Patents by Inventor Dennis J. Mathias

Dennis J. Mathias 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).

  • Patent number: 10963087
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Patent number: 9852855
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy Carlyle Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Patent number: 9710093
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Publication number: 20170131819
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Publication number: 20160357295
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Patent number: 9460029
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Publication number: 20150311014
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Inventors: Timothy Carlyle Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Patent number: 9158383
    Abstract: Force concentrator techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a pressure sensitive key includes a sensor substrate having a plurality of conductors, a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate and configured to flex to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input; and a force concentrator layer disposed proximal to the flexible contact layer on a side opposite the sensor substrate. The force concentrator layer has a pad disposed thereon that is configured to cause pressure applied to the force concentrator layer to be channeled through the pad to cause the flexible contact layer to contact the sensor substrate to initiate the input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Sharon Drasnin, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Paul Henry Dietz, Dennis J. Mathias, Rob Huala
  • Patent number: 9134807
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Publication number: 20140119802
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Publication date: May 1, 2014
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Patent number: 8646999
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Publication number: 20130228433
    Abstract: Force concentrator techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a pressure sensitive key includes a sensor substrate having a plurality of conductors, a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate and configured to flex to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input; and a force concentrator layer disposed proximal to the flexible contact layer on a side opposite the sensor substrate. The force concentrator layer has a pad disposed thereon that is configured to cause pressure applied to the force concentrator layer to be channeled through the pad to cause the flexible contact layer to contact the sensor substrate to initiate the input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Sharon Drasnin, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Paul Henry Dietz, Dennis J. Mathias, Rob Huala
  • Publication number: 20130229761
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Publication number: 20130229350
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias
  • Publication number: 20130230346
    Abstract: Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Inventors: Timothy C. Shaw, Jim Tom Belesiu, Paul Henry Dietz, Christopher Harry Stoumbos, Dennis J. Mathias