Patent Reviews: 5,606,458; 5,604,581; 5,673,146; 5,686,728; 5,719,391; 5,719,654; 5,719,672; 5,719,691; 5,719,696; 5,719,698; 5,724,161; 5,724,172; 5,729,242

The patent number, date of issuance by the U.S. Patent Office, and classification are shown on the first line. The filing date is that of the first application (although some patents may derive from earlier applications with earlier claim dates). Any opinions expressed are those of the reviewers and do not reflect the opinions of the organizations with which they are associated, the Optical Society of America, or this journal. Printed copies of these patents may be ordered from the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, DC 20231: telephone (703) 557-3158. Inquiries about patents should be addressed to the Patents Office, not to this journal or to OSA.