Patents by Inventor Michel G. Stella

Michel G. Stella 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: 9645729
    Abstract: A method for operating a user interface on a system in which objects are displayed on a touch sensitive display screen. A touch coordinate is received from the touch sensitive display screen indicative of a touch location on the display screen. A search area surrounding the touch coordinate is searched for an object. The search area has an initial minimum size. If an object is found within the initial minimum search area it is identified. If no object is found, then the size of the search area is incrementally increased and searched until a final maximum size is reached. If no object is found, then the search is terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Daniel James Zay, Michel G. Stella
  • Patent number: 9170680
    Abstract: Within a display area of a touchscreen, multiple elements are displayed. A location is detected of a physical touch within the display area. In response to determining that an ambiguity exists about which of the elements is being targeted by the physical touch, a menu is displayed on the touchscreen for prompting a user to select between ones of the elements that are at least partially displayed within a specified area around the location. The ambiguity is resolved by receiving a selection from the user via the menu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Daniel James Zay, Michel G. Stella, Melissa Del Carmen Amoros
  • Publication number: 20140111486
    Abstract: A method for operating a user interface on a system in which objects are displayed on a touch sensitive display screen. A touch coordinate is received from the touch sensitive display screen indicative of a touch location on the display screen. A search area surrounding the touch coordinate is searched for an object. The search area has an initial minimum size. If an object is found within the initial minimum search area it is identified. If no object is found, then the size of the search area is incrementally increased and searched until a final maximum size is reached. If no object is found, then the search is terminated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Daniel James Zay, Michel G. Stella
  • Publication number: 20140015809
    Abstract: Within a display area of a touchscreen, multiple elements are displayed. A location is detected of a physical touch within the display area. In response to determining that an ambiguity exists about which of the elements is being targeted by the physical touch, a menu is displayed on the touchscreen for prompting a user to select between ones of the elements that are at least partially displayed within a specified area around the location. The ambiguity is resolved by receiving a selection from the user via the menu.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Inventors: Daniel James Zay, Michel G. Stella, Melissa Del Carmen Amoros
  • Patent number: 4944014
    Abstract: An echo effect is synthesized in a coded digital sound signal. An input sound signal is stored as a plurality of sequential frames of similar duration, each frame (n) having characteristics including an energy (E). A delay period (d) is selected as equal to a number of time. For each frame (n) later than the duration of frames of the delay (d), the energy E(n) of the frame is compared to an attenuated energy aE(n-d) of an earlier frame (n-d), which is earlier in time than frame (n) by a number of frames equal to the delay (d). If the energy E(n) is less than the attenuated energy aE(n-d) of the earlier frame, the current frame is replaced in an output sequence with a new frame having the non-energy characteristics of the earlier frame and the attenuated energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1990
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Michel G. Stella