Patents by Inventor Kirk Fifer

Kirk Fifer 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).

  • Haptic pointing devices
    Patent number: 6396232
    Abstract: A haptic pointing device includes a plurality of rigid, elongated proximal members, each connected to a separate rigid, elongated distal member through an articulating joint. The other end of each proximal member is coupled to an actuator such as a motor, causing that member to swing within a separate plane perpendicular to the shaft of the motor in response to a control signal. An end-effector is interconnected to the second end of each distal member through an articulating joint, such that as the actuators move the proximal members, the end-effector moves in space. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes at least three proximal members and three distal members, and the end-effector is coupled to a user-graspable element such as a stylus which retains a preferred orientation in space as the members are driven by the actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Cybernet Haptic Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Haanpaa, Gary Siebert, Terry Cussen, Kirk Fifer, Mike Dinsmore, Charles J. Jacobus
  • Haptic pointing devices
    Patent number: 6281651
    Abstract: A haptic pointing device includes a plurality of rigid, elongated proximal members, each connected to a separate rigid, elongated distal member through an articulating joint. The other end of each proximal member is coupled to an actuator such as a motor, causing that member to swing within a separate plane perpendicular to the shaft of the motor in response to a control signal. An end-effector is interconnected to the second end of each distal member through an articulating joint, such that as the actuators move the proximal members, the end-effector moves in space. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes at least three proximal members and three distal members, and the end-effector is coupled to a user-graspable element such as a stylus which retains a preferred orientation in space as the members are driven by the actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Immersion Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Haanpaa, Gary Siebert, Terry Cussen, Kirk Fifer, Mike Dinsmore, Charles J. Jacobus
  • Haptic pointing devices
    Publication number: 20010002098
    Abstract: A haptic pointing device includes a plurality of rigid, elongated proximal members, each connected to a separate rigid, elongated distal member through an articulating joint. The other end of each proximal member is coupled to an actuator such as a motor, causing that member to swing within a separate plane perpendicular to the shaft of the motor in response to a control signal. An end-effector is interconnected to the second end of each distal member through an articulating joint, such that as the actuators move the proximal members, the end-effector moves in space. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes at least three proximal members and three distal members, and the end-effector is coupled to a user-graspable element such as a stylus which retains a preferred orientation in space as the members are driven by the actuators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Publication date: May 31, 2001
    Inventors: Douglas Haanpaa, Gary Siebert, Terry Cussen, Kirk Fifer, Mike Dinsmore, Charles J. Jacobus