The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 16, 2021
Filed:
Dec. 27, 2018
Facebook Technologies, Llc, Menlo Park, CA (US);
Laura Blumenschein, Redmond, WA (US);
Nathan Scot Usevitch, Redmond, WA (US);
Jan Fras, Redmond, WA (US);
Thomas John Farrell Wallin, Redmond, WA (US);
Yigit Menguc, Kirkland, WA (US);
Facebook Technologies, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US);
Abstract
An actuation apparatus may be configured to apply forces to a user's skin using flexible-membrane actuators. Such an apparatus may include (i) an array of actuator chambers that include a flexible material layer enclosing a changeable volume of fluid, (ii) a contact surface that is coupled to each actuator chamber, and (iii) a support framework that is coupled to the actuator chambers such that the array of actuator chambers is disposed between the support framework and the contact surface, and such that distortion of actuator chambers caused by changing the volume of fluid within the actuator chambers causes the array of actuator chambers to exert forces on the contact surface and cause movement of the contact surface.