Did You Know...
...that the Slinky toy was the result of a failed attempt by engineer Richard James to produce an antivibration device for ship instruments? His goal was to develop a spring that would instantaneously counterbalance the wave motion that rocks a ship at sea. Instead, he developed the Slinky.
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 |
| 7903336 | Optical metrological scale and laser-based manufacturing method therefor A reflective metrological scale has a metal tape substrate and a scale pattern of elongated side-by-side marks surrounded by reflective surface areas of the substrate. Each mark has a furrowed cross section and may have a depth in the range of 0.5 to 2 microns. The ... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7471454 | Dynamic optical tag communicator and system using corner cube modulating retroreflector In some embodiments, a dynamic optical tag communication system is provided which includes high and low index CCR, both having a modulator, such as TCFP-MQWs on a first side of the CCR configured to modulate in a first temperature range, and a modulator on a second ... | 12/30/2008 |
| 7322700 | Image display apparatus An image display apparatus includes an indicating element which modulates or emits light as a pixel in accordance with image information. A displacement unit optically displaces a position of the pixel for each of two or more sub-fields constituting an image field c... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7295504 | Beam shaping element, and light source unit and optical pickup using same A beam shaping element includes a set of diffraction gratings on each surface thereof, in such a manner that intervals between the gratings farer from a vicinity of an optical axis and nearer to a periphery are narrower, wherein each interval between the respective ... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7256942 | Single lens element, light source device and scanning optical device A single lens element used for converting a divergent pencil of rays, radiated from a light source, into a predetermined convergent state, wherein the single lens element is made from a resin and has a positive optical power due to... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7237940 | Light guide plate with subwavelength grating and backlight module using the same A light guide plate (30) has a light incident surface (305) for receiving light, a light emitting surface (301) for emitting light, a bottom surface (303) opposite to the light emitting surface, and side surfaces (307, 309, 311). A... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7230228 | Tunable temporal dispersion and compensated angular dispersion in optical switching systems Methods for utilizing optical systems in order to introduce digitally tunable amounts of temporal dispersion into optical signals and methods and systems for providing angular dispersion compensated output from optical switching/routing systems. ... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7221515 | Optical diffraction element An optical diffraction element (1) comprises a diffraction layer (4) which is divided into diffraction strips (6) alternating with intermediate strips (8). The diffraction strips comprise nano-elements (10) which are aligned in one... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7193778 | Optical apparatus which uses a virtually imaged phased array to produce chromatic dispersion Various configurations of a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator in combination with a mirror to compensate for chromatic dispersion. A VIPA generator produces a light traveling from the VIPA generator. In some embodiments, a variable curvature mirror is p... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7177368 | Data transfer using frequency notching of radio-frequency signals A method for data transmission includes forming a notched radio-frequency (RF) burst according to one or more data values, where a bandwidth of the notched RF burst is at least two percent of the center frequency of the notched RF burst. Forming a notched RF pulse i... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7173764 | Apparatus comprising a tunable nanomechanical near-field grating and method for controlling far-field emission A tunable nanomechanical near-field grating is disclosed which is capable of varying the intensity of a diffraction mode of an optical output signal. The tunable nanomechanical near-field grating includes two sub-gratings each having line-elements with width and thi... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7158304 | Optical apparatus which uses a virtually imaged phased array to produce chromatic dispersion An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated outpu... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7133204 | Apparatus and methods for generating multiple exit-pupil images in an expanded exit pupil A diffraction grating generates even-order, odd-order, and 0th-order exit-pupil images. The even-order exit-pupil images have brightness levels within a first range and the odd-order exit-pupil images have brightness levels within a second range that is d... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7125121 | Image display apparatus An image display apparatus includes an indicating element which modulates or emits light as a pixel in accordance with image information. A displacement unit optically displaces a position of the pixel for each of two or more sub-fields constituting an image field c... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7119953 | Phase contrast microscope for short wavelength radiation and imaging method A phase contrast x-ray microscope has a phase plate that is placed in proximity of and attached rigidly to the objective to form a composite optic. This enables easier initial and long-term maintenance of alignment of the microscope. In one example, they are fabrica... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7114820 | Backlighting light pipe for illuminating a flat-panel display The invention relates to a new light pipe (313) for providing backlighting (312) of a flat-panel display (311) by means of at least one light source so that the light pipe has at least one surface which comprises patterns. The patterns have diff... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7106510 | Wavefront coded imaging systems The present invention provides improved Wavefront Coding imaging apparatus and methods composed of optics, a detector, and processing of the detected image. The optics are constructed and arranged to have the characteristic that the transverse ray intercept curves f... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7085054 | Diffraction grating element The present invention provides a diffraction grating element that allows the temperature control mechanism to be dispensed with or simplified. The diffraction grating element of the present invention comprises a transparent plate having a first surface and a second ... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7075723 | Optical apparatus which uses a virtually imaged phased array to produce chromatic dispersion An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated outpu... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7065272 | Fiber-to-waveguide coupler An optical waveguide to fiber coupler comprises a substrate, a first waveguide and a second waveguide. The first and second waveguides are formed on the substrate and intersect at a right angle. A diffraction grating structure is formed at the intersection of the fi... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7031078 | Laminated diffractive optical element An optical element of which diffraction efficiency hardly varies with wavelength is provided by using an optical material satisfying the conditions that nd>−6.667×10−3νd+1.70 and θg,F≦−2×10−3ν | 04/18/2006 |
| 7031571 | Bragg grating and method of producing a Bragg grating using an ultrafast laser A novel Bragg grating filter in optical waveguiding fiber with suppressed cladding mode coupling and method of producing same is disclosed. The novel grating structure is induced in both the core and the cladding of the optical fiber irrespective of the photosensiti... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7023630 | Optical element having minute periodic structure An optical element is disclosed which is resistant to changes in environmental characteristics such as temperature and humidity and achieves a stable and favorable reflection suppressing effect. The optical element has a base member and a resin layer which is formed... | 04/04/2006 |
| 6982819 | Electro-optic array interface A grating coupled surface plasmon resonance optical modulator is disclosed. A electro-optic polymer dielectric is deposited on the metallic surface of a diffraction grating to provide a metal/dielectric interface. A surface plasmon will propagate at the metal/dielec... | 01/03/2006 |
| 6977765 | Diffractive light modulator using cantilevers The present invention relates generally to a diffractive light modulator using cantilevers. The diffractive light modulator reflects and diffracts incident beams depending on a height difference formed when neighboring cantilevers, which are constructed in such a wa... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6967777 | Superposing diffraction optical element homogenizer optical system A DOE homogenizer including a plurality of parallel lasers emitting Gaussian beams of a diameter d along beam lines extending in a z-direction and aligning at a pitch p in an x-direction, and off-axis DOEs diffracting the Gaussian laser beams at inclining diffractio... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6947216 | Optical apparatus which uses a virtually imaged phased array to produce chromatic dispersion An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated outpu... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6940583 | Method and apparatus for amplitude filtering in the frequency plane of a lithographic projection system A method of projecting a pattern from a mask onto a substrate comprises providing an energy source, a substrate, and a mask containing a pattern of features to be projected onto the substrate, and projecting an energy beam from the energy source though the mask towa... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6917471 | Diffraction grating element The present invention provides a diffraction grating element that allows the temperature control mechanism to be dispensed with or simplified. The diffraction grating element of the present invention comprises a transparent plate having a first surface and a second ... | 07/12/2005 |
| 6909550 | Optical apparatus which uses a virtually imaged phased array to produce chromatic dispersion An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated outpu... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6895334 | Method and apparatus for optimizing optical system and recording medium with program for optimizing optical system Optical properties with high non-linearity such as a modulation transfer function (MTF) are efficiently optimized at high speed compared to conventional methods. An optimal solution of an optical system is obtained in a first optimization unit using a merit function... | 05/17/2005 |
| 6894836 | Diffraction grating, method of making and method of using A diffraction grating device operable as a reflection or transmission grating, and a method of manufacturing and using any number of such grating devices so that each device is individually electrically addressable to diffract radiation of different wavelengths. The... | 05/17/2005 |
| 6891675 | Optical device There is disclosed an optical device in which a first light source for outputting a first wavelength light is apart from a second light source for outputting a second wavelength light by a predetermined distance. An information recording medium is irradiated with th... | 05/10/2005 |
| 6813063 | Exciton polariton optical switch A waveguide having a periodic structure and the excitation of exciton polariton as one form of interactions between radiation fields and matter systems are applied to light switching to provide an optical switch that is excellent in light intensity extinction ratio ... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6806997 | Patterned diffractive light modulator ribbon for PDL reduction A modulator for modulating an incident beam of light. The modulator includes a plurality of elements, each element including a first end, a second end, a first linear side, a second linear side, and a continuous or non-continuous light reflective planar surface plur... | 10/19/2004 |
| 6762882 | System and method for use of dark field fourier diaphragm in multi-frequency imaging An imaging system is disclosed that includes an illumination source, a modulator and a variable Fourier diaphragm. The illumination source produces a first illumination field having a first frequency and a second illumination field having a second frequency. The mod... | 07/13/2004 |
| 6717199 | Tailored insulator properties for devices A method for tailoring properties of high k thin layer perovskite materials, and devices comprising such insulators are herein presented. The method comprise the steps of, first, substantially completing the manufacture of a device, which device contains the high k ... | 04/06/2004 |
| 6712473 | Mirror array device and projection type display apparatus using the same In order to provide a noise-free reliable projection type display apparatus which has no movable portion and can display a high quality full-color image, the following arrangement is proposed. In a projection type display apparatus which has an optical modulation de... | 03/30/2004 |
| 6641985 | Method for making element A SiO2 thin film is formed on a SiO2 substrate provided with a binary-type diffractive element by a radiofrequency sputtering process so as to cover the fine irregularities formed on the substrate caused by misalignment of masks in t... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6636293 | Exposure method and apparatus having a decreased light intensity distribution A method and apparatus for transferring a fine pattern (12) on a mask (11) onto a substrate (17) by a projection exposure apparatus including an illumination optical system (1-10) for irradiating an illuminating light on the mask (11), and a projection op... | 10/21/2003 |
