Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8014053 | Method for generating a universal pinhole pattern for use in confocal microscopes The invention relates to a pinhole disk, which can be used in a transmitted light mode as a filter disk, in particular in confocal microscopes, and consists of an optically transparent material with an inner hole having a fixed outer radius rmax and inner... | 09/06/2011 |
| 7706043 | Device for confocal illumination of a specimen A device for confocal observation of a specimen, having a mask, which is located in the illumination beam path and the image beam path and is rotatable around a central axis, the mask being provided with openings for generating an illumination pattern moving on the ... | 04/27/2010 |
| 7580171 | Device for confocal illumination of a specimen A device for confocal observation of a specimen, having a mask, which is located in the illumination beam path and the image beam path and is rotatable around a central axis, the mask being provided with openings for generating an illumination pattern moving on the ... | 08/25/2009 |
| 7388712 | Confocal scanning microscope using two Nipkow disks A confocal scanning microscope using a Nipkow disk prevents deterioration of performance in an optical axis direction while maintaining a high measurement speed. The confocal scanning microscope includes a light source, an illuminating device to pass the light from ... | 06/17/2008 |
| 7358481 | Reflective encoder with three-dimensional code carrier An encoder having a code pattern on a carrier and an emitter detector module is disclosed. The code pattern includes alternating reflective and opaque regions on a carrier that includes a planar surface. The emitter-detector module includes a light source that gener... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7324248 | Holographic printer A method and apparatus for producing holograms may use a computer generated 3-D model or data generated using multiple 2-D camera images taken of a real 3-D object or scene. The data is digitally processed and displayed on a high resolution spatial light modulator (... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7262891 | Holographic printer A single method and apparatus for producing many of the most common types of hologram from digital data is disclosed. In one embodiment the data are generated entirely by a computer as a 3-D (animated) model. In another embodiment the data are generated from multipl... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7244927 | Control panel for a motor vehicle fascia, having at least one optically controlled rotary adjustment knob The present invention relates to a control panel, in particular for a motor vehicle, provided with at least one rotary button (10) for adjusting a parameter relating to an air stream propelled by a ventilating, heating and/or air conditioning apparatus, chara... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7088487 | Modifiable assembly of microscopic apertures The invention concerns a modifiable assembly of microscopic apertures comprising several plates (100, 110) coated with an opaque deposition except on transparent parts, for example (101, 114, 115), capable of sliding relative to one another, separated ... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7085676 | Feed forward critical dimension control Feed forward techniques can be used to improve optical metrology measurements for microelectronic devices. Metrology tools can be used to measure parameters such as critical dimension, profile, index of refraction, and thickness, as well as various material properti... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7075714 | Anti-reflection film and microscope having optical element with the same anti-reflection film applied thereto A microscope includes an optical element provided with an anti-reflection film applied thereto. The anti-reflection film has the following layered structure: having first to sixth layers of films, in order from the surface of the o... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7042605 | Holographic printer The present invention provides a single method and apparatus for producing many of the most common types of hologram from digital data is disclosed. The data are generated entirely by a computer as a 3-D (animated) model or from multiple 2-D camera images taken of a... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7018042 | Scanning microscope having an optical component, and optical component An optical component is arranged in the beam path of a scanning microscope. The optical component has a plane entrance surface through which a light beam bundle can be incoupled at an entrance angle, and a plane exit surface through which the light beam bundle can b... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7009695 | Full frame thermal pump probe technique for detecting subsurface defects An area of a substrate is imaged with and without heating, to obtain a hot image and a cold image respectively. The hot and cold images are compared with one another to identify one or more locations as being defective, e.g. if the result of comparison at one locati... | 03/07/2006 |
| 7009742 | Holographic printer The present invention provides a single method and apparatus for producing many of the most common types of hologram from digital data is disclosed. The data are generated entirely by a computer as a 3-D (animated) model or from multiple 2-D camera images taken of a... | 03/07/2006 |
| 6970287 | Confocal 3D inspection system and process An inspection device comprises a light source, a pellicle beamsplitter for receiving light from the light source and for redirecting the light, and an aperture array for receiving light from the pellicle beamsplitter. The aperture array is a two dimensional array of... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6948999 | Wand toy and process A “magic mirror” wand toy has a body having a mirror element that is partially transparent. An image illuminating apparatus is mounted rearward of the mirror element. An image transport apparatus has a plurality of images that can be positioned selectively and a... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6937331 | High-speed electromechanical shutter for imaging spectrographs The present invention presents a high-speed electromechanical shutter which has at least two rotary beam choppers that are synchronized using a phase-locked loop electronic control to reduce the duty cycle. These choppers have blade means that can comprise discs or ... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6934079 | Confocal microscope comprising two microlens arrays and a pinhole diaphragm array A confocal microscope comprises a microlens array having a plurality of microlenses for splitting a ray bundle of illumination light into a plurality of convergent partial ray bundles which illuminate a sample simultaneously at several measuring points; a beam split... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6922294 | Optical communication assembly An optical assembly comprising an optical cube. A first optical transmitter chip and a first optical receiver chip are mounted on one surface of the optical cube. A first continuous printed circuit board is soldered to electrical surfaces of the first optical transm... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6875991 | Modulated resistance heater infrared radiation source An electrically heated resistance element disposed on axis within a gold coated reflector, which collects the radiated infrared energy from the resistance element and shapes it to a desired beam, provides a shaped high intensity source of infrared radiation which is... | 04/05/2005 |
| 6812979 | Color-separating apparatus for liquid crystal projector of single panel type A color-separating apparatus for a liquid crystal projector of single panel type that is capable of improving light efficiency and color revival property. In the apparatus, a color filter has red, green and blue colors formed in a spiral shape. A reflective plate is... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6429446 | Multiple infrared missile jammer Apparatus for providing simultaneous jamming of a number of missiles is disclosed comprising a plurality of reticles each having a pattern therein which provides necessary spin frequency and carrier frequency (if required) for the missile to be jammed. Th... | 08/06/2002 |
| 6420718 | Modulated infrared source A modulated infrared source is disclosed in which spatial modulation is accomplished by the rotation of beam forming optics about an infrared source in which a portion of the energy in the beam produced includes energy coming directly from the IR source w... | 07/16/2002 |
| 6420719 | Modulated infrared source A modulated infrared source is disclosed in which spatial modulation is accomplished by the sweeping of an infrared beam past a point in space. In one embodiment close to 100% of the energy from the infrared source is focused by rotating optics including ... | 07/16/2002 |
| 6407400 | High efficiency modulator Apparatus for efficiently modulating the output from an infrared radiation source is provided by a collector/collimator for collecting and collimating the output of the radiation source and a modulator including a stator and at least one rotor. The stator... | 06/18/2002 |
| 6404545 | Optical apparatus and microscope An optical apparatus and a microscope are designed so that high resolution and a high sectioning effect are provided; a time for obtaining an output image can be reduced; it is possible to observe the interior of an object in which light is strongly scatt... | 06/11/2002 |
| 6373073 | Multiple spectral band opto-mechanical modular A multiple spectral band opto-mechanical modulator for obtaining simultaneous but independent modulation of an extended IR source in two distinct wavelength bands comprises in one embodiment a first rotating filter wheel having alternating radial segments... | 04/16/2002 |
| 6281927 | Rotating shutter system for hostile laser source location technique A hostile laser source location technique employs a television camera in conjunction with a rotating shutter to pinpoint the location of a hostile laser source without placing the pilot/operator at risk for eye damage. For an attack scenario the pilot/ope... | 08/28/2001 |
| 6185036 | Confocal system A confocal system comprising a laser light source; a confocal scanner that emits an output light beam from the light source after passing through apertures; an optical microscope that focuses light passed through the apertures onto a sample; a detector th... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6144439 | Method and apparatus for reducing ghost images with a tilted cholesteric liquid crystal panel A collimating apparatus that reduces ghost images in the field of view of a main image generated. The collimating apparatus includes a meniscus lens having a reflective concave surface; a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC), aligned on an axis common with th... | 11/07/2000 |
| 5969846 | Confocal microscope A confocal microscope of the present invention comprises a pinhole disk having a plurality of pinholes, a wavelength selection section for switching a wavelength or wavelength range of at least one of illumination light and observation light in synchronis... | 10/19/1999 |
| 5847867 | Confocal microscope A confocal microscope comprising a confocal laser scanner which rotates a Nipkow disk at high speed together with microlenses wherein a beam splitter of a plate type is disposed between two integrated disks, in each of which a plurality of microlenses and... | 12/08/1998 |
| 5751419 | Optical delay apparatus An optical delay apparatus that regularly alternately outputs beams having mutually different delays on one optical axis and that can variably set a delay amount of at least one beam. A motor 112 rotation-drives a rotating plate 111 in which reflective po... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5717519 | Confocal microscope A confocal microscope comprising a confocal laser scanner which rotates a Nipkow disk at high speed together with microlenses wherein a beam splitter of a plate type is disposed between two integrated disks, in each of which a plurality of microlenses and... | 02/10/1998 |
| 5661562 | Tomographic imaging system with scanning apertures A tomographic imaging system works with a conventional real image formed by, e.g., a lens. Scanning is over an image formation area of the image plane. A plurality of differently-oriented scanning apertures are disposed over the surface of a spinning elem... | 08/26/1997 |
| 5633751 | Confocal optical scanner A confocal optical scanner which realizes optical scanning without nonuniformity of brightness at the inside and outside periperies of the pinhole disk by arraying the pinholes along spiral tracks at the same pitch; which allows adjustment of decentering ... | 05/27/1997 |
| 5579157 | Confocal optical scanner A confocal optical scanner which realizes optical scanning without nonuniformity of brightness at the inside and outside periperies of the pinhole disk by arraying the pinholes along spiral tracks at the same pitch; which allows adjustment of decentering ... | 11/26/1996 |
| 5537247 | Single aperture confocal imaging system A confocal scanning imaging system utilizes only one aperture for both the incident light from the light source and return light from the object. To improve its performance, the aperture plate is tilted with respect to the incident light path, the surface... | 07/16/1996 |
| 5488508 | Vignetting technique for improving appearance of partially overlapped binocular displays Aperture stops are positioned in the optical train of a partially overlapped binocular display in a such a manner that overlapping portions the binocular boundaries of the left and right fields of view are substantially out of focus, and therefore do not ... | 01/30/1996 |
