Patents by Inventor Frank Thoma

Frank Thoma 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: 20200210026
    Abstract: The present invention relates to touch-sensor detector systems and methods incorporating an interpolated variable impedance touch sensor array and specifically to such systems and methods for force-aware interaction with handheld display devices on one or more surfaces of the device. An exemplary embodiment includes a method for receiving a flexing gesture formed on a sensor panel of the handheld device including determining two or more pressure inputs at the sensor panel and determining a relative pressure between the two or more pressure inputs. The method further includes correlating the relative pressure inputs to the flexing gesture, associating the flexing gesture with a UI element and providing an input to the UI element based on the gesture and the relative pressure between the two or more pressure inputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: John Aaron Zarraga, Alexander Meagher Grau, Bethany Noel Haniger, Bradley James Bozarth, Brogan Carl Miller, Ilya Daniel Rosenberg, James Frank Thomas, Mark Joshua Rosenberg, Peter Hans Nyboer, Reuben Eric Martinez, Scott Gregory Isaacson, Stephanie Jeanne Oberg, Timothy James Miller, Tomer Moscovich, Yibo Yu
  • Publication number: 20200199007
    Abstract: A method is provided that includes producing filamentary damages in a volume of a glass or glass ceramic element adjacently aligned along a separation line and extend obliquely relative to a surface of the glass or glass ceramic element; and separating a portion from the glass or glass ceramic element along the separation line. The step of producing the filamentary damages includes directing laser pulses of an ultrashort pulse laser obliquely on the surface so that the laser pulses have a light propagation direction that extends obliquely relative to the surface and so that the filamentary damages resulting from the laser pulses have the longitudinal extension that extends obliquely relative to the surface; generating a plasma within the volume with the laser pulses; and displacing the laser pulses at points of incidence over the surface along the separation line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: SCHOTT AG
    Inventors: Andreas ORTNER, Albrecht SEIDL, Frank-Thomas LENTES, Fabian WAGNER
  • Publication number: 20200202633
    Abstract: A method to culling parts of a 3D reconstruction volume is provided. The method makes available to a wide variety of mobile XR applications fresh, accurate and comprehensive 3D reconstruction data with low usage of computational resources and storage spaces. The method includes culling parts of the 3D reconstruction volume against a depth image. The depth image has a plurality of pixels, each of which represents a distance to a surface in a scene. In some embodiments, the method includes culling parts of the 3D reconstruction volume against a frustum. The frustum is derived from a field of view of an image sensor, from which image data to create the 3D reconstruction is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: Magic Leap, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Thomas Steinbrücker, David Geoffrey Molyneaux, Zhongle Wu, Xiaolin Wei, Jianyuan Min, Yifu Zhang
  • Patent number: 10636219
    Abstract: A method to culling parts of a 3D reconstruction volume is provided. The method makes available to a wide variety of mobile XR applications fresh, accurate and comprehensive 3D reconstruction data with low usage of computational resources and storage spaces. The method includes culling parts of the 3D reconstruction volume against a depth image. The depth image has a plurality of pixels, each of which represents a distance to a surface in a scene. In some embodiments, the method includes culling parts of the 3D reconstruction volume against a frustum. The frustum is derived from a field of view of an image sensor, from which image data to create the 3D reconstruction is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Thomas Steinbrücker, David Geoffrey Molyneaux, Zhongle Wu, Xiaolin Wei, Jianyuan Min, Yifu Zhang
  • Publication number: 20200126669
    Abstract: The present disclosure refers to a method for detecting an operation status for a sensor, the method, in a state machine embodied as a sensor system, comprising: receiving continuous monitoring data related to an operation of a sensor; providing a trained learning algorithm for detecting an operation status for the sensor which signifies a sensor function, wherein the learning algorithm is trained according to a training data set comprising historical data; detecting an operation status for the sensor by analyzing the continuous monitoring data with the trained learning algorithm; and providing output data indicating the detected operation status for the sensor. Further, a state machine system is provided, the state machine having one or more processors configured for data processing and for performing a method for detecting an operation status for a sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Frank-Thomas Nuernberg, Frank Rueckert, Juliane Weilbach
  • Publication number: 20200109847
    Abstract: A head wearable device includes a headpiece, a housing attached to the headpiece, a luminaire attached to the headpiece, the luminaire including a luminaire housing and at least one light source located within the luminaire housing, a duct system connecting the luminaire to the housing, a ball joint rotatably connecting the duct system to the luminaire, and an air moving device configured to induce a cooling air flow through an inlet in the luminaire housing, through the heatsink, through the ball joint, through the duct system, and out of an exhaust in the housing attached to of the headpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Frank Thomas Poggio, Jaime Luis Prats
  • Publication number: 20200101561
    Abstract: Devices and methods for processing a workpiece along a predetermined processing line are provided. The device includes: a pulsed, polychromatic laser beam generator; an optical arrangement; and a moving device. The laser beam generator generates a laser beam along a beam direction. The optical arrangement generates a focal line along the beam direction. The optical arrangement has a chromatic aberration for wavelength-dependent focusing of the laser beam and a filter for wavelength-dependent filtering of the laser beam. The moving device generates relative movement between the laser beam and the workpiece along the predetermined processing line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: SCHOTT AG
    Inventors: Andreas ORTNER, Fabian WAGNER, Albrecht SEIDL, Simon SCHMITT, Frank-Thomas LENTES, Jens Ulrich THOMAS
  • Publication number: 20200106070
    Abstract: A lead-acid battery is disclosed. The lead-acid storage battery has a container with a cover, the container including one or more compartments. One or more cell elements are provided in the one or more compartments. The one or more cell elements include a positive plate, the positive plate having a positive grid and a positive electrochemically active material on the positive grid; a negative plate, the negative plate having a negative grid and a negative electrochemically active material on the negative grid, wherein the negative electrochemically active material comprises barium sulfate and an organic expander; and a separator between the positive plate and the negative plate. Electrolyte is provided within the container. One or more terminal posts extend from the cover and are electrically coupled to the one or more cell elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Inventors: Frank-Thomas Johns, Uwe Bitomsky, Andreas Dudenbostel, Matthew A. Spence, Kavi G. Loganathan, Qingfang Shi, Cornelia Brendel
  • Publication number: 20200089383
    Abstract: The present invention relates to touch sensor detector systems and methods incorporating an interpolated variable impedance touch sensor array and specifically to such systems and methods for gesture recognition and associating a UI element with the recognized gesture. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a variable impedance array (VIA) system for receiving a gesture that includes: a plurality of physical VIA columns connected by interlinked impedance columns; a plurality of physical VIA rows connected by interlinked impedance rows; and a processor configured to interpolate a location and/or pressure of the gesture in the physical columns and rows from an electrical signal from a plurality of column drive sources (connected to the plurality of physical VIA columns through the interlinked impedance columns) sensed at a plurality of row sense sinks (connected to the plurality of physical VIA rows through the interlinked impedance rows).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: John Aaron Zarraga, Alexander Meagher Grau, Bethany Noel Haniger, Bradley James Bozarth, Brogan Carl Miller, Ilya Daniel Rosenberg, James Frank Thomas, Mark Joshua Rosenberg, Peter Hans Nyboer, Reuben Eric Martinez, Scott Gregory Isaacson, Stephanie Jeanne Oberg, Timothy James Miller, Tomer Moscovich, Yibo Yu
  • Publication number: 20200089400
    Abstract: The present invention relates to touch sensor detectors incorporating interpolated variable impedance touch sensor arrays and specifically to detectors for non-planar touch controls. Variable impedance touch sensor arrays are applied to the surface of objects, inside objects, or other objects such that touches are detected directly or indirectly from the non-planar touch controls. An exemplary system includes a plurality of sensor panels on a plurality of device and a processor communicatively coupled to the sensor panels. The sensor panels include a plurality of physical VIA columns connected by interlinked impedance columns and a plurality of physical VIA rows connected by interlinked impedance rows. The processor detects touches at a first time at the sensor panels, determines that the two or more touches at the first time are arranged in a pattern corresponding to a predetermined gesture, and determines a relative pressure between the two or more touches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: John Aaron Zarraga, Alexander Meagher Grau, Bethany Noel Haniger, Bradley James Bozarth, Brogan Carl Miller, Ilya Daniel Rosenberg, James Frank Thomas, Mark Joshua Rosenberg, Peter Hans Nyboer, Reuben Eric Martinez, Scott Gregory Isaacson, Stephanie Jeanne Oberg, Timothy James Miller, Tomer Moscovich, Yibo Yu
  • Publication number: 20200087192
    Abstract: A component of glass or glass ceramic having predamages arranged along at least one predetermined dividing line is provided. The dividing line has a row of predamages lying one behind the other. The predamages pass continuously through the glass or the glass ceramic with at least 90% of the predamages being cylindrically symmetrical. The glass or the glass ceramic has a material compaction of at least 1% relative to an actual material density in a radius of 3 ?m about a longitudinal axis of respective pre-damaged points. The relative weight loss per pre-damaged point is less than 10% and the component has a thickness of at least 3.5 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Applicant: SCHOTT AG
    Inventors: Jens Ulrich THOMAS, Frank-Thomas LENTES, Andreas ORTNER, Jonas SCHATZ, Michael KLUGE
  • Publication number: 20200089367
    Abstract: The present invention relates to interpolated variable impedance touch sensor arrays for force-aware large-surface device interaction. An exemplary system for detecting a continuous pressure curve includes a plurality of physical variable impedance array (VIA) columns connected by interlinked impedance columns and a plurality of physical VIA rows connected by interlinked impedance rows. The system also includes a plurality of column drive sources connected to the interlinked impedance columns and to the plurality of physical VIA columns through the interlinked impedance columns as well as a plurality of row sense sinks connected to the interlinked impedance rows and to the plurality of physical VIA rows through the interlinked impedance rows. Further, the system includes a processor configured to interpolate the continuous pressure curve in the physical VIA columns and physical VIA rows from an electrical signal from the plurality of column drive sources sensed at the plurality of row sense sinks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: John Aaron Zarraga, Alexander Meagher Grau, Bethany Noel Haniger, Bradley James Bozarth, Brogan Carl Miller, Ilya Daniel Rosenberg, James Frank Thomas, Mark Joshua Rosenberg, Peter Hans Nyboer, Reuben Eric Martinez, Scott Gregory Isaacson, Stephanie Jeanne Oberg, Timothy James Miller, Tomer Moscovich, Yibo Yu
  • Patent number: 10581046
    Abstract: The invention relates to a laminar textile material for covering a pasty active mass on a battery electrode. The invention further relates to a battery electrode having such a material, to a battery, and to a method for producing battery electrodes. Potential improvements of lead batteries are disclosed that are more practical than previously known solutions, and that stabilize the pasty active mass on the battery electrodes. A laminar textile material is disclosed to this end, comprising glass fibers and fibers made of a thermoplastic, e.g. polyester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Clarios Germany GmbH & Co. KGaA
    Inventor: Frank-Thomas Johns
  • Publication number: 20200056723
    Abstract: A valve cartridge for a sanitary fitting having a cartridge housing, a valve stem which is rotatable about an axis of rotation relative to the cartridge housing, a handle for rotating the valve stem, a passage disk with a first passage and a second passage, a control disk rotatable with the valve stem for controlling a liquid flow through the first passage or the second passage of the passage disk, a handle adapter which can be connected to the valve stem for setting a first rotational orientation of the valve stem to the handle in a first position and can be connected to the valve stem for setting a second rotational orientation of the valve stem to the handle in a second position, so that the control of the flow of liquid through the first passage or the second passage can be changed by the control disk.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Applicant: Grohe AG
    Inventors: Janik BUCHMUELLER, Turgut KINIKARSLAN, Frank-Thomas LUIG
  • Publication number: 20200056710
    Abstract: A diverter valve for a sanitary fitting having a diverter valve housing, a valve body for the targeted supply of a fluid to at least two diverter valve outlets, and a spindle for actuating the valve body. The spindle is biased, so that after cutting the spindle to length, the spindle is displaced from the diverter valve housing by a defined travel. Also a concealed installation body with a corresponding diverter valve as well as a method for mounting a corresponding concealed installation body are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Applicant: Grohe AG
    Inventors: Harry HOPFAUF, Heiko LANGER, Frank-Thomas LUIG
  • Publication number: 20200052286
    Abstract: A lead-acid battery is disclosed. The lead-acid battery has a container with a cover and includes one or more compartments. One or more cell elements are provided in the one or more compartments. The one or more cell elements comprise a positive electrode, the positive electrode having a positive substrate and a positive electrochemically active material on the positive substrate; a negative electrode, the negative electrode having a negative substrate and a negative active mass on the negative substrate, wherein the negative active mass comprises a leady oxide, a synthetic organic expander, a very fine particle barium sulfate, and plurality of conductive carbons; and an absorbent glass mat separator between the positive plate and the negative plate. Electrolyte is provided within the container. One or more terminal posts extend from the container or the cover and are electrically coupled to the one or more cell elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Frank-Thomas Johns, Uwe Bitomsky, Andreas Dudenbostel, Matthew A. Spence, Kavi G. Loganathan, Qingfang Shi, Cornelia Brendel
  • Publication number: 20200039005
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a device and a method for laser-based separation of a transparent, brittle workpiece, comprising a laser that emits a laser beam having an intensity (IL) along an optical axis (P), and an optical device. The optical device has at least one one-piece double axicon. The double axicon has an entrance surface and the optical device has an exit surface. The entrance surface is such that in the double axicon, a ring beam is formed. The intensity (IL) in the double axicon is lower than the threshold intensity (IS) of the material of the double axicon. The exit surface is such that a line focus having a maximum intensity (Imax) and a length (LT) is generated in the direction of the laser beam behind the exit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: SCHOTT AG
    Inventors: Jens Ulrich THOMAS, Frank-Thomas LENTES, Andreas ORTNER
  • Publication number: 20200041804
    Abstract: An optical layered composite includes: a substrate having a front face, a back face, a thickness ds between the front face and the back face and a refractive index ns; and a coating applied to the front face. The coating comprises one or more coating layers. For at least one wavelength ?g in the range from 390 nm to 700 nm, the coating satisfies one of the following criterion: nc<ns; or nc>ns, and d c < k n c 2 - n s 2 · arctan ? n s 2 - 1 n c 2 - n s 2 ; nc is a mean refractive index of the coating layers, weighted by thickness; do is a total thickness of the coating; thicknesses are determined in a direction perpendicular to the front face; and k=?g/4?.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: Schott AG
    Inventors: Jens Ulrich Thomas, Thorsten Damm, Frank-Thomas Lentes, Kurt Nattermann
  • Publication number: 20200011035
    Abstract: A flush mounted built-in body for a sanitary fitting, having a mixer with a regulating nut, wherein the regulating nut can be rotated about a rotational axis, a support plate having a hub, a stop ring having a stop supported by the hub of the support plate, and a rotating knob for actuating the mixer. A rotational movement of the rotating knob is limited by the stop of the stop ring and the rotating knob comprises a hollow shaft which couples the rotating knob in a non-rotating manner to the regulating nut and can be adjusted parallel to the rotational axis of the regulating nut.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Applicant: Grohe AG
    Inventors: Turgut KINIKARSLAN, Frank-Thomas LUIG, Daniel BERGHOFF
  • Patent number: 10519757
    Abstract: Methods for multi-directional enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) are disclosed that involve removal of oil from a reservoir that has an injection well, a producing well, and a plurality of lenses that contain oil and that each span between the injection well and the producing well. One method, among others, involves recovering primary oil from a primary set of lenses via the producing well by alternating injection one or more times of water and an injection gas, or IG (e.g., carbon dioxide, ethane, natural gas, nitrogen, etc., or any combination thereof) into the injection well so that the water and IG enter the primary set in a first direction and move the primary oil in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Inventors: Frank Thomas Graff, Jr., Reuben L. Graham, William J. Maloney