{
  "patent_number": "US 10025401",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Stylus Ring Electrodes Detect Pen Tilt and Orientation",
  "original_title": "Active stylus ring electrode",
  "summary": "Apple's patent for a stylus design that uses specific ring-shaped sensors to accurately measure the angle and tilt of a pen against a touchscreen.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a specialized electrode configuration for an active stylus, consisting of a ring electrode, a ground ring, and a ground plate arranged on a non-conductive base. By precisely tuning the physical dimensions and spacing of these conductive elements, the stylus can shape its electric field to improve capacitive coupling with a touch-sensitive surface. This allows the device to calculate the orientation and tilt of the stylus relative to the screen. For example, when a user tilts their stylus to shade a digital drawing, the varying signal strength across these ring segments informs the tablet about the exact angle of the pen.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover styluses that rely solely on a single tip electrode for touch detection.",
    "Does not cover touchscreens that use optical or infrared sensors to track pen position.",
    "Does not cover passive styluses that lack internal drive circuitry and active electrodes.",
    "Does not cover methods of tilt detection that use internal accelerometers or gyroscopes."
  ],
  "filed": "2015-09-08",
  "granted": "2018-07-17",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Reza NASIRI MAHALATI",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/reza-nasiri-mahalati"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kevin C. Armendariz",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/kevin-c-armendariz"
    },
    {
      "name": "Li-Quan Tan",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/li-quan-tan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Blake R. MARSHALL",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/blake-r-marshall"
    },
    {
      "name": "Priyanka Bhandari",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/priyanka-bhandari"
    },
    {
      "name": "Aidan N. Zimmerman",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/aidan-n-zimmerman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ryan P. Brooks",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ryan-p-brooks"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 3,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "semiconductors"
  ],
  "abstract": "A ring electrode to determine the orientation of the stylus relative to the surface. The stylus can include a ring electrode configuration which can improve capacitive coupling between the ring electrode and the touch panel. The ring electrode configuration can include a ring electrode and ground ring, and ground plate. By varying the lengths of ring electrode, ground ring, ground plate, and the distance between these elements, the electric field emanating from the ring electrode can be tuned to optimize the capacitive coupling between the ring electrode and surface. In some examples, the ring electrode can include multiple sub-rings. In some examples, the ring electrode can comprise a crown shape including projections, each having a width that tapers to a minimum width along the length of the ring electrode.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10025401/apple-watch-digital-crown",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10025401/apple-watch-digital-crown/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10025401",
  "relatedPatents": []
}