Patrick R Gray

US Patent:

7714846, May 11, 2010

Filed:

Aug 25, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/211272

Inventors:

Patrick T. Gray - Cedar Park TX, US

Assignee:

Wacom Co., Ltd. - Kita Saitama-Gun, Saitama

International Classification:

G06F 3/041

US Classification:

345173, 178 1805

Abstract:

Digital signal processed touchscreen system. The invention employs amplitude ramped signals across a touchscreen. The pattern to which the amplitude ramped electric signals are provided may be located on the surface of the touchscreen, or alternatively on the backside of the touchscreen. The signal processing employed by the invention, using digital signal processing techniques, is operable to discern a user's touch and to determine its location. A dielectric, protective surface is used to enable implementation into a wide variety of applications, including those applications that are environmentally rugged and have, until now, been too rugged for prior art touchscreen systems. The invention employs a user generated unbalanced capacitive load generated on the touchscreen to identify the location of the user's touch.

US Patent:

8159467, Apr 17, 2012

Filed:

Mar 19, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/407661

Inventors:

Michael S. Gray - Cedar Park TX, US
Patrick T. Gray - Cedar Park TX, US
Sadao Yamamoto - Saitama, JP

Assignee:

Wacom Co. Ltd. - Kita Saitama-Gun, Saitama

International Classification:

G06F 3/041

US Classification:

345173

Abstract:

Meshed touchscreen pattern. A conductive pattern implemented within a touchscreen (e. g. , using indium tin oxide (ITO) such as may be deposited on a substrate composed of polyester or some other material) provides paths for signals traveling through the touchscreen. By monitoring these signal in accordance with some means (e. g. , cross point detection, zone detection, etc. ) an estimate may be made as to a location of user's interaction with the touchscreen (e. g. , finger or stylus touching of the touchscreen). The conductive pattern includes a number of conductors aligned in various directions (e. g. , row and column conductors) across the touchscreen, and they are separated by a dielectric layer (e. g. , air, SiO, or any other desirable dielectric layer). The conductors include a great deal of interlacing and meshing as achieved by spurs, extensions, and/or protrusions (e. g.

US Patent:

20100045614, Feb 25, 2010

Filed:

Mar 19, 2009

Appl. No.:

12/407646

Inventors:

Patrick T. Gray - Cedar Park TX, US
Sadao Yamamoto - Kita Saitama-Gun, JP

Assignee:

WACOM CO., LTD. - Kita Saitama-Gun

International Classification:

G06F 3/041

US Classification:

345173

Abstract:

Extended touchscreen pattern. A conductive pattern implemented within a touchscreen (e.g., using indium tin oxide (ITO) such as may be deposited on a substrate composed of polyester or some other material) provides paths for signals traveling through the touchscreen. By monitoring these signal in accordance with some means (e.g., cross point detection, zone detection, etc.) an estimate may be made as to a location of user's interaction with the touchscreen (e.g., finger or stylus touching of the touchscreen). The conductive pattern includes a number of conductors aligned in various directions (e.g., row and column conductors) across the touchscreen, and they may be co-planar or separated by a dielectric material. A conductor aligned in one direction includes one or more extended areas that complementarily align with a conductor aligned in another direction. The extended areas of one conductor may be viewed as filling voids (e.g., holes, notches, etc.) of another conductor.

US Patent:

20100149110, Jun 17, 2010

Filed:

Dec 12, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/333473

Inventors:

Patrick T. Gray - Cedar Park TX, US

Assignee:

Wacom Co., Ltd. - Kita Saitama-Gun

International Classification:

G06F 3/041

US Classification:

345173

Abstract:

Architecture and method for multi-aspect touchscreen scanning. This architectures employs a single type of circuitry capable to perform both signal generation and signal detection for performing both zone scanning and cross point within a touchscreen to identify a user's interaction with the touchscreen and to discriminate actual touch locations on the touchscreen (including multiple, concurrent user touch locations on the touchscreen). This signal generation/detection circuitry can be implemented multiple times within the architecture (e.g., one for providing/detecting signals of conductors aligned in a first direction across the touchscreen, and another for providing/detecting signals of conductors aligned in a second direction across the touchscreen). Moreover, a combination of both zone scanning and cross point within the touchscreen allows for a very accurate discrimination between false/phantom touch locations and actual/real touch locations made by a user interacting with the touchscreen.

US Patent:

20100177061, Jul 15, 2010

Filed:

Mar 30, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/750644

Inventors:

Patrick T. Gray - Cedar Park TX, US

Assignee:

WACOM CO., LTD. - Kazo-shi

International Classification:

G06F 3/044

US Classification:

345174

Abstract:

Digital signal processed touchscreen system. The invention employs amplitude ramped signals across a touchscreen. The pattern to which the amplitude ramped electric signals are provided may be located on the surface of the touchscreen, or alternatively on the backside of the touchscreen. The signal processing employed by the invention, using digital signal processing techniques, is operable to discern a user's touch and to determine its location. A dielectric, protective surface is used to enable implementation into a wide variety of applications, including those applications that are environmentally rugged and have, until now, been too rugged for prior art touchscreen systems. The invention employs a user generated unbalanced capacitive load generated on the touchscreen to identify the location of the user's touch.

US Patent:

20220404925, Dec 22, 2022

Filed:

Apr 12, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/658908

Inventors:

- Wilmington DE, US
Patrick Troy Gray - Cedar Park TX, US
Daniel Keith Van Ostrand - Leander TX, US
Timothy W. Markison - Mesa AZ, US

Assignee:

SigmaSense, LLC. - Wilmington DE

International Classification:

G06F 3/041
G06F 3/044
G06F 3/01

Abstract:

A capacitive touch screen display operates by: providing a display configured to render frames of data into visible images; providing a plurality of electrodes integrated into the display to facilitate touch sense functionality based on electrode signals having a drive signal component and a receive signal component; generating, via a plurality of drive-sense circuits coupled to at least some of the plurality of electrodes, a plurality of sensed signals; receiving the plurality of sensed signals; generating a stream of capacitance image data associated with the plurality of cross points that includes capacitance variation data corresponding to variations of the capacitance image data from a nominal value within a temporal period; and processing the capacitance image data to determine a touchless gesture occurring within the temporal period.

US Patent:

20220404932, Dec 22, 2022

Filed:

Apr 12, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/658894

Inventors:

- Wilmington DE, US
Patrick Troy Gray - Cedar Park TX, US
Daniel Keith Van Ostrand - Leander TX, US
Timothy W. Markison - Mesa AZ, US

Assignee:

SigmaSense, LLC. - Wilmington DE

International Classification:

G06F 3/044
G06F 3/041

Abstract:

A capacitive touch screen display operates by: providing a display configured to render frames of data into visible images; providing a plurality of electrodes integrated into the display to facilitate touch sense functionality based on electrode signals having a drive signal component and a receive signal component; generating, via a plurality of drive-sense circuits coupled to at least some of the plurality of electrodes, a plurality of sensed signals; receiving the plurality of sensed signals; generating capacitance image data associated with the plurality of cross points that includes capacitance variation data corresponding to variations of the capacitance image data from a nominal value; and processing the capacitance image data to determine a touchless indication proximal to the touch screen display based on a touchless indication threshold.

US Patent:

20220357762, Nov 10, 2022

Filed:

Jul 21, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/814165

Inventors:

- Wilmington DE, US
Daniel Keith Van Ostrand - Leander TX, US
Patrick Troy Gray - Cedar Park TX, US
Michael Shawn Gray - Dripping Springs TX, US
Timothy W. Markison - Mesa AZ, US

Assignee:

SigmaSense, LLC. - Wilmington DE

International Classification:

G06F 1/10
H03M 1/12
H03K 19/17784
H04B 1/00

Abstract:

A method for execution by one or more processing modules to configure a programmable drive-sense unit (DSU) includes determining one or more load sensing objectives based on sensing a load using the DSU that is configured to drive and simultaneously to sense the load via a single line. The method further includes determining one or more data processing objectives associated with sensing the load. The method further includes determining desired characteristics for the output data associated with sensing the load. The method further includes determining operational parameters for the DSU based on one or more of the load sensing objectives, the data processing objectives, and the desired characteristics for the output data. The method further includes configuring the DSU based on the operational parameters to achieve the one or more load sensing objectives.