Cirque Corporation

Tyler Smith

David Taylor

Michael Litster

Jon Bertrand

Ethan Sturm

Telling a human apart from a computer using a capacitance module may include receiving a request for human verification; determining a human-verification prompt; communicating the human-verification prompt using a prompting device in the capacitance module; detecting a response to the human-verification prompt using a user input sensor in the capacitance module; determining whether a human is operating the capacitance module based, in part, on the response detected with the user input detector; and returning a human verification result.

Human verification with a capacitance module

A capacitance system may include a housing of the electronic device; the housing defining a cavity; a pressure capacitance reference fixed to the housing; a capacitance module disposed deposed within the cavity; a pressure electrode incorporated into the capacitance module where the pressure capacitance reference is detectable with the pressure electrode of the capacitance module.

Pressure capacitive reference fixed to a housing

A device may include a first set of electrodes, a second set of electrodes that is transverse the first set, and at least one connection between an electrode in the first set to an electrode in the second set by a high pass filter. The connected electrode(s) in the first set and the connected electrode(s) in the second set may form an antenna. The device may include a processor and memory. The memory may store programmed instructions which cause the processor, when executed, to transmit a wireless signal using the connected electrodes during a first time, and measure a capacitance signal using electrodes in the first set and electrodes in the second set during a second time.

Filter in a capacitance measuring circuit

A capacitance sensing module may include a capacitance sensor; a pressure sensor in mechanical communication with the capacitance sensor; a processor and memory; programmed instructions stored in the memory to cause the processor, when executed, to determine, with the capacitance sensor, a location of a user input; determine, with the pressure sensor, a pressure value of the user input applied to the capacitance sensor; and determine whether the pressure value exceeds a non-uniform actuation threshold value where the non-uniform actuation threshold value is based, at least in part, on the location of the user input on the capacitance sensor.

Non-uniform pressure actuation threshold value

An apparatus may include a capacitance-based trackpad, a tracking driver in communication with the capacitance-based trackpad, a key driver in communication with the capacitance-based trackpad, a processor, and a memory having programmed instructions that, when executed, may cause the processor to modify the raw track inputs to associate a non-confidence indicator with at least one raw track input from the track inputs to form processed track inputs, send the processed track inputs to the tracking driver, and send the processed track inputs to the key driver. The tracking driver may be configured to receive raw track inputs from the capacitive-based trackpad and the key driver may be configured to receive raw key inputs from the capacitance-based trackpad.

Simultaneous use of a capacitance-based track pad

A device may include a pressure sensor; a user interface including an input surface opposite to an underside of the user interface, where the underside is positioned near the pressure sensor; a controller; memory in communication with the controller and comprising programmed instructions that, when executed, cause the controller to detect a lower pressure input, simultaneously detect a higher pressure input, calculate a pressure differential between the lower pressure input and the higher pressure input, and move an object depicted in a display in communication with the controller based on the pressure differential.

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American Fork, UT, United States of America

Tyler Smith