Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7359131 | Lens positioning systems and methods An improved lens mount and related lens and lens barrel positioning methods are provided. In one example, a lens mount for use with a miniature camera can include a ring member having a substantially cylindrical interior surface defining a substantially cylindrical ... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7327513 | Method and apparatus for viewing target Apparatus and method for viewing a target. A primary lens produces an image plane of the target, and an optical magnifier in an optical path of the primary lens magnifies a region of the image plane, providing a magnified image. A detector receives the magnified ima... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7256933 | Multi-purpose optical corrector system An optical corrector system optical system comprising two components, a first housing supporting therein a telenegative-type lens, and a second housing supporting therein a positive-type lens. The first housing is adapted to be coupled to a telescope in a manner so ... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7236311 | Manually adjustable apparatus for a zoom lens A manually adjustable apparatus for a zoom lens includes a body, a lens set, a sliding base, a rack sliding base, and a transmission gear. The lens set is installed at the body. There is an outer gear located at the rear end of the lens cone of the lens set. The sli... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7218444 | Dual-band, dual-focal-length, relayed refractive imager An imaging device includes a refractive imager lying in an optical path, and optionally a telescope that directs the optical path to the refractive imager. The refractive imager includes a first lens group that forms an intermediate image of a scene on the optical p... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7119955 | Multi-aperture high-fill factor telescope A multi-aperture high-fill-factor telescope is provided. Specifically a multi-aperture high-fill-factor telescope is provided that includes a plurality of sub-aperture telescopes, each sub-aperture telescope being configured to collect electromagnetic radiation from... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7110174 | Relay telescope for high power laser alignment system A laser system includes an optical path having an intracavity relay telescope with a telescope focal point for imaging an output of the gain medium between an image location at or near the gain medium and an image location at or near an output coupler for the laser ... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7084987 | Method and system to interferometrically detect an alignment mark Coherent illumination is used to illuminate a symmetrical alignment mark with an image rotation interferometer producing two images of the alignment mark, rotating the images 1800 with respect to each other, and recombining the images interferometrically. The recomb... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7064902 | Zoom lens, camera, and mobile information terminal A first group optical system having a positive refracting power, a second group optical system having a negative refracting power, and a third group optical system having a positive refracting power are sequentially arranged from an object side toward an image side.... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7031074 | Zoom lens, camera, and mobile information terminal A first group optical system having a positive refracting power, a second group optical system having a negative refracting power, and a third group optical system having a positive refracting power are sequentially arranged from an object side toward an image side.... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7023615 | Structure for supporting an optical telescope An apparatus for the focusing of incident light includes a base assembly that is adapted to support a primary mirror. The primary mirror includes an outside circumference and an inside aperture. An upright member is attached to the base assembly at a first end there... | 04/04/2006 |
| 6967794 | Latch mechanism A latch mechanism for producing a releasable connection of a housing portion with a further housing portion provides projections on one of the housing portions, and for producing a releasable connection by means of a rotational motion of the housing portions relativ... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6943946 | Multiple aperture imaging system A multiple aperture imaging system, that includes: a plurality of imaging elements for capturing light; an optical relay assembly for phasing the captured light; a means for diverting the captured light within the multiple aperture imaging system to produce a plural... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6930831 | Vari-focal polar alignment scope A vari-focal polar alignment scope includes an objective optical system, a relay optical system, and an eyepiece optical system, in that order from the object side. The relay optical system includes an erecting vari-focal viewing optical system, including a positive... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6924938 | Zoom lens, camera, and mobile information terminal A first group optical system having a positive refracting power, a second group optical system having a negative refracting power, and a third group optical system having a positive refracting power are sequentially arranged from an object side toward an image side.... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6253457 | Laser beam direction correcting optical system for a surveying instrument A laser beam direction correcting optical system for a surveying instrument comprises a laser light source (1) for emitting a laser beam, an exit angle correcting system (17) for correcting an exit angle of the laser beam emerging therefrom in accordance ... | 07/03/2001 |
| 6233097 | Secondary image formation type view finder including two half mirrors A secondary image formation type view finder comprising an objective optical system, a first mirror for folding an optical axis, a relay lens system and a second mirror for folding the optical axis, wherein an optical axis of the relay lens system is disp... | 05/15/2001 |
| 6088156 | Finder optical system A finder optical system has an objective optical system for forming an intermediate image of an object and an eyepiece optical system, and is disposed independent of a photographing optical system. The objective optical system includes a reflecting member... | 07/11/2000 |
| 6018416 | Secondary image formation type view finder A secondary image formation type view finder comprising an objective optical system, a first mirror for folding an optical axis, a relay lens system and a second mirror for folding the optical axis, wherein an optical axis of the relay lens system is disp... | 01/25/2000 |
| 5956179 | Replicated relay lens system A relay lens assembly and a method for manufacturing a relay lens system for an endoscope includes the steps of providing at least one rod member having first and second curved end surfaces, positioning a mold surface at a predetermined distance from one ... | 09/21/1999 |
| 5764407 | Displaying apparatus using spatial light modulation element An display apparatus has an image displaying device for modulating light by a spatial light modulation element and displaying an image, a relay optical system for forming the image on an imaging plane at a location differing from the image displaying devi... | 06/09/1998 |
| 5703716 | Re-imaging converter lens apparatus and method Apparatus and methods are disclosed for re-imaging a primary image produced by a prime lens to form a positively demagnified secondary image at a secondary image plane, wherein the secondary image is smaller than, but has the same field angle as, the prim... | 12/30/1997 |
| 5687023 | Keplerian zoom finder optical system A Keplerian zoom finder optical system comprises an objective lens group having a positive refracting power on the whole and constructed of, in order from an object side, a first lens unit having a negative refracting power, a second lens unit having a po... | 11/11/1997 |
| 5576882 | Endoscope An endoscope comprising, in order from the object side, an objective optical system and image relaying optical systems disposed in a number of n, and using, in a (n-1)th or nth image relaying optical system, an optical system for producing positive distor... | 11/19/1996 |
| 5557458 | Real image finder optical system A real image mode finder optical system includes an objective lens, a relay lens, and an eyepiece. A plurality of reflecting surfaces is arranged between the objective lens and the eyepiece. At least one of the reflecting surfaces is movable for deflectin... | 09/17/1996 |
| 5124837 | Finder of real image type A finder of a real image type has an objective lens unit having positive refracting power; a first condenser lens unit arranged in the vicinity of a focal face of the objective lens unit on an image side thereof and having positive refracting power; a rel... | 06/23/1992 |
| 4964686 | Finder optical device A secondary image forming type finder opitcal device having an objective lens solely used therefor, comprising, from front to rear, an objective lens unit including at least one positive lens, a relay lens unit formed by arranging a lens of positive refra... | 10/23/1990 |
| 4729647 | Retrofit optical turret with laser source A retrofitted optical sight cluster system including a turret support structure defining a lower turret area and upper turret area sealed from the lower turret area, optics mounted onto the turret support structure including a gimbal mounted optics assemb... | 03/08/1988 |
| 4600277 | Telescope with multiple image-viewing assemblies A telescope system having a main housing and at least two interchangeable viewing assemblies. The main housing contains an objective lens assembly for producing an inverted primary image, a field lens, and a combination power adjusting zoom and image erec... | 07/15/1986 |
| 4432626 | Single-lens reflex type viewfinder and method of adjusting the same A single-lens reflex type viewfinder as for VTR cameras has a prism for deflecting a portion of light coming through a main camera lens along a first optical axis to pass through a viewfinder master lens along a second optical axis normal to the first opt... | 02/21/1984 |
| 4257670 | Optical peephole device insertable in thick walls for panoramic viewing therethrough An optical device insertable through a peephole in the thick wall of a chamber such as a bank vault, making it possible for an observer to obtain a panoramic view of objects dispersed within the interior thereof. The device is constituted by an optical sy... | 03/24/1981 |
| 4027943 | Solar prominence adapter A solar prominence adapter comprises a tubular housing having a first end adapted for connection with the eyepiece holder of a conventional reflecting or refracting telescope and the other end for connection with a conventional eyepiece. The housing inclu... | 06/07/1977 |
| 3989349 | Reflex finder A camera of the reflex type comprises a view finder with an achromatic finder objective, an eyepiece, and an interposed inverting lens group. The finder objective includes a negative-meniscus lens of relatively low Abbe number and a biconvex lens of relat... | 11/02/1976 |
| 3967876 | Telescopic gun sight A telescopic sight for use on a firearm, which sight provides an eye relief of greater than about 3.0 inches and an exit pupil of greater than about 25 mm. so that the target as viewed through the scope will substantially fill the eyepiece. The scope redu... | 07/06/1976 |
| 3945713 | Image rotating optical system In an optical system including an objective lens to form an image on a focusing plane and a relay lens system to carry the image to another focusing plane, an image rotating prism is inserted in the relay lens system and a field lens is provided between t... | 03/23/1976 |
