Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Gerald Reuben DeJean

Darko Kirovski

Jie Jerry Liu

Nissanka Arachchige Bodhi Priyantha

Trang T Thai

Dimitrios Lymberopoulos

Ranveer Chandra

Douglas Christopher Burger

Di Wang

Suman Kumar Nath

Miller Thomas Abel

Sean Russell Mercer

Barry Clayton Bond

Lei Zhang

Changhu Wang

Oriana Riva

Ran Gilad-Bachrach

Sebastian Lange

Yuxiao Hu

Michel Goraczko

Mike Nakahara

Mohammed Shoaib

Nissanka Bodhi Priyantha

Dimitrios Lymperopoulos

Craig Scott Brenner

Yuzhe Jin

Edward Hart

Marcel Gavriliu

Deepak Ganesan

S M Shahriar Nirjon

Yingyi Zou

Lopamudra Kundu

Srihari Narlanka

Identifying products in a physical store shopping environment. The method includes, using a first detection method, identifying that a given product likely belongs to a given set of products. The method further includes, using one or more other detection methods, determining that the product is likely a specific product from the given set of products.

Multi-signal based shopping cart content recognition in brick-and-mortar retail stores

A sensor has a strip resonator filter that energizes an emitter patch which emits an electric field out from the strip resonator filter (away from the strip resonator filter). The capacitance of the filter, or specifically the coupling capacitance and radiation pattern of the slotted patch, is altered when an object such as a finger is near the sensor. Resulting changes in a signal outputted by the filter can be used to determine how close the object is to the sensor. The strip resonator filter may be a half wavelength strip resonator coupled filter having three separate strips. The patch may have a slot and two accompanying strips. An arrangement of multiple sensors may detect the position of an object in two or three dimensions.

RF proximity sensor

A PIFA (Planar Inverted-F Antenna) array antenna has multiple PIFAs. The PIFA array is used to provide different radiation patterns for communication. A signal being emitted by the PIFA array is manipulated. According to the manipulation, the PIFA array may emit the signal with an omni-directional radiation pattern or a directional radiation pattern; the same PIFA array (antenna) is used for both directional communication and omni-directional communication. The PIFA array may be used in mobile computing devices, smart phones, or the like, allowing such devices to transmit directionally and omni-directionally. The signal manipulation may involve splitting the signal into components that feed PIFAs, and before the components reach the PIFAs, changing properties of the components (e.g., phase) relative to each other.

PIFA array

In general, the short range wireless powered ring described herein pertains to a finger-worn ring. In one embodiment the ring has a small interaction area towards the palm of the hand that employs sensors to sense user input and can interpret this input and other data. For example, the ring can interpret user input as scroll and select input actions. The ring communicates user interactions and other data wirelessly using a low-power wireless solution. The ring contains a coil and other circuitry for energy harvesting from short range wireless enabled devices such as, for example, NFC enabled phones, while users interact with their devices. A built in rechargeable battery is used to store the scavenged energy. The ring may also contain physiological and inertial sensors. The ring can provide a readily available input device of small form factor that has an easily accessible energy source for ease of use.

Short range wireless powered ring for user interaction and sensing

The effective use of weak GPS signals that are present in various environments enables an electronic device to pinpoint its location in such environments. The electronic device uses an antenna to perform sequential scanning in multiple directions for global positioning system (GPS) signals. The electronic device further analyzes GPS signals obtained from scanning the multiple directions to determine a number of acquired GPS satellites that provided the GPS signals. The GPS signals include code phases of the acquired GPS satellites. The electronic device then computes a location of the electronic device based on the code phases of the acquired GPS satellites when the number of acquired GPS satellites meets a threshold.

High-sensitivity GPS device with directional antenna

Methods and devices for use with a multi-feed antenna used in a MIMO communication system are described herein. A method can include obtaining an antenna feed characteristic indicator associated with each of the feeds of the multi-feed antenna, and controlling how power is distributed among the feeds based on the antenna feed characteristic indicator associated with each of the feeds. An antenna feed characteristic indicator can be, e.g., an indicator of impedance matching, in which case power can be distributed among the feeds of the multi-feed antenna based on the indicators of impedance matching associate with each of the feeds. Power can also be distributed based on an indicator of link quality. Additionally, or alternatively, coding rate and/or modulation type can also be controlled for each of the feeds of the multi-feed antenna, based on one or more antenna feed characteristic indicators and/or one or more indicators of link quality.

Using multi-feed antennas

Biological entity communication channel techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an apparatus includes a signal conductor having a side that is configured to be disposed proximal to a surface of a biological entity to use at least a part of the biological entity as a transmission channel to transmit a signal received by the signal conductor from an electrical device. The apparatus also includes a ground layer configured to be disposed on an opposing side of the signal conductor from the side of the signal conductor that is configured to be disposed against the surface of the biological entity.

Biological entity communication channel

Biometric authentication and touch differentiation embodiments are described which use a handheld mobile computing device having a signal injection site that injects a signal into a user's hand for a prescribed period of time, and at least one signal sensing site each of which captures a signal emanating from a finger of either of the user's hands that is touching the signal sensing site during at least the period of time the signal is injected. The captured signal or signals are analyzed to determine whether they match, to a prescribed degree, a pre-established signal model that is indicative of a signal or signals expected to be captured. The signal matching determination can be employed to authenticate a user, or identify which finger of a user's hand is touching the computing device.

Leveraging biometrics for authentication and touch differentiation

Radio frequency certificates of authenticity (RFCOAs) and associated scanners and methods are presented. In one implementation, an array of miniaturized antenna elements in an RFCOA scanner occupies an area smaller than a credit card yet obtains a unique electromagnetic fingerprint from an RFCOA associated with an item, such as the credit card. The antenna elements are miniaturized by a combination of both folding and meandering the antenna patch components. The electromagnetic fingerprint of an exemplary RFCOA embeddable in a credit card or other item is computationally infeasible to fake, and the RFCOA cannot be physically copied or counterfeited based only on possession of the electromagnetic fingerprint.

Radio frequency certificates of authenticity and related scanners

The subject innovation relates to systems and/or methodologies for using randomly positioned electromagnetic scatterers deposited into a predetermined region of an optical storage medium (e.g., Blue Ray DVD, HD DVD, CD, etc.) as a distinct three dimensional (3D) hard-to-copy digital rights management feature. A scatterers' topology is scanned using a matrix of antennas that sense the scatterers' electromagnetic response as the optical disc revolves at near-constant angular speed. The response, f, called an RF fingerprint, is then concatenated with an arbitrary text, t, that defines the digital rights management information imposed by the disk publisher.

Protecting optical media using random, moving radio frequency scatterers

Mobile device antennas with dielectric loading are described herein. In one example, a mobile device includes a ground plane, carried within an enclosure. An antenna is connected to the ground plane. Dielectric loading material is provided within at least a portion of an area defined between the ground plane and the antenna. The dielectric loading material results in a shortening of a required antenna length, thereby creating a recovered area, i.e., valuable space within the enclosure 'recovered' by the use of dielectric loading material.

Mobile device antenna with dielectric loading

Technology is described for a slot antenna. The slot antenna can include a substrate having a metal layer on a first side of the substrate. A feed line can be located on a second side of the substrate. A first polygon shaped slot can be formed in the metal layer of a first side of the substrate. A second polygon shaped slot can also be formed in the metal layer of the first side of the substrate. The second polygon shaped slot can be recessed within a perimeter of the first polygon shaped slot and the second polygon shaped slot and first polygon shaped slot share a common side. Examples of the first and second polygon shapes may include square or diamond shapes.

Slot antenna

A bent monopole antenna with shared segments is capable of tri-band communication. In an example embodiment, an antenna assembly includes a substrate, a first bent monopole, a second bent monopole, and a third bent monopole. The first, second, and third bent monopoles are disposed on the substrate. The first bent monopole includes a feedline segment and a first segment. The second bent monopole includes the feedline segment and the first segment. The third bent monopole includes the feedline segment and a second segment. The first, second, and third bent monopoles share the feedline segment, while the first and second bent monopoles also share the first segment. A T-junction is formed by the feedline segment, the first segment, and the second segment. In an example implementation, the first segment has a first width, and the second segment has a second width, with the first width being greater than the second width.

Bent monopole antenna with shared segments

Radio frequency certificates of authenticity (RFCOAs) are presented. In one implementation, a scattering agent is attached to an object to provide a reproducible radio frequency (RF) fingerprint that can be used to authenticate a tag or a seal for the object. In one implementation, the RF fingerprint is measured and digitized, combined with information associated with the object to which the RFCOA is attached, and stored in a radio frequency identification (RFID) system associated with the RFCOA. A scanner receives the fingerprint and the information and authenticates the information by comparing the fingerprint against a new fingerprint obtained from the object.

Growing community of inventors

Woodinville, WA, United States of America

Gerald Reuben DeJean