Patents by Inventor Donald W. Bouldin

Donald W. Bouldin 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: 7952564
    Abstract: A touch sensor method and device are described that allow one or more simultaneous touches to be sensed and mapped to Cartesian coordinates. The device utilizes closely spaced multiple conducting strips to provide digital location of a touch position according to the position strip and analog location along the length of the strip. When the strips are energized individually and in coordinated ways, multiple touches are individually sensed and their positions are reported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Inventors: G. Samuel Hurst, Robert J. Warmack, Rufus H. Richie, Donald W. Bouldin, David Ritchie
  • Patent number: 7800589
    Abstract: A new touch screen design provides for corrections of non-uniformities, more accurate touch point measurement, and multiple simultaneous touch point measurements through the use of a grid of relatively conductive lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: G. Samuel Hurst, Rufus H. Ritchie, Donald W. Bouldin, Robert J. Warmack
  • Patent number: 7265686
    Abstract: A touch sensors with improved topological equivalence between an equipotential space and a Cartesian space to which the equipotential space will be mapped. The touch sensor comprises a substrate with a touch region, and a set of electrodes that are electrically coupled to the touch region. The touch sensor further comprises a plurality of resistive band segments that frames the touch region. The electrodes are located between the resistive band segments. Each resistive band segment has a resistivity that is intermediate between the resistivity of the electrodes and the resistivity of the touch region, thereby providing a transition between the low resistivity electrodes and the high resistivity touch region, and improving the topological equivalence within the corners of the touch region. At least one of the band segments has a non-uniform linear resistance to provide further improvement to the topological equivalence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: G. Samuel Hurst, R. H. Ritchie, Robert J. Warmack, Donald W. Bouldin, Joel C. Kent
  • Publication number: 20040135775
    Abstract: A new touch screen design provides for corrections of non-uniformities, more accurate touch point measurement, and multiple simultaneous touch point measurements through the use of a grid of relatively conductive lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Inventors: G Samuel Hurst, Rufus H Ritchie, Donald W Bouldin, Robert J Warmack
  • Patent number: 6650319
    Abstract: A new touch screen is based upon the mapping of coordinates from an equipotential space defined by a simple set of screen electrodes to some other, more useful coordinates, such as Cartesian. The key idea is that unique coordinate mapping can be achieved with each sensing pair of electronic readings. A new sensor is described with a band of intermediate conductivity framing the sensor area. This sensor can be used advantageously either as a standalone with uniform equipotential distributions or in connection with the mapping concepts discussed herein with non-uniform distributions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Elo Touchsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: G. Samuel Hurst, Rufus Ritchie, Donald W. Bouldin, Robert Warmack