Patents by Inventor Simon C. E. Rowland

Simon C. E. Rowland 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: 7477508
    Abstract: A combination keyboard and digital tablet includes a top side and a bottom side. The top side of the keyboard body houses a plurality of keys. The bottom side of the keyboard body includes a recess. A digital tablet body is hingedly joined to the keyboard body. The digital tablet body includes a top side and a bottom side. The top side of the digital tablet body includes a pressure sensitive digital tablet recessed in the digital tablet body. The digital tablet body is movable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the bottom side of the digital tablet body is positioned in the recess of the keyboard body. In the second position, the top side of the digital tablet body and the top side of the keyboard body face in a similar direction. The combination may include a position switch operable to disable the keys when the top side of the keyboard body is facing in a downward direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Adam J. Pilkington, Simon C. E. Rowland
  • Patent number: 7427980
    Abstract: A method of identifying a specific object representation in a computer simulation is presented. A computer simulation of a physical room is generated and displayed by a game console. A game controller is integrated with a laser rangefinder to create a laser-integrated game controller that is capable of determining and transmitting, to the game console, a real-time location and spatial orientation of a real physical object that is represented by a computer-generated object representation in the computer simulation. The game controller and laser-integrated game controller are able to identify a specific object representation, which corresponds with the real physical object, based on the real-time location of the laser-integrated game controller, the spatial orientation of the laser-integrated game controller, and the range signal from the laser rangefinder in the laser-integrated game controller to the real physical object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ian Partridge, Adam J. Pilkington, Simon C. E. Rowland