Patents Issued in March 6, 2012
  • Patent number: 8130176
    Abstract: The invention provides an electro-optical apparatus that can prevent a shift in a threshold voltage of an amorphous silicon transistor while driving an organic EL device in a pixel circuit including the amorphous silicon transistor. A characteristic-adjustment circuit can be provided, which has a function of returning a shift in the threshold voltage of the amorphous silicon transistor included in the pixel circuit to the original state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Kasai, Yoichi Imamura, Tokuro Ozawa
  • Patent number: 8130177
    Abstract: Provided is a technique which easily forms a bank the inner lateral surface of which has a part (lower part of the inner lateral surface) made to be lyophilic. The technique provides an organic EL display panel containing a plurality of organic EL elements in which each organic EL element comprises a substrate, an anode disposed on the substrate, an organic light emitting layer disposed on the anode, a cathode disposed on the organic light emitting layer, and a forward-tapered bank which regulates the area of the organic light emitting layer. A lyophobic organic film is disposed on the upper surface of the bank and the surface of the upper part of the tapered portion of the bank but not disposed on the surface of the lower part of the tapered portion of the bank of the organic EL element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shuhei Nakatani, Kiyohiko Takagi
  • Patent number: 8130178
    Abstract: In a display apparatus including a switching transistor, a correction voltage for eliminating an effect of a variation in a characteristic of a driving transistor is stored in a storage capacitor. The switching transistor is disposed between one current terminal of the driving transistor and a light emitting element. The switching transistor turns off during the non-light emission period thereby to electrically disconnect the light emitting element from the one current terminal of the driving transistor thereby preventing a leakage current from flowing through the light emitting element during the period in which the correction unit operates, and thus preventing the correction voltage from having an error due to the leakage current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Junichi Yamashita, Masatsugu Tomida, Katsuhide Uchino
  • Patent number: 8130179
    Abstract: The present invention sets a display device for displaying a desired image on a display section, the display section being formed by arranging pixels in a form of a matrix, by outputting a driving signal for a signal line and a writing signal to the signal line and a scanning line of the display section by a horizontal driving circuit and a vertical driving circuit, wherein the pixel includes a light emitting element, a signal level storage capacitor, a transistor for writing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhide Uchino, Tetsuro Yamamoto, Naobumi Toyomura
  • Patent number: 8130180
    Abstract: A pixel circuit is disclosed in the present invention, which includes an OLED, a current-driving unit receiving a signal current on a data line during a programming period to provide a corresponding driving current to the OLED, a first switch coupled between the data line and the current-driving unit and turned on during the programming period to conduct the signal current, and a constant current unit providing a constant current on the data line during a pre-programming period and the programming period. The present invention also discloses an apparatus for driving a display, including a scan-driving circuit, a data-driving circuit, and plural constant current units. A method for driving a pixel having an OLED is also disclosed, which includes the steps of receiving a signal current on a data line during a programming period to provide a corresponding driving current to the OLED, and providing a constant current on the data line during a pre-programming period and the programming period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Himax Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Chen Yu Wang, Yu Wen Chiou
  • Patent number: 8130181
    Abstract: A OLED display and a driving method thereof are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chang Hoon Jeon, Jung Chul Kim, Ho Young Lee
  • Patent number: 8130182
    Abstract: An electroluminescent (EL) subpixel driven by a digital-drive scheme has a readout transistor driven by a current source when the drive transistor is non-conducting. This produces an emitter-voltage signal from which an aging signal representing the efficiency of the EL emitter can be computed. The aging signal is used to determine the loss in current of the subpixel when active, and an input signal is adjusted to provide increased on-time to compensate for voltage rise and efficiency loss of the EL emitter. Variations due to temperature can also be compensated for.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC
    Inventors: Charles I. Levey, Felipe A. Leon, John W. Hamer, Gary Parrett, Christopher J. White
  • Patent number: 8130183
    Abstract: A scan driver includes a plurality of stages coupled to each other in series, each of the stages configured to receive a clock signal, a clock bar signal, and an input signal, wherein each stage includes a first circuit that is configured to store a first voltage and a second voltage in response to the input signal and one of the clock signal or the clock bar signal, the first voltage and the second voltage each corresponding to a voltage of the input signal, and provide a first output signal that corresponds to the second voltage in response to the second voltage and the other of the clock signal or the clock bar signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Mobile Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Bo-yong Chung
  • Patent number: 8130184
    Abstract: Various embodiments for image pixel transformation are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company L. P.
    Inventors: Grant K. Garner, Masoud K. Zavarehi, Roshan B. Baliga
  • Patent number: 8130185
    Abstract: A system for producing spatially modulated monochrome or color light having gray scale includes an active matrix liquid crystal spatial light modulator having light modulating means including (i) a layer of ferroelectric liquid crystal material which is designed to switch between ON and OFF states and (ii) active matrix means including VLSI circuitry for dividing the layer of liquid crystal material into an array of individual liquid crystal pixels and for causing each of the pixels of liquid crystal material to modulate light individually by switching between the ON and OFF states in a way that depends upon the data which the VLSI circuitry is written. The system also includes illumination means having a light source for directing light from the source into the pixel-divided layer of ferroelectric liquid crystal material in a specific way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark A Handschy, Michael R Meadows
  • Patent number: 8130186
    Abstract: A device is described that comprises a layer of material (254) disposed between first and second cell walls (250,252) and is capable of adopting, and being electrically latched between, at least two stable configurations. The layer of material (254) comprises one or more separate electrically addressable regions (270, 272, 274, 276) and addressing means are provided to write to each of said electrically addressable regions using voltage pulses to selectively latch said layer of material as required. The addressing means is arranged to write to each of said one or more separate electrically addressable region using at least first and second latching scans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: ZBD Displays Limited
    Inventor: John C Jones
  • Patent number: 8130187
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display comprises: a liquid crystal layer capable of bend orientation; a display screen on which an image is displayed by light transmitted through a bend-oriented liquid crystal layer; and liquid crystal voltage application means for applying a liquid crystal voltage to the liquid crystal layer according to luminance information for each field of image information composed of serial fields, the liquid crystal voltage being applied to cause transmittance of the light to change, thereby sequentially displaying the image corresponding to the fields of the image information, and when the luminance information changes between current and subsequent fields, the liquid crystal voltage application means applies the liquid crystal voltage which changes so as to have a value according to the luminance information by the time the liquid crystal voltage is applied for the subsequent field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Nakao, Tsuyoshi Uemura, Seiji Kawaguchi, Junichi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8130188
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for realizing gray levels of a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, which realize various gray levels by interworking a gamma voltage and a sub-frame. The method includes the steps of dividing a liquid crystal response time interval for a pixel during one frame into n sequential sub-frames, enabling the pixel and applying a gamma voltage having a fixed level to the pixel, filling electric charges in the pixel by using the gamma voltage during each of the n specific sub-frames, and disabling the pixel at an end time point of a predetermined ith sub-frame, the i being an integer, wherein an amount of light projected on the pixel is adjusted by regulating a time point at which the pixel is disabled during each of the n specific sub-frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Inventor: Yong Seob Shin
  • Patent number: 8130189
    Abstract: The invention relates to a gate driving device for Thin Film Transistor liquid crystal display comprising: a plurality of shift registers directly deposited on an array substrate, said shift registers being composed of effect transistors and a capacitor, obtaining a gate driving signal voltage by controlling an input signal. Said shift register can be realized by 5-layer mask process or 4-layer mask process, by arranging the field effect transistors on the margin part outside the active region on the substrate or at the edge of the substrate, and then directly depositing them on an array substrate. The invention obtains a gate driving signal voltage by the shift registers directly deposited on the substrate, thus overcoming the shortage of the need of driving chips and film layers in the prior art, substantially reducing the production cost for LCD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Beijing Boe Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yubo Xu, Bongyeol Ryu, Ke Liang, Liang Yan
  • Patent number: 8130190
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display controller device and method which provides for a full and/or partial display with good display quality and/or low power consumption based on the scanning period for an active scan line being dependent upon a number of reference clock pulses. Some embodiments of the present invention include one or more of the following features: keeping the frequency substantially constant for different numbers of active scan lines, allowing change of the frequency due to characteristics of the LCD, displaying gradation with near linear effective voltage characteristics, displaying graduation data with lower power, or displaying a partial or full screen in a mobile device, for example, a cell phone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Kudo, Tsutomu Furuhashi, Yoshikazu Yokota, Toshimitsu Matsudo, Atsuhiro Higa
  • Patent number: 8130191
    Abstract: A variable capacitor is formed from a pair of electrodes and a dielectric interposed between the electrodes over a substrate, and an external input is detected by changing capacitance of the variable capacitor by a physical or electrical force. Specifically, a variable capacitor and a sense amplifier are provided over the same substrate, and the sense amplifier reads the change of capacitance of the variable capacitor and transmits a signal in accordance with the input to a control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Kato, Toshihiko Saito
  • Patent number: 8130192
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing image artifacts on displays (e.g., electronic paper, etc.) are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating pixels of an image for a bistable display using halftoning based on data of one or more previously displayed images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Guotong Feng
  • Patent number: 8130193
    Abstract: A system and method for eyes-free interaction with a computing device through environmental awareness. A smart computing device includes non-environmental impact settings that indicate what type of user impact will be recognized as an input. The smart computing device monitors environmental conditions to distinguish a user impact from an environmental impact. Upon detecting a user impact, a command is generated to perform a function on an application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David Wayne Flynt, Timothy Lawrence Brooke, Peter Chin
  • Patent number: 8130194
    Abstract: Method and system for generating and processing multiple independent input data streams based on a high priority OS message framework such as an OS provided framework for processing mouse-messages. Multiple input devices generate motion that is sensed by motion sensors located on one or more motion sources, quantify the sensed motion, and provide resulting input data to a computer via one or more communication ports. One or more software subroutines process the provided data, separating them into multiple independent input streams according to their sources, and sending the streams to listening applications. The subroutines are preferably integrated at a low level of the OS architecture, thereby enabling low-latency, fully-functional high priority processing of the input data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: IMI Innovations, Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Fairs, Lee A. Mitchell, Vlad Zarney, Michael J. Borch
  • Patent number: 8130195
    Abstract: A method for cloning hand drawn images includes identifying, within an environment, a position of a wand with respect to each of a first plurality of user selected physical points. A virtual plane identified by the first plurality of points is defined. The virtual plane corresponds to a first marking surface. An electronic page is associated with the first virtual plane. A motion of the wand is tracked. The motion corresponds to a use of the wand to draw a first mark on the first marking surface. A path traced across the first virtual plane is identified. The path is defined by the tracked motion. The electronic page is updated to include a digital image representative of the path. The digital image is a clone of the mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael James Shelton, Willam Robert Cridland, Jerry Shelton, Steven Harold Taylor
  • Patent number: 8130196
    Abstract: A game performing method realizable of finer and easier operational input with a joy stick. The game performing method for an apparatus comprising an input section having an operating handle capable of inputting an inclination of a desired angle in a desired direction, has: controlling a virtual handle of a player character according to operation inputted through the operating handle; detecting an inclined direction and an inclined angle of the operating handle; and changing a handle angle of the virtual handle in a direction according to change in the inclined direction when the change in the inclined direction is detected by detecting the inclined direction and the inclined angle of the operating handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
    Inventor: Satoru Ouchi
  • Patent number: 8130197
    Abstract: An ergonomic keyboard that alleviates repetitive stress injuries by eliminating static repetition in the use of keyboards. The keyboard includes a plurality of key zones, the key zones being adapted to move. The zones are moved by moving means. The key zones move when any one or more of predetermined conditions occur such as a set time, number of keystrokes, time interval, keystrokes in a zone or area, preprogrammed injury status, preprogrammed injury prevention, programmed diagnosed condition, key temperature, keyboard vibration, manual adjustment, and user pattern or preference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Ergowerx. LLC
    Inventor: Jack A. Atzmon
  • Patent number: 8130198
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for operating application programs in an electronic device, which has a keyboard unit, a touch sensing element and a display. First, the border information corresponding to a border area of the user interface provided by an application program is transmitted to a driving unit of the keyboard unit. Afterward, the keyboard unit is divided into at least two sensing areas corresponding to the operation areas of the user interface according to the border information. Next, the touch sensing element detects a touch on one of the sensing areas on the keyboard unit and then generates a responsive signal according to the touch. Finally, an action is performed on the corresponding operation area of the user interface according to the responsive signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: HTC Corporation
    Inventors: Yun Long Tan, Yien Chun Kuo
  • Patent number: 8130199
    Abstract: A keyboard type input device used in conjunction with a wristwatch or a portable telephone has multiple key positions provided as character entry keys. Each key corresponds to one key in the selected row of the conventional QWERTY keyboard. A second set of control buttons provide for the selection of which row of a conventional QWERTY keyboard are represented by the character keys in addition to other functions such as case shift, and alpha-numerical control functions. A selected row is shown on a display, as visual feedback. Alternatively the keys are implemented as LCDs with pressure sensors and the characters of the selected row are displayed directly on the corresponding key positions. The keyboard finds particular use in portable devices as it demands less space than traditional keyboards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frank Rui-Feng Chu, Noboru Kamijo, Denny Duan-Lee Tang
  • Patent number: 8130200
    Abstract: A user interface device for use in controlling one or more external devices has at least a positional change operation mode and a keyboard operation mode. The user interface device has a main body portion, an orientation sensor, a surface sensor, a processor and a switch. The main body portion includes a top surface having at least one button that is active only in the positional change operation mode. The at least one button triggers an action in the one or more external devices when pressed. The bottom surface has a displacement sensor and a thumb keyboard. The displacement sensor detects positional change of the user interface device only during the positional change operation mode. The positional change is used for navigation on a display screen of the one or more external devices. The thumb keyboard has a plurality of keys that generate keyboard signals for sending to the one or more external devices only when the user interface device is in the keyboard operation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Inventor: Benjamin Slotznick
  • Patent number: 8130201
    Abstract: A method of processing data using a portable electronic device includes transcoding, using a processor of the portable electronic device, a first webpage to generate a second web page. The second web page is displayed using a display device of the portable electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Greg Arnold, Fermin Soriano
  • Patent number: 8130202
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive display device includes a display. A transparent plate is provided in front of the display. A tactile sensor senses a touch event. One or more infrared sensors are positioned in front of the transparent plate. The one or more infrared sensors identify a location of the touch event when the tactile sensor detects a touch event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James L. Levine, Susan A. Luerich, Duane Scott Miller
  • Patent number: 8130203
    Abstract: Techniques for identifying and discriminating between different types of contacts to a multi-touch touch-screen device are described. Illustrative contact types include fingertips, thumbs, palms and cheeks. By way of example, thumb contacts may be distinguished from fingertip contacts using a patch eccentricity parameter. In addition, by non-linearly deemphasizing pixels in a touch-surface image, a reliable means of distinguishing between large objects (e.g., palms) from smaller objects (e.g., fingertips, thumbs and a stylus) is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Patent number: 8130204
    Abstract: A system for interfacing with a user. The system includes a sensor, a controller, and a display. The sensor is configured to sense environmental conditions about the display and communicate the environmental conditions with the controller. The controller is configured to generate graphics and provide the graphics to the display. The graphics include one or more environmental display elements that correspond to the environmental condition sensed by the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael D. Tschirhart
  • Patent number: 8130205
    Abstract: In a computer-implemented method, a portion of an electronic document is displayed on the touch screen display. The displayed portion of the electronic document has a vertical position in the electronic document. An object is detected on or near the displayed portion of the electronic document. In response to detecting the object on or near the displayed portion of the electronic document, a vertical bar is displayed on top of the displayed portion of the electronic document. The vertical bar has a vertical position on top of the displayed portion of the electronic document that corresponds to the vertical position in the electronic document of the displayed portion of the electronic document. After a predetermined condition is met, display of the vertical bar is ceased. The vertical bar is displayed for a predetermined time period when the portion of the electronic document is initially displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Forstall, Henri C. Lamiraux, Andrew Emilio Platzer, Michael Matas, Imran Chaudhri
  • Patent number: 8130206
    Abstract: An apparatus including a touch sensitive display including a first portion and a second portion; and a processor configured to detect user inputs on the touch sensitive display and control the touch sensitive display, wherein; the processor is configured to control the touch sensitive display, to enable a first state, in which the first portion of the touch sensitive display is operable to enable access to a first set of functions and the second portion of the touch sensitive display is operable to enable access to a second set of functions, and to enable, in response to the detection of a first user input when the touch sensitive display is in the first state, a second state in which the second portion of the touch sensitive display is not operable to enable access to any one of the second set of functions and the first portion is operable to enable access to a set of functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventor: Sanna Lindroos
  • Patent number: 8130207
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program product are provided for using dual side input devices for controlling an electronic device and applications running thereon. According to one technique, a user take some action with respect to an adjustable feature associated with the electronic device (e.g., zoom and/or skew an image on a display screen) by simulating (or actually) bending or twisting the electronic device. According to another technique, the user may cause a region of an image displayed on the front of the device to be magnified by touching the back of the device at a location that corresponds to the region. According to yet another technique, the user may cause a graphical item displayed on the front of the electronic device to be rotated by essentially simulating the grabbing of the item with two or more fingers on either side of the electronic device and rolling the item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Mikko Antero Nurmi, Mika Antero Rautava
  • Patent number: 8130208
    Abstract: An image-selecting device includes a storing unit, a displaying unit, a detecting unit, a reading unit, an identification data storing unit, a display controlling unit, an image data identifying unit, and an image data selecting unit. The displaying unit displays a plurality of images based on a plurality of pieces of image data and has a plurality of display regions for the plurality of images. The detecting unit detects each of the plurality of display regions receiving direct input by an indicator. The reading unit reads the plurality of pieces of image data from the storing unit. The identification data storing unit stores identification data for identifying the plurality of pieces of image data read by the reading unit and assigns a prescribed order to the identification data for the plurality of pieces of image data. The display controlling unit controls the displaying unit to display the plurality of images according to the prescribed order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hideki Arimoto
  • Patent number: 8130209
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) panel includes a touch spacer formed in a first substrate, a common electrode formed to cover the touch spacer, a first touch conductive line formed in a first direction in a second substrate opposite to the first substrate, a second touch conductive line formed in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first touch conductive line, and first and second contact electrodes respectively electrically connected to the first and second touch conductive lines and portions of the first and second contact electrodes formed at a same height, wherein the portions of the first and second contact electrodes contact the common electrode by the touch spacer in a contact position. A method for manufacturing the LCD panel is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jong-Woong Chang
  • Patent number: 8130210
    Abstract: A touch input system includes a light-emitting device, a bent light guide and a light detector. The light-emitting device emits light. The bent light guide receives the light emitted by the light-emitting device and guides the light to travel in a direction across a face of a display screen. The light detector detects the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuldeep Kumar Saxena, Wee Sin Tan, Peng Yam Ng, Pak Hong Yee, Rani Ramamoorthy Saravanan
  • Patent number: 8130211
    Abstract: A method of rotating a virtual object within a virtual workspace. The method includes recognizing a selection perimeter of the virtual object and detecting a one-touch user input having a starting location within the selection perimeter of the virtual object. The method further includes tracking movement of the one-touch user input within the virtual workspace, and rotating the virtual object within the virtual workspace responsive to tracked movement of the one-touch user input relative to the virtual object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: David N Abernathy
  • Patent number: 8130212
    Abstract: A contact-sensing device includes a capacitance contact-sensing unit including contact-sensing areas configured to at least detect contact with an external object; a calibration-value setting unit configured to set a calibration value to be used to calibrate capacitances of the contact-sensing areas based on capacitances of the contact-sensing areas excluding the contact-sensing area detected by the contact-sensing unit; a calibration determining unit configured to determine whether calibration of the capacitances of the contact-sensing areas is to be carried out based on capacitances of the contact-sensing areas excluding the contact-sensing area detected by the contact-sensing unit; and a capacitance calibrating unit configured to calibrate capacitances of all of the contact-sensing areas using the calibration value set by the calibration-value setting unit when the calibration determining unit determines that calibration is to be carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
    Inventor: Tetsuo Umeda
  • Patent number: 8130213
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a stylus and a method of manufacturing the same. The stylus is configured to select one of plural pieces of content installed in advance in a communication terminal and indicate an associated operation of the selected piece of content to be performed by touching the selected piece of content with the stylus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignees: XG Solutions, LLC, Seoh Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong Woong No, Dongsik Kim
  • Patent number: 8130214
    Abstract: An input apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention may include an operation member that is rotatable and is movable in a direction along a rotation axis between an extended position and a pushed-in position. When a user rotates the operation member without pushing in it, a detection output of a predetermined number of pulses can be obtained from a first detection unit each time the operation member is rotated at a predetermined angle. When a user pushes in the operation member and rotates it at a predetermined angle, detection outputs can be continuously obtained from a second detection unit. Consequently, a user can perform a rough retrieval operation on a data set-by-data set basis and a fine data selection operation on a data-by-data basis using a single operation member without repositioning the user's hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Aimi, Yoshinobu Hosaka
  • Patent number: 8130215
    Abstract: A logarithmic amplifier produces a logarithmic output signal as a function of an input signal. The amplifier comprises a reference signal, first and second function generators, and a low-pass filter. The first function generator produces a periodic exponential waveform from the reference signal based upon a resistor-capacitor time constant, wherein the exponential waveform exponentially increases from a minimum to a maximum in each period. The second function generator produces a pulsed waveform from the exponential waveform, wherein the pulsed waveform comprises a first portion having a first amplitude for a first time period and a second portion having a different amplitude for the remainder of the signal period, and wherein the duration of the first time period is determined in response to the exponential waveform. The low pass filter produces the logarithmic output signal as a function of the pulsed waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Scot Olson
  • Patent number: 8130216
    Abstract: An example control signal generating circuit CTL for controlling the writing into pixels PIX instructs a data signal line drive circuit SD2, which is for driving pixels in a non-display area, to write a voltage VB or a voltage VW which are for non-displaying, not only in the first frame but also once in a predetermined number of frames. In other words, the pixels in the display area are refreshed at intervals longer than those in the case of refreshing the pixels in each frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hajime Washio, Yasuyoshi Kaise, Sachio Tsujino, Kazuhiro Maeda, Keiji Takahashi, Yasushi Kubota, Toshiya Aoki
  • Patent number: 8130217
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a display panel driving apparatus that can make the circuit layout surface area smaller, and prevent circuit damage. The display panel driving apparatus includes a source amplifier, a sink amplifier, a switch and the like. The source amplifier includes a first output circuit, a second output circuit and the like, and a guard transistor is provided between the first output circuit and the second output circuit to prevent an output signal voltage of the first output circuit from becoming less than an intermediate voltage. The sink amplifier includes a first output circuit and a second output circuit, and a guard transistor is provided between the first output circuit and the second output circuit to prevent an output signal voltage of the first output circuit from exceeding an intermediate voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Oki Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Nishimizu, Yuushi Shutou, Hideaki Hasegawa, Koji Higuchi
  • Patent number: 8130218
    Abstract: An electronic device of a source driver in an LCD device, for enhancing accuracy of voltage outputted to an equivalent capacitor of a panel of the LCD device, includes a first node, a second node, an output unit, a first charge sharing switch, a second charge sharing switch, a first precharge switch, and a second precharge switch. The electronic device only uses two precharge switches to implement the precharge function and can decrease the current limiting resistor for enhancing the output voltage accuracy and decrease the charge time of the equivalent capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: NOVATEK Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Ji-Ting Chen, Ju-Lin Huang
  • Patent number: 8130219
    Abstract: A method of provisioning avatars comprises receiving at a first computer system associated with a first user, a metadata file relating to an avatar of a second user. In particular, the metadata file comprises data for use with an avatar generator process that is in execution on the first computer system. Data is extracted from the metadata file, and is provided as input data to the avatar generator process, thereby generating locally to the first computer system the avatar of the second user. The avatar of the second user so generated is displayed to the first user within a virtual environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: AUTODESK, Inc.
    Inventors: Michel Fleury, David Chamandy
  • Patent number: 8130220
    Abstract: A method, medium and apparatus determining whether models collide with each other. In the model collision detecting method, medium and apparatus, it is possible to quickly examine whether models collide, and to recognize the collision generated at an arbitrary time, which is not a predetermined collision check time of the models, without missing the recognition of the collision generated at the arbitrary time, by determining whether paths reflecting movement of the model primitives between the current time and a previous time overlap when the model primitives do not collide at the current time, determining whether the model primitives collide with each other at an arbitrary time between the current time and the previous time when the path primitives overlap each other, and recognizing that the models collide with each other at the arbitrary time when the model primitives collide with each other at the arbitrary time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeong-hwan Ahn, Kee-chang Lee
  • Patent number: 8130221
    Abstract: A method of repairing a three dimensional surface mesh model to be watertight and manifold generally includes identifying a plurality of hole edges in the surface mesh model, selecting one of the hole edges, creating a cycle of hole edges that defines a hole in the surface mesh model, converting the cycle of hole edges into two or more cycles of exactly three edges each, and adding a triangular facet to the surface mesh model for each of the cycles of exactly three edges. The process may be repeated until the model is substantially watertight. Non-manifold vertices may be repaired by selecting a vertex of the model, identifying a number of independent cycles of triangular facets sharing the selected vertex, and redefining the selected vertex for at least all but one of the number of independent cycles. This process may be repeated until the model is manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric Jon Voth
  • Patent number: 8130222
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for resolving visual priority among coincident primitives for a computer graphics system. The method can include the operation of classifying primitives within a computer generated scene into an ordinary group and one or more coincident groups according to each primitive's visual depth set comprising a depth value, a group value, and a layer value. The primitives within the ordinary group can be rendered according to their depth value. The primitives within the same coincident group can be rendered according to their layer value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions LLC
    Inventor: Russell Joseph Urry
  • Patent number: 8130223
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for efficiently creating and accessing an A-Buffer that supports multi-sample compression techniques. The A-Buffer is organized in stacks of uniformly-sized tiles, wherein the tile size is selected to facilitate compression techniques. Each stack represents the samples included in a group of pixels. Each tile within a stack represents the set of sample data at a specific per-sample rendering order index that are associated with the group of pixels represented by the stack. Advantageously, each tile includes tile compression bits that enable the tile to maintain data using existing compression formats. As the A-Buffer is created, a corresponding stack compression buffer is also created. For each stack, the stack compression buffer includes a bit that indicates whether all of the tiles in the stack are similarly compressed and, consequently, whether the GPU may operate on the stack at an efficient per pixel granularity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: John M. Danskin
  • Patent number: 8130224
    Abstract: Graphical user interface objects are specified by a collection of attribute-value pairs, the collection of which comprise a complete description of the object and may be used by a rendering element to create a visual representation of the object. In practice, each of a first portion of attributes may be associated with two or more values—each value (for a given attribute) specifying that attribute's value for a unique resolution. A second portion of attributes are associated with a single value and are, therefore, display resolution independent. Accordingly, the target object may be displayed at any of the specified design display resolutions or accurately displayed at any resolution between the specified design display resolutions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Zimmer, Peter Graffagnino, Bas Ording
  • Patent number: 8130225
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes comparing one or more surface features to a motion model. The surface feature or surface features represent a portion of an object in an image. The method also includes identifying a representation of the object from the motion model, based upon the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Steve Sullivan, Francesco G. Callari