Patents by Inventor Steven Donald Combs

Steven Donald Combs 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: 9307063
    Abstract: An accessory for a hand-held electronics device having an integrated camera unit includes a member for attachment along an outer surface of the hand-held electronics device, the member having an aperture defined therethrough. The aperture is positioned along the member such that when the member is attached to the hand-held electronics device, the aperture is positioned adjacent the camera unit of the hand-held electronics device to allow for image capture thereby. A light element is disposed within the aperture and a lens mounted in a stationary position within the aperture of the member modifies the optical power of the camera unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Donald Combs, Joseph Wade Luciano
  • Publication number: 20130084917
    Abstract: An accessory for a hand-held electronics device having an integrated camera unit includes a shell sized and shaped for attachment along an outer surface of the hand-held electronics device, the shell having an aperture defined therethrough. The aperture is positioned along the shell such that when the shell is attached to the hand-held electronics device, the aperture is positioned adjacent the camera unit of the hand-held electronics device to allow for image capture thereby. A light element is disposed within the aperture and a lens mounted in a stationary position within the aperture of the shell modifies the optical power of the camera unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Inventors: Steven Donald Combs, Joseph Wade Luciano
  • Patent number: 8041389
    Abstract: An improvement to a cellular camera phone comprising a source of illumination positioned adjacent to the camera unit and configured to illuminate a portion of an underlying surface within the field of view the camera unit; programming effective to (a) collect a current tracking image frame, (b) compare the current tracking image frame with a prior tracking image frame, (c) compute a relative displacement between the tracking image frames, and (d) store the current tracking image frame as a prior tracking image frame; and a wireless peripheral interface, wherein the wireless peripheral interface communicates the relative displacement to a computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Donald Combs, Joseph Wade Luciano
  • Publication number: 20090186652
    Abstract: An improvement to a cellular camera phone comprising a source of illumination positioned adjacent to the camera unit and configured to illuminate a portion of an underlying surface within the field of view the camera unit; programming effective to (a) collect a current tracking image frame, (b) compare the current tracking image frame with a prior tracking image frame, (c) compute a relative displacement between the tracking image frames, and (d) store the current tracking image frame as a prior tracking image frame; and a wireless peripheral interface, wherein the wireless peripheral interface communicates the relative displacement to a computer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Inventors: Steven Donald Combs, Joseph Wade Luciano
  • Publication number: 20040207864
    Abstract: One method operates a printer-controller application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) by applying a predetermined voltage to an analog input pin which identifies a desired operating mode (such as, but not limited to, one of at least several test modes) of the ASIC. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) converts the voltage to a digital output which is used to configure the ASIC to operate in the desired operating mode. Another method operates a printer by applying a predetermined voltage to an analog input pin of an ADC which identifies the printer (such as, without limitation, the particular make or the particular make and model of the printer). The digital output of the ADC is used to configure a printer-controller ASIC to operate with the identified printer (such as, but not limited to, setting the maintenance cycle timing and/or setting the default printing mode required by the identified printer).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Steven Donald Combs, Tung-Fu Hsieh, Brian Keith Owens, Bruce Barton Vance