The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 13, 2000
Filed:
Feb. 27, 1998
Mitchell Simmons Cohen, Millwood, NY (US);
Barbara A De Baun, Woodbury, MN (US);
Gordon D Henson, Lake Elmo, MN (US);
Glen Walden Johnson, Yorktown Heights, NY (US);
Stephen Louis Spanoudis, Lexington, KY (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Lexmark International, Inc., Lexington, KY (US);
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
An optical coupler. The coupler has an optical element for transferring an optical signal from an entrance region, external to the optical unit, to an exit region, also external to the optical unit. The coupling element has a first substantially planar transmitting surface lying in a first plane, a second substantially planar transmitting surface lying in a second plane not coplanar with the first plane, a first substantially planar reflecting surface substantially perpendicular to the first transmitting surface, and a second substantially planar reflecting surface substantially parallel to the first reflecting surface, and a shaped reflecting surface substantially perpendicular to and adjoining the first and second reflecting surfaces.