Other

Teledesic LLC

Endwave Corporation

Endlink Corporation

Conductus, Inc.

Pascal's Pocket Corporation

Vaxo Technologies, LLC

Gigabeam Corporation

Endgate Technology Corporation

Douglas Gene Lockie

Clifford A Mohwinkel

Gary Edwin Sutton

Raymond R Blasing

Edwin F Johnson

Edward A Keible

Mark Alan Sturza

James R Stuart

Edward F Tuck

Paul Likins

Richard Stacy Withers

Alison K Brown

Mark W Thomson

David Palmer Patterson

Moshe L Liron

Thomas N Giaccherini

Vilnis G Grencions

Asu Ram Jha

John T Martin

Barry Hugh Whalen

Michael Keddington

Gerd R Ley

Douglas Sallen

Donald A Ashford

Lucien Tournie

H Beat Wackernagel, Deceased

David L Payne

Cliff Mohwinkel

William Maynard Barton

Methods and apparatus for combining a mobile communication device having a camera () that includes a curved sensor () are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, motion is deliberately imparted to a sensor and/or an optical element while multiple exposures are taken to provide an enhanced image.

Curved sensor camera with moving optical train

Methods and apparatus for a Curved Sensor System are disclosed. The present invention includes a wide variety of generally curved, aspheric or non-planar arrangement of sensors and their equivalents. The curved surfaces, edges or boundaries that define the geometry of the present invention may be continuous, or may be collections or aggregations of many small linear, planar or other segments which are able to approximate a curved line or surface.

Curved sensor system

Methods and apparatus for combining a mobile communication device having a camera () that includes a curved sensor () are disclosed. The present invention offers higher quality pictures that conventional phones that incorporate a flat sensor. These higher quality pictures are obtained without the need for large, bulky and expensive lenses. Higher light gathering capacity is provided, which reduces or eliminates the need for a flash to enhance ambient illumination. Longer battery life is obtained, since the need for a flash is reduced or eliminated. The combination of a mobile communication device with a camera that utilizes a curved sensor renders dedicated pocket cameras obsolete. The present invention, which, for the first time, combines a mobile communication device with a high performance camera, will reduce or eliminate the need to carry a separate stand-alone camera.

Mobile communicator with curved sensor camera

Methods and apparatus for a Personal Digital Asset Manager are disclosed. One embodiment of the present invention is a miniature electronic device, which functions as a fully-powered personal computer, which stores digital files and content, and which communicates wirelessly with external input and output devices and a network such as the Internet. In one embodiment, the present invention may be carried in a pocket or purse, clipped on a belt or incorporated into a pair of glasses.

Personal digital asset manager

Methods and apparatus for a Curvilinear Sensor System are disclosed. The present invention includes a wide variety of generally curved, aspheric or non-planar arrangement of sensors and their equivalents. The curvilinear surfaces, edges or boundaries that define the geometry of the present invention may be continuous, or may be collections or aggregations of many small linear, planar or other segments which are able to approximate a curved line or surface.

Curvilinear sensor system

Methods and apparatus for providing a Fluorescent Lighting System are disclosed. In one embodiment, the present invention may be used as a fluorescent lamp ballast which is controlled using a non-resonant circuit that allows the ballast to lower to fifty percent the light output of the lamp while providing a corresponding fifty percent reduction in energy used.

Fluorescent lighting system

Methods and apparatus for a high speed wireless communication system are disclosed. The high speed wireless links are accomplished using relatively narrow beams (&#x3c;1&#xb0;). These beams are produced using rotational motion at a base station in the center of a cell. In one embodiment of the invention, a radio and an antenna are mounted on a rotating element attached to a vertical mast. In another embodiment, a rotating mirror is employed to produce reflected beams. The present invention may be implemented using the 71-76 GHz, 81-86 GHz, and/or 92-95 GHz frequency bands.

Multiple-point to multiple-point communication system

A wireless communication system that provides energy efficient, high bandwidth and low cost wireless communication. In one embodiment, the communication system utilizes a fan out, pencil beam arrangement in which electro-magnetic energy is transmitted from a hub to customer premises equipment (CPE) with a fan or similar antenna and from the CPEs to the hub via pencil beam antennas. The pencil beam antennas provided higher link margin. The hub may include a shared aperture antenna device for receiving pencil beam transmissions from the CPEs. A shared aperture antenna device may also be used for transmission from the hub to the CPEs.

Wireless point to multi-point communication apparatus and method

An improved apparatus and method for the placement and bonding of a die on a substrate includes a movable die holder, a movable substrate holder, a pivoting transfer arm that picks a die from the movable die holder and transfers the die to a position adjacent the movable substrate holder, and a bondhead assembly for picking the die from the transfer arm and then bonding the die to the substrate.

Apparatus and method for the placement and bonding of a die on a substrate

The Satellite Communication System disclosed in the specification is a dynamic constellation (C) of satellites (S). The present invention is capable of offering continuous voice, data and video service to customers across the globe on the land, on the sea, or in the air. The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a low Earth orbit satellite system that includes 40 spacecraft (S) traveling in each of 21 orbital planes at an altitude of 700 km (435 miles). This relatively large number of satellites employed by the preferred embodiment was selected to provide continuous coverage of the Earth's surface at a high minimum mask angle (1230a) of forty degrees. Each of the individual 840 spacecraft (S) functions as an independent sovereign switch of equal rank which knows the position of its neighbors, and independently handles traffic without ground control. The satellites (S) are capable of transporting calls to millions of customers using portable (P), mobile (M) and fixed (F) residential and business terminals, and gateways (G) to public phone networks. The constellation uses the 20 and 30 GHz frequency bands for communications between Earth and the constellation (C), and the 60 GHz band for communicating among the satellites (S). The present invention is designed to support in excess of 2,000,000 simultaneous connections, representing over 20,000,000 users at typical business usage levels, and over 350 billion minutes of use per year. Only a system such as the preferred embodiment, which utilizes 840 satellites at a preferred minimum mask angle of forty degrees, can accomplish these challenging objectives.

Satellite communication system

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a communications apparatus which includes a first transmitting antenna array (15A) having a transmitting antenna (16) which is dedicated to serve only a first sector (12). Similarly, a second transmitting antenna array (17A) having a transmitting antenna (18) is dedicated to serve only a second sector (14). Each of the transmitting antenna arrays (15A, 17A) have a beamwidth (19) of generally less than fifteen degrees. Both the first and the second transmitting antenna arrays (15A, 17A) emanate shaped beams which are alternately polarized to ensure the isolation of beams that serve adjacent sectors.

Sectorized multi-function communication system

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a communications apparatus which includes a first transmitting antenna array (15A) having a transmitting antenna (16) which is dedicated to serves only a first sector (12). Similarly, a second transmitting antenna array (17A) having a transmitting antenna (18) is dedicated to serve only a second sector (14). Each of the transmitting antenna arrays (15A, 17A) have a beamwidth (19) of generally less than fifteen degrees. Both the first and the second transmitting antenna arrays (15A, 17A) emanate shaped beams which are alternately polarized to ensure the isolation of beams that serve adjacent sectors.

An advanced active element phased array satellite antenna is disclosed. Incorporating these novel antenna systems on a constellation of low Earth orbit spacecraft, allows phone customers worldwide to communicate through a system whose switching intelligence resides on orbit, bypassing traditional land-based networks, and offering a revolutionary expansion of communications potential. The present invention utilizes electronic beam steering is utilized to provide extremely high gain signals. In one preferred embodiment, a satellite (S) includes an Earth-facing array (10) of hexagonal antenna facets (12), mated together along their sides to form a slightly flattened, hemispherical shell. The antenna array (10) is connected to two rectilinear, unfurled, solar panels (P). The antennas (10) transmit and receive signals from terrestrial units located within the footprints (14) of the beams (11). Another embodiment (34) uses deployable, folding panels (41) which maximize panel surface area for a given weight and launch vehicle container volume. The panels (41) are stacked upon a central plate (39) along the depth axis of the container in accordion fold layers and are separately deployed radially from the center (C) of the central plate (39). The contour of the deployed panels permit the antenna beam footprints (14) to cover the desired area.

Spacecraft antennas and beam steering methods for satellite

A Dual-Sided Push-Pull Amplifier for providing a high-gain yet low-cost amplifier capable of operating at frequencies extending above 1 GHz is disclosed. The present invention may be used in any application in which low cost amplification may be desired, including transmitters, antenna arrays, radars, light wave modulators, mixers, local oscillators, driver amplifiers and microwave ovens. One of the preferred embodiments of the invention (10d/10e) utilizes two pairs of field effect transistors (FETs) (22U and 22L & 24U and 24L) mounted in registration on both faces (12a & 12b) of a dual-sided dielectric substrate (12). The sources (22US and 22LS & 24US and 24US) on both faces of the FETs (22 & 24) are electrically coupled and are located at a minimum distance from their mates on the opposite faces of the substrate (12) to reduce inter-FET source lead inductance. The FETs (22 & 24) are coupled to a set of conductors (16a, 16b, 16c & 16d) which are formed on the substrate (12). These conductors (16a, 16b, 16c & 16d) are deployed in a substantially symmetric pattern about the active devices (14d & 14e) as opposing pairs in registration across the substrate (12), and are located in positions that are substantially equidistant from the active devices (14d & 14e). The conductors (16a, 16b, 16c & 16d) are arranged to allow an equal and opposed input signal (i) to flow through conductors 16a and 16b. An amplified signal gi (gain x input current) is produced in conductors 16c and 16d. Electrically conductive vias (17) may extend between faces (12a) and (12b) to facilitate electrical connections between the sources of the active devices (14d & 14e) on either side of the substrate (12). Power is supplied to the active devices (14) through terminals (18). A miniature heat pipe (19) may be formed within substrate (12) and contains a liquid, gas or solid material that is capable of conducting unwanted heat away from the active devices (14d & 14e) or for temporarily storing unwanted heat from the active devices.

Dual-sided push-pull amplifier

An array antenna includes a means of thermally isolating the feed network from the space illuminated by the antenna. Filtering layers are incorporated into the structure between the feed and the radiating patches. These filtering layers are transparent to radiation in the frequency range of operation of the antenna, primarily microwaves and millimeter waves, but reflect much shorter wavelengths such as infrared and visible light. This rejection of short wavelengths results in reduced heating of the feed network and so to a reduced heat load on a cooling system. One preferred embodiment employs the radiation shield to advantage by incorporating superconductive elements in the antenna. These elements can be cooled efficiently enough to be practical due to the rejection of heat by the incorporated filtering layers.

Growing community of inventors

Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Douglas Gene Lockie