Patents by Inventor John Greer Elias

John Greer Elias 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: 10871850
    Abstract: Multi-touch touch-sensing devices and methods are described herein. The touch sensing devices can include multiple sense points, each located at a crossing of a drive line and a sense line. In some embodiments, multiple drive lines may be simultaneously or nearly simultaneously stimulated with drive signals having unique characteristics, such as phase or frequency. A sense signal can occur on each sense line that can be related to the drive signals by an amount of touch present at sense points corresponding to the stimulated drive lines and the sense line. By using processing techniques based on the unique drive signals, an amount of touch corresponding to each sense point can be extracted from the sense signal. The touch sensing methods and devices can be incorporated into interfaces for a variety of electronic devices such as a desktop, tablet, notebook, and handheld computers, personal digital assistants, media players, and mobile telephones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Steven P. Hotelling, John Greer Elias, Kapil Vinod Sakariya
  • Publication number: 20200192490
    Abstract: A touch sensitive mechanical keyboard configured to enable a standard look and feel mechanical keyboard to sense fine hand/finger motion over the surface of the keys. Command and cursor input (e.g., pointing and gestures) can be received from the user on the touch sensitive mechanical keyboard without requiring the user to move the user's hand off the keyboard. Fine hand/finger motion detection can be enabled by embedding clusters of capacitive sensors near the surface of the keyboard's keys. The touch sensitive mechanical keyboard can operate in two or more modes—e.g., a typing mode and a mouse mode—and operating the keyboard in mouse mode or switching between the modes can be facilitated by holding (depressing and holding) or tapping (depressing and releasing) arbitrary combinations of keys, or by detecting the number of fingers touching the touch sensitive mechanical keyboard.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventor: John Greer ELIAS
  • Patent number: 10642330
    Abstract: This relates to an event sensing device that includes an event sensing panel and is able to dynamically change the granularity of the panel according to present needs. Thus, the granularity of the panel can differ at different times of operation. Furthermore, the granularity of specific areas of the panel can also be dynamically changed, so that different areas feature different granularities at a given time. This also relates to panels that feature different inherent granularities in different portions thereof. These panels can be designed, for example, by placing more stimulus and/or data lines in different portions of the panel, thus ensuring different densities of pixels in the different portions. Optionally, these embodiments can also include the dynamic granularity changing features noted above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl Westerman, John Greer Elias, Steven P. Hotelling, Duncan Robert Kerr
  • Patent number: 10620765
    Abstract: A touch sensor panel configured to detect objects touching the panel as well as objects that are at a varying proximity to the touch sensor panel. The touch sensor panel includes circuitry that can configure the panel in a mutual capacitance (near field) architecture or a self-capacitance (far field and super far field) architecture. The touch sensor panel can operate in different object sensing modes having different resolutions such as a near field mode, a far field mode, and a super-far field mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John Greer Elias, Steven P. Hotelling
  • Publication number: 20200103252
    Abstract: Magnetic sensing technology can be used to detect changes, or disturbances (e.g., changes in magnetic field strength), in magnetic fields and can be used to measure the precise location/positioning of an electronic device in proximity to a magnetic source. In order to avoid interference by earth's static magnetic field, a modulated magnetic field can be used for magnetic based proximity sensing. Received modulated magnetic field signals can be demodulated to determine a received magnetic field strength. A drive current of a magnetic transmitter coil can be varied to maintain the detected magnetic field strength at a target value or within a desirable range. The drive current can also be varied to remain below a burnout current level that can cause damage to the transmitter coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Inventors: Savas Gider, Jian Guo, John Greer Elias
  • Patent number: 10585493
    Abstract: A touch sensitive mechanical keyboard configured to enable a standard look and feel mechanical keyboard to sense fine hand/finger motion over the surface of the keys. Command and cursor input (e.g., pointing and gestures) can be received from the user on the touch sensitive mechanical keyboard without requiring the user to move the user's hand off the keyboard. Fine hand/finger motion detection can be enabled by embedding clusters of capacitive sensors near the surface of the keyboard's keys. The touch sensitive mechanical keyboard can operate in two or more modes—e.g., a typing mode and a mouse mode—and operating the keyboard in mouse mode or switching between the modes can be facilitated by holding (depressing and holding) or tapping (depressing and releasing) arbitrary combinations of keys, or by detecting the number of fingers touching the touch sensitive mechanical keyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: John Greer Elias
  • Publication number: 20200042168
    Abstract: A method for performing multi-touch (MT) data fusion is disclosed in which multiple touch inputs occurring at about the same time are received to generating first touch data. Secondary sense data can then be combined with the first touch data to perform operations on an electronic device. The first touch data and the secondary sense data can be time-aligned and interpreted in a time-coherent manner. The first touch data can be refined in accordance with the secondary sense data, or alternatively, the secondary sense data can be interpreted in accordance with the first touch data. Additionally, the first touch data and the secondary sense data can be combined to create a new command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Wayne Carl WESTERMAN, John Greer ELIAS
  • Patent number: 10437459
    Abstract: A method for performing multi-touch (MT) data fusion is disclosed in which multiple touch inputs occurring at about the same time are received to generating first touch data. Secondary sense data can then be combined with the first touch data to perform operations on an electronic device. The first touch data and the secondary sense data can be time-aligned and interpreted in a time-coherent manner. The first touch data can be refined in accordance with the secondary sense data, or alternatively, the secondary sense data can be interpreted in accordance with the first touch data. Additionally, the first touch data and the secondary sense data can be combined to create a new command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl Westerman, John Greer Elias
  • Publication number: 20190265017
    Abstract: Magnetic sensing technology can be used to detect changes, or disturbances (e.g., changes in magnetic field strength), in magnetic fields and can be used to measure the precise location/positioning of an electronic device in proximity to a magnetic source. In order to avoid interference by earth's static magnetic field, a modulated magnetic field can be used for magnetic based proximity sensing. Received modulated magnetic field signals can be demodulated to determine proximity of the sensor to the source of the modulated magnetic field. Devices such as gloves or devices with fingertip nodes based on receiving modulated magnetic fields can be used to detect user hand position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventors: Jian GUO, John Greer ELIAS, Savas GIDER
  • Publication number: 20190196634
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate. Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Steve Porter HOTELLING, Wei Chen, Christoph Horst Krah, John Greer Elias, Wei Hsin Yao, Andrew Bert Hodge, Brian Richards Land, Willem den Boer, John Z. Zhong
  • Publication number: 20190146623
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate. Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Steve Porter HOTELLING, Wei CHEN, Christoph Horst KRAH, John Greer ELIAS, Wei Hsin YAO, Andrew Bert HODGE, Brian Richards LAND, Willem den BOER, John Z. ZHONG
  • Publication number: 20190101981
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a VR glove capable of measuring the movement of individual finger and thumb bones. The VR glove can include a plurality of inertial measurement units (IMUs) to track the movement of one or more finger and/or hand sections. The IMUs can include one or more motion sensors, such as a gyroscope and an accelerometer, for measuring the orientation, position, and velocity of objects (e.g., finger bones) that the IMU can be attached. An IMU can be located proximate to a finger (or thumb) bone and can measure the inertial motion of the corresponding bone. In some examples, the VR glove may include magnetometers to determine the direction of the geo-magnetic field. The VR glove can also include one or more other electronic components, such as a plurality of electrodes for sensing the heading, enabling capacitive touch, and/or contact sensing between finger tips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: John Greer ELIAS, Andrew D. STERIAN, Anuranjini PRAGADA, Daniel D. SUNSHINE, Jean Hsiang-Chun LU, Lia Mieko UESATO, Storrs Townsend HOEN, Zebinah P. MASSE
  • Patent number: 10191576
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate. Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Porter Hotelling, Wei Chen, Christoph H. Krah, John Greer Elias, Wei Hsin Yao, John Z. Zhong, Andrew Bert Hodge, Brian R. Land, Willem den Boer
  • Publication number: 20180335873
    Abstract: A touch sensor panel configured to detect objects touching the panel as well as objects that are at a varying proximity to the touch sensor panel. The touch sensor panel includes circuitry that can configure the panel in a mutual capacitance (near field) architecture or a self-capacitance (far field and super far field) architecture. The touch sensor panel can operate in different object sensing modes having different resolutions such as a near field mode, a far field mode, and a super-far field mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: John Greer ELIAS, Steven P. HOTELLING
  • Publication number: 20180299938
    Abstract: This relates to an event sensing device that includes an event sensing panel and is able to dynamically change the granularity of the panel according to present needs. Thus, the granularity of the panel can differ at different times of operation. Furthermore, the granularity of specific areas of the panel can also be dynamically changed, so that different areas feature different granularities at a given time. This also relates to panels that feature different inherent granularities in different portions thereof. These panels can be designed, for example, by placing more stimulus and/or data lines in different portions of the panel, thus ensuring different densities of pixels in the different portions. Optionally, these embodiments can also include the dynamic granularity changing features noted above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Inventors: Wayne Carl WESTERMAN, John Greer ELIAS, Steven P. HOTELLING, Duncan Robert KERR
  • Patent number: 10048775
    Abstract: A touch input device configured to detect stylus signals generated by an external stylus is provided. The touch input device includes a plurality of stylus signal detectors that can receive the stylus signal and estimate the start and end time of the stylus signal in order to facilitate windowed demodulation of signal. The touch input device also includes circuitry to determine which of the plurality of detectors is most likely to have received the stylus signal and based on that determination can demodulate the signal and extract data embedded within the stylus signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Shahrooz Shahparnia, John Greer Elias
  • Patent number: 10037118
    Abstract: A touch sensor panel configured to detect objects touching the panel as well as objects that are at a varying proximity to the touch sensor panel. The touch sensor panel includes circuitry that can configure the panel in a mutual capacitance (near field) architecture or a self-capacitance (far field and super far field) architecture. The touch sensor panel can also include circuitry that works to minimize an effect that a parasitic capacitance can have on the ability of the touch sensor panel to reliably detect touch and proximity events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John Greer Elias, Steven P. Hotelling
  • Patent number: 10025366
    Abstract: This relates to an event sensing device that includes an event sensing panel and is able to dynamically change the granularity of the panel according to present needs. Thus, the granularity of the panel can differ at different times of operation. Furthermore, the granularity of specific areas of the panel can also be dynamically changed, so that different areas feature different granularities at a given time. This also relates to panels that feature different inherent granularities in different portions thereof. These panels can be designed, for example, by placing more stimulus and/or data lines in different portions of the panel, thus ensuring different densities of pixels in the different portions. Optionally, these embodiments can also include the dynamic granularity changing features noted above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl Westerman, John Greer Elias, Steven P. Hotelling, Duncan Robert Kerr
  • Publication number: 20180107261
    Abstract: This relates to an event sensing device that includes an event sensing panel and is able to dynamically change the granularity of the panel according to present needs. Thus, the granularity of the panel can differ at different times of operation. Furthermore, the granularity of specific areas of the panel can also be dynamically changed, so that different areas feature different granularities at a given time. This also relates to panels that feature different inherent granularities in different portions thereof. These panels can be designed, for example, by placing more stimulus and/or data lines in different portions of the panel, thus ensuring different densities of pixels in the different portions. Optionally, these embodiments can also include the dynamic granularity changing features noted above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Inventors: Wayne Carl WESTERMAN, John Greer ELIAS, Steven P. HOTELLING, Duncan Robert KERR
  • Patent number: 9870041
    Abstract: This relates to an event sensing device that includes an event sensing panel and is able to dynamically change the granularity of the panel according to present needs. Thus, the granularity of the panel can differ at different times of operation. Furthermore, the granularity of specific areas of the panel can also be dynamically changed, so that different areas feature different granularities at a given time. This also relates to panels that feature different inherent granularities in different portions thereof. These panels can be designed, for example, by placing more stimulus and/or data lines in different portions of the panel, thus ensuring different densities of pixels in the different portions. Optionally, these embodiments can also include the dynamic granularity changing features noted above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl Westerman, John Greer Elias, Steven P. Hotelling, Duncan Robert Kerr