Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080297476 | Ambidextrous Mouse - An ambidextrous mouse is disclosed. The ambidextrous mouse is configured for both left and right handed use. The mouse may include right handed buttons on the front side of the mouse and left handed buttons on the back side of the mouse. The user may change the handedness of the mouse by rotating the mouse about a vertical axis of the mouse such that the left hand can use the left hand buttons and the right hand can use the right hand buttons. The mouse may include a handedness selection system for configuring the mouse for right handed or left handed use even though the mouse has the capability for both right and left hands. | 12-04-2008 |
20080297477 | Ambidextrous Mouse - An ambidextrous mouse is disclosed. The ambidextrous mouse is configured for both left and right handed use. The mouse may include right handed buttons on the front side of the mouse and left handed buttons on the back side of the mouse. The user may change the handedness of the mouse by rotating the mouse about a vertical axis of the mouse such that the left hand can use the left hand buttons and the right hand can use the right hand buttons. The mouse may include a handedness selection system for configuring the mouse for right handed or left handed use even though the mouse has the capability for both right and left hands. | 12-04-2008 |
20080297478 | Ambidextrous Mouse - An ambidextrous mouse is disclosed. The ambidextrous mouse is configured for both left and right handed use. The mouse may include right handed buttons on the front side of the mouse and left handed buttons on the back side of the mouse. The user may change the handedness of the mouse by rotating the mouse about a vertical axis of the mouse such that the left hand can use the left hand buttons and the right hand can use the right hand buttons. The mouse may include a handedness selection system for configuring the mouse for right handed or left handed use even though the mouse has the capability for both right and left hands. | 12-04-2008 |
20090207136 | MULTI-BUTTON MOUSE - A mouse with multi button functionality is disclosed. The mouse includes a housing that surrounds the internal components of the mouse. The housing includes at least a first member and a second member, each of which forms a substantial portion of the housing. The first member moves relative to the second member so as to implement at least one of the multiple button functions of the mouse. | 08-20-2009 |
20100078562 | HIDDEN SENSORS IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE - An electronic device having one or more sensors is provided. The sensors may include any suitable type of sensor, including for example a proximity sensor, an ambient light sensor, or any other suitable type of sensor that emits or receives radiation (e.g., light waves) from the environment. The electronic device may include openings through which radiation may reach the sensors while keeping the sensors hidden from view. In some embodiments, the sensors may be placed underneath an opening used for an audio receiver such that radiation is piped to the sensors using a light path or a chamfered surface along the opening. In some embodiments, the sensors may be embedded in a screen such that the radiation emitted by the sensors exits the screen instead of being reflected on the screen (e.g., to provide content displays). In some embodiments, the sensors may be placed along the periphery of the display, such that access to the sensors is provided via discontinuities in a gasket used to couple the display to the electronic device. | 04-01-2010 |
20100103108 | HYBRID LOW POWER COMPUTER MOUSE - Operating a pointing device in a low power manner by receiving first tracking information from a first tracking device, de-activating the first tracking device when the accuracy of the first tracking information is determined to be inadequate, activating a second tracking device in order to acquire second tracking information when the first tracking device is deactivated, wherein the first tracking device is substantially lower power device that the second tracking device. | 04-29-2010 |
20110012835 | AMBIDEXTROUS MOUSE - An ambidextrous mouse is disclosed. The ambidextrous mouse is configured for both left and right handed use. The mouse may include right handed buttons on the front side of the mouse and left handed buttons on the back side of the mouse. The user may change the handedness of the mouse by rotating the mouse about a vertical axis of the mouse such that the left hand can use the left hand buttons and the right hand can use the right hand buttons. The mouse may include a handedness selection system for configuring the mouse for right handed or left handed use even though the mouse has the capability for both right and left hands. | 01-20-2011 |
20120128025 | System and method for integrating sensors in thermostats - Provided according to one or more embodiments is a thermostat having a housing, the housing including a forward-facing surface, the thermostat comprising a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor disposed inside the housing for sensing occupancy in the vicinity of the thermostat. The PIR motion sensor has a radiation receiving surface and is able to detect the lateral movement of an occupant in front of the forward-facing surface of the housing. The thermostat further comprises a grille member having one or more openings and included along the forward-facing surface of the housing, the grille member being placed over the radiation receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. The grille member is configured and dimensioned to visually conceal and protect the PIR motion sensor disposed inside the housing, the visual concealment promoting a visually pleasing quality of the thermostat, while at the same time permitting the PIR motion sensor to effectively detect the lateral movement of the occupant. In one embodiment, the grille member openings are slit-like openings oriented along a substantially horizontal direction. | 05-24-2012 |
20120130546 | USER FRIENDLY INTERFACE FOR CONTROL UNIT - A user-friendly programmable thermostat is described that includes a circular body having a large central display surrounded by a ring that can be rotated an pressed inward by a user so as to receive user input in a simple elegant fashion. Different colors can be displayed to the user to indicate currently active HVAC functions, and different shades of colors can be displayed to a user to indicate an estimated amount of time and/or energy for reaching a target temperature. The thermostat is wall mountable and is made up of a head unit removeably mounted to a backplate. A locking mechanism can be provided so as to increase security against unauthorized removal of the head unit. The backplate can be adapted to be mounted on a wall so as to be level, for example by including a bubble level on the backplate. One or more vents are preferably located on the sides of the body, such as in a gap beneath the translatably mounted ring, and/or in a gap between the head unit and the backplate. The target temperature for the device can be altered in response to sensing rotation of the rotating ring, and the programmed schedule can be displayed to and altered by the user in response to sensing rotation of the ring and the translational movement of the ring. Historical information such as temperature and cost information can be displayed to a user in response to sensing rotating of the rotating ring. One or more device settings can be displayed to and edited by a user in response to sensing rotating of the rotating member and the translational movement. According to some embodiments, text characters can be entered by the user. | 05-24-2012 |
20120130547 | THERMOSTAT USER INTERFACE - A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system is described, the thermostat having a user interface that is visually pleasing, approachable, and easy to use while also providing ready access to, and intuitive navigation within, a menuing system capable of receiving a variety of different types of user settings and/or control parameters. For some embodiments, the thermostat comprises a housing, a ring-shaped user-interface component configured to track a rotational input motion of a user, a processing system configured to identify a setpoint temperature value based on the tracked rotational input motion, and an electronic display coupled to the processing system. An interactive thermostat menuing system is accessible to the user by an inward pressing of the ring-shaped user interface component. User navigation within the interactive thermostat menuing system is achievable by virtue of respective rotational input motions and inward pressings of the ring-shaped user interface component. | 05-24-2012 |
20120239207 | THERMOSTAT USER INTERFACE - A thermostat for controlling an HVAC system is described, the thermostat having a user interface that is visually pleasing, approachable, and easy to use while also providing ready access to, and intuitive navigation within, a menuing system capable of receiving a variety of different types of user settings and/or control parameters. For some embodiments, the thermostat comprises a housing, a ring-shaped user-interface component configured to track a rotational input motion of a user, a processing system configured to identify a setpoint temperature value based on the tracked rotational input motion, and an electronic display coupled to the processing system. An interactive thermostat menuing system is accessible to the user by an inward pressing of the ring-shaped user interface component. User navigation within the interactive thermostat menuing system is achievable by virtue of respective rotational input motions and inward pressings of the ring-shaped user interface component. | 09-20-2012 |
20130063354 | MULTI-BUTTON MOUSE - A mouse with multi button functionality is disclosed. The mouse includes a housing that surrounds the internal components of the mouse. The housing includes at least a first member and a second member, each of which forms a substantial portion of the housing. The first member moves relative to the second member so as to implement at least one of the multiple button functions of the mouse. | 03-14-2013 |
20130099010 | THERMOSTAT WITH WIRING TERMINALS CONFIGURED FOR SPATIAL COMPACTNESS AND EASE OF WIRE INSTALLATION - A wall-mountable programmable electronic thermostat for controlling an HVAC system is described. The thermostat includes a circular wall-mountable backplate with a central opening to allow for the passage of HVAC wires for electrical connection to the thermostat. The head unit body is also circular and is removeably mountable to the back plate. A plurality of wedge-shaped wiring terminals are mounted on the backplate for making a tool-free connection to HVAC wires. Each wiring terminal has button that a user can depress while a wire is inserted in a wire hole. The terminals are arranged along one or more circular arcs about the central opening of the backplate such that the wire holes face the central opening and the buttons are located close to the outer periphery of the backplate. | 04-25-2013 |
20130099124 | INTEGRATING SENSING SYSTEMS INTO THERMOSTAT HOUSING IN MANNERS FACILITATING COMPACT AND VISUALLY PLEASING PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS THEREOF - An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat is described that includes a thermostat body having a curved exterior front surface, a dot matrix display mounted within the body viewable by a user in front of the front surface, a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy and a shaped Fresnel lens having a smooth outer surface that extends across only a portion of the exterior front surface of the thermostat body. The Fresnel lens is shaped and curved so as to conform to and form a part of the curved exterior front surface of the thermostat body. A second downwardly directed passive infrared sensor can also be provided to aid in the detection of an approaching user who intends to interact with the thermostat. | 04-25-2013 |
20140027645 | INTEGRATING SENSING SYSTEMS INTO THERMOSTAT HOUSING IN MANNERS FACILITATING COMPACT AND VISUALLY PLEASING PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS THEREOF - An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat is described that includes a thermostat body, an electronic display that is viewable by a user in front of the thermostat, a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy and an infrared energy directing element formed integrally with a front surface of the thermostat body. The passive infrared sensor may be positioned behind the infrared energy directing element such that infrared energy is directed thereonto by the infrared energy directing element. The thermostat may also include a temperature sensor and a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based on measurements from the passive infrared sensor. | 01-30-2014 |
20140104241 | Automated Response to and Sensing of User Activity in Portable Devices - The various methods and devices described herein relate to devices which, in at least certain embodiments, may include one or more sensors for providing data relating to user activity and at least one processor for causing the device to respond based on the user activity which was determined, at least in part, through the sensors. The response by the device may include a change of state of the device, and the response may be automatically performed after the user activity is determined. | 04-17-2014 |
20140222367 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATING SENSORS IN THERMOSTATS - Provided according to one or more embodiments is a thermostat having a housing, the housing including a forward-facing surface, the thermostat comprising a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor disposed inside the housing for sensing occupancy in the vicinity of the thermostat. The PIR motion sensor has a radiation receiving surface and is able to detect the lateral movement of an occupant in front of the forward-facing surface of the housing. The thermostat further comprises a grille member having one or more openings and included along the forward-facing surface of the housing, the grille member being placed over the radiation receiving surface of the PIR motion sensor. The grille member is configured and dimensioned to visually conceal and protect the PIR motion sensor disposed inside the housing, the visual concealment promoting a visually pleasing quality of the thermostat, while at the same time permitting the PIR motion sensor to effectively detect the lateral movement of the occupant. In one embodiment, the grille member openings are slit-like openings oriented along a substantially horizontal direction. | 08-07-2014 |
20140345845 | THERMOSTAT USER INTERFACE - An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat is described that includes a thermostat body, an electronic display that is viewable by a user in front of the thermostat, a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy and an infrared energy directing element formed integrally with a front surface of the thermostat body. The passive infrared sensor may be positioned behind the infrared energy directing element such that infrared energy is directed thereonto by the infrared energy directing element. The thermostat may also include a temperature sensor and a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based on measurements from the passive infrared sensor. | 11-27-2014 |
20140346241 | Round Thermostat with Flanged Rotatable User Input Member and Wall-Facing Optical Sensor that Senses Rotation - A sleek, low-profile wall-mountable thermostat for controlling an HVAC system is described. The thermostat includes a ring-shaped controller that rotates about a central axis, and an optical sensor directed away from the central axis and toward a radially inward-facing surface of the ring-shaped controller so as to accurately detect optical signals indicating controller's rotational movement. | 11-27-2014 |
20140346362 | INTEGRATING SENSING SYSTEMS INTO THERMOSTAT HOUSING IN MANNERS FACILITATING COMPACT AND VISUALLY PLEASING PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS THEREOF - An occupancy sensing electronic thermostat is described that includes a thermostat body, an electronic display that is viewable by a user in front of the thermostat, a passive infrared sensor for measuring infrared energy and an infrared energy directing element formed integrally with a front surface of the thermostat body. The passive infrared sensor may be positioned behind the infrared energy directing element such that infrared energy is directed thereonto by the infrared energy directing element. The thermostat may also include a temperature sensor and a microprocessor programmed to detect occupancy based on measurements from the passive infrared sensor. | 11-27-2014 |
20140358293 | THERMOSTAT USER INTERFACE - A thermostat user interface for a network-connected thermostat is described. The thermostat includes a frustum-shaped shell body having a circular cross-section and a sidewall extending between first and second ends, the second end being user-facing when the thermostat is wall-mounted; a circular rotatable ring being user rotatable for adjusting a setting of the thermostat; and a circular cover including a clear circular center portion surrounded by a painted outer portion. The clear circular center portion permits a corresponding circular portion of a non-circular dot-matrix color display element to be visible through the circular cover and the painted outer portion masks a remaining portion of the non-circular dot-matrix color display element so as to create a circular graphical user interface. | 12-04-2014 |
20140358297 | THERMOSTAT USER INTERFACE - A user-friendly, network-connected learning thermostat is described. The thermostat is made up of (1) a wall-mountable backplate that includes a low-power consuming microcontroller used for activities such as polling sensors and switching on and off the HVAC functions, and (2) separable head unit that includes a higher-power consuming microprocessor, color LCD backlit display, user input devices, and wireless communications modules. The thermostat also includes a rechargeable battery and power-stealing circuitry adapted to harvest power from HVAC triggering circuits. By maintaining the microprocessor in a “sleep” state often compared to the lower-power microcontroller, high-power consuming activities, such as learning computations, wireless network communications and interfacing with a user, can be temporarily performed by the microprocessor even though the activities use energy at a greater rate than is available from the power stealing circuitry. | 12-04-2014 |
20140365019 | THERMOSTAT USER INTERFACE - A system including a thermostat user interface for a network-connected thermostat is described. The system includes a thermostat including a frustum-shaped shell body having a circular cross-section and a circular rotatable ring, which is user rotatable for adjusting a setting of the thermostat. The system further includes a client application that is operable on a touch-screen device separate from the thermostat, that displays a graphical representation of a circular dial, that detects a user-input motion proximate the graphical representation, that determines a user-selected setpoint temperature value based on the user-input motion, that displays a numerical representation of the user-selected setpoint temperature value, and that wirelessly transmits to the thermostat data representative of the user-selected setpoint temperature. | 12-11-2014 |
20140367475 | ROUND THERMOSTAT WITH ROTATABLE USER INPUT MEMBER AND TEMPERATURE SENSING ELEMENT DISPOSED IN PHYSICAL COMMUNICATION WITH A FRONT THERMOSTAT COVER - An electronic thermostat is described that includes a head unit, a rotatable ring, a backplate, an electronic display that is viewable by a user in front of the thermostat, a printed circuit board, and a daughter circuit. The daughter circuit is coupled to the printed circuit board, and senses motion of the rotatable ring and includes a first temperature sensor. A second temperature sensor separated from the first temperature sensor, are both used to calculate ambient temperature. The first temperature sensor is positioned at least partially within a cavity formed between a front surface of the head unit and the printed circuit board. | 12-18-2014 |