Patents by Inventor James E. Colgate

James E. Colgate 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: 11899843
    Abstract: An indirect haptic device includes a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of haptic electrodes and a plurality of island electrodes arranged on the top surface. The device further includes a plurality of transmit electrodes and a plurality of receive electrodes arranged on the bottom surface, a position sensor, and a friction modulator. The device further includes a control device configured to apply bipolar electrical signals to the plurality of transmit electrodes to detect touch locations of a user's appendage and to modulate the friction between the user's appendage and the touch surface. Each of the plurality of haptic electrodes are substantially aligned with and capacitively coupled to a corresponding two of the plurality of transmit electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Tanvas Magic Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Mondher Cherif, David J. Meyer, Craig Shultz
  • Patent number: 11886641
    Abstract: A touchscreen includes conductive islands that are capacitively coupled to conductive traces, where they may be used to provide capacitive sensing of the position of one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen and/or to exert haptic forces on one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Michael A. Peshkin
  • Publication number: 20230097247
    Abstract: An indirect haptic device includes a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of haptic electrodes and a plurality of island electrodes arranged on the top surface. The device further includes a plurality of transmit electrodes and a plurality of receive electrodes arranged on the bottom surface, a position sensor, and a friction modulator. The device further includes a control device configured to apply bipolar electrical signals to the plurality of transmit electrodes to detect touch locations of a user's appendage and to modulate the friction between the user's appendage and the touch surface. Each of the plurality of haptic electrodes are substantially aligned with and capacitively coupled to a corresponding two of the plurality of transmit electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Mondher Cherif, David J. Meyer, Craig Shultz
  • Publication number: 20220413618
    Abstract: A touchscreen includes conductive islands that are capacitively coupled to conductive traces, where they may be used to provide capacitive sensing of the position of one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen and/or to exert haptic forces on one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Michael A. Peshkin
  • Patent number: 11520406
    Abstract: An indirect haptic device includes a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of haptic electrodes and a plurality of island electrodes arranged on the top surface. The device further includes a plurality of transmit electrodes and a plurality of receive electrodes arranged on the bottom surface, a position sensor, and a friction modulator. The device further includes a control device configured to apply bipolar electrical signals to the plurality of transmit electrodes to detect touch locations of a user's appendage and to modulate the friction between the user's appendage and the touch surface. Each of the plurality of haptic electrodes are substantially aligned with and capacitively coupled to a corresponding two of the plurality of transmit electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Tanvas, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Mondher Cherif, David J. Meyer, Craig Shultz
  • Patent number: 11442546
    Abstract: A touchscreen includes conductive islands that are capacitively coupled to conductive traces, where they may be used to provide capacitive sensing of the position of one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen and/or to exert haptic forces on one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Michael A. Peshkin
  • Publication number: 20200379568
    Abstract: An indirect haptic device includes a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of haptic electrodes and a plurality of island electrodes arranged on the top surface. The device further includes a plurality of transmit electrodes and a plurality of receive electrodes arranged on the bottom surface, a position sensor, and a friction modulator. The device further includes a control device configured to apply bipolar electrical signals to the plurality of transmit electrodes to detect touch locations of a user's appendage and to modulate the friction between the user's appendage and the touch surface. Each of the plurality of haptic electrodes are substantially aligned with and capacitively coupled to a corresponding two of the plurality of transmit electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Mondher Cherif, David J. Meyer, Craig Shultz
  • Publication number: 20200356175
    Abstract: A touchscreen includes conductive islands that are capacitively coupled to conductive traces, where they may be used to provide capacitive sensing of the position of one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen and/or to exert haptic forces on one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Michael A. Peshkin
  • Patent number: 10768749
    Abstract: A haptic touch interface having simultaneous sensing and actuation including an insulating substrate having a front surface and a rear surface and one or more front surface electrodes connected to the front surface of the substrate, wherein the front surface electrodes are arranged in a first pattern. The touch interface further includes one or more rear surface electrodes connected to the rear surface of the substrate, wherein the rear surface electrodes are arranged in a second pattern and the front surface electrodes have a substantial mutual capacitance with the rear surface electrodes. Flying logic is used to control voltages applied to at least one of the front and rear surface electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignees: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, TANVAS, INC.
    Inventors: Michael F. D. Olley, Michael A. Peshkin, James E. Colgate
  • Patent number: 10739853
    Abstract: A touchscreen includes conductive islands that are capacitively coupled to conductive traces, where they may be used to provide capacitive sensing of the position of one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen and/or to exert haptic forces on one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: James E Colgate, Michael A Peshkin
  • Patent number: 10705610
    Abstract: A touch interface device that produces tactile and audio output comprising a touch surface, an first electrode coupled to the touch surface that receives a first haptic/audio output potential, a second electrode coupled to a low impedance return path to the device, the first and second electrodes being configured such that when both the first and second electrodes are touched by an appendage of a user, a current flows between the first and second electrodes and the appendage, where the current creates an electric field that imparts a controlled electrostatic force at interfaces of the first electrode and the appendage, and wherein the electrostatic force provides tactile feedback to the appendage of the user and causes vibration in the surrounding air that is audible to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Michael A. Peshkin, Craig Shultz
  • Patent number: 10379616
    Abstract: Touch interface devices and methods for producing multi-point haptics utilizing simultaneous sensing and actuation are disclosed. In one configuration, one or more electrodes connected to a front surface of a substrate are arranged in a pattern and connected to an electronic controller configured to produce a haptic effect by applying one or more voltages to the electrodes, and measure the locations of one or more touch points by applying one or more voltages to the electrodes. In another configuration the electronic controller is configured to produce a haptic effect by applying positive and/or negative voltages to the electrodes, and measure the locations of one or more touch points by applying positive and/or negative voltages to the electrodes. Also disclosed is a method for using a single set of electrodes on a substrate of a touch interface to simultaneously produce haptic effects on the substrate and measure finger locations relative to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignees: Northwestern University, Tanvas, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Peshkin, James E. Colgate, Michael F. D. Olley
  • Publication number: 20190138153
    Abstract: A haptic touch interface having simultaneous sensing and actuation including an insulating substrate having a front surface and a rear surface and one or more front surface electrodes connected to the front surface of the substrate, wherein the front surface electrodes are arranged in a first pattern. The touch interface further includes one or more rear surface electrodes connected to the rear surface of the substrate, wherein the rear surface electrodes are arranged in a second pattern and the front surface electrodes have a substantial mutual capacitance with the rear surface electrodes. Flying logic is used to control voltages applied to at least one of the front and rear surface electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Inventors: Michael F.D. Olley, Michael A. Peshkin, James E. Colgate
  • Publication number: 20190121436
    Abstract: Touch interface devices having systems and methods for producing multi-point haptics utilizing simultaneous sensing and actuation are disclosed. In a first configuration, two layers of electrodes are used, including a top layer for haptics near a touch surface of an insulating substrate and a bottom layer for sensing at the bottom surface of the insulating substrate, with the two electrode sets have substantially the same pattern as one another. In a second configuration, a single array of electrodes is used near a touch surface of an insulating substrate and serves as both surface haptic devices and sensing devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Inventors: Michael A. Peshkin, James E. Colgate
  • Publication number: 20180364864
    Abstract: Touch interface devices having systems and methods for producing multi-point haptics utilizing simultaneous sensing and actuation, and electronic controllers for actuation thereof are disclosed. In a first configuration, two layers of electrodes are used, including a top layer for haptics near a touch surface of an insulating substrate and a deeper or bottom layer for sensing at a deeper layer or at the bottom surface of the insulating substrate, with the two electrode sets have substantially the same pattern as one another. In a second configuration, a single array of electrodes is used near a touch surface of an insulating substrate and serves as both surface haptic devices and sensing devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicants: Tanvas Corporation, Northwestern University
    Inventors: Michael F.D. Olley, Michael A. Peshkin, James E. Colgate
  • Patent number: 10120447
    Abstract: Touch interface devices having systems and methods for producing multi-point haptics utilizing simultaneous sensing and actuation are disclosed. In a first configuration, two layers of electrodes are used, including a top layer for haptics near a touch surface of an insulating substrate and a bottom layer for sensing at the bottom surface of the insulating substrate, with the two electrode sets have substantially the same pattern as one another. In a second configuration, a single array of electrodes is used near a touch surface of an insulating substrate and serves as both surface haptic devices and sensing devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Michael A. Peshkin, James E. Colgate
  • Publication number: 20170168572
    Abstract: Touch interface devices and methods for producing multi-point haptics utilizing simultaneous sensing and actuation are disclosed. In one configuration, one or more electrodes connected to a front surface of a substrate are arranged in a pattern and connected to an electronic controller configured to produce a haptic effect by applying one or more voltages to the electrodes, and measure the locations of one or more touch points by applying one or more voltages to the electrodes. In another configuration the electronic controller is configured to produce a haptic effect by applying positive and/or negative voltages to the electrodes, and measure the locations of one or more touch points by applying positive and/or negative voltages to the electrodes. Also disclosed is a method for using a single set of electrodes on a substrate of a touch interface to simultaneously produce haptic effects on the substrate and measure finger locations relative to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Applicants: Tanvas Corporation, Northwestern University
    Inventors: Michael A. Peshkin, James E. Colgate, Michael F.D. Olley
  • Publication number: 20160370862
    Abstract: A touch interface device that produces tactile and audio output comprising a touch surface, an first electrode coupled to the touch surface that receives a first haptic/audio output potential, a second electrode coupled to a low impedance return path to the device, the first and second electrodes being configured such that when both the first and second electrodes are touched by an appendage of a user, a current flows between the first and second electrodes and the appendage, where the current creates an electric field that imparts a controlled electrostatic force at interfaces of the first electrode and the appendage, and wherein the electrostatic force provides tactile feedback to the appendage of the user and causes vibration in the surrounding air that is audible to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Publication date: December 22, 2016
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Michael A. Peshkin, Craig Shultz
  • Publication number: 20160363998
    Abstract: A touchscreen includes conductive islands that are capacitively coupled to conductive traces, where they may be used to provide capacitive sensing of the position of one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen and/or to exert haptic forces on one or more fingers in contact with a touchscreen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: James E. Colgate, Michael A. Peshkin
  • Publication number: 20160357342
    Abstract: Touch interface devices having systems and methods for producing multi-point haptics utilizing simultaneous sensing and actuation, and electronic controllers for actuation thereof are disclosed. In a first configuration, two layers of electrodes are used, including a top layer for haptics near a touch surface of an insulating substrate and a deeper or bottom layer for sensing at a deeper layer or at the bottom surface of the insulating substrate, with the two electrode sets have substantially the same pattern as one another. In a second configuration, a single array of electrodes is used near a touch surface of an insulating substrate and serves as both surface haptic devices and sensing devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Applicants: Tanvas Corporation, Northwestern University
    Inventors: Michael F.D. Olley, Michael A. Peshkin, James E. Colgate