Patents by Inventor Mike Sinclair

Mike Sinclair 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: 9024908
    Abstract: Systems are disclosed for an optically clear keyboard that can be applied to a touch-sensitive display screen, for example, while mitigating distortion of the display. An apparatus for use over a touch-sensitive display screen can comprise a plurality of button structures formed of an optically clear material. The buttons are disposed in an optically clear fluid or gel having an index of refraction equivalent to the index of refraction of the button structures. The apparatus comprises an optically clear elastomeric membrane over the fluid, which forms a sealed barrier for the fluid or gel. The volume within the sealed portion of the apparatus contains the fluid and the button structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Mike Sinclair
  • Publication number: 20150011894
    Abstract: A haptic sensor for performing palpation includes a deformable membrane having a reflective surface, a light source, a camera, and a processor. When the sensor is pressed against an object on a body, the deformable membrane deforms to contour to the shape of the object, light is reflected off the reflective surface, and captured by a camera. The reflected light is processed to reconstruct a 3-D image of the object. The rendered image can show abnormalities such as cysts, tumors, or other abnormalities, as well as arterial pressure pulses. In different embodiments, the sensor illuminates the deformed membrane from multiple directions, using shape-from-shading or grayscale mapping, or using video streams to provide more accurate images. The sensor is able to be included as part of a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, thereby making it compact and portable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Inventors: Majid Sarrafzadeh, Mahsan Rofouei, Mike Sinclair
  • Patent number: 8079079
    Abstract: A multimodal system that employs a plurality of sensing modalities which can be processed concurrently to increase confidence in connection with authentication. The multimodal system and/or set of various devices can provide several points of information entry in connection with authentication. Authentication can be improved, for example, by combining face recognition, biometrics, speech recognition, handwriting recognition, gait recognition, retina scan, thumb/hand prints, or subsets thereof. Additionally, portable multimodal devices (e.g., a smartphone) can be used as credit cards, and authentication in connection with such use can mitigate unauthorized transactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Zhengyou Zhang, David W. Williams, Yuan Kong, Zicheng Liu, David Kurlander, Mike Sinclair
  • Publication number: 20100328251
    Abstract: Systems are disclosed for an optically clear keyboard that can be applied to a touch-sensitive display screen, for example, while mitigating distortion of the display. An apparatus for use over a touch-sensitive display screen can comprise a plurality of button structures formed of an optically clear material. The buttons are disposed in an optically clear fluid or gel having an index of refraction equivalent to the index of refraction of the button structures. The apparatus comprises an optically clear elastomeric membrane over the fluid, which forms a sealed barrier for the fluid or gel. The volume within the sealed portion of the apparatus contains the fluid and the button structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Mike Sinclair
  • Publication number: 20070005988
    Abstract: A multimodal system that employs a plurality of sensing modalities which can be processed concurrently to increase confidence in connection with authentication. The multimodal system and/or set of various devices can provide several points of information entry in connection with authentication. Authentication can be improved, for example, by combining face recognition, biometrics, speech recognition, handwriting recognition, gait recognition, retina scan, thumb/hand prints, or subsets thereof. Additionally, portable multimodal devices (e.g., a smartphone) can be used as credit cards, and authentication in connection with such use can mitigate unauthorized transactions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2005
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Zhengyou Zhang, David Williams, Yuan Kong, Zicheng Liu, David Kurlander, Mike Sinclair