirror havi... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7349102 | Methods and apparatus for reducing error in interferometric imaging measurements Described is a fringe generator for an interferometric measurement system having improved fringe stability and reproducibility. The fringe generator includes a light source at a characteristic wavelength and a diffractive element to generate a pair of diffracted bea... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7336366 | Methods and systems for reducing complex conjugate ambiguity in interferometric data A complex conjugate ambiguity can be resolved in an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) interferogram. A reference light signal is propagated along a reference path. A sample light signal is impinged on a sample reflector. The reference light signal is frequency shif... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7333216 | Apparatus for wavefront detection An apparatus for wavefront detection includes a wavefront source for the production of a wavefront, an optical system transforming the wavefront, a diffraction grating through which the transformed wavefront passes, and a spatially resolving detector following the d... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7333215 | Adaptive optics control system An improved, adaptive optics control system is disclosed. The system comprises a wavefront corrector, a wavefront sensor, a wavefront reconstructor and a wavefront controller. The wavefront corrector has a surface controlled by a plurality of actuators. The wavefron... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7327467 | Phase measuring method and apparatus for measuring characterization of optical thin films A phase measuring apparatus for measuring phase characteristics of a film applied onto an object to be measured includes a shearing interference system for providing incident light onto the object or light reflected on the object with shearing interference, a detect... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7327465 | Compensation for effects of beam misalignments in interferometer metrology systems In general, in a first aspect, the invention features methods that include deriving a first beam and a second beam from an input beam and directing the first and second beams along different paths, where the path of the first beam contacts a measurement object, prod... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7321359 | Method and device for optical navigation An method and device suitable for navigation on a wide variety of surfaces is introduced. Specular reflection is used to determine relative motion over typical surfaces. A specific application is a computer mouse. ... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7319509 | Attenuator for attenuating wavelengths unequal to a used wavelength There is provided an attenuator for attenuating electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths Unequal to a used wavelength, including a grating element having i) grating grooves that produce a grating period (p), and ii) a grating plane. The grating period (p) is least a... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7317535 | Wavelength dispersive fourier transform spectrometer A spectroscopic method and system for the spectral analysis of an optical signal directed to a wavelength dispersive component having two interleaved dispersive devices. For a single wavelength, the optical signal exiting the interleaved dispersive devices includes ... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7317506 | Variable illumination source An apparatus and method for providing a variable illumination field for use in lithographic imaging for semiconductor manufacturing includes providing a an illumination system including a variable optical element having an array of addressable elements, each address... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7315013 | Optical navigation using one-dimensional correlation A technique for optical navigation involves summing intensity values from a photodetector array on a per-column and a per-row basis for both reference image data and sample image data and then performing separate one-dimensional cross-correlations on the per-column ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7295321 | VISAR interferometer with field elements The present invention includes an interferometer for VISAR. Optionally, the present VISAR system includes intracavity imaging design with converging beams and field elements to, among other possible purposes, image the array. An optional embodiment of the present VI... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7289224 | Low coherence grazing incidence interferometry for profiling and tilt sensing An optical system includes a photolithography system, a low coherence interferometer, and a detector. The photolithography system is configured to illuminate a portion of an object with a light pattern and has a reference surface. The low coherence interferometer ha... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7289264 | Passive broad long wave and mid-wave infrared optical limiting prism Method for limiting the amount of radiation impinging on a radiation sensitive detector (RSD) responsive to signals having infrared wavelengths of approximately 3 to 14 microns. Method includes: directing radiation signal through prism toward RSD; permitting radiati... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7286245 | Method and apparatus for determining the influencing of the state of polarization by an optical system; and an analyser A method and an apparatus for determining the influencing of the state of polarization of optical radiation by an optical system under test, wherein radiation with a defined entrance state of polarization is directed onto the optical system, the exit-side state of p... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7283248 | Multi-axis interferometers and methods and systems using multi-axis interferometers In general, in one aspect, the invention features an apparatus including a multi-axis interferometer configured to produce at least three output beams each including interferometric information about a distance between the interferometer and a measurement object alo... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7283252 | Measuring method and apparatus using interference, exposure method and apparatus using the same, and device fabrication method A measuring method for measuring an interference fringe includes the steps of generating a reference wave as a result of transmission through a slit or pinhole in a mask of a portion of light that has passed a target optical system, generating the interference fring... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7283251 | Black fringe wavefront sensor A method of performing closed loop correction of phase aberrations, including the steps of directing an incoming light beam into a black fringe wavefront sensor via an adaptive optical device (“AOD”), dividing the incoming light beam into measurement and referen... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7277181 | Interferometric apparatus and method for surface profile detection An apparatus for detecting the surface profile of a test object includes a light source, a beam splitter, a reflective component, a sensor, and a computing device. The light source emits a light beam. The beam splitter divides the light beam into reference and probi... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7274468 | Optical beam shearing apparatus Beam shearing apparatus for introducing a lateral shear between the components of a light beam. The apparatus is an optical assembly having a polarizing interface and input and output facets and two reflecting surfaces one of which is arranged at an angle generally ... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7268891 | Transmission shear grating in checkerboard configuration for EUV wavefront sensor A wavefront measurement system includes a source of electromagnetic radiation. An imaging system directs the electromagnetic radiation at an object plane that it uniformly illuminates. A first grating is positioned in the object plane to condition the radiation ente... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7260983 | Method and an apparatus for the inspection of the surface of a tire An apparatus for the inspection of the surface (1) of a tire (2) or the like comprises a projector (3) for the projection of a pattern onto the tire (2) and a camera (4) for the taking of an image of the pattern projected onto the ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7256868 | Projection exposure apparatus, device manufacturing method, and sensor unit A projection exposure apparatus which has a projection optical system and projects a pattern onto a substrate through the projection optical system. The apparatus includes a sensor unit which includes a light-receiving element for detecting light incident through th... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7253907 | Measuring method and apparatus using shearing interferometry, exposure method and apparatus using the same, and device manufacturing method A measuring method for measuring a wave front of light, which has passed through a target optical system. The method includes the steps of dividing the light that passes the target optical system into a first wave front and a second wave front made by offsetting the... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7248667 | Illumination system with a grating element An illumination system, particularly for wavelengths ≦100 nm, with an object plane and a field plane, comprises a grating element and a physical diaphragm in a diaphragm plane, which is arranged downstream to the grating element in the beam path from the object pl... | 07/24/2007 |
