Patents Examined by Jason Mandeville
  • Patent number: 9198254
    Abstract: A light emitting diode (LED) backlight driving circuit includes an LED lightbar, and a driver integrated circuit (IC) coupled to the LED lightbar. The driver IC is configured with a protection pin that controls the driver IC to enter a protection mode when a voltage of the protection pin exceeds a preset voltage range, an undervoltage module is coupled between a power input end of the LED lightbar and the protection pin, and an overvoltage protection module is coupled between a power output end of the LED lightbar and the protection pin. An output overvoltage protection module is coupled between the power output end of the LED lightbar and the protection pin. The input undervoltage protection module outputs a first control voltage that exceeds the preset voltage range to the protection pin when the power input end of the LED lightbar is in an undervoltage state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Inventor: Xianming Zhang
  • Patent number: 9182906
    Abstract: Based on one or more characteristics of a received translation input, a computing device is switched between two or more states. The translation input may be a touch input, for example a drag operation. The states may relate to locked and unlocked states, idle screens, or other suitable examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Andrew Borovsky, John Martin
  • Patent number: 9170726
    Abstract: An interface controlling method and an apparatus thereof are provided to control a user interface based on a proximity sensor and a touch pad. A number of items are displayed, an item approached by a user is identified by sensing an approach, information is provided regarding the identified item, contact by the user is sensed, and a function corresponding to the user contact is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sung-wook Kooh, Jae-hwan Kim, Seong-il Cho
  • Patent number: 9171234
    Abstract: An improved method of learning a context of a segment of text input enables facilitated text input on an improved handheld electronic device. In response to a series of inputs, segments and other objects are analyzed to generate a proposed character interpretation of the series of inputs. Responsive to detecting a replacement of a segment of the character interpretation with another segment, a combination object comprising the another segment and a preceding object is stored. In response to another series of inputs, the combination object can be employed by a processing algorithm to ascertain a preference for the another segment in the context of the preceding object of the combination object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Vadim Fux, Sergey Kolomiets
  • Patent number: 9158412
    Abstract: To increase a reading speed in a display device having a touch-panel function. The display device includes a display panel 101 and a controller substrate 115. The display panel 101 includes a pixel portion 102, source drivers 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, and 110, display gate drivers 111 and 112, and reading gate drivers 113 and 114. The controller substrate 115 includes a controller IC 116. The controller substrate 115 is electrically connected to the display panel 101 through a connecting FPC 117.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Koyama, Takayuki Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9128543
    Abstract: A touch pad device and method for determining a position of an input object on the device uses multiple sensing electrodes to produce signals induced by mutual capacitive coupling that are dependent on which conductors of the device are being electrically contacted by the input object. These signals are then processed to determine the position of the input object on the touch pad device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: PixArt Imaging Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy James Orsley
  • Patent number: 9116566
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display having a touch screen panel (TSP) function includes a sensor unit formed on the first substrate; a first sensor wire disposed on the first substrate and a second sensor wire extending perpendicular to the first sensor wire, wherein the sensor unit includes a first sensor electrode connected to the first sensor wire and a second sensor electrode connected to the second sensor wire, wherein said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode connect when touched, and said first and second sensor wires confirm a touch position by transmitting a sensing current through the connection between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode, a trench is formed near the sensor unit and a silicon protrusion pattern to increase the sensitivity of the touch screen panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang-Youn Han, Yeon-Sik Ham, Sung-Hoon Yang, Keun-Chan Oh, Hee-Hwan Lee
  • Patent number: 9110525
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive apparatus includes a first material, a second material joined to the first material such that the first material and the second material are substantially flat across an interface between the first material and the second material, and first touch sensors disposed continuously across the interface from the first material to the second material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
    Inventor: Aaron Robert Allen
  • Patent number: 9110513
    Abstract: An information display apparatus with proximity detection performance contains a display device that displays image information, a sensor constituted of plural detection electrodes, and an adjusting device of detection resolution that adjusts the detection resolution to be detected based on a distance between the sensor and an object that is contacted to any one of the detection electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Koshiyama, Haruo Oba
  • Patent number: 9081456
    Abstract: A capacitance detection apparatus for a touch panel includes an N number of capacitors. The detection apparatus generates an N number of different input signals, and provides an ith input signal of the input signals to an ith capacitor. The N number of input signals correspond to a delayed sequence of a maximum length sequence or the maximum length sequence. The detection apparatus sums up an N number of response signals, which are generated after providing the N number of input signals to the N number of capacitors, to generate a summed signal. The summed signal is multiplied by the ith input signal and integrated to generate an ith integrated signal. The detection apparatus estimates capacitance values of the N number of capacitors according to the N number of integrated signals, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: MSTAR SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventors: Yu-Che Su, Jia-Hong Huang, Wen-Chieh Yang, Tai-Lai Tung
  • Patent number: 9075515
    Abstract: A computing device including a display unit to display a screen, a touch input to receive a user's touch input on the display unit, and a controller to control the display unit to display at least a part of a plurality of user interface (UI) items on the screen with a predetermined degree of transparency, to scroll the UI items in a predetermined direction and to sequentially display the UI items on the screen according to the user's touch input, and to increase the degree of transparency of the UI items if the UI items are not scrolled any more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Sang-jin Hong, Ki-young Kim, Su-yong Kim, Mi-ra Eom, Ji-won Im
  • Patent number: 9058076
    Abstract: The present invention provides a touch panel used in a display device. The touch panel of the present invention is configured to display images and to receive as well as to process instructions inputted by user's touches. A display substrate partially overlaps with an image driving circuit substrate of the touch panel. A touch sensing circuit is disposed on the inner side of the display substrate. A touch sensing processor is disposed on the inner side of a touch sensing circuit and is also electrically coupled to the touch sensing circuit. Consequently, the thickness of the touch panel as well as the overall thickness of the display device is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: AU OPTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Martinus Tony Wijaya, Mei-Sheng Ma, Yuan-Chun Wu, Hsin-Hung Lee, Kuo-Hsing Cheng, Han Ping Kuo
  • Patent number: 9055904
    Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for receiving an input to a sensory test or training activity by way of a touch-screen device. The touch-screen device receives instructions by way of a wireless communication protocol from a sensory testing and training device. The instructions may be comprised of a command to display a graphical element on the touch-screen device. As a result, the touch-screen device displays the graphical element on a display surface of the touch-screen device. Further, an input may be received from a subject in the form of a physical contact between the subject and the display surface of the touch-screen device. The input may be in response to a sensory test or a sensory training activity. Additionally, the touch-screen device communicates the input to the sensory training device utilizing a wireless communication protocol. In an additional embodiment, the touch-screen device provides feedback to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Herb Yoo, Thomas R. Fortune, Jr., Douglas Pedley, Alan W. Reichow, Matthew Genar Hilla, Rick M. Rezinas
  • Patent number: 9035927
    Abstract: A gate driver and a liquid crystal display using the same are provided. The gate driver includes a scan signal generating unit and a compensation unit. The scan signal generating unit has a plurality of output channels, and is used for sequentially outputting a scan signal through the output channels according to a basic clock and a start pulse. The compensation unit is coupled to the scan signal generating unit, and used for compensating the total resistance of each of the output channels, and sequentially receiving and transmitting the scan signal to a display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Au Optronics Corporation
    Inventors: Ching-Lin Li, Yu-Chun Tsai, Chao-Ching Hsu, Shih-Yuan Su
  • Patent number: 8994665
    Abstract: A system capable of providing directional cues to a user of the vehicle comprises a vehicle component, configured to be installed within a vehicle that is adapted to be controlled by a user. A tactile display system is operably coupled to the vehicle component. The tactile display system includes: a contact pad, operable to engage a target area of a user's skin; a restraining system, operable to restrain a portion of the user's skin distal from the target area of the skin; and an actuation system, operably coupled to one of: i) the contact pad and the ii) restraining system. The actuation system is capable of moving the contact pad and the restraining system relative to one another to apply a tangential displacement or shear force across the target area of the user's skin to thereby provide tactile information to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation
    Inventor: William R. Provancher
  • Patent number: 8988361
    Abstract: A writing apparatus includes: a voltage application unit that applies a voltage to a display medium whose display changes according to an irradiation of light and an applied voltage; an optical output unit that irradiates light toward the display medium; and a controller that (i) receives a position signal that has been output from an apparatus upon contact with an input device, the position signal indicating a position of the contact with the input device, (ii) specifies, based on the received position signal, a position on the display medium at which a display is to be changed, and (iii) controls the optical output unit so that light is irradiated toward the specified position on the display medium for a predetermined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruo Harada, Taijyu Gan, Hiroshi Arisawa, Yasunori Okano, Chisato Urano, Takashi Morikawa, Atsushi Hirano
  • Patent number: 8976209
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal panel including a scan signal line (16x), a data signal line (15x), and a transistor (12a) that is connected to the scan signal line (16x) and the data signal line (15x). A pixel (101) is provided with pixel electrodes (17a and 17b). The pixel electrode (17a) is connected to the data signal line (15x) through the transistor (12a). The liquid crystal panel further includes capacitance electrodes (37a and 38a) that are formed in the same layer as the scan signal line (16x). The capacitance electrodes (37a and 38a) are electrically connected to the pixel electrode (17a), and form a capacitance with the pixel electrode (17b). Consequently, the yield of a capacitance coupling type pixel division system active matrix substrate can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshihide Tsubata
  • Patent number: 8963846
    Abstract: A cursor control method using a touchpad triggers an automatic movement signal for a cursor when an object moves from a first defined region into a second defined region of a two-dimensional touch sensor, or when an object stays in the second defined region for a preset duration after it moves from the first defined region into the second defined region, and define the automatic movement signal with the direction identical to that of the object moving into the second defined region, so that the cursor will keep moving in its last moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
    Inventors: Jia-Yih Lii, Wei-Kuo Chang
  • Patent number: 8947356
    Abstract: Provided herein are input devices, systems, and methods. Some of the embodiments provided herein employ magnetic levitation of a controller of the input system so as to allow various benefits to a user's experience of the input system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC
    Inventor: Kenichi Kurata
  • Patent number: 8947347
    Abstract: Sound processing methods and apparatus are provided. A sound capture unit is configured to identify one or more sound sources. The sound capture unit generates data capable of being analyzed to determine a listening zone at which to process sound to the substantial exclusion of sounds outside the listening zone. Sound captured and processed for the listening zone may be used for interactivity with the computer program. The listening zone may be adjusted based on the location of a sound source. One or more listening zones may be pre-calibrated. The apparatus may optionally include an image capture unit configured to capture one or more image frames. The listening zone may be adjusted based on the image. A video game unit may be controlled by generating inertial, optical and/or acoustic signals with a controller and tracking a position and/or orientation of the controller using the inertial, acoustic and/or optical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaodong Mao, Richard L. Marks, Gary M. Zalewski