Patents by Inventor Marc Harper

Marc Harper 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: 10978807
    Abstract: The disclosed technology provides an antenna structure located in the metal casing of a computing device. A first open slot radiating structure radiates at a radiating wavelength and is located on a surface of the metal casing of the computing device. A second open slot radiating structure radiates at the radiating wavelength and is located on the surface of the metal casing of the computing device. At least one closed slot radiator element is located between the first open slot radiating structure and the second open slot radiating structure on the surface of the metal casing of the computing device. The closed slot radiator element is approximately half the length of the radiating wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Sidharath Jain, Toby James Morris, Marc Harper
  • Patent number: 10903879
    Abstract: A wireless communications device with a first housing including an LTE modem and a plurality of LTE antennas and a second housing including a battery system and network communications assembly, the first housing and second housing pivotally joined via a hinge assembly permitting movement of the device between a closed and one or more open positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Toby James Morris, Marc Harper
  • Publication number: 20200373971
    Abstract: A wireless communications device with a first housing including an LTE modem and a plurality of LTE antennas and a second housing including a battery system and network communications assembly, the first housing and second housing pivotally joined via a hinge assembly permitting movement of the device between a closed and one or more open positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Toby James Morris, Marc Harper
  • Publication number: 20200358176
    Abstract: A communications device provides variable ground plane tuning compensation. The communications device includes a radiofrequency antenna configured to generate an electromagnetic field, a ground plane assembly electrically coupled to the radiofrequency antenna, and a variable impedance compensation network electrically connected to the ground plane assembly. The ground plane assembly is configurable between a first physical configuration and a second physical configuration. Each physical configuration presents a different ground plane assembly impedance to the electromagnetic field of the radiofrequency antenna. The variable impedance compensation network provides a compensation impedance for each physical configuration of the ground plane assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventor: Marc HARPER
  • Patent number: 10778289
    Abstract: A wireless communications device with a first housing including an LTE modem and a plurality of LTE antennas and a second housing including a battery system and network communications assembly, the first housing and second housing pivotally joined via a hinge assembly permitting movement of the device between a closed and one or more open positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Toby James Morris, Marc Harper
  • Patent number: 10770781
    Abstract: A computing device includes a metal frame forming an exterior surface of the computing device and including an array of resonant cavities. Each resonant cavity has a center axis and defining a volume within the metal frame. Each volume contains a corresponding metal plate positioned within the volume on the center axis of the resonant cavity and a corresponding metal feed line positioned to capacitively drive the corresponding metal plate and the resonant cavity. A least a portion of the corresponding metal feed line is positioned within the volume on the center axis of the resonant cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Marc Harper
  • Publication number: 20200274225
    Abstract: A computing device includes a metal frame forming an exterior surface of the computing device and including an array of resonant cavities. Each resonant cavity has a center axis and defining a volume within the metal frame. Each volume contains a corresponding metal plate positioned within the volume on the center axis of the resonant cavity and a corresponding metal feed line positioned to capacitively drive the corresponding metal plate and the resonant cavity. A least a portion of the corresponding metal feed line is positioned within the volume on the center axis of the resonant cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventor: Marc HARPER
  • Patent number: 10680661
    Abstract: The herein described technology provides a hybrid monopole and slot antenna assembly including an electrically-driven monopole antenna and a parasitic slot antenna. The electrically-driven monopole antenna is fed by a feed line coupled to a first metal portion of a device case exterior, and the parasitic slot antenna is capacitively-driven by a radiating feed element embedded in a dielectric material that resonates a second metal portion of the device case exterior. The hybrid monopole and slot antenna assembly further includes a dielectric gap insert electrically separating the first metal portion of the device case exterior from the second metal portion of the device case exterior, and a modem that drives the electrically-driven monopole antenna at a first frequency and the parasitic slot antenna at a second different frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Marc Harper
  • Patent number: 10651565
    Abstract: Antenna polarization diversity enhances the MIMO performance of multiple antennas, especially when the multiple antennas do not exhibit significant placement diversity. An antenna assembly provides selectable antenna polarization in the antenna assembly on a ground plane. An antenna element of the antenna assembly drives a first electrical configuration with a radiofrequency signal to radiate with a polarization predominately in a first direction of propagation. The antenna assembly is selectively modified from the first electrical configuration to a second electrical configuration, responsive to driving the antenna element of the antenna assembly in the first electrical configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Marc Harper
  • Publication number: 20200136261
    Abstract: The disclosed technology provides an antenna structure located in the metal casing of a computing device. A first open slot radiating structure radiates at a radiating wavelength and is located on a surface of the metal casing of the computing device. A second open slot radiating structure radiates at the radiating wavelength and is located on the surface of the metal casing of the computing device. At least one closed slot radiator element is located between the first open slot radiating structure and the second open slot radiating structure on the surface of the metal casing of the computing device. The closed slot radiator element is approximately half the length of the radiating wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Sidharath JAIN, Toby James MORRIS, Marc HARPER
  • Publication number: 20190341955
    Abstract: The disclosed technology provides a computing device with a slot antenna assembly including a slot formed in a metal exterior surface of a computing device case; an acoustic transceiver positioned to transmit an acoustic wave out through the slot and to receive a reflected portion of the acoustic wave in through the slot when the acoustic wave is reflected by an object; a proximity detector coupled to the acoustic transceiver that determines a physical separation between the object and the slot antenna based on a temporal separation between transmission of the acoustic wave and receipt of the reflected portion of the acoustic wave; and a transmission power controller that adjusts transmission power of the slot antenna based on the determined physical separation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Marc HARPER, Christopher Michael FORRESTER, Christian LORENZ
  • Patent number: 10461406
    Abstract: An antenna assembly that generally combines RF communication circuitry and proximity sensing circuitry. The antenna assembly utilizes a pair of conductive elements (e.g., loop antenna structures) that are parasitically (e.g., capacitively) driven by a directly fed RF feed antenna. The pair of conductive elements are selectively tunable to communicate in a frequency band of RF communication signals by a pair of RF tuning switches. The pair of conductive elements are also utilized as electrodes for proximity sensing by a capacitive proximity sensor module. The proximity sensing module outputs a low frequency signal (as opposed to the high frequency RF signal) to the pair of conductive elements for proximity sensing. The RF tuning switches are isolated from the low frequency signal by a pair of capacitors. The capacitive proximity sensing circuitry is isolated from the RF communication signals by a pair of inductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Marc Harper
  • Patent number: 10418700
    Abstract: There is disclosed an antenna device relating to a single or dual band antenna system for use in mobile telecommunications devices, laptop and tablet computers, USB adapters and electrically small radio platforms comprising a pair of antennas attached to a conductive ground plane, the antennas being separated by free space in which at least one notch is formed in the conductive ground plane between the pair of antennas characterized in that the notch further includes an inductive component and a capacitive component providing good antenna isolation so as to enable MIMO operation or diversity operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Marc Harper
  • Patent number: 10361480
    Abstract: There is disclosed an antenna device relating to a single or dual band antenna system for use in mobile telecommunications devices, laptop and tablet computers, USB adapters and electrically small radio platforms comprising a pair of antennas attached to a conductive ground plane, the antennas being separated by free space in which at least one notch is formed in the conductive ground plane between the pair of antennas characterized in that the notch further includes an inductive component and a capacitive component providing good antenna isolation so as to enable MIMO operation or diversity operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Marc Harper
  • Patent number: 10337886
    Abstract: A proximity sensor assembly includes a proximity sensor, an insulating layer, and at least one segmented electrode. The proximity sensor is configured to generate an electric field emanating from the proximity sensor assembly. The insulating layer is in overlapping contact with at least one surface of the proximity sensor. A segmented electrode having two or more segments is in overlapping contact with the insulating layer and overlapping the proximity sensor. At least a first segment of the segmented electrode is configured to direct the electric field emanating from the proximity sensor and at least a second segment of the segmented electrode is configured to direct the electric field emanating from the proximity sensor differently than the first segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Marc Harper, Steven J. Shankle
  • Publication number: 20190181891
    Abstract: The herein described technology provides a hybrid monopole and slot antenna assembly including an electrically-driven monopole antenna and a parasitic slot antenna. The electrically-driven monopole antenna is fed by a feed line coupled to a first metal portion of a device case exterior, and the parasitic slot antenna is capacitively-driven by a radiating feed element embedded in a dielectric material that resonates a second metal portion of the device case exterior. The hybrid monopole and slot antenna assembly further includes a dielectric gap insert electrically separating the first metal portion of the device case exterior from the second metal portion of the device case exterior, and a modem that drives the electrically-driven monopole antenna at a first frequency and the parasitic slot antenna at a second different frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventor: Marc HARPER
  • Patent number: 10168848
    Abstract: A capacitive sensor pad is co-located with (e.g., overlapping) an RF transmitter without causing significant degradation to the performance of the antenna. In one implementation, tuning the resistance per square in the capacitive sensor pad can provide effective sensor pad range and performance while providing making the capacitive sensor pad sufficiently transparent to radiofrequency waves to provide excellent antenna efficiency, despite the co-location of the capacitive sensor pad and the antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: William Hadlock Standing, Marc Harper, Sean Russell Mercer, David Voth
  • Publication number: 20180209817
    Abstract: A proximity sensor assembly includes a proximity sensor, an insulating layer, and at least one segmented electrode. The proximity sensor is configured to generate an electric field emanating from the proximity sensor assembly. The insulating layer is in overlapping contact with at least one surface of the proximity sensor. A segmented electrode having two or more segments is in overlapping contact with the insulating layer and overlapping the proximity sensor. At least a first segment of the segmented electrode is configured to direct the electric field emanating from the proximity sensor and at least a second segment of the segmented electrode is configured to direct the electric field emanating from the proximity sensor differently than the first segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventors: Marc Harper, Steven J. Shankle
  • Publication number: 20180212313
    Abstract: An antenna assembly that generally combines RF communication circuitry and proximity sensing circuitry. The antenna assembly utilizes a pair of conductive elements (e.g., loop antenna structures) that are parasitically (e.g., capacitively) driven by a directly fed RF feed antenna. The pair of conductive elements are selectively tunable to communicate in a frequency band of RF communication signals by a pair of RF tuning switches. The pair of conductive elements are also utilized as electrodes for proximity sensing by a capacitive proximity sensor module. The proximity sensing module outputs a low frequency signal (as opposed to the high frequency RF signal) to the pair of conductive elements for proximity sensing. The RF tuning switches are isolated from the low frequency signal by a pair of capacitors. The capacitive proximity sensing circuitry is isolated from the RF communication signals by a pair of inductors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventor: Marc Harper
  • Patent number: D847818
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David K. Szczypinski, Michael T. Pope, Marc Harper, Neil O'Connell, Dane Michael Hansen, Skooks Pong