John C Platt

Title: Innovations by John C. Platt

Introduction

John C. Platt is a notable inventor based in Mountain View, CA, with a remarkable portfolio of 14 patents. His work primarily focuses on enhancing computer input devices, making significant contributions to the field of technology.

Latest Patents

One of his latest patents is a pen drawing computer input device. This invention provides a method and system for drawing or writing using an input device in computer systems. The system features an absolute-coordinate drawing mode, allowing users to draw written strokes that the computer system display responds to. Additionally, it includes a relative-coordinate repositioning mode, enabling users to figuratively "pick up the pen" and reposition the beginning of a following written stroke. The system enters the drawing mode upon a user command and remains active as long as written strokes continue. It also has a cursor mode that activates after a selected time period without written strokes or in response to other user commands. The coordinate system for the touchpad is mapped to a coordinate system for a selected window on the display, ensuring that the initial position of a written stroke corresponds to a final position selected during the cursor mode. This allows users to reposition the input device when it approaches the edge of a smaller input tablet. The system can utilize either a resistive or capacitive touchpad input tablet in conjunction with a passive stylus input device featuring a flexible conductive writing tip. Furthermore, it offers a signature mode for users to create simple drawings, such as handwritten signatures.

Another significant patent is the incremental ideographic character input method. This method involves the incremental recognition of ideographic handwriting through a series of steps. It begins with entering at least one stroke of an ideographic character from a computer entry tablet in a natural stroke order. The stroke is then provided to an incremental character recognizer, which generates a hypothesis list of candidate characters. Users can select the correct character from this list or continue entering additional strokes until the correct character is identified. This process enhances the efficiency of character recognition in ideographic writing.

Career Highlights

John C. Platt is currently employed at Synaptics Corporation, where he continues to innovate in the field of input devices. His contributions have significantly impacted the way users interact with technology.

Collaborations

Throughout his career, Platt has collaborated with notable individuals such as Carver A. Mead and Nada P. Matic, further enriching his