Patents by Inventor Bernard O. Geaghan

Bernard O. Geaghan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10753746
    Abstract: A digitizer system includes a substrate with indicia that uniquely define local areas of the substrate. A multi-mode sensor device, such as a stylus, may sense radiation emitted from the features, and selectively switch to a mode of operation that can sense the indicia and determine therefrom the location of the stylus relative to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Bernard O. Geaghan, Michael W. Dolezal
  • Patent number: 10649554
    Abstract: A pen configured for use with a touch sensor includes a pen tip that is configured to make contact with the touch sensor. The pen body includes an electrically conductive receiver portion and an electrically conductive emitter portion that is electrically insulated and electrostatically shielded from the receiver portion. The pen includes circuitry configured to receive a touch sensor drive signal applied to a drive electrode of the touch sensor through the receiver portion of the pen body. In response to the received signal, the pen circuitry generates a pen drive signal that is phase additive with the touch sensor drive signal and emits the pen drive signal through the emitter portion of the pen body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas J. Rebeschi, Craig A. Cordeiro, Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Publication number: 20190339795
    Abstract: A pen configured for use with a touch sensor includes a pen tip that is configured to make contact with the touch sensor. The pen body includes an electrically conductive receiver portion and an electrically conductive emitter portion that is electrically insulated and electrostatically shielded from the receiver portion. The pen includes circuitry configured to receive a touch sensor drive signal applied to a drive electrode of the touch sensor through the receiver portion of the pen body. In response to the received signal, the pen circuitry generates a pen drive signal that is phase additive with the touch sensor drive signal and emits the pen drive signal through the emitter portion of the pen body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas J. Rebeschi, Craig A. Cordeiro, Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Patent number: 10437358
    Abstract: A touch sensor can be used with a finger and/or a pen configured to provide a touch input to the touch sensor. Some implementations involve touch capacitive touch sensing, although many implementations are also applicable to other touch and pen technologies, such as resistive, surface acoustic wave, bending wave, touch force, electromagnetic (E-M).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Bernard O. Geaghan, Thomas J. Rebeschi, Craig A. Cordeiro
  • Patent number: 10430001
    Abstract: An electrode for a touch sensitive device includes micro-wire conductors arranged to define an electrically continuous area and to include interior regions that are electrically discontinuous. The electrically continuous area may be patterned according to a one pattern, and the interior pattern may be patterned according to another pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Roger W. Barton, Billy L. Weaver, Bernard O. Geaghan, Brock A. Hable
  • Patent number: 10379633
    Abstract: A pen configured for use with a touch sensor includes a pen tip that is configured to make contact with the touch sensor. The pen body includes an electrically conductive receiver portion and an electrically conductive emitter portion that is electrically insulated and electrostatically shielded from the receiver portion. The pen includes circuitry configured to receive a touch sensor drive signal applied to a drive electrode of the touch sensor through the receiver portion of the pen body. In response to the received signal, the pen circuitry generates a pen drive signal that is phase additive with the touch sensor drive signal and emits the pen drive signal through the emitter portion of the pen body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Thomas J. Rebeschi, Craig A. Cordeiro, Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Patent number: 10318066
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive apparatus includes a touch panel comprising a touch sensitive surface and at least one a drive electrode capacitively coupled to at least one receive electrode. A sense circuit generates a response signal for the receive electrode in response to a drive signal delivered to the drive electrode. A measurement circuit applies a time-varying transfer function to the response signal. The transfer function varies proportionately and synchronously with the response signal. A calibration circuit is used to match the time-varying transfer function to the response signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Craig A. Cordeiro, Thomas J. Rebeschi, Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Patent number: 10168825
    Abstract: An approach for determining touch location on a touch panel includes receiving information indicative of which of the electrodes in the first set of electrodes are not experiencing, or are unlikely to experience, a touch is received. Based on the received information, at least one electrode is selected from the first set of electrodes to function as a first reference electrode, remaining ones of the first set of electrodes referred to as first remaining electrode. Touch signals are measured for at least some of the touch panel nodes using a differential technique. The differential technique for each such node utilizes the first reference electrode in combination with at least one of the first remaining electrodes and with at least one of the electrodes from the second set of electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Patent number: 9958954
    Abstract: Systems and methods for calibrating a photoluminescent indicia-based digitizer system with a display, the photoluminescent indicia uniquely identifying local areas of a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventor: Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Publication number: 20180032165
    Abstract: A pen configured for use with a touch sensor includes a pen tip that is configured to make contact with the touch sensor. The pen body includes an electrically conductive receiver portion and an electrically conductive emitter portion that is electrically insulated and electrostatically shielded from the receiver portion. The pen includes circuitry configured to receive a touch sensor drive signal applied to a drive electrode of the touch sensor through the receiver portion of the pen body. In response to the received signal, the pen circuitry generates a pen drive signal that is phase additive with the touch sensor drive signal and emits the pen drive signal through the emitter portion of the pen body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas J. Rebeschi, Craig A. Cordeiro, Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Patent number: 9823769
    Abstract: Touch location determination approaches involving a plurality of touch location techniques are described. Each touch location technique is capable of independently determining a location of a touch within a touch area of the touch sensitive device. The touch location determination made by at least one touch location technique is enhanced using touch location information associated with the touch acquired from one or more other touch location techniques. One touch location technique may use a different type of sensor, signal, and/or algorithm from the one or more other touch location techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Patent number: 9817491
    Abstract: A pen configured for use with a touch sensor includes a pen tip that is configured to make contact with the touch sensor. The pen body includes an electrically conductive receiver portion and an electrically conductive emitter portion that is electrically insulated and electrostatically shielded from the receiver portion. The pen includes circuitry configured to receive a touch sensor drive signal applied to a drive electrode of the touch sensor through the receiver portion of the pen body. In response to the received signal, the pen circuitry generates a pen drive signal that is phase additive with the touch sensor drive signal and emits the pen drive signal through the emitter portion of the pen body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Thomas J. Rebeschi, Craig A. Cordeiro, Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Patent number: 9782955
    Abstract: Touch sensor layer constructions and methods of making such constructions are described. More particularly, touch sensor constructions that utilize patterned conductive layers that may be applied by a sacrificial release liner, eliminating one or more glass and/or film substrate from touch sensor stacks, and methods of making such constructions are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael W. Dolezal, Robert R. Kieschke, Ta-Hua Yu, Mark A. Roehrig, Pradnya V. Nagarkar, Matthew S. Stay, Shawn C. Dodds, Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Publication number: 20170212635
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive apparatus includes a touch panel comprising a touch sensitive surface and at least one a drive electrode capacitively coupled to at least one receive electrode. A sense circuit generates a response signal for the receive electrode in response to a drive signal delivered to the drive electrode. A measurement circuit applies a time-varying transfer function to the response signal. The transfer function varies proportionately and synchronously with the response signal. A calibration circuit is used to match the time-varying transfer function to the response signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Inventors: Craig A. Cordeiro, Thomas J. Rebeschi, Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Patent number: 9710074
    Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods of using a stylus that houses optics and a detector capable of receiving optical signals that are combined with a displayed image. Stylus position determination is made by analyzing received optical signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Bernard O. Geaghan
  • Publication number: 20170185189
    Abstract: An electrode for a touch sensitive device includes micro-wire conductors arranged to define an electrically continuous area and to include interior regions that are electrically discontinuous. The electrically continuous area may be patterned according to a one pattern, and the interior pattern may be patterned according to another pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Roger W. Barton, Billy L. Weaver, Bernard O. Geaghan, Brock A. Hable
  • Publication number: 20170131798
    Abstract: A touch sensor can be used with a finger and/or a pen configured to provide a touch input to the touch sensor. Some implementations involve touch capacitive touch sensing, although many implementations are also applicable to other touch and pen technologies, such as resistive, surface acoustic wave, bending wave, touch force, electromagnetic (E-M).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Bernard O. Geaghan, Thomas J. Rebeschi, Craig A. Cordeiro
  • Patent number: 9639228
    Abstract: An electrode for a touch sensitive device includes micro-wire conductors arranged to define an electrically continuous area and to include interior regions that are electrically discontinuous. The electrically continuous area may be patterned according to a one pattern, and the interior pattern may be patterned according to another pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Roger W. Barton, Billy L Weaver, Bernard O. Geaghan, Brock A. Hable
  • Patent number: 9557827
    Abstract: A digitizer system including a substrate having a position-unique photoluminescent indicia pattern. A stylus component receives optical signals indicative of the indicia pattern and determines therefrom the position of the stylus relative to the substrate. Methods of disposing indicia on the substrate, and styli suitable for sensing photoluminescent indicia are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Bernard O. Geaghan, Michael Benton Free, Edward S. Hagermoser, Rachael P. Marino, Pradnya V. Nagarkar, Martin B. Wolk
  • Publication number: 20160342265
    Abstract: An approach for determining touch location on a touch panel includes receiving information indicative of which of the electrodes in the first set of electrodes are not experiencing, or are unlikely to experience, a touch is received. Based on the received information, at least one electrode is selected from the first set of electrodes to function as a first reference electrode, remaining ones of the first set of electrodes referred to as first remaining electrode. Touch signals are measured for at least some of the touch panel nodes using a differential technique. The differential technique for each such node utilizes the first reference electrode in combination with at least one of the first remaining electrodes and with at least one of the electrodes from the second set of electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventor: Bernard O. Geaghan