Patents by Inventor Charles Patrick Thacker

Charles Patrick Thacker 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: 7319454
    Abstract: A system and method for emulating the functional behavior of a two-button mouse-type computer input device is described. A predetermined input generated by digitizing pen and a digitizing writing surface is received, and a user interface having a plurality of soft buttons is displayed. The plurality of soft buttons provides selectable functionality of a two-button mouse-type computer input device. Preferably, the plurality of soft buttons includes a right-button function, a shift function, a control function, an alternate function and a bull's-eye function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Patrick Thacker, James E. Mathews, Luis Huapaya, Butler Wright Lampson
  • Patent number: 6903730
    Abstract: A technique is disclosed for detecting an in-air gesture made by a digitizing pen above a digitizing writing surface. When the digitizing pen is determined to be in motion above the digitizing writing surface, positional information of the digitizing pen with respect to the surface of the digitizing writing surface is recorded within a moving buffer. The moving buffer records a predetermined amount of positional information spanning a predetermined amount of time while the digitizing pen is in motion above the digitizing writing surface. When the digitizing pen has stopped motion, positional information recorded in the moving buffer is evaluated for determining whether the recorded information corresponds to a predetermined in-air gesture. A predetermined user interface panel is displayed when the positional information recorded in the moving buffer corresponds to a predetermined in-air gesture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: James E. Mathews, Charles Patrick Thacker, Michael Hin-cheung Tsang