Patents Examined by Tony N Ngo
  • Patent number: 9501097
    Abstract: A portable computer is provided having a first display panel in a display unit, a second display panel in a base unit, and a keyboard structure requiring less surface area than conventional keyboards. Keyboard keys are at least partially transparent, revealing an underlying display panel. The display panel can display a plurality of icons that may be alternatively associated with each key, such that keyboard input can be achieved using a reduced quantity of keys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Inventor: George Moser
  • Patent number: 9471207
    Abstract: An electronic device can be coupled to an accessory that controls multiple displays. The device can receive accessory configuration information describing a configuration of the multiple displays. The device can generate one or more user interfaces for display by the multiple displays and transmit the one or more user interfaces to the accessory for display by the multiple displays. The device can receive information indicating user interaction with a user interface. In response to receiving the information, the device can generate an updated user interface and transmit the updated user interface to the accessory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Emily Clark Schubert, Peter T. Langenfeld
  • Patent number: 9466256
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a gamma voltage generating circuit, a controlling method thereof and a liquid crystal display. The gamma voltage generating circuit comprises an output end, a first reference voltage input end, a second reference voltage input end, a pre-stage voltage-dividing circuit, and a post-stage voltage-dividing circuit. A first pre-stage output end of the pre-stage voltage-dividing circuit is coupled to a first post-stage input end, and a second pre-stage output end is coupled to a second post-stage input end, so as to divide reference voltages input from the first and second reference voltage input ends, thereby to generate a primary gamma voltage. A post-stage output end of the post-stage voltage-dividing circuit is coupled to the output end of the gamma voltage generating circuit, so as to divide the primary gamma voltage, thereby to generate a secondary gamma voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignees: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qian Wang, Hyungkyu Kim
  • Patent number: 9423953
    Abstract: A method, device, and/or computer program product operates a touch-screen device. A first touch at a location on a touch-screen is detected. A second touch on the touch-screen, which occurs simultaneously with the first touch on the touch-screen, is detected. A pressure of the detected second touch is calculated and assigned to the detected first touch. A specific touch-screen output is generated according to the location and assigned calculated pressure of the detected first touch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jerome Delattre, Stephane Hillion, Thierry Kormann, Remi Van Keisbelck
  • Patent number: 9390676
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a device and system for providing information to a user in a tactile form. In one embodiment, the invention provides a device for providing information to a user, the device comprising: a plurality of individually-addressable cells, each cell including an electrically-active material capable of changing shape and/or position in response to an electrical current; a electrical network connected to, and capable of delivering the electrical current to, each of the plurality of individually-addressable cells; a membrane atop the plurality of individually-addressable cells, onto which the change in shape and/or position of the electrically-active material in each cell may be transferred; and a receiver for receiving information capable of tactile presentation to a user using the plurality of individually-addressable cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Johnny Nieves
  • Patent number: 9372579
    Abstract: A touchscreen display assembly has an array of first electrodes distributed across an active area of the touchscreen display assembly such that the density of first electrodes increases in a first direction across the touchscreen. An array of second electrodes is distributed across an active area of the touchscreen display assembly such that the density of second electrodes decreases in the first direction across the touchscreen. The position in the first direction of an input on the touchscreen can be determined by the proportion of first and second electrodes density in the area of the input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Atmel Corporation
    Inventor: Harald Philipp
  • Patent number: 9335907
    Abstract: An electronic device can receive a request from an accessory to provide a user interface for display on a display of the accessory. In response to receiving the request, the electronic device can generate a user interface that includes a region that is reserved for displaying content provided by the accessory. The electronic device can initiate display of the user interface on the display of the accessory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Emily Clark Schubert, Peter T. Langenfeld
  • Patent number: 9311115
    Abstract: A graphical user interface (“GUI”) can be presented on a remote control accessory device that has user input and display devices. The portable media device can provide the accessory with a GUI image to be displayed. The accessory can specify the configuration of the remote GUI image and send that information to the portable media device. The portable media device can generate a GUI image based on the configuration and send the GUI image to the accessory. The accessory can display the GUI image on one part of its display and other information on another part of its display. The portable media device can define different GUI image types for use with different types of input controls of the accessory. Based on which input control is currently active, the portable media device can send the corresponding GUI image to the accessory for display on the accessory display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Emily Schubert, Shyam Toprani, Thomas M. Alsina, Szu-Wen Huang
  • Patent number: 9268925
    Abstract: Provided is electronic paper that includes an imaging sheet for displaying content, a memory for storing the content, a mode switch unit for manually setting an operation mode of the electronic paper, and a controller for performing at least one operation from a plurality of operations including encryption of the content stored in the memory, deletion of the content stored in the memory, deletion of content displayed on the imaging sheet from a screen, and display of a lock screen that requires input of a password on the imaging sheet, according to an operation mode that is set by a user using the mode switch unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Jin Park, Seong-Woon Kang, Young-Woong Kim, Kyu-Suk Lee, Jong-In Lee, Kyung-Hoon Cha
  • Patent number: 9268428
    Abstract: A light-sensing apparatus in which a light sensor transistor in a light-sensing pixel is formed of an oxide semiconductor transistor for sensing light, a method of driving the light-sensing apparatus, and an optical touch screen apparatus including the light-sensing apparatus. The light-sensing apparatus includes a light-sensing pixel array having a plurality of light-sensing pixels arranged in rows and columns, and a plurality of gate lines which are arranged in a row direction and respectively provide a gate voltage to the light-sensing pixel. Each of the light-sensing pixels includes a light sensor transistor for sensing light and a switch transistor for outputting a light-sensing signal from the light sensor transistor, and gates of the light sensor transistors of the light-sensing pixels arranged in an arbitrary row are connected to a gate line arranged in a row previous or next to the arbitrary row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Young Kim, I-hun Song, Sang-hun Jeon, Seung-eon Ahn, Joon-chul Goh, Cheol-gon Lee
  • Patent number: 9256300
    Abstract: A remote controller with touch panel comprises a case, a circuit board, a power supply, and signal emitter. The circuit board, the power supply, and the signal emitter are accommodated in the case. The touch panel comprises a cover lens, and a carbon nanotube film is located on an inner surface of the cover lens. A number of touching and sensing electrodes are electrically connected to the carbon nanotube to supply signals. The carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes oriented along the same direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: TIANJIN FUNAYUANCHUANG TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shih-Chin Chou, Ya-Fen Tsai
  • Patent number: 9256291
    Abstract: A mobile device control method for displaying information on a touch screen of a mobile device is provided. The method includes determining a type of a cover for the mobile device, the cover having a screen projection portion, detecting a gesture or a trigger, and displaying a screen corresponding to a current state of the mobile device on the touch screen depending on the type of the cover, in response to the detection of the gesture or the trigger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung-Joon Won
  • Patent number: 9244544
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for displaying an image on a display screen and recognizing a user's input by the user's finger touch on a touch screen, the process including: a first step of displaying an original image; a second step of forming a screen pad, such that a reference image, which is a reduced duplicate of the original image, is displayed on the screen pad within the display screen, such that the reference image is overlaid with the original image, in a translucent mode that renders the original image visible through the reference image, or an opaque mode where the original image is not visible. The reference image is obtained by reducing the original image with or without image simplification. A third step, in response to the user touching the screen pad, detects finger position on the screen pad, and recognizes the user's input based on the detected finger position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: KDDI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoaki Matsuki
  • Patent number: 9244498
    Abstract: A portable computer is described including a reverse-mounted touchpad and associated buttons where the touchpad is mounted on the reverse surface of the panel containing the portable computer's display and facing away from the user. One or more associated buttons are mounted on the surface of the display panel facing the user and function as the buttons normally associated with a touchpad, traditionally called the “mouse buttons”. The buttons are mounted in close proximity to the reverse-mounted touchpad such that the user can operate both the touchpad and the buttons simultaneously with a finger and the thumb of the same hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Inventor: Robert Osann, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9229578
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of light detecting elements. The plurality of light detecting elements are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein a flat field picture generated by the image sensor, the intensity standard deviation of pixels in each pixel column is greater than that of pixels in any pixel row, or the intensity standard deviation of pixels in each pixel row is greater than that of pixels of any pixel column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Pixart Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Chih Hsin Lin, Tzung Min Su, Ming Tsan Kao
  • Patent number: 9223430
    Abstract: A system comprises processing logic and storage comprising a system service application (SS), an administration application (AA), a first user application configured to receive single touch data or both single and multiple touch data. The system also comprises a touch-screen display configured to receive touch data. Execution of the SS causes the processing logic to obtain touch data from the display and to provide the touch data to an instance of the AA that corresponds to a target user selected based on user context information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company
    Inventor: Bradley N. Suggs
  • Patent number: 9207788
    Abstract: A decorative film on a transparent substrate is provided. The decorative film includes a color transparent layer, a reflective layer and a protective layer. The color transparent layer is on a surface of a transparent substrate. The reflective layer is disposed on the color transparent layer and the protective layer is disposed on the reflective layer. The disclosure also describes a touch sensor device and a method of manufacturing a touch sensor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignees: INNOCOM TECHNOLOGY(SHENZHEN) CO., LTD., INNOLUX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Su Peng Lin, Tsu-Hsien Ku, Jyh-Douh Tu, Szu-Wei Lai
  • Patent number: 9183786
    Abstract: A constant current driving circuit includes a control integrated circuit which generates a switching signal, a switching device which switches an input power supply voltage based on the switching signal, a rectifying diode which rectifies a current of the input power supply voltage, a smoothing inductor which smoothes the current of the input power supply voltage, and a smoothing condenser which outputs an output current. The control integrated circuit includes a reference signal generator which generates a reference signal having information about a target constant current, a comparator which compares the current of the input power supply voltage with the reference signal, a flip-flop circuit which outputs a flip-flop signal having information about a time period during which a set state is maintained, and a delay circuit which outputs the switching signal to the switching device based on the flip-flop signal to control the switching device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sachiyo Yamada
  • Patent number: 9176651
    Abstract: An electronic device can receive a request from an accessory to provide a user interface to be displayed by the accessory. The electronic device can determine whether an accessory has a first set of one or more user input devices or a second set of one or more user input devices. In accordance with a determination that the accessory has a first set of one or more user input devices, the electronic device can provide to the accessory a first user interface configured to be controlled with the first set of user input devices. In accordance with a determination that the accessory has a second set of one or more user input devices, the electronic device can provide to the accessory a second user interface, different from the first user interface, the second user interface configured to be controlled with the second set of user input devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Emily Clark Schubert, Peter T. Langenfeld
  • Patent number: 9164626
    Abstract: An input/output device capable of displaying a high-resolution two-dimensional image and detecting the position of an object in three-dimensional space in spite of having a low profile is provided. An input/output device includes: a display section including, in a mixed manner, image pickup regions for obtaining image pickup data of an object and a display region for displaying an image based on image data; a microlens arranged on a display surface of the display section so as to correspond to each of the image pickup regions; and a position detection section detecting position of the object based on image pickup data obtained from the image pickup regions of the display section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kengo Hayasaka, Kenji Yamamoto