Patents Assigned to FiftyThree, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10168899
    Abstract: Computer-readable media and related methods for processing hand-drawn image elements are disclosed. A method includes selecting an image element model to replace an image element derived from a hand-drawn user input, correcting the selected image element model, and displaying the corrected image element model on an electronic display. A computer-readable medium includes computer-readable instructions stored thereon. The computer-readable instructions are configured to instruct a processor to determine whether an image element model is a suitable replacement for a hand-drawn image element, perform correction on the image element model if it is determined that the image element model is a suitable replacement, display the corrected image element model if it is determined that the image element model is a suitable replacement, and display the hand-drawn image element model if it is determined that the image element model is not a suitable replacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: FIFTYTHREE, INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Feiszli, Peter Sibley, Denis Kovacs, Amit Pitaru
  • Patent number: 9971480
    Abstract: A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor to define a set of indicators encoding a set of content segments from the set of content segments. The processor further defines, for each content segment, a first link between that content segment and an indicator from the set of indicators, such that the first link associates a center component of the content segment to that indicator. The processor also defines, for each content segment, a second link between that content segment and an adjacent content segment within the sequence of content segments, such that the second link associates an edge component of that content segment to an edge component of the adjacent content segment. The processor also defines a presentation of the set of content segments based on the first link and the second link, for each content segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: FIFTYTHREE, INC.
    Inventors: Andrew S. Allen, Julian Walker, Georg F. Petschnigg
  • Patent number: 9965445
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods displaying and formatting text on an electronic display. A gesture input may be received via a gesture input device associated with the electronic display. For instance, a touchscreen may receive a touch gesture input. Each of a plurality of gesture inputs may be associated with a formatting rule and/or a text-component for selecting a portion of displayed text. Selected text may be formatted according to the formatting rule associated with the received gesture input. The formatted text may be displayed on the electronic display. A data store may associate each of the plurality of gesture inputs with a formatting rule that can be applied to selected text. Alternatively, a data store may associate each of the plurality of gesture inputs with a formatting rule and a text-component that defines to which component of text the formatting rule should be applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: FIFTYTHREE, INC.
    Inventors: Julian Walker, Ian Curry
  • Patent number: 9965056
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for receiving an input signal from a touch-sensitive interface via a first electrode associated with a tip of an active stylus. An input signal may be amplified via a control circuit that adjusts the gain of one or more amplifiers to compensate for changes in tip capacitance between the tip of the active stylus and the touch-sensitive interface. Changes in tip capacitance may be indirectly detected and compensated for by comparing the tip capacitance with that of a reference capacitor via a differential amplification circuit that includes one or more differential amplifiers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: FIFTYTHREE, INC.
    Inventors: Gary Gordon, Ronald Randall
  • Patent number: 9964439
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a housing and an image sensor that is coupled to the housing and has a field of view. The apparatus also includes a non-imaging optical system coupled to the housing and disposed outside of the field of view of the image sensor. The non-imaging optical system can output diffuse light in a set of directions to a surface to produce scattered light. The image sensor and the non-imaging optical system are collectively configured such that during operation, the image sensor receives at least a portion of the scattered light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas C. Arends, Nicholas E. Bratt, John K. Ikeda, Jonathan R. Harris, Georg F. Petschnigg
  • Patent number: 9699653
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a wireless pairing method involves a touchscreen on a wireless host device combined with a switch on a wireless stylus device. The wireless pairing method uses the time-coincidence of a touch on the host device screen with the detection of a tip switch press on the stylus device as a mode of out-of-band communication to authenticate a pairing of the devices. In such embodiments, a user presses a tip portion of the stylus device against a pairing spot on the host device surface; the wireless devices then form a bonded pair if the touch and/or release of the tip portion of the stylus device with respect to the host device surface are within a pre-determined time co-incidence window of the detection by the host device of that touch and/or release of the tip portion of the stylus device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian MacDuff, Jonathan R. Harris, Andrew A. MacBeth
  • Publication number: 20170038959
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods displaying and formatting text on an electronic display. A gesture input may be received via a gesture input device associated with the electronic display. For instance, a touchscreen may receive a touch gesture input. Each of a plurality of gesture inputs may be associated with a formatting rule and/or a text-component for selecting a portion of displayed text. Selected text may be formatted according to the formatting rule associated with the received gesture input. The formatted text may be displayed on the electronic display. A data store may associate each of the plurality of gesture inputs with a formatting rule that can be applied to selected text. Alternatively, a data store may associate each of the plurality of gesture inputs with a formatting rule and a text-component that defines to which component of text the formatting rule should be applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Applicant: FIFTYTHREE, INC.
    Inventors: Julian Walker, Ian Curry
  • Publication number: 20170039167
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods displaying and formatting text on an electronic display. A gesture input may be received via a gesture input device associated with the electronic display. For instance, a touchscreen may receive a touch gesture input. Each of a plurality of gesture inputs may be associated with a formatting rule and/or a text-component for selecting a portion of displayed text. Selected text may be formatted according to the formatting rule associated with the received gesture input. The formatted text may be displayed on the electronic display. A data store may associate each of the plurality of gesture inputs with a formatting rule that can be applied to selected text. Alternatively, a data store may associate each of the plurality of gesture inputs with a formatting rule and a text-component that defines to which component of text the formatting rule should be applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Applicant: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Julian Walker, Ian Curry
  • Patent number: 9542093
    Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) including an illustration can be rendered. In response to receiving a signal from an input device indicating a location within the illustration, a layer can be defined. When the layer is applied to the illustration, the GUI can be updated such that a portion of the illustration under a filter is displayed as an altered feature. The filter can overlay the indicated location. In some embodiments, another portion of the illustration different from indicated location may not be filtered. Similarly stated, only a portion of the layer can include the filter and/or the layer may not overlay the entire illustration. A signal can be received from the input device indicating a use of the tool on the layer and, in response, the altered feature can be modified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew S. Allen, Julian Walker, Amit Pitaru
  • Publication number: 20160377479
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a housing and an image sensor that is coupled to the housing and has a field of view. The apparatus also includes a non-imaging optical system coupled to the housing and disposed outside of the field of view of the image sensor. The non-imaging optical system can output diffuse light in a set of directions to a surface to produce scattered light. The image sensor and the non-imaging optical system are collectively configured such that during operation, the image sensor receives at least a portion of the scattered light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Applicant: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas C. ARENDS, Nicholas E. BRATT, John K. IKEDA, Jonathan R. HARRIS, Georg F. PETSCHNIGG
  • Patent number: 9529486
    Abstract: A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor to receive a set of data elements associated with a user-defined content having a content type. The processor interpolates the set of data elements to produce a first set of content data based on a filter domain associated with the user-defined content. The processor further refines the first set of content data based, at least in part, on the content type to produce a second set of content data. The processor also sends a signal representing the second set of content data such that the user-defined content is displayed based on the second set of content data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Georg Petschnigg, Andrew Allen, Julian Walker
  • Publication number: 20160349862
    Abstract: A stylus may include input interfaces that provide a user with additional ways of manipulating an application on a user device beyond touching the stylus to a touch surface. The input interfaces may include a rotary encoder and/or a button. In some embodiments, a single component of the stylus may be usable as both a rotary encoder and a button. The stylus may include a controller able to detect user manipulation of the rotary encoder and/or the button. The controller may include or be communicatively coupled with a wireless interface. In response to user manipulation of the rotary encoder and/or the button, the controller may instruct the wireless interface to transmit an indication of the user manipulation to the user device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Applicant: FIFTYTHREE, INC.
    Inventors: Jonathan Harris, Audrey Caroline Christine Louchart, Hauke Antony Gentzkow
  • Patent number: 9454296
    Abstract: A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor to define a set of indicators encoding a set of content segments from the set of content segments. The processor further defines, for each content segment, a first link between that content segment and an indicator from the set of indicators, such that the first link associates a center component of the content segment to that indicator. The processor also defines, for each content segment, a second link between that content segment and an adjacent content segment within the sequence of content segments, such that the second link associates an edge component of that content segment to an edge component of the adjacent content segment. The processor also defines a presentation of the set of content segments based on the first link and the second link, for each content segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: FIFTYTHREE, INC.
    Inventors: Andrew S. Allen, Julian Walker, Georg F. Petschnigg
  • Publication number: 20160252982
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a housing and an image sensor that is coupled to the housing. The apparatus also includes a non-imaging optical system coupled to the housing that can output light to a surface and produce a scattered light component and a specular reflected light component. The image sensor and the non-imaging optical system are collectively configured in such a manner that during operation, the image sensor receives from a surface (1) at least a portion of the scattered light component and not the specular reflected light component or (2) at least a portion of the scattered light component having a magnitude and at least a portion of the specular reflective light component having a magnitude less than the magnitude of the portion of the scattered light component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Applicant: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas C. ARENDS, Nicholas E. BRATT, John K. IKEDA, Jonathan R. HARRIS, Georg F. PETSCHNIGG
  • Patent number: 9323355
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a housing and an image sensor that is coupled to the housing and has a field of view. The apparatus also includes a non-imaging optical system coupled to the housing and disposed outside of the field of view of the image sensor. The non-imaging optical system can output diffuse light in a set of directions to a surface to produce scattered light. The image sensor and the non-imaging optical system are collectively configured such that during operation, the image sensor receives at least a portion of the scattered light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas C. Arends, Nicholas E. Bratt, John K. Ikeda, Jonathan R. Harris, Georg F. Petschnigg
  • Patent number: 9297750
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a housing and an image sensor that is coupled to the housing. The apparatus also includes a non-imaging optical system coupled to the housing that can output light to a surface and produce a scattered light component and a specular reflected light component. The image sensor and the non-imaging optical system are collectively configured in such a manner that during operation, the image sensor receives from a surface (1) at least a portion of the scattered light component and not the specular reflected light component or (2) at least a portion of the scattered light component having a magnitude and at least a portion of the specular reflective light component having a magnitude less than the magnitude of the portion of the scattered light component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas C. Arends, Nicholas E. Bratt, John K. Ikeda, Jonathan R. Harris, Georg F. Petschnigg
  • Publication number: 20150050879
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a wireless pairing method involves a touchscreen on a wireless host device combined with a switch on a wireless stylus device. The wireless pairing method uses the time-coincidence of a touch on the host device screen with the detection of a tip switch press on the stylus device as a mode of out-of-band communication to authenticate a pairing of the devices. In such embodiments, a user presses a tip portion of the stylus device against a pairing spot on the host device surface; the wireless devices then form a bonded pair if the touch and/or release of the tip portion of the stylus device with respect to the host device surface are within a pre-determined time co-incidence window of the detection by the host device of that touch and/or release of the tip portion of the stylus device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Applicant: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian MacDuff, Jonathan R. Harris, Andrew A. MacBeth
  • Publication number: 20150029161
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a stylus device includes two switch mechanisms, one disposed at the stylus tip portion and the other disposed at the stylus end portion. The stylus device also includes a wireless transceiver that allows the stylus device to communicate back to an electronic host device (e.g., an electronic tablet) in response to a user contacting the surface of a host device with the stylus tip portion or the stylus end portion. This enables, for example, a wide range of dual stylus device functions for electronic tablet applications. For example, the stylus device can be used to write and/or draw with the stylus tip portion and then can be flipped to the stylus end portion to erase as a user would generally do with a conventional pencil on paper. In another example, the stylus device can include a marker color tip on the stylus tip portion and a color blender on the stylus end portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: James Koo, John K. Ikeda, Jonathan R. Harris, Georg Petschnigg, Yao-Kuo Wang, Chun Chou Yeh, Chien Lung Lu, Chien I. Lee, Hsing Ming Lee
  • Publication number: 20150029163
    Abstract: A stylus has a body portion and a tip portion coupled to an end of the body portion. The body portion defines a first cross-sectional area and is configured to be engaged by a user. The tip portion has a first end disposed adjacent to the body portion and having the first cross-sectional area, and a second end defining a second cross-sectional area different from the first cross-sectional area. The tip portion is formed from a flexible material that elastically deforms when placed in contact with a touch sensitive display to define an engagement surface that is input to the touch sensitive display. The engagement surface has a first size when the stylus is in a first configuration and a second size different from the first size when the stylus is in a second configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: FiftyThree, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan R. Harris, John K. Ikeda, Audrey Louchart
  • Publication number: 20150029162
    Abstract: A method can include receiving a signal representing a first touch event and receiving a signal representing a first end portion of a stylus device being activated. Based on receiving the signal representing the first touch event and based on receiving the signal representing the first end portion of the stylus device being activated, a signal can be sent such that a graphical user interface (GUI) is modified according to a first functionality. A signal representing a second touch event and a signal representing a second end portion of the stylus device being activated can also be received. Based on receiving the signal representing the second touch event and based on receiving the signal representing the second end portion of the stylus device being activated, a signal can be sent such that the GUI is modified according to a second functionality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: FiftyThree, Inc
    Inventors: Jonathan R. HARRIS, John K. IKEDA, James KOO