Lawrence Welk, the bandleader who entertained millions of Americans over a generation of broadcasting his TV show, once received a patent: for a music-themed design of an ashtray.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7755841 | Liquid-lens variable-control optics in array microscope A liquid lens includes a segmented electrode that allows the simultaneous application of different potentials across the lens's meniscus to obtain a predetermined aberration correction condition and to adjust focal length as necessary to conform to the topography of... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7561341 | Lens, method of manufacturing the lens, and camera having the lens A lens having a supercritical fluid is disclosed. The lens includes a package storing a supercritical fluid and a density changing element for changing the density of the fluid. ... | 07/14/2009 |
| 7420744 | Ambient environment index of refraction insensitive optical system A refractive optical system may be a collimator, focusing optical system, reducer, or expander and includes an entrance optical element, an exit optical element, and a volume disposed between the entrance and exit optical elements. The volume is configured to have a... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7408717 | Liquid-based optical device, method for controlling such a device and electronic device The present invention discloses an optical device comprising a container enclosing an insulating liquid (A) and an electrically susceptible liquid (B), the insulating liquid (A) and the electrically susceptible liquid (B) being immiscible and being in contact with e... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7375898 | Optical device, optical unit and imager An optical device comprises: a liquid container that contains water-based liquid and oil-based liquid that are different in refractive index from each other and immiscible with each other to have respective optical-transmission properties so that light can transmit ... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7369332 | Closing module for an optical arrangement Closing module for an optical arrangement, in particular for an objective for microlithography, comprising an optically active closing element (3) having a first axis (3.1) and a holding device (2) that fixes the closing element (3) at le... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7369321 | Variable-focus liquid lens A variable focus liquid lens is formed using two substrates with at least two through holes in at least one of the substrates. One end of each through hole is covered with a distensible membrane, one on the exterior surface of the substrate and the other on the inte... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7310189 | Variable beam shaping element A beam-shaping element includes a cavity, a first fluid and a second fluid having different indices of refraction. An optical axis extends through the cavity. The cavity has at least one curved surface extending transverse the optical axis. At least one pump is arra... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7301708 | Variable lens A variable lens includes a chamber defined by at least one side wall and has an optical axis extending longitudinally through the chamber. The chamber contains a first fluid and a second fluid contact over a meniscus extending transverse the optical axis. The perime... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7277231 | Projection objective of a microlithographic exposure apparatus A projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has a correction device which can correct photoinduced imaging errors without optical elements having to be removed for this purpose. The correction device includes a first optical element a... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7265815 | System and method utilizing an illumination beam adjusting system A method and system are used to control a characteristic of a beam. The system comprises an illumination system, at least one optical element, a fluid source, and a pressure and/or fluid concentration controller. The illumination system produces a beam of radiation.... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7203007 | Projection exposure machine comprising a projection lens A projection exposure machine comprises a projection lens with a lens arrangement and at least one stop. The lens arrangement comprises a group of optical elements which is arranged between the stop and the image plane. An optical element of the group situated close... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7177083 | Display device with electrooptical focussing A display device is provided for generating an image which is perceivable, by a viewer (M) of an object located in an object plane (O), as being superimposed on the object, said device comprising an image generating device (1) for generating the image in an i... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7119952 | Optical instrument, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to ultraviolet light via a pattern of a reticle. The apparatus includes an optical element disposed on a path of the ultraviolet light extending from a light source to the substrate, a holder configured to hold the opti... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7082003 | Pressure compensating device for optical apparatus In order to provide an arrangement for pressure compensation for optical devices, particularly spectrometers or the like optical devices, for compensating pressure differences caused by changes in temperature and air pressure between the internal pressure and the ex... | 07/25/2006 |
| 6936809 | Method and device for lateral adjustment of image A liquid lens, according to the electrowetting principle, is used in an imaging system to affect the optical axis of the imaging system. In particular, a seal compartment having a first side and an opposing second side is used to dispose a liquid lens on the first s... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6930838 | Variable focus lens by small changes of the equatorial lens diameter A variable focus lens is constructed by making small changes in the equatorial diameter of an elastically deformable lens. The lens may be deformed by radial tension exerted in a plane generally perpendicular to the optical axis. The radial tension may be exerted by... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6924939 | Zoom lens system, and image pick-up apparatus incorporating such zoom lens system Disclosed is a zoom lens system which includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a first lens unit having negative optical power, a second lens unit having positive optical power, and a third lens unit having positive optical power. During the zoomin... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6867923 | Projection lens, in particular for microlithography A projection lens (3), in particular for microlithography, is provided with an object plane (7), with an image plane (9), with a lens arrangement (4) and with at least one gas chamber filled with gas or through which gas flows. The gas ch... | 03/15/2005 |
| 6829102 | Zoom lens, and camera and portable information terminal for utilizing zoom lens A zoom lens comprising a first group of lenses (1) having negative focal length, a second group of lenses (2) having positive focal length, and a third group of lenses (3 having the positive focal length in order from an object side, in which the second group of len... | 12/07/2004 |
| 6813097 | Lenses capable of post-fabrication modulus change Novel optical elements are provided which are capable of post fabrication modifications. Specifically, the invention includes lenses, such as intraocular lens, which can undergo changes in storage modulus after fabrication. ... | 11/02/2004 |
| 6804041 | Photonic processors and optical guiding structures for lightwave applications, systems, and techniques A light processing cell and method for lightwave applications is disclosed. The cell comprises at least one gas medium; an enclosure for containment of the gas medium, the enclosure allowing light transmission through the gas medium; and polar molecules dispersed wi... | 10/12/2004 |
| 6445509 | Variable fresnel type structures and process In the lens embodiment, the invention described herein incorporates a first fluid with a first refractive index in a first series of concentric zones and a second fluid with a second refractive index in a second series of concentric zones. The two zones b... | 09/03/2002 |
| 6377403 | Short pulse laser protection fly's eye lens A lens array (7) has a plurality of frusto-spherical convex lenses (14, 15), formed in an optical entry surface (8) and an optical exit surface (9), focusing light rays (18, 19) near the center between each lens pair (14a, 15a) in an area (20) where the l... | 04/23/2002 |
| 6320705 | Adjustable optical wedge The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and lubricant composition for an adjustable wedge that utilizes the relative positioning of adjacently disposed convex and concave surfaces with equal spherical or cylindrical curvatures contacted toget... | 11/20/2001 |
| 6313953 | Gas chemical filtering for optimal light transmittance; and methods Systems and methods of achieving optimal light transmittance through a gas and light transmittance region. This invention is directed at the application of specific activated carbon based materials for the protection of imaging lenses which are targeting ... | 11/06/2001 |
| 6081388 | Opto-electronic imaging system for industrial applications The invention is directed to an optoelectronic imaging system for industrial applications having at least two optical lenses (1, 2) which are spaced apart from one another and an electronic image sensor (8), wherein the imaging sharpness on the image sens... | 06/27/2000 |
| 6069739 | Method and lens arrangement to improve imaging performance of microlithography exposure tool A technique for introducing variable phase delay across portions of a spatially coherent light beam, such as a laser, without changing the focal length of the portions of the beam. A fly's-eye lens array is utilized to distribute the light for a more unif... | 05/30/2000 |
| 6055113 | Optical pickup and an optical pickup objective lense assembling method This invention intends to provide an optical pickup of which it is possible to limit aberrations within a tolerable limit without incorporating a special device for that purpose even if errors arise in thickness of component lenses of a two-lens system co... | 04/25/2000 |
| 5991086 | Inflatable optical housing An inflatable optical housing is adapted to provide a visual image and be used in connection with a separate computing device. The housing is sized by one or more bladders and at least one associated alignment member. Optical elements of the device provid... | 11/23/1999 |
| 5682268 | Gas lens A colliding shock wave lens consists of a set of spark gaps capable of generating a number of shock waves in a gaseous medium which coalesce at the centre of the device, forming a region of transitory high density gas. This region of high density acts as ... | 10/28/1997 |
| 5443506 | Lens with variable optical properties A variable focus intraocular lens system alters the type of medium which is located between two lens surfaces of the intraocular lens system to alter the accommodation of the lens. A continuous flow path is created in the intraocular lens system which con... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5299058 | Method of reproducing mirage-like phenomenon A method of reproducing a mirage-like phenomenon which comprises forming a structure comprising at least two see-through phases wherein the density of a lower phase in contact with an upper phase is larger than that of the upper phase, the density ratio (... | 03/29/1994 |
| 5216535 | Optical deflection device An optical deflection device for redirecting and/or focusing a high-power collimated beam of light, comprising an optically transparent gas-filled hollow sphere, and a plurality of gas-filled lenses positioned within the sphere. When photorefractive or op... | 06/01/1993 |
| 5074629 | Integrated variable focal length lens and its applications A variable focal length lens integrated onto a silicon wafer. A light transmitting material such as gas or liquid is entrapped in a cavity in the wafer. The cavity has a flexible, light transmitting wall. The wall provides one surface of the lens. When th... | 12/24/1991 |
| 5067801 | Transverse flow aerodynamic lens This invention describes a method and an apparatus for refracting a laser beam. The beam can be collimated, focused, or expanded in passage through a series of in-line, orthogonally-mounted modules, each of which utilizes a fully-developed thermal boundar... | 11/26/1991 |
| 4883345 | Projection optical apparatus An apparatus for projecting a pattern on a first plane onto a second plane comprises a projection lens system disposed between the first plane and the second plane and including a plurality of lens elements disposed at intervals, a plurality of spaces def... | 11/28/1989 |
| 4871237 | Method and apparatus for adjusting imaging performance of projection optical apparatus In a method and apparatus for highly precisely adjusting the optical performance including the imaging plane and the magnification factor of a projection lens in a projection optical apparatus, adjustment of the projection lens is achieved by changing the... | 10/03/1989 |
| 4802746 | Variable-focus optical element and focus detecting device utilizing the same A variable focus optical element comprises plural elastic members superposed in the axial direction and a deforming member having an aperture to cause the elastic member to protrude therefrom or descend therein thereby deforming the surface of the elastic... | 02/07/1989 |
| 4758072 | Gas zoom lens assembly A gas zoom lens of the double Gauss type is disclosed. The lens, at a unity magnification setting, has cavities between the outer lens elements filled with a gas under a first pressure and a central cavity filled with the same gas at a second lower pressu... | 07/19/1988 |