Kit For Providing An Image On A Substrate
Granted: January 1, 2009
Application Number:
20090004406
A kit for producing optically variable images is disclosed wherein the kit includes a special effect pigment having particles that are magnetically alignable, a magnet for aligning the particles and a scribing tool for personalizing an image. Alternatively or in addition the kit can include e-field responsive flakes in a carrier vehicle and an electric field source for aligning said flakes. A stylus may be included for moving or changing the alignment of a portion of the flakes that have…
Light Source
Granted: December 18, 2008
Application Number:
20080310027
An apparatus for coupling radiation of individual laser diode emitters into a common optical fiber is disclosed. The radiation is collimated along fast axis and combined by using crossed pairs of flat mirrors. The combined beams are collimated by a common slow axis collimating lens. The laser diode emitters are disposed on both sides of an optical axis of the slow axis collimating lens such that the optical path lengths from the emitters to the slow axis collimating lens are equal.
Mesa Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser
Granted: December 4, 2008
Application Number:
20080298416
The present invention provides an improved mesa vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), in which a first distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mesa of semiconductor material is disposed on a top surface of an active layer. A contact annulus is disposed on a contact region of a top surface of the first DBR mesa, such that an inner circumference of the contact annulus defines a window region of the top surface of the first DBR mesa. A second DBR mesa of dielectric material is disposed…
Method Of Recording Machine-Readable Information
Granted: November 27, 2008
Application Number:
20080290179
The invention relates to a method of recording machine-readable information on an article, including the steps of: providing a carrier having flakes dispersed therein onto the surface of the article, wherein all of the flakes have a beam-splitting grating pattern encoding the information thereon; aligning the flakes parallel to a sloped plane forming a slope angle with the surface of the article; and, solidifying the carrier. When the article is irradiated with an EM beam, a first…
Adiabatic Waveguide Transitions
Granted: November 27, 2008
Application Number:
20080292239
The invention relates to waveguiding structures in planar lightwave circuit devices that include a transition region between a slab waveguide and channel waveguides to reduce optical coupling loss. In particular star couplers and arrayed waveguide gratings incorporating the transition region of the present invention demonstrate reduced insertion loss. By creating a transition region composed of transverse rows intersecting the output waveguide array, where the rows have equal dimensions…
Structured surfaces that exhibit color by rotation
Granted: November 20, 2008
Application Number:
20080286501
An optically variable device is disclosed having a substrate with an array of pyramidal structures formed upon it or within it. The structures are coated with an optically variable color-shifting coating. Each of the structures form a pyramidal-like having at least three slanted faces and wherein one or more colors seen when viewing the pyramids vary as substrate is rotated at least 30 degrees about an axis orthogonal to the substrate. In order to see a color shift the device is rotated…
Structured surfaces that exhibit color by rotation
Granted: November 13, 2008
Application Number:
20080278816
An optically variable device is disclosed having a substrate with an array of pyramidal structures formed upon it or within it. The structures are preferably formed by printing pyramids with an optically variable color-shifting ink using an Intaglio-like printing process. Alternatively the structure can be formed by embossing a layer of ink with positive pyramids so as to yield an array of positive embossed pyramids. Each of the structures form a pyramidal-like having at least three…
Twisted Nematic xLCD Contrast Compensation With Tilted-Plate Retarders
Granted: October 16, 2008
Application Number:
20080252800
Contrast compensation for a liquid crystal display projection system including a light source, a first polarizer, a liquid crystal display panel, and a second polarizer is provided using a tilted compensating plate. The compensating plate includes a first birefringent element having an optic axis oriented at a first angle to the plate normal, where the first angle is greater than zero degrees (e.g., an A-plate or O-plate), and a second birefringent element having an optic axis oriented…
Three-dimensional orientation of grated flakes
Granted: October 9, 2008
Application Number:
20080248255
The invention relates to a coating on a surface, including a carrier and a plurality of flakes dispersed therein. The flakes are oriented quasi-normally to the surface and have grooves extending quasi-parallel to the surface, wherein the plurality of flakes forms at least 50% of all grated flakes in the coating. The invention also relates to a method of aligning the flakes using external fields of different orientations.
Flake For Covert Security Applications
Granted: October 2, 2008
Application Number:
20080236447
Taggent flakes for covert security applications have a covert security feature not typically seen by casual observation, but visible under a microscope. The covert feature is a predefined shape of the flakes, optionally complemented by indicia. The shaped taggent flakes can be opaque or light-transmissive, colored or essentially clear. The flakes are used in a composition, such as ink or paint, to provide a covert security feature to an object. In some embodiments the composition…
Surface Treated Flake
Granted: September 25, 2008
Application Number:
20080233401
The instant invention provides an asymmetrical orientable flake for use in a carrier. The flake includes a metal reflector layer and a coating of a carrier-repellent material coated on a single side of the flake, for orienting the flake in the carrier so that the flake rests upon the carrier having a first side at least partially out of the carrier and a second side immersed in the carrier. The flake has an asymmetrical feature, such as a color shifting coating on a single surface of the…
Optical Data Link
Granted: September 25, 2008
Application Number:
20080235418
The invention provides an optically powered device interface module for operating an external device, and an optically powered data link comprising the same. In one embodiment the device interface module includes an optical interface for receiving optical power and data signals, an electrical USB interface for providing USB compliant electrical data signals and a 5V electrical power signal to an external USB device, a transducer coupled to a signal processor for converting the optical…
Method And Sputter-Deposition System For Depositing A Layer Composed Of A Mixture Of Materials And Having A Predetermined Refractive Index
Granted: September 18, 2008
Application Number:
20080223714
A method and sputter-deposition system for depositing a layer composed of a mixture of materials and having a predetermined refractive index are provided. The sputter-deposition system includes a plurality of target cathodes, each of which comprises a target material having a different composition, that are powered by a single DC power supply. The plurality of target cathodes are cosputtered to deposit a layer composed of a mixture of materials on a substrate. The composite refractive…
Method And Control System For Depositing A Layer
Granted: September 18, 2008
Application Number:
20080223716
A method and control system are provided for depositing a layer in a sputter-deposition system having a target cathode. A first dependence relationship of a deposition rate of the layer on an operating parameter, selected from cathode voltage, cathode current, and cathode power, is provided prior to deposition of the layer. A second dependence relationship of the operating parameter on time is measured during deposition of the layer, while a different operating parameter, also selected…
Space-Variant Liquid Crystal Waveplate
Granted: September 18, 2008
Application Number:
20080226844
The invention provides a space-variant liquid-crystal (LC) photo-aligned waveplate having a vortex optic axis pattern, and an apparatus and method for fabricating thereof. The method in it preferred embodiment includes exposing a substrate coated with a photo-alignable material such as LPP to linearly polarized UV radiation through a wedge-shaped aperture, while rotating two of the aperture, the substrate and the polarization of the UV light, so that an exposure area performs a full…
Polarization Maintaining Fiber Pigtail Assembly
Granted: September 4, 2008
Application Number:
20080212916
The invention provides a fiber pigtail assembly wherein a polarization maintaining fiber is soldered directly to a mounting pad without a sleeve or a ferrule therebetween. A portion of the polarization maintaining fiber near a fiber end is embedded in a vertical slow axis orientation within an asymmetrical solder ball having a flat portion for adhering to the mounting pad. The vertical slow axis orientation of the polarization maintaining fiber within the solder ball enhances power…
Variable Optical Attenuator
Granted: August 28, 2008
Application Number:
20080205845
A variable optical attenuator is disclosed, which attenuates a beam of light while preserving its polarization substantially independent of wavelength. The beam of light is attenuated by a filter patterned with a grating of blocking stripes with serrated edges, which partially block and partially transmit the beam of light, respectively. The serrated edges provide for low polarization dependent loss. Along a length of the filter, a mark to space ratio of blocking stripe and aperture…
Single-Layer Birefringent Crystal Trim Retarders
Granted: August 14, 2008
Application Number:
20080192184
A single-layer birefringent crystal trim retarder includes a birefringent crystal cut such that its optic axis is at a high oblique angle and such that it provides low in-plane retardance values even when the birefringent crystal is relatively thick. To compensate for the inherent high +C-plate retardance of this high-tilt O-plate, the single-layer birefringent crystal is coupled with a ?C-plate thin-film retarder to provide a trim retarder having an overall A/?C-plate retarder…
Dynamic raman tilt compensation
Granted: August 14, 2008
Application Number:
20080192333
Raman tilt is induced by the propagation of optical signals in optical communication fibers during and after transient events. Certain characteristics of the light are monitored at each amplification node and Raman tilt correction is achieved by spectral tilt control optics. The light is monitored either as total power, and/or the power of light after passing through one or more optical filters. In the case of EDFA (Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier) the correction is performed by adjusting…
Planar Lightwave Circuit Based Tunable 3 Port Filter
Granted: August 14, 2008
Application Number:
20080193134
The invention relates to a tunable optical add/drop module (TOADM) monolithically integrated on a single planar lightwave circuit (PLC). The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing virtual pupils at the interface between the channel waveguides and the slab waveguide on the PLC for focusing each wavelength channel, and additional on-chip lenses on the PLC for transforming the focal plane of the spatially dispersive demultiplexer into a substantially flat…
