MICHAEL JOSEPH O'BRIEN
Pilots at Reddick Ln, Rochester, NY

5767950, Jun 16, 1998

Apr 15, 1996

8/632204

Jeffery Richard Hawver - Rochester NY
Michael Joseph O'Brien - Rochester NY
Andrea S. Rivers - Bloomfield NY

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

G03B 2772

355 71

An adjustable iris diaphragm assembly (26) in a zoom lens system (16) of a photographic printer (10) is calibrated for each magnification setting by progressively adjusting the aperture opening until a predetermined light intensity is detected by a sensor (36) near a paper plane of the printer and then determining an output voltage of a feedback sensor (88) of the iris diaphragm assembly. A correlation is established among magnification settings of the printer, iris stop settings, and sensor output voltages to enable the printer to accurately set the iris for a desired exposure.

5822629, Oct 13, 1998

Oct 30, 1997

8/961441

Michael J. O'Brien - Rochester NY

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

G03B 7093

396235

A focal plane shutter includes first and second shutter blades mounted for forming a slit that is scanned across an aperture. The shutter blades are shaped to form the slit between a trailing edge of the first blade and a leading edge of the second blade, the width of the slit being determined by the relative position of the first and second blades with respect to each other. The velocity of the slit across the aperture is determined by the velocity of the two blades. A pair of moving coil actuators are connected to the blades, for moving the blades relative to the aperture, and a pair of position sensors are connected, one to each shutter blade, for producing signals indicating the positions of the shutter blades relative to the aperture. A shutter controller electrically connected to the moving coil actuators and the position sensors is responsive to the signals from the position sensors for applying power to drive the actuators to control the width of the slit formed by the shutter blades and the rate of movement of the slit across the aperture. The controller includes a velocity controller for the first blade to control the velocity of the slit across the aperture, and a position controller for controlling the position of the second blade relative to the first blade to maintain a constant slit width as the slit is moved relative to the aperture.

5949177, Sep 7, 1999

Jan 7, 1998

9/004048

Michael J. O'Brien - Rochester NY
Robert C. Bryant - Honeoye Falls NY

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

H01L 4108

31031601

A piezoelectric motor system is formed with a piezoelectric motor incorporating an element that is physically displaced as a function of an applied voltage resulting in the generation of a back electromotive force. The system incorporates a controller having an output connected to the piezoelectric motor. The controller receives a direction signal indicating the desired drive direction of the piezoelectric motor and a velocity signal indicating the desired velocity of the piezoelectric motor. The controller provides a drive voltage for driving the piezoelectric motor in the desired drive direction. An electrical equivalent circuit that mirrors the electrical characteristics of the piezoelectric motor is connected to receive the drive voltage from the controller. A comparator provides a difference signal indicative of the difference in voltage developed across the piezoelectric motor and the voltage developed across the electrical equivalent circuit. An integrating circuit receives the difference signal and provides a feedback signal to the controller.

5317875, Jun 7, 1994

Dec 23, 1992

7/996427

Michael J. O'Brien - Rochester NY
William B. Smith - Rochester NY

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

F01B 2910, F02G 104

60527

In a first preferred embodiment of a thermal rotary actuator constructed according to the present invention, an actuator body includes first and second spaced, parallel linear actuator elements each linear actuator element having a respective predetermined coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and respective first and second ends defining the linear actuator element length. The linear actuator elements, in response to a selected temperature differential therebetween, are thereby subject to a predetermined length differential. Means are provided for effecting the selected temperature differential in the first and second linear actuator elements to thereby effect the predetermined length differential. First yoke means, attached to the first ends of the first and second linear actuator elements, include fixing means for fixing the first ends in a predetermined spatial relationship, and means for flexibly attaching said fixing means to the reaction structure. Second yoke means are attached to the second ends of the first and second linear actuator elements and include means for flexibly attaching the moveable object to the second ends of the first and second linear actuator elements.

5736798, Apr 7, 1998

Jul 22, 1996

8/681001

Michael Joseph O'Brien - Rochester NY
Robert Cooper Bryant - Honeoye Falls NY
Richard Alexander Colleluori - Rochester NY

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

H02K 709

310 51

A disk shaped passive magnetic damper incorporating a damper vane having spaced apart vertical and horizontal portions forming a castellated shape. Permanent magnets are positioned between the vertical portions of the damper vane for providing magnetic fields that interact with the vertical and horizontal portions of the damper vane. A keeper portion extends from one end of each magnet to a position over one adjacent horizontal vane member.

5270870, Dec 14, 1993

Dec 23, 1992

7/996225

Michael J. O'Brien - Rochester NY
William B. Smith - Rochester NY

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

G02B 702

359820

An athermalized beam source and collimator assembly includes a collimator lens spaced from a novel circular foldback flexure plate by a lens barrel. The circular foldback flexure plate incorporates a circular foldback flexure adjacent the beam source mount to isolate the beam source from the ambient environment and to athermalize the assembly. The beam source mount and circular foldback flexure plate are composed of a material that is identical in composition and CTE as the portion of the beam source that is attached to the beam source mount. The temperature of the beam source may then be maintained by a thermal element mounted to the back surface of the flexure plate, without the occurrence of mechanical strain at the interface between the beam source and beam source mount.

5230252, Jul 27, 1993

Sep 30, 1991

7/767749

Michael J. O'Brien - Rochester NY
William B. Smith - Rochester NY

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

G01L 122

73862637

A load cell incorporates two identical sensing beams equipped with resistance-type strain gauges. The beam geometry is such that a large constant shear strain is developed at the strain gauge locations. Two different strain gauge arrangements are used to provide linear response to axially applied forces while rendering the transducer insensitive to extraneous forces and couples. The geometry allows a fully redundant set of gauges to be placed on the beams for high reliability applications. Bridge balance and temperature compensation are accomplished by optimizing the direct deposited thin film gauge material which are then laser trimmed.

5802415, Sep 1, 1998

Apr 7, 1997

8/834973

Robert C. Bryant - Honeoye Falls NY
Michael J. O'Brien - Rochester NY
Edward P. Furlani - Lancaster NY

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

G03B 908

396469

A dual coil actuator comprising a pair of independently moveable electrically conductive coils, is characterized in that a single magnet core generates a single magnetic field, and the coils are positioned around the single magnet core, spaced from each other and from the core, and are supported to be independently moved in the single magnetic field about the single magnet core.