Patents by Inventor Kouichiro Takashima

Kouichiro Takashima 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: 11409435
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Anatol Ward, Kouichiro Takashima
  • Publication number: 20210405869
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Anatol WARD, Kouichiro TAKASHIMA
  • Patent number: 11137906
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Anatol Ward, Kouichiro Takashima
  • Publication number: 20200042173
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Anatol WARD, Kouichiro TAKASHIMA
  • Patent number: 10481793
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Anatol Ward, Kouichiro Takashima
  • Patent number: 10474302
    Abstract: A touch panel device that detects a touch input at a touch panel including a plurality of electrodes arrayed in X and Y directions, calculates a width corresponding an object approaching the touch panel based on an output distribution of capacitance values from the touch panel, and determines whether an input operation corresponding to the object is valid based on the calculated width of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouichiro Takashima, Anatol Ward
  • Publication number: 20180300057
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Anatol Ward, Kouichiro Takashima
  • Patent number: 10007427
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Anatol Ward, Kouichiro Takashima
  • Publication number: 20180101263
    Abstract: A touch panel device that detects a touch input at a touch panel including a plurality of electrodes arrayed in X and Y directions, calculates a width corresponding an object approaching the touch panel based on an output distribution of capacitance values from the touch panel, and determines whether an input operation corresponding to the object is valid based on the calculated width of the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: April 12, 2018
    Applicant: Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Kouichiro Takashima, Anatol Ward
  • Publication number: 20170308295
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Anatol WARD, Kouichiro TAKASHIMA
  • Patent number: 9799242
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus including a display portion; a backlight unit configured to irradiate light from a rear face side of the display portion; a rear frame having height equivalent to at least a thickness of the backlight unit, and configured to protect the backlight unit; and an outer circumference casing attached to the rear frame, or formed integrally with the rear frame, and provided along an outer circumference of the display portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Kouichiro Takashima, Kazuhiro Kato, Takao Yagi
  • Patent number: 9747027
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communcations Inc.
    Inventors: Anatol Ward, Kouichiro Takashima
  • Patent number: 9678533
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus including a display portion, and a casing including an inner circumference wall portion that faces a side wall of the display portion and an inner circumference bottom plane portion that faces a rear surface of the display portion. The display portion is secured to the inner circumference wall portion and the inner circumference bottom plane portion of the casing with an adhesive agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Kouichiro Takashima, Kazuhiro Kato, Takao Yagi
  • Patent number: 9658694
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive sheet member contains a body having predetermined hardness and a sheet shape and a sense-of-touch-representing unit that represents a sense of touch. The sense-of-touch-representing unit has a predetermined size and is arranged at positions of the body or at a predetermined position of the body. The touch-sensitive sheet member also contains a medium-supplying unit that supplies medium to the sense-of-touch-representing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Mobile Communications Inc., Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kouichiro Takashima, Shun Kayama, Takashi Sawada, Yukiko Shimizu, Tsutomu Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9639148
    Abstract: A terminal apparatus includes a display module including a window glass, a touch panel, and a display panel; a display holding frame that secures the display module, the display holding frame having a screw accepting part on a rear surface which is opposite to the display panel; a cabinet case, which encloses the display holding frame, and which has a screw hole corresponding to the screw accepting part of the display holding frame; and a bolt or screw inserted into the screw accepting part of the display holding frame through the screw hole in the cabinet case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignees: SONY CORPORATION, SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kato, Kouichiro Takashima, Koji Endo, Hiroshi Kubo
  • Publication number: 20170075569
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Applicants: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC., SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Anatol WARD, Kouichiro TAKASHIMA
  • Patent number: 9535552
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user's finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Anatol Ward, Kouichiro Takashima
  • Patent number: 9519382
    Abstract: A touch panel device including an electrostatic capacitance type touch sensor in which a plurality of transparent electrode units are arranged in X and Y directions; a conductive layer that is connected to predetermined transparent electrode units among the plurality of transparent electrode units forming the electrostatic capacitance type touch sensor unit and that extends outward from an arrangement area of the plurality of transparent electrode units; a position detection unit that detects a position at which an external object contacts a surface near the electronic capacitance type touch sensor or the conductive layer; and a processor that executes a predetermined application program based on the position detected by the IC unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Kouichiro Takashima, Mitsuhiro Tanihata, Fumiyuki Ito
  • Patent number: 9336969
    Abstract: A press detection sensor contains a base member having predetermined length and width and also having a predetermined shape, a first conductor having predetermined length and being arranged on the base member, and a second conductor that is arranged on the base member with the second conductor being faced to the first conductor. The press detection sensor also contains a conductive contact body that is arranged between the first conductor and the second conductor. The conductive contact body connects the first and second conductors electrically in response to an external force. The press detection sensor further contains a covering member that includes the contact body on the inside thereof. The covering member covers a top of the base member which includes the first and second conductors. The covering member contains at least one of flexibility and elasticity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Kouichiro Takashima, Shun Kayama, Yukiko Shimizu, Tsutomu Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20160091973
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive sheet member contains a body having predetermined hardness and a sheet shape and a sense-of-touch-representing unit that represents a sense of touch. The sense-of-touch-representing unit has a predetermined size and is arranged at positions of the body or at a predetermined position of the body. The touch-sensitive sheet member also contains a medium-supplying unit that supplies medium to the sense-of-touch-representing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Inventors: Kouichiro Takashima, Shun Kayama, Takashi Sawada, Yukiko Shimizu, Tsutomu Takahashi