Patents Examined by Stephen G. Sherman
  • Patent number: 7898529
    Abstract: The present invention is a system that positions an interface for a pen-based computer at an end of a natural user motion arc, such as an arc a hand travels when an elbow is pivoted. Positioning of the interface in a lower corner of a display or window (left corner for a right-handed person and right corner for a left-handed person) allows easy approach when the user is working in the center of the display, such as when drawing on the pen-based computer display. An arc or curved interface improves approach zones and reduces unintended selections of controls or buttons within the interface. The arc allows the natural motion to be extended by wrist or finger motions to access all the controls in the corner command interface. Controls on the arc are placed to allow any underlying pop-up menus to be completely accessible when an activated. Overflow menu items of activated controls of the interface are located in conformity to the natural arc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: George Fitzmaurice, Gordon Kurtenbach
  • Patent number: 7898526
    Abstract: An improved handheld electronic device includes an improved keypad with keys that impart a plurality of different instances of a given physical property. In one embodiment, each key imparts of plurality of different instances of the given physical property, such as by forming each key of a plurality of materials. In another embodiment, each key includes only a single instance of a given physical property, but different keys posses different instances of the same physical property, i.e., certain keys may be formed of a first material, and other keys may be formed of a second, different material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Norman M. Ladouceur, Jason T. Griffin, Steven H. Fyke, Roman P. Rak
  • Patent number: 7893915
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a compensation data generating part for converting a source data signal into at least one of a conversion data signal and a compensation data signal; and a backlight unit, including a plurality of light sources, for performing a single irradiation of one of the plurality of light sources to display the conversion data signal and performing a simultaneous irradiation of at least two of the plurality of light sources to display the compensation data signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong-Hoon Woo, Ki-Bok Park, Jong-Hwae Lee
  • Patent number: 7893905
    Abstract: An apparatus for driving a liquid crystal display device is provided. The apparatus includes a converter for detecting a motion vector from externally input source data, converting one frame of an input original image of the input source data into at least two conversion frames, filtering images of the at least two conversion frames according to the motion vector, and generating modulated data; a gate driver for supplying a scan signal to the gate lines; and a data driver for converting the modulated data into an analog video signal and supplying the analog video signal to the data lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seong Gyun Kim, Nam Yong Kong
  • Patent number: 7889175
    Abstract: The handheld case of the remote control unit includes at least one touchpad, and other sensors, such as acceleration sensors, case perimeter sensors, pressure sensors, RF signal sensors. These sensors provide a rich array of sensory inputs that are classified by a pattern recognizer to generate control commands for both the consumer electronic equipment and the remote control unit itself. A power management system to conserve unit battery power is also responsive to the pattern recognizer to allow intelligent power management control. The control system uses the display of the consumer electronic equipment to provide instructions to the user, and the behavior of the remote control system uses what is displayed on the display as context information for pattern recognition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: David Kryze, Philippe Morin, Masaki Yamauchi, Luca Rigazio
  • Patent number: 7889216
    Abstract: An image display device displays an image by using a plurality of display pixels, each display pixel including four sub-pixels corresponding to different colors. The four sub-pixels forming each of the display pixels are located such that two sub-pixels having a smaller level of luminance are located at edges of the display pixel, each of the two sub-pixels being located at either edge of the display pixel, and such that two other sub-pixels are located at a central portion of the display pixel so that an absolute value of a difference between a luminance added value, which is a value obtained by adding luminance levels of one of the sub-pixels located at the edges of the display pixel and an adjacent pixel, and a luminance added value, which is a value obtained by adding luminance levels of the other sub-pixel located at the edge of the display pixel and an adjacent pixel, is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidekuni Moriya, Takumi Aragaki
  • Patent number: 7884811
    Abstract: A hand-holdable, durable digital writing and sketching device or assembly having rugged construction that houses an on-board camera with a view through an optical window of a writing surface brought in view by a user moving the device. The device is rugged, sealed, and is capable of withstanding dropping, water submersion, abrasive incursions, and resistance to chemical and fungal degradation. The optical window and optic channel to the camera is protected by a durable and replaceable light-transmitting shield that provides a sealed barrier to the environmental elements harmful to the functioning of the device. The writing and sketching device oscillates between a stowed and a deployed state. The deployed state includes the camera being in view the writing surface and the stowed state includes the camera being either masked from viewing the writing surface or aimed internally from viewing the writing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Adapx Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Paratore, Scott Lind, David McGee
  • Patent number: 7884807
    Abstract: A proximity sensor device and method is provided that facilitates orientation changes in displays. The proximity sensor device and method provide a user with the ability to indicate an orientation change in a display using the sensing region of a proximity sensor device as a user interface. In one specific embodiment, proximity sensor device is implemented to indicate an orientation change in a first way responsive to detected object motion along the sensing region in a first direction, and is further implemented to indicate an orientation change in a second way responsive to detected object motion along the sensing region in a second direction. Thus, a user can cause orientation changes of different ways through the use of object motions in different directions along the sensing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Torbjorn Hovden, Mark Andrew Huie, Thuy Thanh Bich Le, Phillip Frank Acker, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7880690
    Abstract: To provide an electronic circuit, a method of driving the electronic circuit, an electro-optical device, a method of driving the electro-optical device and an electronic apparatus, capable of reducing deviations in threshold voltages of transistors. A pixel circuit 20 is constructed with three transistors of a driving transistor Trd, an adjusting transistor Trc and a switching transistor Trs, and two capacitors of a first capacitor C1 and a second capacitor C2. Further, a source of the adjusting transistor Trc is connected to a voltage supply line VL for supplying a driving voltage Vdd through a control transistor Q in common with the sources of the adjusting transistors Trc of other pixel circuits, the voltage supply line VL being provided at the right end side of an active matrix part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 7880735
    Abstract: In a display device that displays by allowing external light to be incident from outside, and reflecting the incident external light so as to output the incident external light from a display surface, a porous body having a front face that is provided on the display surface side is used. Moreover, a colorless and transparent material is used for this porous body, an one-end opening is formed on the front face side in the porous body, and plural small pores that are independent of one another are provided inside the porous body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichi Tanaka, Syuichi Kouzaki, Masaya Hijikigawa
  • Patent number: 7868869
    Abstract: An electrophoresis display for decreasing a drive voltage, and a driving method thereof are disclosed. In the electrophoresis display, an electrophoresis display panel has a plurality of data lines and a plurality of gate lines which are crossed each other, and a plurality of cells which are driven in accordance with a voltage applied to a pixel electrode and a common electrode. A data driving circuit converts a digital data into a data voltage to supply it to the data lines. A gate driving circuit supplies a scan pulse to the gate lines. A common voltage generation circuit supplies an AC common voltage that a polarity is inversed by one frame period for at least several frame periods, to the common electrode. And a timing controller controls of the data driving circuit, the gate driving circuit and the common voltage generation circuit, and supplies the digital data to the data driving circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung Woo Shin, Jeong Uk Park
  • Patent number: 7868871
    Abstract: A hand-held electronic device comprising a body housing electronic circuitry and one or more push buttons disposed on an outer surface of said body, wherein the one or more push buttons are moveable in the plane of the surface, whereby the position of the one or more push buttons on the body of the device can be changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Inventors: Nigel Richardson, Andrew Strawn
  • Patent number: 7864163
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, for use in conjunction with a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, comprises displaying at least a portion of a structured electronic document on the touch screen display, wherein the structured electronic document comprises a plurality of boxes of content, and detecting a first gesture at a location on the displayed portion of the structured electronic document. A first box in the plurality of boxes at the location of the first gesture is determined. The first box on the touch screen display is enlarged and substantially centered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bas Ording, Scott Forstall, Greg Christie, Stephen O. Lemay, Imran Chaudhri, Richard Williamson, Chris Blumenberg, Marcel Van Os
  • Patent number: 7859527
    Abstract: A reference voltage line is synchronously scanned with scanning of a scanning signal line, voltage of the reference voltage line is set to be the voltage of a common electrode, the second transistor is set to be OFF state during the reference voltage line is set in the common voltage for a pixel wherein a node between an image signal memory and said second transistor is set in a voltage so that said second transistor becomes OFF and the voltage of image signal line is set to be high voltage level when the voltage of the scanning signal line changes from low voltage level to high voltage level for the pixel wherein the node between the image signal memory and the second transistor is set in a voltage so that said second transistor becomes ON.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoichi Hirota, Susumu Edo, Hiroki Kaneko, Tetsuya Oshima, Tatsuya Sugita, Shinichi Komura, Katsuyuki Funahata
  • Patent number: 7859483
    Abstract: An electronic conference control device has a display controller that controls display of common screen images commonly displayed on display devices, local screen images displayed only on a connected one of the display devices, cut screen images generated by extracting a screen image portion contained in a closed space having a region designated by a user on a screen image displayed on the connected one of the display devices, and common cut screen images commonly displayed on the display devices on the connected one of the display devices, and a screen-dividing processor that, upon selection of one or multiple common cut screen images from among common cut screen images contained in a common screen image displayed on the screen and input of an instruction to start a local discussion at the site, to thereby manage the selected common cut screen image also as a local cut screen image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Ueno, Motoyuki Takaai, Eriko Tamaru, Hitoshi Abe
  • Patent number: 7855713
    Abstract: An input evaluation system for evaluating an operation input of an operator, including: a drawing section which generates an image which seems to have a depth, a first moving object moving in an object space in the image; an information acquisition section which acquires operation information from an operation section which detects at least one of an operation direction, an amount of operation, and an operation speed of the operator for an operation target while the image is displayed in a first display area; a movement processing section which calculates at least one of a moving direction, a moving amount, and a moving velocity of a second moving object based on the operation information, and controls movement of the second moving object in the object space; and an evaluation section which evaluates the operation input of the operator based on a positional relationship between the first moving object and the second moving object in the object space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
    Inventor: Norio Egashira
  • Patent number: 7847779
    Abstract: A display method transmits data signals and control signals via an LVDS interface. The display method includes transmitting data codes corresponding to a control signal using a reserved bit of a channel of the LVDS interface, and generating the control signal for a display panel by decoding the data codes using a decoder of a timing controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: NOVATEK Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventor: Chien-Chuan Liao
  • Patent number: 7847757
    Abstract: Prepared is brightness frequency data that indicates the number of pixels, having the same brightnesses in a brightness distribution for each of the fields represented by an input image signal. Based on the brightness frequency data, the number of subfields for emission at each brightness in a brightness region is adjusted for each of at least two brightness regions. As a result, the greater the frequency indicating the total number of pixels at each of the same brightnesses in a brightness region, the larger the number of subfields allocated to that brightness region. Therefore, satisfactory grayscale representation suitable to human visual characteristics is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Urakami, Hirofumi Honda, Takashi Okushima, Tetsuya Shigeta, Tetsuro Nagakubo
  • Patent number: 7843433
    Abstract: A cordless pointing device used for moving a pointer displayed on a display screen and selecting information displayed on the display screen. The cordless pointing device includes an operation device having an optical reflection surface, a light emitting and receiving unit, which is a separate unit from the operation device, and emits a light to the optical reflection surface of the operation device and receives the light reflected on the optical reflection surface of the operation device, a switch for generating an instruction on information pointed by the pointer, and a control unit that moves the pointer according to a movement of the operation device detected by the light emitting and receiving unit when the light is received and detects the instruction given by the switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited
    Inventors: Heiichi Sugino, Fujio Seki, Takeshi Kasai
  • Patent number: 7843427
    Abstract: A portable device with a touch screen display detects a contact area of a finger with the touch screen display and then determines a first position associated with the contact area. The cursor position of the finger contact is determined, at least in part, based on: the first position, one or more distances between the first position and one or more of the user interface objects; and one or more activation susceptibility numbers, each associated with a respective user interface object in the plurality of user interface objects. If the cursor position falls into the hidden hit region of a virtual push button on the touch screen display, the portable device is activated to perform operations associated with the virtual push button.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bas Ording, Scott Forstall, Greg Christie