Patents by Inventor Brock A. Hable

Brock A. Hable 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: 9389724
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive device with stylus includes a touch panel, a stylus drive unit, a touch panel sense unit, and a measurement unit. A touch by a stylus proximate to a touch panel electrode changes a capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and a stylus electrode. The amplitude of the response signal is responsive to the capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and the stylus electrode, and is measured to provide an indication of the position of the stylus electrode relative to the touch panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Billy L. Weaver, Brock A. Hable, Thomas J. Rebeschi
  • Patent number: 9360971
    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: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Roger W. Barton, Billy L. Weaver, Bernard O. Geaghan, Brock A. Hable
  • Publication number: 20160077637
    Abstract: An electrode for a touch sensitive device includes micro-wire conductors arranged to define an electrically continuous electrode trunk area, and including branching elements which extend outward from the electrode trunk area. The electrically continuous trunk area is patterned coincident an underlying reference mesh pattern, as are the branching elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventors: Billy L. Weaver, Roger W. Barton, Thomas Herdtle, Brock A. Hable
  • Patent number: 9229553
    Abstract: An electrode for a touch sensitive device includes micro-wire conductors arranged to define an electrically continuous electrode trunk area, and including branching elements which extend outward from the electrode trunk area. The electrically continuous trunk area is patterned coincident an underlying reference mesh pattern, as are the branching elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Billy L. Weaver, Roger W. Barton, Thomas Herdtle, Brock A. Hable
  • Publication number: 20150289366
    Abstract: Articles comprising a substrate having a first major surface; an electrical conductor pattern on the first major surface of the substrate, the electrical conductor pattern comprising a plurality of separated pairs of separated first and second electrically conductive metallic traces. Optionally the articles further comprise a first electrically conductive layer. Embodiments of articles described herein are useful in, for example, displays, touch sensors, lighting elements, photovoltaic cells, electrochromic windows and displays, and electroluminescent lamps and displays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Matthew H. Frey, Brock A. Hable, Thomas Herdtle
  • Publication number: 20140347076
    Abstract: An electrode layer has a plurality of substantially parallel electrodes disposed along a first direction. At least one electrode has a length along the first direction and a width from a first edge to a second edge along a second direction transverse to the first direction. At least one electrode comprises across its width at least one edge section, at least one intermediate section, and at least one central section, wherein an intermediate section is disposed along the electrode width between an edge section and the central section. At least one electrode edge section and intermediate section includes a plurality of electrically isolated regions arranged in a pattern along the electrode length. An electrode conductive area of the edge section is less than an electrode conductive area of the intermediate section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2013
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Roger W. Barton, Billy L. Weaver, Matthew W. Gorrell, Brock A. Hable
  • Patent number: 8773366
    Abstract: A touch sensitive apparatus having a plurality of drive electrodes and a plurality of receive electrodes, the drive electrodes and receive electrodes capacitively coupled to each other. A touch measurement circuit configured to identify touch events on the touch sensitive device by comparing a first time period to a second time period. The first time period can be, for example, representative of a length of time a periodic receive signal carried by a receive electrode is above or below a threshold voltage level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Brock A. Hable, Billy Lee Weaver
  • Publication number: 20140152580
    Abstract: An electrode for a touch sensitive device includes micro-wire conductors arranged to define an electrically continuous electrode trunk area, and including branching elements which extend outward from the electrode trunk area. The electrically continuous trunk area is patterned coincident an underlying reference mesh pattern, as are the branching elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Billy L. WEAVER, Roger W. BARTON, Thomas HERDTLE, Brock A. HABLE
  • Publication number: 20120125882
    Abstract: A method of patterning a conductor on a substrate, the conductor including a unique location indicia that may be sensed with a sensing device, and the location on the substrate determined therefrom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Billy L. Weaver, Brock A. Hable
  • Publication number: 20120127114
    Abstract: A conductive element in a touch sensitive device, such as an electrode in a mutual capacitive touch sensor, that includes conductors arranged in a location pattern that may be sensed and analyzed, and a position on the touch sensor determined therefrom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Billy L. WEAVER, Brock A. Hable
  • Publication number: 20120062497
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive device with stylus includes a touch panel, a stylus drive unit, a stylus sense unit, a touch panel drive unit, and a measurement unit. A touch by a stylus proximate to a touch panel electrode changes a capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and a stylus electrode. The amplitude of the response signal is responsive to the capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and the stylus electrode, and is measured to provide an indication of the position of the stylus electrode relative to the touch panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Inventors: Thomas J. REBESCHI, Billy L. Weaver, Brock A. Hable
  • Publication number: 20120062498
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive device with stylus includes a touch panel, a stylus drive unit, a touch panel sense unit, and a measurement unit. A touch by a stylus proximate to a touch panel electrode changes a capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and a stylus electrode. The amplitude of the response signal is responsive to the capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and the stylus electrode, and is measured to provide an indication of the position of the stylus electrode relative to the touch panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Inventors: Billy L. WEAVER, Brock A. HABLE, Thomas J. REBESCHI
  • Publication number: 20120062499
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive device with stylus includes a touch panel, a touch panel drive unit, a stylus sense unit, and a measurement unit. A touch by a stylus proximate to a touch panel electrode changes a capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and a stylus electrode. The amplitude of the response signal is responsive to the capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and the stylus electrode, and is measured to provide an indication of the position of the stylus electrode relative to the touch panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Inventors: Billy L. WEAVER, Thomas J. Rebeschi, Brock A. Hable
  • Publication number: 20110115717
    Abstract: A touch sensitive apparatus having a plurality of drive electrodes and a plurality of receive electrodes, the drive electrodes and receive electrodes capacitively coupled to each other. A touch measurement circuit configured to identify touch events on the touch sensitive device by comparing a first time period to a second time period. The first time period can be, for example, representative of a length of time a periodic receive signal carried by a receive electrode is above or below a threshold voltage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Inventors: Brock A. Hable, Billy Lee Weaver
  • Publication number: 20100051692
    Abstract: A system includes a plurality of carriers for storing articles sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD), wherein each of the plurality of carriers includes a device having a sensor to sense one or more environmental parameters. At least one of the environmental parameters comprises an ESD parameter. The system also includes a plurality of radio frequency (RF) receiving devices and a coordinator unit to which the RF receiving devices communicate according to a wireless networking standard. The RF receiving devices are configured to obtain data associated with the sensed environmental parameters from the devices of the plurality of carriers via wireless communications according to the wireless networking standard. The plurality of RF receiving devices route the data obtained from the devices of the plurality of carriers to the coordinator unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Orlin B. Knudson, Justin M. Johnson, Travis W. Rasmussen, Subhalakshmi M. Ananthanarayanan, Robert A. Sainati, Brock A. Hable, Vladimir Kraz