Patents Assigned to Freedom Scientific
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Publication number: 20250061817Abstract: Disclosed are overload protection pins (“OP Pins”) for use in a Braille display. Each OP Pin in the display is placed above an associated actuator pin, which allows the OP Pins to be selectively driven upwardly or downwardly. This, in turn, allows the OP Pins to be selectively positioned to generate Braille characters that can be sensed by a BLV user. However, when excessive forces are encountered (defined as forces beyond the standard sensing pressures applied by BLV users) the OP Pins yield and are retracted to a position beneath the upper surface of the Braille display. This serves both to protect both the OP Pins and the underlying actuator mechanisms. Once the excessive force is removed, the OP Pin recovers to its original height.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2023Publication date: February 20, 2025Applicant: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Patrick Murphy, Todd Conard, Walter van Tujil, Katelyn Alvies, Eric Gerolstein
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Patent number: 12222993Abstract: A screen reader application traverses each node in a document object model (DOM) for the text stylization. Properties for foreground color, background color, font type, font size and font stylization are algorithmically reduced to an identifier. Each node in the DOM with the same identifier has the same text stylization. Unique and infrequent text stylizations by a webpage author signal a point of interest. The screen reader application locates and navigates to that node in the DOM on behalf or in response to the end user. Points of interest are further identified by a number of additional factors. A first includes percentage of text of having the text stylization versus total text in the DOM. A second includes excluding candidate point of interest nodes having more than 250 characters. Others include imposing minimum font sizes and text contrast ratios to qualify as a point of interest.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2023Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Joseph Kelton Stephen, Glen Gordon, Roxana Fischer
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Patent number: 12175881Abstract: Disclosed is a braille display that is impact resistant and that employs a modular construction. The impact resistance is achieved, in part, by molded and resilient end caps. Each end cap includes a centrally positioned slit that functions in absorbing lateral impacts to the display. The impact resistance is further achieved by an over molded housing that is positioned about an associated USB connector. The modularity of the display is achieved by way of a subassembly that is releasably secured within the interior of a main housing. The subassembly, in turn, includes a series of cell compartments that are arranged in groups. Each group of cell compartments is controlled by an individual shift register. This allows a grouping cell compartments to be removed and replaced as needed without disturbing the remaining cell components.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2023Date of Patent: December 24, 2024Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Patrick Murphy, Todd Conard, Bradley S. Davis, Maarten van Egmond
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Patent number: 12164765Abstract: A system and method of digitally monitoring actions of a user on a computing device and providing real-time suggestions to aid the user's task performance. The digital nudging software may perform a range of subtasks successfully. The subtasks may include loading and processing the structured representation of an application to build the graph, identifying the starting point (“Point A”) and the end point (“Point B”) of the path of the user, and conveying a notification of the faster paths in a user-friendly format.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2023Date of Patent: December 10, 2024Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Sriram M. Ramanathan, Sumanth Aluri, Mariana Viso, Erynne Dorothy San Antonio, Ryan Aponte
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Patent number: 12159548Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a vision assistive device for use by blind or low vision users. The device includes an imaging unit for viewing objects positioned beneath the device. The device further includes a forwardly facing screen for displaying an enlarged view of the imaged object to the user. The imaging unit is configured to take multiple views of the object, each with a different area of focus. This can be accomplished by digitally changing the imaging sensor's area of focus or by pivoting the sensor via a focus motor. In either event, the resulting images are combined into a single, integrated, focused, and composite image. Combining images with differing areas of focus helps eliminate any blurry regions in the composite image. The device further includes a rearwardly positioned fin that facilitates positioning the device in multiple different orientations. In a first orientation, the device is vertically positioned upon a desktop.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2021Date of Patent: December 3, 2024Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventor: Todd Conard
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Patent number: 12046149Abstract: A method of automatically partitioning a refreshable braille display based on presence of pertinent ancillary alphanumeric content. In an unpartitioned configuration, every braille cell of the refreshable braille display is used to output the primary alphanumeric content. When the refreshable braille display outputs a segment of the primary alphanumeric content having associated ancillary alphanumeric content, such as a footnote or a comment, the braille display is automatically partitioned into a first partition and a second partition. The braille cells of the first partition are allocated for outputting the primary alphanumeric content, while the braille cells of the second partition are allocated for outputting the ancillary alphanumeric content.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2021Date of Patent: July 23, 2024Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: James T. Datray, Joseph Kelton Stephen, Glen Gordon
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Patent number: 12039139Abstract: A method of enabling a user of a computing device to provide input via a viewport displayed on a display monitor. The viewport is displayed over a first region of the graphic user interface (GUI), and a second region of the GUI is displayed within the viewport. When the user positions the system pointing indicium at the first region of the graphic user interface, the system pointing indicium is placed into the second GUI region, while a separate viewpoint pointing indicium is displayed over the viewport. When a user provides an input, the input is applied at the current position coordinates of the system pointing indicium.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2022Date of Patent: July 16, 2024Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Jost Eckhardt, Roxana Fischer
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Patent number: 11881117Abstract: Disclosed is a tablet with an improved Braille display. The Braille display employs a pin array that allows for the selective use of either six or eight pin cells. This is accomplished by turning off or on a pin pair adjacent to each cell. The spacing of the pins also allows capacitive sensors to be located adjacent to each Braille cell. These sensors are used to determine the location of the user's finger upon the display. The pin spacing further allows geometric shapes to be generated in additional to text.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2022Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Todd Conard, Patrick Murphy, Carl Edwin Wise
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Patent number: 11715389Abstract: Disclosed is a braille display that is impact resistant and that employs a modular construction. The impact resistance is achieved, in part, by molded and resilient end caps. Each end cap includes a centrally positioned slit that functions in absorbing lateral impacts to the display. The impact resistance is further achieved by an over molded housing that is positioned about an associated USB connector. The modularity of the display is achieved by way of a subassembly that is releasably secured within the interior of a main housing. The subassembly, in turn, includes a series of cell compartments that are arranged in groups. Each group of cell compartments is controlled by an individual shift register. This allows a grouping cell compartments to be removed and replaced as needed without disturbing the remaining cell components.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2021Date of Patent: August 1, 2023Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Patrick Murphy, Todd Conard, Bradley S. Davis, Maarten van Egmond
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Patent number: 11709898Abstract: A screen reader application traverses each node in a document object model (DOM) for the text stylization. Properties for foreground color, background color, font type, font size and font stylization are algorithmically reduced to an identifier. Each node in the DOM with the same identifier has the same text stylization. Unique and infrequent text stylizations by a webpage author signal a point of interest. The screen reader application locates and navigates to that node in the DOM on behalf or in response to the end user. Points of interest are further identified by a number of additional factors. A first includes percentage of text of having the text stylization versus total text in the DOM. A second includes excluding candidate point of interest nodes having more than 250 characters. Others include imposing minimum font sizes and text contrast ratios to qualify as a point of interest.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2022Date of Patent: July 25, 2023Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Joseph Kelton Stephen, Glen Gordon, Roxana Fischer
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Patent number: 11656886Abstract: Accessibility for vision impaired users is improved with a novel screen reader system. A user interface control of a first application that switches a language applied to text displayed on the first application is identified to a second application. The second application stores an identifier for the user interface control and a value representative of the language selected by the user interface control to a data structure. The second application then listens for user control events occurring on the first application such as focus, click and selection events. When the second application detects the user interface control switching languages the second application changes the default screen reader language to the language of the visual text of the first application. Thus, the text-to-speech output of the visual text is read with the correct speech inflection and pronunciation of the selected language.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2022Date of Patent: May 23, 2023Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Glen Gordon, Sriram M. Ramanathan, Matt Ater, John Palenchar, Prafuldev Raveendran, Vimal P. Sojan
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Patent number: 11636828Abstract: A system and method of automatically adjusting an optimal color orientation displayed on a computing device, particularly for users experiencing light sensitivity when interacting with the computing device. The system and method automatically query whether an application includes native color inversion settings, such that operating system and/or application settings need not be continuously toggled between active and inactive states. Accordingly, the display of the computing device is automatically optimized, such that either the operating system's color inversion settings are selected (in the absence of an application's native color inversion settings), or the application's color inversion settings are selected with the operating system's settings being automatically deactivated.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2022Date of Patent: April 25, 2023Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Roxana Fischer, Mohammed Laachir, Sriram M. Ramanathan
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Patent number: 11580623Abstract: A high efficiency method of processing images to provide perceptual high-contrast output. Pixel intensities are calculated by a weighted combination of a fixed number of static bounding rectangle sizes. This is more performant than incrementally growing the bounding rectangle size and performing expensive analysis on resultant histograms. To mitigate image artifacts and noise, blurring and down-sampling are applied to the image prior to processing.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2022Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Robert A. Steinberger, Spencer Fleming
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Patent number: 11532243Abstract: Disclosed is a tablet with an improved Braille display. The Braille display employs a pin array that allows for the selective use of either six or eight pin cells. This is accomplished by turning off or on a pin pair adjacent to each cell. The spacing of the pins also allows capacitive sensors to be located adjacent to each Braille cell. These sensors are used to determine the location of the user's finger upon the display. The pin spacing further allows geometric shapes to be generated in additional to text.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2021Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Todd Conard, Patrick Murphy, Carl Edwin Wise
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Patent number: 11470226Abstract: Disclosed is a portable magnifier camera with both storage and deployed configurations. In the storage configuration, the entire assembly can be carried via an associated handle. The camera is designed to rest on a desktop, or other planar surface, in the deployed configuration. When deployed, a housing and camera arm are positioned in a cantilevered arrangement over top of an object to be viewed. A camera housing, with an associated camera, is pivotally connected to the camera arm and is positioned over the object upon the camera being placed into a deployed configuration.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2021Date of Patent: October 11, 2022Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Patrick Murphy, Todd Conard, Bradley S. Davis, Carlos M. Rodriguez, Michael Goldenberg
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Patent number: 11228722Abstract: Disclosed is a video processor for a magnifier camera. In particular, the disclosure relates to a video processor that eliminates the use of a frame buffer. This, in turn, reduces the latency otherwise present in the video signal. The disclosed video processor also allows selected portions of the display to be shaded. This highlights the non-shaded portions of the display while at the same time allowing the entire object to be perceived by the user.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2019Date of Patent: January 18, 2022Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Patrick Murphy, Todd Conard, Douglas J. Glazar
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Patent number: 11201990Abstract: Disclosed is a magnification device with multiple orientations. This allows a blind or low vision user to select the best orientation for the task being performed. The device includes both opened and closed orientations. It is further configurable into document reading, near object inspection, far object inspection, and self-inspection modes. The camera of the device can be manipulated by the user depending upon which of these orientations is selected. Furthermore, the camera automatically adjusts itself into one of two pre-set configurations whenever the device is opened or closed.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2019Date of Patent: December 14, 2021Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Michael Goldenberg, Carlos M. Rodriguez, Bradley S. Davis, Patrick Murphy, Todd Conard, Waldemar H. Tunkis
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Patent number: 11062623Abstract: Disclosed is a braille display that is impact resistant and that employs a modular construction. The impact resistance is achieved, in part, by molded and resilient end caps. Each end cap includes a centrally positioned slit that functions in absorbing lateral impacts to the display. The impact resistance is further achieved by an over molded housing that is positioned about an associated USB connector. The modularity of the display is achieved by way of a subassembly that is releasably secured within the interior of a main housing. The subassembly, in turn, includes a series of cell compartments that are arranged in groups. Each group of cell compartments is controlled by an individual shift register. This allows a grouping cell compartments to be removed and replaced as needed without disturbing the remaining cell components.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 2020Date of Patent: July 13, 2021Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Patrick Murphy, Todd Conard, Bradley S. Davis, Maarten van Egmond
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Patent number: 10979605Abstract: Disclosed is a portable magnifier camera with both storage and deployed configurations. In the storage configuration, the entire assembly can be carried via an associated handle. The camera is designed to rest on a desktop, or other planar surface, in the deployed configuration. When deployed, a housing and camera arm are positioned in a cantilevered arrangement over top of an object to be viewed. A camera housing, with an associated camera, is pivotally connected to the camera arm and is positioned over the object upon the camera being placed into a deployed configuration.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2019Date of Patent: April 13, 2021Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventors: Patrick Murphy, Todd Conard, Bradley S. Davis, Carlos M. Rodriguez, Michael Goldenberg
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Patent number: 10971033Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a vision assistive device for use by blind or low vision users. The device includes an imaging unit for viewing objects positioned beneath the device. The device further includes a forwardly facing screen for displaying an enlarged view of the imaged object to the user. The imaging unit is configured to take multiple views of the object, each with a different area of focus. This can be accomplished by digitally changing the imaging sensor's area of focus or by pivoting the sensor via a focus motor. In either event, the resulting images are combined into a single, integrated, focused, and composite image. Combining images with differing areas of focus helps eliminate any blurry regions in the composite image. The device further includes a rearwardly positioned fin that facilitates positioning the device in multiple different orientations. In a first orientation, the device is vertically positioned upon a desktop.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2019Date of Patent: April 6, 2021Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.Inventor: Todd Conard