US Fed News Service, Including US State News back issues from Saturday, November 18:
Canadian Inventor Develops Automated Car Door Opening System
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Guy Valois of Quebec has developed a system that opens a car door. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An automated car door opening system proposes a very simple yet reliable system that can easily be retrofitted on most cars. It uses the ...
California Inventors Develop Metal Felt Current Conductor
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- John Finn of Sunnyvale, Calif., and K.R. Sridhar of Los Gatos, Calif., have developed a metal felt current conductor and a gas flow distributor. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A fuel cell stack includes an electrolyte, an anode, a ...
Taiwanese Inventors Develop Damascene Structure Opening Formation Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Jian-Hong Lin of Huwei, Taiwan, Ying-Jen Kao of Taipei, Taiwan, and Jye-Yen Cheng of Taichung, Taiwan, have developed methods for forming openings in damascene structures, such as dual damascene structures, using plug materials having varied etching ...
Virginia Inventor Develops Interactive Multimedia Book
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Charles Lamont Whitham of Reston, Va., has developed an interactive multimedia book that provides hands-on multimedia instruction to the user in response to voiced commands. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The book is implemented on a ...
German Inventors Develop Valve Seat Production Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Juergen Claus of Fellbach, Germany, Reiner Heigl of Remseck, Germany, and Harald Pfeffinger of Tiefenbronn, Germany, have developed a process for producing a valve seat for a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark ...
California Inventor Develops Transversal Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Integrated System
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Shih-Yuan Wang of Palo Alto, Calif., has developed devices and methods for enhancing Raman Spectroscopy. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A molecular analysis device for performing Raman spectroscopy comprises a substrate and a laser ...
California Inventors Develop Integrated Process Condition Sensing Wafer, Data Analysis System
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Wayne Glenn Renken, Earl M. Jensen and Roy Gordon, all from San Jose, Calif., Brian Paquette of Austin, Texas, and Mei H. Sun of Los Altos, Calif., have developed an integrated process condition sensing wafer and a data analysis system. According to the U.S ....
Georgia Inventors Develop Ophthalmic Molding Formulation
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Richard Charles Turek and Jacalyn Mary Schremmer, both of Atlanta, have developed tinted polymeric materials, tinted ophthalmic moldings and methods useful in making tinted ophthalmic moldings. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Electronic Apparatus with Energy-Saving Cooling System
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Hideyuki Motoyama, Hideki Tanaka and Hiroshi Yamada, all from Kawasaki, Japan, have developed an energy-saving cooling system for use in a small electronic device such as a notebook personal computer. An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent ...
Chinese Inventors Develop Databases Indexing Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Wei-Ying Ma and Ji-Rong Wen, both of Beijing, have developed a method and a system for indexing and searching databases. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A search system generates an index for databases by generatively sampling the ...
Canadian Inventors Develop Abradable Seals Thermal Spray Compositions
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Petr Fiala and Karel Hajmrle, both of Edmonton, Canada, and Anthony Peter Chilkowich of Fort Saskatchewan, Canada, have developed a thermal spray composition and a method of deposition for abradable seals for use in gas turbine engines, turbochargers and steam ...
Texas Inventors Develop Light-Emitting Block Copolymers Composition
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- John P. Ferraris of Coppell, Texas, and Jose J. Gutierrez of Richardson, Texas, have developed composition, process and use of light-emitting block copolymers that includes diblock, triblock, and star polymers, in, for example optical and electrical ...
Taiwanese Inventor Develops Combination Lock
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Yu-Feng Lin of Taipei County, Taiwan, has developed a combination lock capable of being opened by inserting a key into keyhole in addition to turning tumbler wheels to a set series of numbers. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Provided is a ...
Massachusetts Inventors Develop Liquid Crystal Assembly
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Randall J. Deary of Littleton, Mass., and Peter J. Miller of Newburyport, Mass., have developed a liquid crystal assembly and a method of making thereof. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the invention relates to a "method for producing a ...
New Jersey Inventors Develop Virtual Agent Movement Control Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Eric Cosatto of Highlands, N.J., Hans Peter Graf of Lincroft, N.J., and Volker Franz Strom of Jersey City, N.J., have developed a system and a method of controlling the movement of a virtual agent while the agent is speaking to a human user during a ...
Australian Inventors Develop Interactive Voice Response Unit Response Display
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Thomas E. Brand of Marsfield, Australia, and Chris Goringe of Seven Hills, Australia, have developed a method of providing information to the contactor as part of a call from the contactor. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The present ...
German Inventors Develop Fuel Cells Temperature Modulation Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Michael Standke and Ingo Hermann, both of Mainz, Germany, have developed a system for modulating a temperature of one or more fuel cells in a fuel cell stack that includes a catalytic combustor in heat exchange relationship with the fuel cell stack. According ...
German Inventor Develops Convertible with Roof
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Klaus Russke of Bissendorf, Germany, has developed a convertible with a roof. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A convertible having a roof is provided with stiff parts, at least one rear roof part, and an upper roof part, which is mounted ...
Taiwanese Inventors Develop Priority Packets Processing Transmission Component
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Ying-Chien Lin and Jui-Yu Wu, both of Hsinchu, Taiwan, have developed a transmission component for processing priority packets supported by using a single chip's buffer structure. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Packets of network data ...
Connecticut Inventors Develop Oversized Fuel Cell Stack Cooler Plates
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Jeremy P. Meyers and Nileshkumar T. Dave, both of West Hartford, Conn., and Jeffrey G. Lake and Mark W. Layaw, both of Vernon, Conn., have developed cooler plates for fuel cell power plants. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A plurality of ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Exhaust Gas Control Apparatus
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Takamitsu Asanuma of Mishima, Japan, has developed nitrogen oxide (NOx) storage reduction catalyst which is provided in an exhaust passage for an internal combustion engine According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "There are provided a NOx storage ...
South Korean Inventors Develop Semiconductor Device Manufacturing Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Hong-Mi Park and In-Sun Park, both of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, Ju-Cheol Shin and Hyeon-Deok Lee, both of Seoul, South Korea, have developed a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a tungsten pattern. According to the U.S. Patent & ...
Texas Inventors Develop Individual Dietary Supplement Profile Creation Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Edward J. Petrus of Austin, Texas, has developed a method/process of determining a personal dietary supplement profile and recommending dietary supplements for an individual. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the invention provides a ...
German Inventors Develop Superheated Hydrocarbon Supplying System
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Stefan Boneberg of Beuren, Germany, Bruno Motzet of Weilheim/Teck, Germany, Alois Tischler of Aidenbach, Germany, and Marc Weisser of Owen/Teck, Germany, have developed a system to supply at least two components of a gas generation system. According to the ...
Michigan Inventors Develop Diesel Engine Emission Control System
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Christopher John Mazur of Canton, Mich., and Devesh Upadhyay of Dearborn, Mich., have developed a diesel engine emission control system with an upstream oxidation catalyst and a downstream selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst. According to the U.S ....
WASHINGTON CLOSURES FOR BLOCK 37
Nov 18, 2006 ... The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications issued the following news release: Full closure of Washington Street: State-Dearborn for Crane Operations Sunday, November 19, 2006 from midnight Saturday, November 18 through 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. DETOURDetour closure via ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Temperature Sensor Signal Correction Apparatus
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Yuzuru Otsuka of Kariya, Japan, has developed a method and an apparatus for carrying out zero point corrections of temperature dependent characteristics of output signal signals of sensors. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A slope ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Vehicular Lamp
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Naoki Kazaoka, Kazunori Natsume, Yasuyuki Amano and Toshiyuki Shirai, all from Shizuoka, Japan, have developed a vehicular (tail/brake) lamp that employs light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes as a light source thereof. According to the U.S ....
Canadian Inventor Develops Plants Irradiation Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Eden Dubuc of Lachine, Cannada, has developed a method and an apparatus for irradiation of plants that uses light emitting diodes (LEDs). According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method for using LEDs to supplement natural light in a greenhouse ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Information Management Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Hiromi Mori and Rikio Shiba, both of Kanagawa, Japan, and Kotaro Yamaguchi of Tokyo, have developed a collection information management server and a collection information management method. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Collection ...
Georgia Inventor Develops Video Chroma Quantization Testing Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Thomas Clyde Whitehouse of Bethlehem, Ga., has developed a method and an apparatus for testing video chroma quantization. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method for testing the chroma performance of a digital rendering integrated ...
Texas Inventors Develop Engine Emissions Reduction System
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Steve McFarland of Arlington, Texas, and Wilbur Jones of Lakeport, Texas, have developed emissions reduction system for an internal combustion engine. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the invention relates to a "dual system for overall ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Pattern-Forming Apparatus
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Takako Yamaguchi of Atsugi, Japan, and Ryo Kuroda of Kawasaki, Japan, have developed a method for forming a pattern that uses a photomask in a fine processing process, and a pattern-forming apparatus. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Pressure Sensor
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Shigefumi Sakai and Munemitsu Abe, both of Miyagi-ken, Japan, have developed a capacitive pressure sensor for measuring pressure according to changes in interelectrode capacitance. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A pressure sensor ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Non-Contact Type Temperature Measuring Apparatus
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Takeshi Azami of Tokyo has developed a method and an apparatus for measuring temperature. An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, said: "Temperature of molten silicon in an infrared image furnace including a halogen ...
North Carolina Inventors Develop Signaling Network End Office Support Providing Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Jeffrey Alan Craig and Mac ErnestDavidson, both of Chapel Hill, N.C., Seetharaman Khadri of Durham, N.C., and David Michael Sprague of Raleigh, N.C., have developed methods and systems for providing end office support (EOS) in a signaling network. According to ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Image-Recording Hydrophilic Colorant
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Michiei Nakamura, Hideyuk Koisoi, Naoyuki Sakai, Yoshiyuki Zama, Atsushi Nogami, Hiroyuki Shimanaka, Seishichi Sasaki and Hiroaki Saikatsu, all from Tokyo, have developed hydrophilic coloring matter for recording image, aqueous coloring agent for recording image, a ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Information Processing Apparatus
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Masahiko Kyouzuka and Katsunori Ito, both of Kawasaki, Japan, have developed an information processing apparatus with battery and a penholder. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An information processing apparatus having a rectangular body ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Onboard Fuel Separation Apparatus
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Tomihisa Oda of Numazu, Japan, has developed an onboard fuel separation apparatus for an automobile. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A fuel separation apparatus includes a fuel tank storing the material fuel fed to a separation membrane, ...
New Jersey, New York Inventors Develop Electronic Files Transaction Management Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Binyamin Pinkas of Jersey City, N.J., William G. Horne of Lawrenceville, N.J., and Tomas Sander of New York, have developed systems and methods for managing the transfer of electronic files. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "In one ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Communication Connection Merge Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Norihito Fujita of Tokyo has developed a communication connection merge method and a node to be employed therein. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A communication connection merge method and a node to be employed in the same can merge ...
Swedish Inventors Develop Fluid Mixing Device
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Torbjo Jacobsson and Dennis Nordgaard, both of Sundsvall, Sweden, and Peter Danielsson of Fagervik, Sweden, have developed a device for admixing an agent in the form of gas or liquid to a flowing material. An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S ....
Japanese Inventors Develop Magnetic Head Tester
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Kyoichi Mori, Fujio Yamasaki and Toshinori Sugiyama, all from Kanagawa, Japan, have developed a movable stage, an XY stage, a head carriage and a tester of magnetic head or magnetic disk. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Pressing means is ...
New York Inventors Develop Downdraft Boiler
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- George Weintraub of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Donald Brown of Sea Cliff, N.Y., have developed a downdraft boiler with tubulators. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A downdraft boiler has a ceramic burner plate overlying a horizontal-tube heat ...
Taiwanese Inventors Develop Barrier Layer Formation Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Zhen-Cheng Wu and Syun-Ming Jang, both of Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, have developed A method of forming a conductive layer on an underlying low dielectric constant (low k) layer. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A method of forming a barrier layer ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Liquid Crystal Display Panel Manufacturing Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Hidefumi Yoshizoe of Izumi, Japan, has developed a method for manufacturing liquid crystal display panel that uses an auxiliary air outlet. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Disclosed is a panel assembling process concerning a suitable ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Parts Mounting Apparatus
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Shigeki Fukunaga of Yokaichi, Japan, has developed a parts mounting method and parts mounting apparatus, used for mounting electronic parts onto a board or the like. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A suction head is inserted between first ...
South Korean Inventor Develops Shift Control Method for Automatic Transmission
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Pyung Hwan Yu of Suwon, South Korea, has developed a shift control method and a system for an automatic transmission for vehicles. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The control method includes calculating a clutch engaging pressure for each ...
Canadian Inventors Develop Lightweight Tool
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Fred Muxlow of Barrie, Canada, and Steve Chandler of Toronto, have developed a lightweight tool for crimping a flange cover. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A crimping assembly roll crimps a cover part over an underlying structure. The ...
New York Inventors Develop Cable Tensioning Device
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Eric Arthur Johnson of Greene, N.Y., and Stuart Leigh Phoenix of Ithaca, N.Y., have developed a winch assembly that eliminates rope crushing, even when synthetic ropes are used. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Tension is applied to the ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Silica-Based Coating Film
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Tatsuhiko Shibuya of Yokohama, Japan, and Yoshio Hagiwara of Tokyo-to, Japan, have developed a silica-based coating film on substrate and a coating solution therefor. An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, said: "A ...
South Korean Inventors Develop Refrigerator Internal Temperature Difference Preventing Structure
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Young-Man La and Kyung-Won Cho, both of Incheon, South Korea, and Tae-Hean Kim of Ansan-Si, South Korea, have developed an internal temperature difference preventing structure for a refrigerator. An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & ...
German Inventor Develops Grass Surface Drying Device
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Wilhelm Erwig of Marl, Germany, has developed a method of and a device for drying grass surfaces. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Drying of wet ground surfaces provided with stalks includes removing droplets from stalks with comb-shaped ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Temperature Sensor
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Hideyuki Aota and Hirofumi Watanabe, both of Hyogo, Japan, have developed a temperature sensor. An abstract of the invention, released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, said: "A temperature sensor comprises: a first voltage generating circuit that ...
Michigan Inventors Develop Touch Pad Control Panel
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- David A. Hein of Sterling Heights, Mich., and Larry I. Shelton of Brighton, Mich., have developed touch pad control panel that relates to an interface for controlling operations of a motor vehicle. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A ...
Massachusetts Inventor Develops Ultrasound Transducer
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- William J. Ossmann of Acton, Mass., has developed an acoustic imaging system. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A preferred system includes a protective cover configured to mate with a transducer body. The transducer includes a ...
Illinois Inventors Develop Coaxial Cable Connector
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Larry Buenz of Tinley Park, Ill., Tom McNamara of Orland Park, Ill., and Tim Crawford of Country Club Hills, Ill., have developed a connector for coaxial cable, and a tool and a method for connecting coaxial cable. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark ...
Indiana Inventor Develops Recreational Vehicle Roof Support Rafter
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Ronald Yoder of Lagrange, Ind., has developed trailers, recreational vehicles, and custom van body structures. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A body structure for a customized van is enhanced by providing a roof support element which is ...
Pennsylvania Inventor Develops Sub-Ambient Pressure Control System
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Robert C. Henderson of Avondale, Pa., has developed methods and system for sub-ambient pressure control for column head pressure in gas chromatography (GC) systems. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The GC system includes an inlet and a ...
California Inventors Develop Multiple Connections Quality Of Service Management Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Sungwon Ha and Constantine Polychronopoulos, both of Mountain View, Calif., Sung-wook Han and Tae-eun Kim, both of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Upamanyu Madhow of Santa Barbara, Calif., have developed a method of quality of service management for multiple connections within ...
Indiana Inventor Develops Electricity Meter
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Anibal D. Ramirez of Indianapolis has developed an electricity meter for monitoring electric power which is consumed from a service line. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "The electricity meter includes a power consumption metering system ...
Japanese Inventors Develop Flame-Retardant Polybutylene Terephthalate Resin Composition
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Hiromitsu Ishii, Takashi Nagao and Jiro Kumaki, all from Nagoya, Japan, have developed a flame-retardant polybutylene terephthalate resin composition and formed article. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the invention relates to a ...
MARINE CORPS CELEBRATES 231 YEARS OF SERVICE
Nov 18, 2006 ... The U.S. Marine Corps issued the following official news story: "On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Since that date, many thousands of men and women have borne the name Marine"- 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General ...
Michigan Inventors Develop Neurogenesis Promoting Method
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Michael Chopp of Southfield, Mich., and Rui Lan Zhang of Troy, Mich., have developed nitric oxide donors for inducing neurogenesis. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "There is provided a method of promoting neurogenesis by administering a ...
Japanese Inventor Develops Image-Forming Apparatus
Nov 18, 2006 ... ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 18 -- Yoshiki Yoshida of Kanagawa, Japan, has developed an image-forming apparatus and an optical scanner therefor. According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An image-forming apparatus is disclosed that includes at least one imaging optical system ...