G02B 21/10
Affording dark-field illumination
Official title: affording dark-field illumination (G02B21/14 {and G02B21/125} take precedence)
G02B21/10 (Affording dark-field illumination) appears on 220 US grants and 243 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in G02B- Granted patents
- 220
- Published applications
- 243
- Assignees
- 152
- Inventors
- 521
- Latest grant
- 1 Sep 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980 | 3 | 0 |
| 1981 | 5 | 0 |
| 1982 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | 3 | 0 |
| 1988 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990 | 2 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 2 | 0 |
| 1994 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 1 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1 | 4 |
| 2005 | 1 | 3 |
| 2006 | 3 | 4 |
| 2007 | 3 | 5 |
| 2008 | 2 | 4 |
| 2009 | 2 | 5 |
| 2010 | 6 | 13 |
| 2011 | 3 | 15 |
| 2012 | 7 | 10 |
| 2013 | 12 | 10 |
| 2014 | 13 | 15 |
| 2015 | 11 | 8 |
| 2016 | 4 | 8 |
| 2017 | 6 | 18 |
| 2018 | 11 | 12 |
| 2019 | 18 | 25 |
| 2020 | 15 | 11 |
| 2021 | 17 | 13 |
| 2022 | 10 | 16 |
| 2023 | 8 | 11 |
| 2024 | 12 | 15 |
| 2025 | 12 | 9 |
| 2026 | 11 | 8 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Recent patents
- Angular ptychographic imaging with closed-form reconstruction1 Sep 2026US 12,724,255 B2California Institute of Technology
- Coupling mirror of an optical inspection system18 Aug 2026US 12,710,632 B2Applied Materials Israel Ltd.
- Microscope system with oblique illumination18 Aug 2026US 12,710,635 B2Andor Technology Limited
- Microscope system11 Aug 2026US 12,704,707 B2Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
- Microscope for high-resolution and specific analysis of biological substances, and method of analysis4 Aug 2026US 12,699,051 B2Lyme Diagnostics Kft.
- An imaging device and a method for imaging8 Oct 2026US 2026/0309967 A1Imec Vzw
- Oblique lighting system for inspection of end connectors of fiber optic cables by microscope10 Sep 2026US 2026/0266685 A1Viavi Solutions Inc.
- An optical arrangement for use in optical microscopy6 Aug 2026US 2026/0227616 A1Blue Cube Technology (Pty) Ltd
- Dark-field imaging system28 May 2026US 2026/0146956 A1Tecan Trading AG
- Method, techniques, and system for prolate spheroid ring illumination system16 Apr 2026US 2026/0104578 A14D Licensing Group LLC
Most cited
By later US patents
- Dark field imaging defect inspection system for repetitive pattern integrated circuits127US 5,177,559 AInternational Business Machines Corporation · 1993
- Methods and devices for imaging large intact tissue samples68US 10,746,981 B2The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · 2020
- Scanning confocal optical microscope including an angled apertured rotating disc placed between a pinhole and an objective lens61US 4,927,254 AThe Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · 1990
- Darkfield illuminator for a microscope slide60US 5,249,077 AMicrovideo Instruments, Inc. · 1993
- Scanning microscopes59US 4,198,571 ANational Research Development Corporation · 1980