Patents by Inventor David Sweeney

David Sweeney 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).

  • Publication number: 20240217743
    Abstract: A storage library system comprises a plurality of slots for storing items, a plurality of rails, and a robot for interacting with said items. The robot has at least two foot arrangements each having a respective gripping mechanism for releasably engaging that foot arrangement with the rails. The robot also has a transfer mechanism for moving the robot, while a first one or more of the foot arrangements remains engaged with a first of the rails, from a first position in which one or more of the foot arrangements is in abutment with a second of the rails to a second position in which one or more of the foot arrangements is in abutment with a third of the rails. The robot also has an end-effector for interacting with the items in the slots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Publication date: July 4, 2024
    Inventors: David SWEENEY, Andromachi CHATZIELEFTHERIOU, Antony Ian Taylor ROWSTRON, Hugh WILLIAMS, Richard John BLACK, Russell JOYCE
  • Publication number: 20220212856
    Abstract: A device 200 is disclosed for holding a beverage container 216 having any size within a range of sizes. The holder 200 has a side wall 202 defining an opening 208 through which the beverage container is insertable and a base 204. A collar 210 is positioned within the opening 208, and the side wall 202 and the base 204 together define a cavity 214 for receiving the beverage container 216. The collar 210 is pliable and is arranged to deform to contact and grip the beverage container 216. The opening 208 has a first width and the collar 210 has an aperture 212 formed therein, the aperture 212 having a second width, the first and second widths being selected to adapt the device to the desired range of sizes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2021
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: David Sweeney, Mark Little, Hans Ramzan, Alex Fleming, Jamie Balfour
  • Patent number: 10373549
    Abstract: A display comprises a plurality of autonomous pixels on a stretchable substrate. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element and a control element arranged to sense an external stimulus and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the sensed external stimulus. The stretchable substrate comprises a plurality of less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas, where the less elastic regions are less stretchable than the surrounding stretchable areas and each control element of an autonomous pixel is located in or on a less elastic region of the stretchable substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney, Anja Thieme, Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl, Helene Steiner
  • Patent number: 10290267
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a display comprising a plurality of autonomous pixels is described. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element and a control element. The control element is configured to sense an external stimulus and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on the magnitude of the sensed external stimulus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: David Sweeney, Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen
  • Patent number: 10218882
    Abstract: A computing device has an input configured to receive data captured by at least one capture device where the data depicts at least part of an object moving in an environment. The computing device has a tracker configured to track a real-world position and orientation of the object using the captured data. A processor at the computing device is configured to compute and output feedback about performance of the tracker, where the feedback encourages a user to adjust movement of the object for improved tracking of the object by the tracker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jamie Daniel Joseph Shotton, Andrew William Fitzgibbon, Jonathan James Taylor, Richard Malcolm Banks, David Sweeney, Robert Corish, Abigail Jane Sellen, Eduardo Alberto Soto
  • Patent number: 10203793
    Abstract: A display device is described which can be updated by applying pressure with a passive object. The display device comprises a transparent top conductor layer, a middle conductor layer and a bottom conductor layer. The middle conductor layer is segmented into a plurality of independent areas and a pixel of the display device is defined based at least in part on the way that the middle conductor layer is segmented. The display device further comprises an electrophoretic ink layer between the top and middle conductor layers, a layer of piezo-electric material between the middle and bottom conductor layers, and an electrical connection between the bottom and top conductor layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Tobias Alexander Grosse-Puppendahl, Stuart Taylor, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, James Scott, David Sweeney, John Franciscus Marie Helmes, Stephen Edward Hodges
  • Patent number: 10079001
    Abstract: An autonomous pixel comprises a display element, a plurality of different sensors and a control element. The sensors are arranged to detect one or more external stimuli and the control element is arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of an external stimulus detected by one or more of the different sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney, Anja Thieme, Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl, Helene Steiner
  • Patent number: 10062352
    Abstract: A display comprises a plurality of autonomous pixels on a substrate. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element, a sensing element and a control element. The sensing element is arranged to detect an external stimulus and the control element is arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the external stimulus detected by the sensing element. Additionally, the control element comprises one or more groups of transistors, each group comprising two or more transistors arranged to perform the same function and connected in parallel with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney, Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl
  • Publication number: 20180204504
    Abstract: A display comprises a plurality of autonomous pixels on a stretchable substrate. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element and a control element arranged to sense an external stimulus and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the sensed external stimulus. The stretchable substrate comprises a plurality of less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas, where the less elastic regions are less stretchable than the surrounding stretchable areas and each control element of an autonomous pixel is located in or on a less elastic region of the stretchable substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney, Anja Thieme, Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl, Helene Steiner
  • Patent number: 9947262
    Abstract: A display comprises a plurality of autonomous pixels on a stretchable substrate. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element and a control element arranged to sense an external stimulus and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the sensed external stimulus. The stretchable substrate comprises a plurality of less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas, where the less elastic regions are less stretchable than the surrounding stretchable areas and each control element of an autonomous pixel is located in or on a less elastic region of the stretchable substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney, Anja Thieme, Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl, Helene Steiner
  • Publication number: 20170352327
    Abstract: An autonomous pixel comprises a display element, a plurality of different sensors and a control element. The sensors are arranged to detect one or more external stimuli and the control element is arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of an external stimulus detected by one or more of the different sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney, Anja Thieme, Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl, Helene Steiner
  • Publication number: 20170352321
    Abstract: A display comprises a plurality of autonomous pixels on a substrate. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element, a sensing element and a control element. The sensing element is arranged to detect an external stimulus and the control element is arranged to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the external stimulus detected by the sensing element. Additionally, the control element comprises one or more groups of transistors, each group comprising two or more transistors arranged to perform the same function and connected in parallel with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney, Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl
  • Publication number: 20170352306
    Abstract: A display comprises a plurality of autonomous pixels on a stretchable substrate. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element and a control element arranged to sense an external stimulus and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on a magnitude of the sensed external stimulus. The stretchable substrate comprises a plurality of less elastic regions separated by stretchable areas, where the less elastic regions are less stretchable than the surrounding stretchable areas and each control element of an autonomous pixel is located in or on a less elastic region of the stretchable substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney, Anja Thieme, Tobias Grosse-Puppendahl, Helene Steiner
  • Publication number: 20170285828
    Abstract: A display device is described which can be updated by applying pressure with a passive object. The display device comprises a transparent top conductor layer, a middle conductor layer and a bottom conductor layer. The middle conductor layer is segmented into a plurality of independent areas and a pixel of the display device is defined based at least in part on the way that the middle conductor layer is segmented. The display device further comprises an electrophoretic ink layer between the top and middle conductor layers, a layer of piezo-electric material between the middle and bottom conductor layers, and an electrical connection between the bottom and top conductor layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Tobias Alexander Grosse-Puppendahl, Stuart Taylor, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, James Scott, David Sweeney, John Franciscus Marie Helmes, Stephen Edward Hodges
  • Publication number: 20170193667
    Abstract: A computing device has an input configured to receive data captured by at least one capture device where the data depicts at least part of an object moving in an environment. The computing device has a tracker configured to track a real-world position and orientation of the object using the captured data. A processor at the computing device is configured to compute and output feedback about performance of the tracker, where the feedback encourages a user to adjust movement of the object for improved tracking of the object by the tracker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Jamie Daniel Joseph Shotton, Andrew William Fitzgibbon, Jonathan James Taylor, Richard Malcolm Banks, David Sweeney, Robert Corish, Abigail Jane Sellen, Eduardo Alberto Soto
  • Publication number: 20170185141
    Abstract: Apparatus is described which has a memory configured to receive captured sensor data depicting at least one hand of a user operating the control system. The apparatus has a tracker configured to compute, from the captured sensor data, values of pose parameters of a three dimensional (3D) model of the hand, the pose parameters comprising position and orientation of each of a plurality of joints of the hand A physics engine stores data about at least one virtual entity. The physics engine is configured to compute an interaction between the virtual entity and the 3D model of the hand based at least on the values of the pose parameters and data about the 3D model of the hand A feedback engine is configured to trigger feedback to the user about the computed interaction, the feedback being any one or more of visual feedback, auditory feedback, haptic feedback.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Jamie Daniel Joseph SHOTTON, Andrew William FITZGIBBON, Jonathan James TAYLOR, Richard Malcolm BANKS, David SWEENEY, Robert CORISH, Abigail Jane SELLEN, Eduardo Alberto SOTO, Arran Haig TOPALIAN, Benjamin LUFF
  • Publication number: 20170185156
    Abstract: A user interface comprises a display controller configured to render graphical data on a display, and a memory configured to receive captured sensor data depicting at least one hand of a user operating the user interface without touching the user interface. A tracker is configured to compute, from the captured sensor data, values of pose parameters of a three dimensional model of the hand, the pose parameters comprising position and orientation of each of a plurality of joints of the hand. A processor is configured to compute at least one position on the display from the pose parameters and to update the graphical data on the basis of the position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Jamie Daniel Joseph SHOTTON, Andrew William FITZGIBBON, Jonathan James TAYLOR, Richard Malcolm BANKS, David SWEENEY, Robert CORISH, Abigail Jane SELLEN, Eduardo Alberto SOTO, Arran Haig TOPALIAN, Benjamin LUFF
  • Publication number: 20170017133
    Abstract: An electronic paper display device comprises a layer of multi-stable material and one or more electrodes on one face of the layer of multi-stable material. Each electrode is electrically contactable on its underside through the layer of multi-stable material so that all electrodes in the electronic paper display device are electrically contactable on a single face of the electronic paper display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2015
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Inventors: Stephen Edward Hodges, John Franciscus Marie Helmes, Stuart Alastair Taylor, James Scott, Nicolas Villar, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen, David Sweeney
  • Publication number: 20160307521
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a display comprising a plurality of autonomous pixels is described. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element and a control element. The control element is configured to sense an external stimulus and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on the magnitude of the sensed external stimulus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventors: David Sweeney, Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen
  • Publication number: 20160307520
    Abstract: A display comprising a plurality of autonomous pixels is described. Each autonomous pixel comprises a display element and a control element. The control element is configured to sense an external stimulus and to generate, entirely within the autonomous pixel, a control signal to drive the display element based, at least in part, on the magnitude of the sensed external stimulus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventors: David Sweeney, Stephen Edward Hodges, Nicholas Yen-Cherng Chen