Patents by Inventor James Warren Neil

James Warren Neil 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: 9202101
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a finger sensor, a display, and a controller coupled to the finger sensor and the display. The controller may be configured to collect finger data from multiple portions of a user's finger as the user's finger is moved around on the finger sensor along a finger travel path. The controller may also be configured to generate on the display a finger movement trace corresponding to the finger movement travel path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Eric Paul Kraemer, James Warren Neil, Peter Eric Sherlock
  • Patent number: 9092653
    Abstract: A finger biometric sensor may include a finger biometric sensing layer having an upper major surface and at least one sidewall surface adjacent thereto. The finger biometric layer may be for generating signals related to at least one biometric characteristic of the user's finger when positioned adjacent the first major surface. The finger biometric sensor may also include a piezoelectric transducer layer coupled to the at least one sidewall surface of the finger biometric sensing layer and a plurality of electrically conductive layers coupled to the piezoelectric transducer layer to define transducer electrodes. At least one of the electrically conductive layers may also cooperate with the finger biometric sensing layer for sensing the at least one biometric characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Dale R. Setlak, James Warren Neil, Daryl D. Williams, Richard J. Jones, Nicolaas W. Van Vonno
  • Patent number: 9092606
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a communications interface, a user prompting device, a biometric sensor, and a controller. The controller may perform biometric spoof detection with the biometric sensor, and receive a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface. The controller may also prompt the user for a verification action using the sensor based upon receiving the request, and determine that the user has completed the verification action in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection. The controller may further send a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action. The controller may send a notification to the remote device that there is a biometric sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Glenn Hicks, Richard Franklin Albury, James Warren Neil
  • Publication number: 20150167945
    Abstract: An apparatus for providing illumination having a plurality of series strings of serial light emitters having frequency spectrums, wherein at least two light emitters in a single series string have disparate frequency spectrums and rated forward voltages, the series strings are connected to one another in a parallel configuration, and the frequency spectrum of the light emitters combine to produce a target frequency spectrum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Inventor: James Warren Neil
  • Publication number: 20140150091
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a communications interface, a user prompting device, a biometric sensor, and a controller. The controller may perform biometric spoof detection with the biometric sensor, and receive a request for human presence verification from a remote device via the communications interface. The controller may also prompt the user for a verification action using the sensor based upon receiving the request, and determine that the user has completed the verification action in response to the prompting and based upon the biometric spoof detection. The controller may further send a response to the remote device via the communications interface and based upon determining that the user has completed the verification action. The controller may send a notification to the remote device that there is a biometric sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Inventors: GLENN HICKS, RICHARD FRANKLIN ALBURY, JAMES WARREN NEIL
  • Publication number: 20140105470
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a finger sensor, a display, and a controller coupled to the finger sensor and the display. The controller may be configured to collect finger data from multiple portions of a user's finger as the user's finger is moved around on the finger sensor along a finger travel path. The controller may also be configured to generate on the display a finger movement trace corresponding to the finger movement travel path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Inventors: ERIC PAUL KRAEMER, JAMES WARREN NEIL, PETER ERIC SHERLOCK
  • Publication number: 20140105469
    Abstract: A finger biometric sensor may include a finger biometric sensing layer having an upper major surface and at least one sidewall surface adjacent thereto. The finger biometric layer may be for generating signals related to at least one biometric characteristic of the user's finger when positioned adjacent the first major surface. The finger biometric sensor may also include a piezoelectric transducer layer coupled to the at least one sidewall surface of the finger biometric sensing layer and a plurality of electrically conductive layers coupled to the piezoelectric transducer layer to define transducer electrodes. At least one of the electrically conductive layers may also cooperate with the finger biometric sensing layer for sensing the at least one biometric characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Inventors: DALE R. SETLAK, JAMES WARREN NEIL, DARYL D. WILLIAMS, RICHARD J. JONES, NICOLAAS W. VAN VONNO
  • Patent number: 8638994
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a finger sensor, a display, and a controller coupled to the finger sensor and the display. The controller may be configured to collect finger data from multiple portions of a user's finger as the user's finger is moved around on the finger sensor along a finger travel path. The controller may also be configured to generate on the display a finger movement trace corresponding to the finger movement travel path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Authentec, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Paul Kraemer, Peter E. Sherlock, James Warren Neil
  • Publication number: 20120269406
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a finger sensor, a display, and a controller coupled to the finger sensor and the display. The controller may be configured to collect finger data from multiple portions of a user's finger as the user's finger is moved around on the finger sensor along a finger travel path. The controller may also be configured to generate on the display a finger movement trace corresponding to the finger movement travel path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: AuthenTec, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Paul Kraemer, Peter E. Sherlock, James Warren Neil
  • Patent number: 7693314
    Abstract: A finger sensing device may include a finger sensing area to receive a user's finger moved in a sliding motion, and a controller cooperating with the finger sensing area for generating successive image samples at least some of which are separated by different time intervals. The controller may generate finger movement signals based upon the successive image samples and the different time intervals. The controller may generate a plurality of repeating groups of ratio-metrically related image samples based upon the different time intervals. The reduced number of image samples may provide greater processing efficiency and reduced power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Authentec, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Andrew Tykowski, James Warren Neil, Kuntal Sengupta
  • Patent number: 7689012
    Abstract: A finger sensing device may include a finger sensing area to receive a user's finger moved in a sliding motion, a sensor controller cooperating with the finger sensing area for collecting image data therefrom, an image processor, and a communications path for sending image data from the sensor controller to the image processor. The sensing device may use at least one of the sensor controller and the image processor for (i) selecting a reference image data subset based upon reference image data, (ii) selecting a new image data subset, and (iii) comparing the new image data subset to the reference image data subset to develop a matching score, and, if the matching score is above a matching threshold, then not having new image data corresponding to the new image data subset sent over the data communications path, and, if the matching score is below the matching threshold, then having the new image data corresponding to the new image data subset sent over the data communications path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Authentec, Inc.
    Inventors: James Warren Neil, Joseph Andrew Tykowski, Steven Eugene Milburn