ex10_6.htm


    
      

    

    Exhibit
10.6

     

    
       

      
        	 
      	 
      	
                The
      Director of the United States Patent and Trademark
  Office

              
	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	
                Has
      received an application for a patent for a new and useful invention. The
      title and descrip-tion of the invention are enclosed. The require-ments of
      law have been complied with, and it has been determined that a patent on
      the in-vention shall be granted under the law.

              
	
                The

              	 
      	 
      
	
                United

              	 
      	
                Therefore,
      this

              
	
                States

              	 
      	 
      
	
                of

              	 
      	
                United
      States Patent

              
	
                America

              	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	
                Grants
      to the person(s) having title to this patent the right to exclude others
      from mating, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout
      the United States of America or im­porting the invention into the
      United States of America for the term set forth below, subject to the
      payment of maintenance fees as provided by law.

              
	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	
                If
      this application was filed prior to June 8, 1995, the term of this patent
      is the longer of seventeen years from the date of grant of this patent or
      twenty years from the earliest effec­tive US. filing date of the
      application, subject to any statutory extension.

              
	 
      	 
      
	 
      	
                If
      this application was filed on or after June 8, 1995, the term of this
      patent is twenty years from the U.S. filing date, subject to any statutory
      ex-tension. If the application contains a specific reference to an earlier
      filed application or ap-plications under $5 U.S.C. 120, 121 or 365(c), the
      term of the patent is twenty years from the date on which the earliest
      application was filed, subject to any statutory
  extensions.

              
	 
      	 
      
	 
      	
                /s/
      Jon W. Dudas

              
	 
      	 
      
	 
      	
                Director
      of the United States Patent and Trademark
Office

              


      


      
        
           


        

        
           


          
            

          

        

        
           


        

      

       

      
        	
                (12)

              	
                United
      States Patent

              	 
      	
                (10)
      Patent
      no.:

              	
                US
      6,969,955 B2

              
	 
      	
                Erickson
      et al.

              	 
      	
                (45)
      Date of
      Patent:

              	
                Nov.
      29, 2005

              
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                (54)

              	
                METHOD
      AND APPARATUS FOR DIMMING

              	 
      	
                4,663,570
      A       5/1987 Luchao et
      al.

              
	 
      	
                CONTROL
      OF ELECTRONIC BALLASTS

              	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	
                (Continued)

                 

              	 
      
	
                (75)

              	
                Inventors:

              	
                James A. Erickson,
      Lincoln, NE
      (US);

              	 
      	 
      	
                FOREIGN
      PATENT DOCUMENTS

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	
                Mark B. Gruenwald.
      Omaha, NE

              	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	
                (US);
      Kipton P.
      Hirschbach. Omaha,

              	 
      	
                EP

              	
                0208083
      B1     1/1991

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	
                NE (US)

              	 
      	 
      	
                 

                (Continued)

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                (73)

              	
                Assignee:

                (US)

              	
                Axis Technologies, Inc.
      Lincoln, NE

              	 
      	 
      	
                OTHER
      PUBLICATIONS

                 

              	 
      
	 
      	
                 

                 

              	 
      	 
      	
                Rahman. S.; Callwood. C. (Virginia
      Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Bradley Dept. of Electrical
      Engineering, Blacksburg, VA United States); A Studyof the Ecological
      Efficiency Of New Electrical Technologies: Energy Science and Technology pp.
      733-739 (781 pages total): Published 1998, Oxford, United Kingdom;
      Publisher: Elsevier Science Ltd.

              
	
                (*)

              	
                Notice:

              	
                Subject
      to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under
      35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                (21)

              	
                Appl.
      No.:

              	
                10/707,982

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                (22)

              	
                Filed:

              	
                Jun.
      29, 2004

              	 
      	 
      	
                (Continued)

              	 
      
	
                 

              	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	(65)	
                Prior
      Publication Data

                 

              	 
      	
                Primary Examiner—Tuyet Thi
      Vo

              
	 
      	
                US
      2005/0168154 Al      Aug. 4,
      2005

              	 
      	
                (74)
      Attorney, Agent, or Firm-
      Blackwell Saunders Peper Martin LLP

              
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                (51)

              	
                int.
      Cl.7

              	
                HOSB
      37/02

              	 
      	
                 

              	 
      	 
      
	
                (52)

              	
                U.S.
      Cl.

              	
                315/159;
      315/DIG. 4; 315/291;

              	 
      	
                (57)

              	
                ABSTRACT

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	
                315/312

              	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                (58)

              	
                Field
      of Search

              	
                315/159,
      149

              	 
      	
                An
      apparatus and method for providing dimming control of an electronicc
      ballast circuit that includes 0 electronic ballast circuit that is
      electrically connected to a plurality of input voltage terminals that can
      receive alternating current and the electronic ballast circuit is
      electrically connected to the plurality of fluorescent lamp terminals.
      There is at least one light sensor that is electrically connected to the
      electronic ballast circuit so that the electrical power applied at the
      plurality of fluorescent lamp terminals can be proportionally modified in
      relationship to the ambient light received by the at least one light
      sensor. Also, there is a plurality of switches that are electrically
      connected in one-to-one corresponding relationship to a plurality of
      resistive loads so that the electrical power applied at the plurality of
      fluorescent lamp terminals can be set at a plurality of predetermined
      lighting levels.

              
	 
      	 
      	
                315/150-158,
      DIG. 4, 291,307,311, 324,

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	
                315/320

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                (56)

              	
                References
      Cited

              	 
      
	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	 
      	
                U.S.
      PATENT DOCUMENTS

                 

              	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  3,931,695
      A

                

              	1/1976
      Widmayer	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,163,925
      A

                

              	8/1979
      Gynrsanszky	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,207,497
      A

                

              	6/1980
      Capewell et al.	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,234,820
      A

                

              	11/1980
      Widmayer	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,350,933
      A

                

              	9/1982
      Agarwala et al.	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,352,045
      A

                

              	9/1982
      Widmayer	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,353,009
      A

                

              	10/I982
      Knoll	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,370,600
      A

                

              	1/1983
      Zansky	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  RE31.146
      E

                

              	2/1983
      Gynrsanszky	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,371,813
      A

                

              	2/1983
      Widmayer	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,392,087
      A

                

              	7/1983
      Zansky	 
      	 
      	 
      	 
      
	
                 

              	
                
                  4,523,131
      A

                

              	6/1985
      Zansky	 
      	 
      	
                23
      Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets