Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for reducing the annoying sound produced by people speaking into the phone while in public. The technology uses the headset microphone to sample the sound at the location of the headset and uses a loudspeaker on the headset to cancel the sound produced by the talker at that point and beyond in the surrounding environment. A novelty of the invention is the loudspeaker feedback to the headset microphone produced by the speaker is necessarily cancelled from the microphone channel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is described to detect the physical approach. The method is useful for passively detecting the presence of people, pets, or robots in proximity to a sensor. It is portable, and functions while being carried or placed inside objects.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is present for achieving simple and inexpensive communications from wired phones to mobile or cell phones called a mobile phone extension. It is inexpensive because of flexible system architecture and simple hardware implementation. It allows phone calls to be made from wired phones over a cell phone. It is simple because audio signals from a microphone and speaker of a wired handset are connected to the mobile phone via a simple plug connection to the headset audio port. Alternatively, the system works with wireless connections between headsets and mobile phones. When the connection is made with a base station, it can be a wired or cordless phone or device acting as the base station. The disclosed system allows electronic apparatus to use a common mobile phone to link its communication instead of having an embedded phone separate from the user's personal phone.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is shown for detecting with high sensitivity by allowing the operation of an e-field amplifier without a DC bias resistor shunt with the amplifier input. E-fields produced by an approaching body, or changing E-field of the background, turn on the amplifier from a partial DC bias state with E-field coupling to the power supply of the amplifier. The result is high sensitivity and extremely long battery life. The amplifier is sensitive to transient and quasitatic DC E-field and the AC background signals. The signals are available simultaneously for processing at the output of the amplifier in a DC and AC coupled channel. The resulting signals are passed to a control system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is invented that provides unambiguously detection of the charge and proximity to an object. The method and apparatus are passive and function by using the background electric fields from electrical power wiring and equipment. The invention is useful for detecting plastic and other charged objects concealed by nonconductive covering materials. Applications of this lead to plastic detectors to scan people and cargo for dangerous dielectric items similar to metal detectors. It is also useful to warn of hazards due to static electricity buildup on objects or individuals. The technology also offers touchless control capability of computers, apparatus, and games, with plastic objects such as pointers, styluses, swords, sticks, and wands. The sensors are able to detect motion while discerning between proximity to bodies with dielectric or plastic objects. It is also useful for providing people, robots, and machines with obstacle avoidance, and vision capabilities.

Abstract: The invention is a detection system comprising inexpensive, miniaturized sensors for detecting electric field (E-field) disturbances. Such sensors are easily and covertly deployable and have low power consumption. The devices may incorporate visual or audio alerts and can include communications hardware for transmitting data for further processing of the electrostatic events.