William F. Semple, a dentist, was awarded the first US Patent on chewing gum in 1869. His recipe contained powdered chalk.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8014061 | Variable-focal length lens To provide a variable-focal length lens capable of altering its focal length at high speed. The variable-focal length lens has an electrooptic material and electrodes formed on an incident surface of light and on an exit surface of the light of the electrooptic mate... | 09/06/2011 |
| 7969645 | Variable lens A lens is provided, comprising a lens body. According to an embodiment, the lens body comprises at least one portion of electroactive material. ... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7535626 | Shape-variable optical element, optical device and image pickup apparatus A shape-variable optical element, which includes: a shape-variable section made up of an organic material that can be expanded and contracted by an electric field, in a direction of the electric field; and a pair of electrode layers to sandwich the shape-variable se... | 05/19/2009 |
| 7423801 | Lens with SLM Apparatus for enhancing vision of a user includes a focal modulation device (22), which is adapted to focus light from objects in a field of view of the user onto the retina while alternating between at least first and second focal states that are characteriz... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7403677 | Fiberoptic reconfigurable devices with beam shaping for low-voltage operation An apparatus and method to operate on a light beam by using a lens that collimates the light beam to a collimated beam with at least one cross-sectional dimension less than a critical dimension of 400 μm or less over a working range WR. The apparatus has a bulk ele... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7365907 | Rear projection image display apparatus A compact rear projection image display apparatus in which the projection distance in a projection optical system is substantially reduced and no reflection mirror is used, thereby eliminating a major cause of image trapezoidal distortion. The rear projection image ... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7352941 | Method and apparatus for electromagnetic resonance and amplification using negative index material An electromagnetic resonance device includes an input reflector, an output reflector, and a negative index material (NIM) disposed between the input reflector and the output reflector. The input reflector and output reflector are configured to be reflective to radia... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7312917 | Variable focal length electro-optic lens A variable focal length lens includes a plurality of layers of an electro-optic material and alternating stacked substantially transparent conductor layers and substantially transparent resistor layers. Each layer of electro-optic material is sandwiched between a se... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7289260 | Multifocal lens Apparatus for enhancing vision of a user includes a focal modulation device (22), which is adapted to focus light from objects in a field of view of the user onto the retina while alternating between at least first and second focal states that are characteriz... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7244030 | Rear projection type image display device The present invention relates to a rear projection type image display device comprising projection lenses (2, 3) for projecting an image displayed on an image display element onto a transmission type screen (6) on a larger scale, an optical path turn-b... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7218429 | Digital focus lens system A digital focus lens systems that can provide an optical system with a plurality of selectable focal powers is described. The system includes a number of switchable elements, each of which is capable of being switched between a first state and a second state, whereb... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7218430 | Combinatorial optical processor A Combinatorial Optical Processor and method for the architecture of optical systems utilizes one or more optical modules, each module including a number of individually addressable optical elements. The optical elements are arranged and addressed in a combinatorial... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7195358 | Rear projection type image display device The present invention relates to a rear projection type image display device comprising projection lenses (2, 3) for projecting an image displayed on an image display element onto a transmission type screen (6) on a larger scale, an optical path turn-b... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7195353 | Enhanced electro-active lens system A lens system and optical devices that provide enhanced vision correction are disclosed. The lens system includes an electro-active layer that provides correction of at least one higher order aberration. The higher order correction changes dynamically based on a use... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7164521 | Aberration compensating device and optical head device An aberration compensating device for compensating aberration of a laser beam emitted from a light source and converged on an optical recording disk through an objective lens includes a liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer and transparent electrodes... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7072086 | Digital focus lens system Digital focus lens systems that can provide an optical system with a plurality of selectable focal powers are described. The systems may include a number of switchable elements, each of which is capable of being switched between a first state and a second state, whe... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7042485 | Exposure assemblies, printing systems and related methods Systems, methods, and assemblies are provided for focusing light on a photoconductor. In one embodiment, an exposure assembly is provided. The exposure assembly includes an array of light-focusing structures. The light-focusing structures include a plurality of lens... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7027369 | Optical pickup apparatus for simultaneously reading data from a plurality of tracks of an optical disc An optical pickup apparatus (10) for reading data from a plurality of tracks of an optical disc (34) at the same time by focussing spots (M, . . . ) of each light beam on a plurality of tracks, passing the reflected light beams of spots (M, . . . ) seq... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7009757 | Optimal elements (such as vari focal lens component, vari-focal diffractive optical element and variable declination prism) and electronic image pickup unit using optical elements Optical elements such as a vari-focal lens element, a vari-focal diffractive optical element and a variable declination prism usable as spectacle lens elements and so on. ... | 03/07/2006 |
| 6947615 | Optical lens apparatus and associated method An apparatus and associated method for controlling the propagation constant of a region of focusing propagation constant in an optical waveguide. The method comprising positioning an electrode of a prescribed electrode shape proximate the waveguide. A region of focu... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6934075 | Multilayer single lens structure with zooming and focusing functions The present invention discloses a multilayer single lens structure with zooming and focusing functions, particularly a lens structure that makes use of the special properties of crystalline grains and applying a voltage to achieve the zooming and focusing functions.... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6927894 | Mirror assemblies incorporating variable index of refraction materials A mirror assembly including an active lens and a reflective surface. The mirror assembly may change its refractive index when a voltage is applied to the active lens, thereby changing the field of view in the lens. Exemplary applications include a blind spot system ... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6760493 | Coplanar integrated optical waveguide electro-optical modulator A coplanar integrated optical waveguide electro-optical modulator comprises a substrate (1) of an electro-optic material, at least two optical waveguides (41, 42) integrated in the substrate in correspondence of a surface (71) thereof, and an el... | 07/06/2004 |
| 6636653 | Integrated optical micro-electromechanical systems and methods of fabricating and operating the same An apparatus and method of fabricating and operating a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) integrated optical structure is disclosed. Micro-optics is integrated with MEMS actuators to provide a building block for a micro-optical communication device. S... | 10/21/2003 |
| 6577434 | Variable focal position spatial modulation device A variable focus position spatial modulator, which has a satisfactory image forming performance. The modulator includes: a variable refractive index part that is able to deflect an incident light; element pairs arranged at intervals in a concentric shape ... | 06/10/2003 |
| 6529307 | Selective intensity modulation of channels in a multiplexed optical communication system A method and apparatus for achieving dynamic intensity modulation of the channels in a wavelength-division multiplexed optical communication system is presented. Wavelengths are spatially separated into a plurality of channels, the polarization states of ... | 03/04/2003 |
| 6469822 | Optical phased array device and the method therefor An optical irregular phased-array is disclosed. The effective positions of the phase-controlled elements in the phased-array form an irregular array, such that the size of each phase-controlled element can be much larger than the wavelength of the light w... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6396622 | Electro-optic apparatus and process for multi-frequency variable refraction with minimized dispersion The object of the prevent invention is to provide an optical system for producing variable refraction with minimized dispersion. A first material with a first apex angle in a first state and a second material with a second apex angle in a first state prod... | 05/28/2002 |
| 6151154 | Optical pickup, aberration correction unit and astigmatism measurement method An optical pickup includes: a light source, an object lens, and an aberration correction unit for correcting aberration by giving a phase difference to a light beam. The aberration correction unit corrects astigmatism caused by an optical system of the op... | 11/21/2000 |
| 6144480 | Optical arrangement for processing an optical wave An optical arrangement comprising a plurality of cells arranged in a two-dimensional array on, into, or partly into an optical medium, each said cell having a pattern structure comprising a number of grooves which are parallel to each other and which form... | 11/07/2000 |
| 5973720 | Focusing method, light beam optical system used therefor, and image forming apparatus using same A light beam optical system is provided according to the present invention for focusing light beams from a light source on the surface of a photoconductive drum and the like via an optical system. This light beam optical system is capable of adjusting foc... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5751471 | Switchable lens and method of making A switchable lens includes first and second optically transparent substrates, a first electrically conductive, optically transparent contact film positioned on a surface of the first optically transparent substrate, a second electrically conductive, optic... | 05/12/1998 |
| 5696622 | Variable focal position optical system and light beam scanning apparatus A variable focal position optical system which includes a variable focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is variable and a fixed focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is fixed. The variable focal length lens subsystem and the fixed focal... | 12/09/1997 |
| 5610758 | Variable focal position optical system and light beam scanning apparatus A variable focal position optical system which includes a variable focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is variable and a fixed focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is fixed. The variable focal length lens subsystem and the fixed focal... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5587826 | Optical beam scanning apparatus adjusting focal point over entire image forming area by feedback control In an optical beam scanning apparatus having an electrooptic lens, a focal point of a light beam is adjusted to be exactly positioned on a scanning surface by a feedback control at any positions scanned by the light beam during a single scanning period. A... | 12/24/1996 |
| 5561549 | Optical element An optical element consists of an LN or LT crystal doped with MgO or ZnO. A +z surface and a -z surface of the crystal are connected to each other by means of a metal jig and an indium sheet. The +z surface and the -z surface may also be connected to each... | 10/01/1996 |
| 5541761 | Optical beam scanning apparatus adjusting focal point over entire image forming area by feedback control In an optical beam scanning apparatus having an electrooptic lens, a focal point of a light beam is adjusted to be exactly positioned on a scanning surface by a feedback control at any positions scanned by the light beam during a single scanning period. A... | 07/30/1996 |
| 5535042 | Light scanning device Corrective signals for canceling out a dynamic deformation of the reflecting surface of a rotary scanning mirror are applied to X and Z electrodes of an electro-optic lens. Based on the supplied corrective signals, the electro-optic lens controls the refr... | 07/09/1996 |
| 5444567 | Light control device A light control device including an electro-optical material, a light refraction device mounted on the surface of the electro-optical material and electrodes provided on respective front and back major surfaces of the electro-optical material. A waveguide... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5272561 | Electrooptic device An electrooptic device which comprises an electrooptic material disposed on an optical axis of an optical beam. The beam is linearly polarized in advance. The electrooptic material has opposed two surfaces in parallel with the optical axis and in both sid... | 12/21/1993 |