How a Haptic Glove Makes You Feel Virtual Objects
This patent describes a haptic feedback glove that uses small vibrating pads and pressure points on the fingertips and palm to create realistic sensations of touch with virtual objects in computer simulations.
Original patent title: “Haptic feedback glove”
This patent describes a haptic feedback glove that uses small vibrating pads and pressure points on the fingertips and palm to create realistic sensations of touch with virtual objects in computer simulations. Granted to HaptX in 2020 with 22 claims and 7 forward citations, and it is expected to expire in 2038.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent describes a haptic feedback glove designed to make virtual objects feel real. It includes a "fingertip assembly" (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1) that can apply pressure to different parts of a user's finger, like the palm side, the left side (radial), the right side (ulnar), and even the very tip (distal). These pressures come from small devices called "tactors" (Claim 1). The glove also has a flexible "palm" section with multiple "palm tactors" (Claim 1) that can be controlled separately. For example, if you reach out in a virtual world and touch a cube, the glove could apply pressure to your fingertips and palm, and specific tactors could vibrate to simulate the texture of the cube. The system can also track the hand's position in 3D space (Claim 2) and even connect to a "force-feedback exoskeleton" (Claim 7) to make you feel resistance.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Haptic gloves that only provide vibration feedback without applying pressure to multiple surfaces of the finger.
- Gloves where the palm tactors cannot be controlled independently from each other.
- Haptic systems that do not include both fingertip assemblies with multi-surface tactors and palm assemblies with independently actuatable tactors.
- Gloves that only provide force feedback through an exoskeleton without integrated tactile feedback.
- Systems that do not track the hand's position in three-dimensional space.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The patent's innovation lies in combining precise, multi-directional pressure feedback on individual fingertips with independently controllable tactile feedback across the palm. This allows for a much more nuanced and realistic sense of touch than simpler haptic devices.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
HaptX Gloves (various models)
High-fidelity VR training simulators
Teleoperation systems for robotics
Virtual prototyping and design review tools
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This technology is crucial for making virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences more immersive. By allowing users to "feel" virtual objects, it enhances training simulations, remote work, and entertainment. Companies like HaptX, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, are developing these gloves for professional applications, such as robot teleoperation and industrial design review.
Filed
December 28, 2018
Granted
October 20, 2020
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
HaptX Inc., the original assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, is a leading company developing advanced haptic gloves for enterprise and industrial applications. Other companies in the VR/AR hardware space, such as Meta (Reality Labs) and various startups focused on immersive training or telepresence, are also actively developing or researching similar haptic interaction technologies.
Market impact
This patent contributes to the development of high-fidelity haptic interfaces, which are critical for advancing immersive technologies like virtual reality. It helps enable more realistic interactions in virtual environments, potentially setting a standard for how precise tactile feedback can be delivered. This can lead to new product categories in professional training, remote work, and entertainment, by making virtual experiences feel more physically present.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent describes a haptic feedback glove designed to make virtual objects feel real. It includes a "fingertip assembly" (Claim 1) that can apply pressure to different parts of a user's finger, like the palm side, the left side (radial), the right side (ulnar), and even the very tip (distal). These pressures come from small devices called "tactors" (Claim 1). The glove also has a flexible "palm" section with multiple "palm tactors" (Claim 1) that can be controlled separately. For example, if you reach out in a virtual world and touch a cube, the glove could apply pressure to your fingertips and palm, and specific tactors could vibrate to simulate the texture of the cube. The system can also track the hand's position in 3D space (Claim 2) and even connect to a "force-feedback exoskeleton" (Claim 7) to make you feel resistance.
The clever bit
The patent's innovation lies in combining precise, multi-directional pressure feedback on individual fingertips with independently controllable tactile feedback across the palm. This allows for a much more nuanced and realistic sense of touch than simpler haptic devices.
What it does not cover
- Haptic gloves that only provide vibration feedback without applying pressure to multiple surfaces of the finger.
- Gloves where the palm tactors cannot be controlled independently from each other.
- Haptic systems that do not include both fingertip assemblies with multi-surface tactors and palm assemblies with independently actuatable tactors.
- Gloves that only provide force feedback through an exoskeleton without integrated tactile feedback.
- Systems that do not track the hand's position in three-dimensional space.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
18/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
15/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$150K – $479K
Midpoint $300K · 12.2 yr remaining · industry ×1.6
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
22 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Piller, P., Rojanachaichanin, B. L., Sjoberg, K. C., Takatsuka, R. M., JR., N. J. B., & Goupil, M. Y. (2020). How a Haptic Glove Makes You Feel Virtual Objects (U.S. Patent No. 10,809,804). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10809804/haptic-feedback-glove
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How a Haptic Glove Makes You Feel Virtual Objects cover?
This patent describes a haptic feedback glove that uses small vibrating pads and pressure points on the fingertips and palm to create realistic sensations of touch with virtual objects in computer simulations.
Who owns patent US 10809804?
HaptX owns this patent, granted in 2020.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on December 28, 2038, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 10809804 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 7 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This technology is crucial for making virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences more immersive. By allowing users to "feel" virtual objects, it enhances training simulations, remote work, and entertainment. Companies like HaptX, the assignee, are developing these gloves for professional applications, such as robot teleoperation and industrial design review.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Haptic gloves that only provide vibration feedback without applying pressure to multiple surfaces of the finger.
Patent monitoring