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. 18, 2003
Filed:
Feb. 12, 2001
Joseph Craig Engle, Carmel, IN (US);
John Herbert Stevens, Martinsville, IN (US);
Thomson Licensing S.A., Boulogne, Cedex, FR;
Abstract
The present invention is a button on a device that has the ability to detect when a finger touches or is proximate to the button, especially to cause the initiation of a particular feature/function of the device. The button includes a proximity detector that is operable to sense or detect when a user's finger is proximate or on the button. The proximity detector may take many forms. These forms may be combined to provide greater selectivity. Additionally, sensitivity of the proximity detector may be set via threshold values. Sensitivity of the proximity detector correlates to detection or sensing of a user's finger at various distances from the button. One application is as an autofocus/shutter button on a camera.