US Patent 7253941 - Sinusoidal hinge for MEMS

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7253941.html

Deflectable mirror devices (DMDs) are micromechanical elements developed by Texas Instruments usefully applied in a variety of areas such as fiber optic switching and projection displays. This patent focuses on a new hinge structure resulting in fewer manufacturing defects. Claim 8 reads:

8. An apparatus comprising: a hinge structure having an approximately sinusoidal profile; and a deflectable member supported by said hinge structure.

While the breadth of the claims may be reasonable if limited to DMDs the Examiner may have overlooked some more traditional hinge structure prior art such as

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5487207.pdf