...During the Civil War, the Confederacy established its own Patent Office which issued 266 patents, a third of which concerned implements of war.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8002482 | Transparent screen, projection display device, and method of receiving control signal light A transparent screen is constructed in such a way that a plurality of Fresnel prisms 12d each of which is smaller than a plurality of Fresnel prisms 12a and has a shape approximately similar to that of each of the plurality of Fresnel pri... | 08/23/2011 |
| 7988370 | Camera with electroactive telescopic shutter module A camera includes a lens module, an image sensor, and a shutter module. The centers of the image sensor and the shutter module are on an optical axis of the lens module. The shutter module includes a frame and an electroactive telescopic unit having a first electroa... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7758261 | Light amount adjustment apparatus and image pickup apparatus Disclosed herein is a light amount adjustment apparatus, including: a light amount adjustment member; a rotatable magnet formed in a disk shape; a driving arm configured to be pivoted by rotation of the magnet to operate the light amount adjustment member; a core ha... | 07/20/2010 |
| 7651282 | Devices and methods for electronically controlling imaging In some embodiments, a device includes a light modulator layer having a plurality of elements, each having a controllable transmittance, and a plurality of lenses, wherein each of the plurality of lenses is disposed to receive light independently of each other. The ... | 01/26/2010 |
| 7544002 | Optical device An optical device includes: a sealed container having edge walls facing each other in a thickness direction of the container and a side wall connecting both of the edge walls; a first liquid with polarity or electrical conductivity and sealed within the container; a... | 06/09/2009 |
| 7427745 | Optical shutter for miniature cameras The invention relates to a shutter for an optical imaging system, e.g. a digital camera. The shutter comprises an interface between a transparent body and a capillary space. Light rays introduced to the active area of the interface are reflected by total internal re... | 09/23/2008 |
| 7410309 | Optical shutter The invention relates to a shutter for an optical imaging system. An amount of opaque fluid is moved in a planar capillary space to open and close the shutter. Depending on the position of the opaque fluid with respect to an optical path passing through the capillar... | 08/12/2008 |
| 7396169 | Light quantity adjusting device and photographing device having the same A light quantity adjusting device includes a ring-shaped base plate having an exposure aperture at a center thereof, a first light quantity adjusting blade arranged in the exposure aperture, a first drive device for opening/closing the first light quantity adjusting... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7339649 | Lens barrel and imaging device A lens barrel and imaging device advantageous for making unnatural brightness variation in an image, due to a liquid-crystal light control element, less noticeable, while reducing the size of an optical system, are disclosed. A lens barrel comprises an optical syste... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7186039 | Imaging optical system An imaging optical system includes an image forming optical system forming an image of an object, an imaging device placed in the proximity of the image of the object, a liquid crystal element placed at a preset position on the optical path between the object and th... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7145709 | Apparatus and methods for modulating refractive index An iono-refractive structure that includes one or more ion insertion layers having a real portion and an imaginary portion of the dielectric constant is provided. While both the real portion and the imaginary portion of the dielectric constant change, the change in ... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7019780 | Stereoscopic zoom lens with shutter arranged between first and second lens groups A lens unit and a camera capable of achieving stereoscopic television function and zoom function at the same time. More specifically, a lens unit (2) and a camera (1) each including at least a zoom lens (4), light quantity adjusting device (6... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7019917 | Lens barrel A lens barrel includes an optical system including a short focal length for a wide angle of view; and an ND filter in the shape of a disc which is provided on an optical axis of the optical system. An optical density of the ND filter decreases in a direction radiall... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6806985 | Optical system with shutter assembly having an integral shutter-mounted actuator An optical system includes a shutter assembly with a stationary support, a shutter pivotably mounted upon and movable with respect to the support; and a shutter drive mechanism. The shutter drive mechanism includes a permanent first magnet affixed to the shutter, an... | 10/19/2004 |
| 6702483 | Optical element An optical device capable of controlling its optical transmittance. The optical device has a first liquid conductive or having a polarity and a second liquid. The first and second liquids are substantially equal in refractive index but differ in transmitt... | 03/09/2004 |
| 6677999 | Non-polarizing LCD shutter An electronic shutter apparatus and light shuttering method for a still image capturing device are provided according to the invention. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a beam splitter positioned in an incoming light beam path and splitting the i... | 01/13/2004 |
| 6661555 | Light shutter device A light shutter device including a group of light shutter elements 31a, 31b 31c and 31d formed on a light shutter chip 30 made of PLZT has a construction in which an electrode gap is set wider in a element in which an electric field acts more strongly to ... | 12/09/2003 |
| 6561703 | Light shutter device In a light shutter device in which multiple light shutter elements are located on a substrate made of PLZT, and the ON/OFF control of light is carried out by having an electrical field operate on each light shutter element from a pair of electrodes, the c... | 05/13/2003 |
| 6441941 | Light shutter device A light shutter device which has a plurality of light transmitting portions (light shutter elements) on a planar PLZT substrate. By applying voltages between a common electrode and individual electrodes to apply electric fields to the light shutter elemen... | 08/27/2002 |
| 6404991 | Still photo camera A still photo camera for film and electronic image recording selectively employs various media and media evaluation modes with selectable mechanical, optical and electronic imaging.... | 06/11/2002 |
| 6347894 | Light shutter device A light shutter device which, on a planar PLZT substrate, has a plurality of light transmitting portions (light shutter elements) which are disposed in two groups separated by a common electrode, and individual electrodes provided for the respective eleme... | 02/19/2002 |
| 6033131 | Hybrid silicon-based micro-electromagnetic light shutter A hybrid, micro-electromagnetic light shutter includes a silicon body having a top surface with an arcuate groove formed on the top surface. A recess and a light aperture are formed in the top surface of the silicon body proximate to the arcuate groove. A... | 03/07/2000 |
| 5666190 | Method of performing lithography using cantilever array A lithography system includes a plurality of cantilevers, preferably formed in a silicon wafer. Each cantilever includes a tip located near the free end of the cantilever and an electrical conduction path which extends along the length of the cantilever t... | 09/09/1997 |
| 5619266 | Liquid crystal shutter control circuit for a video camera having a synchronized strobe flash A liquid crystal shutter, mounted on the side of a lens in a video camera, includes a pair of polarizing filters with a liquid crystal cell between them. A pulse generator generates a pulse for a predetermined length of time that is synchronized with a ve... | 04/08/1997 |
| 5471339 | Electrochromic diaphragm device A small-sized diaphragm device for an image pickup lens system having an electrochromic element the light transmitting properties of which are changed on application of an electrical voltage. The diaphragm device also includes a first set of plural concen... | 11/28/1995 |
| 5387958 | Electro-optical control of light attenuation in the optical path of a camera A camera which has an electrochromic neutral density filter. The neutral density filter is placed in the optical path of the camera. The filter changes the amount of light which may pass through it when a voltage is applied thereby regulating the amount o... | 02/07/1995 |
| 5374974 | High speed shuttle for gating a radiation beam, particularly for semiconductor lithography apparatus Fine, sub-micron line features and patterns are created in a sensitized layer on a semiconductor wafer by a beam of low wavelength radiation, such as X-rays or Gamma-rays. A continuous stream of such radiation is gated on and off by a shutter mechanism co... | 12/20/1994 |
| 5029989 | PLZT shutter A PLZT based shutter system reduces flare produced by reflective surfaces normally associated with PLZT based and other SLR shutter systems by eliminating a diffraction mirror and using highly reflective electrodes directly on the PLZT element to function... | 07/09/1991 |
| 4902115 | Optical system for endoscopes In order to facilitate accommodation into a narrow space and enable to reserve an observation range wider than those conventionally available while assuring high reliability and brightness sufficient for practical use, the optical system for endoscopes co... | 02/20/1990 |
| 4591253 | Adaptive vision system Cameras or optical devices requiring shutters to allow light to reach a light sensitive area from an object scene for a prescribed amount of time are provided with an electrically controlled light modulator to replace mechanical shutters. Cameras or optic... | 05/27/1986 |
| 4541699 | Method of manufacturing a camera tube faceplate It is desirable to have a camera tube in which the signal plate has a low capacity. This may be achieved by taking a conductor from the signal plate through the glass faceplate. Previous methods of manufacturing a faceplate in which a conductor is embedde... | 09/17/1985 |
| 4480269 | Television camera A television camera equipped with an active filter section capable of producing dynamic special effects in the picture. The filter section of the camera includes an electro-optic light control device which is arranged in the optical path of the imaging op... | 10/30/1984 |
| 4475803 | Light measuring device for camera A light measuring device for a camera which can change between light measuring ranges is achieved by dividing a transparent light condensing member into two or more portions of different optical characteristics and electrooptically actuating one or more l... | 10/09/1984 |
| 4333720 | Stop control device A stop device of the type using a physical property member which is arranged to have its light transmission factor variable and to form a light shielding part and a light transmitting part for effecting adjustment of an aperture value by adjusting the are... | 06/08/1982 |
| 4256372 | Catadioptric lens system with light transmission control means A catadioptric light system such as a module lens system capable of being mounted on a camera is provided. A plurality of light reflecting and refracting optic members are designed to provide a desired image forming light path through the lens system. Dis... | 03/17/1981 |
| 4249814 | Frustrated total internal reflection camera shutter An improved camera shutter system which employs the principles of frustrated total internal reflection as a means for controlling transmission of light to a camera film. The shutter is comprised of at least two prism elements, one facing the other and one... | 02/10/1981 |
| 4218120 | Electrochromic light regulator An electrochromic light regulator for adjusting or regulating the amount of light passing therethrough comprises first, second and third electrode units stacked one above the other in spaced manner. A space between each adjacent two of the first to third ... | 08/19/1980 |
| 4217045 | Capsule for photographic use in a walled organ of the living body A photographic capsule for diagnostic use in photographing a walled organ of the body such as a portion of the alimentary canal or the like includes a frame with a photographic unit and a balloon surrounding the photographic unit for expansion in place in... | 08/12/1980 |
| 4190343 | Photographic camera with exposure control utilizing a phase controllable crystal A high speed light measuring circuit utilizing a photodiode is combined with a high speed exposure terminating circuit utilizing two polarized filters and a liquid or ferroelectric crystal placed between the polarized filters to constitute an exposure con... | 02/26/1980 |
| 4114990 | Liquid crystal rotator A cholesteric filled liquid crystal cell has one surface homeotropically aligned and the opposite surface homogeneous parallel aligned. Plane polarized light incident upon the homogeneous parallel aligned surface with its polarization plane parallel with ... | 09/19/1978 |