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.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7962020 | Imaging apparatus An imaging apparatus includes an imaging device, and an optical system configured to image light from an imaging subject on the imaging device. The optical system includes a group of lenses and an aperture diaphragm. When NP point is defined as a point where an exte... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7751695 | High-speed massively parallel scanning A new technique for recording a series of images of a high-speed event (such as, but not limited to: ballistics, explosives, laser induced changes in materials, etc.) is presented. Such technique(s) makes use of a lenslet array to take image picture elements (pixels... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7415335 | Mobile data collection and processing system and methods The mobile data collection system includes a positioning system, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and/or an Inertial Navigation System (INS), to generate position and time data. A down looking line scan camera for mounting on a vehicle, obtains a s... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7330649 | Universal security camera A security camera has an adjustable turret that holds a lens assembly which can be aimed in various directions. The camera also has a compact housing which, in combination with the adjustable directionality of the turret, enables universal mounting to various struct... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7321849 | Geometric model database for use in ubiquitous computing A system and process for providing a geometric model database for use in an ubiquitous computing environment. In general, the geometric model database system and process is capable of accepting information about the geometric state of the environment, building a geo... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7286301 | Camera zoom device and method for a mobile communication terminal A camera zoom device and method for a mobile communication terminal. The camera zoom device includes a zoom dial rotating about a rotation axis; a zoom dial rotation sensing unit for sensing a rotation angle of the zoom dial; a zoom controlling unit for determining ... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7268805 | image pick-up device In order to prevent the upper part of a subject such as a multistoried building or the like from being photographed in a short form when a wide angle shot is carried out, image pick-up means 5 are provided at intervals of 90 degrees on a base 4. The im... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7239338 | Videophone system and method System and method for providing personal videotelephony in which a plurality of videophones are connected to a communications network that is configured for transmitted video and audio communications. Each of the videophones typically includes a camera, display devi... | 07/03/2007 |
| 7233351 | Method for high resolution incremental imaging A method and apparatus to capture a high resolution photograph of a target. A focal zone of a linear image sensing array is displaced across an area containing a target to be photographed. The displacement may be angular or linear with appropriate scaling to yield t... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7222021 | Operator guiding system A base station is installed in a predetermined area where a large number of target points are studded around the station. When the operator moves a mobile station around the base station, display means is provided for both or either of the base station that guides t... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7194112 | Three dimensional spatial panorama formation with a range imaging system Deriving a three-dimensional panorama from a plurality of images of a scene generated by a range imaging camera of the type that produces ambiguities in range information includes the steps of: (a) acquiring a plurality of adjacent images of the scene, wherein there... | 03/20/2007 |
| 7162077 | Palette-based image compression method, system and data file A system and method involving the compression of palette-based color images. Compression is based upon coding for boundaries that exist in the original uncompressed image, where such boundaries effectively define a character of binary color differentiation between n... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7140544 | Three dimensional vision device and method, and structured light bar-code patterns for use in the same The present invention is a system and method for three dimensional machine vision including a projector and camera. The projector casts a structured light Quadratic Residue Bar Code on the surface to be mapped. The camera then images the surface. The projected image... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7129971 | Rotating scan self-cleaning camera A scanning camera with a rotating drum has one or more sensors characterized by a non-radial optical axis. With two sensors on opposite sides of the drum and facing in substantially the same direction, stereoscopic recording of a panorama is accomplished as the drum... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7116351 | Imaging device An imaging device includes a plurality of plane mirrors disposed into a polygonal pyramid shape, and a plurality of cameras disposed so as to individually face to the plurality of plane mirrors, wherein each of the plurality of cameras includes a lens, and an incide... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7069573 | Personal broadcasting and viewing method of audio and video data using a wide area network A method for transmitting audio/video data from a web site to viewing devices, e.g., personal digital assistant, cellular phone. The method includes prompting at least two selections on a viewing device, which is coupled to a worldwide network of computers through a... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7068836 | System and method for mapping a surface In accordance with a specific embodiment of the present invention, an image is projected upon a surface. The image can include a pattern having a plurality of individual shapes used to measure and map the surface. The plurality of individual shapes include features ... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7047305 | Personal broadcasting system for audio and video data using a wide area network A system for transferring real time video information from a source device to one of a plurality of output devices includes an image capturing device for acquiring video information, the image capturing device comprising a processor, a graphics module coupled to the... | 05/16/2006 |
| 6999072 | Data processing method, data processing program and recording medium In order to provide a data processing technique for easily and suitably executing an integrating process for a plurality of image groups obtained successively from different directions against the object to be the base for generating a three-dimensional shape data o... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6957177 | Geometric model database for use in ubiquitous computing A system and process for providing a geometric model database for use in an ubiquitous computing environment. In general, the geometric model database system and process is capable of accepting information about the geometric state of the environment, building a geo... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6885817 | Method and device for orienting a digital panoramic image A method for orienting a digital panoramic image obtained using at least one initial wide-angle image the image points of which are transferred into a three-dimensional coordinate system includes inserting an orientation mark into the initial image at the time of th... | 04/26/2005 |
| 6628897 | Camera system A camera system is provided for acquiring an image of a scene with a wide angle such as an omni-directional scene with a high resolution and for acquiring an image of a dynamic object. The camera system includes a reflecting mirror, a first imaging unit, ... | 09/30/2003 |
| 6556783 | Method and apparatus for three dimensional modeling of an object A topological panorama camera has a track or other system upon which a linescan camera can move in one, two or three dimensions while recording the image of an object. The path, speed, acceleration, scan rate and direction of the linescan camera can be co... | 04/29/2003 |
| 6278480 | Compound eye camera system A compound eye camera provided integrally with plural image pickup elements and a display unit adapted to display an image, divided into stripes in every scanning line or in every plural scanning lines and to give different directionalities to the display... | 08/21/2001 |
| 6192196 | Panoramic camera A panoramic camera has a camera housing rotatable about an axis of rotation that defines a viewpoint which points along a radial optical path that object rays traverse as the camera is rotated about its axis; a lens assembly having an optical path and a f... | 02/20/2001 |
| 6023588 | Method and apparatus for capturing panoramic images with range data A technique of capturing a stereoscopic panoramic photographic image of a scene, includes capturing a first 360° panoramic image of a scene from a first point on a vertical axis; and capturing a second 360° panoramic image of the scene from a second poi... | 02/08/2000 |
| 5950018 | Panoramic camera A panoramic camera has a camera housing rotatable about an axis of rotation that defines a viewpoint which points along a radial optical path that object rays traverse as the camera is rotated about its axis; a lens assembly having an optical path and a f... | 09/07/1999 |
| 5937212 | Image pickup apparatus A compound eye image pickup apparatus with reduced parallax having two optical image pickup systems wherein the cross points between entrance pupils and optical axes of the two optical image pickup systems are generally coincident.... | 08/10/1999 |
| 5903782 | Method and apparatus for producing a three-hundred and sixty degree spherical visual data set The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for producing a three-hundred and sixty degree spherical visual data set using at least one lens. The lens encompasses a field of view of not less than one-hundred and eighty degrees. The field ... | 05/11/1999 |
| 5870642 | Panoramic support for camera permits horizontal-format and vertical-format image recordings A panoramic support for a camera having a rotatable indexing head used to rotate the camera the same angle between successive image recordings in order to obtain a series of recorded images that can be combined to provide a comprehensive panoramic image, ... | 02/09/1999 |
| 5659804 | Panoramic camera A panoramic camera has a camera housing rotatable about an axis of rotation that defines a viewpoint which points along a radial optical path that object rays traverse as the camera is rotated about its axis; a lens assembly having an optical path and a f... | 08/19/1997 |
| 5606393 | Illumination measuring device for panoramic photography An illumination measuring device for panoramic picture taking has a first photoelectric illumination intensity receiver which diffusely determines light falling in a first measuring region and illuminating a first panoramic portion, at least one further p... | 02/25/1997 |
| 5448411 | Zoom type of finder optical arrangement The invention is directed to a zoom type of finder optical arrangement which, even when the magnification of finder is increased by changing the focal length of the eyepiece system, is less likely or unlikely to undergo aberration fluctuations and kept st... | 09/05/1995 |
| 5412443 | Camera having a variable photographing aperture and retractable optical system A camera is capable of photographing with a plurality of photographing aperture sizes, the largest one of the plurality of photographing aperture sizes being defined. At least one movable plate member is provided for converting a photographing aperture si... | 05/02/1995 |
| 5410381 | Camera A camera having a finder, capable of photographing a first size and a second size, comprises a field frame for the first size, which is provided in front of an eye piece of said finder, and a field frame plate for the second size, which is provided in a m... | 04/25/1995 |
| 5394209 | Surveillance device with eyeball assembly and pivotably mountable carriage assembly A surveillance assembly in which a camera and lens assembly is surrounded by a shroud to form an eyeball assembly which is rotatable about first and second axes and which is enclosed within a housing. A carriage assembly for mounting the eyeball assembly ... | 02/28/1995 |
| 5386259 | Coordinating mechanism for picture image area and field frame size adjusting apparatus of camera An apparatus for adjusting the size of a picture image area and field frame of a view finder in an associated manner. The apparatus includes a picture image area restricting member which is linearly movable into and out of a photographing aperture, a fiel... | 01/31/1995 |
| 5363160 | Camera in which a light blocking shield is automatically moved towards a normal position as a movable lens mount is retracted to a storage position An improvement is provided in a camera having a movable lens mount for supporting a taking lens. The improvement includes at least one light blocking shield which is movable between (1) a panoramic position in which light passing through the taking lens i... | 11/08/1994 |
| 5359386 | Panoramic enlarging printer with negative shuttle An apparatus for enlarging and printing panoramic photographs includes a light source and a negative shuttle having upper and lower parallel plates for securing and enclosing entirely a negative placed therebetween. Interposed between the light source and... | 10/25/1994 |
| 5315331 | Optical apparatus capable of performing a panoramic photographing An optical apparatus capable of a panoramic photographing includes a photographing lens, an auxiliary lens having positive refraction to convert its focal length synthesized with the photographing lens to a focal length shorter than the individual focal l... | 05/24/1994 |
