Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Flavio Protasio Ribeiro

Steven Nabil Bathiche

Woo Suk Lee

James David Holbery

Siyuan Ma

Anatoly Yuryevich Churikov

James Charles Marshall

Timothy Carlyle Shaw

Nigel Stuart Keam

Panos Costa Panay

David William Voth

Alexander Popovich

Carl Edward Picciotto

Bernard K Rihn

Scott Mail

Christian Moller

Bradley R Martin

Christian Carl Gadke

Xuezhong Wu

Glennis E Covington

Francie Judith Zant

Katherine Bailey

Russell Irvin Sanchez

Vivek Pradeep

Sang Ho Yoon

Brian Cox

Michael David Dickey

Bryan Kim Mamaril

Aric Ahkeel Fitz-Coy

Andrew Lewis Fassler

Michael Dale Jensen

Robbie Edgar

Vineet Thuvara

Gabriel Pirie

Collin Alexander Ladd

David Justin Rappaport

James C Marshall

Brian R Cox

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an audio communication device with novel visual indications and adjustable muting. In examples, an audio communication device is provided. The audio communication device includes at least one processor, and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the audio communication device to perform a set of operations. The set of operations include generating a first visual indicator. The first visual indicator corresponds to audio of one or more users. The set of operations further include receiving a user-input, muting a microphone region of the audio communication device, based on the user-input, and generating a second visual indicator. The second visual indicator replaces at least a portion of the first visual indicator. The second visual indicator corresponds to the muted region. The first visual indicator is indicative of a quality of the audio.

Audio communication device with novel visual indications and adjustable muting

Individual clock adjustments between electronic devices are typically based around a round-trip time (RTT) measurement of the reference message between initiating and the receiving devices. With increasing expectations of clock synchronization accuracy, as well as widespread use of wireless data networks, the presently disclosed technology provides a dedicated clock synchronization network that yields a fixed delay between hops and within associated devices of a dedicated clock synchronization network. By accounting for the known delays between hops and within associated devices of the dedicated clock synchronization network, better clock synchronization accuracy can be achieved than prior art techniques that estimate latency based on an RTT measurement.

Clock synchronization using wireless side channel

An apparatus for tracking eye gaze includes a capacitive sensor array having a plurality of capacitive sensors. The capacitive sensor array is configured to detect eye movement based at least on a proximity of the plurality of capacitive sensors to a part of an eye of a user (e.g., a bulge in the cornea). A frame of the apparatus is configured to be worn on a head of the user and configured to support the capacitive sensor array positioned in front of the eye. A control circuit of the apparatus is configured to receive signals from the capacitive sensor array. A body electrode of the apparatus is positioned on the frame and electrically connected to the control circuit, the body electrode configured to establish an electrical connection with a body of the user. A conductive line of the apparatus connects the body electrode to the control circuit.

Capacitive sensors for determining eye gaze direction

A connection device for computing devices is described. In one or more implementations, a connection device comprises a plurality of connection portions that are physically and communicatively coupled, one to another. Each of the plurality of connection portions has at least one communication contact configured to form a communicative coupling with a respective one of a plurality of computing devices and with at least one other communication contact of another one of the connections portions to support communication between the plurality of computing devices. Each of the plurality of connection portions also includes a magnetic coupling device to form a removable magnetic attachment to the respective one of the plurality of computing devices.

Connection device for computing devices

Examples are disclosed that relate to a disposable cover for an object, wherein the cover includes a passive sensing circuit loop. The sensing circuit loop is configured to inductively couple with a reusable sensor readout device that provides power and signal processing. The reusable sensor readout device wirelessly measures a sensor element printed as part of the sensing circuit loop through the inductively coupled channel. In one example, a disposable glove for a human hand includes a sensing circuit loop printed on the disposable glove.

Sensor-integrated disposable cover

A first intelligent assistant computing device configured to receive and respond to natural language inputs provided by human users syncs to a reference clock of a wireless computer network. The first intelligent assistant computing device receives a communication sent by a second intelligent assistant computing device indicating a signal emission time at which the second intelligent assistant computing device emitted a position calibration signal. The first intelligent assistant computing device records a signal detection time at which the position calibration signal was detected. Based on a difference between 1) the signal emission time and the signal detection time, and 2) a known propagation speed of the position calibration signal, a distance between the first and second intelligent assistant computing devices is calculated.

Position calibration for intelligent assistant computing device

A stylus pen that can be used as an input device to a digitizer associated with a computer screen on a computing device, such as a computer, mobile device, tablet, etc. The stylus pen can include an end cap that has multiple pressure thresholds for implementing different user-input commands. To detect the pressure being applied to the end cap, the cap is movable relative to a stylus pen body so as to move a plunger in proximity or contact with a mechanical switch. The mechanical switch is a single-action switch that is converted to a dual-action switch by using the electrical conductivity of the switch to detect an electrical coupling between a plunger and the switch. The electrical coupling can be in the form of a capacitive coupling or a direct electrical connection. Further pressure can be detected through actuation of the mechanical switch.

Detecting input pressure on a stylus pen

An autonomous haptic stylus provides tactile feedback to a user writing or drawing on a smooth, uniform, touch-sensitive, glass display screen of a tablet, laptop computer, credit card point of sale device, or other device allowing a user to write or draw thereon. The stylus has an electrostatic detection sensor or a force/pressure sensor, which allows the stylus to detect certain characteristics of the display screen and to autonomously determine the position and/or velocity of the stylus on the display screen based on those characteristics. The position and/or velocity can be used to tailor the tactile feedback to the user. A display screen digitizer that provides driving signals for the row and column electrodes of a touch-sensitive display screen can be modified to transmit row and column information over the electrodes to allow a stylus to determine its position.

Autonomous haptic stylus

A stylus pen is disclosed that can detect touch signals from a digitizer and dynamically determine which digitizer (e.g., make/model) generated the touch signals. The stylus pen can then switch to one of a plurality of candidate protocols, without interaction from the user, so as to communicate with the digitizer. The digitizer need not explicitly communicate what protocol it supports to the stylus pen. Rather, the stylus pen analyzes the digitizer waveforms and compares the waveforms to known signatures to determine which digitizer is being used. The stylus pen can then dynamically set a protocol used to communicate with the digitizer that matches the protocol expected by the digitizer.

Stylus pen with dynamic protocol selection for communication with a digitizer

Inadvertent input control techniques are described. In one or more implementations, techniques are described that leverage force to determine a likelihood that a user intended to provide an input, e.g., a selection input (e.g., a 'click'), gesture, lift off, and so forth. This is usable to identify taps, hovers, continuation of movement of a drag operation, and so on. Implementations are also discussed that leverage an n-manifold in the product space of contact size and signal strength that is usable to define a likelihood of whether a contact includes an application of force. A variety of other examples are also described, including cursor stability techniques that leverage force in order to control movement of a cursor.

Force sensing and inadvertent input control of an input device

Examples are disclosed that relate to flexible electrical interconnects in electronic devices. One example provides a device including a flexible substrate, a conductive trace disposed on the flexible substrate, an electronic component mounted to the flexible substrate, a liquid metal interconnect bridging between a pad on the component and the trace on the flexible substrate, and an encapsulant covering the interconnect.

Flexible conductive bonding

An electronic device includes a memory in which input instructions, force level assessment instructions, and output instructions are stored, and further includes a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured through execution of the input instructions to obtain measurement data for a user interaction with a force-sensitive touch sensor, the measurement data being indicative of position information for the user interaction, amplitude information for the user interaction, and size information for the user interaction. The processor is further configured through execution of the force level assessment instructions to apply force level calibration data to the amplitude information and the size information in a force level assessment of the user interaction, the force level calibration data varying with user interaction size. The processor is further configured through execution of the output instructions to provide an output in accordance with the force level assessment.

Force-sensitive touch sensor compensation

A computing device is provided, comprising a processor configured to receive a set of measurements of a vector x of acoustic data, including noise, interference, and a signal of interest. The processor may express x in a frequency domain discretized in a plurality of intervals. For each interval, the processor may generate an estimate &#x15c;of a covariance matrix of x. For each &#x15c;, the processor may use acoustic imaging to obtain an estimate &#x176; of a spatial source distribution. For each &#x176;, the processor may remove the signal of interest to produce an estimate &#x174; of a noise and interference spatial source distribution. For each &#x174;, the processor may generate an estimate &#x15c;of a noise and interference covariance matrix. The processor may generate a beamformer configured to remove noise and interference from the acoustic data, wherein the noise and interference at each frequency are identified using &#x15c;.

Covariance matrix estimation with acoustic imaging

Examples of arrays of magnetometers that can be used as or as part of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) are disclosed herein. Various methods for using such arrays in order to obtain highly precise and locationally unique data, which can be used to correct for drift effects, are also disclosed. In certain embodiments, the Jacobian matrix of the magnetic field is computed from the magnetometer measurements. This Jacobian matrix data can be used to generate a magnetic field map for a particular environment and/or to locate position, velocity, and acceleration of the IMU by referencing such a magnetic field map.

Growing community of inventors

Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Flavio Protasio Ribeiro