Comic actor Danny Kaye received patent D166,807 for the co-design of "Blowout Toy or the Like". It's similar to one of those toys that unravels when you blow into at a birthday party except Kaye's has three blowouts going in different directions, not just one.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7359003 | Display, input and form factor for portable instruments A compact appliance providing high resolution display capability in an ergonomically designed package. Subassemblies of the device are mechanically coupled to avoid interference between a user's hands and face while the device is used, while concurrently providing e... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7262984 | Method and apparatus for storing and reading information in a ferroelectric material To store information in a ferroelectric material, a sample probe is used to bring about mechanical action on individual domains and thereby to cause a reversal of polarization in the individual domains, with electrodes situated below the ferroelectric material being... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7177537 | Automated portrait studio An automated studio and control system for taking photographs is disclosed that alleviates many exposure problems and simplifies variables with which the photographer must deal in order to achieve consistent high quality photographs. The studio includes a multi-ligh... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7142781 | Self-luminous device and electric machine using the same To provide a self-luminous device capable of clear, multi-gray scale, color display and an electric machine provided with the same. Gray scale display is attained by a time division driving method in which an EL element (109) provided in a pixel (104) ... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7119968 | AF control apparatus An AF control apparatus includes a plurality of movable lens groups, each of which is movable along an optical axis for performing focusing independently, and a driving system for moving each of the movable lens groups. A moving path of each of the movable lens grou... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7110155 | Light modulation apparatus, image pickup apparatus, and drive methods therefor Disclosed are a light modulation apparatus including a liquid crystal device; and a polarizing plate disposed in an optical path of light made incident on said liquid crystal device; wherein said liquid crystal device is of a guest-host type using a negative type li... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7106958 | Intra-oral camera and a method for using same An intra-oral camera for producing an axially aligned picture of an intra-oral item of interest permits a rapid taking of pictures, whereby burdensome usage requirements are avoided without, however, suffering any diminishment in the quality of the picture that is t... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7103273 | AF driving mechanism of camera A worm gear is provided on a rotating shaft of an AF motor. A first supporting cylinder includes a gear portion and a receiving portion. A wheel gear, which is in engagement with the worm gear, is formed on an outer surface of the gear portion. A slit is formed at t... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7037659 | Apparatus for constructing DNA probes having a prismatic and kaleidoscopic light homogenizer The present invention provides an apparatus for constructing arrays of DNA sequences using the image of a micromirror array projected on a reaction site using a highly uniform beam of light produced by a homogenizer formed of a prismatic refractive element followed ... | 05/02/2006 |
| 6979138 | Mount lock apparatus for camera A mount lock apparatus for a camera includes a projecting exterior portion provided substantially at a central portion of a front surface of a camera body; a circular annular mount plate, which is fitted to the projecting exterior portion, and to which a photographi... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6606458 | Automatic framing camera This invention provides an automatic framing camera that identifies a still subject, frames it, and photographs it. The ranging direction of a ranging unit (light emitting element and light receiving element) that can range in one direction is changed by a pan... | 08/12/2003 |
| 6308015 | Camera having automatic focusing device There is provided a camera with an automatic focusing device having hybrid AF unit capable of always performing a reliable automatic focusing operation on a moving object to provide a more preferable photographic result. The camera includes first distance... | 10/23/2001 |
| 5771412 | Focus detection device and method using a projection pattern material A device and a method for focus detection that increases the amount of light projected on an object to capture the object without fail. Light rays are projected onto an object by a projection optical system using a projection pattern film that contains tr... | 06/23/1998 |
| 5596386 | Projection and reception type focus detecting apparatus A projection and reception type focus detecting apparatus, which is capable of making the range measurement in plural regions, includes a light source for illuminating an object with a beam of light, a projection optical system, a reception optical system... | 01/21/1997 |
| 5148210 | Automatic focusing apparatus An automatic focusing device for driving an optical system to focus on a subject. The device has a CCD to read an image of the subject, a driver for the CCD so that a first image signal is outputted from the CCD in a normal direction and a second image si... | 09/15/1992 |
| 5056914 | Charge integration range detector A system and a method for obtaining object data with a direct detection technique which employs radiation are disclosed. A set of radiation pulses are transmitted to an object area. A mechanical scan of the object area for returning pulses reflected off a... | 10/15/1991 |
| 5003338 | Exposure control device for camera A camera which automatically controls an exposure by identifying a change in composition in image field and the kind of main object. The camera comprises an exposure device for exposing an image-taking plane to an image of the object field formed by an im... | 03/26/1991 |
| 4912494 | Camera system A camera system has an interchangeable lens releasably attached to a camera body, an information processing portion provided in the camera body, and another information processing portion provided in the interchangeable lens. The information processing po... | 03/27/1990 |
| 4908649 | Automatic focus detection device for use in a camera In a camera having an automatic focus detection device of active type, an auxiliary light source to project light to the object for the purpose of automatic focus detection is shared to a self-timer indicator.... | 03/13/1990 |
| 4868591 | Photodetector element for optical rangefinders A photodetector element for use in a rangefinder of a camera comprises a first photoelectric element having a plurality of light receiving segments parallel to each other and adapted to provide a photoelectric output, and a second photoelectric element ha... | 09/19/1989 |
| 4821074 | Exposure control device for a camera An exposure control device for a camera comprising: first means for measuring light from a central area of an object field, said first measuring means including a plurality of means for receiving light from different portions within the central area, respectiv... | 04/11/1989 |
| 4696559 | Variable focal length, automatic focusing camera with a single motor A lens barrel unit for attachment to a camera body and providing automatic focusing variable focal length and shutters. A single motor provide motive power for the shutter, for the movement of part of the lens system for focusing and for mechanical scanni... | 09/29/1987 |
| 4573785 | Display device for focus detecting camera In the disclosed focus detecting camera, a display is arranged to indicate the drive direction of the camera's photo-taking lens. The camera's focus detecting circuit can detect the in-focus, near-focus, and far-focus positions of the taking lens except w... | 03/04/1986 |
| 4561748 | Focus detection device An active focus detecting device for use in a camera is provided and includes emitting light that is polarized, and collimated so that the light forms a light bundle which will pass near the optical axis of the objective lens, and then will be projected i... | 12/31/1985 |
| 4504135 | Automatic focusing device An automatic focusing device of a camera capable of photo-taking in infrared ray has means for detecting a focus condition of an imaging lens and correction means for producing information representing a difference between a focusing point of an image for... | 03/12/1985 |
| 4473284 | In-focus state detecting device for camera An in-focus state detecting device which is provided with erroneous signal discriminating means is arranged such that: The lens cap of a photo-taking lens has the whole surface or a part of the surface thereof formed into a diffuse transmission face. With... | 09/25/1984 |
| 4456351 | Focus detecting device A device which detects the focus condition of an optical system with respect to an object, includes a sensor having at least one sensing surface, the senor providing an electrical indication to associated circuitry corresponding to light which has passed ... | 06/26/1984 |
| 4456360 | Camera In a camera having automatic focus detecting means for automatically detecting an in-focus position to effect focusing of the photo-taking lens, and exposure control means for controlling the opening and closing operation of the shutter blades in accordan... | 06/26/1984 |
| 4403843 | Switching assembly for focussing, photosensitive elements of a camera For use with a camera which is adapted for use with at least two interchangeable lenses having different brightness levels, a switching assembly is provided to enable one of at least two focussing, photosensitive elements each associated with a different ... | 09/13/1983 |
| 4333716 | Focus detection system Disclosed is a focus detecting system in which first and second signals corresponding to image forming states at first and second positions each almost at the same distance before and behind a predetermined focal plane of an image forming optical system a... | 06/08/1982 |
| 4331399 | Focal point coincidence sensing device A focal point detecting device comprises a light-receiving device having a plurality of light-receiving elements which receive incident light coming from two different light paths. In the first step, the light-receiving device receives the incident light ... | 05/25/1982 |
| 4326783 | Interchangeable objective lens single-lens reflex camera focusing device A single lens reflex camera includes a vertical open topped U-shaped bracket mounted in the camera body below the pentaprism, a forwardly located lens mount separably coupled to an objective lens and pairs of links mutually pivoted between their ends conn... | 04/27/1982 |
| 4324463 | Photographic camera When a trigger lever is depressed, both a focus adjuster ring and a control disk commence to rotate in unison, driven by a spring mechanism. Position-sensing switches receive signals indicating which subject-distance setting the focus adjuster ring should... | 04/13/1982 |
| 4318598 | Automatic focusing device in a camera An automatic focusing device in a camera comprises drive means for moving a picture-taking lens in the direction of the optic axis so that the picture-taking lens can be focused to an object from the shortest distance to infinity, detector means having ph... | 03/09/1982 |
| 4217043 | Camera having an automatic focus control apparatus An automatic focus control apparatus for a camera lens which includes a fixed and a movable optical system, each adapted to form an image of an object to be photographed on a respective photosensitive means. The movable optical system includes a rotatable... | 08/12/1980 |
| 4209241 | Photoelectric rangefinder A photoelectric rangefinder for use in a photographic camera for automatically focusing an image of a target object on a predetermined image plane. The system utilizes an electro-optical spatial filter having at least two photoresponsive elements to find ... | 06/24/1980 |
| 4183640 | Automatic focus adjusting device A rangefinder mechanism is shown in which the scanning mirror has been replaced with a movable scanning optic. The automatic rangefinder system includes a pair of optical paths, one a reference path and the other a scanned path, which are lead to impinge ... | 01/15/1980 |
| 4183641 | Focus detecting device In an automatic focus detecting device in which a vibrating prism is provided on the focal plane of an objective of an optical instrument such as a camera, a photodetector element used for detecting focus is composed of a central element functioning as a ... | 01/15/1980 |
| 4150888 | Closed loop automatic focusing unit A closed loop automatic focusing system suitable for use in a camera is disclosed which has a beam producing means producing a narrow beam of light radiation directed toward an object to be focused. Having been reflected by the object, the beam is receive... | 04/24/1979 |
| 4125847 | Rangefinding mechanism A rangefinder mechanism is shown in which the scanning mirror has been reced with a movable scanning optic. The automatic rangefinder system includes a pair of optical paths one a reference path and the other a scanned path which are led to impinge upon ... | 11/14/1978 |